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A Guide to Creating a Gift Box for Newborn and New Parents

A Guide to Creating a Gift Box for Newborn and New Parents main article image
Posted on October 28, 2021 by Joan Magcalas
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To mitigate the spread of COVID-19, California went into a lockdown mid-March 2020. Non-essential businesses closed and gatherings were prohibited. Weddings were postponed and baby showers were canceled. It was a world I’ve never seen and experienced before.

My friend was pregnant at the beginning of the pandemic. We were not able to either plan or hold a baby shower because of the restrictions. When she gave birth a few months into the pandemic, I thought of sending her a few pandemic-themed baby items like this Christmas ornament. Then I thought to also give the new parents something. With everything that is happening in the world on top of just having a baby, I thought that receiving a gift might make them feel happy too. After all, they were also new … new to parenthood, that is!

After all that contemplating, I finally ordered several customizable items mostly from Amazon. I personalized two onesies, one using the Christmas ornament design, and the other one with the Quarantine Cutie. I designed the bib that said, “STOP! Please stay 6 feet away.” I also customized the insulated tumblers with the words “Mommy Quarantine Fuel” and “Daddy Quarantine Fuel”. Finally, I customized two Christmas ornaments, one with the baby’s name and one was for the family. I put the image that summarized the year in the back and in the front, I put “Magano’s First Pandemic 2020.”  Then I put them together in a gift box, along with some Sour Patch kids, and sent it to them. Oh boy, did they love it! If you’re thinking of making personalized items to give to someone, this guide can help you achieve just that. Whoever the recipient is of your gift, they will surely love it!

Put your creative hat on and let’s get started!

Items you will need for the gift box:

  • 1 Flat or Round Ball Ornament – The ornaments come in different colors, shapes, and sizes. For this project, get a flat or round one that is between 3.5 to 4 inches. Choose a color that matches the color palette of your gift box.
  • 2 Onesies – The onesies come in short or long sleeves with a variety of colors, materials, and sizes (from preemie to 24 months). Instead of purchasing newborn size, I usually buy 0-3 months onesies to allow for a slightly bigger baby.
  • 1 Baby Bib – Bibs also come in different colors, material, and For this project, I’m using the traditional, cotton square-shaped bibs that you attach with a velcro or buttons behind the neck.
  • Unisex Adult Shirts – Like the onesies, shirts come in different colors, materials, and sizes. Ensure that the colors will complement the color palette in your gift box and that you get the correct shirt sizes! If you want to learn about color palettes, Becky Liddle wrote an article about what it is and some examples of it.
  • 2 Double-Wall Tumblers – Get either the 20 or 30 ounce tumblers with splash-proof lids. Double- wall tumblers will prevent condensation or “sweating,” which means there is no need to worry about getting the table or desk wet. Plus, it keeps your drink hot or cold for hours. A great way to keep a breastfeeding mom hydrated!
  • Wine Glasses – Wine glasses can be used for drinking water or for its intended purpose – wine.
  • Wood Hanging Décor – Hang as a decoration or as a signage.
  • Snacks – Feed the new parents with snacks that they like so they can munch on them in between baby duties!
  • Big Box or Basket – Use a basket, a decorative box, or a fabric bin to hold all the things together.

Want to know where to get the materials needed for this project in the US?

You can easily find all the materials and tools from Amazon, Target, Dollar stores, or any craft stores like Michael’s, Joann’s, and Hobby Lobby.

You will also need these:

  • Design Software – I am using Cricut Design Space to create my files. You can use the Silhouette Studio for Silhouette machines or Design Space for Cricut machines.
  • Permanent Vinyl – There are many vinyl options to choose from for the lettering! You can choose glossy or matte, shimmer, or glitter, textured or holographic. You can also select the color you want from blue to metallic hues. I will be using Cricut’s shimmered and permanent vinyl in green for this project.
  • Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV) – Like permanent vinyl, many HTV options to choose from. I will be using Cricut’s green and black HTV.
  • Cutting Machine – You can use either Cricut or Silhouette machines to cut both the HTV and permanent vinyl. I am a Cricut user, so I am going to use Cricut.
  • Easy Press and Press Mat or Heat Press – I will be using an Easy Press and Easy Press mat. You can use a heat press machine or a household iron to press the HTV to the shirts and onesies.
  • Cutting Mat – I will be using smooth and shimmered types of vinyl, so I will need both regular and standard grip mats. Regular mat is used for the smooth HTV and permanent types of vinyl, while the standard grip mat is used for shimmered or textured types of vinyl. A cutting mat is unnecessary if you use Smart Vinyl on Cricut Joy, Explore Air 3 or Maker 3.
  • Transfer Tape – Like with a cutting mat, textured or glitter vinyl will need a firm grip transfer tape. So I will be both using regular and strong grip transfer tapes for this project.
  • Weeding Tool – Tool to remove the unwanted vinyl pieces.
  • Vinyl Squeegee – Tool to smooth and adhere the vinyl to surfaces like the ornament, wood, tumblers, and wine glasses.
  • Alcohol and Paper Towel – To clean the ornament, tumbler, and wine glass surfaces from oil, fingerprint, or dust.
  • Cup/Ornament Cradle – To hold the ornament, tumblers, and wine glasses while placing the vinyl on the surface.
  • Fonts and Designs – Creative Fabrica has a lot of fonts and designs you can choose from, so do not forget to check it out! I will be using the following font and SVGs for this project:
  • Eat, Sleep, Cute, Repeat by peachcottoncandy
  • Milk Monster & Made with Love by Rumi Designed
  • Daddy Est 2021 and Mommy Est 2021 by Maumo Designs
  • Hey Babe font duo by Fadlilah Studio
  • Baby Sleeping, Do Not Ring Doorbell Sign by Creative Fabrica Crafts
  • Cutest Alarm Clock by She Shed Craft Store
  • Care Instructions by babyGnom
  1. Clean and Prep

  • Clean the area or table you will use to make space for your items for this project. Then, get the cutting machine ready, and gather all the materials and tools needed.

       

  1. Download and Install

  • Head to Creative Fabrica to browse for fonts and designs to use for this project. Use the search button to find font duos and designs to use for the shirts. For example, search for baby sayings for the onesies and mommy and daddy to find designs for the adult shirts.
  • After installing the font and downloading the designs, turn on the cutting machine and open the program to set up the files for this project. If you happen to open the program before installing the font, close it and reopen it again so you can see the font you installed.
  • If you want to use an image, you can use the search button to find it. When you are done downloading, make sure to unzip the file and save it by itself. If you do not, you cannot download it on Design Space as it does not accept files in a zip folder.

      3. Create and Cut 

For Permanent Vinyl:

  • Ornament – For easy sizing, create a 3-3.5 inches circle as a guide, which should be ½ inch smaller than the size of ornament you have. Then start typing the name and birth date.
    • If you want to create an ornament keepsake instead, click here for my step-by-step guide on how to make it.
  • Double-Wall Tumblers – The design should fit a 3 x 4 inches template.
  • Wine Glasses – The design should fit a 3 x 3 inches template.
  • Wood Hanging Décor – Measure the décor/sign and adjust the design’s size to fit the material. For the one I got, a 4 x 7 inches template will work on that.

When you are done creating and/or resizing, click save and send it to the machine to be cut. Make sure to choose the correct vinyl option as some types of vinyl need extra blade pressure to cut through it. Also, regular pieces of vinyl are placed on the mat with the color facing up.

For Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV):

  • Onesies – Size the design you picked at 3.5 x 3.5 inches. To be sure, measure how those sizes will fit on the onesies before sending them to the cutting machine. For 0-3 months onesies, 3.5 inches is a great size.
  • Baby Bib – For the Gerber brand baby bib, the personalization area is 5 x 5 inches. However, since a baby bib wipes the baby’s face, and we are using HTV, find a small design that will fit 3 x 3 inches.
  • Adult Shirts – Depending on the shirt sizes, the design can range from 8-12 inches in length and width. Measure how the size will fit on the shirt before sending it to the machine. For Medium and Large shirts, 11 x 11 size works best.

When you are done creating and/or resizing, click on save and send it to the machine to be cut. Ensure that HTV materials are placed upside down (color facing down) and that designs are mirrored.

Tip: Do not forget to click on weld for any cursive writing so it’ll be a continuous word when the vinyl is cut.

  1. Weed and Prepare

  • Weed the unwanted vinyl and use the appropriate transfer tape to transfer the lettering for the permanent pieces of vinyl. No transfer tape is required for HTV.
  • Cut the HTV and permanent vinyl separately to easily apply them to each of the surfaces.
  • Then put it aside for now as we prepare the item we will be adhering them to.

For the ornament, tumblers, and wine glasses:

  • Spray the 90% alcohol on each of the items and use a paper towel to wipe it.
  • Place the clean item on a holder to keep it from rolling or moving while applying the vinyl.

For the onesies, bibs, and adult shirts:

  •  We will prepare these items right before we press the HTV to the fabrics.

  1. Vinyl and HTV Applications

The application process for the ornament, tumblers, and wine glasses are the same:

  • Grab the vinyl lettering you put aside and cut slits around it.
  • Start adhering the vinyl to the surface, using the slits to straighten the letters on a curved surface.
  • Once the entire vinyl design has attached to the surface, slowly peel off the transfer tape, checking to ensure the vinyl is stuck to the surface.

The process of applying the vinyl to the wood hanging décor is the same as above, except you do not need to cut slits around it as the surface is flat.

The application process for the onesies, baby bib, and adult shirts are the same:

  • Turn on the Easy Press or the Heat Press.
  • Set the temperature to 315 degrees and time to 30 seconds. Since the fabric for this project is all 100% cotton, Easy Press settings will be the same for all
  • Grab and fold the shirt in half, matching the sleeves, and lay it on an Easy Press Run the Easy Press for about 10 seconds to make a crease to the middle of the shirt.

  • Lay the shirt flat and place where the HTV will go, using the crease as a guide. Ensure that the design is 1 to 1.5 inches below the neckline.

  • Once it is where you want it to be, grab the Easy Press and start pressing for 30 seconds using light pressure.

  • When the time is up, flip the shirt and press the back for 15 seconds.
  • After that, peel off the protective plastic layer when it is cool to the touch.

  1. Care Instructions and Package

Since the items you are gifting are personalized, special care instructions will be needed.

  • Download the care instructions by babyGnom and open the file on Silhouette Studio or Cricut Design Space.
  • Save the file, put a white cardstock on the printer’s paper tray, and send it for
  • Grab the printout, place it on the cutting mat and have the cutting machine cut it.
  • Place each cutout inside the tumblers, wine glasses and around the shirts’ neckline.

Tip: To learn how to print and cut, click here.

You can buy gift boxes or baskets from stores like Target, Homegoods, Dollar Tree, or craft stores in the US. However, think of a gift box or basket that can be reused by the new parents. For example, a decorative box can be used as a keepsake box or a basket can house baby items like diapers and wipes. I found the box I will be using in Ikea’s home organization area. They used it as a keepsake box display.

  1. Let’s Do a Final Check:

  • Ornament
  • Onesies
  • Baby bib
  • Baby door sign
  • Mom & Dad shirts
  • Mom & Dad tumblers
  • Mom & Dad wine glasses
  • Mom & Dad snacks
  • Box or basket to house all items
  • Optional: baby burp cloth

  1. You are all set and ready to give the gift box to the newborn and the new parents!

Final note

When thinking about what to give, try to remember things about the couple. For example, do they often go to Starbucks? Then get them matching reusable hot and cold cups. If they like to camp, grab some camping mugs, and make your gift box with that theme. Customize a onesie that says, “New Camper.” The lists of things to put together in a gift box are endless. Just do not forget to personalize these items to make them more unique!

If you created a gift box by following this guide, let us know what you think. Take a picture of your creation and share it with us here. If you made a gift box like this before, let us know what you put in the box. I am sure others will appreciate the ideas!


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