I really appreciate it when modern technology helps to make traditional products better.

Take baby photo books, for example. In the old days, these were specialized scrapbooks filled with manually-placed photos of baby’s first year… the baby smiling… baby’s first tooth… the baby’s bib and face filled with food as baby tries to eat with a spoon… baby crawling and — soon thereafter — taking his or her first step. These scrapbooks were little warehouses of photos and other small mementos, and were often stored safely away to prevent the contents from being ruined.

Today, there is another kind of baby photo book available. It’s now possible to order photo books online, and baby photo books can now be a custom-printed, hardcover book that can be left on the coffee table for everyone to enjoy.

The process is quite easy, too. It is simply a matter of deciding what size of book you want, choosing the book’s layout, uploading your favorite digital photographs, and paying with a credit card. The books can be delivered to you, or if you live near a Ritz Camera store, they can be printed and ready to pick up in an hour… not even enough time for baby to need a diaper change!

Proud parents…! I really encourage you to investigate this new type of desktop publishing. These photo books are great way to save the moments that go by way too fast. These photo books are perfect to save the memories of baby, and all the other years and events that will occur as your children grow up. These books will last a lifetime, and I guarantee that you and your kids will enjoy looking at them over and over in the future.

It’s a familiar conundrum for avid knitters:  what if you have too many scarves, and no one you know needs or wants one?  What if your teenage kids are “too cool” to wear your hand-knit wares, and your own drawers are bursting at the seams?  Relax, no need to put down the knitting needles!  There is a whole world of charity knitting that is open to you. The great joy of charity knitting is that one may indulge in a favorite past time while also doing service to another in need. 

Free knitting patterns abound for charity projects; you just need to identify your cause of choice. One of the more popular charity projects is making blankets for children in poor nations.  There are some rules of thumb to bear in mind when knitting blankets or blanket pieces for charity.

To begin, you don’t even need to be a knitter to get involved.  Get some felting supplies and some wool sweaters from the thrift shop; then, simply cut them into squares to felt.  Also keep your eye out for friends and family who are donating, and ask if they can give you their wool sweaters. Another advantage to felting sweaters is that it takes less time than actual knitting!

If felting sweaters doesn’t suit you, there are options for knitting of course.  Some charities accept full blankets, and others accept squares that are later knitted together. They usually have size requirements to ensure that the finished blankets are adequate to the recipients’ needs.  It’s a good idea to use wool or heavy wool blends for charity knitting, unless otherwise specified.  Those receiving blankets often live out of doors, and are often near open flame.  Acrylic and other synthetic yarns have the potential to melt in these circumstances. Wool is also resistant to moisture, and has anti-bacterial properties.  It is an ideal yarn for charity knitting.

There are plenty of other options for charity knitting, as well.  Making blankets and squares is only the beginning of the possibilities for charity knitting. Charities accept hats, sweaters, vests, and other garments for donation. To get the most out of charity knitting, choose a cause for which you have passion, and a project that gives you joy. By integrating these two things, you have the drive to finish many projects, bringing great amounts of joy.

Scrapbooking isn’t usually very high-tech unless you regularly use equipment like the Cricut Expression to embellish you scrapbook pages with intricate designs, but I thought I would pass this along to anyone who likes to scrapbook:

For any readers who would like to stock up on scrapbook supplies or save some money on equipment… From now through the end of November 2009, ScrapbookingAlley is having a 20% off sale everything in their store, plus free shipping and no sales tax with no minimum order:

Link to Scrapbooking Alley Sale

Enjoy!