If you are looking for a unique way to give a special memory, enter Instapaint. They make it really simple (and affordable) for you to work with a REAL artist to create a completely custom oil painting out of any photo. You choose your style, such as photo-realism, abstract expression or pop art, upload your photo on their site and an artist gets to work. The prices start at $99 and go up to $199, which is extremely affordable for a completely custom piece of art and a great price range for a wedding gift, engagement gift, Mother’s Day or Fathers Day gift.
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
TGI Tips: For your parents, get a favorite family photo turned into a keep-forever piece of art (even sweeter, if it’s a group gift from you and your siblings.) For your anniversary, turn a favorite wedding photo into a sentimental piece you can hang in your forever home. We even love the idea of honoring a beloved fur baby with a custom oil painting. We love the possibilities, we love how easy it is and we love that’s it’s affordable even for those of us without a crazy art budget.
PACKAGES:
1. Small oil painting package starting at $99 (10 x 10 square standard, or choose other available options)
2. Medium oil painting package starting at $149 (15 x 15 square standard, or choose other available options)
3. Large oil painting starting at $199 (22 x 22 square standard or choose other available options)
Summer is here which means it’s time for Dads and Grads gifting season. We have rounded up some great gifts for Dads, some cool options for grads and some ideas that are perfect for either.
1. Artifact Uprising Photo Gifts (TGI Deal!!)
This hip + modern photo gift company has perfect options for both Dads and Grads. Try their wood calendar, desk blocks or Instagram friendly photo books. Their styles are great for minimalist design-lovers and the site is easy to use and easy to upload. $24
Kiko Leather goods have a range of practical & sleek leather options. We are big fans of the passport holder, cord wrap and leather backpack. Lovin’ the dual texture of wool & leather on the Passport case. Handmade, 2 card slots on front. $35
This smartwatch is the brainchild of former Apple and HP product designer Steven Jacobs. It syncs with your smartphones and bluetooth devices to give total command over your digital life. It’s powered by Olio Assist, which is basically a cloud-based personal assistant. We love that while it’s a smartwatch it’s still rugged, useable and easy to read. $445
Neon signs have been a huge trend in home decor lately. Gift the grad a “Hustle” wall sign or trending palm tree desk light or have this talented artist design any custom sign you’d like for Dad’s Man Cave. Hustle, $159.99, custom prices range
When going the fragrance route for your Dad or Grad, we love the latest gift sets out for men that pair a fragrance with a practical tote or travel kit. Try the bright orange Vince Camuto set that comes with spray, shower gel and a travel kit for $75. Fill the bag with a few extra thoughtful goodies your Dad or Grad might love and you have a perfect under $100 gift for him!
6. Michigan Made Inspirational Keys from Franklin Village Boutique
For the grad who you want to inspire, try these key necklaces from the charming Franklin Village Boutique. Each vintage key is Michigan-made and embellished with an inspirational word or phrase, “Dream”, “Journey”, “Strength” etc. You’ll find a whole shop full of other equally affordable yet one-of-kind clothing, gifts and chic pieces right in downtown Franklin. ~$35
A huge trend in insta-worthy apartments and home offices lately are retro-inspired cinema lightboxes. This medium sized style from MyCinemaLightBox can be used on a desk, dorm, office or nightstand and your new grad can easily switch up their inspirational words or messages anytime they like. $49.99
Cool gift for any man, Dad OR Grad. Blackwood wallets are 100% European leather, known for their quality, cool minimalist designs and handsomely packaged, many choices of styles & materials. $55 – $85
TGI DEAL! 20% off Father’s Day coupon code BWFD2016
Keurig K15 coffee makers are small, come in a huge range of different fun colors and are perfect for a new apartment, dorm, man cave or office. Now the hard part is picking the color! (Insider Tip: for grads, try the color of their alma mater or new university) $99
10. Photos Etched in Crystal from 3D Laser Gifts (TGI DEAL!!)
We’re all about photo gifts and this company is a unique spin on the typical frame + photo. You send in a photo and 3D Laser Gifts will mold your photo into a 3 dimensional design and then laser etch into a piece of crystal and comes with a LED light base that accentuates engraving. Prices range, flat is $110
Men’s grooming line with a healthy-living ideology and perfectly gift-able Body and Skin Kit options. Montez Renault was founded by former football teammates & men’s grooming entrepreneurs Christopher Renault Butler & Karlos Montez Dansby. The Body Kit and Skin Kit includes all parabon-free and sulfate-free essentials he needs to stay fresh! Body Kit, $59
Warm weather is here, school is out, and everyone is celebrating! It’s finally time to toast off the end of the school year with graduation BBQs and parties. We all know that celebrations and gift giving can get quite pricey, so The Gift Insider rounded up our six favorite DIY Grad Gifts that will not break the bank!
1. A Framed Emergency Fund
This idea is not only cute, but it is functional! This is a perfect gift for the grads heading to college in the fall. Trust us, they will thank you when it is time for that late night pizza order.
Starting a new chapter is beyond exciting, but leaving friends behind is arguably the toughest part. This DIY map idea is the perfect gift that will have your BFF thinking about you every time they look at their wall.
This DIY gift is the ultimate lifesaver. Put together a little package with a bunch of items that will definitely come in handy for the grads’ first year away from home. TGI Tip: Put all of these things into a small wastebasket for their dorm! That way the packaging is as functional as the gift!
While going off to college is beyond exciting, it can be a lonely change at first. Help make that transition easier buy having loved ones & friends of the grad write down a special memory and compile them all in a cute & decorated mason jar!
We’re totally feeling the summer vibes this June. Don’t get too relaxed and forget about finding something special for Dad or your favorite Grads this year. We’ve rounded up 6 gift ideas to make it easy for you to relax and unwind for the rest of summer.
1. PubsOf Art and Glassware
Pubs Of is the perfect way to honor your Dad’s alma mater or your college grads favorite watering holes. Artist Brian McKelvey created a handprinted collection of street scenes from 80 different cities. The originals are pen & ink sketches with a watercolor wash and then he’s used the images on canvases, posters, prints or glassware.
Prices range from $10-500. 20% Off Code for TGI Members
2. Etiequette Ties
Etiequette (e-ti-ket) is a line of ties that all have themes (i.e. nature, animals, space, etc.) to reflect favorite activities, hobbies, tastes, etc. Tiny cacti or astronauts or cupids or horses, step & repeat to form a uniform pattern. A great gift idea for professionals, or new soon-to-be professionals that still lets them subtly express personality.
$58
These new brightly colored and perfectly sized Keurig 2.0 K250 coffee makers are the perfect practical but still fun gift for a dorm room, starter apartment or small office. The new bright colors (think – turquoise, orange zest, sandy pearl) will liven up their daily routine a bit, with still the ease of the game changing, one-touch coffee maker. You can brew more than 500 different beverages from 70+ brands (not just coffee!)
$119.99
4. Smart Phone FishHunter
The way to easy Father’s Day gifting is to choose his favorite hobby and gift accordingly. For the Dad who lives on the water, try the new FishHunter. It’s small, wireless, completely portable and fits perfectly in his pocket so he can take anywhere he likes to fish. It goes on the surface of the water and measures water depth, surface water temperature and helps you pinpoint fish w/ their corresponding app.
Father’s Day Special, $139
5. Mega Flask, Beer Boot and Man Apron from Burlington
While we do frequently recommend staying somewhat practical for your Dads and Grads gift-giving, sometimes you just need something that’s totally fun. We found these Mega Flasks ($13), Massive Beer Boots ($9.99) and Man Aprons ($7.99) at Burlington – cheap and perfectly gifted together or apart. Little over $30 for all three, normally priced at $86.
6. Dyson Heating/Cooling System
Back to practical, but cool…this isn’t your typical fan – it’s a chicly and sleekly designed new heating/cooling system by Dyson and will keep those dorm rooms, new apartments or offices hot or cool depending on what you need. It’s quiet (aka won’t annoy your roommates or colleagues,) can fit under a desk or looks sleek left out. We’re especially into the blue + iron color.
$349.99
*The Gift Insider is highly curated and the picks are all items we think our readers will love giving as gifts. Some items listed are sponsors of the site.
Father’s Day is the perfect time to tell Dad how much you love him! DIY gifts are a sentimental way to show your appreciation, and they’re lots of fun. Here are some of our favorites we rounded up from Pinterest.
Salt Dough Footprint Keepsakes
This is a totally sweet gift from the kids that will last forever!
YUM! This is totally funny and will go perfect on a tray for breakfast in bed! Whip up some eggs and toast, and Dad will have the perfect start to a perfect day! This is awesome as a gift from Mom or the entire fam!
It’s crunch time, folks. June 15th is just a few days away and a lot of you have asked for last-minute gift ideas for your Dads this Father’s Day.
Enter, Amazon Prime, our saving grace for anything last-minute. A one-time $99.00 membership gets you free 2-day shipping on a lot of great gift items. Here are 7 Gift Ideas for Dads that you can quickly order on Amazon Prime to arrive for your Father’s Day celebrations.
June marks the start of summer, graduation parties and celebrating Dads! We’ve put together a pretty awesome list of gifts for Dads and Grads to help you give something they’ll really dig.
While we don’t recommend waiting until the day-of to find a gift for Dad, for the years it inevitably happens, here are some thoughtful ideas you can send, print or give last minute. And we mean literally, five minutes before brunch.
1. A New Wardrobe in a Trunk – Leave picking out clothes for Dad to the professionals. Give him a printable gift certificate to TrunkClub, a company that does his shopping for him and delivers in a trunk right to his door (he can conveniently send back anything he doesn’t like.)
2. iPhone/iPod Apps – Does Dad have all the gadgets but no clue what to do with them. Help him out and download some apps from iTunes for him that fit his interests. iTunes.com
3. Box of Awesome – Give dad a subscription to Bespoke Post and they will send a “Box of Awesome” handpicked with cool and curated products to Dad each month. Give 1, 3 or 6 months. Their Junes box is s a collaboration with DETAILS Magazine and full of summer essentials like foldable sunglasses.
4. Personalized Magazine Cover – Pick Dad’s favorite hobby (Golf, Fishing, Hunting, etc) upload a photo a photo of him to YourCover.com and choose funny headlines to make him the star of his own magazine. Print out on you computer and find an inexpensive frame at your local drugstore. $12.95 + frame.
5. Of-the-Month Clubs – Whiskey of the Month Club, BBQ of the Month Club, Sock of the Month Club. These subscriptions keep on giving, look thoughtful but really can be ordered a couple hours before it’s time to head out the door.
We all know EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU have waited until the last minute to find a gift at some point … tell us what you have scrounged up before you needed to head your annual Father’s Day gathering? Comment below or on our Facebook page.
