Photo Gift Picks: 2014

Every year I strive to give gifts that are personal and heart-felt. I want the recipient to know that I really thought about them when I chose this gift. I know a lot us have trouble deciding what to get people who seemingly have everything though. It can make finding a thoughtful, yet useful gift difficult. My best solution? Photo gifts.

To give you an idea of what I mean, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite photo-related gifts that take only a little preparation and creativity:

1. Favorite Things Photo Book. I’ve seen this floating around the Internet recently and really love the idea for the small children in our lives.  This would be great for preschool aged children who are learning the alphabet. What better way to memorize and learn letters than by associating them with your child’s favorite things? Instead of the unoriginal “A is for Apple,” find something your child really likes that begins with the letter “A”, photograph it then upload it into a photo bookthrough a service like Snapfish, Shutterfly, or Blurb.

2. Instagraham Cookies. Not every gift needs to last a lifetime. Case and point: these edible photos! Upload up to 12 of your favorite memories from the past year and Baking For Good will turn those photos into delicious cookies.

3. Photo Magnets & Tacks. Have someone who works in a cubicle? Help them define their space by making it more fun with photos of great moments on magnets or tacks.

4. Glass Prints. I made one of these for my grandparents several years back and they adore it. The light shines through it creating a beautiful glow. It was very easy to customize. I did a chronological Gallery Monogram Curved Glass Print, including photos of my brother and I, with my grandparents, as babies all the way through present-day.

5. Photo Memory Jar. If you’d prefer to go the DIY route, creating a photo memory jar can be a nice way to help commemorate favorite moments using photos and mementos. Grab a small- to medium-size jar (depending on how much you’d like to put in it). Then determine your motif. Do you want to commemorate that fabulous vacation you took with your best friend’s family? Print a photo or two from the trip and add it to the jar, along with any other items you might be willing to part with from the vacay — like shells you collected, a souvenir key ring from the gift shop, or some sand, which you could pick up at a local crafts store. 

I hope you’ve found some inspiration with this list. These are all affordable, fun photo gift options that anyone would appreciate receiving!