My favorite presents for my parents and Mike’s parents are pictures of Annie. This Christmas will be no exception (spoiler alert, grandparents!). I mean, I could kid myself and pretend they want photos of Mike and me, but let’s be honest – they all stopped showing off our pictures years ago. So really, we’re just giving them what they want – more pictures of their granddaughter to gaze at lovingly. AWWWWWWW. The good thing about picture presents is they are pretty easy gifts, and depending on how crazy you get, reasonably priced. These are some of my favorite ideas.
Both sets of grandparents will be receiving a framed 8×10 of this photo:
For this I’ll just print out the picture on my 8.5×11 inch glossy photo paper, trim the edges, then go to frame store to select frames (there are good tips for picking out frames here). As far as presents go, this is one of the easiest.
For the aunts and uncles, I am going to print out wallet-sized photos onto photo paper and then stick magnets on the back. Then they’ll see Annie’s smiling face whenever they want something from their fridge.
I’m also planning on making a silhouette of Annie for my parents to go with the silhouette of Maddie I made a few years ago. They LOVED that gift, and it’s easier than you think – the directions for the one I made for Mike are here.
I also think I am going to make Mike a 2012 calendar. I have always wanted to do this, but was intimidated by picking out the photos, designing the background, etc. I found free templates on HP’s creative studio so I am going to use that this year. I love me some templates.
I need more photo gift ideas! What are some of your favorites?
Crysi says:
I make a photobook at shutterfly every year for the grandparents & make sure I keep a copy too. I love looking through them & seeing how much the girls have grown. It’s definitely time consuming, but worth it.
I made your silhouettes this year too. So easy! Thank you so much for showing how.
pgoodness says:
That picture is GORGEOUS.
I started doing photo books of the kids a few years back and it’s my go-to gift for the grandparents, plus one for me (since I am a scrapbook failure these days). It’s absurdly hard to narrow down all of the pictures, but I love the finished product.
Jessicas says:
I make my dad a coffee mug every year with his favorite photo of my daughter on it: easy, inexpensive, and possibly cheesetastic. Perfect for a grandad!
Skye says:
I love photo gifts too because they’re so personal. Thanks for sharing all your tips, Heather! I scrapbook and one of my favorite gifts to give is a 12×12 scrapbook page. I use one big photo or a few small photos of me and whoever I’m making the gift for, make a simple page, and frame it in a 12×12 scrapbook frame from the craft store.
Anna says:
What about a photo canvass. Also you could get wrapping paper made with pictures of Annabel.
Rebecca says:
Get a 20×20 and buy a matte that has 9 frames and do a portrait study. Her chubbly little legs, pudgy little feet, her fingers, a close up of her eyes, nose and mouth…..a full body *head to toe* shot, ….
Shan says:
My absolute favorite is a canvas!
jenny says:
I ordered an ornament with the picture painted on and I love it. My son was a baby then. He looks like a little Senator.
AmazingGreis says:
That is one of my MOST favorite pictures of Annie, EVER!!
JustAMom says:
She is sooo cute, I cannot get enough of her. The other day I was at Ralphs and a clerk was leaving, and said to the clerk helping me “call you later. Peace out” I thought of Annie’s “Peace out, Ann-ie” and laughed out loud. I just love your girl!
Liz says:
Absolutely Adorable! Annie is a Gorgeous!
Debbie says:
Walgreeens often has collage prints for free. The last one was on Black Friday. I uploaded 12 pictures and it put them in a collage for me. Then I got a frame to put the picture in. Christmas present done.
Tracie says:
That picture is absolutely gorgeous!!
we did a calendar for my mom one year and she LOVED it!
Jenn says:
I LOVE the picture of Annie. It really looks like a professional head shot!!! One gift we did one yr was our hands prints – Our whole family hand print. 1st we did my husbands, then mine in the middle of his, then my oldest son, then my daughter & finally our youngest son. I matted & frames it and get sooo many compliments on it.
Your work is priceless thou’ – I’m sure whatever you chose to do will continue to be perfect!!! Thanks for sharing!!! xo
Anna Maria says:
My favourite is a software with which you can make a mosaic. I chose a real nice picture of daddy with his daughter and indicated the folder in which we have sooo many pictures of her. The software creates a mosaic picture of daddy and daughter and I let it printed out as a big poster. It looks great: looking from the distance you see the two of them – and having a closer look you see that the picture is created by many many pictures of her. I am sorry that I have just a link to a German software (http://fmedda.de/de/home) but I am sure that there is also an English one in the internet!
Fiona says:
Wow, Annie is such a cutie!
We recently went on holiday with my husband’s parents and as a present got an Apple photobook. They’re fab gifts. I’m going to get one dome every year from now on.
Like the idea of the silhouette too.
Fiona x
Erin says:
Calendars, every year! We are going on year four now, and we get asked every year, “Will I be getting a calendar again this year??” I love how much everyone else enjoys them, plus I keep one for myself so that I have a nice record of my favorite pictures each year. I’m too lazy to make photobooks, so calendars have to suffice.
pbockenp says:
Love the silhouette! Last year I made glass cutting boards for all the grandparents. They were a huge hit. I also did magic cocoa mugs for my 5 and 7 year old. The mugs were black but when filled with a hot liquid reveal photos! I picked fun photos from our vacation that year!