Ever wonder how someone’s mind works? (Besides your husband’s. . . )  Wonder how in the world they come up with their clever, creative ideas? Well, I do. Especially when they do something spectacularly creative. Like Ellen Ugelstad has done with The Shoe Project. (Visit her page so that you can enjoy the clever pictures she has taken!)

To the left, you see a ‘portrait’ that Ellen has done.  Instead of capturing the typical studio style portrait, Ellen captures a portrait style picture in addition to the subject’s feet.  Then, she combined them into one picture creating a unique portrait of the person.

So, the next time you gather with your grandchildren give this activity a whirl.  (Hey! Mother’s Day is coming up and this would be a fun activity to do with teen-aged grandchildren)

Take a portrait styled picture of your grandchildren.  Encourage them to have various facial expressions (surprised, pensive, goofy).  Then, take a picture of their feet with unusual shoes on or with their feet in an unusual position.

Combine the two pictures into one using Photoshop, or Photoshop Elements, or Picasa — which is free.  (What?  You don’t know about Picasa?  I’ll have to tell you about it in a later post.)  Print the pictures up to put on your fridge or to frame and hang on your wall.  Make sure you print two copies — one for you and one for your grandchild.  This portrait is WAY more fun than the yearly school picture.

You might want to tell your grandchildren in advance to come with a funky hairdo, off beat shoes, or an unusual outfit.  But don’t tell them why.  Just tell them to be prepared to have a fun activity with you when they come to visit.  This will pique their curiosity and make them eager to come and visit to see what Grandma has up her sleeve.