One of my favorite gifts when my daughter was born was a calendar. It was a Hallmark calendar with 13 unmarked months and a sheet of stickers with baby firsts such as first haircut and first tooth. The calendar and stickers made it so easy to keep track of her milestones. I know I would have been terrible about keeping up with her baby book… It was all I could do to keep up with being a new mother.
Whenever I had to buy a baby gift, I would look everywhere for that calendar but could never find one. It finally dawned on me that I could just make one – I am a scrapbooker after all!
Now, when someone special has a baby on the way, the baby’s first-year calendar is my go-to gift… I have made seven or so over the last few years and sadly did not take pictures…
A new baby is always an exciting event – especially when it is a family member having that baby! My husband has known his best friend since the third grade. We have waited a long time for him to have his first child!
They are having a boy. The nursery theme is vintage sports with a navy and burgundy color scheme. I don’t normally use overly themed papers or stickers, but they seemed fitting for this project.
The Cover
Baseball is my favorite sport, so I decided to do a baseball cover. I hand stitched laces with embroidery floss and put the baby’s name in the “sweet spot”. I used Ranger vintage photo distress ink throughout the book to create a vintage look.
The first month
The calendar opens to a blank calendar on top and and a layout page for photos and journaling at the bottom. I keep the calendar blank because babies are unpredictable and rarely arrive on the predicted date. The blank calendar allows the parents to add the appropriate months and dates as they go.
The pictures on these pages came from the baby shower invitation. When it arrived, I thought it would make a perfect embellishment – so I cut it up!
I thought it would be fun to add the baby’s last name to the soccer jersey… and I love the Hambly onesies. I’ll be sad when I run out of them.
Tennis anyone? Every set of pages has a sport theme.
I thought the wood-grain washi tape enhanced the backboard.
Daddy did a lot of bike riding during his college days.
Kung Fu, tae kwon do, karate???
Hockey!
Maybe the baby will take a ride in daddy’s boat someday.
Daddy is a doctor, but doesn’t golf… yet
Football and baseball… need I say more?
The final month has the “first” page. Each circle has a baby first and is a sticker that can be placed on the calendar.
Now to wrap it up and get it in the mail!
