Christmas gift ideas

The holidays are just about here. You are developing your Christmas list making sure each loved one is covered on your list by name and then gift ideas. The holiday season can be one of romance for those who may have an anniversary this time of year.

What about those people in your life that have everything? These are the people that buy what they want, when they want it. What types of gifts do you give to loved ones that have everything?

Grandparents often fall into the above category.  I have found that my grandparents always enjoyed a fully decorated scrap book/photo album with pictures of their children and grandchildren.  This is a gift that the kids can help you with.  They will enjoy picking out pictures and decorating the scrapbook.  Here are some ideas for decorating this very thoughtful Christmas gift.

Your local arts and crafts store should carry any items you will need.   Another place to purchase supplies might be your local camera supply shop.  Camera shops can duplicate your photos while you wait, so don’t worry if you can’t find the negatives.  Just bring in your photo and you will more than likely find a photo reproducing machine that can be used with out without assistance.  You can enhance your photos and generate different photo backdrops.

Don’t rely on a book for your creativity, use the book for ideas only and then take it to the next level.  Purchase your scrapbook gather your pictures, and then have a meeting with the kids to plan the scrapbook.  You can use themes or make each page different, it is all a matter of personal preference. One possible accent to consider is rubber stamps to create backgrounds. If using rubber stamps to create a border around your page 1 to 1 ½” borders work best.  Sticker paper and sticker paper frames can add to the fun.  Sticker papers can be found to meet any desired effect.

You might want to consider letting the children decorate their own page of the scrapbook.  Athletes can find sticker paper that covers the sporting thematic.  The artist in the family may want to use metallic markers combined with traditional markers to decorate.  Paper dollies can be used to frame a photo, by cutting out the center. Fabric can be used as a backdrop by simply going to the local copy shop and making a color copy of the selected fabric.  This can be easily trimmed down to the desired size.

Everyone involved in the scrapbook will feel terrific about giving such a creative and thoughtful gift.  The recipient will feel truly treasured by such an endearing present.  This is a wonderful and fun way to preserve cherished memories.