Personalised Gift Guide: Use Your Photos to Create More Meaningful Gifts

1. Create a “memorable moments” photo book

The end of the year is a great time to go through your photo archives and select some of the photos that remind you of the good times you shared. A family photobook can make a great gift for a spouse, but it’s also a nice way to keep other relatives such as grandparents in the loop. You can include family highlights from the past year, such as birthdays and family holidays, but even seemingly routine moments such as Sunday brunch or a game of football in the park can be fun to look back on years down the line.

Alternatively, you could create a family history photo book with a timeline that documents some of the most significant events you’ve experienced together as a family, from your wedding day to the birth of your child.

2. Turn a child’s artwork into a personalised gift

If you’ve accumulated artwork from your child’s many school projects and other arts and crafts activities, scanning these images into your computer and turning them into a photo calendar be a great way to surprise a parent, grandparent, or uncle and aunt.

For example, you could select twelve works of art for each month of the year or if you have a lot of material to work with you could even create some seasonal collages.

3. Design personalised wall art

If you want to surprise a loved one with a gift they’ll enjoy for years to come, why not turn one of your photos into a work of art they can display in their home or place of work?

Family portraits, couple’s photographs and candid shots all make great subjects for wall art, so check your archives to see if you have any wall-art worthy photographs. With Bob Books it’s super easy to create and order your own framed poster, canvas, foamboard or gallery mount.

4. Pass on your favourite recipes in the form of a photo book

Photobooks don’t always have to consist solely of photos. If you have some tried and proven recipes that you’d like to pass on to your kids, it could be fun to compile them into a family recipe photo book that your kids can enjoy and even pass on to their own kids one day.

Photos of your kids helping out in the kitchen can be nice to include, but you could also opt to photograph each dish. If you want to take photos of the recipes yourself, check out some of our tips for styling and photographing food.

5. Make your kids their own story book

If you have younger children, you could use photos of them and their favourite toys and hobbies to create a personalised story photobook. For example, photos of your family holiday can be used to tell an adventure story with them as the main character, and photos of them brushing their teeth or getting ready for bed can be used for simple stories that teach good hygiene habits and responsibility.

Creating a photobook can be a bit daunting if you’ve never done it before, so if you’re not sure how to get started, check out our quick tips for designing your first Bob Books photo book.

6. Honour a beloved pet

If any of your friends or relatives have a family pet; chances are their photo archives are filled with images of their beloved dog, cat, or other furry friend. So if you’re able to get your hands on some of those photos without them knowing about it, you could design a photo calendar that honours their cherished pet with an adorable photo for every month of the year.

Need some advice on putting together your own calendar? Check out our guide to organising and editing your images for a personalised photo calendar.

7. Opt for a gift voucher

Don’t have time to design something or really can’t decide what to get for the photography enthusiast in your life? If you want to avoid spending money on a present that won’t be used or appreciated; you can also opt for a Bob Books gift voucher. This way, your friend or loved one can create their own personalised calendar, photo book, or wall art using their own photos and creativity.