07 · The anchor image

Get a drawing of your house.

One simple line drawing of your home does more work than anything else on this site. It becomes your stamp, your cards, your holiday card and your keepsake, and you only have to get it once.

An ink sketch of a cottage on cream paper beside a rubber stamp, ink pad and blank notecards

Two paths

Free and fast, or paid and personal.

Path one, free

Photo, then sketch app

Stand across the street, shoot your house straight-on in flat morning light, and run the photo through a sketch or line-drawing filter. Crop tight, bump the contrast, and save it with a transparent or white background. Ten minutes, no money.

· Shoot straight-on, not at an angle, it traces better
· Overcast days beat sunny ones; harsh shadows confuse the filter
· Clear the bins and the car out of the frame first
· Save the biggest file size you can for printing later

Path two, commissioned

Hire an artist

Simple line-drawing commissions often start around $20, with detailed watercolors costing more. Send your best photo, say what you want it for, and ask up front about print rights so you can reuse it on cards and stamps.

Please pay the asking price and don't haggle. This is somebody's craft and their time , a fair rate is the whole point of hiring a person instead of a filter.

· Look for local artists first, markets, craft fairs, community pages
· Ask for a high-resolution file, not just a print
· Agree in writing that you can reuse it for personal stationery

Then what

One image, five uses.

Stamp

Turn it into a rubber stamp

A custom stamp of your house plus the name is the single most useful object here. Stamp the back of notecards, treat bags, thank-you notes and every envelope you send.

Cards

Notecards and postcards

Print a run of a hundred on uncoated stock. The unit cost drops sharply past 100 and you'll be handing them out for years.

Seasonal

Decorate it for the season

Add a wreath on the door and snow on the roof for the winter version. Same drawing, holiday card sorted. Add flowers in the beds for spring.

Keepsake

Give it away

The portrait postcard is the easiest keepsake on the whole site, write two lines on the back and hand it to every guest who stays.

Gifts

Tea towels and totes

Print on demand means no minimum and no boxes in your hall closet. Excellent for housewarmings and for family who grew up in the house.

Frame the original

If you commissioned it, frame the artwork and hang it in the entry. It quietly explains the whole idea to anyone who walks in.

Commission it once, decorate it four ways, print it forever. That's the whole strategy.

Shop the look

Stamps & print partners

What you need to turn a single drawing into stationery, tags and holiday cards.

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Got your portrait? It's the best photo to send with your Real Homes submission.