If you follow my other blog – Yield to Pedestrian – at all, you know that photography is a big part of my life. I know, I know. Everyone is a budding photographer these days. But isn’t that the wonder of digital cameras? No more buying film, no more paying for developers and paper – it is a quick and fun way to let your creative side out without costing a fortune and taking all day.
While Yield to Pedestrian focuses on science and photography and such, this blog focuses, as you know, on parenting, pregnancy, and product reviews of mom and dad inventors and entrepreneurs. I always like it, however, when the two worlds collide, as they do in this product review of Spell It Out Photos.
Let me start by saying that as a web designer, I am very, very, very picky and critical of websites, and I loved this one. You have to check it out just for the Design Your Own Tool if nothing else. Just go, take 30 seconds, and smile.
Oh, did you want to know what I’m actually reviewing first? OK, if I must.
These two women take great digital photos of objects and places and designs that resemble letters in the alphabet. Then they turn those photos into names, messages, greeting cards, and all sorts of fun stuff. It sounds a little cheesy at first (I immediately thought of that booth at Disneyland where the artist paints your child’s name into princess-accented letters), but it is not. This is grown-up nature photography, with some true art photography thrown in. It puts a very sophisticated twist on the final product, which makes it quite giftable.
Giftable? Yes, this is a word, even if your spellchecker and mine don’t think so. Giftable is that rare condition of being useful for giving to a coach, a teacher, a parent, a grandparent, your child, your child’s friend, and the bus driver. Giftable is that state of existence where you don’t have to spend a fortune to convey your thoughtfulness and appreciation. Giftable is the attribute you like to see combined with “can purchase all in one place”. Giftable. Spell It Out Photos are giftable.
They are also hard to describe, which is why I am again going to insist you check out the “Design Your Own Tool”. I especially like how if you are doing something for say, your cousin in Albuquerque, all the letters will have a southwestern/ranch theme. If you are making a gift for a nature lover, all the photos can have a nature theme.
Spell It Out Photos sent me a few of their new greeting cards done with “Happy Birthday” and “Thank You” and similar messages, and I was struck by how nice it was to see something unique. I love stationary and have quite a lot of it, but these were a fun twist on the same old, same old without resorting to glitter. I like glitter, but I hate opening or giving a card that requires hand-washing to write or read. These cards are unique yet require no hand-washing. And that, that’s a pretty strong endorsement. Check it out!!!
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I went to the website, Spell it Out Photos and played with it a bit. What a cool tool for personalizing gifts to just about anyone.
I am in love with this concept. I first read about this in Oprah’s Magazine. I am a nurse, but love to dabble in art when I am away from the hospital. I tried to find my own letters for my name for a week. I could only find ONE! I decided to go to the website Oprah recommends and figured if it was good enough for her, it would be good enough for little old me! The company she endorses and buys from is Sticks and Stones. They are a family owned business, I think. I bought mine a few years ago, so they’ve been doing this a long time and I THINK they were family-owned at that time. I just went to Yahoo to find their website and it is http://www.createsticksandstones.com. I just read their About Us and their story is so cute. It certainly fits the bill of the Mom-preneur story. You should reach out to her – sounds like they’ve had major success. There is even a Sticks and Stones art piece hanging in the White House!! Hey!! Good for me! I believed in this concept/company before a lot of their famous clients even knew about them!! I like being “in the know”!!
Thank you for a job well done on this parenting site. It’s super helpful and I enjoy the information you provide and the entertaining way it’s written.
Have a great evening,
StaceyW. RN – love to help others. pass it on!
Love these!!!!
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