Need Christmas gift ideas that reveal the baby's gender

[Crystalyn]

We're finding out if we're having a girl or boy on Friday and we want to surprise our family with the news on Christmas day, as individual gifts, wrapped... that everybody opens at once.  But... I can't think of what to do.

I've though of:

*  cupcakes or cookies with blue or pink icing (could be messy and who needs more sweets?)

*  a Christmas ornament, but what? - we're not a cutsie family, so I'd want something nice and personal and that they would want to hang on the tree in years to come.

... really, I'm stuck and could use your ideas!

Many thanks!!

[Evergreen]

I'd probably go with the food also.

I can't think of anything else that would work. I'm bad at this stuff though.

[MrsBone]

wow, I wish I could have done this with our baby girl. We found out last Friday, but my mom met me at the ultrasound to watch our son so hubby and I could be in there uninterrupted. Everyone, I mean everyone was waiting to find out. They would all have killed me if I made them wait till Christmas! lol. Plus, everyone wanted to start buying stuff for Christmas presents. :) I like the cupcake idea. My SIL did this and filled the cupcakes with pink frosting to reveal that it was a girl. I thought it was a cute idea, but I wouldn't have been able to make everyone wait that long to tell!

[Crystalyn]

We haven't told any of our family that our appointment is Friday.  I made up this whole thing about waiting until January because it would be cheaper because we're changing insurance from PPO to HMO Jan 1.  The story was actually true at first, but I called the billing office and found out that the difference is minimal, so we went ahead and scheduled it prior to Christmas.  We're going to find out during a sushi dinner Friday or Saturday night and then tell family via gifts on Christmas day and then tell friends around the New Year (or maybe just after Christmas)

So... think it's hard for a beginning crocheter to crochet a snowflake?  I'm a knitter, but have struggled at trying to learn crochet.  I could try to learn this weekend and crochet pink or blue snowflake ornaments...  Here's this pattern via Martha Stewart:  http://www.marthastewart.com/article/crocheted-snowflakes

Or I could do the food.  That certainly would be easier, but I kind of want something that lasts...

[Crystalyn]

So... I went to the store and bought the crochet supplies, and I think I need an easy project (scarf, blanket) to learn on... this small thread and needle is a bugger to work with - especially for learning stitches, etc...

Any other ideas?  I wanted to do something fun and creative.  It might just end up being a picture of our daughter dressed in the gender color and holding a sonogram or something of the like...

But... please - your ideas are welcome!

[becca_howell]

What we're doing is making copies of the ultrasound picture and we're putting it in a simple frame (5x7s from the dollar store) and I'm gonna buy some pink or blue puffy paint and write the baby's name on it.

[babygirlie]

This is what I would do. I'm not pregnant but this is what I WANT to do.  Get a darker tshirt with the ultrasound of the baby pictured big on front and above it I would have written, "Hi, Nice to meet everyone!" and I would also have photoshopped on the tummy picture a santa hat or pink or blue dependent on sex. Like a blue baseball hat fitted on where the babies head would be as most ppl might not recognize a baby in the picture right off., so it was obvious  And then I would take bets with hubby who would notice first when I took my coat off :)

[MamaChef]

My ideas may be classified as "cutsey", dunno.. but Ill throw them out there anyway.  I made Mama/Pregnant matroyshka dolls this year.  Not as a gender reveal but as gifts this year.  One of my friends is having a boy so I did the baby doll in blue..  I had to draft the patterns but after that was done it only took me 2ish hours to finish each one.  I did alot of embroidery on each though and added beads.  If you stayed more basic it would take less time.  Dunno how many you have to make.

I used the chain stitch, buttonhole/blanket stitch, buttonhole wheel and daisy chain plus just a basic straight stitch to do the faces.  On a couple of them that are already wrapped I did the mouths with a shorter bouillon knot for the top lip and longer for the bottom.  On the two for midwives I made two of the little pockets for each doll and put one upside down so the slit ran horizontal through the middle and you could take the baby out.

I like this site for embroidery stitches

http://inaminuteago.com/stitchindex.html  You can also look them up on youtube.

You could also just do the baby that would go quick and to jazz it up even more, put it inside those glass or plastic ball ornaments you can buy at Joann's with snow glitter or fake snow so you have to shake it around to see what it is.. or you could put little charms in there, or build a diorama of sorts... or tinsel.. lotsa options.  You could write "Coming May 2011" or  something on them with a paint pen or puff paint.

Edited by MamaChef - 12/15/10 at 11:44pm

[MamaChef]

Oh!  It would be super cute to do your Pic of dd in the gender colored shirt holding the ultrasound as a little diorama in one of those glass ornaments!  You could just print them out, paste them on heavy card stock, bend the base and hot glue them to the inside of the ball and put confetti in there too.  If you wanted to get super fancy, you could etch the glass with that fake glass etcher or the real etcher, its really easy, and make a little window design that people would have to look through to see the pic inside.  You can cut the window design out of contact paper, and then stick it on, paint the whole thing with etcher and peel the contact paper off after it had done it's job.

Let us know what you decide to do!

[jr'smom]

I would give everyone a picture frame (that can be used for baby's picture later) and put a copy of the US pic or other graphic revealing the gender.

[Crystalyn]

Thank you everybody for your ideas!  MamaChef - I really need to meet you someday.  We're on a similar craft wave.  A sweet, dear friend of mine is a writer for Craft Magazine and I think the two of you would get a kick out of eachother, also.  She has a great blog... www.averagejanecrafter.com -- you should check out her blog when you get a moment.

I LOVE, LOVE the matroyshka dolls idea.  I wonder if I'll have the time to make them.  I *may* try!  I'll need to buy some felt, but I think I have the rest.  I also love embroidery.  Jenny Hart (www.sublimestitching.com) is one of my crafty heroines :-)

The ball idea is also genius.  I may do that, also.

Becca and Jrsmom - thanks for your ideas, as well.  if I run out of time to do either of the above, I'll probably do the picture frame idea.

Babiegirlie - thanks for your idea, also!  However, I don't think I'm going to have time to pull a shirt together (and that may be a little more than I'm able to spend.)  However, I hope you are able to do your idea someday soon!!

[MamaChef]

So glad I could be of help!  When I saw those snowflakes I was like.. more power to you, I totally couldnt learn to crochet and whip those out ;)  I hope you are able to get however many of whatever you decide to make done by Christmas with minimum stress ;)

Thanks for the blog tip.  Ill totally check her out!  I love reading crafty blogs.

Post pics!

[Crystalyn]

MamaChef... learning to crochet is easy.  I have a fiber craft book that I bought at an estate sale years ago so last night, it took about 15 minutes for me to get the stitches down (they were just the basic stitches).  The HARD part was working with such a small gauge of thread.  I need to do my first project probably with a worsted weight.  My eyes just couldn't see all of the stitches and my tension kept getting off.

I really just need to get three done by Christmas (and one for me, but that can be after Christmas), so I *should* be able to get it done!

Off to edit a photo session now, though... I've procrastinated all week... it happens when I'm overwhelmed :-(

[cubanamami]

I'm obsessed with Matroyshka dolls lately....thanks for the adorable idea MamaChef!!! May have to copy it too!