Heirloom Gifts for Baby

Footprints

Once you're done exploring and printing your little one's fingers, it's time to move on to those tiny toes. Each of the handprint techniques outlined above can also be used with footprints.

Framed
Choose a long vertical frame and make several prints going up the page. The finished picture will look like footprints walking up the wall. If you can't get your baby to stay still (or asleep) for the inking, make several prints on different pieces of paper then buy small frames to place going up the wall.

Stockings
Using fabric paint, make a print of your baby's foot along the top of the stocking. Add your baby's name with the same paint. This technique works well on stiff, cotton stockings.

Wreaths

Ornaments
You can find small, three-inch painted or branch wreaths at your local craft store to make these festive ornaments. Get a copy of a favorite photo of your baby and cut the edges of the picture so that it will come just outside of the interior opening of the wreath. Hot glue the picture into the wreath using a glue gun and add a bow to hang this special keepsake on the tree.

Wall Hanging
Deck the halls with a homemade wreath that showcases your baby's holiday portrait. Choose a large branch wreath, about 12 inches around, to frame the photo. Find a wooden, circular frame for the picture. If you can't find a circular frame, look for an inexpensive clock and take out the clock parts. Paint the clock's frame with acrylic paint and use a glue gun to attach a thick ribbon from the back of the frame to the wreath. You may want to nail the ribbon onto the back of the clock frame if it's heavy. Thread some of the ribbon into the wreath to create a dramatic wall hanging.

Say Cheese!

Of course pictures always make a great gift and are a special way to remember your little one. Don't limit yourself to standard poses; take several close-ups shots of your baby when he's in different moods—maybe laughing, crying, or sleeping. Place the photos in a three-picture frame for a montage of your baby's emotions. Or document your baby's firsts, such as her first bath, first meal, or first time sitting alone, and again use a three-picture frame or even three identical frames to create a story with moments that illustrate your baby's personality.

Your baby won't be small forever, so capture her first holiday season with a personal keepsake that your family is sure to enjoy for many holidays to come.