weekend creative : photo type case
[ project featured in my book Life Artist ]
This project is right up there at the top of my all-time favorite projects list. It has photos + words + re-purposes something old giving it a new life. Lovely.
Here's the really simple how-to:
1. Find an old type case.
I purchased both of mine from antique stores/tag sales
for between $20 and $40 depending on quality and size. This one above
was $30. Both of the cases I have measure right around 32 inches x 16.5 inches. I would also recommend checking ebay or simply google "type drawers" or "type cases" (while looking up some sources I found that they are actually called cases rather than drawers).
I did a renegade cleaning of mine by spraying it with the hose on a hot summer day to loosen the dirt and grime that had accumulated. I am guessing it was probably not the best way to clean old wood, but it worked. After it dried I was ready to play.
2. Fill it with stuff.
The case above was filled with photos and embellishments. I measured the squares (this one had even sized squares vs. the empty one above has a variety of different sized rectangles) and they ended up being pretty much 2 inches x 2 inches. I re-sized a bunch of our favorite photos in Photoshop, printed them here at home, and trimmed them down to fit.
To adhere the photos and embellishments onto the wood I went with 3D foam squares. If you are wondering about the sticking power, this entire thing was wrapped + shipped to Utah to be photographed for the book and made it back in one piece and has been hanging on our wall ever since.
For variety and depth, I added more than one foam square behind some of the photos. This means that some of them stick out farther within the squares than others.
As for additional embellishments I pretty much went through my stash and grabbed elements that had a bit of meaning and were just waiting to be used in something (don't we all have those things that you are just waiting to use on the "perfect" project). I also tended towards circle embellishments for a nice break from all those square photos.
These Scenic Route chipboard circles would work great. As would these Love, Elsie Soft Charms or these stacked layer stickers from K&Company or those classic Making Memories metal charmed quotes.
The compartments are also a nice place to store personal mementos. My Mom has a drawer hanging in the house I grew up in that is filled not with photos but little bits and pieces of things she has collected along her journey. Many of those little things relate to this or that event and are significant to us as a family. It is a treasure.
3. Display.
Our case hangs on a wall in our dining room. I hung it with picture-hanging wire and screws screwed into the sides of the wood. They would also look great on a bureau or dresser.
The prompt for the weekend is this: What can you do to "live with" your photos other than having them inside your computer, in boxes under the bed, hidden away in photo albums, or placed among decorations in your scrapbooks? Maybe a type case or shadow box is in your future...
Hi there!
I remember being so inspired by this project when I was reading your book. I was thrilled to see it again this morning.
Ebay has a seller who had more than 2000 type drawers and he's selling them for $12.50...I'm ordering 2! This is the address...
http://stores.ebay.com/Daves-Merchandise
Happy Weekend!
Sign in or sign up to comment.
My mum has an old stamp drawer filled with 'bits' too. i just bought one for myself last weekend in Portobello Road (London), and it's an antique stamp drawer from Fleet Street. i'm filling it with all my 'a' stamps. i just know that i'll eventually end up with a few of them all filled with different stuff!
Sign in or sign up to comment.
Gorgeous project.
Your web site and the spirit of your creativity just totally inspire the heck out of me, daily.
Sign in or sign up to comment.
once again, I love everything about this!
Sign in or sign up to comment.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! This will make the perfect birthday present for my mom - I think they're getting tired of my hybrid albums, so this will be a nice change!! :)
Sign in or sign up to comment.
This is so cute!! I wish I had the patience for it!
Sign in or sign up to comment.
OH Ali, that is so cute!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE that idea! I am going to have to do this one. Thank you for this idea!!
Sign in or sign up to comment.
Love this - I have a tray like this and keep rubber stamps in it. Not so much a repurpose, eh ?? As we are about to move house. I may change it...
Sign in or sign up to comment.
WOW...just wow. :)
Sign in or sign up to comment.
I have something like this that I bought a year ago and have waited to do something with it. Now I know. Thanks a bunch! You are so awesome!
Sign in or sign up to comment.
This is one my favorite projects of yours :-)
Sign in or sign up to comment.
Hi Ali,
I've just started to read your book Life Artist, LOVE it!!! And I saw this project in the book, it is so cool! Thank you so much for the inspirations you are giving to all of us.
You have another fan in me :)
Have a wonderful weekend.
Gabi
Sign in or sign up to comment.
I saw this project in your book and I love it, you are so inventive! But I was just looking on ebay for the type drawers and also at wooden type and I happened to see this! I thought you might like to bid on it! http://cgi.ebay.com/5-E-ligature-Nice-old-wood-type-letter-CHARACTER_W0QQitemZ120265587666QQihZ002QQcategoryZ46735QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
I thought that was so cool! I wish they had my initials!
Thanks for all your ideas!
Sign in or sign up to comment.
I like this idea - I have one of these at home I'm going to make me one this weekend....
Thanks for sharing
Sign in or sign up to comment.
I have one in my kid's bath with pics and labels...am adding pics slowly. Their bath is black with antique touches....the printers tray, old window frame, etc. Love it! I also have a much smaller one with tiny compartments. Each tiny compartment fits the little index print photo shots. I have my index prints in a baggy and have been snipping favorites out when I have time at soccer practice or watching the kids play outside. It's in my computer nook and one of my favorite things too...
We just hung two old window frames this weekend on the back of our garage- outside. We blew up 4 of our favorite pics of our 4 kids, and mounted it on black . My husband sealed and screwed the backboard in. The pics are 16 x20 and black and white. It's so fun to see their faces while we're grilling and hanging out!
Thanks for all your inspiration!
Sign in or sign up to comment.
Love it Ali, it looks great!
Sign in or sign up to comment.
Wow, this super cool. I will have to look for one of these, I think it would look great in my kitchen which is Watermelon themed. I can already picture lots of pictures, and watermelon decorations filling each hole. I sure hope I can find one. Thanks so much for sharing your talents with the world. If you don't mind I would like to add a link to your blog from mine, would you mind? Here is my blog http://mimmersscrapbooks.blogspot.com/
Happy Scrapping,
Kimberly in Nevada
Sign in or sign up to comment.
How funny... I was looking at these on eBay not too long ago for a class project. I grew up with my mom making "shadowboxes" similar to this but smaller and I've wanted to make something like that for a long time. The problem was finding enough to teach a whole class! I came up with something else but this is a definite must in my near future!
Sign in or sign up to comment.
WOW. Amazing project!
Sign in or sign up to comment.
Hi Ali,
What a terrific idea. I have too many pictures in a box and this would take care of some of them. Thanks for the step-by-step instructions (I need instructions).
Lori-Anne
Sign in or sign up to comment.
Hi ALi, what a great way to show your favorite pictures. You wrote you printed them at home. Do they not fade easily by sunlight?
Sign in or sign up to comment.
oh my word I am in LOVE!!!
New mission - FIND A TYPE CASE!!!!!
Sign in or sign up to comment.
Thanks for sharing with your project. I bought the same tray you showed the empty one about 15 years ago and thought put collections. A few years, I saw one of Autumn Leaves called Designing with Paper and it still keeps me thinking of creating the tray. I'd like to see others doing it for ideas as I want to do it this weekend, but can't do it because I'm trying to adjust my new routines since I started my new job three weeks ago. I added your post for favorites called cool project so, one day I have a chance to do it.
Sign in or sign up to comment.
My mom also had a type "case" filled with little treasures hanging in our house growing up. She's not a keeper and it is since gone ... how I wish I had it now!
Sign in or sign up to comment.
This is like the best thing I have EVER seen!!!
Sign in or sign up to comment.