Photo Collage
This is a simple and easy gift that will be greatly appreciated by friends and family. It can be a specific theme, or just all about the people you love. I have given photo collages to many of my family and friends. If you frame the photo collage, it can actually make for an interesting piece of pop art.
One of my favorite things to do with photo collages is to focus around a famous quotation. I will search online for quotations that fit the theme I am going for (mothers, family, friends, babies, etc.). Once I pick the perfect quotation, I print it out on a decorative piece of scrapbooking paper. This becomes the center of my collage. The other photos are then arranged around that quotation, and it makes for a fun, personal, and thought provoking work of art.
For a detailed step-by-step guide, read “How to Make a Photo Collage.”
Photo DVD Slideshow
If your computer has a DVD burner, it is likely that you have the software to make a DVD slideshow. Although it is not always highlighted on the packaging, most DVD burning programs allow you to make a slideshow with photos and music, which can be played on any DVD player.
The program I use is called “MyDVD,” but most DVD software programs do have a slideshow feature. To create a slideshow, you will need to pick between 20-40 photos. This is usually the amount of photos that fit within the constraints of a single song. You can also do several slideshows, each with different music.
You can even add a slideshow at the end of a DVD with home movies on it, or vice versa. For my mother-in-law’s birthday, we made her a DVD slideshow with tons of family photos. At the very end, we added a video of my husband and our son singing “Happy Birthday.”
This is an especially great gift for family who live out-of-town. It is cheap to ship and a way to keep in touch.
Photo Magnets
Everyone loves magnets! They can be stuck on the refrigerator or dishwasher at home, or for those work in an office, they can be stuck on the filing cabinets for a great way to personalize your office space.
Photo magnets are a fun gift and easy to make. First, you need to decide on the size. You can use a regular 4×6 snapshot or you can use a wallet size photo. The process is similar, but slightly different for each.
For a 4×6 photo-
First, have the photo laminated. You can buy at-home laminating materials, or you can take it to somewhere like Kinkos, where they will do it for you in a machine.
Second, buy magnetic tape that has adhesive on the back. You can cut it into strips to fit the photo. Cut one strip for the top and one strip for the bottom.
Finally, adhere the magnetic strips to the photo, and you have a photo magnet.
For a wallet size-
First, I recommend buying a pack of business card shaped magnets with adhesive backing. These can be purchased at most office supply stores. I recommend Baumgarten’s Business Card Magnets, which come in a pack of 25. Next, you can laminate the photo if you would like. It does make for a longer lasting gift, as it will not get smudged. Peel the adhesive paper off of the magnets, and stick it onto the photo, cutting off any excess.
Placemats
This is a great gift for families with small children, as they can easily be wiped clean. Young children also love looking at photos. I recommend making a set of four.
First, buy a colorful poster board and cut it into four rectangles.
Next, cut your photos into fun shapes and glue them to the poster board pieces. You can even embellish with stickers, magazine cutouts, and glitter.
Finally, have the placemats laminated. A copy place like Kinkos will usually do this for relatively cheap.
Digital Scrapbook
If you are not a crafty type, this is probably the perfect photo gift idea for you. Creative Memories offers a free download of a program that allows you to scrapbook digitally. The templates are pre-designed to match whatever themes you download (each theme has to be downloaded separately, but all are free). The templates are arranged by the number of photos you would like to put on a page, and also have boxes for you to type in titles or journaling.
Making a scrapbook using this program can be done relatively quickly, even within an hour. Plus, you do not need to shop for any of the supplies. Once you have finished your scrapbook, they send it to you in the mail.
Visit Creativememories.com for more information.
