Happy summer solstice tomorrow!

p.s. this photo is from a memoir in progress…couldn’t resist that cute little white ruffly swimsuit.

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Am trying to start on a book right now and am having a bit of designer’s block.

So being inspired by all things vintage, I headed to my collection of my grandparent’s old books I inherited. (OK OK, technically no one wanted them and they were headed for Goodwill when I snatched them up. My Grama just shook her head asking, “Why on earth do you want these old books, Kimmy?!”)

For inspiration, of course.

So what do you think? Am I crazy for thinking this is a great little book cover? I love the simple title, centered with those stars and the triple lines wrapping around the spine.

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I’m sitting here working on a 40th birthday book that is really a book celebrating a marriage and family. I love how it’s coming together, mainly because the inspiration for the book title and theme is Better Together - a Jack Johnson song this couple loves, and so do I.

So, being a music lover I will share another song I think would make the perfect anniversary book theme: This is Us, by Emmy Lou Harris and Mark Knopfler. I think you could title the book This is Us, and then show the different “chapters” of a couple’s life together. It would be especially meaningful for a couple that has been together a while.

Also, for those of you approaching your first anniversary (like me) who still haven’t put a wedding book together (yes, like me!) the first anniversary gift is supposed to be paper…a perfect book opportunity!

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I just had such a fun meeting with my neighbor Judie and her cousin Maureen about their upcoming book project: their grandparent’s story.

Judie and Maureen are at what I call the ‘concept stage’ for their book. I love talking to people at this stage! They have a general idea of the story they want to tell, they have gobs of stuff from their boxes of photos and memorabilia, they still feel like they are missing a ton, and they are (quite naturally) feeling very overwhelmed.

So, here is what I told them. These are my tips for anyone who suffers from what I call the Box Problem (boxes of photos and no clue what to do with them!) and is ready to start on a book.

5 Tips For Turning Your Box of Photos Into a Book:

1. Pick one clear story. You can’t cram the whole box into a single book - an especially tempting approach for first time bookmakers. No one will want to read the book and you’ll feel scatterbrained putting it together.

examples of a good story: Mom’s Memoirs, Grandparent’s Story, Story of a Family Farm, One Branch of Family, Love Letters, Your Child’s School Photos, Your Family’s Santa Pictures, Celebration of 90 Years of Life, etc.

examples of a bad story: combining any of the above, mixing many branches of a family, mixing too much family history when telling a family member’s story

2. Create a table of contents. Totally essential. This will be your don’t-leave-home-without-it roadmap for the entire book project. It will help you organize images, gather your thoughts, and write your story.

3. Get help scanning the images. Unless you are a whiz with scanning, this can be an overwhelming task. We now offer a great scanning price - around 250 images for $100! Even if you’re not ready to start on your book we’d be happy to get your images ready for you. Email if you’re interested.

4. Pick a meaningful deadline. And I mean meaningful. Otherwise it won’t stick. Birthday, Anniversary, Christmas, Family Reunion. If you have a reason to finish the book, you will.

5. Accept that you will never be fully “finished.” You won’t find that one photo, that one family name, or the map of that one town in Sweden where Grandpa grew up. But it won’t matter. With few exceptions, my clients hand off resources to me and say things like “I’m sorry it’s not more organized” or “If I just had one more week…” or “I feel like I’m missing something.” But when they see their book designed, they are blown away. What looks rough and incomplete in a text document turns beautiful and priceless in a book form.

Books are magical that way.

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I love this handmade book I found on Flickr, by Spills Her Coffee. I couldn’t agree more. Coffee and ideas totally go together.

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who: the men + women of Seattle’s creative and design community
when: tomorrow - Wednesday, April 16, 6-8 pm
where: Velocity Art & Design’s South Lake Union showroom
why: to be inspired, meet each other, and have fun!
guest speaker: artist Matte Stephens, recently relocated to the Northwest

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This is the greatest idea, period. I saw this over on growmodern (thanks, Summer!) and just can’t get enough of Lola in her orange chair.

From week 1, Erik van der Neut has taken weekly photos of his daughter, Lola. She sits in the same orange chair with an assortment of stuffed animals and tells the camera just how she’s grown.

Eric then makes the photos look like Polaroids and labels them. You can see his full set of weekly shots here. My favorites:

And of COURSE, I think the next step for these pictures is a book!

Now if you’re so inspired, go get thee an orange chair, a child, and a camera. And you can use this site to make like a Polaroid picture, since the real thing will (quite sadly) soon be extinct.

Thank you, Eric, for sharing your photo project!

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My dear friend Sarah had a baby boy yesterday. I am so very excited…yet so very sad not to be near her right now! I do wish I was in LA.

So here’s a post in honor of little Isaac Hayden. A beautiful photo taken by the talented Teddi Yaeger, whom I am thrilled to be working with.

Congratulations Sarah + Joel! And welcome, little Isaac.

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