Baby Bonanza
Welcoming a child into the world is one of the greatest gifts life has to offer. Documenting this time is incredibly special and invaluable for both you and your child! However, if you are anything like me, finding time to scrapbook and document memories was not always in the forefront of my mind during the first few months of motherhood. Life suddenly becomes a blurof diaper changes, feedings, late night rocking, and cuddling.
So where to begin? Let's explore three unique approaches to scrapbooking your baby, proving that pink and blue are not the only acceptable colors when you're documenting your little bundle of joy. (And there's not a stroller sticker or baby bunny stamp in sight!)
1. Use timelines to tell the story of your baby.
Using a timeline is a great way to document the story of your baby. Using a timeline as they grow, such as showcasing month by month growth, allows you to organize your layouts in a chronolgical fashion. Additionally, you can use a photography timeline to show a particular event or milestone unfold—such as baby's first roll or first few steps. I have discovered that life with a newborn, infant, and even a toddler, constantly revolves around schedules and routines. As mundane as they may seem, be sure to to record these ever-changing schedules in a layout. It is amazing how quickly we forget these particular (and precious!) stages of a baby's life, as their needs change on a daily basis.
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Supplies: patterned paper, stickers, alphabet stickers, wood veneers, mist (Studio Calico) • pen (Uniball Signo) • 12x12 layout by Stephanie Howell
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Stephanie Howell documented the precious first moments of her twin daughters' birth in the format of a timeline in "1st Days." A bonus tip from Stephanie: "Use photos from your phone for baby layouts. I took about 300 iPhone photos in the hospital when we had Cate and Lucy. I'm not so great at printing or scrapbooking these photos, but they are invaluable! They provide a 'slice of life' approach to photography—one I just can't capture with my bulky DSLR."
Take a moment and look through your phone photos. Do you notice any timelines or routines unfolding? Don't be afraid to scrapbook and display these photos!
2. Document your baby's surroundings.
While much focus in a baby layout is on your baby, and rightfully so, why not take a step back and observe his or her surroundings? What does his nursery look like? What is his (or your) favorite outfit, toy, or soothing item? What's that special baby gift given by relative or friend? These items are easy to overlook during the busy first months, but they will hold a special place in the pages of your album.|
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Supplies: cardstock (Bazzill) • patterned paper, buttons, stickers (Studio Calico) • chipboard letters (BasicGrey) • printed canvas (Prima) • border punch (Fiskars) • 12 x 12 layout by Francine Clouden |
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Francine Clouden's, layout includes a variety of photos of her son's nursery. Take time to photograph your child's room at every age! With age, bedrooms continually change (and become increasingly more messy!). It's a great way to share the personality of your child through his or her surroundings—and to showcase mom's great nursery decor choices.
3. Connect the past with the present.
A unique theme to explore when scrapbooking your baby is connecting with the past. This is an excellent way to create baby layouts, especially if you are scrapbooking baby photos from years or decades ago.
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Supplies: patterned paper (K& Co. Making Memories, Cosmo Cricket, The Girls' Paperie, Jenni Bowlin, We R Memory Keepers) • stickers (Basic Grey) • brads (Making Memories, American Crafts) • buttons, mist (Studio Calico) • 12 x 12 layout by Marcy Penner |
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Marcy Penner was able to connect with the past in this "baby" layout by having her eleven year old daughter hold one of her own baby dresses. Marcy shares a few challenges she has faced as she scrapbooked baby layouts, "My first problem was that I knew nothing about photography when my daughter was born. No composition, bad lighting—just horrible photos all around. I got my first digital camera three years later, but until then, everything was on film. My second problem was that my computer crashed three years ago. Luckily I had the old pictures on a disc, but even if I had not, connecting the present with the past would've been the only way to document her childhood. Creating a baby-themed layout can still be done at any age."
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Supplies: cardstock (Bazzill) • patterned paper, die-cuts, chipboard flowers, die-cuts, rub-ons (Lily Bee Designs) • scalloped circle punch (The Paper Studio) • ribbon (Michael’s) • twine (Martha Stewart) • stick pin (Making Memories) • mist (Tattered Angels) • alphabet stickers, pen (American Crafts) • 12 x 12 Layout by Jenni Hufford |
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In this layout, I was able to connect the past with the present by showing a photo of both myself and my daughter at the same age in the same outfit (thanks mom for saving my cute baby clothes!) and journaled the many similarites between the two of us, even at the age of 18 months. Comparison photos between yourself and your child (or grandparents and child, older siblings and child) is a meaningful approach to connect your baby to special relationships and heirlooms in your family.
I hope these ideas inspire you to approach newborn, infant, and toddler scrapbooking in a unique and different way.
Do you need help taking better photos of your newborn, infant, toddler, or even teenager? Three pro photographers teamed up to bring you their best photography tips for kids of all ages in Picture Perfect: 129 expert tips for shooting stellar portraits.