This Digital Picture Frame Is a Thoughtful Mother’s Day Gift

Take it from an expecting mom.

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Real Simple / Tyler Roeland

It's almost time to celebrate the amazing mothers in our lives. But what do you give your mom when you want her to feel special and want to get her something more meaningful than the usual grocery store bouquet of flowers and chocolates? In my years of gift-giving, I have found that when in doubt, it's always best to go the sentimental route. I pride myself on my ability to give thoughtful gifts, but this past Christmas, I was outdone by my husband who surprised me with the Aura Carver Mat Frame. As an expectant mother, I already have my frame loaded with special memories, and I know any mom will cherish the ability to display the photos usually tucked away in their phone's camera roll.

The frame is currently available for $30 off just in time for Mother's Day. While other digital frames tend to look more like mini tablets, the clean, modern Aura Frame looks like an actual picture frame with its black or clay rim and white mat. I appreciate this because it seamlessly blends in with my home decor without automatically screaming that it's an electronic. I have mine on my piano with a few other frames for a laid-back, gallery-style look, but the freestanding frame will blend in with your mom's existing photo display setup—or anywhere she wants to place it.

Aura

To buy: $149 (was $179); auraframes.com and amazon.com.

I’m not incredibly tech-savvy, but loading the frame with photos was super easy. I just downloaded the Aura app and shared photos and videos from my camera roll to my frame. Right now, mine is loaded with memories of family, friends, and of course, our dog. However, once our first child is here in a few short weeks, I expect my frame to be full of photos of the baby. Swapping out photos is super easy, too: Just open the app, select the pictures you want to remove, and click ‘Add Photos’ to add new ones. That said, the frame holds over 10,000 pictures, so it's unlikely that I—or any other mom out there—will need to replace any.

Besides the app, you can also share photos to the frame via its unique email address, or upload them directly from your computer. I don't need to worry about editing or cropping my photos to fit the frame before adding them, as the frame automatically crops pictures and pairs portrait photos with its Photo Match. I usually just let my frame scroll through my selected pictures, but there's an interactive touch bar at the top where you can manage photos and scroll.

The frame will automatically shut off at night, so if your mom plans on having her frame in her bedroom, there's no need to manually unplug the frame or turn off the display for a good night's sleep.

This frame is truly one of the most thoughtful gifts I’ve ever received, and I know any other mother will appreciate being able to enjoy her smartphone photos the old-fashioned way, in a frame. My suggestion? For an added touch, preload some of her favorite photos before gifting it to her.

This Mother's Day, treat your mom to the Aura Carver Mat Frame, and grab it while it's $30 off at Aura Frames or Amazon.