Merge Your Research and Your Photo Editor Into Delightful Keepsakes!

You've spent the past seven months searching for one particular ancestor, delving into their life and times.  You spent hours compiling information, dates, pictures, and documents.  Perhaps you have a binder filled with plastic inserts, each holding a carefully preserved bit of information in hopes that some day you'll make a scrapbook out of it, or maybe include the information into a whole book.  Right now, though, you have other ancestors to research, other stories to unearth; yet, it is hard to let this one go, isn't it?  Too, maybe you'd like to share some of what you've learned with family members, or plan to attend a reunion this summer and don't feel like lugging pounds of notebooks with you.  One fun solution is to create a collage of the memorabilia you've collected by using your computer scanner and your photo editing program.  You can create an 8x10 picture, post card format, or even small ATC (Art Trading Card -- 3.5 x 2.5 inches) to carry with you or display prominantly in your home.  Post cards can be sent to friends and family members.  You'd be surpised at how delighted they would be to receive such a memento!

The artwork featured on this page is entitled Honoring Elizabeth.  I used a Samsung digital camera, the HP Photosmart C5280 All-in-One Scanner, and PhotoShop Elements computer program.  The artwork shows a picture I took of the family headstone and her personal grave marker, a scanned bit of her marriage certificate, a picture of one pearl (which I duplicated into a necklace), a scanned copy of her photograph, scanned designer paper background, scanned star blocks, and a scanned bit of paper telling how I felt when I found her grave.  If I had more bits of memorbilia, I could have reduced the size of the family marker to make room for other items.  The pearls in the picture did not belong to Elizabeth; but, they reminded me of her beautiful, peaceful, strong yet delicate personality.  She was, in truth, a true Lady.

With the picture finished and converted into a .jpeg image, Elizabeth is now ready to be uploaded to a printer who does post cards at a resonable price.  There are several on-line who give great service with wonderful turn-around and quality including UV Glossy coating.  If you have an ATC format in mind, you can use your own photo printer.  I used an HP Photosmart A616.  Once the picture prints off and dries, I can glue it to ATC size mat board, chipboard or other stable surface.  I could even turn this bit of art into a keychain decoration!

By combining your pictures and scanned images you can create birthday cards, reunion cards, thinking of you cards, Halloween or Vintage Christmas images to share with friends and family  -- or use your artwork to decorate wooden keepsake boxes or plaques... truly there is no end to the possibilities! 

This article was written in keeping with the GraveDigger Motto:

                                                        No Ancestor Left Behind