If you love taking artistic pictures, you probably use filters to help create interesting and dynamic still images. However, professional filters can be quite costly and may set you back a penny or two. But you don’t have to go that route. With a few household items and a little imagination, you can create your own filters to give your photographs a unique twist.

Grab some fishing line and cut it into short lengths, then tape them across your lens in a cross pattern or however you please. The sunlight will reflect off the line and add some flare to your images!

Fill a spray bottle with some water and spray your camera lens with fine water droplets. Position your subject toward a light source and snap away. The water droplets create beautiful light reflections on your pictures.

With translucent plastic, you can make your own tilt-shift filter. Cut out a circle to fit over the front of your lens, then cut a thick line out of the center of it. Fix the plastic to your lens with some tape to get a blurry effect around the edges.

To soften the color contrast of your photos, wrap some plastic around your lens or hold it in the foreground and shoot through it.

Some colored yarn and bundle it up. Shoot through the wool to create a soft vibrant filter. Use different colors for some versatility.

I'm sure we all have Christmas decorations lying around this time of the year so try them to add interesting effects to your pictures by holding them up in front of your lens and shooting through them.

Breathe on your camera lens and immediately take pictures to give your pictures a misty look.

For a fun effect, blow some bubbles in front of the camera and shoot your subject through the bubbles.

Tinsel works well as well, but please please whatever you use, be careful NOT to scratch your camera lens.

Have fun and lets see what ideas we can come up with. Here are a few of mine. Will try more tomorrow.