Photo Gift Ideas

Photographs mean the world to me. They hold so many memories. They remind us of our past, help keep us be present and enrich our future. Every year I love searching for new photo gift ideas for those on my Christmas list. This year I wanted to come up with ideas that were a little more out of of the box and customizable. We only have so much space on our walls and shelves so giving a gift that can be enjoy cherished and interchanged with different photographs through out the years was the goal. I loved sharing these ideas on Studio 5 with host Shara Parker.

Wood Photo Hangers

I love the wood poster hangers because they are simple and yet at a great design element to any space. You don’t have to worry about framing and matting your photo but instead can easily interchange the photos inside. The top and bottom piece are separate and hold the photo together using magnets. We decided to create our own for a customized look. We purchased the wood and Home Depot and had it cut in store to the desired lengths. From there we sanded stained the wood then added small round industrial magnets inside the wood (also purchased at Home Depot) and added eyelets to the top for hanging. If you don’t want to go through the hassle of making your own there are a variety of stores that sell them such as: Urban Outfitters, Amazon, Artifact Uprising,

Wood House Photo Holder

I am always on the look out for creative ways to display photos. We created the wood house photo holders but cutting 2 x 4’s into four different heights and sawing a small slit into the top. If you don’t want to go through the work you can purchase the wood house blocks at Michaels and then saw in a small slit. We also added a clear lacquer to protect the wood and make it more smooth. There are also a lot of really cute options on Etsy. Here are a few of my favorite: Harp and Lyre Co, The Heart Department Co.

Customized Photo Coasters

If you are looking for a fun personalized gift that the kids can help with then this gift would be perfect. My six and eight year old joined me in making personalized coasters for Grandpa and Grandma using photos from a recent trip we went on together. I love finding creative way to display photos and this fun is also functional as well. To create your own all you will need is tiles which we purchased at Home Depot, Mod Podge and a paint brush. Simply paint the modge podge onto the bare tile. Add your photo and center it and then add another layer of modge podge on top. Just be sure to let the tiles dry for about 10-15 minute in-between coats and brush your strokes in the same direction.

Instax Mini Camera Gifts

Poloroid cameras have become really popular over the past few years, however, we never know what to do with the little photos that we print with them. Urban Outfitters has a variety of fun ways to display these cute small photos in a variety of ways. The Mini picture frame magnets would be fun to give to Grandparents to display photos on the fridge or for teens to give to their friends. I love how easy it is to interchange them.

Another fun way to display these cute photos are these cute Instax Mini Glitter Frames. Similarly to a snow globe you can shake them up and watch the gutter come down. I think these would make such a cute gift for kids and teens alike.

Office Desktop Customizable Calendar

I took more of a DIY approach to these last two gift ideas. For the first one we purchased wood and cut it into desired height and width. Stained the wood and glued it together with apoxy glue.

We added hooks to the  front and then printed off a 2019 calendar and photos using the template provided below. I think this would be such a fun gift for someone who works at the office. It doesn’t take up a lot of space and can be used throughout the years.

Wood Block on Ceramic Tile 

For this last gift idea I picked up a sample subway tile at Home Depot and glued a stained wood block to it. We added hooks and then printed off square photos that can be interchanged.

This would make sure a cute gift for grandparents, an office gift or even would be fun for kids to put the shelves in their rooms. 

If you don’t own a Instax Mini Camera or just want a fun way to turn your cell phone or camera photos into these little mini polaroid sizes, you can click here download the template: Instax-Mini-Template_.

After you insert your photos into the template, order the photos as a 4×6 print and then cut out each of the photos individually from the 4×6 template.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me: nataliefelt@hotmail.com