Gift Idea #2

Mini scrapbooks. Yeah, I know, it's nothing new but I am going to give you my twist on a simple, quick, and easy way to put together a meaningful scrapbook.

To keep the cost down, pick up a $1.99 hot spot 6 x 6 scrapbook at Archivers. They come in all kinds of fun designs and they are only $1.99 so you can't beat it...

What I do is keep it simple. I'll show you examples from 2 mini scrapbooks I made for the kids. Both of these books were done by months. I just did a page for each month and then a few extra photos at the end of the book.

I always start off with a title page. I am a huge fan of my date stamper and use it all the time! Notice how the months aren't perfect. I have learned to embrace imperfection and I love it that way...

You can buy coordinating paper packs in a 6 x 6 size so they are ready to go. That is what I did with Avery's book. I fell in love with these papers so there was no need to look any further...

I simply used letter stickers to label the months. I used plain ol' notebook paper for the journaling. I typed out what I wanted each page to say and then printed it out and cut it accordingly. To keep the journaling super easy, I just used phrases to describe the bigger events and moments from that particular month. I keep the same basic layout for each page...

The title of Tyson's book is "Tyson". Pretty clever, huh? For his book, I found a few different 12 x 12 papers that worked well together and that I happened to love. I cut them down to size and got to work using letter stickers again for the title...

For Tyson's book, I used numbers instead of labeling each month since it was for his first year.

I also used journaling tags in his book. LOVE them. They are so fun and easy. The ones I used were by 7 gypsies. If you like them, click here so you will know what to look for at your local scrapbook store. I also LOVE these and these.

I usually use black & white photos for my mini scrapbooks just because I like it that way. Also, as I said earlier, I keep the same basic layout for each page.

I used my own handwriting on the journaling tags which gives it a personal touch and makes it so easy...

For Tyson's book, I also ordered my prints from snapfish with a white border. I love that you can do that. It looks so finished and saves you from making your own border...

Of course the possibilities don't end with a month-themed book. You could make a book full of cute quotes from your child. You could also devote a book to a special day spent with grandparents, a family vacation, or a night out with the girls, etc.

All this talk about mini scrapbooks has got me excited. It's the only kind of scrappin' I have time for anymore. So, go make a scrapbook, enjoy the process and don't worry about it being perfect.

Happy Tuesday!