Scrapbooks can make wonderful gifts. There is nothing more touching than receiving a hand-made scrapbook to mark a special event in someone's life. Many individuals are too busy with work, school or family to start a scrapbook for themselves. If you're lucky, maybe you have a friend who does scrapbooking as a hobby and might be inclined to start a scrapbook for you to give as a gift, or you may even have the talent to build one yourself.

Everyone loves to get handmade presents, especially ones custom-made by a close friend or relative. A gift of something hand-crafted often touches the heart more than any store-bought item could. The beauty of a gift scrapbook is that all the groundwork is done; the embellishments have been added and the book is ready to receive photos. From this point on, all the new mother has to do with her scrapbook is to add her pictures and start chronicling the life of her newborn.

When creating a gift scrapbook for someone, consider first if they have any experience with scrapbooking. If they are new to the hobby, consider giving them a smaller sized album, such as a 5 X 7 or 8.5 X 11. This will give them room for their pictures without overwhelming them. When designing the pages, leave space on the page for around two pictures and one spot for journaling. Your spots do not have to be full frame sizes, but avoid hard to cut shapes like hearts or flowers. The places to place the picture should be squares and rectangles because these are easy to measure and trim pictures to fit. Consider sending along a few disposable cameras or rolls of film, unless of course she has a digital camera.

Consider giving a few basic supplies along with the album. You will want the person to have photo safe adhesives and some good scissors or other cutting tools to be able to add their pictures to the album. You may want to give them a few customized embellishments that they can add throughout the album. Also, consider including typed instructions on how to finish the album. Encourage them to include journaling to make their pages more personalized.

There are so many occasions in life worthy of a handmade scrapbook marking the event. Weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, graduations, retirements, house warmings - the list is endless. You could create a theme to match a bride's color scheme or one that is similar to the decor of a new house. Starting a scrapbook may not be something a person ever thought to do on their own before, and by giving a thought-out gift of a prepared scrapbook, you