Fun Steps for Making a Meaningful and Memorable Keepsake Gift for Grandma

Guest post by Vicki M. Thompson. This sounds like a great project that would be fun for the kids to help out with.

To make a wonderful keepsake gift for grandma, gather up great pictures of you and grandma, choose your frame, bring out your scrap-booking materials, paste your pictures, use your painting and coloring materials, look up some of your favorite quotations or bible verses, decorate your gift, frame your work, and wrap it up.

Despite so many gifts that you can buy for your grandma on her birthday or any other special occasion, the one that will leave a lasting memory is something that you make yourself. Handcrafted keepsake gifts made straight from the heart are sure to make her feel very special and loved. Here is how to make your own keepsake gift for grandma that she will really love:

Gather up great pictures of you and grandma

Pictures are always wonderful to include in keepsake gifts. They are treasured things that everyone loves to look at every day. Gather up all the pictures you find of you and grandma: your baby pictures, your grandma’s baby pictures (if you can find some), and other family pictures. From these pictures, decide which ones you want to use. You can simply choose one of your favorite pictures with grandma or use your favorite family picture. You can also pick your favorite baby picture and your grandma’s baby picture to be put side by side. You could make a collage out of all these wonderful pictures you have gathered and make labels later on. If these pictures are precious to you, you can have these photos recopied or scanned before pasting them.

Choose the frame

To make your keepsake long-lasting, use a frame. Pick your grandma’s favorite color. You can choose a large single frame that your grandma can hang on her wall or a double frame for her side table. Large and double frames are great so you can put more on your keepsake. Do not make it too crowded. Keep it simple and cute.

Bring out scrap-booking materials

Check out whatever scrap-booking materials you can use, such as papers, ribbons, stickers, and other decorative items. Do not forget your scissors and glue. Use your scrap-booking paper as your base paper where you can paste your pictures and other decorations. Make sure your base paper fits your frame. Ask your mom or dad for with the right size. You can also put a margin on your paper to be sure the whole project fits the frame perfectly.

Paste pictures

You can now paste your pictures and arrange them any way you want. There is no wrong way to do it as long as it is not upside down. If you are planning to put on some quotes, dedications, and other decorations, make sure there is enough space on your paper. Paste your pictures carefully and do not put too much glue to keep your presentation clean.

Use painting and coloring materials

It is time to bring out your creativity. With the use of painting and coloring materials, you can add some drawings and marks on your gift. You can get really messy by pressing one of your hands in an ink pad and then on the paper, without overlapping the picture. If you are using a double frame, use one side for the picture and another for your hand print. If you are using a big frame, you can press your inked hand below the picture.

Another great idea is by writing a simple dedication to your grandma. Make it more touching by having your mom and dad write theirs, too. Use different colored inks to add more fun to your keepsake gift. A picture of your grandma may be placed at the center of your frame, surrounded by your heartfelt dedications.

Look up some of your or her favorite quotations or bible verses

If you prefer a collage of pictures or one big picture with a simple dedication, you can also choose a wonderful quotation or a bible verse to make you present more meaningful. You can use colored markers on this or you can shape and cut out letters from colored papers or old magazine pages.

Decorate your gift

After you have placed your pictures, dedications, and quotations, you can fill some empty spaces of the paper with the rest of your scrap-booking decorations. You can make use of stickers, ribbons, or colored paper cut-outs . You can also draw little pictures as fillers, especially on the corners of your paper. You can draw flowers, ribbons, balloons, cakes, and other cute things.

Frame your work

Now that you are done with your handcrafted keepsake gift, you are ready to frame it. Ask help from your parents to avoid breaking the glass of your frame and getting cuts. Make sure the back lock is properly hooked so that the picture does not fall out of place.

Wrap the gift

To add to your surprise, wrap your gift using colored papers or other interesting materials you find at home. There are also many wonderful gift-wrapping materials you can buy at gift shops. Just make sure to put your frame in a box first to ensure it does not break. Complete your gift with a lovely ribbon and a gift tag.

When your grandma opens your gift, you will be surprised to see how a fun and simple labor of love can go a long long way to making your grandma extraordinarily happy and loved.