Project

Baby Keepsake Box

Preserve the most special items from your child's early years by creating a personalized package with their bonnet, booties, ultrasound photos, or favorite toy.

Photography: Ashley Poskin

Source: Martha Stewart

Introduction

This idea comes from our friend Ashley Poskin. "You can use anything from a repurposed small vintage suitcase to a beautifully lined craft box," she says. "The key is finding storage containers that fit perfectly within the box."

Before you start, make a list of the items you want to place inside the box and begin to gather your supplies. Start shopping for storage containers and bring home a few different options so you can play around with the arrangement. Consider the shapes of your items: you may need a long shallow box for a baby spoon, a tiny box for a special baby ring, a cube for a pacifier, and so on.

For more ideas, scroll through our entire collection of handmade baby gifts and

materials

Miniature suitcase (Fun Express White Mini Suitcase, $13, orientaltrading.com)

Two sheets of 8 1/2" by 11" decorative paper

Ribbons

Acid-free tissue paper (Kreinik Acid Free Tissue Paper 20" x 30", $7.49, joann.com)

Stickers (mambiSTICKS Victoria Cursive Black Glitter Alphabet Stickers, $8.39, michaels.com)

Nesting boxes (Brother Sister Design Studio Kraft Nested Square Boxes, $12, hobbylobby.com)

Tags (The Paper Studio Blank White Metal Eyelet Tags, $3 for 20, hobbylobby.com)

Baby bonnet (Little Goodall Betsy Ann Liberty Ruffle Bonnet, $35, littlegoodall.com)

Favorite doll or toy (Three Little Sisters Swaddle Baby Doll, starting from $14, etsy.com)

Baby booties (L'Amour Shoes Lacey Scalloped Leather Lace-Up Baby Shoes, in White, $38, lamourshoes.com)

steps

Place the storage boxes inside your keepsake box and play around with the arrangement until you find the perfect configuration.
Use acid free tissue paper to wrap garments to keep them from yellowing.
Add labels to the box tops along with any special information like the date of a first haircut, who gifted the item, and so on.
Add an accordion folder to the inside of the lid to store meaningful papers like footprints and ultrasound images. If you can't find a folder that fits, you can easily create one using two pieces of 8 1/2-by-11-inch craft or cardstock paper. First, cut one piece of paper in half so you have two 5 1/2" by 8 1/2" pieces of paper. Place 1/2 inch accordion folds along the 8 1⁄2” side so you end up with two pieces of paper with accordion folds that are 8 1⁄2” in length and 1/2 inch wide. Tape or glue the folds onto the back of the remaining piece of 8 1⁄2” x 11” craft paper, then place a piece of tape around the bottom of each of the folds so that the folder fans out at the top. Glue or tape the folder inside the lid of the keepsake box. Place a piece of velcro or two ribbons at the top of the inside of the box to keep the folder closed when not in use.
Personalize the outside of the box. If you have a Cricut, cut out a name and birth date; otherwise, you can use stickers from the craft store, or freehand it if you have beautiful penmanship.
If you have a craft box without a closure, you can add one by simply attaching two pieces of ribbon to the inside of the box: one on the top inside lip, one on the bottom, then place the ribbons on the outside of the box. Once tied, the bow adds a beautiful detail and keeps the box securely closed.