Do you really want to know? Some couples choose to find out if they are having a boy or a girl from the moment they get pregnant, others know ahead of time that they want to be surprised. Other couples disagree, or don’t decide until the second trimester, when they are lying on the table having their ultrasound done and the technician asks, “Do you want to know the sex?”

The gender of your baby has much more importance than whether or not you are having a boy or a girl. In some cultures it is very important for there to be a son, and couples will try to have a son first. Some families have seconds and thirds, and want to have a boy so that they will have a fourth. Some families have an uneven number of boys and girls, so they hope to get the sex they need to even out their family.

Finding out ahead of time whether or not you are having a boy or a girl, helps the parents who are planning on doing a nursery and buying their child’s entire wardrobe prior to the birth of their baby. Newborn clothes primarily come in blue for boys and pinks for girls, with the occasional greens and purples mixed in. If you don’t know the sex it might be difficult to buy clothes as the choices for unisex clothes in greens, reds, yellows and oranges can be hard to find. Likewise there are a lot of nursery theme choices that cater to boys and girls, but fewer that can work for either sex. For the well organized parents, finding out the sex of their baby well before birth is the best way for them to plan for the arrival.

However, some parents choose to enjoy the element of surprise. They want to wait until the birth when their baby is laid on their belly where they can look between the legs and see the sex for themselves, or have the midwife or doctor announce loudly, “It’s a ….!” These parents buy the unisex clothes, although may choose to save money so that they can go on a big shopping spree after the baby is born, and only buy the clothes they will need in the first couple of weeks after birth. These parents will also choose to decorate their nursery in colors and patterns that can be utilized for either a boy or a girl baby.

There is no right or wrong answer to the question, “Do you want to know?” It is a personal choice made by each individual couple. It is often common for the answer to change several times, before that big day

by Andrea SteedMany scrapbookers want to know how to save money and keep from buying things they won’t necessarily use. I always suggest buying only the items they need for each layout, rather than just buying whatever looks interesting to them. It can be hard to do with all of the fun new products coming out, but it can be done!

Bring your photos. Bring the photos that you want to work on in the next few weeks with you when you go to the scrapbook store. I like to separate the photos by layout so that I can work with one set of photos at a time. Portable photo organizers are great for this.

Choose cardstock and patterned paper. Use your set of photos to choose background and accent papers that coordinate with the colors in the photos. The best way to do this is to hold the photos next to the papers as you walk through the store. Be sure to choose enough paper for the background, matting, accents, journaling blocks and any title blocks. It’s a good idea to start thinking of a general design for the layout so that you can estimate how many sheets of paper you will need.

Choose coordinating embellishments. Since the paper is the base of the layout, next you can choose the embellishments. The colors and patterns in the paper will help you decide what embellishments will work best with the layout, whether it be tags, stickers, die cuts, fibers, charms, etc. Avoid buying every embellishment that would work on your page (because inevitably there will be many), and choose the one or two that will feature your photos best.

Decide on the title style. Titles can be the hardest part of a layout. Luckily there are tons of products that make them easier, whether it’s a die cut title, sticker title, eyelet letter title, punched title, letters on tags, or any of the many variations. The colors and embellishments that you’ve already chosen will probably help you determine which type of title will work best on your layout.
Once you’ve chosen all of the products you need, your layout will be ready to assemble. You can move on to choosing the products for the next set of photos. After you’ve bought the products, put them into page protectors with the photos for the layout, and you’ll have everything you need to complete your page in one spot. Using this system will make scrapbooking a much faster process when you sit down to complete the layouts since all of the products will be chosen already – and you’ll be saving money by only buying what you need.

About the Author
Andrea Steed is the author and creator of Scrap Tutor, a web site and CD-ROM that teaches you how to create scrapbooks and how to perform many popular techniques used in scrapbooking. For more information, visit www.scraptutor.com.

by Andrea SteedMini-albums make fantastic little coffee table books, and are great gifts. I find they’re a nice way to capture an element of your life that requires more than one page in an album, but less than an entire album of its own.

You can buy small scrapbook albums in a variety of shapes and sizes or you can easily make your own. I’ve done both and each has its own appeal.

Store-bought Mini-Albums
These are nice because they’ll often come with page protectors available in the size of the pages. Whether you choose 7 x 7, 8 x 8, 5 x 7, or any other size, a benefit of these store bought albums is that you don’t have to worry about cutting the pages, figuring out how to bind them, or how to protect the pages. You just have to worry about filling the pages!

Handmade Mini-Albums
An easy handmade mini-album can be made very quickly in just a few steps:

1. Cut sheets of 12 x 12 cardstock in half to create 12 x 6 sheets of paper. You can cut as many sheets as you’d like depending on how big your album needs to be. Each sheet of 12 x 6 will make up 4 pages in your mini-album.
2. Fold each sheet in half to create 6 x 6 pages.
3. Lay the folded sheets inside of each other to create a book. You will notice that the inside pages stick out farther than the outside pages. This can be fixed easily.
4. Hold the closed album tightly to a cutting surface and place a metal ruler along the outside edge of the top page. Using a sharp craft knife, cut along the ruler to remove the protruding parts of the inside pages to make the edges of the album even.
5. I recommend decorating each of the pages at this point, and binding the album after it has been finished. This makes managing the pages much easier as you work.
6. To bind the album, put all of the pages together and lay them flat, so you are looking at the center two pages of the album. Using a long, thick needle, make two holes in the crease of the fold that go all the way through each of the pages. These small holes in each page will serve as “marks” so that you’ll know where to punch the larger holes for your ribbon or string to bind the book.
7. Punch small holes in each of the pages where your needle mark is.
8. Assemble the pages again and thread ribbon, string, rope, or fibers through the two holes to bind the book.

Ideas for Mini-Album Themes

Family Tree
Learning Numbers
Wedding Highlights
Our Engagement Story
10 Reasons Why I ___________
Our Vacation
Things I like
What a Mother/Father/Sister/Friend/Grandparent/etc. Means to Me
Favorite Quotes
Lessons Learned

About the Author
Andrea Steed is the author and creator of Scrap Tutor, a web site and CD-ROM that teaches you how to create scrapbooks and how to perform many popular techniques used in scrapbooking. For more information, visit www.scraptutor.com.

Congratulations ~ you’ve been blessed with a new baby! Or maybe you’re a grandparent, aunt, uncle, sister, brother or friend who’s close to the proud, new parents and are looking for a special way to help them welcome their new bundle of joy and introduce him or her to the world. Well if so, consider one of the creative alternatives to the traditional birth announcements that are available via the internet. The variety of baby photo birth announcements has grown by leaps and bounds over the past few years, and whether you’re the parents or someone special in the new baby’s life, there are plenty of unique options to choose from.

Time-Honored, Updated Tradition
Sending out photo birth announcements doesn’t have to cost you an arm and leg these days. There’s a great selection of pre-made templates and paper bonds currently available that can help you easily design your baby’s photo birth announcements. Similar to the traditional types that were used to introduce our own nativity, but updated with highly-creative patterns and layouts, it’s really as simple as 1-2-3 to print announcements from the comfort and convenience of your own home. Most kits even include matching envelopes and are so stylish in design that they can actually be framed and sent to friends and family and serve double duty as not only a photo birth announcement, but a gift from the heart as well.

Wearable Photo Birth Announcements
Yep, we said wearable – as in jewelry that is. Did you know that you can actually have your baby’s photo turned into a birth announcement charm that can be added to a bracelet or worn on a chain? What a creative way for not only you, but friends and family to show off the newest little addition to your clan. Perfect for grandmothers, aunts, godmothers, and close friends, a birth photo announcement charm is the perfect keepsake for those special people in your baby’s life. The back of the photo charm can be engraved with your baby’s name and birth date and is not only one of the newest unique ways to celebrate your precious one’s birth, but something that can be worn and cherished throughout time.

Birth Photo Announcement Memento Boxes
A memento box embellished with your baby’s birth announcement photo is one more creative way to introduce your little one to friends and family. Stylish and functional, a photo birth announcement memento box is great for a desk or dressing table and can be the perfect keepsake to hold precious items as it also provides a smile every time it’s looked upon and utilized by its recipient.

More Creative Photo Birth Announcement Ideas
Everyday items like a cute key fob or magnet that incorporates a baby’s picture are just a couple more unique and useful means of sending out photo birth announcements.

Prices for these types of announcements vary depending upon which option you choose, but most are very economical and provide a wonderful means of creating something that will not only celebrate the birth of your new baby, but also serve as a unique keepsake that will be treasured for years to come.

Halloween is that time of year when your creative juices can begin to flow. It’s a fun time for the family and if you have a baby or toddler, and it is the first Halloween that they can actively participate in, then it can be even more exciting. Granted if your little one is too young to comprehend anything much past when the next meal or sleep is going to be, then your Halloween efforts may not amount to much. But if they are coming to the age when they can express their joy and delight then you are ready to create a bit of Halloween fun.
The key with toddlers is that you don’t want to scare them. A scary Halloween at this age is likely to scar them for life so keep it simple, lighthearted and fun. Here are some tips to help you prepare for the big day.

Trick or Treating

1. Keep it Simple – At this age your toddler won’t appreciate much of what is going on around them so you don’t want to spend a fortune nor a lot of your time in preparing for the day. Of course this won’t apply if you have older children in the house.
2. Create a Fun, Happy Theme – You don’t want to traumatize your baby with scary witches, dark costumes or blood and guts. Create a happy theme that is bright and cheery. For example, ensure that the jack-o-lanterns have happy smiley faces and the costumes you choose are more in line with fairies or princesses rather than scary witches or ghosts and ghouls.
3. Costumes – If you want to dress up your baby or toddler in a Halloween costume then look for something that is easy to put on and take off. Look for costumes with zips, velcro or buttons that are easily undone and of course a costume that allows for easy diaper changes. The costume also needs to be soft and flexible so that your baby isn’t uncomfortable. Avoid costumes with masks. This may restrict their view and cause them to topple over.
4. Keep it Safe – Be aware that most candies at this stage will probably be a choking hazard for your baby or toddler so be careful in your choice of sweets. Ensure that the costume you choose for your baby is flame retardant as you may be around real candles during this time. You should also ensure that the costume does not have too any dangly bits that your infant could place into his or her mouth.
5. Trick or Treating – If you are going to be trick or treating then follow these few tips:
   • Carry a torch and if your toddler is old enough, allow them to carry one too. Attach the torch to your child’s costume to ensure it doesn’t get lost.
   • Glow in the dark neck or wristbands are another way of keeping track of your toddler.
   • If you are taking a stroller then attach some reflective tape so it can be easily seen in the dark.
   • If you are worried about losing your toddler then buy one of those cords that attaches your wrist to your toddlers wrist. This allows your toddler a little freedom as they don’t have to constantly hold onto your hand and it means that you can feel secure that they are close by.

Your first Halloween with your toddler is likely to be a fun time that will be remembered forever. As a memento of the experience purchase a gift box and place in it your baby’s first Halloween costume, their first Halloween gift and any other little item that will serve as a memory in years to come.

About the Article
Article provided courtesy of Only Cookware – a resource for cookware sets, stainless cookware and enamel cast iron cookware.

A babies’ first birthday is highly anticipated and celebrated time in most families as it denotes a full year since the birth of the baby. This year included many changes and milestones as well as lots of hugs, smiles, boo boos and tears. There may not be another birthday for a while that is surrounded in as much excitement as the first birthday, so having a big bash for baby is not only fun but a great excuse for a party.

Party Time
What time is the best time to invite everyone over for your baby’s party? You want to make sure your baby is not going to be cranky, so you should pick a time when your baby will be well rested and not hungry. If your baby is on a schedule and you know when he should be napping, try to schedule the party between naps. Don’t make the party last too long. Your baby has a short attention span and after too much festivity is likely to begin getting fussy.

Invitation List
Invitation lists vary from house to house. If your main focus is your baby’s birthday don’t invite over so many people that he gets easily overwhelmed. Just a couple of family members would be enough to celebrate the big day. If you want to use your baby’s birthday as a time to have a family get together try having an outdoor barbeque so that your baby doesn’t feel closed in, or inviting a few family members early to celebrate the birthday and have the rest come at the end of the party.

Decorations
Everybody loves balloons, especially babies! There is nothing silly about decorating for your baby’s first birthday party, but remember if you make it too “busy” your maybe may get stressed or overwhelmed by it and not be able to relax and enjoy his day. Try keeping the decorations low key, and in bright colors that will catch your baby’s eye. Stick to one theme and have fun with it!

Cakes
Yes, we said “cakes”. The best part of a first birthday is watching your baby put cake all over his face. No one really wants to eat a cake though that has been in a baby’s face! Many stores will make mini cakes, just for your baby, or you can make a little cake to decorate just for your baby’s birthday. This way your baby has his own cake that he can pose with for pictures and enjoy making a mess out of, while you and your family have a cake you can enjoy eating.

Pictures
Be sure to take lots of pictures and video. This occasion commences the end of your baby’s first year of life and will only happen once. You will definitely want pictures of every moment to look back on and to share with friends and family members that were not able to make it.

Presents
Don’t feel pressured to open all your baby’s presents while the guests are at your house. Most people will understand if you choose to wait till it is quieter and less active in the house to have your baby sit down and try his hand at unwrapping packages. It might be that your baby needs a nap before he is able to tackle the task of tearing off wrapping paper. Be sure to keep a list of what everyone gives your baby though for your thank you notes.

Thank You Notes
It is always good manners to send thank you notes out for the gifts your baby receives from his birthday parties. Use the list you made as your baby opened his presents to write the thank you cards. You can even enclose a picture of your baby with that gift, or another pictures from your baby’s first birthday party. This is a good way to send out baby’s one year pictures to family members, without having to use an extra stamp.

by: Kimberly Hargis

Age 1: Invite only family members and close friends only because this birthday is more for the parents than for the child. At age 1, a child doesn’t understand the concept of “Birthday Party.” He or she is getting a lot of attention—which is all a 1-year-old wants or understands anyway. You should not go overboard on presents because too much could scare or confuse a child. You should consider getting specialty items such as a plate that says “First Birthday,” a 1-year-old candle, and possible a table cover that everyone could sign with fabric paint to have as keepsakes that can someday be shown (or given to) to your grown child.

Age 2: 2-years-olds should have one or two playmates over for a small Birthday Play Day. Again I suggest you keep a birthday plate and other keepsakes for your 2-year-old.

Age 3: 3-year-olds should have three to four playmates over, and at this age you might have try a birthday game such as “Who can stack the blocks the highest?” I do not recommend having a clown or playing any games that require a blindfold over a child’s eyes such key due to the fact either can scare children at this age. Remember your child has just turned 3, and the playmates are around that age. They are still not able to understand fully structured games very well. They only know if they do something good or better than other children, everyone will give them attention. Again I suggest you collect keepsakes.

Age 4: At 4, children should now be ready for a “real” party. I suggest four or five playmates. 4-year-olds are ready now for party decorations, but I suggest you do less and save your money for the big number “5” birthday (or buy decorations that you can put away and use again). Games such as Musical Chairs, and carrying a hard boiled egg on a spoon to the finish line without dropping it relay race can be appropriate, but remember that games will be played and finished much sooner than you think. Consider having a few of your child’s favorite videos on hand. Even if the kids have seen them 100 times, they will enjoy them. After an hour or so, you will probably need a break and the children might be cranky. A movie they are all spellbound by will be a great way to relax the kids and you. You might want to consider spreading a couple of blankets on the floor and have some pillows handy for sleepyheads!

Age 5: 5-year-olds should have a big party, but remind them that this is because they are the big “5,” and either starting school or just in school, and having a “big” party will not happen every year. Explain to them that big parties are only for special birthdays such as 5 because they have started or are starting school, 10 because that is the first double-digit number, and of course 16 (“Sweet 16” for girls and “Driving Age” for boys). This will save you money in the long run. On the fifth birthday, I suggest you first decide if you want to do it yourself, rent a building or park area but still do it yourself, or call local businesses (like McDonalds) to see what party-planning packages they offer. I personally suggest renting a park area if weather permits because the kids will be just as happy playing on park equipment as they would if you spent a ton of money on a professionally planned party. Have several inexpensive disposable cameras on hand and let your Birthday Boy or Girl take pictures of his or her first “big” party!

Great games for 5-year-olds whether inside or outside are:

Is your baby’s big day coming up and you are wondering what kind of party you should give to him? Whether it is his first birthday or his third, it is always easy to pick a theme and create a party around it! A theme from a party can be carried on through the decorations, cake, gifts, photos and scrapbooking.

Choosing A Theme
How do you go about choosing a theme for your baby’s birthday? Even a one year old probably has something he enjoys whether that is a toy, a TV show, balloons or some other inanimate object. Pick one of your baby’s favorite things and create a birthday around that theme. Your baby probably won’t understand it at the time, but it is a great way to look back in 18 years and see what your baby was “into” at that particular age. Themes vary widely, but some might include:

• Sesame Street
• Elmo
• Balloons
• Clowns
• Animals (dogs, cats, etc.)
• Barbie
• Disney
• Princess
• Trucks
• Cars
• Movie theme

Decorating
Picking one theme and using it for decorating makes decorating very easy. You can normally find all your party decorations together making it simple to buy plates, napkins and cups of the same theme at the same time. Whether or not your theme is “balloons”, your baby probably loves them and sometimes you can find balloons that can be blown up in your theme as part of your decorations. You may be able to find inexpensive pictures or posters in your theme to hang on walls, or buy them at a party store. You can hang streamers from your ceiling in colors that coordinate with your theme, and if it is age appropriate for your child, a piñata would be fun!

Don’t Over Do It
While a birthday party is fun, and picking a theme is a great idea, you want to make sure you do not over do it and overwhelm your baby. While one years olds can easily be over stimulated, three year olds can often be as well. Too much excitement, cake, candy and punch for a three year old can bring on a total meltdown making it hard for you to get your baby to calm down and rest. Watch for cues from your child to when they have had enough. If you are putting up decorations and it seems to be too much, pull some down. You can stick to a theme with a few decorations and still make it a great party!

What do you serve at your baby’s birthday party? Depending on the crowd, the time of day, and what kind of party you are throwing your menu will vary. No matter what size it is, large or small, the food you serve doesn’t have to be tasteless.

Time of Day
What time of day are you having your party? If you are having a mid-morning party then food wise you won’t need much. Even for the guests coming, you could probably get buy with some danishes or croissants since it is between breakfast and lunch. If it is at lunch time you can have a deli tray, mini quiches or little finger sandwiches for everyone to eat. A vegetable tray is a nice addition to a lunchtime party as well. For a mid-afternoon party, try serving finger food snacks such as chicken wings and little taquitos. For a dinner party consider having a pot of chili or stew, or if the weather permits a barbeque outside with hamburgers and hotdogs. If there will be other toddlers at your party, consider having an assortment of your baby’s favorite foods handy for them too munch on if their parents are willing.

Who is Coming?
What is the main age range of the people coming to the party? You want to make sure you have food and beverages that are age appropriate for all your guests. If it is all toddlers you will want a menu of kid friendly food. If it is mostly adults it is ok to get a little more unique and experimental. Make sure you have plenty of food for everyone because it is much better to have leftovers and everyone happy than not have enough food and people looking for a snack.

Tying in the Theme
What kind of party are you throwing? When possible, if you can tie the theme of your party in to the food you serve people will think you are genius! For example, if you are throwing Sponge Bob or The Little Mermaid birthday parties have a menu of seafood. Fish sticks, small shrimp, or clam chowder on a cold day along with coleslaw and hushpuppies would make a great under the sea variety of food. If you are doing a Dora the Explorer or Diego party, have a menu of Mexican food whether it is taquitos, tacos or enchiladas.

Seating
Don’t expect everyone to sit down and eat unless you specifically tell them in advance that you are preparing a sit down meal. Prepare food that can be easily carried around and eaten standing up as parents will want to be able to mingle with others easily. This also keeps down the chance that parents will forget to keep an eye on their child while you are taking care of the birthday child.

by: Abigail Beal

Are you going to a baby shower? Gifts for babies are always so cute – here are some ideas to create gift wrapping that is just as adorable as the gift you are giving.

If you know the baby is expected to be a boy or a girl, sometimes it is fun to wrap a gift in “baby boy blue” or “baby girl pink” – but remember we have many other colors in the rainbow to choose from! Here are some other options to get your creative juices flowing.

Going to a shower and the mother is not sure if the baby is going to be a boy or a girl? Wrap the baby gift in white paper and tie the gift with two ribbons instead of one – use one pink and one blue. Tie the blue and pink ribbons together and tape to the back of the package. Then have the ribbon form a bow on the front of the package from the two colors of ribbon.

Want to add a cute topping to any baby shower package? Add a rattle, teething ring, baby mittens, hairbow, small picture frame, Christmas ornament or a small stuffed animal. All of these items can be fastened with the ribbon you tie the gift with – and these items can also be used by the baby.

Love teddy bears? Do a teddy bear gift wrap! Use gift wrap paper that has teddy bears on it, or a soft cocoa colored gift wrap paper. But a small teddy bear on the top of your package and tie with a brown or a white bow. You can often find teddy bear rattles or teething rings that have teddy bears on them.

Quack quack quack! Wrap with a duck theme! Use yellow paper or paper with ducks on it and tie with a large orange ribbon. Top your gift with a traditional yellow rubber duck.

For a pretty look for a spring baby shower consider a very floral look. Wrap a gift with floral or plain but colored paper. Use a green or purple ribbon and tie it in a bow. Top the package with some fresh spring flowers. Cut the stems of the flowers very short. Add the flowers the morning of the baby shower for best presentation.

Does the baby have an older sibling? Consider giving a small gift to this sibling. A new baby is often a hectic time and seeing their new brother or sister get so many gifts can sometimes be overwhelming, and leave many children feeling a little forgotten. Consider getting an older sibling a storybook or a stuffed animal as a special big brother/big sister gift.

About The Author
Abigail Beal © 2004 Abigail Beal a.k.a. “the Gift-wrap Goddess” teaches gift wrap in suburban New York. She is the author of 2 ezines: GiftWrapGoddessWraps and CreativeCraftsTeachers. To subscribe: groups.yahoo.com/group/CreativeCraftsTeachers/, groups.yahoocom/group/GiftWrapGoddessWraps/ contact: creativecraftsteachers@yahoo.com, giftwrapgoddess@yahoo.com