Gift Idea #25 – Family Collage

Posted on December 6, 2012 by tellingfamilytales

There are lots of options in using family photos to make a collage. Most of them fall into two categories. The first one is a wall collage. This is when you take your photos (usually framed but they can be unframed) and arrange them on a wall in your house. Here are some examples to get your creative juices going. I really like the ones that include some vinyl lettering.

Family Collage Ideas

Family Wall Collage Ideas

The second style of photo collage is to put together the photos so they fit into frame. This can be done digitally or the traditional way with glue and scissors. If you have some experience with a photo editor like Photoshop the digital way can be lots of fun. Or there is software designed just to help you put together your own collage.

Collage Maker

But there are services available to have your collage put together for you. I found a couple of them.

Custom Photo Collages

Family History Collage

Sometimes though it feel good to work with physical photos and paper instead of the digital ones. For the truly hands on approach here are some directions on how to make a collage in the original way.

How to Collage

Gift Idea #24 – Walk in Their Shoes

Posted on December 6, 2012 by tellingfamilytales

I had the opportunity this past summer to “walk in the shoes” of my great-great-grandmother, Mary Taylor. She was member of one of the handcart companies that got caught unprepared for early winter storms in 1856. At Martin’s Cove they have everything all set up to experience a little of what it was like for Mary Taylor and learn more about her experiences.

A great gift for a family would be to plan a trip to one of the many historic places that are set up to help us experience and understand a bit about the history of the past. Several year ago we had the chance to visit Plimoth Plantation, which has a pilgrim village set up along with an Indian village. It was very interesting but if I had gone with a specific ancestor in mind it would have been more meaningful.

So do a little research and find a place that can teach you about what life was like for one or more of your ancestors. Then plan a family trip. Before you go take the opportunity to learn more about that person. A trip like this can be a wonderful opportunity. Here are a few links to get you started. I think you will find more information with a more focused search.

List of Historical Reenactment Groups

Living History

Living History Sites

Gift Idea #23 – Ancestor Ornaments

Posted on December 5, 2012 by tellingfamilytales

Wouldn’t a little tree with photos of ancestors be beautiful? Or you could put the ornaments on a full-sized tree in among the other ornaments. This is another conversation starter with the chance to share information about your family member.

Most photo printing places have custom ornament options. Below I have links for RiteAid and Walmart but there are lots more on the web.

If you would like a more hands on approach then the last two links below are a couple of craft ideas for making your own ornaments using photos. Your local craft store probably has more ideas or use your imagination and materials you have on hand to come up with your own creation.

Ornaments from RiteAid

Ornaments from Walgreens

Personalized Ornaments

How to Make Custom Photo Ornament

Bargain Photo Frame Ornament

Gift Idea #22 – Flash Cards

Posted on December 4, 2012 by tellingfamilytales

This is another idea inspired by Pin Hole Press. For the younger family members flash cards with pictures of extended family members or ancestors would be lots of fun. The ones on Pin Hole Press are way cute but you could make your own with a little time and effort. I think flash cards would be fun way to teach family and the many people who make up your family.

You could include places or objects that have significance to your family too. With some brainstorming I’m sure you could come up with a lot more ideas than you realize. Each card could have a story or stories that you can share with the little ones about the person, place or thing.

Pin Hole Press Flash Cards

Gift Idea #21 – Memory Game

Posted on December 4, 2012 by tellingfamilytales

When I saw this memory game on Pin Hole Press I thought it would make a wonderful gift for getting to know family members. Besides doing current family members photos you could pick photos from ancestors too. And you don’t need to order these from Pin Hole Press, you can make your own memory cards. If you make a nice big set it could be fun for all ages of your family.

Another twist on the game would be to make cards with names and cards with photos and you have to match the name to the photo. Or if you family is even more familiar with their ancestors you could find a simple image that represented a story or milestone in that person’s life and use that as the match.

Playing memory with ancestor cards would create lots of opportunities to tell stories or share memories about your loved ones. Depending on the situation, the game could be played so that the person who makes the match tells something they know about the person they found the match for. This could be a game that add to over the years as you and your family learn more about their family members.

Pin Hole Press Memory Game

Gift Idea #20 – Family Traditions Book

Posted on December 3, 2012 by tellingfamilytales

How about putting together a book about your favorite family traditions. If you already have photos that you have taken while doing your traditions then use them. If you don’t have old photos you could take photos this year and match them up with stories and memories from the past. Or you can use photos that were taken around the time of the specific memories about your traditions.

A good way to start a project like this would be to get a binder and a bunch of sheet protectors. Then you can gather photos and memories and organize them in the binder. Have other family members help by sharing their memories of the past.

I think I should put together a book about our annual trip to the mountains to cut down our Christmas tree. I did several scrapbook pages over the years but something that shows the history and favorite memories from certain years would be lots of fun.

This idea could be done in coordination with Gift Idea #19. You could do a book about the history of the tradition and then add to the book as you restart and carry on the old family tradition.

Gift Idea #19 – Restart an Old Family Tradition

Posted on December 3, 2012 by tellingfamilytales

Family traditions are a great way of connecting us together in our current family and to those of past generations. Is there an old tradition that you or another family member remembers from the past that could be reintroduced today? One way would be to have a family brainstorming session and come up with a list of traditions that have been lost for one reason or another. Then vote on which tradition you would like to start doing again. It may be that the old tradition needs to be adjusted for today’s circumstances but if it has its roots in the past will help connect your family today with your family of the past.

Gift Idea #18 – Home Movie Night

Posted on December 3, 2012 by tellingfamilytales

My family has a few old home movies from when I was just a toddler. I bet many families have some old movies that they haven’t seen in a long, long time. I think it would be fun to put together a box or basket with a few home movies along with treats like popcorn and candy. What a great relaxing activity for the evening, even on Christmas day evening. Just get the family together and enjoy the laughs and the memories of days gone by.

If you are really organized, prepare yourself with an audio recorder or paper and pencil to capture the stories and memories that watching your home movies is sure to bring back to the surface.

Gift Idea #17 – Historically Inspired Photo Shoot

Posted on November 30, 2012 by tellingfamilytales

Do you have an old family photo that you really love? How about using it as the inspiration for a new family photo? You could replicate the scene, the style of dress or just the arrangement of the people. Then you could hang the two images next to each other on the wall. Or it would be fun to use the two images together on a post card or greeting card to send to family and friends. This project will also give you the opportunity to share stories or memories about the original photo and the people in that photo.

If you are inspired by this idea, just let those creative juices run and see where it takes you.

Gift Idea #16 – Family Advent Calendar

Posted on November 30, 2012 by tellingfamilytales

I love advent calendars and I think putting together one that focuses on family would be lots of fun. There are tons of fun ways to make your own advent calender. DesignMom shares some of her favorites in a recent Inspiration Scout article. The advent calendars that include an activity or message would work perfectly for this. Just plan something for each day that shares something about an ancestor or family member. You could focus on just one person or you could do lots of different people. Another option would be to do little photos of family members with just a bit about them. Wouldn’t that be a beautiful sight on Christmas to have lots of family photos to share the holiday with. Below are a few ideas to get you started.