Photo Gift Tags (perfect for Christmas presents!)

Disclaimer – This is a sponsored post brought to you by Canon.  All opinions are 100% my own. 

One of my very favorite new toys is the IVY Mini Photo printer.  It is a pocket sized printer that creates the most adorable sticker-backed photos that can be used ANYWHERE (it’s wireless so you charge it just like a cell phone and then you take it with you anywhere you go and can print directly from your phone!).  It is perfect for kids, teens and moms!  I have used it so many times (pop a fun sticker in the kid’s lunch box, print a photo for mini photo frames, stick a romantic picture on Jeremy’s mirror, print a photo for the collage inside the boy’s ‘treasure chest’, etc.) and I am still thinking of new ways it comes in handy.  The best part is – it uses ZINK technology, which means zero ink, the print quality is top notch and the sticker-back makes for all sorts of fun applications.  PLUS…it prints directly from the phone – so no more ‘photo-squatting’ (aka sitting on photos and never printing!).

All that being said….my kids are constantly asking which present under the tree is theirs and I thought it would be fun to this year print their faces to label presents!  That’s right – we are making photo gift tags!  They are so young that reading is still something we are working on and this will help them do their job of distributing presents on Christmas morn!

So let me share with you exactly how I made these beautiful Christmas photo gift tags!

First, I took gathered up some colorful scarves and hats and picked a spot with a blank background.  I had a piece of scrap white wood that I used as our backdrop.

The kids all picked out their own hat and scarf combo.  It doesn’t matter if they are still wearing jammies or yogurt covered tee shirts – it is a very close up shot!

For natural smiles, I always ask the kids to tell me a joke and I try to make sure I maintain eye contact the entire time.  Children know if you aren’t looking!  Then when they get to the punch line I always mess it up and it makes them giggle.

For babies, it is helpful to just get something in focus.  If your little one can’t stay put, consider having them sit in a tiny chair or on a stool!

And for pets, I am not a pro but I can usually manage to get a decent photo!  I hold a treat up over my head so that Bear looks in that general direction.  Bear really doesn’t LOVE treats – he is more of a “clean-the-highchair” kinda dog (his BFF is Ella right now because she is in the general throwing food phase!) – but he still will look up!

I used my phone to edit the photos (just making the saturation pop and increased the lightness and contrast).  Then I used the IVY printer to print my gift tags.  It is really just that easy!

The printer is fast and produces small pictures so make sure your photo is cropped enough to fill the majority of the space with face.

Since the gift tags are printed on photo paper that ALREADY COMES as a sticker, it didn’t require any additional glue, tape or fasteners.  I just peeled the back off and stuck it directly on the wrapped gift.

When it comes to wrapping, I like to use a variety of bags, papers, ribbon and yarn.  One of my other favorite fast things to do is use Christmas floral picks.  After tying the ribbon, lodge the pick under the tie and stick the photo tilted to make a balanced and beautiful wrapping job.

And the best part is – if you wanted to save the photos, you can just trim the excess paper off.  They would be great for popping in ornaments after the holidays!  That’s what we call a two-fer 🙂

Oh and heads up – the Canon IVY comes in a bunch of different colors – rose gold, slate gray and mint green!  And it is a great gift idea so charge it up, print out your tags and then pop it in your stocking!  You deserve it!  #treatyoself