7 Uncommon Gifts that Use Your Photos
To make an uncommon gift, do you start with a photo or start with a gift? It’s truly a chicken or egg question. For example, giving custom oven mitts is a very cool idea and deciding which photo is the added fun. Or, you might have an amazing photo that is a very meaningful gift all by itself –and creating an attractive frame or display is the gifting challenge.
Photogifters know that combining a favorite photo with a great gift will be unique and warmly appreciated. Here are seven ways you can showcase a meaningful photo — in an uncommon way.
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Why we think you'll like these uncommon gifts
Why We Think You’ll Like This
- Who doesn’t need another pair of socks?
- Customized photo socks can be a funny gift or a heartwarming one.
- You can create a sock design that best fits your recipient’s personality: a colorful, bold all-over pattern, or a more sedate color with discrete personalization where only they can see the message.
Details on the Product You’ll Be Getting
- Zazzle offers comfy-stretch crew socks.
- The heels and toes are 100% cotton. The main portion of the sock is 78% polyester, 20% cotton, and 2% spandex to ensure a good fit.
- Women’s socks come in two sizes: small (women’s size 5-9) and large (women’s sizes 10+)
- Men’s socks are one-size: large (fits men’s shoe sizes 8 – 13).
- Machine-washable. Tumble dry on low.
- The socks are imported and printed by Zazzle Apparel in the United States.
Read What Customers Who’ve Ordered From Zazzle Have Said
- 94% of reviewers would recommend Zazzle’s custom photo socks to a friend.
- Nearly all reviews mention excellent print quality — better than what is shown on website — but a few caution that the socks may be too big. Check the sizing carefully before you order — and contact Zazzle if you have any questions.
- Here’s what one reviewer said: “Great quality. Arrived exactly as it appeared on the customized preview. Very soft and thick socks (not overly thick, but definitely not cheap thin socks).” — Jennifer C.
How to Order Zazzle Photo Socks
- Visit Zazzle here to select a personalized sock design.
- Prices vary by design, but expect to pay roughly $23 per pair — excluding any other promotions running on the site.
- There are many ways to personalize Zazzle sock designs.
– To make them fast and easy, simply select a design and upload your own photo.
– Or, “click to customize further” to change colors and add text, image art, icons, and emojis.
- The turnaround time is quick. At the time of this writing, guaranteed delivery is just 2 days. Check the website to confirm delivery time for your location.
Why We Think You’ll Like This
- Metal prints offer a stunning, glimmering reproduction of your photo.
- A curved metal print raises the bar higher, creating a unique look that most have never seen.
- Shown here as an 8×10 (but available in other sizes) this print is stand-alone; it can sit anywhere — on a desk, shelf or end table.
Details on the Product You’ll Be Getting
- At Mixbook Photo Company — our selected merchant for this gift — your photo is printed through a dye-sublimation process on ultra-slim aluminum. It is a long lasting print that resists scratches and won’t stain or fade.
- It has a glossy, waterproof finish — easy to remove smudges or fingerprints.
- One nice feature is that you can use two or more photos in your metal print — or even add text, backgrounds, or other decorative elements (Mixbook calls them “stickers”).
- To learn more about how metal prints are made, read our article here.
Read What Customers Who’ve Ordered From Printique Have Said
- “Excellent as Always. Once again Mixbook comes through with a great product! We had a photo printed on metal. It came out great and was better than expected! This was done ahead of the promised time. Mixbook is always my go to team for pictures/books/prints!” — George
- Read other reviews here.
How to Order A Curved Metal Print
- Visit Mixbook here to shop and customize a Metal Print with your photo.
- You have the option of uploading your photo from your desktop, phone, Facebook, Instagram, Google Photos or Smugmug.
- The Mixbook 8×10 curved metal print costs $54.99; however, they run promotions constantly and you are likely to pay less.
Why We Think You’ll Like This
- Who doesn’t love to see the latest family photos? The Nixplay Smart Photo Frame is a cool gift! It keeps your “giftee” up-to-date with new digital photos that can be uploaded or emailed to the frame in seconds.
- Everyone in the family can contribute photos to the frame from anywhere, so this is a great group gift.
- And, for gift recipients who are not tech savvy, the entire frame can be managed remotely. The only setup needed is to connect the frame to a wireless network in the home or office.
Details on the Product You’ll Be Getting
- Nixplay– our selected merchant for this gift — is the best selling digital photo frame on the market, with over 1.5 million frames sold to date.
- There are literally nine different ways to upload photos including: anyone’s mobile phone using the Nixplay app, Facebook, Instagram, Dropbox, Google Photos — even email (the frame actually has an email address so adding a photo is as easy as sending an email).
- Frames come in three sizes, from 9.7″ to 15.6″.
- We recommend that you send the Nixplay to yourself so that you can do the setup beforehand. That way, your gift recipient can enjoy seeing photos right out of the box!
- And Nixplay now offers photo gift ordering through its mobile app.
Read What Customers Who’ve Given a Nixplay Digital Photo Frame Have Said
- “Great Frame, Bright Pictures. My siblings and I bought this frame as a gift for my mom. My mom isn’t technologically savvy, but I was able to remotely help her set it up and be the main controller of the frame. The frame can either be in portrait or landscape mode. So far we’ve added over 6000 pictures to the frame. She loves it!” — Karen N.
- Read other reviews here.
How to Order A Nixplay Digital Photo Frame
- Visit Nixplay here to shop for and purchase your digital photo frame.
- Nixplay products are also available at many other outlets, including Amazon and Best Buy. However, promotions and pricing vary.
- We’ve had experience purchasing these frames for our own gifts. If you’d like some tips on how to set up your Nixplay frame, email us at bob.and.joellyn@photogifter.com and we’ll be happy to help you out. It might just save you time reading instructions and manuals!
Why We Think You’ll Like This:
- Puzzles are a fun, challenging way to spend quiet hours, prompting memories and conversation.
- Any photo works! Family, pets, travel, food, nature — even favorite restaurants, your former school, and neighborhood photos — anything that prompts a story and a smile.
- Puzzles can be made at any level of difficulty –based on the complexity and detail in the photo you choose and the number of pieces you order.
- They are a great gift for anyone — large piece puzzles for young children, traditional cardboard puzzle pieces for adults — and they come in lots of sizes including traditional 16″x 20″ puzzles, huge floor puzzles, heart shaped puzzles, postcard sized puzzles, and panoramas.
Details on the Product You’ll Be Getting:
- Portrait Puzzles, our recommended manufacturer, only makes puzzles — and they make really good puzzles.
- The pieces are made of thick, sturdy cardboard and hold up to repeated use.
- The reason for this is that your photo is printed directly onto high density photo board using a flat-bed, inkjet printer. This means that your image is crisp and clear — and it does not need to be laminated as is commonly done when the photo is printed onto paper and then adhered to cardboard.
- The pieces are of substantial size (not the flimsy, itsy-bitsy pieces you sometimes find).
- Best of all, the packaging is sturdy – with your photo image on both the front and side of the box, making it easy to find on a game shelf.
Read What Customers Who’ve Ordered from Portrait Puzzles Have Said
- “The puzzles themselves are gorgeous but what puts this company over the top is their customer service. I felt the color on my original puzzle was poor and emailed their C. S. department. Within a few hours I had a reply from the lovely lady who processed my picture explaining why it came out as it did. She also mentioned that if I was not completely satisfied and had another picture she would be happy to make new puzzle. Which we did and it is perfect.” — Molly F.
- To learn more about our experience using Portrait Puzzles to keep children entertained at a wedding, read here.
- Read other reviews here.
How to Order a Portrait Puzzle:
- Visit Portrait Puzzles here to create your custom puzzle. The website it not beautiful but the quality of the puzzles is excellent!
- First, you will need to select the size of the puzzle you want. You can choose by overall size in inches and by the number of pieces.
- Once you upload your photo, a green outline around your photo will indicate an acceptable image file size; a red outline will indicate a problem.
- Turnaround time is quick. Your puzzle is manufactured in LaCrosse, Wisconsin the next business day.
- Exclusive offer for our readers. Get 10% off when you use the code PHOTOGIFTER at checkout through 10/31/21.
Why We Think You’ll Like This
- Metal prints turn a regular photo into an “HD Quality” reproduction.
- When purchased with the acrylic block base, it’s a “wow! gift” with a contemporary feel that can live on any desk or table top.
- Almost any photo looks great — landscapes, traditional family photos, even a fun “caught-in-the-moment” pose. The glossy, metal finish gives them a distinctive and up-to-date look.
Details on the Product You’ll Be Getting
- Metal prints are made with a process called dye sublimation, a printing method that infuses ink into the surface of an aluminum sheet using a combination of heat and pressure.
- The infused aluminum image is available with glossy metallic and matte finish options.
- A clear, slotted, acrylic base holds your metal print upright, at just the right viewing angle.
- There are a range of sizes and shapes, from rectangle to square, including classic 5″x7″ and 8″x10″.
- Another benefit to metal prints? They are incredibly durable. They’re scratch resistant and water resistant.
- Our recommended merchant for this product is Printique, a recognized leader in photo prints and products (they are trusted by a huge number of wedding photographers who MUST present the very best reproduction to their clients).
Read What Customers Who’ve Ordered Metal Prints Have Said About Printique
- “Metal prints from Printique are always impressive! The quality of metal prints from Printique are consistently outstanding. They are beautifully printed, carefully packaged and delivered promptly. I always trust my very best images to Printique.“— Jim N.
- Read other reviews here.
How to Order a Metal Print in an Acrylic Base
- Visit Printique here to create a Metal Print.
- One note when ordering: Some consider this a benefit, others a hassle, but Printique will not let you print a photo that is of poor quality. So be sure to use a high resolution photo when you purchase.
- There are often promotions running (they are typically of short duration), so if you see a sale, grab that opportunity and make your print!
- Printique also shows you standard production time for each product, so be sure to take that into account when you order.
So…what is a Greetabl? It’s one of the most thoughtful gifts we know…SUPER customized, unique…and a delightful.
Why We Think You’ll Like This
- Great things come in small packages!
- A greetabl is truly an uncommon gift and a delightful surprise: personal note, photo memories, and a special gift all rolled into one fun-to-open gift box.
- It’s a meaningful and unique gift! Many of our photogifter.com followers have purchased them multiple times.
Details on the Product You’ll Be Getting
- Simply said, Greetabl is a small box with a small gift — but it is so much more.
- Every step of the 3″x3″x3″ cubed, one-of-a-kind box is customized by you — from selecting the overall pattern design to choosing a small gift and/or gift card, to adding a private message and photos (up to 3).
- As added bonus: the photos printed on the box are perforated so they can be saved — but one friend who received a Greetabl plans to frame the whole box!
- Inside the specially designed Greetabl box is a small gift selected by you from a wide assortment of relatively inexpensive but thoughtful gifts — such as candy, bath bombs, journals and more — and gift cards from lots of retailers.
- A basic Greetabl costs roughly $25 and delivers so much joy!
Read What Customers Who’ve Ordered From Greetabl Have Said
- “Love the multiple gift options based on how much you want to pay. Love the greeting/packaging choices. Love that you can personalize 3 of your own photos, that they are printed as part of the clever packaging and that they are easily removable by the recipient and can be kept as keepsakes. Love that you can personalize your message. Love the excellent tracking updates of the delivery of your package. Lastly, this is the BEST customer service I’ve ever encountered from any company”. — Samantha D.
- “I received an adorable greeting from my daughter for mothers day with my fav Carmel choc popcorn and a face mask. and attached photos of her and I – priceless”. — Ina J.
- Click to read other reviews here.
How to Order a Greetabl
- Visit Greetabl here. Greetabls are as much fun to make as they are to give!
- First, select a gift box design from the options on the website.
- Then, select the special gift to be packed inside. Choose from a wide array of gifts that will surprise and delight — from fuzzy socks to mouthwatering sweets to gift cards for nearly anything!
- Then, personalize your box — with up to three photos and a private message.
- If you are stuck for words, Greetabl has clever messages to choose from, or to prompt your own creativity.
- It’s super-easy to order multiple Greetabls going to different addresses all in one order (a bit of a rarity in the world of e-commerce)…and Greetabl keeps you posted through every step of production, shipping, and delivery.
- And if you think you will send more than 4 greetabls this year (we will!), join Insider ($39) or Insider Pro ($199) and get free shipping (normally $8 each), one-day turnaround, and access to exclusive designs!
- Exclusive offer for Photogifters: use “photogifter15” to get 15% off. This can be applied to your orders and even subscriptions to Insider and Insider Pro!
Why We Think You’ll Like This
- This is an extraordinary group gift to celebrate a key milestone: a wedding, major birthday, retirement, or any major event that lots of people would like to acknowledge.
- The Boombox gives everyone a chance to share a memory or simply say “congratulations” — with a photo and a personal message custom printed and stored in a beautiful box.
- This very high quality keepsake is like a “genie’s lamp” of memories…a treasure trove of happy thoughts that are re-experienced every time the box is opened.
- It’s so powerful that each box comes with a packet of tissues!
Details on the Product You’ll Be Getting
- Boombox is a beautifully and well-crafted box filled with personal photos and messages that can be given one-to-one or as a group gift.
- Each box holds up to 150 5″x7″ cards each with a unique photo and/or personal message, custom printed on premium cardstock.
- You can add a monogram or a logo to the top of your box.
- The process is surprisingly easy. One person takes the lead. The Boombox collaboration website is super simple, making it easy to invite and track messages as they arrive.
- Once the lead says “we’re ready”, a Boombox artist custom designs each card with a font that reflects the photo and/or message. We were pleased by the quality of the designs — and by Boombox’s graciousness as we asked for revisions until it was “just right”.
- A digital pdf of the gift can also be purchased. We shared it with all of the collaborators who delighted in seeing these memories and heartfelt messages gathered in one place.
Read What Customers Who’ve Ordered From Boombox Have Said
- Many reviewers call this “The best gift ever given”…and “The best gift ever received”.
- Here’s what our Mom said, calling the box “My Life in Review”: “Sunday night I went to bed embracing my Mother’s Day present, THE BOX!!! I have read each message many times and tucked the sentiments into my heart. What a fabulous gift! You have my heart, and I say this with a lump in my throat. Mom”
- Read other reviews here.
How to Order a Boombox
- Visit Boombox here to create one of their gorgeous boxes or a digital version of this group gift.
- A couple of helpful ordering tips based on our experience:
- The website says that the collaboration process takes 2-weeks. In fact, this is only an estimate. Our family gathered their contributions in about 3 days.
- If you are short on time, you can also purchase a DIY kit: craftsman quality box and blank cards (5″x7″, 110# card stock) to add your own photos and handwritten or drawn cards.
- The Deluxe Boombox costs $295 for 50 printed cards; however, if you enter the promo code “photogifter25”, you’ll receive $25.00 off your order for a final cost of $270.00 before tax and shipping.
- The Digital Boom costs $75; use the code “photogifter5” to save $5.
- Payment plan with 4 interest-free payments is available; sometimes helpful with a group gift!
- Boombox is very responsive via email. Use the “Contact Us” button on the bottom of each page if you have a question. They respond quickly and graciously.
