Taking a picture of your pet can be difficult. Here are a few tricks and ideas on how to get the best shot of your furry friend.

1. Be prepared and patient. It might be hard at first, but keep persevering. The good thing about digital cameras is that you can take several shots, and the more you take, the more you’ll be able to choose from later. Bring treats and toys to help get your pet’s attention.

2. Take the shot from their eye level. You might have to sit or lie down to take the photo from their eye level, but the beautiful photos you’ll get will be worth it.

3. Let them be the center of attention. Photos look better when they are filled with only your pet. Get close to your dog or cat, or use the zoom function on your camera to let them fill the frame.

4. Minimize red eye. I always have this problem when photographing my bunny or my dog. To prevent red eye from happening, use natural light or turn off the flash function on your camera.

5. For more information, check out, “Learn How to Take Great Photos of Your Dog” by Sarah Dawn. For a video on how to get them in the right position see, “How to Take Your Dog’s Picture” by Eric Letendre.

After you’ve got the best shot, show it off with one of these adorable Photo Dog Announcements from Tiny Prints.

Want a sweet, fun and unique way to hang up all of those baby announcements and holiday photo cards? While decluttering my home I discovered a way to display everyone’s beautiful pictures by hanging them up with miniature clothespins.

To do this, YOU’LL NEED: 2 thumbtacks, string, scissors, photos or photo cards, mini clothespins

• Choose your photos and/or photo cards.
• Depending on the number of cards and photos you have, estimate how much space you will need between the thumbtacks, and then use that to determine how much string to cut.
• After you have placed the thumbtacks in the wall, tie the ends of the string on each side.
• Lastly, hang up your photos and cards up with the miniature clothespins.

Do you often forget people’s birthdays?

In honor of my birthday and everyone else whose birthday is today, Happy Birthday! Here’s a list of things you can do so you won’t forget anymore birthdays this year.

1) Google Birthdays. Google has a feature that allows you to add a birthdays section to your home page. The service is free and an easy reminder since you’ll see it as soon as you open up your Google personal page.

2) Yahoo Calendar. Like Google, you can add in special dates to your online calendar for free.

3) Organize your greeting cards. Get a stylish organizer to organize cards for friends and family. The one I had from GfDG Studio is great since it has monthly tabs with space to write their names.

4) Check out RealSimple.com for more great ideas to save you from forgetting another birthday!

Kodak Gallery has great ideas for gifts that were submitted by customers. One idea I loved involved creating a mini photo book for a baby shower.

Photo from KodakGallery

All you have to do is ask guests to submit photos to you online and then create the book through their website. Request submission of photos on your baby shower invites, then when you get the photos you just add the pictures and leave space for guests to write little words of advice for the mom-to-be.

I was watching my favorite reality TV family the other night and got a great idea for a birthday party. On “Jon and Kate Plus 8,” the family gathered together to do dress up night. The kids got a kick out of it, and so did I–which is what inspired this dress up party entry!

1) Decide on a theme. There is a whole lot of different things you can do when planning a dress up party. From firemen and police outfits to cowboy and cowgirl attire, your birthday girl or boy and their guests will have a good time dressing up as anything you choose.

2) Ask guests to bring their own outfits. There are a number of activities you can do with this. You can have a fashion show, or a best dressed contest. And, the kids will have fun trying on each others outfits.

3) Take plenty of pictures. Have your camera handy. If you have a instant camera such as Polaroid, take pictures of your little guests all dressed up that they can take home with them as favors.

4) Set out mirrors. Make sure you take out all your mirrors so kids can see how they look from head to toe.

5) Send invitations. Choose one of these invitations to match with the theme you chose for a fun dress up party!

Cowgirl Lasso

Fire Engine

Now that it’s officially summer, what are you doing to beat the heat? Though I love these summer months, I could do without the hot, sleepless nights. That’s why I was excited when I watched ABC’s, “The View” and saw various ways that to keep cool this summer. Here are a few gadgets that was on their show that you can purchase for cool, comfortable summer days and nights.

1) The Chill Misting Fan from Brookstone.

2) Chillow or a chilled pillow from The Comfort Store will keep you cool at night.

3) And to keep your back, buns and anything you else you want cool, LavaBuns is a seat cushion that can be cooled when it’s hot and warmed when it’s cold outside.

If all else fails, grab an ice cream cone, watch a movie, or stay indoors when you want to take a break for the summer heat.

Whether you’re barbecuing, watching the fireworks display, having a picnic or staying in, here’s hoping you stay cool, take lots of pictures and make tons of memories. If you’re going to take photos of the fireworks this year, you’ll want to pick an ideal spot, choose a wide-angle lens and keep your hand steady. For more tips check out BudgetTravel. Their article on Fireworks Photography is sure to bring out the professional photographer in you. In honor of tomorrow’s special holiday, we at Tiny Prints want to wish you all a safe, fun 4th of July.

Have an aspiring cowboy in your family? Here’s few tips on how to plan a cowboy birthday party that they’ll get a kick out of.

1) Invitations. After you’ve gone over the guest list, choose or have your child use their favorite invitation. Here are some adorable ones from Tiny Prints.

2) Decorations. Sites such as Oriental Trading sells fun decorations such an inflatable cactus and gold nugget bubble gum to give as favors. They even have a pinata shaped like a cowboy boot!

3) Activities. Purchase inexpensive cowboy hats, vests, bandannas and other fun costumes for the kids to play dress up. Play pin the tail on the horse. Or how about playing pass the cowboy hat to a Country Western music CD. The person who ends up with the hat when the song stops wins!

4) Food. Barbecue goes best with a cowboy themed party. Serve hamburgers, hot dogs, corn bread and baked beans. End with a cowboy shaped cake and root beer floats!