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The internet is bursting with DIY projects for every interest and personal taste. If you like to build, design, or decorate your own stuff, then you are no stranger to DIY projects. Having a baby is the perfect excuse to head to the craft store and get your home, nursery, and life ready and decorated before the baby arrives. If you are brimming with love and ready to get crafty, read on for additional inspiration!
Baby Journal
Although your pregnancy brings about plenty of discomfort and things that you don’t want to remember, there is plenty that you will want to remember as your kids grow up. Creating some sort of journal or memory book or journal during your pregnancy will be a treasure to both you and your little one as the years go on. Depending on your personal taste, there are so many options for creating an adorable book to keep your memories in—there’s really no right or wrong way to do it. You can add weekly photos of your growing belly, a copy of the sonogram photo, or announcements you sent out to announce the pregnancy. If you like to scrapbook, you can use patterned paper and cut outs. If you’re more digital, you can put together a book using cute fonts and digital photos using sites like Shutterfly. Another good idea is to add little notes or thoughts you have during your pregnancy throughout the book. You’ll be surprised at how easily you forget some things as time goes on and your children get older. Shop baby journals on Amazon now!
Nursery Wall Mural
Part of the fun of preparing for baby is getting the nursery ready. Adding a little personal touch to the room can easily be done through the wall décor that you choose. If you have a theme for your nursery, you can easily find pre paste backing mural decals from craft stores or online retailers. Some companies even allow you to upload your own designs and images, and then turn them into wall decals. Additional designs offer dry erase or chalk board capabilities where you can inscribe sweet messages to your baby, and even continue writing messages as they grow older. If you are particularly artistic, you might consider trying your hand at painting a scene on the wall from a beloved children’s book, or another scene that fits the theme of the nursery. Another popular method for adding a mother’s personal touch to the nursery is to put the baby’s name on a blank wall, or even write one of your favorite quotes. Once you know the gender of the child and have a theme or color scheme for the nursery, it will be easy to find ways to add a little extra something to the walls. Shop nursery wall murals on Amazon!
Baby’s First Blanket
Your baby’s first blanket will play a huge part in their first few years—it will be their comfort, their favorite item, and an essential tool for calming them down. Whether you sew or not, there are simple baby blanket patterns and tutorials that allow any mom-to-be to create the perfect blanket to wrap up their bundle of joy from day one. As mentioned, there are plenty of easy tutorials, but you first need to decide what type of material you want. Popular choices for baby blankets are fleece, cotton, crochet, or quilts. Your skill level as well as your preference of material will determine what type of blanket you decide to make. Pinterest has wonderful tutorials for cotton and fleece blankets, if you want a soft blanket with frilly ends. Quilting is a little more difficult, especially if you haven’t done it before, but there are plenty of tutorials on YouTube that will help you complete the project.
If you want to knit your blanket, Paradise Fibers has helpful patterns and kits as well as circular knitting needles and anything else you need to get the job done. The pattern you choose can reflect your family’s interests, your baby’s gender, or you can just use a material that is soft and comfy. Shop baby blankets on Amazon!
Baby Mobile
You will likely get a baby mobile or two if you have a baby shower, however, you might consider making your own instead of just using a boring mobile with chunky plastic toys attached. You can create a mobile that includes photos of family members so that the baby can wake up to familiar faces. Once again, consider the color scheme and theme of the nursery to make the design process easier. Think about fabrics and colors that will catch your baby’s attention. Some mothers have used feathers, fake flowers, tassels, and brightly colored shapes that not only go with the rest of the nursery décor, but they are fun for baby to look at. Depending on your nursery theme, the possibilities are endless—animals, shapes, cut outs, buttons, and ribbons. To get started, go to your local craft store and find a suitable-sized ring. You can use a wooden embroidery hoop, or a Styrofoam ring that you can easily cover in fabric. You can get two rings (one large and one small), or just stick with a single ring. Purchase twine or fishing line to use as string to hang your designs from, or you can use a more decorative ribbon. You might want to purchase a ceiling hook so that you can attach the completed mobile and ensure that it will stay in place. Shop baby mobiles on Amazon!
You might find yourself with a little extra time during your pregnancy if you are taking time off work, or if you have to be on bed rest for a while. If you’re a crafty person, completing adorable projects for your little one will get you so excited for him or her to arrive. As the years go on, your baby will cherish the items you made while you were awaiting parenthood.
