5 DIY gifts with printable templates

May 08, 2013

Jenn Kirk is a graphic designer by trade, but enjoys escaping the computer by developing hands-on DIY projects, especially the messy kind that involves her four and six-year-old boys. Recent transplants from coastal California, the Kirks...

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DIY gifts from the heart

While jewelry and gift cards to favorite stores can be exciting, some of the most memorable gifts I have been given are of the handmade variety.

Mod photo collage

Turn some of your favorite photographs into a piece of art.

For this DIY gift you will need:

15 favorite images
8.5 by 11-inch sheet of photo paper
Photo editing software such as Photoshop or online editor Pixlr
Craft knife
Picture frame that fits an 8 by 10-inch photo
Photoshop file

Directions:

Step 1: Open up file collage-grid.psd
in Photoshop or Pixlr.

Step 2: Open up the images you want to place in collage. Drag and drop each image into the collage, making sure your images are below the collage layer.

Step 3: Working on one photo at a time, scale down the image to fit within the little frames of the collage. In Photoshop, this is done by selecting Edit > Transform > Scale from the menu, or Cmd + T. Once scaled, use the Marquee tool (located in the toolbar, or hit "M" on the keyboard) to select and delete any extraneous image areas.