It’s hard to believe that it is a whole year since Mother’s Day, which was just at the start of Lockdown last year. I am sure none of us imagined that we wouldn’t be able to see family without restrictions in 2021. Anyway, here we are, there is light at the end of the tunnel, but it is also highly likely that you won’t be able to see your nearest and dearest in person this Mother’s Day. Last year I wrote about some ideas to support local businesses which are all equally (and even more valid) this year which will have been so tough for small businesses with enforced closures – do check out the Mother’s Day 2020 present ideas here. But for something different this year I thought I would do a little round up of a few photo gifts that might work well for your Mum. I have something of a bee in my bonnet about photos lurking on phones and feel very strongly that they need to be printed or turned into something physical ….. those I have selected below are incredibly good value as well as being good quality and really personal.
- Boxed photos – LALALAB
I discovered this product from LALALAB on Instagram and think it’s really rather cute. The are small (about business card size) photos that you can upload directly from your phone – and they come in a nice little box. I have a stack of photos in my box which sits on my desk or they are small enough to fit into a handbag – brilliant for those less techno savvy Mums who would rather have hard copies than a phone full of photos. They are easy to upload to the app and you can add text to the bottom if you wish. If you use the following referral code you also get a £5 discount – PG9R13WU.
2.A personalised jigsaw – MyPhotopuzzle
Many suppliers produce these personalised photo puzzles, but I must admit that until recently, I had never actually had one myself. Well, with having had to close the studio yet again (thanks Boris!) since December, my nearest and dearest felt I had a bit of extra time on my hands and produced a suprise gift of our beloved golden retriever Cassie (star of Cassie Golden Girl on Instagram!). To my horror I saw it had 1,000 pieces (of which about 999 looked like they were grass) but it provided a welcome respite from Netflix series and box sets during the recent Lockdown winter evenings, and I am pleased to confirm I completed it. If you are wondering about photo quality, I can confirm that this was created from an iPhone photo which may well not have been particularly high resolution. Myphotopuzzle.co.uk is where mine came from and it was good quality. A 500 piece puzzle costs £27.99 and will provide you with hours of entertainment. I was surprised just how addictive it was!
3. Little Moments Photobook/ Personalised Tin – Photobox
Many of you are probably already familiar with Photobox who create a wide variety of photo products. They have a nice selection of reasonably priced photo products this year, including jigsaws, mugs, cushions and all the usual, but there are a couple that I particularly like the look of:
The Little Moments Photobook is a small 24 page book with good quality, thick lay flat pages. At £9.99 it is amazing value and is super easy to make.
The Personalised tin is available in a couple of different sizes and shapes and starts at £9.99. Perfect for all those bits and bobs that Mums like to stash away. You can find it from Photobox here.
4. Pull out photo album – Not on the High Street
Not on the High Street have a variety of interesting ideas for Mother’s Day. The one that caught my eye was the pull out photo album – again, because it provides a handbag sized selection of photos that you can keep close, as well as the opportunity to personalise the box. The box is 5 cm square and you can select box size, colour and personalised message, and can include 5 or 7 images. Starting at £16. Delivery is also super quick … check it out here.
5. A Voucher from Jenny Kaye Photography
And finally, there is always the option of a voucher. Photo studios can open up again from April which means we will be just in time to make the most of Spring flowers – bluebell season is the last couple of weeks of April so that is ideal. If you think Mum would enjoy some family photos then do contact me for a voucher for a portrait session. Alternatively I offer either 1-2-1 tuition on Smartphone photography or will be running both Smartphone Photography and DSLR training workshops later in the year. Vouchers for both of these cost from £65 and can be found here.
