In the olden days, when you took a picture, you would always get a physical copy of it. You’d show your cherished memories to people when they visited, or make copies to give to your friends.
Today, when pictures are digitized, they drown in the sea of selfies on our phones and are only seen when we need to clean up for storage space.
If you want to ensure a great memory is not lost, why not take your best pictures and turn them into gifts for your friends and family? Here are some cool ways for you to do that.
1. Design a Professional-Looking Photo Book
If you’re old enough, you might remember those sticky photo books. Every page had a plastic cover, and when you peeled it back, you could stick your prints inside in a creative fashion.
You can still utilize this old-fashioned style photo album as a gift idea. Simply order prints of your Google photos using Shutterfly and go nuts.
There is another, easier way to create a photo book, which can actually look like a store-bought coffee-table book that your friends will be proud to showcase.
Websites like Photobox let you upload all of your pictures, and then organize them with easy book templates. You can create collages, add personalized text and cover, and once you finish it, they will also print it and deliver it. You can even design something completely from scratch if you feel creative.
2. Put Your Memories on a Phone Case
As aforementioned, when pictures are stored on your phone, it’s easy to forget about them. But what about on top of your phone? Since we spend most of the day holding on to our devices, you can create a case with a collage of pictures to transform the device itself into a photo book.
With Casify, you can choose one of the most common case covers (iPhone, Samsung, iPad, MacBook), pick a template for one or several pictures, and design your custom gift.
3. Make a Puzzle Out of Your Pictures
Is your friend a fan of puzzles? Are they the kind of person who finishes 1000 pieces in a single day? Then this idea is perfect for them.
Make a Puzzle lets you create a puzzle from your pictures in mere seconds. All you have to do is pick the type of puzzle, the number of pieces, upload a photo, and add it to the basket. They also offer collage puzzles or ones that are holiday-specific.
4. Turn Your Images Into Art
The most obvious way to gift someone with your favorite pictures is to order a large print and frame it. You can use the Photobox website to do this as well. However, some people may feel self-conscious about hanging their faces on their walls for all to see.
In this case, you can use an app to turn your pictures into art and paintings, and then order a framed print. The picture will still resemble that cherished moment but will have a more sophisticated look to it.
5. Customize a Lampshade With Pictures
Some interior designers claim that lighting is the most important part of home decor. It can create an intimate atmosphere, divide a space into smaller segments, or accentuate art pieces. On top of that, the lamp itself can also be a design statement, with your best pictures on it.
The website Bags of Love has a section dedicated specifically to designing lampshades. Just like with other items on this list, you can pick a lampshade style, a template for the design, upload your photos and add text to create a unique lamp.
6. Design Party T-Shirts
Have you ever been to Las Vegas? Even if not, you might recognize the image from movies; a bachelorette party going from one bar to the other, all dressed up with the same t-shirt that says something like “Lilly and Greg Are Getting Married.”
It’s a fun idea; creating some sort of uniform for a night out, whether it’s a bachelor party, a family reunion, or a 40th birthday. What's even nicer is adding a picture of the person you’re celebrating along with text, which you can easily do on Moonpig.
7. Eat Your Favorite Picture on a Cake
This option may not immortalize your favorite photo, however, it is still a fun way to celebrate someone. If you were already planning to buy someone a cake to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, or graduation, you can put your favorite image of them on a cake.
And yes, there are a variety of cake shops who will do that for you, but you can also go DIY, and just print the edible paper. This is also a great option if you want to bake the cake yourself.
Websites like Photo on a Cake let you print a design on different cake shapes, as well as cupcakes, which you can then cut and apply to the baked goods yourself.
8. Pick a Different Picture for Every Month of the Year
A physical calendar may feel like an outdated notion for people used to putting everything on their iCal or Google Calendar. However, wall calendars may be a staple in the homes of older people.
It can also be a helpful gift for your forgetful friends, who have to see every appointment and obligation written right in front of them at all times.
At Social Print Studio, you can create such a calendar for your loved ones, with a picture for every month that can decorate their wall and get them excited about the changing seasons. For an additional personal touch, you can mark all birthdays and special occasions on the calendar, or even write daily affirmations.
Get Creative With Your Old Photos
There are so many ways for you to turn old photos into gifts, even beyond what we mentioned in this article. As you might have gathered, you can put a photo on pretty much anything with a surface.
If you enjoy DIY projects and don't mind spending some extra time, you can create truly unique gifts with photos.
