fototiller.com Blog

Grace posted on these cool takboards, perfect for holding your latest photos.

Photo shelfs from Wal-mart.

DIY plexi-glass photo display (a great idea for a kitchen backsplash, too).

Do you like tiny art and cameras? Then you’ll love Sean Tubridy’s little illustrations of retro cameras (above). Available for sale at $20 each, these are signed square 5 x 5 prints in a 9 x 9 mat. They are designed to fit in a square 9 x 9 frame like the Ribba ones at Ikea. He doesn’t have on online shop yet, but you can check out his website for places to buy them in Minneapolis or order by email using paypal (sales at blueoverblue dot com). Also, he has done some cool camera tees (image below, stock varies). See his flickr sets for more of his work.

Update – Sean has set up an online shop here.

Check out this post over at Modish – have a collage made from your photos over at paper relics.

I love serendipitous ipod moments…

Like just now when I discover the Japan-based site Little by Little and the shuffle spits out The Vapor’s Turning Japanese. I have never been fully convinced that my ipod does not have a mind of its own.

Anyway, found these very cool mouse trap clips. What a great idea for holding photos – imagine a whole wall with randomly placed mousetraps holding photos and artwork. Very, very cool.

Cool camera tees from Amorphia Apparel. I’m likin’ the ringer tee colors.

New from Nono Living…
XL Wallart is a collection of giant digital images that are comprised of wallpaper panels, put together they create an impacting feature for any room. Suitable for bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms or studies they will dramatically change the look and feel of a room. There are 11 different designs available, from zany giant sweets to delicate flower images, there is plenty of potential to have fun with your décor!

I’m so excited about UK-based 55 Max – I can’t believe I didn’t find them until now! 55 MAx offers affordable prints from contemporary photographers (check out the cool prints for kids) and they have an amazing bespoke interiors service with so many options, I don’t know where to start. They can put your image onto window roller blinds, ceramic wall and floor tiles, wallpaper, curtains or upholstery. And they’ll do the typical print onto canvas – and the not so typical print on aluminum (how cool!) and acrylic. Or for a really unique gift to commemorate a special event, use their photomontage service to create a collage that can then be printed onto the above options or on an awesome magnetic memoboard.

[Note: Site is a little annoying to navigate - but they do take international orders and some prices are listed in US dollars. Continue reading for some of my favorites.]

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Instructions for making your own glass and soldered photo charms.

Just saw that the D.I.Y. photo enlargement projects and instructions featured in the last issue of Blueprint are also online (via BB-Blog, a super fab blog).

The X Plane, with digital camera from I Want One Of Those comes with a mini digital camera that you can attach to the plane, and shoot pictures remotely from the ground as your camera flies overhead. Not cheap for something that has the potential to crash-land ($161) – I think I still want to try some kite aerial photography.

It’s my birthday and I’m taking the day off – yippee!

[Image altered from the 3 year old birthday badge at Plum Party]

Jen Smith is a local (western Mass) photographer and jeweler who has combined her talents to make beautiful photo jewelry. I saw some of her pendants and rings this weekend in a shop in Northampton and they are finely hand-crafted works. She also doescustom pieces if you are looking for a unique gift idea. (And check out the pics of her beautiful studio.)

I finally got around to redoing the fototiller archives so the full posts with images will display by category and by month. It was really driving me crazy to see just the excerpts and it was so easy to change, I don’t know why I didn’t do it sooner!

Just saw these bittersweet genevieve wallets over at poppytalk. They’re made using found photographs – pretty cool!

Barcode frames ($9.99) from Target’s new Independent Studies line.

Also available at KarmaKiss – cool magnetic cable photo holders. A very simple, modern way to hang your photos; use the magnets attached to the cable to hold up a photo and then hang the cable from the wall or ceiling. In addition to the original sleek style (which unfortunately is out of stock right now), there are designs that kids will love – with butterfly, heart and flower magnets.

Update – you can buy the original style now from photojojo’s store!

These animal frames available at KarmaKiss.com definitely fall in the kitschy cute category. But perfect fun party favors, especially for kids.

1. Photo frame pencil toppers (set of six for $8.99)
2. Dancing animal photo key chains ($6) – pull the string and watch them dance
3. Karma Kritter frames ($8.99)
4. Rockin’ animal photo frames ($7) – the little heads on these frames bobble back and forth

The latest issue of JPG Magazine is out. The issue theme is Oops! and features the best submitted ‘mistake’ photos, along with interviews from photographers Rion Nakaya and Ryan Gallagher (who does camera toss photography). Buy it here for $19.99.

Fellow album lover Jessica reminded me about the great handbound albums over at If’n Books + Marks. I’m a big fan of illustrator Jen Corace and love her great cover on the baby album (top left). Also check out the buttonhole stitch albums and the map albums.

Want a rock-star belt buckle with a photo of your choosing? Barbie’s Basement Jewelry of Toronto will make custom versions of the above buckle as well as their other products and designs (including pendants, rings, pet tags and key rings). (They do ship to the US, too!)

Jessica posted on the recycled goods from Tiffany Tomato Designs and these frames from pop labels and candy wrappers are pretty cool. Also, cool picture envelopes from old magazines – I’ve been thinking about doing some envelopes with old photos, so now I’m excited to get crackin’ and mail me some letters.

To me, paperweights have always seemed to be of questionable utility and always ended up being just another junky item cluttering up my desk. But as I’m sitting here trying to stave off the mugginess with a super-power fan blasting me, I’m guessing I could use one of them right about now. I found these kits for making paperweights from your photos and the selection of shapes and materials is the best I’ve seen anywhere (and not too pricey, either). The weights come in glass, crystal and acrylic and some of the acrylic styles can also be used to make coasters. The site also has step-by-step instructions for making the paper weights.

I know I’ve posted on the Do frame before, but I had a lot of trouble tracking down a place to buy it. Well, it’s now available at Unica ($13). Designed by marti guixe for do create by droog design, the do frame is a roll of tape with a frame pattern on it. It can be used to hold everything from photos to poster -perfect for putting up an instant photo gallery on your wall.

Shelteriffic is one of my daily reads and today they have a post on photoboxes. (And they so kindly mentioned fototiller – thanks guys!) I thought I’d post on these boxes I saw over at Target ($20). They provide acid-free storage in colors that will most likely blend in with other stuff on your shelves and have a flip-up lid for easy access.

Kevin posted on these cool DIY US Postal Service photo postcards over at the ReadyMade Blog. You can upload your own photos and designs to make your personal postcards (and even keep an online gallery of your photos) or use their designs (see above). Then enter your message and the service will mail them out for you. Great for baby announcements, save the date, moving announcements etc.

Beautiful and beachy frames made from driftwood by Bleu Nature.

Cute little picture or postcard holders in rose, orange, light green, and blue. From Avec home design.

From the latest issue of MS Living… Instructions for these photo centerpieces are also on the MS website.

Some very cool photo mobiles from Oxo Designs. Many different styles – from the beechwood and steel tournicoti sun which holds 28 spinning pictures (above left) to the tournicoti spiral (below top left). Check out the oxo design website where you can see some of the mobiles in motion. Some styles available online from this UK shop; still looking for other places to buy these.

I love these kitsch magnet frames from umbra that Grace posted on. Perfect for holding up all those photos on the fridge.

Georgie Love posted on this great camera print from we heart prints, “Ghost Camera” by Gary Gao. Actually, it made me a little sad for my my film cameras sitting in the back of the closet – maybe I’ll actually get them out this week.

Block print mat from Urban Outfitters – love the patterns on these mats and the simple black lacquer frames. Can be used as wall frame or table frame.

New lomo novelty camera, the Dalek Supersampler, now at Colette.

Designed by the artist, Dalek, the camera comes with a Dalek design book with photos and assorted graphic design plus a supersampler booklet.

If you’re like me, you’ve probably taken tons of photos of your kids, but maybe not as many for your kids. Growing up with a both a photographer grandfather and father, there are tons of amazing photos of my brother and I, but very few of our surroundings growing up. I would love now to see a photo of the room I had when I was 8 or my first elementary school (which was torn down shortly after we moved) or the sweet elderly woman who lived behind our house and gave us the best easter candy.

So this entry in the “school’s out” series is for a simple documentary project to create a photo time capsule of all those places and things in your child’s life that you might not otherwise photograph.
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