A handmade gift can really say a lot. However, if you don’t have the time or the materials to actually put one together, you can create a custom journal and have Etsy seller LemonTreeStudio make it for you. You’ll get just what you wish for in a fabric journal cover, fully lined, made to fit a standard size composition booklet. I think it’s a nice gift for a pre-teen girl at $25.

This is a great idea for a future gift for your new baby, or as a gift to new parents. Writer Suzanne Loring has started A Storied Life, a company that writes personalized stories of events in one’s life, including the birth of a baby/baby’s first year of life, wedding stories, and anniversary stories. Each book is handmade, including the binding, so you can choose the color and style of the design. The book will be written based on Loring’s interviews with the person involved and family and friends. The descriptive story she creates serves as a keepsake and memory for years to come.

Books are priced based on size, starting at $295 per 18 pages. If you want more information about this unique, innovative idea, check out YourStoriedLife.com. Gift cards are also available, if you prefer to give your gift to someone and let him or her work with Loring directly to create a special book.

The Baby Journal by Frittabello is a wonderful gift for new parents, or for yourself. It is a book that is designed to be a chronicle of your child’s life for the first five years. In gender-neutral colors, the Baby Journal provides ample space to record your child’s most memorable moments, both in prose and in photos. It has a spiral binding so the book lays flat, and acid free paper to preserve memories of your child. Right now you can purchase the Baby Journal at its introductory price of $28.95 (regularly $32.95) at Frittabello.com.

Anyone who has been charmed by the Ugly Dolls of David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim will love this cute little journal. This fun book has a soft plush cover in a hip shade of orange and is embroidered with the Ugly Doll character Ice Bat. Whether you are trying to encourage your little one to write, or just want him or her to have an inviting place to scribble, this journal is a great choice. It will also mark your little one as one of the hippest kids around.  I actually wouldn’t mind having one for myself. It would make a cute little gift as well. You can purchase one for $14.95 at ModernTots.com.

Here is a fun idea to record family histories and share memories and stories.  Between Me and You journals from Sand Dune Books are designed to be given to important people in your life–friends, parents, grandparents, partners, etc.  These people then fill out all kinds of information about themselves (”When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?”), their lives, their memories (”What kind of music did you listen to as a teen?”), and give the book back to you as a keepsake that you can treasure, or pass along to your own children.

I think it would also be great for moms and dads to fill out the “Mom” and “Dad” books and give them as gifts to their children.  With so many different pages and questions, these books allow you to record all kinds of thoughts for your child. You can even fill them out over the years and present them to your child at a much alter date.  They make a great place to record the kinds of details that won’t fit into a traditional baby book.

You can purchase one of these fun books for $14.95 at sanddunebooks.com.