DIY Christmas Cards with the Canon SELPHY CP910

 A mock-up of our DIY Christmas Card this year

It has become family tradition for us to have Christmas cards professionaly printed out each year, chronicling every new addition, while visually sharing how our family has grown, with family and friends.

This year was a bit of an exception. I am due to give birth by mid-December and I was thinking that if we were to give out our family Christmas card this year, it would be nice to have our newborn son to be part of the photo.

But here’s the deal, I don’t really have the luxury of time to go all fancy and go to a photo studio, and have my hair & makeup done after I give birth. More importantly, I am not risking our newborn son’s health just to have his photo taken with us, with all the studio lights, flash photography, and the mad holiday crowds outside. From a practical point of view, we also don’t have the time to wait for proofs and then have them made into cards in time for early gift giving.

So for this year, our best bet is to do it DIY style.

Late one night, while sitting on my work desk at home, I had some time on my hands, and the urge to tinker around with the Canon SELPHY CP910.

The Canon SELPHY C9P10 is a compact, ultra-portable photo printer that’s perfect for printing anywhere because it has Wi-Fi with AirPrint™ support, for easy printing from smartphones and compatible cameras 

I figured, I might as well practice making a few cards, so that when the Baby #3 pops out, we can have a quick photo taken, and I can go on to making Christmas cards to share with loved ones, as they have come to expect! 

And guess what, it’s pretty simple really, using what I already have on hand. 

1) My mobile phone with the photos and A Beautiful Mess app 

2) Canon SELPHY CP910 

3) Canon photo paper 

Using the collage function of the app, A Beautiful Mess, in minutes, I put together existing photos, holiday headers I found online, and added a bit of flair with the text and doodle functions to create some DIY holiday cards, like these.

 



 That’s it! Super simple, it’s a no brainer really!

 Now let me tell you why I love the Canon SELPHY CP910.

1. Wireless printing. 

The great thing with the Canon SELPHY CP910 is that I can wirelessly print from my iPhone (works with the iPad and iPod Touch too) using AirPrint™ over my Wi-Fi connection, without the need to install device drivers. 

I printed a card I made straight from my phone, because of Canon’s Wi-Fi with AirPrint™ support function 

2. Easy to use instructions on a wide LCD screen.

Since I am not a very gadget-savvy person, the SELPHY’s simple, straightforward on-screen guidance makes printing super easy too.

The LCD screen tilts for easy operation and convenient viewing 

3. Works with other devices 

Let me clarify that the SELPHY CP910 works for Android phones as well, and can easily be connected to other devices. For laptop/desktop users, the SELPHY CP910 allows direct printing from memory cards and USB sticks. 

4. Various printing options 

More than just printing cards, the Canon SELPHY CP910 allows us to print various sized stickers too, even ID photos, thanks to a Face Frame Guide, in a wide range of accepted sizes. We can even choose to print photos with a glossy or semi-gloss finish without changing photo paper. 

5. Print quality 

Most importantly. the vibrant, durable lab-quality prints of the photos can last up to a hundred years. 

I’ve used other portable printers before, and I have to say, the SELPHY CP910 is the easiest, most user-friendly portable photo printer I have used ever. And because the photo paper and ink casettes are readily, and easily available, and reasonably priced, you pretty much are on top of your cost per print. 

So I can go on printing even a hundred of our DIY holiday cards this year, without breaking a sweat, on top of taking care of a newborn, and entertaining visiting guests in the middle of the busy holidays!

I can print a hundred of these without worrying about the cost! 

The Canon SELPHY CP910 is available in Black or White for Php 8,998 - making it a perfect holiday gift that benefits the entire family!

A Kahone Art Giveaway! CLOSED

Kahone's Buwan ng Wika August Box

Before the month ends, Kahone and I would like to end it with a giveaway! TWO Winners get to win a Kahone Box of their choice (subject to availability)!

This is because August is a special month at KaHone as they celebrate Kahone Founder Mommy Lani's birthday! 

Not only that, they are also launching their new home online www.kahoneart.com! 

The website lists all the available stock and info for our convenience. Ordering and payment is straighforward and automated. Customers can choose to create an account for easy order tracking, with member benefits coming real soon! Or we can also order as a guest, if preferred. 

As a special treat until SEPTEMBER 15, all orders via the website will get 10% OFF with the coupon NEWSITE. 

To take part in the giveaway, simply join using the Rafflecopter widget below: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
1. Like Kahone FB page
2. Follow @kahone_art on Instagram

3. Share or repost the new website post (cowracter in a hard hat and his new home) on Facebook, Instagram or both.

Post must be public so we can verify. Open to residents of the Philippines only. Entries are accepted until September 7, 2014.

KaHone: Discover the World in a Box

A couple of months ago, Berry received her first KaHone through her Tita Sara.

Sara's sister, Lani, a homeschooling mom of a 5 year old boy and 4 year old girl, started KaHone because she would think of all sorts of activities, like arts and crafts, that her kids could do to supplement their lessons, and figured, she might as well share her projects with other moms as well.

An example is this Jack & The Beanstalk story telling book where kids can cut out drawings and match it to the page where it should belong.

For the kids to fully understand the idea of "growing things" and how a bean could turn into a beanstalk, it came with a "gardening" kit, so kids can see the beans turn into a plant.

Last month, we got the bug themed box.

But instead of creepy crawlies, we learned all about bugs in a cute and fun way.

Each KaHone box usually comes with 3-4 projects, so you can space out the activities, or keep them occupied the entire day.

Each "project" comes with easy to follow instructions, such as this on bugs craft.

Berry made a bee, catterpillar, dragonfly and grasshopper using wooden clothespins! It was so much fun!

She also made a firefly using a plastic bottle and a glow stick.

Need to have the lights out to see, heehee.

Berry has two more projects to work on, and it's April already! Which means, time for the April KaHone box to arrive in the mail. It's Frozen inspired, so I am pretty sure Berry would have a blast with it!

The cool thing about KaHone, which makes it so handy dandy especially if you bring it along to out of town trips, is that the box comes with craft materials you'll need for the projects for that month. No need to dash about the bookstore to get supplies if you've run out, or don't have one on hand.

But if you already have the basic craft materials at home and don't need additional scissors, glue or tape, you can opt for KaHone lite, which only includes the projects, no more materials.

You can get a KaHone for as low as Php 533.34/month even without any additional promo codes, FYI, they do give out surprise promo codes for selected boxes!

About KaHone:

KaHone was created out of passion for hands-on fun that promotes learning and develops creativity and expression in every child. 

It is an innovative service that saves busy parents the trouble of researching and running around different toy and craft shops just to assemble one interactive project. 

Unlike the art boxes available at toy stores, KAHONE is delivered to your doorstep monthly - a convenient way of creating cherished bonding sessions between parent and child by containing all the materials and instructions for 3-4 themed projects all in one box.

KaHone is heaven sent for parents of 3-7 year olds, working moms who wants to monitor how their kids spend their time, stay at home moms who are running out of ideas to keep their kids busy and productive, homeschoolers who want to provide a follow up activity to their workbooks and basically any parent who would want their kids to discover and learn new things in a very fun and creative way.

For more on KaHone email KaHone.art@gmail.com, follow KaHone on Facebook, and follow @kahone_art on  Instagram. The website www.kahoneart.com will be live soon!