Tag Archives: personal gift ideas

Gift Idea #31 – Interview Recording

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idea numbers31How about recording an interview with one of the members of your family (usually an older family member) and then share that interview with your family on a cd or dvd? To me the hardest part of this is coming up with a good set of questions for the interview. Well StoryCorps.org has the answer. They have a list of great questions or you can use their Question Generator to create a customized list of questions based on your circumstances.

With today’s computers it is so much easier to edit an interview and make copies than it was even 10 or 15 years ago. What a precious thing to have some of your families stories recorded in the voice of a beloved family member. It will be well worth the effort. Besides you don’t have to get their whole life history recorded in one sitting. Just a story or two would be great. Sometimes we think we have to do it all but we don’t. Getting something recorded and shared is the most important thing.

Gift Idea #30 – Family Home History

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idea numbers30Many families have a home they have lived in for many, many years. If your family is one of them, consider putting together a history of your family home. It can be interesting and enlightening to see the role a house can play in your families history and the memories made there.

I did a small book about the home the my mother and most of her siblings were born in. This home was built by her father and when it was time to sell the old family home she had a really hard time with the idea. I put together the book in hopes that it would help her be more at peace with selling the home. I’ll post about this project sometime.

Gift Idea #29 – On this Date

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idea numbers29For this idea you will share with your family through out the year or a specific time frame important things that happened to your family on this date in the past. You could follow the life of a single person or a group of people. You could focus on just one year or you could draw from a bunch of years.

I did my version of this for my family with my great-great-grandmother, Mary Taylor this past year. I focused on her journey from England to Utah in 1856 as a handcart pioneer. I shared this information with my family via e-mails, either daily or weekly depending on the amount of information I had. You could also put together a book or binder with the information.

A second version I did this past year was for my mom’s trip to Europe in 1952. Sharing a story with lots of details makes it easy in some ways because it breaks it into bite sized pieces, that can be more manageable to digest in our busy lives.

Another version would be to share with your family important dates such as wedding anniversaries, birthdays etc. for present and past family members. One way to do this would be with a personalized calendar.

Gift Idea #28 – Duplicate Old Family Photos

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idea numbers28A really nice gift to share with family is their own copy of the best family photos. My mom did this for us one year. She had enlargements made of a family group shot from her childhood and from my dad’s. If you want to make it really nice you could a frame so that it is ready to go on display.

Having up pictures of ancestors or family members when they were much younger helps to connect the generations and create opportunities to share who they are. Name plaques would be a nice addition to the project.

Gift Idea #27 – Re-purpose Men’s Items

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idea numbers27So after I finished Idea #26, I thought well what about the little trinkets that men collect? Wouldn’t it be neat to take your grandfather’s tie clip or cufflinks and make them into something fun and useful? Men don’t usually have as much jewelry as women but they do have some. Cufflinks would make great earrings. A tie clip or tack could easily be used as a pin. Many of the ideas for re-purposing costume jewelry would work here too.

What about the other little trinkets that men often hang onto? An old pocket watch would make an awesome necklace. Maybe some parts from his toolbox or workshop could be put together in steampunk fashion. It is much harder to find ideas for men’s things on the internet but if you have a specific item, a google search is sure to bring up some ideas if you play with the search terms a bit.

Gift Idea #26 – Re-purpose Costume Jewelry

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idea numbers26Do you have a bunch of old costume jewelry from your grandmother? My grandma had a pretty good collection that was given to any great-grandchild who was interested. But if you re-purposed that jewelry it would have a wider appeal and a new function along with bringing back memories of a beloved family member.  You might even be able to make a key chain for male members of the family to enjoy. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Book Marks

Fridge Magnets

Costume Jewelry Repurposed

Upcycle Reuse Costume Jewelry

Gift Idea #25 – Family Collage

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idea numbers25There 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

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idea numbers24I 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

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idea numbers23Wouldn’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

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idea numbers22This 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