1st Bday rituals/celebrations/art- suggests wanted

[babygrey]

Hi!


My DD is quickly nearing her 1st bday drop.

I very much enjoy marking rites of passage with ceremonies/rituals that include a keepsake something (does that make sense?)

fex, I marked the end of my pg with a blessingway and the blessing beads now hang in our room.

We marked her birth by making a placenta print (also hanging in the room) and by planting a placenta tree.

I would like to do something equally impactful to mark her first trip around the sun buuuut... I'm drawing a complete blank. The only thing I've had come to mind is maybe having everyone dear to her write her a letter about who they think she may become? IDK...

Any suggestions? What are you planning? What have you seen done?

The few caveats are that
1. I am NOT crafty with fabric/yarn/textiles- so no major sewing (visual art is okay, tho)
2. Money is very tight
3. I would like it to be something she can keep with fondness forever along with her placenta print and blessingway beads

TIA!

[Penny4Them]

Hi, I am doing something similar for our baby boy. Here is a beautiful article about a baby blessing. I particularly like the crown/stick ribbon idea, where you have guests write a special wish for the baby on ribbon and attach to a crown or stick that they can keep.
http://www.illuminatedrose.com/artic...byblessing.htm

also, I found another link in the Spirituality forum of MDC-AdeleMommy included a great list of links too. (Thanks to her!!!!)
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...aming+ceremony

I read the book From Beginning to End: The Rituals of Our Lives by Robert Fulghum. It had a beautiful example of a baby blessing "ceremony" that was very sincere and simple. Also, that book is wonderful and thoughtful for all rituals of life.

Please tell me about your blessing beads??? What are they? Sounds lovely idea

~Penny4Them

[Spiralshell]

In the spirit of your displayed beads and placenta print, you could do something with handprints of your little one. Small canvasses are inexpensive at michaels or wherever -- you could paint one a solid color, then press the baby's hand into paint of a contrasting color and make a print. If you did it every year in different colors, then displayed the little canvasses together, it could have a cool pop-art look to it, and would show growth over time.
just did a google search, and found this http://www.babygadget.net/handprints.jpg which is along the lines of what I'm picturing

[Boot]

I was going to do this for DS but never got round to it.

Ask all the guests to bring a favourite story, draw a picture, poem, song, etc and give them the dimensions you want. Then put them all in a scrapbook. This would only work if you have like minded, artistic type friends and family of course. You could also add pictures from the party.

We planted a tree for DS but that doesn't fit your criteria.

[babygrey]

Penny4Them- thank you so much for the links. I LOVE the idea of the ribbons. I'm gonna see if I can get my hands on that book.

The blessing beads were from my pre-birth blessingway ceremony, sort of a non-traditional baby shower a few weeks before birth. Friends gathered, all brought a bead. They gave the beads to me with a blessing for how my labor would be (ie.. peaceful, swift, powerful). I strung the beads on a necklace and wore it until DD's birth.

Spiralshell- that's a great idea to make handprints. I actually think I might take that idea and mod it a bit- we put her foot prints on the corner of her placenta print, could be neat to do progressive canvas footprints. Thanks!

Boot- I'm really hoping that your idea is something my family would be into. I'm going to talk to them about it, bc it really would be lovely.