It’s not hard to find a gift for my dad, though up until this Father’s Day, the present never felt special. He always just wants a few good books and doesn’t ever say what he needs or what he would like. And, for a long time, I was fine just getting him books, because we both read at least 30 books a year. It’s a shared interest. But, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve grown irritated with his insistence that he doesn’t “need anything.” So, after not getting answers for a few years in a row, I decided to get serious and find something that I knew he’d like for Father’s Day (though I think it can work for any gifting occasion, including weddings and baby showers).

My dad has been in the process of slowly redesigning his office and he hung up old family photos of my great-grandparents and grandparents on the walls, though he hadn’t mentioned more recent photos and hadn’t printed out any photos within the last five years or so. And there was another factor, which made me think photos and a frame were the perfect gift. My parents’ dog, Ellie, died last Christmas and she was my dad’s best buddy. He had a few photos with her over the years, so I decided that I wanted a mix of photos that my dad could switch out of a single frame that could live on his desk. I found just this at Artifact Uprising and it turned out better than I had originally envisioned.

For just $59, Artifact Uprising sells a Brass Easel and 12 12 5″x7” Everyday Prints. The prints have a matte finish and are lightly textured. The brass frame comes in two pieces that interlock together (an important note here: The easel stands vertically, so only pick vertical photos as part of your 12). The easel comes in either brass or hand-dipped matte black patina.

Selecting the photos is simple — you can upload them straight to the site, and Artifact Uprising will flag if the photo is too low-quality (which sometimes photos pulled from social media can be, though I printed a few that were considered low-quality and didn’t notice any blurriness). You can edit your photos on Artifact Uprising and convert them to black-and-white, which I did for several of the 12 I printed.

After I ordered, they shipped within a week. Because Artifact Uprising is a smaller site, I recommend not trying to order last-minute, because it might not arrive on time.

This gift was simple to order — I was surprised at how easy it was. Sure, it did take about a half hour to determine which photos I wanted to select for the prints, so I recommend taking time to determine those, but after that, it was a breeze.

What I loved most was how it turned out. I was luckily home when my dad opened the gift and set it up. He was speechless and moved that I took the time to print out the photos of Ellie, family photos that weren’t yet displayed in the house, photos of the garden that he painstakingly maintains, and photos from his business trips (the one displayed above is from Hawaii).

He keeps the easel front-and-center on his desk and shuffles the prints around frequently. Unlike regular frames, it’s really easy to change out the prints (it literally takes two seconds), and they can all be kept on the easel, so your loved one doesn’t lose them.

If you’re looking for a sentimental gift to give this holiday season, I think this is an affordable, elegant option that your family member or loved one is sure to love. And my dad definitely appreciated it more than a book.