Scrap booking for Baby or anything else for that matter is not only a fun hobby and creative past-time, it’s a way of preserving special memories that serves as a special keepsake for a lifetime.  It’s similar to a photo book or baby book but can be more detailed by adding your thoughts and feelings and personalized to your featured subject or your own personality which is why I love it.  First, lets talk about scrap-booking in general and then I’ll share some of my own personal scrap-booking I’ve created.

Scrapbook Themes

What’s really great about scrap booking is that you can do one on any theme your heart desires.  Pregnant? Why not start a scrapbook on your pregnancy recording 1st doctor visits, pictures of your self as your belly starts to grow, ultrasound pics of baby, you can feature a month to month progress up until the day your baby is born. Then of course, you’ll want to start another theme featuring baby himself.  You can also create scrapbooks on baby’s pre-school years, then school years, college days and any other special events that he encounters growing up.  You can scrapbook about special family vacations and just about anything else that means something to you that you may want to remember and look back on some day and show to your future grandchildren! 

I actually did a scrapbook on my son’s Karate experiences.  It was my first attempt at scrap booking.  I only wish I had started one years ago but I plan to still do a baby scrapbook for him soon.  Luckily, I’ve been saving special pictures and other pieces of his history safely tucked away in a keepsake box, that will make perfect additions to his book.  I have found my scrapbooking experience so far to be a  lot of fun and even though I’ve never considered myself to be very creative, I have discovered that I can be if I try.  More on my scrapbook later, let’s talk more about details on getting started if your a first timer too.

How to Get Started With Scrapbooking

Of course, after you’ve selected your theme, you’ll need to purchase a scrapbook and materials that will assist you in your creative venture.  You’l also want to gather some pictures that you have of your featured guest.  There are lots of sites online where you can purchase your items or visit your local crafts store, which is what I did, because I’m a hands on kind of person, I wanted to actually hold and examine everything I was considering.  Plan at least a couple of hours to browse the aisles because there is so much too choose from and you don’t want to rush into buying things that you might not need or at least not need right away.  I started out with just a few items to get me started, then once I actually sat down to begin, more ideas came to me, so I made of list of what I wanted to do next and what I might need to purchase.  Trust me, it can be an expensive hobby so be careful if you don’t want to break the bank on your creativity, and by going slow, you can spend a little at a time vs. alot all at once.  I can easily get over excited and purchase things I might end up not using if I’m not careful because everything is so cute, especially the baby and kids stuff. Also, watch for sales and special discounts being offered on scrapbooking supplies, this could help cut down on the cost tremdously.

Suggested Materials List

• Photos
• Scrapbook ( Any size you like)
• Ribbons
• Embellishments (Buttons, Stickers, Brads, etc.)
• Stickers and Scrapbooking Rub-Ons
• Art Supplies (glue, hot glue gun, 2 way sticky tape, markers, pens, etc.)
• Tools (Scissors, Rulers, Paper Punch, Die-Cutters, etc.)
• Organizers (For storing supplies)

View this great video by APieceofCraft.com…She makes scrapbooking look like a Piece of Cake! 

Some Pictures of My Own Scrapbooking Venture

 As you can see, I’m no expert and this was my first attempt so with that said, I think it turned out pretty darn good!  Since my son attends ”The All American Karate”, I chose an all american theme and as you can see, I chose to display each of his certificates on it’s own page with an actual piece of his belt he received on each graduation.  I plan to set this out on a table at his high school graduation party some day, along with other future scrapbooks I create of his life, I’m so looking forward to showing off his accomplishments over the years!

If you’ve never tried scrapbooking, I hope this article has inspired you to give it a try! If you consider yourself an expert scrapper then by all means, share! Let’s Get Srappin’!

For Great Tips & Ideas

Visit Scrapbooking101.net for great articles on baby scrapbooking, general information, supplies, basic techniques, using patterned paper and more!  They do a great article on ideas on how to make a baby book and include suggestions on layout and things to include to make your baby’s scrapbook extra special and memorble!

Suggested Online Scrapbooking Retailers

Scrapbooking Warehouse

Michaels