DIY: Frame a Name!

Do you remember the days when you liked someone so much you’d spell their name all over a blank page? Remember hearing the name clearly over a buzzing crowd? Remember when saying the name out loud sent butterflies to your stomach? Well, what a better way to say, “I love you,” then with your loved one’s name? A great gift idea is to give your loved one a customized photo of their name. Here’s how you do it.

There are different ways that you can go about getting your images. You can find things that are shaped like the letter in their name or you can stage it by using common objects to shape the letter of their name (like a fistful of screws or snip off the stems of a flower and arrange them to create the letter.

Also, it’s nice to get images that invoke their personality. A special place or their home is a great place to find your images.

It evokes a warm feeling of familiarity, but in seeking out the letter, you will magnify a beautiful or inspiring detail of their daily lives.

For men who like woodworking, music, sports or fishing, I would recommend finding items that are reminiscent of that. If he’s a bit of Renaissance man than incorporating all his interest is fun too, but if you want to stick with one theme you can do that to. For the more daring images finding parts of the body that mimic the shape with shadows and light can be very interesting and titillating. It’s your design, so you can shoot whatever you want.

After you’ve found all your letters, it’s nice to give them an effect that draws them together as one, for example, making them black and white, sepia, highly saturated or some other artistic effect.

This is a great technique in creating a collage that is pulled together by style and color. Many one hour photos will give you the option to make your image black and white or sepia, so even if you aren’t computer savvy, you can get the imaging done commercially and without additional costs.

Now, all you need to do is decide how you are going to present the name. You can print each one individually and frame each letter to be presented as a collage of frames. Another option is to custom frame the photos with a specialty mat, but this can be costly. You can frame individual images with a mat in a panoramic style frame and cut your own mat or if you are good with a computer there are programs that will allow you to create a collage that will frame your letters, so you can format it as one image and print it to fit a standard frame. This can save you on custom matting and framing. If you are lucky enough to have a beau or belle with three letters you will readily find triptych matted frames that are far less than custom framing. Lastly, you can print each letter on a canvas print and combine it to create a wonderful art piece. I was lucky enough to find one frame for one amazing four letter boyfriend.

That’s it! This is a great gift for anyone, men or women! So, have fun putting your present together. I know I did!

And my wonderful boyfriend, Jeff, loves it and appreciates how I put hints of his personality in the photos!

Marcela Rios Gary

Marcela Rios Gary graduated with a B.A. in English from the University of Texas in San Antonio in 1996. She worked for the San Antonio Business Journal over 14 years. The consummate artist Marcela has always been a student of writing, photography, music, theater and the arts, so when she was assigned her first interview as a reporter she asked sheepishly, “I can take pictures, if you want?” Her managing editor said, “Okay.” Soon after, she became one of the two primary photographers for the publication. At the forefront of digital photography, she introduced it to the journal in 1999. It wasn’t long after her internship that Marcela’s popularity grew and inspired her to start Photo Magic of Texas, which has been in business for over 12 years. She since moved to north Dallas where she continues to pursue her creative passions.

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