Scrapbooking Birthday Gift

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Rose
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Scrapbooking Birthday Gift

Post by Rose »

This was an idea that evolved into a whole new option by my family.

When my dad turned 70 it was a bad year for all of us kids and there was just no way we could get home. So mom got the idea that the next best thing to us being there was for each of us to write a letter to dad and tell of our favorite moment with him. Well it turned out that we all had more then one and the stories took off. In the end it turned in to quite the funny paper and dad really enjoyed it. That year for Christmas we all got a bindered copy of Dad's birthday gift in a way that was what started them off on writing the other books full of stories that we got in the following years. We all like to tell stories.

Anyway it also started off another idea and that was a birthday book for us kids. My oldest sisters was the first and Dad, Mom, my daughter and I put it together for her 50th Birthday. What we did was write to all the family sisters, brothers, kids(hers and ours) and husbands(hers and ours) and asked them to put together a collection of the things we had done with that person...(ie my oldest sister) and then send it to mom to put in a binder as one big surprise. Mom had a computer program for making up scrap book pages we also went out and bout pretty paper, stickers and all sorts of stuff. We covered a 3-ring binfer on pretty cloth and added some decorations to it and hurray a fun filled book of storie from the whole family. Now this took about 6 months of poking and prodding a few of the participants, but in the end it was so worht the time and effort. A keepsake for the recipiant. Then the next year I got one for my 40th birthday, we did the next for my middle sisters 50th that same year. And two years later for my oldest brothers 50th. Last year was my youngest brothers 30th and my middle brothers 50th will be this year. So the books are complete and everyone has a collection of stories from teh family and a fun thing to look back at.

This is a great gift for when you are stuck with an idea fo a family member. Your can include stories from just you immediate family or you can get friends to join in also. When my sisters husband turned 50 she did one for him and she had the family (hers and his) and close friends do stories and then she did the scrapping and put all the stuff together it turned into a real book of fun for him. Just something I wanted to throw out as an idea. Now I will try to scan a few pages from my book and see if they will show up worth a darn. :?
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agi
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Re: Scrapbooking Birthday Gift

Post by agi »

Rose, this is a wonderful idea. I am amazed at how your family could do this.
I am sure no one (or very few) from my family would be interested or willing or able to do such a thing.
Weel, of course, I never tried, so who knows - there may be surprises ahead of me.
Agi

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Rose
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Re: Scrapbooking Birthday Gift

Post by Rose »

Front Cover of book. Mom Cross Stitched this
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Back Cover this was a piece of cloth she found and put stuffing behind.
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Something mom and dad made up with the computer scrapbook program they hadImage
Another page with some photos of me and some stickers and a banner
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This was a page my sister did she is scrapbook crazy. She has probabaly as big a stash of scrapbook stuff as I do in my whole crafting room :shock:
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This is a page with part of the story that my brother wrote. Some of the pages only have story some have story and picture and some only have picture.
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This is a page from the section of my daughter
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mags
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Re: Scrapbooking Birthday Gift

Post by mags »

Oh wow, Rose, that is wonderful and you must have a very close family. :D
I think I'm with Agi here in that my family probably wouldn't bother to do this.
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Jilly
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Re: Scrapbooking Birthday Gift

Post by Jilly »

What a wonderful family you have Rose :D
My side of the family is very small, and my husbands is very divided, bit of a non starter really :(
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~threadbear~
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Re: Scrapbooking Birthday Gift

Post by ~threadbear~ »

This is a fabulous thing to have and do Rose.
I can imagine the pleasure you get giving and recieving these.
:D
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Rose
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Re: Scrapbooking Birthday Gift

Post by Rose »

Well you don't have to do it as a family thing. You can also do is for friends birthdays or a retirement or an Anniversary. You can contact friends and colleagues and ask them to write stories and then all you have to do is put it into a book and there you have a special gift. Just a few ideas.
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sammy_v
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Re: Scrapbooking Birthday Gift

Post by sammy_v »

What a wonderful idea Rose, i love this, it brought a tear to my eye to how close u all are and how much work must have gone into making each and everyone.
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~threadbear~
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Re: Scrapbooking Birthday Gift

Post by ~threadbear~ »

Lovely idea's Rose. We made a funny 'book' for a friend when she was having her 6th baby about 17 years ago now ... and only recently the daughter told me they all had the 'book' out and were having a real laugh over it.

:D
:choc: There's nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with CHOCOLATE! :dance:
:choc: Forget love! I'd rather fall in CHOCOLATE! :wub:

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