Key takeaways:
- Options for custom photo gifts abound from heartfelt to hilarious.
- There’s no time like now to review your options and select the photos you’ll be memorializing.
- Also build in time for the inevitable swing and a miss—and a fast fix!
Happy Holidays! We’re excited to introduce the first of several Gift Givers HQ holiday gift guides we’ll be publishing over the next several days.
Mindful of fast-approaching deadlines, we kick the series off with a focus on gifts that are not off the shelf.
We organize these ideas in two categories:
- Gifts that involve your providing a personal photo, video or set of photos and videos. That’s what this post is about.
- Gifts whose personalization goes beyond photography. This includes the addition of names, addresses, mantras as well as customizations based on what you know about your recipient (e.g., hobbies, favorite things, etc.). Watch for that tomorrow.
Subscribe to be sure to catch all the gift guides queued up for you.
And don’t miss:
- Our standalone (that’s how special it is!) description of the photo/video gift we consider the best gift ever.
- A running list of gifts we expect to be ubiquitous at gift exchanges this holiday.
- Everything you need to know about those holiday-themed LED infinity lights that are mainstream—although in apparent limited supply.
Read the fine print!
Gifts bearing loved ones’ or other photos have high squeal potential. This is our favorite genre and we wholeheartedly recommend them!
Still and all, proceed with care as customized gifts involve some risk. This isn’t about the photo selection, we know you’ll give that the appropriate amount of thought. No, it’s about the due diligence required when choosing the product to add your photo or photos to.
Online vendors—including and especially on TikTok, Instagram and elsewhere—are expert at marketing. But there’s a lot of room for improvement in the product descriptions that could have bearing on your satisfaction and your intended’s ultimate delight.
We encourage you to go slow. Take just a bit more time to understand what’s being said in the detail provided and in reviewers’ comments—and what isn’t. Is it possible you’re reading more into a creation than will be delivered? We’ll admit to jumping on an idea and running with it, often ordering multiples, only to be sorely disappointed in the execution.
The photo gift requires some upfront work on your part and, when ordered, takes you out of the market for the time it takes to produce and deliver the gift. If it’s underwhelming when it arrives, you may need to scramble for a Plan B. Taking a beat before you order will help you avoid that. Seeing a production proof should provide some assurance as well.
Your face + this product = my gift
Photo gifts can range from heart-warming, as is the case of a grandmother with her grandchildren in a beautiful frame, or devilish as in the playful selection of something to memorialize a funny or unflattering moment.
If you have just the right photo, these laser engraved wooden spoons could be a huge hit! In fact, these might be the inspiration to go out and stealthily orchestrate the right photo.
Made from premium wood and meant to be functional, the spoons are available in three sizes: 10 x 2 inches, 11.8 x 2.2 inches, and 13.8 x 2.4 inches. You choose the color of the bow and whether to add text up to 30 characters to the spoon handle.
Make an impression by adding your favorite photo to the face of this wooden watch and a 50-character or less text message to the back. Available in 36MM and 40MM, the watch has a stainless steel crown and buckle and comes in your choice of three colors of straps. It ships with a watchbox and watch pillow.
The watch is handmade from reclaimed bamboo. Because the watchmaker uses 100% natural materials and no paints or nickel, it’s perfect for people with allergies.
A 3D crystal photo involves the conversion of the two-dimensional photo you submit to build a “depth map”to create a lifelike 3D model. The result should be a bust or statue inside the crystal producing an effect that recipients have been known to go wild for.
You’ll see a wide range of prices for these gifts online, resulting from the crystal used (look for K9 or optical-grade crystal) and how the conversion is done. Also adding to the price is a light base, which is highly recommended to make the image “pop.”
They may have started as gifts to memorialize a departed loved one, pets included. But their appeal is irresistible and today a crystal photo would make an exquisite gift for just about anyone. Be sure to start with the right photo and knock out the background.
We like ArtPix, dominant in this space and a hometown Chicago provider, because they provide digital proofs and their products are well reviewed. The large square size shown above (4.92 inches long by 4.92 inches wide) is their best seller.
By now, no doubt most gift givers know it’s possible to add photos to fleece blankets. They’re terrific, affordable gifts, a reliable go-to.
A woven tapestry of a favorite photo takes things to another level. These washer- and dryer-safe hypoallergenic blankets made of breathable cotton fibers are available in three sizes: 50×60, 54×72 and 60×80.
Love the tapestry blankets but don’t always love the photos used to sell them—why so many solitary men posing with their dogs? For more ideas, be sure to check the photos submitted by reviewers.
For peeps heading to warmer weather
We love these personalized Hawaiian shirts, which are available for adults and kids, males and females and offer more than one scene with your upload of as many as 10 photos. Note the seller’s note that they will crop and place faces randomly. We recommend you pay extra for a mockup, which will add a few days to the delivery. The shirts are 100% woven polyester.
We knew face gifts had hit the mainstream this summer when we saw not one but two people at the beach wearing swimsuits with faces on them. These are sure to get a double take. The suits are made of 85% polyester/15% spandex, and will not fade in water.
Here’s the couples set.
Or, how about a headshot to cover your intended’s head (adults, babies, pets, logos, etc.) while swimming? This custom swim cap is 100% silicone and PVC free. The photo will be printed permanently on the cap without fading. Customization of the image includes support for adding and designing text and emojis and adding filters.
For those when out of the water, you could get up to three heads on this bucket hat.
Moving things indoors, you can add your loved ones’ face to a plush 12″L x 8″W x 18″H stuffed reindeer, bear or bunny.
You have lots of options with these custom pillows made of breathable cotton cover and plush PP cotton filling. They range in size from 8 inches to 32 inches, printed one side or both. The pillow can be head only, half body or full body. Discounts are available on orders of multiple items.
And for the holiday season, take those headshots and turn the crew into an assortment of Santa, elf, snowman, gingerbread and stocking forms in an acrylic ornament. Vendors usually take images as submitted but in this case, the company offers three options: to go with the original photo, to ask for HD photo treatment and to order HD photo treatment and enhancement.
If you’re thinking of placing an order for more than one and if you have the time, you might order just one first with the enhancements to see the effect. The discounts available on multiple orders can offset the additional editing charges.
Add a mug of a favorite pug (or anyone else) to these personalized cufflinks that consistently surpass reviewers’ expectations.
People and faces on t-shirts are common. But these t-shirts of just slices of eyes are arresting. We especially like the reviewers’ comments that describe playful takes that go beyond the seductive eyes shown in the promotional examples. Whose eyes—yours or your intendeds? That’s up to you!
Zooming out
Zooming out, options—and formats—abound for adding more people and/or more than just faces to make unique gifts.
How about a deck of playing cards with different designs for each suit? If you’re up to it (i.e., assigning a max of 46 images), you could give a highly customized deck of playing cards with photos on both sides.
The cards are printed on casino-grade black core card stock with a plastic UV gloss coating that enhances durability, smoothness, and shine. The custom decks have a strong snap for shuffling.
Do you have a favorite photo of a person, pet or place ready to transform into a paint-by-number work of art—for you to either give as a gift or for you to paint yourself and then give?
Texture of Dreams offers seven sizes from 12”x15″to 36”x48”. You submit your photo, indicating whether you want a horizontal or vertical, and just a few days you’ll receive a stretched canvas on a wooden inner frame, a guide to the numbers, a preview, a set of acrylic paints in about 30 colors, three paintbrushes and sawtooth hangers for the finished piece. Additional options include more paintbrushes, a tripod, floating frames.
In selecting the photo, keep the number of people to a minimum and the background simple to avoid needing to paint a background with lots of colors. If your photo includes more than four people, size up. These can be a great gift but you’ll want to optimize prospects for success by buying a high quality kit, starting with the materials and the paints. This is the company to buy from.
There’s only one thing we like more than a round rug and it’s a round rug with a photo on it. Could be of people or you could mix it up and add a cherished home or favorite vacation spot.
This round rug is a healthy 40″long and 40″wide. It has a low pile height of 1cm, with anti-slp backing so appropriate for an entryway or under furniture. It has a soft fluff surface with high-density non-woven fabric interlayer that can efficiently relieve foot pressure. Your customization options include: color, pattern (if no image), three text inputs and a maximum of two images.
Did you know you could add a photo to an old-school metal lunchbox?
Sure, you could do this to send kids or adults off to school or work. But we see all kinds of other possibilities, too—storage, gift presentation, parties, etc.
The 8.6″ x 6.6″ stainless steel box, complete with the familiar handle and hinges, is BPA-free. It’s available in other themes (e.g., dinosaurs, sharks, etc.) that could be personalized with just a name.
You could memorialize up to nine characters in a Simpsons-style cartoon delivered in a range of backgrounds including a custom background. The portrait appears on your choice of products including posters, canvases, acrylic, fleece blankets and pillows.
Things can go off the rails fast with this kind of project—which is why we like the iToonify promise of “unlimited revisions.”
Yes, we can imagine a world in which a dog takes a bite of food and then takes in their surroundings, including their placemat, while they leisurely chew. This isn’t a world we’re familiar with but maybe?
Add a photo and/or the pet’s name in your choice of color mat and font to this mat made of 4mm thick neoprene rubber material with hemmed edges and anti-slip backing. “Adjust the zoom,”the Printualist Store recommends, and we’d agree looking at some of the reviewers’ submitted photos. Close-up photos look great!
Tomorrow: Gift Givers HQ’s guide to personalized gifts