Birthdays are always a big deal in our house and BJ embraces his own with an enthusiasm and gusto that always makes me want to make it a special occasion. He particularly loves ripping into wrapping paper, even more so since he can manage it on his own now. This year he was so thrilled to uncover a custom Simpsons drawing by Turned Yellow.
I know I’m not the only person who struggles to come up with gifts so I thought I’d share one of BJ’s, and the details of how to go about doing it. It’s a great idea for any Simpsons fan – no matter their age.
A friend recently shared on Facebook a picture she’d had custom drawn for her partner. I thought it was so cool and I immediately knew it would be perfect for our Simpsons loving fan.
The magic all happens online and it’s pretty simple. You send a photo of the person, or people, you’d like to turn into a Simpsons character. I didn’t have one photo which captured what I was after so I sent a series of about six photos with instructions of the components I’d like included. You can use traditional Simpson scenes for a backdrop, or get a custom design.
I wanted to capture a picture which reflected the fun the kids have together and their individual personalities and interests. Skating is AJ’s sport and hobby and BJ always has a smile on his face when he gets to go with her, so I decided on a picture of them at Winterlight as my theme.
Thinking of the artist trying to turn the kids into Simpsons characters, I sent a close up photo and a photo showing AJ skating.
Although I loved the photos of the kids skating at Winterlight, BJ had since upgraded his wheelchair and AJ had grown up so I wanted to have the new wheelchair included, so I sent the below picture as well.
I knew amendments could be made to the picture if needed but thought it would be faster and more efficient to give the illustrator as much information as possible from the start.
I received the picture within a week and it was pretty perfect. I sent it back for one amendment to AJ’s hair colour but otherwise they’d nailed it, even down to BJ having his legs crossed at his feet (this is his general pose as this is how he stabilises his movement).
The illustration came as a downloadable image which I then had printed on to a canvas through Snapfish (they had a 70% off deal which they run fairly regularly – outside of peak times of course).
I also had an edible icing version of the design made for BJ’s cake from Michel’s Patisserie ($18).
Once you download the image, it’s yours to use as you please. Your imagination is the only limitation.
Remember, the cost quoted online is in US dollars. My friend passed on a 40% off coupon which brought down the price significantly. If interested in this as a gift idea, I recommend liking the Turned Yellow Facebook page as they seem to run regular specials. Check out the Turned Yellow website for further information about how to get a picture.
This isn’t a sponsored post. I paid for all items mentioned. I’m keen to share because I know all too well the struggle many people have finding a present for their loved one with a disability as they grow up.
BJ’s picture now hangs in his room and he’s one happy chappy.
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