The Best Milestone Birthday Gift - 10 Easy Tips to Create a Birthday Memory Book

A birthday memory book is the ultimate milestoneare acid-free, so they won't damage the photos over
birthday gift. To take photos and memories and puttime.
them in a "this is your life" birthday scrapbook is a6. Think small. Scrapbook albums that are 6 x 6 or 8
thoughtful act of love that will be immenselyx 8 inches are easier and faster to finish than larger
appreciated. But what if you're creatively challenged?books. You'll need less photos. And at those sizes
Does that mean you can't give this one of a kind,your pages can be printed from any printer and
personalized birthday gift to that special person?trimmed down to size. Most family printers won't
No, in fact, you don't have to have special talent toprint the larger 12 x 12 inch size.
create a milestone birthday memory album. Here are7. Use cookie cutters, jar lids, etc. to trace around
10 simple tips to help you make a birthdayand cut out photos in interesting shapes. On some
scrapbook, even if you don't know what you'rephotos, cut away the entire background, so that the
doing.only thing left is the birthday person.
1. Plan early. If you can do this a little bit at a time,8. One unique idea is to do a theme, such as "40
without having to rush, it will be less intimidating.Great Things About John (or Mary)" if he or she is
2. Collect all the photos of the birthday boy or girlturning 40, (or 50 great things, if he or she is turning
that you can find, their family, friends, houses they50, etc.) Ask friends and relatives to email you their
lived in, pets, etc. Then ask for help. Friends andlists, and combine them with your own thoughts. Give
relatives will have photos that you don't have. Askeach person credit in smaller letters after their
them to email them to you. Or borrow their photoscontribution.
and scan them or have copies made.9. Add a "Then and Now" page, with his or her
3. Take notes. Ask everyone who helped you withfavorites when he was younger and what he or she
the photos to share memories of the birthdaylikes now. List things like favorite TV shows, movies,
person. Go right to the source and interview thefriends, foods, pets, musical groups, songs, hobbies
birthday boy or girl. When we were working on aand interests.
scrapbook for my dad, we got him to talk all about10. Include a page with the title "The Year You Were
old times, without him ever suspecting we wereBorn". There are many great websites that have
using that information to put together this project.information of everything that happened on the year
4. Buy a scrapbook program for your computer,of his or her birth. Some have detailed listings that
which is a simple way to turn out a professionalrange from news items, popular songs, price of milk,
looking page. If friends and relatives are emailing youand Academy Award winners.
photos, the pictures will already be in your computerKeep it simple. It doesn't have to look professional.
and all you have to do is "paste" them into one ofRemember when you were a kid and made cards for
the software's ready-made templates. Then add yourMom and Dad. Those cards couldn't compete with
own words and print.Hallmark on the open market, but to your parents,
5. If you don't feel comfortable doing this on thethey were priceless. Even if this scrapbook looks less
computer, get a birthday scrapbook kit from a localthan perfect, this is the kind of birthday gift that is
craft store. This will contain all the coordinating papersguaranteed to touch the recipient's heart. Give a
and embellishments. You just have to add the photoshandmade birthday memory book and it will be
and journaling. Make sure you get glue and pens thattreasured forever.