Baby Shower Scrapbook and Box

For those of you that aren’t members at Big Picture Classes, you may have missed my post on Inside Access about the mini album I made for my sister-in-law after the shower. So I thought I’d share here today! I’ve added a little bit more detail for those of you that are not scrapbookers. Trust me, this is an easy project that you can do!

When I throw baby or bridal showers, I love to give the guest of honor a mini album with photos from their special day. This doesn't have to be anything complicated. Just make sure to snap a photo of the guest of honor with each individual guest at the party and have each guest write a special message to her. Then using scraps from the other papercrafts for the day and some items from my stash, I put together a quick mini album of these photos and messages.

To start, I cut all the base papers I wanted to use to 6”x8”. It’s helpful to have papers that are double sided patterns or solid cardstocks so you can use both sides (and not have a blank white page to deal with). Then I used a piece of chipboard cut to 6”x8” for the back. I used adhesive to cover it in patterned papers on both sides.

On this mini album, I used the invitation as a simple cover. Then I placed a clear transparency on the cover to protect it and bound the entire thing with my binding machine (I have the Cinch). I find the Grafix Clear Craft Plastic is a little sturdier than normal transparencies for this purpose.

Inside I matched up the photos and notes from everyone. I included some more patterned paper accents throughout since I had lots of fun scraps from my other projects to play with. I also included the initial of each guest in a large letter Thickers.

I like to present this album in a special gift box. This way the guest of honor has a lovely memento box to keep all the cards and other items collected from the occasion. This time I ordered one of the Memory Keepers from Paper Coterie. I've also used decorated boxes I've found at big box craft stores.

I managed to get it out to her before she had the baby. The box has been a great place for her to collect mementos from the shower and his birth.

If you are interested in making a custom box yourself, there is a fabulous video by Wendy and Angie of Ella Publishing (Episode 3) that shows you how to repurpose an old book. That would be perfect for this project!!

So I’m dying to know – have any of you ever made a mini album or scrapbook for an event like this? What are your tips?

Linking to:

School Theme Baby Shower: Photo Banner

Since my sister in law had lived in Colorado most of her life (she moved out of state two years ago but had lived here since she was a toddler), we decided she would travel back here for her shower.  Many of her friends and family still lived here and it was important to her to involve them in their baby’s arrival.
 
But it was still important to me that her friends and family from far away be a part of her shower. I remembered a birthday idea I saw on Homemade by Jill where loved ones took photos of themselves holding birthday signs.  Jill printed them and pasted them on the wall to greet her husband on his birthday. It seemed like a fun way to involve those far away in your important day.


So I tasked her wonderful hubby (my brother in law) with tracking down their loved ones from afar via email or facebook. We kept it all a secret from my sister in law so she could be surprised on the big day. We got some fun messages – including many from overseas.


I had them all printed up the day before and assembled a simple photo banner using some baker’s twine and some clothespins I Mod Podged with cute paper that matched the rest of the shower décor. I used some 3M Command mini hooks to hang the banner – great for avoiding holes in the walls!



Photo by Kate Kintzel Photography (find out more here).


I'm making the photos into a little mini album for them to enjoy with their little guy!


Oh, and for the record, even though I used the Command hooks I can remove easily, I kind of liked the little twine banner where it was. Here’s what it looks like today, displaying my toddler’s art!




Linking to:
 

School Theme Baby Shower

I was fortunate enough to throw my amazing sister in law a baby shower earlier this month! They are expecting their first child, and we could not be more thrilled for them. She did so much for us when our little guy was a newborn. So it was truly an honor to spoil her a little for her shower.

The photos in this post are some of many you will see of the event taken by the incredible Kate Kintzel Photography. Kate rocks – seriously. That girl is so talented! Check out her amazing work here. If you are in the Denver area and are in need of some amazing photography work, you can find her on Facebook here or email her. Just friend request her. She’s taken our family portraits and milestone portraits of our little one and never disappoints. She also took some amazing maternity photos of my sister in law at the shower. Kate is really the best!!

As far as the shower theme, I knew I wanted to include books in the theme somehow, so a school theme seemed like a natural direction to go. It allowed me to use the little guy’s initials in décor (which I am all about – my house is covered with “V” for our last name!). It didn’t occur to me that school items would also be on sale thanks to the appropriate time of year, so that worked well in other décor!



I’m excited to share a few posts in the next few of weeks with all the goodies from the big day. We had an incredible time – and I had far too much fun putting everything together! Many of the ideas I’m going to share would work for a bridal shower, a birthday or even a back to school party! 

Hope you enjoy! The first post is coming up tomorrow!

Bridal Shower Memory Keeping

I was fortunate enough to have two bridal showers for my wedding.  No, I didn’t have two weddings - one shower was in my hometown and one was where I currently live with local friends. Although they were thrown by different people (one by my sisters and one by one of my best friends), they both resulted in beautiful gift albums that I absolutely treasure! I wanted to share these ideas with you as they are very different, but both are wonderful meaningful gifts for the bride to be.


At my local bridal shower, my sweet hostess friend insisted on snapping photos of me with each guest with a Polaroid. Then she had each guest write me a note with their wishes us.  She made me an album of these photos with the notes below. Little did my non-scrapbooking friend realize that she made me one of my most favorite scrapbooks ever!

See more after the jump!

Vietnamese New Year – Part 2

Chuc Mung Nam Moi!

(Image Source)

That's "Happy New Year!" in Vietnamese.  If you're Vietnamese, you'll be hearing that a lot during the next several weeks. Today is Vietnamese New Year (Chinese New Year, Lunar New Year, whatever you want to call it), or just "Tet" in Vietnamese. We say goodbye to the Year of the Tiger and welcome the Year of the Cat! Yes, the Chinese will be welcoming the Year of the Rabbit because our zodiacs differ, but that's another story for another time.

In Vietnam, the New Year celebrations start today and traditionally last for 3 days. There will be parades and lion dancers (like the one pictured above) in town centers across the country, markets will be bustling with activity 24 hours a day, and homes will be full of loved ones from near and far. Tet celebrations are all about starting the new year off in a positive way in hopes that the good fortune will last the entire year. It is a time for families and friends to come together and is always filled with laughter, music, firecrackers, and traditional New Year's food and drink, of course.

Growing up, Tet was always the most festive time in our home. Mom and Grandma would cook up so many traditional foods, there was always platters of fresh fruits and candy on every table, and Mom always had the traditional bright yellow "hoa mai" blossom tree up in the living room. It is a time to celebrate with family, to wish good fortune to everyone you see, to pay a visit and bring gifts to friends and neighbors, and to remember loved one who have passed away.

For many older generation Vietnamese, it is also a time to add another year to one's age. Individual birthday celebrations were not a common practice in the Vietnamese culture, so it was traditional for everyone to just turn another year older on New Year's Day. To me, it sure seems like a good idea to mark a new beginning to another year in your life as well as in the calendar. Kind of makes sense, doesn't it?

Since it was also a time for celebration of age, younger children would formerly wish elder relatives not only prosperity & good health in the coming year, but also a long and happy life. In return for their well wishes, each elder would give each child a little red envelope (li xi) filled with money to bring them luck. Sometimes, adults gave one another red envelopes, not filled with money, but with cards or letters wishing them good fortune in the coming year.

(Image Source)

As a child, the one thing that I looked forward to the most during Tet were these little red envelopes. Hello! They were filled with lucky money! They would have anywhere from $1 to $100 depending on which relative gave it to you, so it was always an exciting time to receive them and then wait all day to open them up later. This money almost always went to buying school supplies or school clothes, but sometimes we would be allowed to spend it on toys and games, so that was the best! Hooray for Tet!

Now as an adult, I appreciate so much more the idea of the red envelope as a symbol to bring good luck and well wishes, not just a holder for money. In it, there is history, culture, and tradition. So on this day, the first day of the Year of the Cat, I give to you a symbolic red envelope.

(Image Source)
May your next three days and the entire year thereafter be filled with laughter, family, friends, good food, and good times. I wish you prosperity, good health, success, and above all -- much happiness. Happy New Year!

Also on this New Year's Day, as is customary halfway around the world in Vietnam, my mother turns 60. During my childhood, she never did make a fuss about her birthday and she definitely never had a birthday party. But this year is her 60th and if I know my Aunties, a little bit of a fuss might be in order.

(I took this pic when we were in Vietnam Dec 2009)

Happy 60th, Mom! Love you, miss you, and wish we were all there to celebrate with you!

~T
Thanks, as always, T.  I learned a lot myself, even after being a part of a Vietnamese family for the last 15 years! I also want to wish my wonderful Mother-in-law a happy 60th halfway around the world!  We love and miss you very very much!  Logan sends his Ba Noi lots of hugs and kisses!

If you'd like to make your own dragons to celebrate New Year's, check out these tutorials: Dragon Puppet or Dragon Costume.

And here are some etsy finds for your use this New Year's!
1. Love these printable New Year's cards from Leapfrog Lane!  And since they are printable, you can use them this year or next!

2. These felt magnets from Yuzucha will be cute on your fridge all year long to celebrate the Year of the Cat!

Happy New Year, everyone!  

Cupcake Cones - Birthday Memories

We often get caught up in the excess when planning parties.  It must be at the perfect place, with the perfect foods, the perfect decorations and the perfect activities.  When it comes to planning our children's birthday parties, it seems like the stress level is kicked up a notch.  We want to make sure our children get to have the best party because we believe it shows our motherly love.

Here at DSSP, we believe the core of every party is good company, good food and good times.  And we want to bring back the good ol' days we remember as kids.  To remind us all what is important in these celebrations, we are going to feature guest writers that will share his or her favorite childhood birthday memories. 
We believe that our favorite birthday party memories are indicative of what is important.  It isn't the fact that it was held at the trendy gymnastics place or that the cake was elaborately decorated or that the gifts were extravagant.  Those aren't the things we remember from our childhood parties, although it is possible they were there.  We remember special little touches and being surrounded by our loved ones.
 Our first feature is from a writer that is dear to my heart - my sister, Kristen.  By the way, that's me in the middle in the photo below. :)



KRISTEN

I have very few memories of celebrating my birthday, especially when I was a child. But, there is one memory that has always stood out for me. I don't always remember all the details of the party, but what I do remember the most is that feeling of being very special and everyone there to help me celebrate my big day.

My birthday is on July 24th, so as a young girl, I remember always being sad that I wasn't able to celebrate my birthday with my friends. Not only was my birthday in the summer, when school was out, but we also lived about 10 minutes out of town in the country. So, getting to town to spend time with my friends was difficult. My playmates during the summer were my sisters.

My favorite birthday memory was from when I was about in 2nd grade. I honestly don't remember how old I was, but I do recall being fairly young. My mom organized a party in the town park for me and my closest friends. I believe there were about 5 of us there. And, interestingly, I don't recall my sisters being there, although I'm sure they were. The party was very simple. We were there to play in the park together. But, the most important part of the party, and that which I remember the most, was the cupcakes!

My mom was very creative and made cupcakes in ice cream cones. I'm sure she got the idea from some magazine or a coworker, but I remember thinking how genius my mom was! The neat part was that the cupcakes were an interactive birthday cake to help celebrate my special day! My mom provided lots of frosting and decorations. We all decorated our own cupcakes. It was great and I remember having the best time ever.

I found out many years later, when I was well into adulthood, that a former classmate also remembered this very special birthday. You see, not only did my mom get me together with my friends, but she set up the perfect party for a bunch of young girls. She allowed us all to create a joined memory of having fun making cakes together. This was simple, but something that has kept with me all throughout the years. My family even expanded on this great memory during my 40th birthday. They recreated my past memory as a young girl by making ice cream cone cupcakes surrounded loved ones! What a great way to celebrate a new stage of my life.

Thanks for sharing, Kristen!!  If anyone else wants to recreate this great birthday activity, Blue Cricket Design has instructions on how to make the cones.  Then all you need is a lot of frosting options, sprinkles and candies!