DIY Gifts Archives - Babysfirstsapp

Baby’s Firsts Giftwrapping: Preppy Plaid Snowflake

After all, a gift as memorable as a Baby’s Firsts book deserves an excellent presentation. If none of those previously discussed caught your attention, why not give this simple and elegant presentation a try?

Things you will need:

Two types of ribbon
A snowflake ornament (or something similar)
An appropriately sized gift box
Wrapping paper
Tissue Paper
Tape

Time required: About fifteen minutes

Step One: Get Your Materials Ready!

Few things are more frustrating than needing to interrupt giftwrapping because you forgot to have tape on your desk. Take a moment to bring everything together on your clean, flat work surface.

Step Two: Wrap it up!

Place your Baby’s Firsts book in the box, making sure to cushion it with some tissue paper. Small things like that really do make a difference in presentation, so don’t leave it out!

Once the book is secure in its box, wrap it. Try to make sure that the pattern of the wrapping paper and the ribbons you’ve chosen work well together. You don’t need to be an art student to pick out complementary colors!

Step Three: Prepare Your Ribbons!

This design really hinges on the ribbons, so take your time with this part of it.

Lay the thinner ribbon on top of the wider one, and draw it from beneath the box as shown in the picture. You can gather it together a bit, but don’t tie it off just yet; just make sure that you leave enough slack on both ends to make a nice bow.

Next, thread the loop of your snowflake ornament with the thinner ribbon. It should be roughly near the center of the box, right where you’ll be tying your bow.

Step Four: Tie it up!

Baby’s Firsts Giftwrapping: Pompom Pretty

As discussed earlier, there are some interesting and creative ways to add some extra keepsakes when you wrap your Baby’s Firsts book. But sometimes wrapping needs to be done early, or the gift needs to be shipped elsewhere, and adding those extra things (while adorable) becomes impractical. Don’t worry— there are other ways to make your giftwrapping stand out!

Anyone who has done significant wrapping in the past knows that the most difficult part can be making those pesky knots look good. Try this simple and easy way to make the knot of your ribbon the highlight of your wrapping job!

Things you will need:

A length of thick yarn ribbon
Wrapping paper
Tape

Time required: About ten minutes (less if you wrap quickly!)

Step One: Gather Your Materials!

Make sure that your work space is relatively clear. Nothing ruins a perfect wrapping job faster than wrinkles or tears!

Step Two: Wrap Your Book!

Usually a solid color works best with this kind of presentation. The ribbon is the real star of this wrapping job, so don’t let it be overshadowed by a busy pattern!

Step Three: Tie Your Ribbon!

This is the part that will make or break the whole presentation. The object is to create a single, closed loop of ribbon that will just be able to fit. Remember the old adage: measure twice, cut once.

First, take about two feet of ribbon, but don’t cut it yet. Gather it into a single loop.

Next, stretch the bottom of the loop across one of the corners of the gift (with the closed end on the top side where you can’t see any tape).

Pull the rest of the ribbon to the opposite corner (if you started at the bottom-left, for instance, pull the ribbon toward the top-right) beneath the gift (so that you can’t see the length of ribbon from the top except for the loops on the corners).

Next, measure the ribbon so that you can match the length of the loop from the first quarter. It should look roughly symmetrical. Make sure that you leave an extra couple of inches to tie it off.

Now that you know exactly how much ribbon you’ll need, you can cut it.

Next, thread the ribbon through the loop on your pompom. It doesn’t particularly matter where you keep it at this point; just make sure that it’s far enough away from the ends for you to tie it appropriately.

Now (you’re almost done!), loop the first corner once more. Stretch the ribbon beneath it as you did before, but this time you’re going to tie it off when you finish looping the second, opposite corner.

Once it’s tied, drag the pompom back to the knot, so that it’s resting right over it, hiding it from sight.

If you’ve done it right, you should have something that looks like this:

Feel free to cut some of the extra ribbon from the knot that isn’t hidden by the pompom. Other than that, you’re done!

So there you have it: yet another simple way to make your giftwrapping stand out!

Baby’s Firsts Giftwrapping: Magnet Magic

In a previous post, we showed you how to create and present a classic keepsake. But handprint molds aren’t for everyone, and what if Grandma already has one?

Why don’t you take a look at the Baby’s Firsts refrigerator magnets? These adorable keepsakes make excellent gifts on their own! Plus, here’s a simple and creative way to present these magnets and spruce up the presentation of your Baby’s Firsts book!

You will need:

Baby’s Firsts refrigerator magnets (two were used in this example)
Wrapping paper
A wide ribbon
Tape

Time needed: Approximately ten minutes (depending on how quickly you can wrap!)

Step One: Wrap the Book!

Wrapping is serious business. You want to make sure that you have your workspace set up with enough room to move around. Then wrap your book as neatly as possible in whatever wrapping paper you choose.

Step Two: Get the Magnets Ready!

We like saving time so we didn’t over think this. Take a length of tape and loop it so that the adhesive side is on the outside. Then just stick it onto the back of each magnet you want to include.

We don’t recommend double sided tape for this because it can be difficult to remove from the magnet. Remember that the object is simply to enhance the presentation; the magnets aren’t going to be there for too long, and you only want them to stay in place for a few days (or hours, if you’re wrapping on your way out the door).

Step Three: Place Your Magnets!

Tie your ribbon around the gift, making sure that it is presented just the way you want it. Then, as shown in the picture, stick your magnets to the ribbon. The whole setup should be generally centered.

That’s it! This simple addition adds not only a little extra flair to a gift’s presentation, it gives Grandma two more precious keepsakes of your little one! And, honestly, who can argue with a gift that looks as precious as this before it’s opened?

Baby’s Firsts Giftwrapping: Handprint

The books you’ve ordered through the Baby’s Firsts app make outstanding gifts (especially for grandparents), but there are ways to present that gift that will make it stand out even more. What better way to do that than to provide a second keepsake right on the wrapping paper?

There are few better ways to remember just how tiny our little ones used to be than by making a handprint mold. These easy-to-make keepsakes are wonderful reminders of a time when ours sons and daughters could be held in one hand.

Time required: About an hour and a half, plus a day or two to set and dry.

Things you will need:

Crayola Model Magic (available online or in most craft stores)
A circular mold or bowl
A flat work surface (newspaper works just fine)
An agreeable baby! (It does make things easier if they have already napped and eaten!)

Step One: Prepare the Mold

Crayola Model Magic is easy to work with. Take as much as you need to fill your mold up to about an inch thick. Make sure that you roll it out so that the surface is smooth and even— you don’t want any lumps! Once that’s done, you can cut your compound into your desired shape.

Step Two: Make the Impression

Sit down with your little one, grasp their hand, and gently guide it toward your mold. Press firmly, making sure that the fingers and thumb are separated enough. If your little one is old enough, they may have a tendency to close their hand into a fist when they meet this new material (which is nice and squishy), so just make sure that you keep an even pressure on their fingers to prevent that.

Once you’ve made a solid impression, remove your little one’s hand, and make sure that there isn’t any left stuck to their little fingers!

Step Three: Patience!

Once you’ve made your impression, the mold needs to dry. Leave it somewhere that it will be undisturbed (and won’t get wet) for a while. It typically takes a day or two to completely cure. You may want to flip it over once you are certain (very certain) that the top of your mold is totally dry, to make sure that the back dries evenly as well.

Once complete, you should have something that looks like this:

Step Four: Attach Your Ribbon to the mold

Take a small length of ribbon (about six inches), and twist it as shown in the picture. Adhere it to the back of your handprint mold with a piece of clear tape.

Some prefer to poke a hole through the mold before letting it dry in order to tie the ribbon in place. That works as well, but taping the ribbon to the back allows the recipient of this gift to display it however they like!

Step Five: Wrap it up!

Wrap the Baby’s Firsts book in your chosen paper, and tie it off with string or ribbon. Before finishing off the final knot, make sure that you have threaded the ribbon of your handprint, as shown in the picture.

So there you have it: an excellent Do-It-Yourself way to add a little extra flair to an already outstanding gift!