Monday, October 13, 2008

Gifts in a Snap(fish)

I love gift giving. Have I mentioned that? And I believe that the hardest people in the world to buy gifts for are grandparents. My grandparents are EXTREMELY hard to shop for because of several reasons:
  1. They already have everything they need
  2. They already have everything they want
  3. They don't care about tangibles (the stuff you can hold onto)

So when I saw this super post from Jen and this super deal from Snapfish,

I knew that I could give them something they couldn't pick up at their local five and dime.


It arrived this past week and I couldn't be happier! I ripped into the box praying that the photo books didn't look super cheap or that the pictures had poor resolution print quality. Let me tell ya, I wasn't disappointed. And for half price, there is no better $15 present under the sun!

I decided to do a memory book about our wedding. Since that was the first time since my parents wedding that our WHOLE family was together in a single place, I thought that my g-rents would enjoy reliving the reunion. The cover has one of my favorite photos from our big day. And the back has a photo of my Pappap hugging me after the ceremony. I also included the bible verse that was on our ceremony programs.

Instead of just putting MY favorites, I tried to include photos of memories that would mean a lot to them. One picture of my 'bouquet' (an old family bible) would be especially meaningful to my Mummum, who let me borrow the bible for my special day. It also acted as my "something old" even though I think I told Jeremy that he would be it :)


And the ceremony was full of music - an art that means a lot to my Pappap. I also included a photo of my baby sister singing (because I know that Pappap has always been so proud of her beautiful voice).

One of the pages was only text. It had the words that Jeremy and I memorized for our ring ceremony. It was especially sacred as it explained exactly what our gifts symbolized. And I know that my Grandmothers were in my dressing room as I rehearsed my lines over and over.

Now I can't wait to send them up north for them to enjoy. And I know - nae, I promise that my favorite old people will tear up (just as I did) by the time they reach the last page. Because if there is something I know full and well about gift giving, it is that nothing can beat memories of a life lived fully.

11 comments:

Megan said...

Hi! I just came across your blog! What a great idea for Christmas presents! I just got married this summer and I think I am going to do this same thing for some family members! Great post!

Kim @ NewlyWoodwards said...

Awesome book. Did you use their software for the design layout?

Lindsey said...

Such a fabulous idea! I love it!

Katie said...

Hi Ya'll,

Glad you like my wee little book :) Let me just clarify, I don't think that getting these books are a BAD deal for regular price (unless you are comparing them to your professional photographer)...but Snapfish has a mailing list you can join and they will send you all their latest and greatest promos. You might have to wait a while to get the best possible deal but if you are like everyone else living with this economy crisis, you won't be sorry :)

I did use their layouts...it takes a second to get a hang of how to manipulate each page but in the end, I think I fit 63 photos in the standard 20 page album. I thought that was pretty good cost effective.

If you guys end up getting a book of your own, I would love to see it...send me the link via email, pretty please?

XO - Katie

Jen said...

What great gifts! I bet they'll love them. I'm so excited about the possibilities of these books - I'm busy putting together a cookbook of my favourite recipes.

leah @maritalbless said...

Aww, what a touching gift! I love gifts that have the potential to decimate family members into pools of tears. :)

Melissa said...

How absolutely beautiful, Katie. I only wish I could get a better glimpse of the pictures! :) I made a book like this for my mom as a thank-you and memory gift from our trip to Spain last year, and remember being nervous about it until it arrived in the mail. It was perfect, and she LOVED it - as does anyone who sees it at her home. Personalized gifts like these are always such a hit!

Michael said...

My aunt did this for my cousin when he graduated from high school this year. Such a cool gift...love it!

Whitney said...

That is SO neat! I love it....thanks for giving me some new great ideas.... ;)

Katie said...

Hi Ya'll,

You guys are just full of creative ways to use these books. Love, love, love the recipe book idea...that would awesome for a bridal shower gift - just pair with some measuring cups and some dish towels.

I wonder how hard it is to make books annually...like an adult version of a yearbook. You could completely catalog your life. This could change things for people! No more problems with memory loss :)

Keep those ideas coming!

XO - Katie

Anonymous said...

I can't tell you how much my grandparents LOVE these photobooks. I made one for each of my 80-yr-old grandmothers, with photos from their childhood until today. Then I left a page blank at the end and all of their birthday party guests left a lovely note.

My friend did this for his wedding too - created a photobook and left it out as the guestbook on the front table during the reception.