Party Décor * Modge Podge Numbers

I made the above numbers to use as a Graduation party decoration for my oldest son’s high school graduation party last year.  I used photos from each of his high school years so that the number “two” was covered in Freshmen photos, the number “zero” was patched with Sophomore memories, the number “one” included highlights from his Junior year and finally the “three” showcased his Senior year.

These photo covered numbers would work just as well for birthday parties using either the age or the birth year of the guest of honor.  And another super cute idea would be to cover letters of the birthday girl or boy’s name to display later in their bedroom.

To create these numbers for your own event you will need three items:  Numbers/Letter, Photos and Modge Podge.

I was able to find the Paper Mache numbers at Hobby Lobby.  After selecting all the photos I wanted to use I organized them in a Publisher document so that several photos would print per page.  I went to Kinkos to print my pages of photos because I wanted to select a heavier paper to print them on.  It only took Kinkos a few minutes to print the photo pages off of my jump drive and then I was on my way home to create a custom “2013”.

I cut out each photo and began my scrapbook numbers.  I used Modge Podge to glue each photo onto the numbers while creating an overlapping collage.  After the numbers were wrapped in photos and all the brown was covered I used a paint brush to smooth Modge Podge over the photos as a sealant.  The brushstrokes will show and so I suggest using long straight strokes.  After the first coat of Modge Podge was completely dry (a few hours)  I added a second coat to ensure the edges of my photos would not lift.

The result – AWESOME.  Not only did my son love and appreciate having his high school years reflected on his graduating year, 2013, I received countless compliments at his graduation party.  They were a hit all around and they now sit on a shelf in his bedroom and serve as room décor.

Happy Party Planning!
– T

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Calling all iPhone picture takers… it’s time to Collect!

The Collect App is a fabulous invention for iPhone users who would like a daily digital photographic journal of their memories.  A huge thank you goes to a friend of mine in Georgia for recommending this app to me. It quickly became one of my favorite apps of all time. I LOVE PICTURES.

As with a lot of apps there is a free version in the iTunes app store as well as an upgraded paid version that you can purchase via the free Collect App after you have downloaded it to your phone. The paid pro version is only $1.99 and in my opinion it is worth the two bucks. Both versions allow the user to add comments as photo titles as well as tags to easily search for later. They both also include the option of a daily push reminder if you haven’t added a photo to your timeline by evening. However, while the free Collect App keeps a beautiful calendar with a few options the upgrade will get you the awesome option of printing your photos to be framed or added to a scrapbook.

To print your Collect Photos from the Pro edition simply select the individual photos and/or month of photos you’d like to print then select “export” and follow the prompts.  You will be prompted to choose one of the three size options, card format (which is like choosing your “filter” on Instagram), print bleed, card back, and finally decide whether or not to include your verbiage recorded in the notes and then export to either your camera roll or to Dropbox.  (If you do not already have a Dropbox account, I recommend giving them a try. It is a free service that will host your photos and files via the internet giving you the ability to login from anywhere to access your files.) Once you have exported your Collect photos you can print them from either your computer or upload them to the photo lab of your choice for printing. As you become more familiar with the app try creating a collage or a video; two additional fun options that the Collect App offers. Trust me, it is easier than it sounds.
A final tip: you can at ANY time go back to previous calendar dates to add photos. There is no pressure on assigning photos every day. Just click on the date you want to add a photo to and select the photo from your iPhone camera roll taken that day.

It’s fun. It’s easy. And it’s free. Try it out and let me know what you think www.twitter.com/tagsthoughts.
– T

© 2014 All opinions are my own. www.tagsthoughts.com
I did not receive goods/funds/sponsorship to write this review.

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