Homemade Baby Memory Box
Having a baby brings many fond, exciting and exhausting memories. Make a memory box to keep reminders of this time -- hospital bands, your baby's footprint or a favorite photo of her first smile. You can make one for yourself or give it as a gift to a new mom. The box can be decorated for a boy or a girl; if you do not know the baby's gender, decorate it in greens and yellows.
Things You'll Need
- Wooden box with lid
- Paint
- Foam paint brush
- 12-by-12 scrapbook paper
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Decoupage glue
- Stickers
- Photos
- Trims, buttons, sequins (optional)
- Glue gun
Instructions
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1
Paint the box with your desired color. Paint the inside a different color, if you wish. Use blue for a boy and pink for a girl; if you are unsure about the gender of the baby, paint it a neutral green or yellow. Allow the paint to dry thoroughly. Paint the box even if you will be covering it with the paper; the paint helps to seal the wood.
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2
Lay the box on a piece of the scrapbook paper. Use paper with alphabet blocks or other baby paraphernalia, such as rattles or bottles. Place the box in one corner of the paper so it matches along two edges. Trace around the other two edges with a pencil. Cut just inside the drawn lines.
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3
Paint the top of the box with decoupage glue and lay the paper on top. Press firmly and make sure there are no creases or air bubbles. Allow to dry.
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4
Lay another piece of paper inside the box, lining it up with one corner. You can use the same paper you used for the outside, or choose something that coordinates with it. Mark where the other corners are and cut the paper so it fits inside the bottom of the box. Cover the inside of the bottom of the box with decoupage glue and lay the paper inside. Press firmly and ensure there are no creases or air bubbles.
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5
Add scrapbook stickers to the outside and inside of the box. If this is a gift and the mother-to-be has a theme for the baby's room, you can match it with stickers. If you prefer to give this gift after the baby has been born, use a few photos of the newborn instead or along with the stickers. Simply place them on top as you would the stickers. Once the stickers or photos have been laid out, cover the entire box with a layer of decoupage glue. This makes it waterproof and shiny. Do not close the box while the glue is still wet or it will glue itself shut.
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Glue any additional items to the box using a glue gun. Trims, buttons or sequins add a 3D effect to the box.
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Tips & Warnings
Spell out the child's name in stickers across the front of the box.
Type up a poem on a piece of paper and fix it to the inside of the lid using the decoupage glue.
You can skip the scrapbook paper if you wish; simply stick with the paint.
References
- Photo Credit Newborn image by jhogan from Fotolia.com
