Get crafty with found objects

Create personalized notepaper and invitations with a scanner and some treasures

By Liza Finlay

I was never what you’d call “crafty.” My only attempt at scrapbooking devolved into a rudimentary photo album. And after the last failed sewing project, I vowed to stick a pin in my eye before picking up another piece of felt.

Then I came face to face with my son’s disco birthday party. Finding nothing suitably ’70s among the invitation cards at the store, I went home and turned to my scanner.

I collected found objects — a photo of hubby in an Afro wig and flared jeans, some glitter and my gold chains. Then I was able to create a “groovy” invitation.

Bring out your crafty side

I’m not the only craft convert. Barbara Kotsos, senior marketing manager for Epson, says she is amazed at the creativity she sees among people using scanners. She’s even seen a life-like image of a fish. “A gentleman had actually scanned a fish to lend credence to his tall fish tales,” she says.

But creating digital proof that you “landed the big one” is just one of the many ways a scanner, PC and printer can help you create unique notepaper and invitations. Scanning technology has improved so much that it’s possible to skip the stationery store and create your own cards, notes and invitations.

Remnants of fabric or wallpaper, used cards and, in my case, faded photos are some of the more common, two-dimensional fodder. But since the newest scanners have 3-D capabilities (lids close on angles, allowing floral bouquets and still-life set-ups to be scanned without being flattened), the options are endless.

Get started

To begin, choose a theme.

• Don’t limit family letterhead to “From the Smiths . . .” typography. Why not insert a family photo or run a parade of handprints down the side of the paper?
• For a nautical theme, use shells artfully interspersed with bits of rope and draped with a map, or add a piece of sandpaper to resemble sand.
• Child-friendly thank-you cards or invitations could contain a photo of your child, a birthday candle and a scrap of wrapping paper.
• Make your own birth announcements by blending baby’s bracelet, teddy bear and photo.
• Intimate notes can involve old love letters (or a handwritten new one), a heart-shaped locket and a kiss pressed onto transparency paper.
• Personal stationery may include some of your favourite things — a flower or leaf, a stamp from your favourite destination or the cover of your favourite book.

Prepare your scanning surface

Before you press the scan button, do these things.

• Block outside light. When scanning a three-dimensional object or still life, drape a black, opaque cloth lightly over your artful arrangement.
• Protect the glass. If you’re scanning something moist (a 10-pound trout!), sticky (a branch from your holiday tree) or abrasive (sand from the beach), lay a sheet of plastic wrap over the glass. “Once the glass is damaged, the scanner needs to be replaced,” says Kotsos. A scratch on the glass would be scanned forever.
• Beware of metals. The light reflected by metals (on the dog’s collar or in your engagement ring) may cause unwanted colour distortion, so use metals sparingly.

Put it all together

Once your arrangement and surface are ready, all you need to harness your inner artist is a PC and, perhaps, a printer. (If your creations are for digital consumption, you don’t need a printer.)

1. Scan. Your scanner will capture the image and create an image file. You decide the format, but JPEG, TIFF and PDF are the most common.
2. Embellish. Transfer the file to your PC. Using programs such as Microsoft Word and PhotoShop, manipulate the image, layer multiple images, add text, and size the document.
3. Send. E-mail a digital file of your creation. Or print it on special card stock, coloured paper or acid-free archival paper, and send it by snail mail. Create a photo album on your Windows Live Space to display your images, or use Windows Live SkyDrive to store your photos in a secure folder where trusted family and friends can download their copies.