Summer is all about being outside as much as possible and your stuffed social calendar likely reflects that. But a scorching summer’s day is also the perfect opp to crank the A/C, get your fingers sticky with glue and glitter, and make some art. The slew of photos you’ve been posting from your park picnics, backyard pool parties, and water-blaster fights? Print them. The potted daisies on your patio or fire escape that are wilted from the heat and headed to the compost bin? Press them.
Even if you don’t consider yourself crafty or haven’t picked up a pair of scissors for years, these five steps and ideas from Walmart will set you up in no time. Hang a few of your most epic summer photos on your bald walls and you’ll even spruce up your digs and put your best memories front and center, so you can relive the glory again and again.
1. Print those puppies out
The first step to framing your summer photos is printing them out and, for that, you’ll need a printer. We’re not talking about the same machine you use to crank out sorry-looking spreadsheets, we’re talking about a high-quality photo printer that will spit out crisp, vibrant images. This wireless one is loaded for the low price point. You can print directly from your phone — which makes things so much easier — and the manual feed slot lets you print on card stock. Think about it. You can create a photo calendar with all your festival pics and keep the summer party vibe going strong.
2. Take a picture, it lasts longer
If the old-school instant-photo vibe is more what you’re going for, this mini instant camera isn’t much bigger than your phone and will definitely scratch that creative itch. It may not offer all the retro filters that your phone does, but the camera itself is retro, so you’re technically a step ahead. One cool thing about instant photos is that you can scribble dates and pithy blurbs on them and decorate them with a bunch of stickers (a.k.a. the OG emojis) before you put them on your fridge or give them out to friends as party favors.
3. Satisfy your unicorn and glitter cravings
All things rainbow-colored and sparkly are your best friend when it comes to decorating. This seriously thorough crafting kit includes everything you could ever want to decorate scrapbook pages, photos, handmade cards, flower pots, you name it. Use the glitter paper as a backdrop for your framed photos, or just get crazy with the 1,000-plus stickers and make everything you own look like a unicorn had a field day.
4. Press pretty flowers like grandma used to do
If you like flowers, you should definitely add old-school flower-pressing to your crafting lineup. No clue where to start? It’s easier than you think with the right kit. Basically, you take some flowers — flat blooms like violets and daisies are the easiest to press — and you place them in between two pieces of absorbent paper, weigh it down, and let it sit for a spell. Once your flowers are dried and pressed, you can frame them to hang on your walls or glue them onto cards to make invites for your oh-so-civilized garden party.
5. Frame your art in the right light
You want a frame setup that shows off your crafting skills and flatters your home decor, right? Think black minimalist frames for black-and-white photos and white frames to really complement your color prints. This textured woodgrain one has a country-chic prairie vibe that will go great with your pressed flowers. Whichever frames you choose, display your work on your walls with pride. Not only have you flexed your creative muscles — and likely glued your fingers together a few times in the process — but you’ve basically created a time capsule of your most awesome summer ever. Kudos.
