For the Record is a mom/architect living in Singapore who embroiders these beautiful photo album covers and also makes fun blankets and baby onesies. I love the layers and textures of the various fabrics, flowers, buttons, ribbons, etc. that make up one of her creations. They would make a fantastic baby gift...
I have a thing for giraffes and elephants -- in fact, I've been drawing quite a few of them lately. These adorable faux-leather elephant and giraffe bookends by Streamline are hand-stitched and weighted with cotton and iron fillings. I've got my eye on that giraffe, he would be so much fun on our bookshelf...
I had a personalized book as a kid that was about a mouse named Ellechim. For you sleuths out there, that is Michelle spelled backwards. I loved the mouse character so much that I truly believed that she lived in my house. Naturally, I built her a suite of furniture made from spools, popsicle sticks and match boxes (seriously). So, the reason why I had a momentary flashback was due to this personalized children's book by Custom Made for Kids. You plug in the child's name, birthday, friend's name,etc. and you get a beautifully personalized book to give as a baby gift or keepsake. Speaking from experience, I can tell you there was nothing cooler than having a book with your own name in it.
I was at the bookstore this weekend and found this nicely done craft magazine "101 Hip, Handmade Gifts" from the editors of Creating Keepsakes. The first several pages of the magazine were geared toward fun crafts that you could make for or with kids. This mini board book will be the perfect project to do with Ms. Bean during winter break (she is unstoppable when it comes to drawing and making her own books of paper and staples). You can purchase blank, pre-made mini board books from Creative Imaginations. All you have to do is come up with the artwork. Step 1. Create your own cover and inside images. Step 2. Cut to size. Paint boardbook edges with acrylic paint to match your cover. Step 3. Use adhesive to secure the cover and the pages to the book. (Easy!)
So, I'm in a position where I desperately need to buy a baby book for Mini or I will lead a life of regret. Okay, it's not all doomed but she's already had her first birthday and my memory isn't as sharp as it used to be. How will I ever remember the date when she first crawled? Her first giggle? Panic is starting to set in! I have a baby book for Ms. Bean that is probably half full and I don't have anything to show for the Mini as of yet! So, I managed to drum up a couple of lovely choices, plus stumbled upon a gorgeous book especially for adopted babies.
First off, there's Binth! Need I say more? Everything they do is absolutely beautiful. It's just a bit pricier than I was intending to spend but I may end up springing for it (as the guilt settles in)...
May Papers created this lovely baby book with photographs that tug at the heart strings. Seeing some of the photos brought many of those fleeting baby memories back. Love it...
boygirlparty illustrated an utterly gorgeous baby book for an adopted child. The pictures speak for themselves (shhhh...)
Then there's Nikki McClure's "Baby's First 1000 Days" baby journal which might be a good idea for me since I'm already behind on baby's first 365 days!
I absolutely love this Opus Shelving, designed by Sean Yoo. How fun would it be filled with a bunch of kids' books and accoutrements? It's unconventionally shaped cubbies add so much character to what would otherwise be a basic shelving unit. Apparently, Yoo was inspired by a Roman wall technique called "opus incertum" and then found the same pattern repeated in dried lake beds and broken sidewalks. You wouldn't think that this shelf is super lightweight, made from 100% recyclable polypropylene, and can be stacked or set side-by-side using a strong tape.
This handy School Years Keepsake book may just solve my quandaries about storing all of the mementos, pictures, report cards, etc. that you tend to accumulate through the years. Of course I could probably buy a standard folder contraption but this keepsake has so much more style. The one thing worth noting, however, is that the size of this book is 9.4" x 7.4" (surprisingly). Nevertheless, I think it will still be helpful in corralling all of my scraps.
