Making Photo Valentine Cards

I've been making photo valentine cards for the past three years so I thought this year I would try something different.  I found a how-to on some super hero lollipops that I planned on making, but when I checked to see if I had the fabric, I didn't have the color felt I wanted and Hobby Lobby was closed so I decided I'd go back to the cards that I made a few years back.

 

I wanted an outside shot because of the lighting.  Of course, the sun was so harsh I told E. to stand in front of the fence which provided about 2 feet of shade.  Here's the original image of E. holding out his hand to which a lollipop will be inserted later.  I made sure to have him off centered so that I could add wording.

For a vintage feel, I added an aged photo filter to the image.

I then changed the exposure of the image and added more contrast so that E.'s face wouldn't be so washed out.

For that extra something, I added a simple vignette to the photo. 

I added a few words, cut out a slit on the top and bottom of his hands and voila I've got a cute photo Valentine's Day card.

 

Cute huh?  I love the way the hand pops out.  I've come a long way from the photo card I made a few years back.

What's better than having totally unique cards?  It took me 15 minutes to make (from the time I shot the picture to the time I had it printed) AND it ended up costing LESS than the store bought cards.  Double win!

I know I reused this idea of mine, but I did check my kids class roster to make sure none of the kids were in his class a few years back.  We're good to go.  :)