Gift Albums for Men

Scrapbook albums can make great gifts. People enjoy getting handmade gifts, and the photos in an album can really give it a personal feel. However, many of the techniques currently popular, such as flowers and ribbon, appeal more to women. When it comes time to create an album for a man, many scrappers are stumped as to how to choose an album style and embellishments that will appeal to a man.

I faced this dilemma when I chose to make a mini-album for my Dad's seventieth birthday. After experiencing life-saving open-heart surgery two years ago, my Dad has become very sentimental and considers every moment with his children and grandchildren precious. His wish for his birthday was to take a trip with all of his children and grandchildren. We ended up choosing a date about six weeks before his actual birthday and all spent a weekend together on Key Largo. I decided that the album should arrive in the mail on his actual birthday so this gave me six weeks to make it.

I knew that an album full of fancy embellishments wouldn't mean any more to my Dad than a simple photo album. I needed to find products that would "speak to him." I shopped around until I found the perfect sheet of quotes from BasicGrey. These quotes expressed the same type of humor that my Dad is known for. Therefore, I decided to build the album around these quotes, so I purchased a matching mini-album, papers, and rub-ons. (The rub-ons expressed more basic sentiments which would complement the humorous quotes.) Luckily for me, the papers complemented the photos so well that I chose not to use any cardstock.

Since the album was small and I knew that my Dad would like the photos best, I packed it full of them. I tried to enhance each page with a quote or rub-on when appropriate. I put the best quote on the cover.

When my Dad got the album, he immediately called me and told me how much he loved the album and asked where did I ever find such funny quotes? He also mentioned his favorite page, the one showing him sharing his special birthday dessert with his grandson:

When making gift albums for men, it is important to think about the man who is getting the album and what he will appreciate. Will he appreciate funny quotes and large cakes like my Dad? Perhaps he would prefer an album themed on his favorite sport or hobby. Many men are very proud of their career and would appreciate something with that theme, particularly if the album is part of a retirement gift. If you decide on a theme that you are not too familiar with, consider searching the Internet for quotes and print them out on your computer. Use them as embellishments.

Whatever you choose, remember that most men focus on content: good photos and embellishments that fit a theme. Rather than choosing feminine embellishments, try using a theme or humor to tie the album together.

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