How to Turn Old Mementos into Meaningful Gifts
I’ve always loved giving thoughtful and meaningful gifts. One year, I made everyone in my family one homemade Christmas gift from DIY ideas I found on Pinterest (let’s just say some turned out better than others). As I’ve gotten older and busier, I’ve put less and less thought into gift giving and become more of a “I’m not buying it unless Amazon delivers it to my door” kind of gal. But, over the last few weeks, I’ve come across some amazing tools and services that can make anyone an amazing gift giver. Learn how to turn old mementos into meaningful gifts with these simple tips!
Digitize Home Videos
We all have old VHS tapes or super-8s with hours and hours of family footage on them. The only problem is not many people have a way to watch them anymore. They take up a ton of space and are probably collecting dust somewhere in your house as you read this. I was itching to watch old home videos over the holidays and we borrowed a VCR from my husband’s job. As I was watching the videos, I started researching ways I could digitize them and give them as meaningful Christmas gifts. I found that there are actually a few different options. The first is Legacy Box. They can take video or photos in any format and digitize them for you. You can get them on a DVD or thumb drive. The pricing is great and they have a ton of different options depending on how much media you have in your collection. Walgreens and CVS also offer the same service for a similar cost.
Handwriting Jewelry
One of the most meaningful gifts I’ve ever seen was a bracelet that a friend received after her dad passed away. Her sister took an old greeting card with the words, “love, Dad”, written in it, and had his handwriting engraved on the bracelet. It was a beautiful piece of jewelry and the meaning behind it made it priceless. Believe it or not, there are many shops that will create these one of a kind pieces. If you’re interested in this gift, my best advice is to check out Amazon Handmade. There are tons of beautiful options including necklaces, rings, bracelets, and charms.
Digitize Childhood Artwork
Whether you want to turn you old childhood artwork into a gift for your mom, or turn your own children’s artwork into a gift for yourself, Plum Print has you covered. Plum Print takes children’s artwork and turns it into a beautiful coffee table book. They send a prepaid box, you send them the artwork, and they create a one of a kind book. You get to approve the book online before they print and ship it back to you. You can finally take that old artwork out of the bins in your closet and put it out on display.
Create a Keepsake Shadow Box
I’m absolutely obsessed with this idea I found on Pinterest years ago. All you need is a pile of old keepsakes, a shadow box, and a touch of creativity. I’ve created three newborn keepsake shadow boxes (for my sister, my sister in-law, and girlfriend) and I made my husband one for our first anniversary (what the heck else are you supposed to do for the “paper” anniversary)? For the newborn shadow boxes, I used their “going home from the hospital” outfits, baby hats, footprints, and any other early day mementos I could get my hands on. Then I simply arranged them like a scrapbook page within the shadow box. This gift is super easy, inexpensive, and something that they will always cherish. (Don’t mind the poor quality photo from 6 years ago.)
Digitize Old Photos
If you have photos that were taken before the digital age, you HAVE to download the PhotoScan app! This app lets you digitize and save old photos using your phone and it’s FREE ya’ll. I digitized an old photo of my husband to see what kind of quality this app could deliver, and I have to say, I’m pretty impressed. I scanned the photo in less than 30 seconds.
Once the photos are scanned, you can use photobook apps and services to turn them into meaningful gifts. My favorite is Chatbooks.
If you want to turn your photos into something more than a book, check out Shutterfly’s extensive list of gift options. They can make anything from candles to cutting boards. My favorite is the coffee mug (duh). My husband made me one last Mother’s Day and I use it almost every day (every now and then I run it through the dishwasher).
No matter what the reason, I hope this post gave you some great ideas for next gift giving occasion. If you try any of these ideas, I’d love to hear about them and see the finished product. Comment below or follow me on Facebook and Instagram. Happy gift giving!
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