photo gifts

After creating a group video for my teen's birthday during the height of the pandemic, I realized how many other occasions it would be perfect for: end-of-year teacher appreciation gifts , Mother's Day , Father's Day , graduation , speci…

Digging through our archives for some creative Mother's Day gift ideas , I came across this one that was so excited, I wanted to share it again -- printable papercraft camera frames . As in, picture frames that you print, cut and fold, a…

I love giving the gift of photos, videos, and heartfelt messages for Father's Day (or any special day, really), but they're not exactly the easiest things to give long distance to say, a grandpa. Do you attach a video to an email? Send a…

You know what's just as easy as buying and send a a card but packs a whole lot more punch? Greetabl , a cool photo gift box that we're so glad to have discovered, because sending a plain card for a big occasion like Mother's Day can some…

If you missed the boat on photo gifts for Father's Day or Mother's Day ...no, wait! You didn't! We all live in the land of the smartphone cam, after all, and if you've got a camera -- especially that dandy iPhone 7S -- and a place to pri…

As a new mom, I'd adore a Mother's Day gift that takes my favorite Instagram shots and transforms them into an awesome keepsake so that I don't have to. After all, I can hardly find time to back up the several billion pictures I've taken…

If your kids are like mine, they're obsessed with taking pictures, and well, your phone is a better camera option than your DSLR. Except, it's still a pretty expensive piece of tech. So, when I heard about the Kickstarter campaign for th…

Just in time for holiday visits, New Year's Eve celebrations and uh, New Year's Day morning-after selfies (if you dare), Rebecca Minkoff has introduced yet another must-have tech accessory: The new rose gold Glow Selfie iPhone Case desig…

We love finding cool custom photo gift, because hello, we're moms! We're sentimental like that. But also, they make great gifts because they demonstrate that some real thought and love went into creating it, even if it doesn't cost a for…

Take Chatbooks photo books and add in The Novogratz Family design sense and you get a very cool way to turn your favorite summer photos into a keepsake. Simply download the Chatbooks app, then enter the code SUMMER16, where the cool illu…

Now that so many of us have a zillion photos stored on our laptops or phones, I love creating any gift that takes the best of those photos and puts them onto something we can hold onto So, for some of my favorite people, I've turned rece…

Mother's Day is just around the corner, which means I get to create a list of fun tech items that I (uh, I mean mothers everywhere) may have on their wish lists. Even if they don't know it yet. So while I love all the handprints in cemen…

Considering how much I love photo wall decals , it's no surprise that I'm digging these cool photo calendar decals from Pinhole Press that let you turn your favorite 2015 photos into a fabulous 2016 wall calendar, no hammer and nails req…

With only a few days until Christmas, we want to make it really easy for you to finish up your holiday tech gift shopping with some last minute holiday gift ideas. In other words, no need to drive yourself crazy -- or drive yourself to 1…

Next up in our 2015 Holiday Tech Gift Guide series, we’ve put together 14 really cool custom photo gifts for anyone on your list We're talking sleek photo books, unique prints, amazing keepsakes, even a tasty photo treat or two -- basica…

It's hard to believe this was my first ever year attending the Maker Faire in NYC, but yep. It's true. And now consider me an annual attendee. Thanks to our sponsor Sprout by HP who hooked me up with tickets (thank you thank you thank yo…

Okay all ye mothers who felt guilty about not getting those baby books filled with photos representing every little milestone: You are no longer alone! Because now, you don't even have to have kids to feel the pressure of owning a photo …

Getting excited at a recent dentist visit to sit and read an actual magazine made me realize how little time I have to myself. (And perhaps that I need to find a hobby). People aside, turns out I found a magazine of sorts that I'll most …

When you have some favorite photos -- and with five of us taking photos, you can bet we have lots -- we've got a great new way to turn them into wall decor. You might know SnapBox as the company that started by turning your Instagram pho…

I have always loved giving photos as gifts for everything from Father's Day to birthdays. Really, what's better having the luck to capture a perfect moment, then having someone special enough to share it with. So I am crushing on Pictli …

Over the years, we've found great illustrators who have taken their own baby photos and turned them into fantastic collage drawings. But now we found a sister team out of Barcelona who's attempting to do one better with their new Kicksta…

For the dad who has everything, you can't go wrong with Father's Day photo gifts, especially when they come from the kids. Lately I've gotten completely hooked on photo wall decals as the best new way to display my photos, because they d…

We're very pro-photo book around here. Actually, we support any service or app that helps us get all the digital pics we snap off of our devices and on display for all to enjoy. And with Father's Day and graduation season officially unde…

Nothing says I love you like, please don't let your phone die when I'm trying to reach you because it really freaks me out . Which is why I think it's so clever that Shutterfly has launched the first personalized battery chargers that I'…

As we start looking around for cool Mother's Day gifts, we realize not every mom is into keepsake pendants and baby footprint artwork. So for the photographer mom in your life who is always trying to capture those special moments with he…

If you want to combine what's satisfying about manual dSLR shooting, with what's fun about an instant film experience, then add in the unlimited creativity of lomography, you've got the new LOMO'INSTANT which is like my new favorite thin…

If you've got a mom-on-the-go to shop for this Mother's Day, we're so excited that in curating our favorite personalized Mother's Day gifts , we found these cool custom photo laptop sleeves at Snupped. You can choose standard MacBook Air…

This week, I had the pleasure of joining the Meredith Vieira Show (I love her!) for a quick segment on one of our favorite apps: Waterlogue , which transforms your photos into gorgeous watercolor paintings. If you haven't tried it, check…

The growing options for making photo books right from our phones makes a lot of sense, since that's where so many of us keep most of our photos anyway. And the new Photolane photo book app makes it so simple, you can design a couple of t…

If you're looking for a special Valentine's photo gift that goes beyond a photo in a frame, the Heart Photo Poster at Minted could be so special for the right person. 30 of your favorite photos are arranged in a heart shape and beautiful…

We get asked how to print Instagram photos all the time here on Cool Mom Tech, but of all the ideas we've featured before, you've never been able to apply them to your arm. Or chest. Or...well, you get the idea. Meet Picattoo , a new ser…

When we teased the idea of the Polaroid Socialmatic camera back in the spring, we could hardly contain ourselves. So you can imagine how amped we are now that you can pre-order the Socialmatic right now. Why all the excitement? Well, fir…

Whether he goes for the rugged backpacker look or opts for a hip messenger style, you are sure to find just the right camera bag for your favorite photographer guy from ONA Bags . Actually, any of these finely crafted bags would look out…

Sometimes your camera can help you capture a brilliant moment. And other times, the thing of beauty is the camera itself. Case in point: the special, limited edition Diana F+ Explorer Nocturne medium format film camera. Between the coppe…

The photographers in our lives are always trying to capture the fun, inspired, beautiful, worth-a-thousand-words moments. So, this holiday, what do you get the brilliant photographer in your life to let them know you'd like them to keep …

We're so pleased to share our annual Holiday Tech Gift guide with you all, starting with one of the categories you all ask us for the most: The coolest Tech gifts for guys under $50. Of course we'd like plenty of them too--coolness often…

I am always amazed by some of the creative holiday photo cards that come my way in the mail each year. I have some creative friends and family, I guess! I love them all of course, but there are always a few shots that take my breath away…

Whichever case you're currently using to cover your smart phone--even one you bought yesterday--well, I think you might just need a new one. (Sorry about that.) Because I just found Getincased , a premium custom case and accessories comp…

If you're a photography fan or know someone who is, just say the word Leica and watch their eyes light up. First developed 100 years ago in Germany, it's gained cult status around the world, especially with anyone familiar with the work …

The Novogratz family is back, and since I'm a fan of their accessible but eclectic decorating style , I like that they're continuing their quest for colorful world design domination with a new line of modern custom photo gifts that shoul…

Is there anything more royally British than marshmallows? Yeah...no. Those two things have never existed in the same sentence together that I know of. Until now. Enter Boomf Magic Mallows . The delicious start-up out of the UK that allow…

One day I'm going get all of these special iPhone photos printed. How many times have you said that after scrolling through a month's worth of pics, hunting for the cute one with your kid doing that thing? Yeah, same here. That's why I'm…

Can it get any cuter than this? That's the first thing that I said to myself when I saw The Polaroid Cube camera . I mean, look at it: This new little number is teeny -- less than 2 inches -- but can shoot quality 6 megapixels photos and…

We're always looking for even more new ideas on what to do with Instagram photos that will get them off of our tiny screens and into our big, real lives. Sticky9 just introduced one cool way with Magnet Wall Frames . It's just like it so…

I always swore I wouldn't be that mom who said, "When I was a kid . . ." to her own kids all the time, but sure enough I'm explaining pay phones and cigarette lighters in the car to them. One of my favorite gone-by-the-wayside tech items…

We've written here in the past how easy Mosaic custom photo books from Mixbook are to create. It truly takes just a few minutes, and you have the photo book in your hands within a couple of days. Pretty amazing. The only downside with th…

Everyone has a story. And one excellent nonprofit called the 100 Cameras project is using photography to help kids around the globe tell theirs. The organization is made up of a team of volunteers who work with children worldwide, teachi…

Instagram photos are fun, but staring at them on your little smartphone or tablet screen can only give you so much joy. That's why we're always on the lookout for cool professional photo printing services and unique photo gifts that let …

I'd say that 99% of my iPhone camera roll consists of kid shots, often when I'm holding a baby in one hand and trying to maneuver the shutter button. Not the easiest way to take good pictures. Thankfully, there's a product like Snappgrip…

Printing your photos has now taken a very cool turn, right in time for cool Father's Day photo gifts. But then again, the creative folks at Photojojo pretty much have the lock on anything photo and cool. Now, check out the shop's new eng…

I loved the camera necklaces from Strangely Yours we featured last year, but their new custom photo locket necklace is even more awesome. The wood is laser cut to look like a mini Polaroid camera (so cute!) with a blank "film" for your o…

Long live my Grandpa's reel-to-reel, symbol of long, boring vacation films we were forced to sit through for hours on end as children. And now--yeah, I feel a sort of nostalgic longing for that kind of simplicity, pulling down the giant …

These days there's no shortage of ways to create your own cool Instagram photo gifts , but custom Instagram photo cookies is definitely a first. Like most of the world, we're pretty obsessed with Instagram around here ( are you following…

A re you obsessed with Pinterest as we are? Make sure you're following us to catch all our daily picks plus the coolest tech finds from around the web. 1. Such a beautiful photo gift idea . How far away is Mother's Day again? 2. This is …

Even though we’ve made it easy to figure out which photo book service is the best one for you and we've discovered plenty of great things to do with your Instagram photos besides keep them on your phone, I still have a hard time staying …

Even though Valentine's Day is coming up soon, it's not too late (yet) to order some really special last-minute custom photo gifts for your special someone. Or hey, even make them yourself. Photo gifts are some of our favorites to give b…

Cutting, matting, mounting, spraying adhesive that ends up peeling later--printing Instagram photos yourself then framing them can be a pain in the rear, but a professional framing service can be spendy. Hooray for alternatives! We've co…

If you're like me, you probably have taken upwards of 2,000 photos of your kids, your house, your pet, and even your food in the last year alone. And like me, you're wondering what to do with your digital photos and hoping you can find a…

Sometimes I scroll through my camera roll and find lots of semi-okay options that would be great for photo book gifts if it were brighter, if the pile of laundry wasn't in the background or if Sam's face didn't have those gobs of chocola…

I wrote last year about where to print Instagram photos , considering my penchant for taking adorable photos of my kids on my phone and then...doing absolutely nothing with them. Has anything changed for me in a year? Of course not. That…

The coolest new digital camera for the holidays may be one that doesn't even work. Well, not until you put it together and learn a whole bunch about the technology behind a point-and-shoot. And I know more than a couple of kids who would…

Not just any heart necklace will do these days, my friends. The hip kids are wearing Instagram like necklaces that you can find at Photojojo , one of my favorite shutterbug shops on the web. Laser cut from acrylic and made in the USA, th…

Today for our Holiday Tech Gifts 2013 guide, we're thrilled to bring you the very coolest photography gifts for your favorite shutterbug. This year saw so many incredibly cool launches to make photography more fun, whether you're committ…

We have limited storage space at home, and I'm just not able to keep every single drawing my little Picassos bring home. Or, rather, I thought I didn't until I discovered Artkive . We've raved about this kids' art storage app before, but…

E ditor's Note: Kindred Prints has changed focus from creating photo books to photo printing services for app developers. Especially as the holidays approach, I find photo books make perfect gifts for so many people. But man, they're not…

If you've got Instagram lovers on your holiday shopping list like I do, you'll want to snatch up a few of these adorable purses right now before the holiday rush starts. I'm pretty sure every teen or tween I know would love this handmade…

I've got so many great Instagram photos in my feed that I want to share with friends and family. What are your favorite ways to print Instagram photos? -Carolyn Some of our own favorite photos are from Instagram, Carolyn, and we've found…

Ever since upgrading to iOS7 , I've had enormous battery life issues with my iPhone 5. For now, that means trying to find a solution before I resort to getting a new phone. There are no lack of cool battery charging cases and battery cha…

With the world going Instagram crazy, why not take those fun, overfiltered little square photos and wear your favorites around your neck or on your fingers? Who knows--maybe you'll get some new followers out of it. That's the idea behind…

Every time someone takes a picture with his camera and tweets the Instagrammed masterpiece, take a sip. You'll be drunk in twenty minutes, but you'll look cool doing it! Note: possibly not the best game for first birthday parties. Also: …

We love the number of companies that give you a way to actually print out and display some of those digital Instagram photos. Snapbox is great for photo printing, InstaThis turns them into wooden artwork, the Mosaic app puts them easily …

Need a quick and easy way to inform everyone in your life that they may end up broadcast to your social media networks via your Instagram account? Look no further than this adorable phone case. Entirely handmade and handstitched out of f…

As much as I love my camera phone, I tend to forget to do anything with those photos, since downloading them to my computer means one extra step in a day that is already too full of "extra steps." So my overworked brain is thankful to fi…

Why give mom one camera for Mother's Day when she can have an entire wishlist's worth? So it's not actual cameras (unless you're a zillionaire), but rather A Visual Compendium of Cameras poster , which is almost as cool. And less clutter…

Cool photo gifts for mom tend to be a sure thing in the Mother's Day gift department. Since so many services have made it a snap to print incredible gifts directly from the photos you take on your Instagram account, we're all for taking …

While I'm certainly the type of mom who'd appreciate oh, a cool vintage Polaroid for Mother's Day, it doesn't mean I'm not the candle and bath salts type too. Which is why I'm giggling at this Mother's Day gift idea that brings them all …

I've seen such cool ways to turn my favorite Instagram photos into works of art for the wall , coasters for my drinks , pillows for my couch , even edible Instagram chocolate bars ...for my belly. But, one of the neatest products takes m…

With Instagram blowing up, we've had a great time finding ways to turn Instagram photos into art. There are photo gifts like albums, photo pillows , photo coasters and even chocolate . But one of the most obvious uses for your favorite s…

What do you get the person who is always behind the camera--but maybe you're not about to shell out for a new $400 lens? Here's one awesome idea. I am just loving these camera cookie cutters from Photojojo (kind of like we love everythin…

If you're looking for a fun way to mix up the tens, hundreds (or thousands in my case) photos in your camera roll, this cool new photo app is an inexpensive way to take your bevy of pictures and turn it into a work of art, Chuck Close st…

It's not surprising that longtime popular personalized card and invitation site, Tiny Prints is expanding their offering into other personalized photo gifts-- and that includes some fun iPhone cases. Even for that much coveted new iPhone…

There are two things you should know about me as a chronicler of my kids' lives: 1. I take lots of photographs of them on various devices. 2. I do absolutely nothing with those photographs. I have a sneaky suspicion that I am not alone i…

With everyone wondering where to print Instagram photos, it's nice there are helpful apps like Keepsy and cool services such as CanvasPop to turn them all into great artwork and gifts. In fact, I think I'm already done with most of my ho…

As much as I wish I were a scrapbooker--or, OK, even the kind of mama that actually puts photos into an album more than once a year--I've made my peace with the fact it's probably not gonna happen. So I flock to cool apps like Martha Ste…

I've made all sorts of amazing gifts from Instagram photos , like custom coasters even photo books from my iPhone , but I've been hesitant to try the many photo to canvas services because I'm a little worried about how the resolution wil…

At first when I heard about an edible Instagram product I thought...InstaGrahams? But nope. No clever puns. Just beautiful, delicious chocolate. The new service Cocoagraph , from 3D Fine Arts major Rae Vittorelli, merges chocolate and ph…

It's no secret that I take nearly all my photos with my iPhone, which means in order for me turn my favorite pictures into anything but a file on my computer (that no one really ever sees but me) it takes a lot of extra steps and a lot o…

The photos I see on Instagram are many things: evocative, funny, sweet, and sometimes just plain cool. But they are also really small. Which is why I'm digging a successful Kickstarter campaign that will make it so easy to get to enjoy t…

I'm pretty sure we can claim to know cool mom, author, and photographer Tracey Clark "when," since we featured her first book way back when we first started our site. She even took our first official Cool Mom Picks photo, back when we ea…

Considering most of the photos of my kids are taken with the Instagram app , I'm always looking for cool ways to get them off my camera.So now, along with Casetagram iPhone cases and Stitchtagram pillows , you've got a new option: turnin…

As Father's Day creeps up, I think about all the cameras and photo gifts that some lucky guys are going to get. Then I think about all the photo storage they're going to need. (Especially you new daddies!) While there are plenty of optio…

As someone who only uses my smart phone as my camera, I often use my photographs as gifts, many of which happen to be taken using the Instagram app . If you're still hunting for a cool Mother's Day gifts, you don't have to look any furth…

I've come to a conclusion recently that I must make my peace with - I'm never going to catch up on updating my photo albums. Deep breaths. I've made valiant efforts to get prints made, but being about 1,247 photos behind in just two year…

Now that you Android users can enjoy an Instagram obsession like me, the next thing you'll find yourself wanting to do is to display your photos on something other than your smart phone screen. So aside from all the cool ways you can pri…

Now that photo apps like Instagram and Hipstamatic have made square photos more common, it was only a matter of time before someone got into the frame game with options made just for our collective iPhoneography obsession. Hatchcraft is …

Instagram loyalists: you may want to sit for this one. If you love Instagram like we do (who doesn't?), you'll be thrilled to know that you can now take the sweetest, finest or coolest photos from your Instagram feed and get them printed…

I'm a little obsessed with the Instagram app , which means I have lots of cool photos and not much to do with them. At least until I discovered this new gift from Keepsy, that will be making many of my family members very happy this holi…

Since discovering Instagram a few months ago, I've used my photos to make everything from a Keepsy book to an Instagram screensaver , plus a few other special gifts - like some pretty awesome photo coasters for my mom for Mother's Day. S…

When I was younger, a fun family pastime was whipping out the Kodak Ektagraphic slide projector for a look at photos of family trips, birthday parties and the accompanying lore. I still vividly remember the faint whirring of the motor, s…

Ever since discovering the Instagram iPhone app , I've become completely obsessed; so much so that it's all I really use to take photos of my kids anymore. I've been trying to figure out a way to share them with friends and family, other…