I built a small project that combines hand-painted oil paintings with interactive digital stories.
Here’s how it works:
You order a custom or ready-made oil painting.
You (or the buyer) upload photos, audio, or short videos related to the painting or the story behind it.
The site generates a QR code that links to this private story page.
I print the QR code on a physical tag and ship it together with the painting.
When the painting is given as a gift (or kept for yourself), anyone can scan the QR code and see the background story, media, or memory attached to it.
This makes a static painting into an interactive story gift — blending physical art with digital memories.
Possible use cases:
Travel memories: capture a beautiful landscape, add your voice note from that moment, and gift it as a painting.
Pet portraits: preserve a pet’s life story with photos and videos alongside the artwork.
Family moments: record warm times at home and make them part of a physical heirloom.
Personal gifts: add a story for a friend, partner, or loved one that only they can unlock.
Physical tags: the QR doesn’t have to be just for paintings — it could be a dog tag (front: photo, back: QR), or a magnetic tag you attach to objects at home.
Links:
Service homepage: https://sendstories.zingandzap.com
Demo story: https://sendstories.zingandzap.com/story/9f0cb724-aef0-4a2d-...
Guide: https://sendstories.zingandzap.com/guide
Feedback I’d love to hear:
Does this kind of interactive gift feel valuable or just a gimmick?
I’ve only implemented this as an extension of my oil painting website — do you think it could stand alone as a separate product/service for others?
Suggestions for improvements, new use cases, or physical formats (tags, magnets, dog collars, etc.).
Thanks for reading, and I’d really appreciate your thoughts!