Ask Me Help Desk - 20th Anniversary Gift to Parents involving Photos

Ok I'm trying to come up with an idea for a gift for my parents 20th Anniversary and the party is next week.

I have collected a bunch of old photos of them and their parents. I am looking for a way to display them w/o using glue and other permanent means. Several of the pics are old and I only have one copy of them with no time to make new copies. Ideas?

They own a picture framing gallery so putting them in frames is out of the question.:p

This is meant to be a permanent sort of gift that will be displaying the pictures. Correct? I would appreciate knowing that, please? Depending on exactly what it is that you are wanting, I will contact the appropriate members of this site who can be the best help for you who might not normally notice this type of question and who are not normally involved in this topic area on this site.

I guess gift is the wrong word. I just want to display the pictures w/o damaging them.

Okay, thanks for the clarification! I'm going to let jrebel7 know about your question. She is used to creatively displaying things like you are talking about.

You should scan them into a computer using some decent imaging software and then burn them onto a DVD. It will play right on a TV or a projector. You can do this yourself if you have the patience and equipment or there are a lot of companies that will create the DVD Slideshow for you for a relatively small cost. No way you will damage the photos and you can even set it to some music representing their life together!

Princessgloomy, you will receive several ideas I am sure. I suggest the following because you are needing it next week, and you might not have time to scan the photos---one idea that works great and can be purchased or handmade (handmade might work better so you could have a much larger area for more photos or purchase two or three) is a covered board that has ribbons crisscrossed which can be hung on a wall or laid on a table (not near food or drink, perhaps have a separate table for these if you lay them out). The photographs are then put in at different angles and you have more of a collage effect without glue or tape ever touching any photo. The boards that are ready-made can be purchased at craft stores. Wal-mart might have them but I know craft stores do. We have one in my mother's room at the Nursing Facility. It is deep purple with lighter color ribbon criss crossing but comes in many colors. You don't see much of the covered area, just photos and a bit of the ribbon. The boards are padded just a bit and are very attractive and dressy. I will post this but will be thinking toward other ideas.

The DVD idea is a terrific idea and is being done at all kinds of events.

If you can just scan the photos, save as a .jpg file, save them to a file folder on your "MY PICTURES" then burn them to a CD, you can play it on a monitor and have music being played from a tape or CD on another player which is essentially what wewed100606 suggested if you don't have it done professionally where the music is added to the DVD. A lot of churches have the machines to make the DVD with added music, the large screen on which to view them, and you could possibly rent the screen from them if you are not involved in a church that has one. Even the smaller churches are now using these in their services.

Best to you... having had a celebration for my parent's 60th anniversary, I know how much this will mean to your parents. It will be their time to shine and share. I made a photo album later of all the photos we took during the celebration and printed funny sayings and quips and quotes, put them on colored paper, cut the sayings out using the scissors people use for scrap booking to give an interesting edge and placed under each picture. My parents talked about this celebration for months and months and shared the album with others. You will be so happy you have done this. It can get stressful getting it together but you will be so glad you did. I also made a paper up on the computer (had lots of copies made at the office supply for a little of nothing) with a pretty border, using the colors used at the celebration, for the guests to write their favorite memories of my parents. I later placed these in the large photo album also. What precious memories that others shared that I had never heard before. Some of the guests filled them out while at the celebration, others took them home and sent them back in addressed, stamped envelopes we provided. Blessings to you.

Thank you jrebel! I will look for a board that is already made but I should be able to do one myself. So it can turn out similar to a scrapbook on one page?

Quote:

Originally Posted by princessgloomy

Thank you jrebel! I will look for a board that is already made but I should be able to do one myself. So it can turn out similar to a scrapbook on one page?

Princessgloomy, I searched several places and I believe finally found directions on how to make the type display I was talking about. I wanted to post it but am looking for a graphic that might show it better. Might be faster to just get a few at a craft store, Hobby Lobby, etc. but just in case, thought you might enjoy reading this if not for now, maybe for a project later.

How to make a fabric covered memo board

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrebel7

Princessgloomy, you will receive several ideas I am sure. I suggest the following because you are needing it next week, and you might not have time to scan the photos---one idea that works great and can be purchased or handmade (handmade might work better so you could have a much larger area for more photos or purchase two or three) is a covered board that has ribbons crisscrossed which can be hung on a wall or laid on a table (not near food or drink, perhaps have a separate table for these if you lay them out). The photographs are then put in at different angles and you have more of a collage effect without glue or tape ever touching any photo. The boards that are ready-made can be purchased at craft stores. Wal-mart might have them but I know craft stores do. We have one in my mother's room at the Nursing Facility. It is deep purple with lighter color ribbon criss crossing but comes in many colors. You don't see much of the covered area, just photos and a bit of the ribbon. The boards are padded just a bit and are very attractive and dressy. I will go ahead and post this but will be thinking toward other ideas.

The DVD idea is a terrific idea and is being done at all kinds of events.

If you can just scan the photos, save as a .jpg file, save them to a file folder on your "MY PICTURES" then burn them to a CD, you can play it on a monitor and have music being played from a tape or CD on another player which is essentially what wewed100606 suggested if you don't have it done professionally where the music is added to the DVD. A lot of churches have the machines to make the DVD with added music, the large screen on which to view them, and you could possibly rent the screen from them if you are not involved in a church that has one. Even the smaller churches are now using these in their services.

Best to you....having had a celebration for my parent's 60th anniversary, I know how much this will mean to your parents. It will be their time to shine and share. I made a photo album later of all the photos we took during the celebration and printed funny sayings and quips and quotes, put them on colored paper, cut the sayings out using the scissors people use for scrap booking to give an interesting edge and placed under each picture. My parents talked about this celebration for months and months and shared the album with others. You will be so happy you have done this. It can get stressful getting it together but you will be so glad you did. I also made a paper up on the computer (had lots of copies made at the office supply for a little of nothing) with a pretty border, using the colors used at the celebration, for the guests to write their favorite memories of my parents. I later placed these in the large photo album also. What precious memories that others shared that I had never heard before. Some of the guests filled them out while at the celebration, others took them home and sent them back in addressed, stamped envelopes we provided. Blessings to you.

Are you describing something where the photos are secured by ribbon?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clough

Are you describing something where the photos are secured by ribbon?

Yes. I found an image and will post it when I resize it.

For my uncle when he was in a nursing home, we found at WalMart (or maybe an art store, can't remember) a nice frame that had all sorts of sizes of windows into which photos could be put like a collage. The photos were easily removable.

Princess, I did find an image of the design I was referring to. It would not damage any photos and you could make it whatever size you needed and choose colors that would compliment your color scheme of the celebration. I will attach it and hope it helps. :p

I just did this for my in-laws' 50th. I bought one of those "science far" boards at the office supply store (in black) and mounted the photos with 3M's removable glue stick onto gold (for the 50th) metallic paper and then onto the board. It was a big hit!