A Baby Shower Gift for My Sister

It's hard to decide what to give as a baby shower gift, isn't it?

For baby shower gifts for colleagues, I have always focused on daily necessities like Miki House clothes, diapers, and baby chairs.

However, for someone like me who loves giving unique gifts, that felt a bit underwhelming.
That said, I can't give something impractical to a colleague, so I inevitably end up being conservative.

Then, an opportunity arose to give a gift to someone close to me.

My sister.

At the time, she had just given birth a few months earlier.
She asked me to make a copy of the Ghibli CDs at our parents' house to use as lullabies.

This was my chance.
Immediately, my creative spirit was ignited.

I set my sights on the CD jackets, lyric cards, and labels.
In other words, everything printable other than the music on the CD.

To tell a little backstory, Ghibli is a childhood memory for my sister and me.
When we were young, we lived in Germany and the United States due to our parents' work.
Since it was the 1990s, computers and mobile phones weren't advanced, so there were no such things as subscription services.
Our only opportunities to experience Japanese culture were limited to the videotapes and CDs we brought abroad.
That was Ghibli.
With that background, I think that's why my sister chose Ghibli for her lullabies.

The CDs to be copied included songs from Nausicaä, Laputa, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Totoro.
So, I chose movies from the list above that are popular with children to create the CD jackets.

Kiki's Delivery Service (Jiji)

My Neighbor Totoro (Totoro)

I designed them using software called Photoshop.
It was actually quite difficult to make all the warning labels look authentic, haha.

Next is the CD label that appears when you open the CD case.

Since it's the most prominent part when you open it, I thought an impactful character would be good.
My sister and I used to imitate the villain from Laputa when we were little, so I chose him!

Laputa (Colonel Muska)

Colonel Muska and lullabies is a combination that would never happen in an official Ghibli product, haha.
It's funny to imagine Colonel Muska staring at you every time you swap out a CD.

Finally, here is the lyric card.
I traced everything, but the Laputa castle itself and the Giant Warrior had so many lines that it was truly difficult.
After printing, I folded it in half and stapled the center.

Page 1 (becomes the front and back cover when folded)

Page 2

Page 3

Page 4

When I gave it to my sister as a gift,

"Huh? lol What is this? lol This is hilarious lol
Thanks, I'll be sure to listen to it carefully."

The reaction was quite positive.
Mission accomplished.

The content of this article is just one example, but I have written some helpful information based on my experience of giving about 30 surprise gifts in the past.
I would be happy if you could also read the articles below when you have time.