The Gift Ideas Blog

Alphabet Photography by Jennifer Blakeley

Here’s a unique gift idea for a member in your household or a friend to help them decorate their bedroom or living room. Alphabet Photography allows you to select various photos of everyday objects that look like a letter in the alphabet. The letters are placed together to spell out a word or name!

For example, in the above image, a photo of a part of a ladder suggests the letter “H,” while in the following photograph the wheel suggests the letter “O.” So while each individual photograph is a close-up of an outdoor element, the aggregate effect suggests the word “HOPE.” Alphabet Photography sells these individual photographs that can later be displayed in a scrapbook or framed for display.

Photographer Jennifer Blakeley has expertly photographed and captured on film dozens of these naturally-occurring letters, and using the convenient online ordering form, you can select the letters and word to spell out for your Alphabet Photography gift. If you don’t like a particular version of a certain letter, you can actually select another depiction of the same letter. This helps make each Alphabet Photography order unique. (View the alphabet letters here.) The 4x6 sepia-toned photographs sell for
for $4.00 each, framing not included. Custom frames and the associated shipping can be expensive, so Alphabet Photography leaves the display options up to you so you’re not forced to buy a frame or even display the photographs in a frame. This method allows people of all budgets and incomes to enjoy a timeless piece of art they can truly call their own without breaking the bank. You can also combine the alphabet letters with other personal photographs, perfect for a scrapbook project!

A nice Alphabet Photography word or name makes a perfect decoration in a home, bedroom, or office. With an inspirational word such as “hope,” “joy,” “love,” or “dream,” it makes a wonderful reminder in our daily lives to do great things and to feel happy and well. You can also pick a name (first name or a family’s last name) to display in the format… a great tribute to the individual, family, or organization that receives the gift. It would also make a perfect Mother’s Day gift, as you could create the word “Mom,” or use your mother’s name, in the artistry. Your mother will be proud to display this beautiful and symbolic work of art.

Visit Alphabet Photography today to make your own artistic display that is certain to visually impress anyone who sees this magnificent, custom-made gift.

I know recently we’ve been talking a lot about digital cameras, but it’s because I’ve had it on my mind. I just purchased a Panasonic Lumix FX55, and I’ve been fiddling around with it and using it.

It had been high time for me to replace my old digital camera, which I had been using for about six years. It was large and bulky, and one of my friends, when I pulled the old camera out to use, joked, “What is that, your fax machine?”

All jokes aside, I knew I wanted a new camera that was sleek, slim, and good at taking pictures. I’ve always been drawn to the Panasonic brand for its consistently high quality, and here was a new line of cameras from them that were quite sleek (especially in black!), pretty slim, and excellent for photography.

The display LCD is very large, and despite a month of use now, there are no scratches, so the material for the screen is quite strong. Also, the buttons are convenient to use, with an easy button for deleting pictures. The function wheel at the top allows you to switch easily among the various modes, from taking regular pictures, to recording videos, to viewing your pictures.

My only complaint is that when you take a vertical picture, the camera replays the photo horizontally, thus reducing the image size. Some other cameras I’ve seen automatically adjust the playback view depending on whether you hold the camera horizontally or vertically, where if you take a vertical picture, the image is played back vertically when you hold the digital camera that way.

In any case, the Panasonic Lumix FX55 is an excellent camera, and I highly recommend it as a digital camera gift for those looking to give one of these handy pieces of technology this Christmas and holiday season.

As a lot of people go on vacation this summer, a great gift to give is a digital camera. Why let your acquaintances pay so much for disposable cameras and the cost of developing film and getting prints when the eventual cost will add up to surpass that of a budget digital camera?

Digital cameras are great for travelers and those fun summer get-togethers. They can capture fun times at the beach or park or a visit to Disneyland or other theme parks. You can look back on your photos on your computer, burn them onto a CD, or order prints of them online or at your local photo developer.

They also make great gifts for recent college graduates because they will have many memorable experiences on campus and will want to remember them. Be sure to warn them not to post incriminating photos online on Facebook or MySpace because they might regret it later!

Some things to consider before purchasing a digital camera:

- Brand name (may indicate quality)

- Warranty

- Price

- Zoom capacity

- Red-eye prevention

- Screen preview (LCD monitor)

- Resolution (how many megapixels?)

- Included photo-editing software and other accessories (cleaning brush, tripod, carrying case, etc.)

Try Digital Photography Blog, Digital Camera Reviews, or Digital Photography Review for more helpful information about purchasing a digital camera as a gift.

Digital cameras come in various prices, so don’t automatically write it off as too pricey to be a gift. You can find some quality digital cameras without paying too much, and your gift recipient will appreciate it tremendously, too! Help make those memories by giving one as a gift.

An executive stationery set

Although many people are e-mailing nowadays, it’s still nice to receive a nice hand-written note or letter from a friend or loved one. Help facilitate the thoughtful writing by presenting a stationery set!

Stationery sets are nice gifts to give because they are useful and they are not too pricey. They usually come with nice paper, corresponding envelopes, and other accoutrements for letter writing such as sealing wax, stickers, pens or coloring markers.

Some things to consider before giving a stationery set include color, style and price.

Is your gift recipient into more feminine styles, such as pink and lace? Or is it for someone who is no-nonsense and wants everything sleek and modern, like the stationery set above? Some people might be hesitant to use stationery made in a style that does not fit their personality, so it is important to choose a stationery set that is appropriate.

Also, what is your budget like? You could probably find expensive paper lined with gold leaf and thousand-dollar diamond-encrusted pens, but really, in the end, it’s just pens and paper, and it might not be worth the extravagant expense.

Paper quality is also a big deal. Most stationery sets will probably have nice, sturdy paper. However, you want to watch out for flimsy and very thin paper, which can be difficult to write on.

Finally, a nice touch could be pre-printed or personalized and monogrammed stationery. Have the gift recipient’s name or initials printed in fancy lettering on top of each sheet of paper or on pre-printed envelopes, making it very personal and unique to the gift recipient. Monogramming can be a classy touch to a commonplace item.

A stationery gift can be a pleasure to receive. Send them out to your dear friends and relatives to receive fun, handwritten notes back!

It’s that time of the year when students around the country graduate from high school or college. It’s a time for celebration, which means it’s also a time of giving gifts! Here are some great graduation gift ideas:

There are all sorts of fun graduation gifts. There are usually cute teddy bears or other stuffed animals wearing charming graduation caps. Any gift store or stationery store will have little figurines and stuffed toys for graduates.

Graduates will want to cherish their school memories, so maybe a picture frame with “Class of 2007″ on it or a picture album. Maybe give a photo album with a few pictures of the graduate and his or her friends already inserted in.

A graduation gift is also traditionally one that looks to the future. What will your graduate do after he or she graduates? If it’s a high school graduate, he or she will probably need a laptop to use on their way to college. A digital camera is also a great idea for helping the graduate capture new memories made in college. A college graduate will probably be heading out into the working world, so things a professional might need, from briefcases to a new professional wardrobe might be a good gift to give.

And, since it’s a celebration, there’s always the big bouquet of flowers from your local florist. Maybe for a special touch, get flowers in the school’s colors.

There are plenty of graduation gift ideas that your graduate will love. Good luck to the graduates, and to those finding gifts for them!