by M. Sparga

Created on: April 30, 2008   Last Updated: April 29, 2012

They say that good things come in small packages, and mini scrapbooks are no exception. They're easy on your budget, readily transportable, and full of personality, which is why they make ideal gifts. It's amazing how many memories you can fit onto a small page when you have an array of photos, journaling, and embellishments at your disposal, and what better gift can you give someone than fond memories frozen in time?

• Convenient

Mini scrapbooks make wonderful gifts because, besides being thoughtful and creative, they're relatively small so they won't strain your budget or your schedule. You can whip together a sample of photos and put them against spare paper from your other scrapbooking projects for a great effect. And because you're working with less space than a more traditional scrapbook layout, just a few embellishments here and there will really set off each page.

• Time-Savers

Mini scrapbooks make particularly great gifts for loved ones who don't have a lot of time on their hands to sit down and preserve important occasions. Think of stressed-out students, new parents, or an engaged bride-to-be. If you can give them a personalized memento like a mini scrapbook, it's something that they can always treasure without having to deal with the time and effort involved in putting it together.

• Bridging the Distance

Mini scrapbooks also make great gifts for loved ones who live far away. They are much easier to ship long distance or pack into luggage than a larger scrapbook, but they give the recipient the same effect of having a memento that will remind them of you everytime they admire it.

• Flexibility

A mini scrapbook works great for pretty much any occasion, from graduation to grandparents' birthdays. Sometimes just one pack of themed embellishments can be stretched out over the pages to suffice for the entire project. If you have leftover stickers from making a scrapbook of your wedding, for example, you can use them to make a mini scrapbook of a friend's bridal shower.

• Creativity

If your gift recipient is a creative type, you could give them a blank mini scrapbook - that is, you provide the basic layouts, and then they can fill in the photos and journaling. These types of mini scrapbooks make fantastic gifts for new mothers if you assemble them with a baby theme. You can arrange the pages with titles, borders, embellishments, and blank journaling boxes. Then the new mother can paste in photos of the new baby and jot down details about the little one for a cute, personalized baby book. In the end, she gets a unique scrapbook without having to take a lot of time out of her new schedule.

With gifts, it's the thought that counts; mini scrapbooks are great because it's clear that a lot of thought was put into each one. They're versatile and fitting for almost any gift recipient. You can provide all of the creativity for the recipient, or you can make templates for those who would enjoy putting their own mark on the mini scrapbook as well. Either way, the recipient will be left with something unique and personal to treasure.

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