DIY Newborn Shadow Boxes – a Memorable DIY

This is a great design idea for a baby keepsake frame from Aimee, at The Crazy Craft Lady. A simple and effective design - perfect for displaying and treasuring those special keepsakes and moments. 

https://thecrazycraftlady.com/newborn-shadow-boxes-for-the-twins/

You won’t believe how easy it is to make the perfect customized newborn shadow box.  Learn how to make a personalized baby shadow box with a few basic supplies and keepsakes

Sae

 

I have seen some pretty creative newborn shadow box ideas lately, and knew this was something I wanted to do with our twins.  There is a little corner in the hallway outside their bedroom; I felt like this would be a perfect place to display some newborn mementos.

Enter my decision to make two newborn shadow boxes with all of our keepsakes from the hospital.

Here’s what I kept:

• Hospital hat and kimono top (the ones given to us by the hospital)
• The footprints from their “souvenir birth certificates”
• Ankle bracelet identification tags – I used two in Miss. B’s shadow box, since the back of hers had a stamp that reads “twin #2”
• The identification card from the hospital bassinet
• The socks the babies wore home from the hospital (so small!)
• A photo from the night they were born – I edited the pictures and reduced the color saturation level by about 50%

I bought two shadow boxes from Michaels during a BOGO sale as well as pink & blue scrapbook paper and two little wooden letters – R and B.  

I painted the letters pink and blue to match the paper I would be mounting some of my keepsakes on.

First, I arranged everything on the back board – walking away and coming back with fresh eyes to make sure I liked the positioning of all my items.  I decided to do a mirror image of my first arrangement in the second shadow box.  This way the boxes are not too similar.

I displayed my two newborn shadow boxes outside the nursery.  This was for several reasons.  One: I’m not a big fan of hanging newborn pictures in the nursery itself.  I think the nursery should be a room for the babies to grow in, explore, and enjoy.  Two: I wanted to keep the shadow boxes close to the nursery as a reminder of how much they have grown and changed.  Three: The corner just outside the nursery was pretty empty looking.

My sister gave us a collage frame filled with newborn and baptism pictures, which I decided to hang on the opposite wall from the shadow boxes.  I love this project, and constantly find myself looking over at the keepsakes and telling myself I can’t believe just how tiny they were, and how blessed we are to have two happy and healthy babies in our lives.

How to Make a Baby Keepsake Shadow Box Frame

Here's a little bit of inspiration for those wanting to frame some of your special baby keepsakes. It's a shame to hide them away in a box in the loft, when they can make such a beautiful and meaningful display in your home.

21 Baby Keepsakes Ideas - What to Keep!

Everyone always says that time goes so fast when you have children and I never appreciated how true this was until I had my first child.  In a sleepy haze of 3 and 4 hour routines; drifting between feeds, changes and sleeps - time inevitably escapes you. 

They grow so fast and having those few special items that remind us of how tiny and precious they were can be really important. Not just for us parents, but also for the children.  When they are older, all of these special keepsakes and memories can be passed onto them to cherish.

So what kinds of things can you keep?  The answer is simple.  Anything.....anything that means something to you and reminds you of your child and your pregnancy.  One of my favourite keepsakes, for some reason is the car park ticket from the hospital when I went into labour with my first child.  It was left in the car for at least a couple of years before I rediscovered it - perhaps that's why it's special because I kept it by accident.  Either way I love it and still have it.

You can start collecting keepsakes from the first moment you find out your pregnant and then continue throughout the baby's childhood.  Here's our list of 21 keepsakes ideas:

1. The positive pregnancy test
2. Appointment cards given throughout the pregnancy - hospital and doctors.
3. Scan photos
4. Photo of mum's tummy in the last days of pregnancy
5. Photo of the baby when it is first born
6. Hospital ankle band    
7. Hospital car park ticket
8. First size nappy to remind you how small they were
9. The card that was attached to the hospital cot
10. Umbilical cord clip (some people even keep the umbilical cord stump... I admit I preferred the car park ticket)
11. The outfit they wore when they came home from hospital
12. A newspaper from the day the baby was born
13. Their first Christmas bib / baby grow
14. Imprints or casts of their tiny feet and hands
15. Their first pair of shoes / booties
16. All of the congratulations / new baby cards you were given
17. Any item of baby clothing that was special or represented a special time to you. 
18. Writing letters that record what the baby is doing, how she is growing etc as well as all my dreams for her future.
19. Creating and keeping a scrapbook that includes photos, summaries and records milestones- or completing a record book that prompts you for the information.
20. The first lock of hair
21.  Copy of birth announcement cards (if sent out)

I'm sure you'll have a few of your own ideas and if you've got any to share, please do comment below.  We'd love to know, however obscure they might be ;o)

FKS x