So, I was transferring pictures from phone to my computer. Just random shots from random moments…
I really like smart phones.
And my phone camera.
And my friend Linden whose handwriting should become a font.
And thumb print cookies from Merritts Bakery (well I dream of those).
I’m a visual person.
What drives me crazy about my phone is all the blank squares that pictures are supposed to go in for my contacts. The phone makers were kind enough to provide me a place to see a visual of my friends & family, but those squares have just remained blank. It is kind of hard to get friends to pose for their ‘contact’ shot. Recently, my daughter somehow set my friend Cindy’s profile picture to this shot of cookies.
Every time Cindy calls me my phone would light up with a picture of cookies. What is especially funny about it is Cindy is at the gym every morning at 5am – makes me laugh. Well I was sitting at the kitchen table contemplating the deep things in life – like why won’t they build Legos that can be placed on a diagonal? Hmmmm. Anyway, Cindy called. Saw the plate of cookies. Laughed. Wished I could somehow convince my friends to pose for my phone camera so I could see their beautiful faces each time they call.
Then the lighting struck.
Creative genius.
Just as french rolled jeans changed a generation…so will this idea for all visual smart phone users.
Are you ready for it?
I looked across the table and saw Christmas cards…full of pictures of my friends
…pictures that they like of themselves or they would not have put it on a card!
A free for all of contact images for my phone!
Hey Lesley, will you pose so I can take a picture of you with my phone to add to your contact?
Well, thank you sis for being so cooperative.
Yes, it is a great shot. Nope we don’t need to take it again.
It brightens my day to see your cute laugh each time you call.
So far, no one that I have shared this world changing idea with has been as impressed as I am….it will catch on.
Somehow french rolled jeans did.
by AshleyAnn
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Going Thrifty Sharing Great Ideas: Don’t Toss Those Christmas Cards Yet! | Going Thrifty - [...] picture of people you know and love. Don’t throw tuck those cards away just yet. I found this great idea and thought I would pass it along to [...]
What to Do with All Those Holiday Cards? You Tell Us! - The Tiny Prints Blog - [...] preserving holiday cards throughout the year, and this one might just be our favorite! Ashley from Under the Sycamore photographed all her holiday cards and turned them into her contact’s images on her phone. So [...]
Kerin - Thank you so much for this brilliant idea! I did it and it is terrific!
dawn - BTW: what photo apps do you use?
My iphone is ALL that I use for pictures anymore.
dawn - I LOOOOOVVVVEEEE IT!! Seems no one I know is as visual as I am…. Maybe you would “get me”…
Thanks for the idea and again — I LOVE IT! 
sarah @ life {sweet} life - I think it’s GENIUS!! I had so much fun doing this. Thanks for the clever idea!
Laura - I WILL do this! Thanks!
Kelli - I think it’s genius and if no one thought it was a fabulous idea then I don’t think you’d actually told anyone yet.
elizabeth - i think the Christmas card is a great idea…you know after Christmas, some people just throw out all their cards & those family pictures are usually SO good!!
i think adding them as phone profile photo *is* ingenious!
TOTALLY plan on doing this.
karwn - I have actually done this same thing with family photos or just snapshots.. love the christmas card idea!
Krystina - Only one thing can be said about this. Pure.Freaking.Genius. Totally stealing your idea!
Merry Christmas… and Links at Hey Little Birdie! - [...] purpose for those Christmas cards – contact pictures for your [...]
CK - Great idea! Saw it on Pinterest and repinned. Great blog!
Heather G. - I’m impressed and will be copying you!
KristyC - Also, great idea for the contacts and the cards on the door!
KristyC - Where did you get that picture of the bird with the lazy eye? Is it something I can purchas somewhere? It’s kind of a thing between my brother and I.
Brooke - So smart – love the idea and can’t wait to do this!!! Thanks for all you share. Have a wonderful holiday.
Ashleigh - I for one am impressed! I’m going to do the same right now!
Kate @ Songs Kate Sang - Yup. It’s true. You are brilliant. I LOVE this idea!
Beth - Um. I am absolutely impressed & excited about this. Genius!
amber P - That’s a brilliant idea! Why don’t I ever think of such things? I’m going to do that!
Have you ever used the Streamzoo app? I love that app. It’s a lot like Instagram. You can even upload your instagram photos to it.
mixedmolly - Fabulous idea, unlike french rolled jeans. In my part of Michigan we called them pegged jeans. This year my friend wore her pants like that with her Halloween costume and it brought back bad fashion memories
Jamie - You are seriously the smartest person I don’t really know! LOL
Why did I not think of this?!?!?!?! I guess I am not as smart…guess you lose on that end of things…LOL
Ok I think maybe its past my bed time and I am rambling on and on making no sense and a complete fool of myself…LOL
Jeannette - Cracking me up!!! Great idea, if I would ever remember to go buy a card for my phone so I can take pics!
crystal - Brilliant!! Sooo doing it!
Cindy - Great idea…. although I liked the cookie pic because I REALLY like those pretzel turtles & I love that firecracker did it
I’m stealing your idea…pretty smart!!!
aimee Jones - I have been super impressed with your photos and your blog and I am loving this idea!!
Kristin S - When I get a smartphone, I’m so doing that! I know some sync with facebook but I sure don’t want that.
Kimberly - My hubby worked away from home for a few months and when he would called, he called my cell phone. Well I had added a pic to his contact and our little girl would say Da Da everytime he called! Was the cutest thing =)
Paulina J! - Awesome ideas! I agree with you about your friends handwriting. I immediately tried to duplicate it. She can create her own fonts from yourfonts.com or fontifier.com. I would buy it! Pitch the idea and let us know! My husband tried yourfonts.com and loved it.
Jessica - Genius. Just genius.
Kathy - Brilliant idea! I think I will do that, too!
Alissa - Yes!! So glad to know that I am not the only one out there that does this.
Emily Peck - Well that is just the most perfect idea, i love it!! I absolutely HATE the blank squares on my phone too, can’t wait to try this!
Callie - I’m going to go do it RIGHT NOW!
Kirra Sue - I love it.
Jaime @ Queen of the Creek - YOU ARE BRILLIANT. Pure genius. I am totally doing this! I love the idea of bringing french rolled jeans back.
I may even try out the Christmas Card / Phone Contact thingy.
Rachel C - I’ll pose for you!
erica - simple. genius.
My lovely mess - Lovely! Too bad we don’t send Hanuka cards in Isreal…
Karen - Use their facebook picture as your contact picture. Thats what I have done on my iphone. Just save a picture to your phone from their facebook and use it as their contact picture.
Debbie C - I love this idea! And I think it will stick much longer that French-rolled jeans…and high bangs…and stirrups!
amanda torres - I don’t have a smart phone, but I have been inspired to start French rolling again. Now, I just need to find my hyper-color shirt and scrunchies…
Rebecca - Such a great idea! So simple, but I never would have thought of it.
Liz - What a great idea Ashley! Thank you. Also, do you have a template for how you are displaying your iPhone photos? Or do you have a blog post that you can reference on how you do this? Wishing you and your family a Happy Christmas!
Megan - I like this idea! Don’t know why I didn’t think of that at first. I also use photos that I’ve taken with my real camera and sync it to my phone to get my contact photos.
Melissa - I do that too!!…take pictures of a picture, for my friends contact info on my iphone
chole - aww… definately a good idea. My phone automatically pulls pics from FB like another poster said. Acutually, it even puts their most recent status update on there too. I naievely thought all smartphones did.
Emma!! - with the iphone you can take a picture of the screen you are on. so for all of my friends i go on to there facebook page, or there blog page and get a good picture of them, and all you have to do is push the lock button (up on the top right) and the home button (the main button in the middle of the phone) at the same time and it will save that picture into your photo album and you can use it how ever you want! it is the easiest way to put someones picture into there contact
Denise - I once held my phone camera to the computer screen on my friend’s Facebook profile pics, then put them in for my phone contacts. Now, though, it does the FB photo all by itself.
Jenna - I think it is a fantastic idea!!! Just love it! Now I only wish that more of my friends still sent Christmas cards… Is it just me or does that seem to be a dying trend? I’ve been holding on for dear life to sending beautiful Christmas cards. I’m just not ready to part with is yet.
Rebecca S. - Seriously, what a GREAT idea! Those blank contact pictures drive me crazy too and I am a VERY visual person. I am totally going to do this! Thanks for sharing!
Natalie @ TheShadyAcre - I love it!
Lemonade Makin Mama - Oh I am totally doing this!!! This is WAY better than french rolled jeans too!
Elke - I’d been thinking of doing one of those huge, wall-sized Hipstamatic collages of the people I love. Then realised I wouldn’t be able to include my dad. Your idea is perfect! Take photos of photos of him – that way he can also be on my wall…
Jennifer - That’s a great idea! I’m going to go snap pictures of my holiday cards right now.
Jenny B. - I think it’s a great idea! I’m hoping for an iPhone for Christmas… Which one do you have? I know the newest one (4S) has a better camera… do you have that one? I told my husband that if you think of it as buying a pocket camera and not just a phone, then it’s really not that expensive. Ha.
Krysten - Ashley, I do this all the time too! My friends never like to pose for pictures either so I just take pictures of their pictures.. I actually usually end up taking pictures of my computer screen though, like off facebook, or blogs.
Dana @ Bungalow'56 - Ashley, Since you are in the sharing mood, I’m also wondering what, if any, preset you’ve added to your phone pics. They are nice and warm and I just like them. I try Hipstamatic on my phone but I can’t figure out the different finishes. It’s on random so they always turn out different. Just wondering here in Canada : )
Dana
meg duerksen - it truly is genius.
you need better friends.
HA!
you are misunderstood.
i get you ashley.
we speak photo.
Abigail - brilliant!! Going to take pics of the cards right now!!!
Becky B - Ashley – my 22 year old son has been doing this forever – he especially loves taking photos of his and his brothers’ baby pictures.
jeannett - you are such a nerd.
i LOVE it.
Farrah - You crack me up! I think its a great idea
Alice H - This is genius! Too bad for me, only like 5 of my friends sent out Christmas card, slackers!! But I have found out that going thru facebook you can click ‘save image’ from your iphone and then I can use that as a contact picture. So I’m kind of a genius too, right!
Lisa Johnson - brilliance! I’m doing this!
Danielle B - Ashley, we always had a “Special” red plate in our home growing up! I have been looking around to find one so we can start that tradition in our house also. What fun memories I have of that plate growing up!
Kari - Thanks Ashley, now I know how I’ll spend my day!
Maria - Brilliant. So doing this…
Angie K - Such a great idea! I’m going to do this too!!!!
emmybrown - Brilliant! If only I actually had a smart phone….I’m still in the “dumb phone” era! Happy Week-before-Christmas, Ashley Ann!
Conni M - Pure genius Ashley … pure genious!!
Jodi - It is genius! I have so many holiday cards this year. If I ever get a phone that will do that (I am still in the dark ages of the blackberry), I am definitely doing this. As always, thanks for amazing tips.
Merry Christmas!