My mom dug out this funny little wedding book of hers last summer right before Steven and I got married. It was a promotional book for Frederick & Nelson department store with all sorts of (now hilariously outdated) advice about trousseaus, proper invitation etiquette, preparing for your first home, etc.

But at the very back of the book is a gem. It’s called The Bride’s Gift Record, and it’s where my parents recorded all the wedding gifts they received in 1966.

As it turns out, there were some extra pages. So naturally, we used them! Not only was it incredibly helpful to track our gift information all in one place, but it also has turned into this great little heirloom.

And yes, there are a few pages left for another generation.

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Ok, very excited over here. This golden little book is the first I’ve published that was designed by someone else. And now I want to do more of it!

Creative collaboration inspires me no end. And the idea I can help other designers make beautiful, handcrafted books? I’m in! So, tell all your designer friends itching to make books to get in touch with me.

Here is what Maggie made for her husband Luke’s golden birthday (he turned 24 on August 24.) It is a compilation of letters and photos from friends and family paying tribute to a really great guy.

 
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Our new site is up! I hope you love it, and enjoy exploring all our books in a much better format than we could offer before.

This photo is from Seneca’s first year book - a picture a day. What a great photo idea!

Happy day of LOVE.

kim

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Yes, that is a photo of a little girl with a lot of turkeys. Welcome to the childhood memories of Ellie Yordy.

For Ellie, childhood meant grandparents with a dairy farm, parents with a turkey farm (still in operation today), and an entire family with a Mennonite faith central to daily life.

Needless to say, when Liz called me to put together her mother’s - Ellie’s - memoir as a Christmas gift, I knew it would be a fun project.

The most inspiring part for me was the way Liz dove into this project! She visited family members throughout the country - including the farm - and compiled information on her Mennonite heritage and history to include in the book, learning much about her mother and family along the way.

I absolutely adore all the great old photos of turkeys and the farm. We also had amazing memorabilia to work with - from napkins to business cards to news clippings.

The chapter on Ellie’s mom focused on her passion for nature and gardening. I especially love her ID card for being a flower competition judge.

And I’ll close with this really fun cheerleading photo of Ellie, and a big “rah” to Liz for letting me work on this amazing project! I love what we created!

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I’m so excited to finally be sharing this book with you!

When Janda and I first met over coffee last February, we looked at a book she had just made through a photobook service. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite capture her maternal grandparent’s story the way she hoped. Now she wanted to do it right.

Not only that, Janda really wanted to create a look/feel that could be translated into future books about other branches of her family. So, here is what we created - a volume one about her maternal grandparents. Next up is a book about her dad’s family.

I’m quite proud of our work together on this book. Thank you, Janda…we did it!

(book details: 100 page, 11×17 family history book, foil stamped title, ribbon bookmarks)

We included 3 bookmarks, one for each family tree. Many of Janda’s ancestors shared the same names (even in the same generation!) so being able to refer back to the trees is very helpful.

A few spreads showing the page styles we used - a chapter beginning, and a “kids” page.

In her research, Janda uncovered some wonderful old documents she wanted to include. We added these archival glassine envelopes to hold them, so you can actually touch and feel bits of her family history.

I look forward to volume 2!
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Thank you to Anna and Maggie, the mother-daughter team who entrusted me with the story of James, their recently deceased father and grandfather.

This book tells the story of a quite remarkable man named James. It’s his life story as told through his wartime letters from 1942-1945. Whether telling of his quest to become a pilot (which was ultimately unsuccessful) to falling in love (which was ultimately quite successful!) he liked to sign off his letters, Always, James.

Most of the letters were written to his beloved, Anna, who he met right before enlisting and finally married while on furlough in 1944. Trust me, he writes her some of the sweetest darn letters you’ve ever seen - I shed more than a few tears reading them!

(a note about the book details: this is a 115 page, 13×11 personal history book, with custom artwork on the spine, foil stamping on the fabric cover, and a hand-stitched CD pocket on the back inside cover.)

Now for a peak at the book. On the cover we used James’ signature for the book title and a collage of his envelopes for the spine.

We started the book with a timeline to give context for the story. The top of the timeline shows the events in James’ life, while the bottom features the events of World War II.

From there, we started taking excerpts from the letters and featuring them in different chapters. This is the “Sense of Duty” chapter.

Here are a few of the main chapter pages.

And a few more of my favorite pages. We tried to use a few of the actual letters because the handwriting is so beautiful, even if it is hard to read!

And now to await Anna and Maggie’s report. They’re currently at their family reunion where they are presenting copies of the book to an unsuspecting but sure-to-be-blown away family!

What a gift.

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Oh, to be two again. When the quite talented Rachel McGinn approached me to make a photo storybook about her family, I was thrilled. (Just take a look at some of her photos and you’ll see why.)

Together, Rachel and I came up with this simple book concept to capture a day in the life of her darling two year old, Lila. I love this little book, not to mention the carefree life of a 2 year old!

(a note about the book details: this is a 25 page, 7×7 photo storybook, with board pages and ribbon binding on the spine)

Rachel “interviewed” Lila and we used some of the quotes in the layout. Here she says her best friend is big sister “yaya.” Pretty darn cute.

Some spreads are full photos like these two - jumping on the bed and blowing bubbles.

Now, don’t you want to be two again?
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Talk about a meaningful gift. For her husband’s 65th birthday, Margie approached me to put together a book about her husband’s life and heritage.

Six months and a lot of research later, all her efforts paid off. The book was presented to her husband at a small dinner celebration with family. A copy was later given to each of their children. Everyone now has it prominently displayed in their home and loves it.

At our first meeting we pored through boxes of “stuff” and developed a storyline for the book. We decided to use chapters to tell the story. Here are a few of the chapter headings.

At the front of the book is a 3-generation photo family tree tracing his parent’s roots.

We also used lots of his old school year photos, report cards, and news clippings.

In the end, the book is a lifetime heirloom for the whole family. The hardest part, according to Margie, was keeping it a secret for six months!

Please get in touch or request a quote at the top of the page if you’d like to make a family or personal history book for an upcoming birthday, anniversary, wedding, or retirement celebration. We’d love to help!

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It seems fitting to start with a post about the very first book project I ever did. Nearly five years ago - before Good Stock even - I played hooky from work to make a “sixty” book celebrating my mom’s sixtieth birthday.

I bought a book on Amazon on how to bind a book, had my sister-in-law ship old photos to me, borrowed my friend’s computer and scanner, and went to work. I still love this book.

Don’t ask why it took so long to figure out this was a passion of mine and I should start a business doing it….that is hindsight talking.

About the book. I wanted to tell the different “chapters” of my mom’s life - as a daughter, sister, wife, mother, teacher, and friend. I opted for a very simple photographic layout with some messages and poems from family and friends printed in the back.

It was a very touching gift and is still prominently displayed in my mom’s living room.