Scratch-off cards sure know how to take you on an emotional roller coaster. First you’re filled with gleeful anticipation and then, womp-womp. It’s a dud!

Lucky for us, our buddy Brit showed us a sure way to always get a winning scratch-off.

She taught us how to turn Polaroids (or any photo) into the best scratch-off card ever.

You can make your own easy scratch-offs using dish soap and acrylic paint. It’s really that easy.

Give one of these away to your crush or BFF for Valentine’s Day! They’ll totally be impressed by your crafty photo skills, and who knows…maybe you’ll really hit the ultimate jackpot: true love. Awww.

How to Make a Scratch-Off Photo

p.s. Today only, we’re giving away $2, $5, and $10 coupons! See how to enter at the Photojojo Shop.

Why Scratch-Offs Rule

That lucky person you give your scratch-off Polaroid to will think you gave them an unexposed photo. That is, until they read the message and scratch away. It’s a guaranteed way to give them the warm fuzzies.

Direct from Brit, here’s a primer on making DIY scratch-offs:

What You’ll Need:

• A Polaroid camera and film OR
• A 3″x3″ photo print
• Black acrylic paint
• Dish soap
• Scotch tape
• Paper plate (or surface for mixing paint)
• Piece of paper
• Paint brush
• Black marker

Step 1 – TAKE A PHOTO

Get creative and remember that your Valentine will have to do a small amount of work to reveal your photo. What type of secret message do you want to send?

The easiest way to get a Polaroid photo is to shoot one! (Psst, you can find Polaroid cameras here. Or if you need film, Impossible Project makes some!)

If you don’t have access to a Polaroid camera, you can always make a faux Polaroid by cutting out a 3″x3″ photo print and crafting a card stock border. A Polaroid print is 3 1/2″ x 4 1/4″, so cut the border out to be that size and paste your print on top.

A short cut to that is using a Polaroid Postcard to frame your photo print.

Step 2 – MIX PAINT + DISH SOAP

Combine one part dish soap to two parts acrylic paint and blend on a paper plate or whatever mixing surface you chose.

We used black paint, but you can use any color (red the color of loooove, mayhaps?).

Step 3 – TAPE EDGES

Use your scotch tape to cover the white edges of your Polaroid photo. The tape will protect the edges from getting paint on them.

Use the same tape to stick your Polaroid down to a sheet of paper. This will be your paint surface.

Step 4 – PAINT

With your paint mixture and brush, paint over the photo section of your Polaroid.

Use a similar stroke (sideways or up and down) throughout so that your paint dries better. Once dry (about an hour), paint a second coat to completely conceal your photo.

Step 5 – REMOVE TAPE

Once dry, remove your scotch tape from the borders of your Polaroid.

Step 6 – PREPARE TO GIVE

Using your black marker, write a note like “Scratch Me” on the bottom of your Polaroid.

Seal it in an envelope (and/or with a kiss) and get ready to surprise your Valentine!

Even More Ideas:

• If Polaroids are scarce in your hood, try a Polaroid Postcard frame. DIY it or pick one up!
• Create a series of photos with hints that lead to the next photo and leave it around your house. Your Valentine will be scratching away with suspense!
• Try taping a penny or quarter to the photo so that your special someone has all they need to scratch.

Started by Brittany Morin, Brit seeks to keep the digital generation up to speed with innovative technologies, consumer products and DIY ideas for creative living. Follow Brit on Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest and watch more videos from Brit on YouTube.

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You’re ravenous. A most delectable grilled cheese sits before you, melty sides catching your eye.

It’s too beautiful to eat without photographing first!

On February 24th at 12pm EST, you’ll discover you’re not the only one. It’s a global day of photographing your food!

The Meal is calling all foodie photographers to participate in a global food photo exhibit. Your simultaneously shot photos will be collected and shown at The Brooklyn Art Library on March 31st.

It’s for a good cause, too! The Meal has partnered with Action Against Hunger, a non-profit who battles hunger around the world.

It all comes full-circle: your hunger-induced photo helps end hunger for others. Not even scarfing down a grilled cheese sandwich could beat that satisfaction.

The Meal: Documenting a Global Snack

Heads up! If you do submit, that means they can use your photo for promotional reasons. However, they’ll never sell your photo for profit. Read the deets on the Project Agreement!

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What’s incredibly soft, keeps you warm, and spends its days around your neck?

A) Your cat, Harold. B) A plush dolphin travel neck pillow. C) Solid gold bling. D) Your new favorite DIY camera strap.

If you answered D, you win! Because that’s what this tutorial is all about: how to make a DIY scarf camera strap.

It’s the warmest, most colorful and winter-friendly strap your camera’s ever met.

Our pal Stacie Grissom just so happens to be a leading authority on scarf camera straps. That’s why we asked her to put together this how-to just for you.

How to Make a Scarf Camera Strap

p.s. Today on Facebook, we’re giving away 2 sets of Cell Lenses and a Lens Wallet! Hurry and enter!

Why Silk Scarves Make Excellent Straps:

Here’s the backstory from Stacie:

Why silk you ask? Well, did you know that a silk rope is stronger than a steel cable? (Seriously! Believe it.) Silk is just too expensive to manufacture in those industrial quantities.

My little brother also told me this story about silk that he heard on Mythbusters:

Mongolian warriors used to wear silk shirts underneath their armor. When they were shot with arrows in battle, the silk wouldn’t break. That made it easier to remove the arrow from the wounded warrior’s flesh without digging around too much and causing more damage. (Sorry for the gross image.)

So the whole silk strength discussion with my brother got me thinking. If a silk shirt can protect a Mongolian warrior, then a silk scarf can totally support the weight of my cameras. So I made a camera strap from a scarf!

What You’ll Need:

• A silk scarf or cut fabric; 60″ long (Surprisingly affordable!)
• 2 key rings (Sturdier the better)
• Scissors
• Chalk
• Needle and thread
• Leather, pleather, or ribbon (optional)

Step 1 – Measure it out

Pick a scarf, any scarf. Patterns are nice, but hey, how about this solid colored one? Your choice! You can even go to a fabric store, and have a custom piece cut for you.

Now, put your scarf or piece of fabric on around your neck as if you were going to wear it like a camera strap.

Use your piece of chalk to mark where you want the strap to meet your camera.

Then, mark about an inch and a half below that. (You need to have room to stitch the bottom of the scarf up.)

Step 2 – Cut Along the Lines

Cut along the bottom line that you made. Easy.

Step 3 – Add the Key Rings

Slip the end of each scarf into a respective key ring.

You’re going to sew these guys in place with some needle and thread. Leave about an inch of wiggle room between the key ring and where you sew the fabric down.

It’s a short way to go, so you can do this by hand pretty quickly.

If this is your first time handling needle and thread, here’s a little guide.

If you have a sewing machine, all the quicker!

Step 4 – Spruce Up Your Strap (Optional)

This part is just a little added flare to make your strap look more finished. So, it’s optional.

You’ll be making two little tubes to slip over the end of each strap. If you’re advanced with sewing, try something sharp like leather (or pleather). Sew two little tubes as pictured.

If you’re not into sewing leather, you can make a tube out of ribbon by hand stitching two ends of the ribbon together.

Slip one tube over the each end of your strap, and sew it in place (so it doesn’t fall off!).

Step 5 – Wear and Be Admired

Attach your strap to your camera via the key rings, and there you have it.

Now wear it, and let the compliments roll in.

Mix it Up With More Ideas:

• Now that your original strap is replaced, you can use it to make a DIY sling bag.
• Think neck straps are so 2011? Make a DIY hand strap!
• If you don’t want to throw out your o.g. strap, make a colorful cover for it.
• Add a DIY lens cap keeper or get a Lens Cap Holder

.

Stacie Grissom is a DIY-er and photography-lover who runs Stars for Streetlights, a blog about crafts, fashion, and photography.

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Check out that sweet collection of lenses for your smarty-pants phone. You’re prepared for everything, aren’t ya?

Alas, it never fails. Somehow, the lens you need is always nestled in the deep recesses of your bag.

Your solution: the iPhone Lens Wallet! It keeps all of your favorite cell lenses in one handy case. It’s as if someone fired a shrink ray at your camera bag.

The Macro/Wide Angle, Fisheye, 2x Telephoto and 8x Telephoto lenses all have a home in this durable case. A fool-proof way to always have the right lens at the right time!

The iPhone Lens Wallet Tweet It!
$15 for Lens Wallet
$79 for Lens Wallet with Lenses

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You’ve taken #From Where I Stand shots in a snowy field, in line at the market, on 8 mile hikes and down alleyways in far-off countries.

The last frontier? The ledge of your town’s highest skyscraper.

Sounds scary, but once you scale your way up and point your camera down, you’ll fall in love with what you see.

Dennis Maitland can attest to it. He’s been documenting his rooftop adventures in Detroit by photographing his feet over ledges.

The result is an awesome collection of aerial views with a touch of self-portrait.

#Fromwhereistand → #Fromwheremyfeetdangle.

Dennis Maitland’s Skyscraper Self-Portraits
via Fubiz

p.s. Looking for unique ways to print your photos? Our pals at Nations Photo Lab have great new prices on their solid wood Gallery Blocks!

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That sweet lens of yours looks good enough to eat. That boring lens wrap on it? Not so much.

Say hola to the Photorito, a protective lens wrap that looks like a burrito!

This super-tough cover will protect even the meatiest of lenses from 24mm to 200mm.

Toss it in your camera bag, backpack, or purse to protect it from bumps, drops, & dings.

It won’t, however, protect you from the sudden urge to hit the nearest taquería.

The Photorito Lens Wrap Tweet It!
$20 at the Photojojo Shop

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We’re at CES this week!

That stands for Consumer Electronics Show, a convention of the latest in gadgets of all kinds, but best of all: cameras.

You’ll find booths for everything from Hello Kitty to Nikon, Fuji, and Polaroid.

Because all the sensor sizes, f-stops and long-winded terminology* start to melt into a foggy photo haze, we rounded up and broke down the most noteworthy camera stories from CES!

*mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras, anyone?

A Guide to the Latest in Digital Cameras

p.s. Our pals at the New York Institute of Photography want to help you become the best photographer ever. You can take their classes on your own time from just about anywhere!(...)
Read the rest of CES Mania — Our Roundup of the Raddest New Camera Releases! (910 words)

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Before printers spewed out photos on paper, photos were printed on glass!

Sure, that sounds like the kind of thing your Uncle Buck would make up, but we’re telling you, it’s totally true.

Just to prove it, here’s a tutorial on how to put your own photos on glass with etching!

It’s a different technique than 19th century photographers used and is as easy as old school iron-on transfers.

The results? They’ll put you on par with the most bad ass of our photo fore-fathers.

Etch Any Photo Onto Glass

Why it’s clearly cool:

Using this technique, you can personalize every glass surface you can think of.

Flat pieces of glass are easy to find and cheap to buy–think craft stores or old frames. If you’re in the mood to get fancy, you can etch on glass jars and the like.

All you need is your favorite photographs and just a little bit of elbow grease (or etching cream!).

What You’ll Need:

• Resist paper (we used PNP Blue, available in hobby shops and online)
• Glass etching cream
• Rubber gloves
• Safety goggles
• Scissors
• A strip of cardboard or a popsicle stick
• Masking tape
• Clear nailpolish
• A scouring pad
• Glass
• A laser printer or photocopier (inkjet won’t work on resist paper!)

Step 1 – Ditch The Colour

Once you have your photo picked out, desaturate it to black & white. This will make it easier to work with and give you a better idea of how the final etch will turn out.

Step 2 – Stamp it Out!

The stamp filter in Photoshop does an amazing job of preparing a photo for etching. Since small details won’t show up in the final etching, it’s best to remove them now to make it easier to etch.

You can find it under Filter > Sketch > Stamp. Play with the sliders until you get a high contrast between the whites and the blacks. We used a Light/Dark Balance setting of 4 with a Smoothness setting of 5.

Step 3 – Invert!

When you go to etch your glass, the white parts of the image are the parts that will etch, while the black parts will stay clear. In most cases, you’ll want to invert the image to make a negative for the etching process.

You can find the invert function under Image >Adjustments > Invert.

Step 4 – Print it & Cut it Out

Print the image on resist paper like PNP Blue using a laser printer or a photocopy machine. The resist paper will only work with toner. Inkjet printers won’t work.

PNP Blue is a type of resist paper normally used for homebrew circuitboard printing. It makes it easy to transfer toner to other materials like metal or glass to protect those areas from chemical etching creams. You’ll be able to find it in hobby stores and online.

Cut out the image and get ready. Things are about to get hot.

Step 5 – Strike While the Iron is Hot

Your iron needs to be pretty hot, so turn it up over Acrylic – make sure you leave the steam off, though!

While the iron is heating up, position the resist paper on clean glass – any dust or gunk will make a messy looking etch.

Using steady pressure, iron on the paper. It will adhere to the glass while it’s hot. Work out all the bubbles, moving from the centre to the edge and then let the iron sit on the paper for a minute or two. This will transfer the toner from the paper to the glass.

Step 6 – Peel

Once your glass has cooled – and it might take awhile, glass is really good at conducting heat! – carefully peel back the paper.

Step 7 – Touch it Up

Everywhere the toner transferred is going to be protected from the etching cream. If there were any bubbles or areas that didn’t turn black, protect it by taping it up with masking tape.

For smaller, more detailed areas, clear nailpolish works just wonderfully to protect the glass.

Step 8 – Lay it on Thick

Pop on your rubber gloves and safety goggles! Then, in a well-ventilated area (ah, the great outdoors!), apply a thick later of etching cream over the glass.

Follow the directions on the package, but most creams will take between 6 to 7 minutes to work.

Step 9 – Rinse!

Once the cream has been on for a good amount of time, slip the glass under the tap and rinse it squeaky clean!

Step 10 – Scrub!

Once all the cream has been rinsed off, remove the masking tape and clean the toner off the glass with a fabric scouring pad. Stay away from the steel wool type of scouring pad as it will scratch the glass.

Step 11 – Admire It!

Your finished piece is a work of art! To really make it shine, try to find a nice, brightly lit spot for your new artwork.

Think windows and in front of lightfixtures!

Mix it Up With More Ideas:

• Etch your photograph in layers: foreground, mid-ground and background. Etch each part on a separate piece of glass and stack them together for a cool 3D effect.
• Make a window ornament with your fave photo. The sunlight will make it easy to see!
• Make a sweet party chalice by etching a photo onto a mason jar.
• Use the resist paper on what it was really meant for – metal! Just be sure to use etching cream made for metal. The steps are the same otherwise, but you might need a little more elbow grease for Step 10 (and maybe some steel wool).
• Give your framed photos a ghostly halo by etching the print onto the glass and framing it. See our example above!

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