Gifts that truly moveA photo of yours turned into a lamp. The present nobody sees coming.
Some presents get unwrapped, thanked for and forgotten within a couple of days. Others light up. Literally.
A retro TV with one of your own photos inside isn't up against the latest gadget or yet another T-shirt. It's in a different league: the "how on earth did you think of that?" league. And the best part is that you don't have to come up with the idea yourself: the photo does it for you.
That's what this post is about: who to give it to, which picture to choose and how to make the moment they open it the one that counts.
The trouble with buying for someone who has everything
Your partner, your parents, that friend who buys whatever she wants whenever she wants it. Every birthday, the same blank. Whatever they need, they've already got; and whatever they haven't got, they don't want.
The answer isn't finding a better thing. It's to stop giving things and give a moment that already exists: that trip, the afternoon on the beach, the dog as a puppy, your grandparents' wedding. The things nobody can buy, because only you have them.
Why a lit photo and not a frame
A framed photo is lovely. But every home has one, and after a fortnight nobody looks at it any more.
A lithophane works the other way round: switched off, you can't see a thing, just a white relief inside a miniature telly. You have to press a button for the picture to appear, in warm tones, as if it were coming from a screen forty years old. That small act of switching it on turns the photo into a little ritual. It goes on in the evening, gets shown off to visitors, gets looked at again and again.
Which photo to choose, depending on who it's for
Not every photo works equally well for everyone. A few ideas that never miss:
- Your partner: the first photo you ever took together, or the one from that trip that always comes up in conversation.
- Parents or grandparents: an old photo of them when they were young. Black and white works especially well, because a lithophane is already all about light and shadow.
- Friends: the group shot from that festival, that shared flat, that summer.
- Pet owners: the dog or cat looking straight at the camera. It's the one that gets the most smiles, by a mile.
- New parents: the baby's very first photo, for the bedside table.
One tip for all of them: look for light and contrast. If you're torn between two, go for the brighter one. And if you want to fine-tune your pick, here are 5 photos that look stunning lit up.
The moment it lights up
Give it switched off. It looks like a toy telly, with its coloured case and blank white screen, and that throws people. Let them look at it, let them ask what it is.
And then, the button at the back. Warm light shines through the relief and the photo appears. That second is the gift. Nothing else needs explaining.
If you're sending it to another city, it works just the same: it comes with its USB cable, plugs into any USB phone charger (charger not included) and the button is right there to find.
The practical bit, so it arrives in time
Every TV is made to order in our workshop in Gijón: we convert your photo, 3D print it, assemble it and test it switched on. That's why it pays to order with time to spare.
- Price, VAT included, with USB cable
- €34.94
- Exact lead time shown on the product page before you pay
- Made to order
- Pink, green, yellow, blue
- 4 colours
- We ship to
- Mainland Spain and the Balearics
For Christmas, Valentine's Day or Mother's Day, check the lead time on the product page before you pay and don't leave it until the last week. And if you've got a specific date in mind, drop us a line and we'll confirm whether we can make it.
You've got the idea. All that's missing is the photo.