Ways to Say Thank You

 Each holiday season, I try to do something for each of the clients I've done photo shoots for during the year.  It's not typically something expensive, but just something to say thank you - thank you for trusting me to document your family or wedding day, for letting me be a part of your memories, and for allowing yourself (and me) to have fun while we create great photos!

In the past, I've done ornaments, calendars, or prints.  I recently signed up for Pinterest so I was feeling rather crafty this year.  I spent some time thinking about what might be fun to make, and eventually settled on wood photo ornaments.  They aren't perfect (although Paul says I should strive for perfect :) ), but I like them enough to make some extras for family Christmas gifts!

I did have to purchase most of the materials for this project.  This is what I used:

• Square/rectangle wood cutouts - I sanded the edges & corners so they were smooth/round
• Printed pictures (I just printed at Walgreens because I wanted to get them quickly)
• Paint - I bought an 8 oz paint sample from Home Depot online
• Mod Podge
• 2 foam brushes (1 for paint, 1 for Mod Podge)
• Clear spray paint
• Wire to hang

I started by painting the wood.  I chose black because I thought it might look classier.  I used two layers of paint.


Then I placed a picture upside down on wax paper & painted Mod Podge on the back.


I flipped the picture and stuck it onto the wood.  I started by using black printed squares with the year on the back of each ornament, but ended up painting over them because I didn't like it!  :)


After giving the ornaments some time to dry, I put Mod Podge over the back of each ornament and over the front/sides.  It goes on white, so don't be worried when it looks like glue - it dries clear!  I used a couple layers on each side and added a bit of texture by using the foam brush in the opposite direction after painting a layer of Mod Podge.




With some help from my husband, we drilled holes to put the wire into.  Between drilling and putting in the wire, we chose to spray each ornament with clear acrylic spray paint because the Mod Podge was still a little tacky & we thought it would be a little nicer with paint/sealant.


Once the wire was in the holes, I twisted the back with a needle-nose pliers so it would stay.  The final products are some nice-looking (I'll stress again - not perfect, although they got better as I did more) ornaments!



This makes a fun personalized gift - without too much expense or time!  Plus they look very nice!  I added a little thank you note & some ribbon before I sent them out.