Use Photographs to Create Homemade, Personalized Gifts

Photographs can be turned into great gift items for family and friends. You could visit a photo-printing Web site or store and purchase custom-made gifts using your favorite photographs. Or you could make your own instead. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Make a slideshow. Make a photo slideshow using your video camera or a computer software program. You can pile photographs you wish to include in your slideshow on your selected surface (wooden table, colorful table cloth, etc.). Now point your video camera at the empty space beside your pile of photos. Place the first photo down and press record. Be the narrator and describe each photo, use your camera's fade function in between each photograph, allowing you to change the photo out while your screen is black.

Or you could use computer software to help you create a slideshow. There are many available software programs to help you create a customized photo slideshow that can be burned onto a DVD-R disc for viewing on a DVD player. Some software programs offer a free demo version of their software. Different programs may offer different options. It would be a good idea to try each one out before paying the money for the full version.

Make your own calendar. To make your own calendars you can purchase a software program that will come complete with calendar templates. Some of these programs can be very easy to use. All you need to do is drag and drop your photos into the appropriate spots.

Or you could find free calendar templates online that you can add your photos to and print. If the calendar is for someone in your family you could mark family birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions. Once you have all of the pages of your calendar together you can use a hole puncher to create two holes at the top of your pages and string some pretty ribbon through them for hanging.

Create a frame for your photo. Create a beautiful frame and insert a photo of your choosing to give as a gift for friends and family. You could make a seashell photo frame for beach or tropical photos. You have your children paint frames and insert a photo of them (either a favorite photo of them or a photo you took of them while they were painting the frames) to give as a gift for family members, such as grandparents.

Use your photo(s) to create craft projects. You can make a pencil holder using an empty soup can (label removed), paints, paint brushes, a favorite photo, and clear contact paper. Sometimes when you order photo packages, whether from a photo studio or your child's school pictures, you often have leftover wallet sized photos. These photos would be perfect for making this type of project. First clean the can inside and out and let dry.

Next let the kids paint the can or you can paint it yourself. Once the paint has dried, center your photo on the can and secure by using clear contact paper cut to size. You can create a desk organizer using this method with more than one can. Once all cans have been decorated you can glue them together. You can use cans of varying sizes to make it more interesting.

Create your own iron on transfers from your photos using special iron on transfer papers and a printer. You can use these iron on transfers to create personalized shirts, mouse pads, quilts, or even canvas tote bags. Use your photos and other memorabilia to create a shadow box.

Create your own fridge magnets. You can find many photo frame fridge magnets to create fun decorative fridge magnets. Use things like puffy paint, glitter glue, stickers, and other decorative objects to create a decorative border on the front of the photo magnet. Once finished place your photo inside and give as a gift to family or friends.

By making these photo gifts yourself, you can have more creative control while saving money. Homemade gifts are often much more appreciated then generic store bought gifts. Homemade gifts made from photos is a great way to create personalized gifts that your family and friends are sure to enjoy.