Making DIY gifts for your boyfriend using photos is easy and doesn't cost a lot of money. You can create funny or sentimental presents that include photos of you, pics of you together, or even snaps of your favorite places to be together.
Caption Me Framed Photo
This easy and cute present would a perfect gift for a teenage boyfriend, and it gives your guy the chance to put words in your mouth or say something he's nervous about sharing. Since it's private, fun, and doesn't have to be sentimental, this idea is great for your first holiday together or for a new boyfriend.
What You'll Need
- One 8 by 10 picture frame with glass
- One 8 by 10 photo of you or you and him where the top half is only sky or light-colored background
- Black permanent marker or a large thought bubble sticker
- White paper
- Glue
- Scissors
- Dry erase marker set
Directions
- Use the permanent marker to draw a large thought bubble on the white paper. Make sure it will fit over your head in the photograph.
- Cut out the thought bubble and glue it to the picture just above your head. If you're doing a picture of the both of you, put one thought bubble above each person's head.
- Put the photo inside the frame.
- Use a dry erase marker to write a message on the glass inside the thought bubble.
- Give the framed photo and the dry erase marker set as your gift.
- Your guy can use a tissue to erase the words and write whatever he wants.
- On future occasions you can give him new photographs with thought bubbles to add to his frame.
Personalized Wooden Peg Game
Mini wooden peg games are great boredom busters. If you want a creative gift for your boyfriend, a personalized game featuring you and him is perfect. He can play the game when he's stuck home alone and still feel like you're around. This personalized game makes a great birthday gift.
What You'll Need
- A pre-made wooden peg game (like baseball or football)
- Two headshots of you in 1 by 1 inch size (you can print them this small or simply cut your head out of a 4 by 6 photo)
- Two headshots of your BF in 1 by 1 inch size
- Packing tape
- Scissors
- Craft Knife
- Superglue
Directions
- Use the craft knife to cut the headshots into small circles.
- Cut two small pieces of packing tape and sandwich one picture between the two pieces. Use your finger to smooth it out.
- Use the craft knife to cut the tape about one-eighth to one-quarter of an inch around the photo in the circle shape.
- Repeat Steps 2 and 3 on the three remaining photos.
- Glue each photo, face up, to the top of one of the pegs. You now have custom game pieces that pit him against you.
- Place the pegs in the game board and wrap.
Girlfriend Car Air Freshener
If your guy has his own car and you need a small gift idea, he'll love this custom girlfriend air freshener. Since this present will be on public display, it's best for relationships that are already several months in and loving holidays like Valentine's Day.
What You'll Need
- One small sheet of craft foam board
- Craft knife
- Photo of yourself (4 by 6 or 5 by 7 is best)
- Glue
- Your favorite perfume
- String
- Scissors
- Cotton swab
Directions
- Use the craft knife to cut out your entire body from the photograph.
- Glue the photo cutout to the foam board.
- Once dry, use the craft knife to cut through the foam board around the photo.
- Use the scissors to poke a hole near the top of the foam board. You can leave some extra foam board at the top for this hole if needed.
- Tie the string into a long loop that goes through the hole.
- Use the cotton swab to rub your favorite perfume along the cut sides of the foam board and on the back.
- Hang to dry.
- Your boyfriend can hang the air freshener in his car so it will smell a little like you.
Photo Relationship Map
Show the journey you've had together in a romantic boyfriend gift like this photo love map. It's a bit like a photo collage for your boyfriend, but with a modern twist. You or your guy can add to it as your relationship progresses making this a serious and sentimental present.
What You'll Need
- Bulletin board (at least 18 by 12 inch size)
- Pushpins
- Small photos of important places like where you met, your first date, and your first kiss
- Map of your town or county
- String or yarn
- Scissors
- Optional: small pieces of paper and pen
Directions
- Center the map on the bulletin board and secure in each corner with a pushpin.
- Use a pushpin to attach each photo near its location on the map.
- Tie the string around the pushpin holding the first significant location, such as where you met.
- Extend the string to reach the pushpin holding the next photo and tie it around that pushpin.
- Continue in this fashion until you have one line of string attaching all the photos together. Cut the string after tying on the last pushpin.
- Optional: Write dates, memories, or place names on the little pieces of paper and attach each one under the picture it goes with.
Illustrated Love Poem
Use images of you to replace some of the words in a love poem for your boyfriend to make it more personal. You can use a teenage love poem written by another author or try writing your own love poem. This gift is perfect for anniversaries, his birthday, or Valentine's Day.
What You'll Need
- Piece of paper or small canvas
- Pen or marker
- Camera
- Scissors
- Glue
Directions
- Print or write the poem you want to use.
- Look for words you can easily illustrate in a small photograph, especially emotions you can show on your face. Circle each word. Make sure you are only doing about one word per line so it doesn't get too crowded.
- Take selfies of you acting out each selected word and print them.
- Cut the images into small squares, about 1 inch by 1 inch.
- On your paper or canvas start writing your poem. When you encounter one of your selected words, glue the appropriate photo where the text would be.
- Continue writing the lines of poetry.
Interactive Polaroid Wreath
One of the easiest DIY photo gifts for him is a simple clothespin photo display. You can make this gift funny, romantic, all about you, or all about him depending on your relationship and the occasion. To start, choose a theme for your wreath such as "20 Things I Like About You" for a new relationship or "What Makes Our Love Last" for your one-year anniversary.
What You'll Need
- Polaroid pictures
- Clothespins
- Cardboard
- Large bowl
- Small bowl
- Markers
- Scissors
Directions
- Trace the wide edge of the large bowl on your cardboard.
- Center the small bowl's edge inside your tracing of the large bowl and trace.
- Cut out around the outside and inside edge of your large circle to make a wreath.
- Decorate the inner half of the cardboard wreath using markers.
- On the long, flat side of each clothespin write one word that matches the picture it will hold and your theme.
- Attach pictures to the outer edge of the cardboard wreath with the clothespin that corresponds with it.
The Gift of Memories
Whether your guy is sentimental or not, he'll love anything with an image of you or the two of you together. Think about his personality and what defines your relationship, then create or find a photo that captures those things to use in your crafty gift. You can do so many cool things with pictures for gifts, which is great for teens on a budget.
