6 Photo Gifts Your Friends and Family Will Love by Jamie Jefferson
Digital photography, coupled with modern technology, makes it a snap to put your favorite photographs on a variety of different gifts, from mousepads and mugs to custom albums and ornaments.
If you’re stumped for what to give someone special, consider a photo gift. They are meaningful, inexpensive, and fun to create. Here are some of our favorite ideas:
1. A calendar
The leading online photo companies make it easy for you to create a photo calendar. You can choose from a variety of designs, and you can choose different photographs for each month as well as a favorite photo for the cover. The benefit of doing it this way, rather than making it yourself, is that you don’t have to worry about the printing and the binding. The photo company does it all for you.
2. A mug
Who doesn’t want to see a photo of their favorite location or their favorite people while enjoying their morning cup of coffee? Photo companies have a lot of different options for customizing mugs with pictures. Make sure to crop your photo correctly and reduce red eye if it exists. Mugs tend to display pictures very large and that means tiny flaws can stand out.
3. Photo ornaments
Order these from a photo company or make them yourself. If you are going the do-it-yourself route, you’ll need to get wallet sized or smaller pictures. You can make ornaments from many different types of material. You can buy ready to use ornaments at a craft store, or even use common items, such as juice lids or pipe cleaners. Look for instructions online and have a get-together where you and your friends or children can make ornaments in one sitting.
4. Scrapbooking mini-albums
Scrapbooking is a popular hobby these days. You may be familiar with standard large sizes scrapbooks, but there are also “mini-albums” that are smaller in scale. They make a great format for creating a brag book for grandma or for sharing a special event. Gather pictures of the gift recipient and create a unique present that they’ll be sure to treasure. If you want to do this project digitally, online photo websites have a number of templates where you can drag and drop your photos and captions. That way, if you plan to give these to more than one recipient, it’s as easy as changing the quantity in your shopping cart.
5. Photo turned painting
If you want something that will really knock the socks off the recipient (and you have the budget for it) have one of their photos turned into a painting. For about $100 you can get photos converted to canvas at most major photo stores or through an artist who specializes in these paintings. Do a google search online and get some quotes. You can also have several photos combined to make a collage.
6. Customized photo t-shirts
Printing technology has advanced so that you can get photos printed on t-shirts. You can give your gift recipient a customized shirt of their favorite pet, or a cherished picture of the two of you. Just make sure to have the right shirt size and a photo that has been cropped and properly adjusted. Some printing shops will give you a discount if you order more than one shirt, so you may want to purchase several at once. This is a great gift idea for a large family. Order a dozen of the same design!
About the Author
Browse lots more ideas for photo gifts. Plus, here are coupons for two of the author’s favorite sites that specialize in unique photo gifts and digital photo printing.
Digital Scrapbooking Software – Digital Scrapbook Artist 2
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Digital Designs for Scrapbooking 2: Making Your Own (Simple Scrapbooks) by Rene $7.05 |
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Digital Designs 2 for scrapbooking $8.74 |
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Avery Sticker Project Paper, White, 8.5 x 11 Inches, Pack of 15 (03383) $7.44 Avery Dennison Dennison Sticker(s) 3383 Printing Media… |
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Wacom CTH461 Bamboo Craft Tablet $64.99 The Bamboo Craft includes over $200 in value with in-box inclusions.Combining intuitive design and versatility, Bamboo Craft is a powerful creative workstation that lets PC and Mac users create digital art with an organic, hands-on feel. Using an innovative tablet and Wacom’s “Multi-Touch” system, users can manipulate images and navigate the Web using simple gestures and finger taps. When combi… |
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HP Photosmart 385 Compact Photo Printer (Q6387A#ABA) $149.00 CL) H/P PS385 4X6 PRINTER… |
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Avery Magnet Sheets, 8.5 x 11 Inches, White, 5 Pack (03270) $7.19 Avery 3270 Printable Magnet Sheets make it easy to ensure important information and favorite photos stay stuck on appliances and magnetic boards. Use your inkjet printer to create magnetic signs, business cards, and lists of critical phone numbers for the office, or print out to-do lists, emergency contacts, and vacation photos to stick on your refrigerator at home. Free templates from Avery Websi… |
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A Field Guide to Fabric Design: Design, Print & Sell Your Own Fabric; Traditional & Digital Techniques; for Quilting, Home Dec & Apparel $15.59 If you have ever dreamed of showing your designs on fabric, textile aficionado Kim Kight, of popular blog True Up, is here to teach you how. Comprehensive and refreshingly straightforward, this impressive volume features two main parts. First, the Design and Color section explains the basics with step-by-step tutorials on creating repeating patterns both by hand and on the computer. Next, the Prin… |
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Wendy Knits Lace: Essential Techniques and Patterns for Irresistible Everyday Lace $14.08 RANDOM HOUSE-Potter Craft Books: Wendy Knits Lace. At last; gorgeous lace projects you can knit and wear every day. When you are new to lace or a more adventuresome knitter; you will find plenty to occupy your needles. From a delicate camisole for layering a pullover sweater for fall or pretty hats; scarves; shawls and socks author Wendy D. Johnson invites you to knit lace pieces that are perfect … |
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Eric Carle’s Very Special Baby Journal $11.60 … |
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Nova Development US Scrapbook Factory Deluxe 4.0 [Old Version] $4.24 With the Nova Scrapbook Factory Deluxe 4.0 you can preserve precious memories with version 4.0 of America’s #1 best-selling scrapbook software. Scrapbook Factory Deluxe 4.0 offers the ultimate collection of 6,000+ exclusive templates as well as 60,000+ beautiful graphics and 5000+ photorealistic embellishments sure to capture the excitement of any occasion. You’ll also be able to create spectacula… |
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Serif Digital Scrapbook Artist 2 $23.99 Digital Scrapbook Artist 2 is the must-have digital crafting studio and contains all the tools and features needed to create beautiful, handcrafted designs like scrapbooks, cards, invitations, and postcards on a PC, without a steep learning curve. It’s been specifically tailored for the digital scrapbooker and is incredibly easy to use thanks to on-screen prompts and handy toolbars. Unlike any oth… |
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CREATIVE MEMORIES STORYBOOK CREATOR PLUS SOFTWARE $5.00 StoryBook Creator Plus gives you complete digital scrapbooking capabilities with the click of a mouse. We’ve built in total freedom and flexibility to play with your pages. From color changes to adjustable elements, from simple enhancements to artistic style tricks, it’s all bundled together in one of the most comprehensive and easy-to-use digital scrapbooking software offerings on the market…. |
