Baby Book

Remember the baby shower I threw a few weeks ago.... well, baby Harlee arrived last week.  She is adorable!  It is so much fun to go over and have a cuddle with a new born.  To be reminded of how small and precious my children once were is such a gift.   

So I wanted to give my friend a precious gift to house her memories of this precious time.  Time that will go by all to quickly. 

And this is what I made her.  She is not a scrapbooker.  The concept of gathering our thoughts and pictures together and marrying them on a page has not been something she has been interested in doing.  But, after I gave her this little book, she may become a convert.  Seriously though, I truly believe that moments need to be captured and savored and saved for those times when you want to be reminded or revisit how you felt at a specific time.  And there is no better way to do that than scrapbooking.  

I did a little stash diving and found this notebook that came in a class kit from Great American Scrapbooking convention almost 3 years ago.  It was the perfect book to alter to make a baby book.  I then sorted through my papers and embellies and came up with a color scheme that would work.  It helped that I had a 6x6 paper pad that I used as my foundation for theme and color.  

(sorry about all the sideways pictures.... the angle I shot the pictures did not look good when I turned the photo.....didn't think of that at the time.)

Inside the front cover I adhered a vellum envelope with a few small plastic baggies stashed inside.  My thought is that she could put baby's first hair cut in there along with any other keepsakes that she may want to hold onto. 

The title page of the album.... the "Adore" is just there to hide her face, not sure momma would want her in my blog.... 

The notebook I used was from a Tattered Angels class on technique, so it came with the dividers and the paper inside.  I used my die cutter to make new tabs and a stamp set from Close To My Heart, Notice the Details, to embellish the tabs. 

(sideways pictures starting now - oops!)

On the pages themselves I kept it really simple with 2 pattern  papers, a photo spot and a few embellishments. 

I repeated patterns throughout the book 

keeping the color scheme fairly tight

but hopefully not boring.

On the back of each page I drew in some lines in hopes that my friend will write down the things that are most important at the time.....like the date of Harlee's first smile, her first giggle, her first steps....  because as a mom to 4, I know that you forget.  At the time it seems unforgettable, but life is filled with these unforgettable little moments and as hard as you try, you will not remember the details.  You will remember the big picture, but the details, they get lost.  Write it down!   Okay, enough soap box talk... moving on....

The completed book turned out really well.  I was fairly proud to present it to her.  To share with her something I believe in with all my heart..... keeping my family treasures in scrapbooks, so I can share them with my family and friends years from now.  For her part, she was so thankful, grateful.  She kept repeating "It's so beautiful!" over and over again.... I told her that what will really make it beautiful will be when it is filled with her pictures and her stories.  That's where the beauty is. 

Hope all are well. 

Wishing you a beauty filled day. 

T.