Craft Project for New Moms on Mother's Day: Memory Scrapbooks

There's no better time than Mother's Day to present a new mom with a beautiful scrapbook that she can treasure always. Some people shy away from making scrapbooks, believing that they do not have the time or talent that it takes to create them. If you know of a new mom that you would like to create a Mother's Day scrapbook for but have reservations about working on one, here are a few suggestions for making the process as short and stress-free as possible.

Step #1: Gather all relevant photos. What photos do you currently have that would make for a great Mother's Day scrapbook? Did you attend the baby shower and take pictures? Do you have any photos that were taken on the day of the delivery? Consider photos taken during all phases of pregnancy and shortly after the birth of the baby to be relevant. Are any of these photos particularly touching, funny or just plain cute? If they make you smile, there's a good chance that they are worth including in the book.

Step #2: Sort photos by category. If you have ample photos that were taken throughout the new mom's pregnancy, you will find it helpful to sort them into piles based on the theme. Whether you have hard copies of the photos in your possession or digital copies that need to be printed, you can save yourself a lot of headache by sorting these photos into categories. For example, the first category might be "baby shower photos," the second, "day of delivery" and the third, "post delivery." Taking this initial step will spare you the headache of having to sift through a huge stack of photos later while you are in the process of actually putting the Mother's Day scrapbook together.

Step #3: Purchase a scrapbook and additional supplies. Some of the more popular stores that sell scrapbook supplies include Hobby Lobby, Michael's, Target and Wal-Mart. I also love Archiver's, which has a very large and beautiful assortment of unique scrapbooks and scrapbook accessories.

If you have never created a scrapbook and are fearful that the process of searching for a book, paper and supplies will be too overwhelming, there are a few basic items that you can look for to make shopping a little more manageable:

Basic supplies

One 20-page 12x12 scrapbook with page protectors and a photo slot on the cover

One large pack of coordinating scrapbook paper

1 box of photo corners (for mounting photos)

1 box of photo sticker squares (also for mounting)

1 glue stick

1 pair of straight-edge scissors

1 pair of decorative scissors

1-2 archival pens

Additional supplies (optional but recommended)

Baby-themed embellishments

1-2 packs of self-adhesive letters

Scrapbook photo frames

1 Mother's Day Greeting Card

1 pack of Vellum "Quote Stacks" (these can be affixed to the scrapbook pages and contain quotes that center on various themes such as babies, parenthood, love, family, etc.)

You may also want to consider using "freebies" that will enhance your book, such as Mother's Day quotes or Mother's Day poems from some of your favorite AC Content Producers! Or, if you prefer, you can include your own poem or words of inspiration for the new mom.

Once you have all of your photos, your book and your supplies, you will need to find a work space that is free of clutter. Some stores, such as Archiver's, have work rooms with tables that you can use free of charge. They even offer workshops to help you through the process. However, a large desk or a kitchen table can also be used if you prefer to work in the privacy of your own home.

Additional suggestions

1. Find a good photo of the new mom and baby to place in the photo slot of the book cover.

2. If you are strapped for time and struggling with creative ideas, a great first page for the scrapbook would be a Mother's Day greeting card. When choosing a card, select one that can be separated vertically down the middle, so that the cover and inside text can both be seen through the page protector. Use straight-edge scissors or a paper cutter to cut the card in half. Once you have separated both parts of the card, you can use your decorative scissors to trim them into an attractive design. Use a glue stick to affix both parts of the card to the scrapbook paper.

3. Use an archival pen and/or self-adhesive letters to create captions for the photos in your Mother's Day scrapbook. Captions can be funny, touching or simply contain information such as names and dates. If you are worried about making a mistake, you can use a separate sheet of scrapbook paper to write your captions and simply cut them out and affix them onto the page with a glue stick.

4. Don't focus on "getting it right." Fear of making a mistake can ruin the fun experience of creating a scrapbook. While neatness counts, there really is no right or wrong way to create a Mother's Day scrapbook. Add your own unique style and focus more on making the book meaningful than making it look like a work of perfection.