Blast from the Past

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Last fall, I went through my in-laws’ spare-room closet looking for old photo albums. I came across a box and carried it home, not knowing the contents until I lifted the lid. My fingers ran across hundreds of sealed envelopes of negatives, some dating as far back as the late 1800s!

Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I would be in possession of so many historical photographs.

Whether you have abundance of old photos or only a few favorites that you love, here are five ways to use those vintage photos today.

Make a Digital Layout

	Supplies: software (Adobe Photoshop CS2) • quickpage (Paislee Press and Emily Powers) • title (Ali Edwards with Designer Digitals) • 12 x 12 digital page by Jen Evans
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Try creating digital layouts using your new photos, since you’ll need to scan them anyway. (See Photo Restoration sidebar below.) Give your vintage photos a modern and minimalist look with fresh new designs. Quick pages are a simple way to give your photos a great new look. Just drop your photo, add elements, and flatten your image to save and print at your local printer.

Create a Yearly Calendar

	Supplies: software (Adobe Photoshop CS2) • quickpage (With Love from Mushy) • digital paper (In Good Company by Paislee Press and Designs by Leora) • 4 x 6 calendar by Jen Evans
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Use your heritage photos to create meaningful projects you can use everyday. Making digital calendars for yourself or to give away will help you and your family members enjoy your historic photos every time you take a peek at the date. I place this year-at-a-glance calendar right on my desk.

Frame One Month at a Time

	Supplies: software (Adobe Photoshop CS2) • digital calendar (Paislee Press) • 4 x 6 calendar by Jen Evans
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I created this month-at-a-glance calendar in just minutes thanks to a simple digital template. Pick your digital paper, photo, and text and voila! Have it printed and slip it into a frame. You could also create a flip calendar by creating twelve similar pages (one for each month), punching holes at the top and adding office rings.

Here’s how: create a new document in Adobe Photoshop and size it to 4x6 inches at 300 dpi. Open a photo in Photoshop and drag it into your 4x6 project. Resize the photo to fit at the top. Use a digital calendar, like Liz Tamanaha’s 2010 calendar pictured above. All you need to do is open the file, drag it into Photoshop, drag it into your 4x6 document, resize it to fit, flatten your image, and you’re done! Frame or hang these in your office space.

Wear Your Photos

	Supplies: software (Adobe Photoshop CS2) • memory glass and memory frames (Ranger) • fragments (Tim Holtz Ideaology by Advantus Corp.) • pre-strung beaded necklace (Jewelry Spectacular) • button (My Mind’s Eye) • dog chain (Etsy) • vintage (fabric, lace, ribbon, thread, and dictionary script) • solder • projects by Jen Evans
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Use your photo index prints to make quick, homemade jewelry to wear or give away. Whether you create a soldered charm or fiber necklace or use a Ranger Memory Frame, making jewelry is tons more fun when you can use it to show off your family’s history. I love to find necklaces or beads that are already pre-strung and piece them together to make that one-of-a-kind necklace. Then, I find a photo that tells a special story. That way it is bound to be a great conversation starter.

Order a Photo Book

	Supplies: software (Adobe Photoshop) • digital paper (With Love From Mushy) • title (Ali Edwards with Designer Digitals) • album (Shutterfly.com) • project by Jen Evans
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Create an album using Shutterfly.com. I created this genealogy album of my family’s history for our family’s reunion last month. I was able to order twenty for the family; there’s no way I could have done that with traditional scrapbooking! And it’s really easy.

Simply upload your favorite digital layouts or just drag and drop your photos into one of Shutterfly’s predesigned albums. Place your order, and within the week, you have your book in your mailbox! Your project can be saved for that perfect gift for the person on your list that “has everything.”

In Conclusion

After creating with my new-found treasures, I had a soft spot in my heart for those family members I never knew. I fell in love with them, and by preserving their photos I felt like I was helping keep their stories alive. Bring your vintage photos to life by creating modern, meaningful pieces of art that you can enjoy everyday.

Now, aren’t you inspired to go digging around in your in-laws’ closets? I hope you do! (As long as you’re on good terms with them, of course.)

Bonus: Photo Restoration

Photo preservation is key when handling any historical photograph. When doing any project using my family’s photographs, I never use the original. I scan the photograph or negative (I recommend the Epson Perfection V500 for any negatives 3x5 or smaller). I then use a photo editing software to remove any discoloration, dust, water damage, or tears. Adobe Lightroom makes the job even easier with its easy-to-use, one-click tool bars. But the same can be done in Adobe Photoshop (I use the version that comes with Creative Suite 2).

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To edit the photo in Adobe Photoshop using your hot keys, enter CTRL L to adjust the levels of the photo. Adjust the left slider (shadows) and the right slider (highlights) and the middle slider for any mid-tones. As you slide each lever you can see the photo’s color change. Adjust the left and the right lever to line up with the edge of the black blob, which photographers call a histogram. This will fix some of the photo’s color.

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To remove dust or watermarks, click on the clone stamp tool in your tool bar on the left of your screen. Then adjust the “master diameter” to fit right over the damage your want to remove. Hold Alt and click with your mouse to select an area that matches the damaged area you would like to fix. Then click over the damaged area and you can see it clone what you just clicked on. Zoom into your photo to ensure a clean job; you don’t want your photo to look like a bunch of polka dots.