What do I do with all those photos?
Dear Debbie: I have a big problem. Over the last few years, ever since I started taking pictures with my digital camera, and now with my phone, I have amassed a ridiculous number of shots. I stopped counting at around 1,000.
They are all downloaded onto my computer but I never look at them. Have you any suggestions for photo overload?
Daniella
Dear Daniella: Oh, you are not alone. This is one of my huge challenges too.
I take shots wherever I go — shopping is the worst as I am always on the lookout for great new ideas, colour trends, stylish finds, stuff I am sure I will want in the future for my home, or to pass along as an idea in my columns.
To begin with, use your delete button to dump all but the best shots. It’s really not necessary to have five takes on the same subject.
Next, you need a good filing system so that when you are looking for that sofa you saw six months ago, or the fabulous dining room you discovered on vacation, you will be able to access it easily.
Other categories — such as beautiful scenery and photos of family and friends that capture personal memories and special occasions — are even more important.
Catalogue these too, but also choose a few of those special photos and get them printed.
The digital age has reinvented the way we print. You can make your own photo albums on line, size and print your pictures, or email your nearest photo shop.
Check out the imaginative ways you can display your photos. The pictures shown above right are photographs that have been printed on glass. They call it fractured art (fractureme.com).
The images can be hung flush to the wall, or mounted on a stand, or transparent like stained glass. The no-frame look is modern and the images show crystal clear, as though you are looking through water.
Another option I have discovered is X-ray art, although this won’t help with your backlog of photographs. Radiant Art Studios creates stunning images through the use of X-ray imagery and ultraviolet photography. radiantartstudios.com.
What you see is the inside of that familiar everyday object or plant. These images can be transferred to glass, decorative tiles, jewelry and clothing, and make truly eye-catching photo art.
Dear Debbie: We did a major update to two bathrooms in the early ’90s when a brass finish was in high favour. Everything is brass — shower heads, faucets, towel racks — even the plain glass shower doors are edged in brass. And it’s all still in excellent condition.
We plan to downsize in a year. Should we start replacing the brass for a more modern look?
Sheila Dear Sheila: It is not always necessary to go with the trends in decorating to give your home a modern look.
What is the overall style of your home? A period or country style may call for one particular shade of metal over another, or a matte finish rather than shiny. As long as the brass finish is in good condition, it will not be seen as a negative when you are selling.
You can switch colours in your bathroom easily with paint, and freshen the look with new towels, soap and cream dispensers, even lighting.
If you are determined to make a major change, then go for chrome — it never dates.