Christmas Gift Ideas #2 ... #makeitpersonal





Last week we had two birthday celebrations, my mother and my son and we also celebrated a life, my father's. It marked the occasion of his birthday and his passing. He left this earth nine years ago this week and we miss him dearly. 

In the process of reminiscing, I remembered the joy that you can bring to others with photographs. I went in search of one photograph the other night and ended up hours later with dozen by my side.  They are all featured above. So many sweet memories waiting to be shared.

Which brings me to Christmas gift ideas and photographs. It is so simple, requiring little expense... only your heart. If you are looking for something extra special to give someone this year, think of a photograph that you might have tucked away. Print it, frame it, add a note explaining the memory. Think of how you feel when a happy memory comes flooding back through a photograph. It is the best feeling...wouldn't you agree?

If you have a number of photographs and would like to put them into a tailored presentation, consider Smilebox. I used it for my son's 21st birthday, it is a wonderful keepsake. You could also use the photos to create a family photo book with Shutterfly, iPhoto and Smugmug. If you have any suggestions for other sites, we would love to know!


I have a few other ideas for you...



Saying it via a postcard pillow...
Something to cherish, a postcard pillow. Simple and yet is speaks so tenderly. 
You can have a personalised postcard pillow made by OliveHandmade


If you are the super crafty type..
How about a photo pillow? Martha Stewart and her crafty helpers
have everything you need to know to create your own  here.

Can't decide on just one?
If you have a few photos to display, you can check out Red Envelope 
for this display collection or create your own from your local shop.

Talk about love...how special is this!
Holly @ Nothing But Bonfires wanted to do something special 
for her father's 60th birthday. She wrote to family and friends 
and asked them to write down their memories and send them to her. 
She sorted them all out in envelopes according to year. 
I LOVE THIS!  The possibilities are endless. 
  

Make it personal...gift wrapping

Annie @ Most Lovely Things is a clever soul. 
She shows you how to make holiday gift tags using old photos...
Learn how here





Thinking about books for gifts?

An Exuberant Catalogue of Dreams by Clive Alset

may have just what you are looking for.
I always love reading Pamela's gift ideas. 
Have a look at
Part Three is coming so stay tuned!





The New York Times has put together a list 
of notable fiction, poetry and non-fiction.
Don't miss it!

Do you know about the Brown Paper Book Club,
where I collect all your recommendations and put them into
a list? You might find a few ideas here too.

The Brown Paper Book Club 



Did you see my first Christmas Gift Idea List?
If not, you can read it here.


#shoptalk here


Before I go, in my first Christmas Gift List,
I featured the L.L. Bean Boot in Houndstooth Wool.
Many of you were keen on that boot and I have since
discovered that they are sold out.
One other you might like...I know I do.
Perfect for mucking about!

Women's Waxed-Canvas Maine Hunting Shoe


I muck around in the boots below
(when I am in New Hampshire).
It is Dubarry love for me! 
More here

Dubarry Galway Ex-Fit Womens Country Boot


With that I leave you with wishes for a wonderful week.
I hope you found something here to inspire you. 
I will be back soon with more.

Happy Exploring, Crafting, Shopping!

Jeanne xx

Comments

  1. Dear Jeanne: I just love the old b&w photos. They speak to me like no other. We have wrapped many photos this year for Allen's family. I am certain they will enjoy them. We even tucked a few frames into the packages as well. It was a lot of fun working with the local photo store; they give great service. I especially like the photo pillow; I have to jump on over to Martha Stewart's website and see more details. It might be a bit too late for us to make one, however, there is always a birthday around the bend. Thank you so much for sharing. You are very generous. Merry Christmas throughout the month of December.

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    1. You are very welcome Kathleen...so glad you are making good use of your photos as well. When you get to a certain age (whatever that may be) you realise these photos and memories are precious, best to grab them while you can. Love keeping the story alive, makes for great family conversation. Best wishes...xx

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  2. What great gift ideas, Jeanne! My mom and I enjoyed looking through old photos and letters when she was here for Thanksgiving...I need to surprise her with a gift of some of them thank you for the idea. Have a terrific week!! xoxo

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    1. So glad you enjoy them Sandy. We are lucky that it is so easy to copy photos these days. I recall a time long ago when we used to take photos via slides and negatives...back then it was not as easy to duplicate. This is the time to make good use of them all! Best wishes...xx

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  3. I loved this and really enjoyed seeing your photos as well up top. My Mom says that the Shutterfly book that I made for her a few years back is the best gift that I have ever given her!

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    1. I have yet to use Shutterfly Heather...but it looks like a wonderful way to create a gift. My problem is deciding which photos to put in the book...always a dilemna! xx

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  4. I'm bookmarking this Post Jeanne! So many fabulous ideas and finds. Love the Photo Gift Tags, I know family members would get a kick out of those and so many other wonderful ideas here too - thank you! And I adore your old photographs. I'm often doing the same thing - looking for a particular photo and then getting lost for ages in the photo albums.....have a lovely week. Mel xxx

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    1. Thank you Mel...sounds like we are both having fun exploring! xx

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  5. these are great gift ideas + happy monday. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com

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  6. In my humble opinion, Shutterfly offers the best options and customization for photobooks. I keep looking at other products and friends' photo books to find something better, and Shutterfly still is the best. Wishing you a wonderful one :) xoL

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    1. Thank you Laura...that is great to know. I have yet to venture down that path, I will definetly look at Shutterfly. xx

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  7. Thanks for the wonderful gift ideas. I love anything to do with photos and memories. I love Shutterfly to create photobooks and there's also Blurb.

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    1. Thank you Loree...love recommendations! I will add Blurb to the post. ;)

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  8. Jeanne,
    I love your Christmas Gift List! I just picked up a pair of those PJ's for my daughter to wear Christmas morning. I love checks! Those photo pillows have been on my wish list forever! Great ideas and how sweet of you to include my photo tags in your post! Too kind! Have a great week...I always love to see follow you around on Instagram!

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    1. You are very welcome Annie...I think it is a great idea. So glad you picked up the PJ's for your daughter. We had a family tradition when we were little, my mother bought us all new pajamas, we opened them on Christmas Eve. Always resulted in a perfect Christmas morning photo! Smart woman that mother of mine... :)

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  9. Wonderful, wonderful ideas! Thank you Jeanne, I am now going back and rereading the whole thing. I love the personalized items, so different and special. Hope you are enjoying the holiday season!

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    1. Thank you Sunday...best wishes and Happy Holidays! ;)

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  10. I made those exact gift tags last year! Everybody loved them.

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    1. Good to hear Carina...and I love your latest blog post, great ideas! ;)

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