Gift Ideas: Our Leather Photo Gift Collection!

If you’re looking for a classy, unique photo gift that’s sure to make someone you love smile, consider giving them one of our leather photo handbags and wallets! Made of stylish, genuine leather, each leather piece is a beautiful gift that allows you to share memories with friends and family. We have 3 styles to choose from: our leather shoulder bag, leather iPhone wrist clutch, and leather wallet. You choose your favorite photo and we’ll embed the image into the leather using dye sublimation rather than printing, resulting in a beautiful bag that retains image clarity, vibrancy, and quality.

The leather photo shoulder bag carries all your essentials while featuring a photo on the side. Gift idea: Give mom a leather shoulder bag that showcases a photo of her family! This way, she can be reminded of how much you care, no matter where she goes.

The leather iPhone wrist clutch is a great gift for the tech-savvy person in your life. Lightweight and attractive, this convenient wrist clutch carries your iPhone in style. The clutch features a removable strap, so it can be kept in a purse or pocket, as well as slots for identification and cards so you don’t need to bring anything else with you. Gift idea: Give this leather iPhone clutch to an animal-lover you know, and feature a pet photo on the side.

The leather wallet is a classic that’s a favorite of ours. It features your photo on the front and contains slots for credit cards, IDs and passports, and of course money. Gift idea: For Dad, you could give him a photo wallet with a picture of you and mom together so he can take his memories of you with him during his busy days!

These items are on sale now, so be sure to take advantage of the savings while getting a jump on your holiday shopping!

Get Ready For Valentine’s Day with a Photo Blanket

personalized with your photo

As I mentioned in the last post, it’s important to get something unique and meaningful for Valentine’s Day. A box of chocolates or a teddy bear might seem like a good idea, but it’s not going to make your loved one swoon. This year, give that special someone a thoughtful custom photo gift that celebrates your life together, such as a Valentine’s Day photo blanket.

Our photo blankets come in a variety of textures and styles, and feature a photo (or a collection of photos) on the front. You can choose a woven photo blanket, where the image is woven into the fabric, or a soft, cuddly fleece photo blanket. No matter what style you choose, you can’t go wrong. Pick the style that suits the occasion and the photo best.

For instance, you can give your husband or boyfriend a photo blanket featuring a picture of the two of you on a memorable vacation, so he’ll always remember it. If that isn’t quite his style, give him a photo blanket with a picture of his dog on the front, or a childhood photo that makes him smile.

For your wife, give her a beautiful blanket showcasing a wedding photo; for your girlfriend, a blanket with a portrait of you so she can cuddle with you, even when you’re not there.You can even do a photo collage blanket and feature multiple photos surrounding a theme.

Photo blankets are a Valentine’s Day gift that your significant other will cherish for years to come – long after those roses have faded.

Say “Thank You” with a Photo Gift!

Christmas is over, gifts have been given, decorations have been packed and stored for next year. But your work isn’t done – now you have to write thank-you notes. This year, why not do something a little more creative? Consider giving your loved ones a custom photo gift as a way to say “thanks”. Not only is this a novel way to say thank you, it’s also an opportunity to share memories from this holiday season and give the gift of a special moment in time.

Go through the photos you’ve taken during holiday festivities, and choose your favorites. A photo of your grandfather giving a holiday toast, the family gathered around the table for Christmas dinner, your son or daughter excitedly tearing open a present… all of these moments captured in a photograph can be featured on a photo gift. For instance, give Mom a photo pillow that showcases a photo of the Christmas tree on the front; for Grandma, delight her with a pendant that features a photo of her grandchildren playing in the snow. Include a short message or inscription on the gift – “Christmas 2012″ or a simple “Thank You” on the gift.

Thank-you notes and letters are thoughtful, but a photo gift is the perfect way to say how much you care while celebrating cherished holiday memories.

Make a Blanket with Your Photo Memories!

Rather than going out and braving the crowds to buy gifts, you might want to make a gift yourself. But creating a handmade gift is time-consuming and you may feel you’re not “crafty” enough to pull it off. If this sounds like you, don’t worry: you can easily make a blanket using your photo memories. We do virtually all the work for you – all you need to do is choose your photo (or photos, if you want to make a collage blanket), upload it to our website, and we’ll make a blanket that is sure to delight someone you love.

The first step in making a photo blanket is choosing the right photo. Close-up pictures work best for blankets; landscapes and detailed shots are best reserved for other photo gifts. Pet photos, baby pictures, and portraits of all kinds look beautiful on blankets. And you don’t have to limit yourself to just one photo – you can choose to feature several photos and arrange them on a photo collage blanket that tells a story. For instance, you can make a blanket for Mom that features photos of you and your siblings from the time you were a baby up until now; Grandma would love a blanket with images of the family through the years. For the animal-lover in your life, you can make a blanket that showcases photos of beloved pets they’ve had.

If you’re making a blanket for someone in your family, get the rest of the family involved in the process of choosing photos. It’s a great opportunity to dust off those old photo albums, gather around a big table and go through old photographs while telling stories and sharing memories.

If you want to create a beautiful, personalized and unique gift for the holidays, make a blanket for someone you love this year!

A Photo Collage Blanket for the Holidays!

Use several of your photos to create a photo collage blanket.

It’s already almost Halloween, and you know what that means: the holidays will be here before you know it. With all the activity this time of year – taking the kids to parties and school outings, visiting countless friends and relatives – it can be tempting to do your holiday shopping at the last minute. Why not take a moment to go through your old photos and create a custom photo gift now, so that it’s ready to be unwrapped before the holidays descend? This week we’ll explore a popular photo gift that makes the perfect present for anyone in your life: a photo collage blanket.

Personally, I love photo collage blankets because you can get creative and have fun designing them. Go through your old photos and think of a theme. Maybe your theme is time with family; start picking out photos from past holiday celebrations, vacations, and candid shots capturing quiet days at home. Choose photos that communicate your theme and capture an emotion: here, Dad is looking across the room at your mom lovingly while she unwraps a birthday present; there, you and your sister are running through the sprinklers on a hot summer day. Any photos will do as long as they tell a story.

Choose the blanket you’d like to use. We have several options, including woven and fleece blankets. Fleece is warm and cozy, and the woven blankets are a bit more fancy since the photo is woven directly into the fabric. We’ll arrange your photos according to your taste and voila – you’ll have a beautiful personalized photo blanket for someone you love. Now, you can relax and create new memories rather than worrying about your holiday shopping list. Enjoy!

Don’t Know What to Do with Your Class Photos? Here’s an Idea!

School has started, and you know what that means – new teachers, new school supplies, and of course, class photos and portraits. Many times, we order multiple copies of class photos and portraits, but all but 2 or 3 end up stuffed in a drawer. This year, consider making the most of your class photos and create a custom photo gift, such as these personalized photo wallets – why have the picture inside when you can have it right on the front?

Photo wallets are a wonderful surprise for your spouse or other relatives. Additionally, a photo wallet featuring a photo of the whole class can make a great holiday gift for a teacher. If you just received your photos, sit down with the student in your family and choose the best one. Then, scan in the photo and order your wallet on our website. We’ll do all the work to ensure your photo looks its best, including cropping and adjusting the color to make it as vivid as possible. Your photo will be dyed directly into the fabric of your wallet, so it won’t fade or peel off over time.

Our photo wallets are made of leather and include credit card slots, an ID window, and a soft and silky finish. Now you can show off your photo without having it take up valuable space inside the wallet!

Finally, those class photos can be celebrated rather than forgotten. What a fun way to come back to school!

NEW: Photo iPad Accessories are Here!

We’re really excited about our newest photo gift line: our photo personalized iPad accessories! Now you can protect your iPad in style while celebrating your most cherished memories with family and friends.

Whether you want a heavy-duty case or something on the lighter side, we’ve got you covered (pun intended). We have a variety of cases to choose from, each featuring your favorite photo on the cover. We are offering an iPad skin, two iPad case styles, and an iPad sleeve. Our iPad skin offers lightweight protection with a slim profile, so you can tote your iPad with you without too much bulk. Our first iPad case style is made of genuine leather and features 5 card lots, 3 pockets, and an easel stand so you can prop up your iPad and watch movies. The second style has the same features, fits the iPad 2 and 3, and has a magnet allowing you to utilize the sleep/wake function on your iPad as it’s protected. The sleeve is perfect for anyone on the go, with extra cushioning inside to protect your iPad.

These iPad accessories are perfect for anyone you know who wants to protect their iPad with a bit of flair. Busy professionals can be reminded of their loved ones or a relaxing vacation each time they pick up their iPad; students going off to school can carry a beloved family photograph and feel at home as they venture into the world.

I know my sister-in-law would love an iPad case featuring a photo I recently took of her kitty… hmmm… holiday shopping is going to be fun this year!

Photo Gifts for Your Fundraiser

If you are part of a non-profit organization or a school, you probably have fundraisers. Fundraisers are a great way to make money and, as a bonus, build a sense of community around your cause. At Printable Memories, we support a variety of organizations and have helped many of them with their fundraising efforts. We appreciate the value of organizations that care about the world around them and strive to make a difference, so we always try and give back whenever possible.

Next time you have a fundraiser, consider giving away custom photo gifts as raffle prizes or gifts for donors. We give a special discount to organizations who stock up on photo gifts for their fundraisers and would love to help you as well. You can buy your custom photo gifts at a reduced cost and sell them so that the proceeds benefit your cause.

Photo gifts are a personalized and meaningful option, and a bit more unique than traditional fundraising gifts. We offer a wide variety of products to choose from. You could give away anything from plush photo blankets to customized totes and handbags. Any of our items can be used as a fundraising gift – be creative! The photo you choose could be your logo, or any photo related to your organization. For instance, if you’re a school, you could give away rings or pendants with your school mascot emblazoned on the front, or mugs featuring a class photo; if you are an animal shelter, you could give away luxurious fleece blankets showcasing a photo of an animal in your care. You can also include a message if you’d like – maybe your company’s mission, or a simple “Thank You.”

The possibilities are endless and the recipients of your gift will always remember your cause and how they helped you make a difference.

More Fun with Vacation Photos

If you’re going on vacation this Summer, be sure to take plenty of photos! Whether you’re going on a long, exotic getaway or a short, local weekend excursion, you’ll want to be able to look back and remember these special moments with your friends and family. And once you head back, you can choose your favorite photos and create personalized photo gifts that will help you celebrate your memories for years to come and share them with your loved ones.

Thanks to the countless smartphone apps out there, you can have fun with your photos in ways you never thought imaginable. Photo editing apps are all the rage, and allow you to create photographic effects that make your photos look professional and artistic. Snap as many photos as you can, and then go through and experiment with some fun filters and effects. Some apps have cool depth of field effects (my personal favorite), where you can pick a spot in the photo to focus on while the edges blur; color filters are great as well – you can choose a hue, such as green, blue, or magenta to really make your photo pop. You can choose effects that make your photos look like they were taken at the turn of the century, and even add a flash effect after you’ve taken the photo (great for backlit portraits where features aren’t visible).

The apps are from free to just a few bucks, and the possibilities are endless. Once you’ve taken and edited that perfect photo, show it off with a photo gift!