Fun & Unique ways to Display Pictures & Keepsakes

By Guest Blogger Sandy Harper

In this digital age we are snapping pictures left and right, so it only makes sense that we have new ways to display and share them besides virally. Many companies are meeting this need by offering fun new ways to show-off your pictures and memorable items. I’ve chosen my top ten favorites.

Instagram magnets

Instagram is a great social media site for sharing our daily pics, so why not be able to show them off in more places than just your phone. Now you can make them into magnets and place them on any metal surface you like. Foxgram is one site that offers a reasonable price and can link straight to your Instagram account to upload your pictures.

Placemats

I designed and purchased one of these as a gift for my son from Shutterfly. It turned out so nice and it’s easy to clean. We use it every day at meal times and when we do arts and crafts at the table. (see photo below)

Turn child’s drawing into stuff animal

Do you have a little artist in your house? What better way to preserve a work of their art then by turning it into a tangible, huggable stuffed animal! My little guy isn’t at the drawing stage yet, but when he is I plan on trying this idea out. There are a few companies that offer this but you may remember Budsies from the popular show Shark Tank.

Photo pillows

I have also designed a few of these for gifts over the past two years. These were wonderful and well received gifts for grandparents. I created mine through Shutterfly but some other sites to try are Staples, Walmart and Snapfish. (see photos)

Wedding shadow box or Baby birth shadow box

Take a moment and think. Where is your wedding bouquet, invitation, favors or how about the cap and medical bracelet your baby wore after he was born? I know all of those items for me are in boxes in my closet. My goal is to take my own advice here and get these items out and display them in shadow boxes! If you want to make this a DIY project, I have seen many examples of these on Pinterest.

New style photo album

No longer do we need to get photos printed and place them into an album with sticky backs and plastic overlays. Photos can now be uploaded to sites, where you can design your own book, by picking page layouts, covers and backgrounds. The photos are then printed right onto those pages. There are many photo sites that can do this but one of the best deals can be found at Walmart.

Cell phone covers

How often do you have your hands on your phone? I’m guessing multiple times a day. That’s why it’s a great idea to have a custom photo cover with a picture or pictures that you love. Both Shutterfly and Amazon have good deals on this.

T-shirt or baby clothes quilts

I don’t know about you but I personal have a box in the back of my closet of old t-shirts that mean something to me but I will probably never wear again. These shirts are from high school and college events, races that I’ve ran, family reunions and so on. Now by either you (if you have those talents) or others that have super sewing skills, those t-shirts can be made into a much more useful quilt/blanket. The same can be done for your children’s baby clothes. A simple Google search can direct you to how-to buy or make details.

Fill a clear Christmas ornament with something special

This could be the hospital cap and bracelet your newborn baby wore or you can cut your wedding invitation into strips, curl them and then insert into the ornament. I did this with my wedding invitation and my son’s birth announcement. Here is a link to purchase clear empty Christmas ornaments.

Frame old plane, train, and bus tickets or even copies of passport stamps

If you are a big traveler, this is a great way to showcase in a memorable way all the places you have been. I’ve even seen where these tickets were photocopied onto colorful paper to make the display more decorative. For a visual on how this can look, visit this Buzzfeed link.

Do you have a special way to display your photos and keepsakes? Please feel free to share with us your ideas and other links you have used that offer the ideas listed above.