Guide to Personalized Birthday Gifts - Lots of Ideas and Inspiration!

Not sure what to get someone for their birthday? The answer may be personalized birthday gifts. A personalized gift lets you overcome the brain fog you may be feeling when you're stuck for what to buy someone. 

We all have friends who seem almost impossible to buy for, either because they 'already have everything' or because they have little or no interest in material possessions. Personalised birthday gifts just might be the solution.

You can get so incredibly many kinds of customized birthday gifts these days, from personalized Christmas gifts, to personalized Mothers day gifts, to personalized Fathers day gifts, to personalized bridal gifts, to personalized baby shower gifts, to personalized business gifts, to personalized anniversary gifts, to personalized graduation gifts and even personalized teacher gifts.

And probably even more than that, too.

Personalised gift ideas are all the rage, and very practical to boot.

Personalized Birthday Gifts: Choices, Choices

So, then what to give that special someone who has a birthday coming up? Well the choices are near infinite.

If he or she is the practical and environmentally conscious type they may appreciate reusable shopping bags or, perhaps even better, custom gift cards that let them choose their own present(s).

If they like to cook you could look into personalized aprons. If they're tech savvy, you may check out customized mouse pads. The 'homebody' might like personalized quilts.

If they're into wine or beer you may look at custom coasters or perhaps even personalized wine gift bottles.

For the recipient who has a sweet tooth you can get personalized chocolate gifts where the personalization gives the present that little extra lift to make sure it's unique and special, showing the other person that you really care.

Of course if the 'birthday child' is someone who is playful and appreciates humor then you could explore the diverse world of customized tee shirts or maybe have a set of photo playing cards made for them.

Someone like that may also appreciate personalized coasters, or, customized calendars where you've added some loving, funny or weird touch that makes them happy every time they use those personalized birthday gifts.

There are SO many choices when it comes to personalized gifts for her and personalized gifts for men. Spend some time on the Internet, checking out pages like this one and the many other gifts pages on Quotescoop.com (or elsewhere) to find the ideal personalised gift ideas for the 'birthday child' you're looking to please.

Of course, if all else fails there's always custom gift certificates which lets the recipient choose for themselves.

But let's just take a quick look at photo gifts in general and a couple of very unusual birthday gift ideas of the customized kind.

Creating a Photo Gift

When it comes to birthday gift ideas, you can add a photo to just about any object to add a touch of personalization.

Personalized Mother's Lasting Memories Keepsake Box

Common choices include custom mugs, custom photo books, personalized t-shirts and other items of clothing.

If your friend has a good sense of humor, you can choose a photo of him or her caught in an embarrassing situation.

On the other hand, you might prefer to use a photo of your friend when she was at her best, doing something she loved.

Or you might prefer to use a photo or someone or something else altogether - think of things such as the person's favorite musician, favorite sports team or favorite part of the world.

These things are bound to get a few personalised gift ideas flowing.

Photo Bean Bags

Looking for a really unusual personalized birthday gift that no one will be expecting? A photo bean bag is the perfect choice.

After all, who wouldn't want a bean bag with their own face printed on it? That way they (or you) can do the famous 'sit on my face thing' without anyone thinking twice about it. :-)

The best thing about photo bean bags as a gift is that not only is it fun, it's also practical.

Of course, it doesn't have to be a face printed on the photo bean bag. Is your friend an Xbox addict? Get them a photo bean bag with an image from their favorite game printed on it, so they can sit on it when they play.

Alternatively, you could do retro-themed bean photo bean bags for someone who grew up in the 60s or 70s.

Imagine the reaction you'll get when you show up to the birthday party carrying a rainbow colored bean bag, or one printed with an iconic music legend from the past like Jimi Hendrix or Jim Morrison. Photo bean bags make great personalised gift ideas.

Personalized Photo Puzzles

Does the person having a birthday happen to be a fan of puzzles and brain teasers? If so, you should look into getting a personalized photo puzzle made up as a gift.

The concept is simple - you use a photo of your choice, then have it printed onto cardboard and cut up in a random pattern just as you'd see with a store-bought jigsaw puzzle. You can even get a personalized box printed with the photo on the front.

The photo you choose can be anything. You can use a picture of your friend or one of your whole group of friends together on a memorable occasion. Or, like with the bean bag gift, think of things that your friend likes or is passionate about and use those to fuel those puzzling personalised gift ideas.

Giving an Experience Instead of a Thing

What do you give someone who lives a minimalist lifestyle and doesn't like accumulating material possessions?

The answer is simple: you give them an experience instead of a thing.

Think of something your friend has always wanted to do and book an experience for them. It could be something extreme, like sky-diving, or it might be a trip to the ballet or opera.

Think of things your friend has mentioned to you over the years - what would they really like to experience in life?

If you really want to add an extra personal touch, think of how you can deliver this experience to your friend yourself.

For example, you could put on an eloquent three-course meal for him or her right in your own living room. You could even hire a waiter to make it extra special, if you can afford it.

Personalized Birthday Invitations

Are you the one having the birthday party, rather than receiving gifts?

Whether you're planning a birthday party for someone else or planning your own party, creating personalized birthday invitations will not only get a few smiles and laughs out of your friends, it can actually help get people excited about the party and make sure nobody forgets.

Choosing a good image for the invitations is key. One good option is to use a photo of yourself and a few friends from the previous year' party.

On the other hand, if you're having a theme for your party, you'll want to use a photo that reflects that - a pirate-themed party could have a pirate-themed custom image.

This could be you dressed in a pirate costume, or it could be any random pirate image you find on the Internet.

Or, you might get creative and 'photoshop' (use some photo editing software) to cut out a pirate's outfit and paste it into your own picture to make funny personalized birthday invitations.

Use Your Imagination to Find the Perfect Personalised Gift Ideas

Photo printing businesses can print on just about anything these days. Even if you want to give an item that can't be printed on, much of the same effect can usually be achieved with paint and some steady hands (or some carefully cut stencils and a can of spray paint).

If you really want to try creating an outside the box personalized birthday gift, don't be afraid to give it a go. Even if it doesn't turn out quite as professional-looking as you first imagined, your friend will certainly appreciate the effort you put in.

If you try to paint or decorate a gift yourself and it turns out atrociously, you and your friend can at least have a laugh about it. So don't hold back, give it a try!

Final Words

Nothing appealing to you in the ideas above? Don't worry, because that's only a taste of the options available to you when it comes to personalized birthday gifts.

Have you considered a costume, for example? Think about your friend's favorite movie character, or a TV show they loved when they were growing up. Try to track down a costume of this character, and add you own personal touch to it.

Alternatively, you could make a character-themed gift out of almost any object - clothing, mugs, puzzles - all of these can be printed with an image of your friend's favorite character to create unique and memorable customized birthday gifts.

There are also some fairly ridiculous personalized birthday gift options out there. For instance, if your friend is obsessed with outer space and astronomy, you can buy a title deed to an acre of land on the Moon - or even the title deed to a star! Or you could make one yourself.

Of course, these documents are totally meaningless, but for a youngster they can be a great idea. Your child will be able to show all his friends the piece of paper that proves he owns a piece of the Moon!

There are just so many options and possibilities when it comes to personalized birthday gifts. Let your imagination run wild! That way, even if the person having a birthday ends up not really liking the personalised birthday gifts you come up with, at least you will have had fun coming up all those crazy, unique personalised gift ideas! :-)