Your Photo, Handwriting or Prints, Made Into a Keepsake
Grandma’s recipe card in her own writing. A favourite family photo. A note tucked in a lunch kit years ago. Send it to us and we’ll put it on something you can hold onto, made right here in the Barn.
Your photos
Printed in full colour, sharp and bright. Most of these work for a scanned handwritten recipe or note too.
Printed canvas keepsakes
Words that mean something, made big enough to hang on the wall. We design it with you, then print it on canvas. A few we’ve made:
- The first dance song laid out on a vinyl record design, with the couple’s names and wedding date.
- A poem read at the wedding over a soft, faded photo of the couple. One aunt gave hers as an anniversary gift.
- Wedding vows, a family recipe or a letter in the writer’s own handwriting.
- A favourite family photo with names, a date or a saying added.
Tell us your idea on the canvas page or our contact form, and we’ll send you a proof before we print.
Handwriting and recipes
Engraved just the way they wrote it, every loop and smudge. Short notes and signatures work best on the small pieces; full recipes need a board, mug or tumbler.
Jewellery
Every piece can carry their name, signature or a short note in their own handwriting, or a fingerprint or nose print.
Fingerprints and nose prints
A loved one’s fingerprint, or your dog’s nose print, engraved right into the piece. It’s one of a kind, just like they are. Lovely on an engraved necklace, a keychain or a cutting board. Or print it in full colour, with their name and a date, on a canvas, a photo blanket or a photo panel.
Taking a fingerprint
- Start with clean, dry hands. Skip the hand lotion that day; it blurs the lines.
- Use a thin layer of ink from an ink pad or a fingerprint ink strip, and smooth white paper or card.
- Press the finger down firmly but not hard, then lift straight up. Sliding or pressing too hard smudges it.
- Do three or four prints and send us the clearest one.
- For a memorial piece, ask the funeral home. Many can take a fingerprint for you.
Taking a dog nose print
Pick a calm moment, keep the treats handy and have a second person help steady them. Three ways that work:
- Take a photo (easiest): bright daylight from a window, no flash. Get close, focus on the nose texture and take a bunch of shots. Send us the sharpest original, not a screenshot.
- Pencil method (no mess): shade a small patch of paper with a soft pencil (2B or 4B), smooth it with a tissue, press the nose on it lightly and lift straight up.
- Ink method: use only a non-toxic ink pad made for pet prints. A thin layer, one gentle press on smooth paper, lift straight up, then wipe the nose with a damp cloth (no scented wipes).
- A slightly damp nose prints best. Skip ink if their nose is irritated, and stop if they get stressed. Several tries is normal.
Prints on paper: scan them at 300 DPI, or send us the paper and we’ll scan it for you. We tidy every print up for the laser and e-mail you a proof before we engrave.
How it works
- Pick the piece and add it to your cart. Each one has a spot to upload your photo or handwriting.
- Scan your handwriting on a flatbed scanner at 300 DPI (colour, the whole card, saved as a JPG or PDF). Phone photos are tilted and shadowy, and the laser engraves every shadow it sees. Download our how-to-scan guide. No scanner? We’ll scan it for you: drop the card off at the Barn or mail it to us, and it comes back with your order. For photos, send the biggest copy you have (never a screenshot).
- We clean it up and e-mail you a proof before anything is made.
- We make it in the Barn and get it ready for pickup or Canada Post.
Don’t see the piece you want? Send us a note on our contact page and pick “Your photo, handwriting or prints”. We love a good custom project.