Adoption Scrapbook Albums That Are Fast And Easy
Lisa Copen
While you are waiting to adopt a child it seems the day will never arrive when the phone will ring with news of "You're having a baby!" Starting your adoption scrapbook album while still in the waiting phase can help can be a comfort. It will remind you that the day really will arrive when you will be a parent. Plus, it's a great way to learn how to journal what is important to you. Once the child arrives, you may be more likely to take the time to journal about events and emotions.
Don't feel overwhelming with the task of creating an adoption scrapbook album. One of the easiest and most natural places to start is with an extensive list of topics about the adoption experience. This can help get you brain focusing on events you may otherwise overlook. These lists can be found on a variety of web sites including my own which has over 150 topics.
Decide what style of book you want. You can buy a hard-cover book at your favorite bookstore that resembles a typical baby book. Or you may want to consider purchasing a pre-made adoption album, or even hiring a freelance scrapbooker to do a pre-designed book for you. One of the best options in my opinion is the Adoption Scrapbook Album which is twenty pages of overlays, where you get to choose five that specifically fits your child's experience. These transparency overlays make your book look like it was designed by a professional, but with the price tag of doing it yourself.
Visit your local scrapbook store or craft store and find some stickers and other embellishments. You'll find that few mention adoption specifically, but you can find a lot of stickers with saying about family, baby milestones, love, and other life events. You can add these to your book when you need a little spot to fill and it adds some character.
Have fun writing down the day-to-day stuff and taking photos of silly things. Now with digital cameras you can take dozens of photos of things a close up of Cheerios to the pile of laundry. The more creative photos you take, the more fun you'll have journaling. Later on, you'll be glad you wrote and photographed about the uneventful stuff too and your child will love reading about it.
Be creative, but not obsessively so. You don't have to go to "cropping parties." Invest in a nice paper cutter, don't bother cutting photos into circles, matte them using solid-color card stock and buy patterned paper in bulk.
Write it down. While it's nice to finish your adoption album soon so your child can enjoy it even as he or she is a toddler, at least start writing notes as you go to use for journaling later. You may use some in places other than the adoption album, but you'll have lots to choose from. Purchase a small notepad to put in the diaper bag so you can easily write things down as you think of them
My son turns five-years-old this month. The first year of his life I grew so tired of strangers telling me, "It goes so fast." Now I find myself smiling at little babies and telling the new mothers, "Cherish it. It goes so fast." Adoption is such an amazing experience and every time you look into your little one's eyes you think you will remember every single moment. But our brains can only hold so much and our children do change quickly. Record those treasured memories now.
http://www.scrapbookadoption.com/ The Adoption Scrapbook Album is a fast, simple way to create a professional lifebook. Use transparency overlays and friends will admire--even if you aren't crafty. Free poems and quotes from Lisa Copen at
http://www.scrapbookadoption.com/ Scrapbook My Adoption
