Mini Baby Book Creation a la McKenna

Several weeks ago, I got to feeling bad that I didn't have a mini book made of Sydney's birth and baby pictures. I had plenty of layouts in my regular albums of her as a baby, but I really wanted to make a little something special too. Then, after I finished that book and was really happy with it, I got to feeling guilty that I didn't have a book dedicated to either McKenna or Delaney (LOL), so I have sat down to create a little album for each of them.

The first I did was of McKenna and I really like how it turned out. It was super simple to make; I just cut 6 x 6 squares out of black cardstock paper, and backed the front and the back cover onto chipboard to make them both heavier. Then I used report covers (those plastic sheets folders you can find at any dollar store or Walmart) to make overlays between some of the pages. Then I embellished with very simple things; I used one sheet of stickers, some patterned paper cut up into strips, and some flowers cut from another piece of patterned paper. Then punched holes in the corner and tied it all together with some black/white polka dot ribbon. I really like it!

Here are a few pictures of the little book (this isn't all the pages) that will give you a glimpse of me looking really young (I was 23 when McKenna was born) and McKenna as such cutie pie baby. You'll see that I also left plenty of room for journaling.














Very, VERY easy to do...and it just makes me really happy to see all of those sweet pictures in one place where I can take it out to look at it real easily. I do wish I had done this earlier, since the journaling was a little bit tough (hard to remember EXACTLY how I felt those 16 years ago), but I added a page in the back where I journaled thta I was doing this when McKenna was now 16-years-old and how I feel now looking back at her as a baby...and how my love for her was so big back then, but how it has just grown over the years.

(McKenna, by the way, is heading out in the morning to THIS leadership CONFERENCE. She was selected as the sole representative from her high school to go, based on an essay and interview she did. So proud of her!)

And then I put the album in my big basket in my living room, where I am now storing all of the little books I create. It's a fun way to have them on display, because visitors and family can sit down and look through them if they like.

You can see the book I did of Sydney kind of right there to the left of McKenna's. If you want to see how I did it, go back to THIS POST and read about it.

And now, next on the agenda? Do a mini book based on Delaney's baby pictures. I'm trying to think of a fun approach for it. (Of course, I'll share it with you when I get it done. lol)

I hope you all have a fantastic Thursday!!! (I am busy today--gotta get McKenna some toiletries for her trip, gotta get Gary and I some stuff for our anniversary overnighter tomorrow, and probably gonna go to the water park for awhile--but really it's all just filler as I wait for tonight's season finale of "Lost." If you are a crazed Lostie like myself, go HERE to get a good "getting ready for tonight" tease by my fave Lost columnist. I am so STINKING excited I can hardly stand it!!!!)