As you might know by now my beloved grandma suffered a massive stroke a few months ago and has subsequently been forced to live in an assisted living facility. As such I have been desperately trying to decorate her new “home” with as many family photos as possible. Only I’m working with a limited space and frankly, there’s only so much you can do with standard snapshots. Or so I thought.
A quick peak online revealed a virtual cornucopia of photo inspired gifts from boxer shorts to cutting boards, pet urns, porcelain plates, playing cards, Rubik’s cubes, stuffed animals, steins, and stadium cushions, tote bags, watches, balls, bookmarks and banks. If an item exists, there is probably a company out there willing to personalize it with your favorite photos.
One of the websites that I thought offered the best variety for decent prices was this one. I’m not a complete photo gift novice. I have made my share of photo gifts and even enlisted the help of my 3-year-daughter on a number of photo projects. But the aforementioned website sells items that I would never have considered emblazoning with a picture of my loved ones. Yet the site makes it look enticing.
I eventually narrowed my search and settled on the following photo items that I may order to give as Mother’s Day gifts. They are:
Photo Sculpture. It’s more like a pop-out portrait. It features your favorite photo (e.g. your wedding picture) transformed into a 12” tall standing image. It can also be layered to give it a three-dimensional look.
Photo Tiles. The tile has a flat stone finish and is decorated with your favorite photo. You get to choose the color, texture, size and thickness, so you can match it to your gift recipient’s décor. The sample featured a black-and-white photo on an antique tile. It was very attractive and I don’t know very many grandparents who can brag that their grandkids are immortalized on a piece of tile.
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