How to Make a Baby Boy Scrapbook

Making a scrapbook allows you to create a personalized record of the first year in the life of your newborn baby boy. You can make layouts showcasing his birth, a monthly photo, milestones and the many wonderful events in a baby's life. On any budget, you can make a scrapbook that will be a keepsake for you and your son to cherish.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Album
• Scrapbook paper
• Card stock
• Adhesive
• Stickers and other embellishments
• Archival ink pen

Preparing a Scrapbook

1. Choose an album of the size you want, with a baby-themed or blue cover for your baby boy scrapbook. Buy an album with page protectors, into which you can place your scrapbook pages or layouts.

2. Select acid-free scrapbook paper and card stock in baby blues, either solid-color or printed with animals, baby clothes, rainbows or other designs that please you. Your embellishments can include stickers, brads, ribbons or scrapbook die cuts.

3. Set up a clean, spacious work table on which you will assemble the scrapbook. If the baby has already been born, choose the first photos you want to put into the book.

4. Work on one layout at a time. Assemble the background paper, title block, photos and embellishments for a layout. The first layouts can include the day of the baby boy's birth, with pictures of Mommy, Daddy, the hospital and baby's first visitors. Continue with layouts for "Welcome Home," first bath, baby shower, Christening or Dedication, first professional portrait, one month old and holidays.

5. Create a "Calendar of Firsts" layout. Include your son's first smile, trip, doctor visit, words and other milestones.

6. Make a "Baby Boy's First Haircut" layout that includes a vellum or commercially made protective pocket. Place a wisp of your baby's hair inside.

7. Take special photos for the scrapbook. For example, try to take a picture of your baby boy's hand nestled in Mommy's hand, which is lying on Daddy's hand. Create a meaningful layout with quotes about a baby boy.

Assembling a Layout

8. Choose one to three matted photos, a small piece of plain card stock, and a bottle-shaped or other baby-related die cut.

9. 
    
   Title block

   Make a title block on the piece of card stock with stickers, die cuts or hand-printed letters. You can also put a title directly on to a layout without a "block."

10. 
     
    Journaling block using bottle-shaped die cut

    Write about the event, photos or baby statistics on the shaped die cut with an archival ink pen. This is called a "journaling block" or "box."

11. Adhere the photos to the background paper. Then adhere the title and journaling blocks.

12. Add brads, ribbons, die cuts or any embellishments that you want. When all adhesive is dry, slide the layout into a page protector in the album.

Tips & Warnings

• Pre-made scrapbooks make good shower gifts for mothers-to-be.

References

• My Baby Scrapbook