The Baby Gift with Heart

Scrapbooking: The Baby Gift with Heart by Lisa A. Koosis


Diaper bags. Engraved silver picture frames. Cute little outfits covered in teddy bears and puppies. These are the tried-and-true classics when it comes to gifts for welcoming a baby into the world, the things every Mom-To-Be needs or wants, and no baby shower would be complete without them.

Still, there are times when you just want to give a gift that's a little bit different, something that will enable you to add your own personal touch. So if you're looking for a creative idea for a baby gift, you might not have to look further than your local crafts store.

The craft of scrapbooking has become a popular pastime over the past few years, a way to commemorate special events in your own personal way. For exactly that reason, scrapbooks make wonderful gifts for many occasions -- and what better occasion to give a gift of memory-safekeeping than the birth of a child?

When it comes to gift-giving, the great thing about scrapbooks is the sheer variety of supplies and choices. For those who are completely unfamiliar with the world of crafts, and who might find giving such a gift daunting, there are pre-made kits that include everything you need to start. Often those kits are geared specifically to certain occasions, such as a new baby and can even come in pink and blue.

For those looking to go the custom path, however, a scrapbooking gift is rich in possibilities. Most major craft stores have a minimum of one entire aisle and often more than one aisle dedicated to scrapbook supplies and other assorted paper crafts.

If you've decided to purchase a scrapbook as a baby gift, you'll want to make a trip to your local craft store. Although scrapbooks are available for purchase at major greeting card retailers, photo shops and even department stores, for selection, your best bet will be a craft store or a retail store that has a reasonable selection of craft products.

Scrapbooks come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from pocket-size to others the size and shape of larger, coffee-table books, with a corresponding price range, so the amount you've decided to spend on your gift will potentially be a factor. Beyond that, the possibilities are still numerous -- color, texture, binding style, personalization, etcetera.

Once you've chosen the scrapbook, then it's time to accessorize. Accessories for scrapbooking are nearly limitless these days with some creative thinking. There are standard accessories available in the scrapbook and paper craft aisle of the store.

Essentials include the actual paper that will form the pages of the scrapbook, and these days even choosing the paper can be an adventure. Multi-colored packages of paper are available in varying sizes. Some scrapbooks don't actually come with pages included, so make sure, if your chosen scrapbook doesn't, to match the size of the paper to the size of your album so that the recipient will have pages to set directly into the scrapbook.

You can also purchase packages of assorted smaller sizes and shapes that make nice backgrounds and mats for individual photographs and keepsakes. Many craft stores also sell specialty papers that you can purchase by the sheet, mixing and matching as you see fit. Many of the papers are unique and beautiful and they vary in price.

Other essentials for the intended scrapbooker include stickers, rubber stamps and stamp pads, and photo-safe markers. There are also hole-punches in assorted shapes such as hearts and stars, glitter pens, specialty scissors that create artistic edges on paper, and assorted baubles for decoration, including specialty trims and item tags. Of course, you won't want to forget the basics such as glue, double-stick tape, and photo corners to keep the photos in place without ruining them. And why not include a few rolls of film, a disposable digital camera, or a gift certificate to the local photo-processing lab?

There are also other possibilities for those wanting to spend a little more money, such as software for designing scrapbook pages on the home computer, and even digital cameras and photo printers. The possibilities really are endless.

Finally, you'll want a basket, or a beautiful gift bag to make the presentation of your gift as pleasing as the gift itself.

This is also something that would make a wonderful gift for the sibling of a new baby, something interactive and fun, to encourage their involvement in the preservation of precious memories.

More than anything, this is a gift that's fun and functional and shows that a whole lot of thought went into it. And isn't that what gift-giving is really all about?

About the Author
This article has been submitted in affiliation with http://www.BabyNameVote.Com/ which is a site for Baby Names.