Mother’s Day Photo Gift Ideas Your Mom Will Love

Mother’s Day is May 8 and if you’re reading this you’re probably trying to plan a gift for your mom. Flowers are nice but they only last about a week. A spa treatment is definitely awesome, but once your mom has left the spa, it’s done. For years now I have been giving my mom photo-related gifts and she absolutely loves receiving them. It’s something personal, and permanent, and she can view and enjoy it as often as she wants. Plus she can show it off to others. Here are some of my favorite Mother’s Day photo gift ideas:

Mother’s Day Photo Book

My sister sent our family some photos and a video of my 18-month-old niece smearing her face with refried beans. She was giving herself a “bean facial” and was so serious and methodical about it! It was just hilarious. Our parents remembered me smearing my face with blueberries when I was her age. At least refried beans don’t stain like blueberries! They have some cute photos of me in the act.

This sparked me to through old photo albums of myself and my sisters when we were young children. I scanned the prints and compiled the highlights into a new photo book. As you’ve probably discovered, old photos tend to fade, deteriorate and change color as time goes by. So scanning them is a good way to preserve them. I also like the idea of condensing old, bulky, heavy albums into a lightweight, slim photo book. It’s so much more attractive and easier to display.

Scan Your Favorite Childhood Photos

If you want to make a book using your childhood photos, dig out your old albums or sneak them out of your mom’s house. Take a look at them and scan your favorites. While I’ve scanned photos at home in the past, it’s just too time-consuming. So now I outsource them to a company like ScanCafe. They’ll hand-scan and color-correct them so they’ll look like new. You can ask for a digital download or a USB. Then you can create a photo book or another gift.

Of course, you can also make a photo book using any photos you already have on your computer. Use your imagination and you can create a great, personal gift. If you want to use a Mother’s Day theme, I found some cute ones at Mixbook:

Convert Your Old Family Videos to DVD

Since my sister captured my niece’s “bean facial” on video plus her camera, she’ll have some great memories. But my parents have lots of old 8mm film from our childhood that hasn’t seen daylight in years. You probably have lots of old videos or films too. How fun would it be to convert those old movies to digital format? This would be a great Mother’s Day gift, and one your siblings would enjoy as well. There are several companies that do that, including ScanCafe and Scan Digital.

Create a Canvas Print or Wall Art

Wall art would also make an excellent gift for your mom. There are various options. One of the most popular is a canvas print. This is a gallery print that doesn’t need a frame and it’s very lightweight and easy to hang. Mounted Wall Art is a little heavier but just as attractive. It’s a single image or collage of images mounted on a firm background and does not need a frame. Mixbook is also offering frame-less acrylic prints that float off the wall. These are a bit more expensive than canvas or mounted art, but very attractive and modern looking.

Photo Tiles are increasingly popular. The ones offered at Shutterfly are lightweight metal with removable adhesive stickers on the back so you can easily move and rearrange them. Snapfish has foam-backed photo tiles that are super lightweight as well as metal tiles.

There are numerous other services that offer custom personalized wall art, including Shutterfly, Snapfish, and Canvasonthecheap.

Custom Photo Jewelry

I particularly like this idea. If you have a new baby or young children and want a unique Mother’s day gift for your mom, this is a great option. You can put a photo of your little one in a sterling silver necklace or charm bracelet. I think most grandmothers would love this. I found jewelry photo gifts at Shutterfly and Snapfish.

Mother’s Day Photo Card

Last but not least is one of my favorites – the photo card. This is an inexpensive way of giving something personal to your mom, especially if you are on a tight budget. And, judging from the high price of standard greeting cards, making a custom card can even cost less — including shipping. I already made my Mother’s Day card at Shutterfly, using an old photo I found of me “helping” my mom give my baby sister a bath.

So by using these ideas and a little imagination of your own, you can come up with a unique Mother’s Day gift that your mom with treasure.

Save Money on Your Mother’s Day Photo Gift

To help you save money on your project, be sure to visit my coupons and deals page. I list all the latest promos from major photo services.