One Year for Ainsley

I have a special little friend that I have not seen since she was just a few weeks old and the first of October she will already be turning one! I have been making the "First Married Year" books (more on those in a later post) for about five years now, and when little Ainsley was born, I thought I would like to try a "Baby's First Year" version. There had to be a few changes to the format, and I wanted the pages to be more appropriate in color and embellishments for a baby girl, but other than those tweaks, it was pretty simple to create based on the "Married" books. The hard part, as always, was finding the time. These books seriously and without exaggeration, take at least 40 hours, start to finish to make. I always love the end result, but to begin is always daunting!




This is the cover of  Miss Ainsley's book
with the ribbon trimming that matches her nursery!


True to form, I started this book when Ainsley was born and finally just got it shipped off to her a couple of weeks ago. Her parents had been taking oodles of photos, so I had no doubt that they would have just the right ones to insert in the completed pages, AND at least I sent it before her birthday!!!

So here is a little peek at some of the book pages......

A mix of Easter, the inside cover, St. Patrick's Day, and Spring

Easter Detail



Stamping for texture and buttons to hold kite strings



All the flourishes, ribbons, and other embellishments are
adhered in a way that photos can be slipped under.
Photo placement is crucial, but once placed the embellishments draping
over the photos give the book that "custom" look!



A  little proof that although it was definetly a "girlie" book,
not all the pages were pink! Her nursery is white, black, and apple
green, so I wanted to showcase those colors in some of the pages also.

There are always some pages that just "have" to have certain colors!



A little composite of the Fall holidays!



A peek at Christmas, 4th of July,
New Year's Day, and Valentine's Day



A little more pink for photos of those who were anxiously awaiting her
arrival at the hospital.



Celebrating that very exciting "First Birthday"!



A few pages in the back for special times during the first year
that holidays don't quite cover.

So there you have it! My first ever "Baby's First Year" book. In all there were 28 pages.  I altered the cover and remade the inside of both the front and back cover as I always do with the "Married" books. I add pockets, and envelopes that coordinate with the facing pages and this allows
for a little emphemera storage!

I really enjoyed this first attempt.....but I will have to say the books are tiring....especially when I feel like I am a little pressed for time. I didn't allow time to carefully photograph the pages and for
that, I am entirely sorry. I wish I had taken the time and perhaps borrowed my son-in-law's camera for some really quality shots.....what's that saying about "hind-sight" being 20/20 vision. Ah well!!!
I have a brand new grandson to make a book for and I will be sure to take better photos of that....
Live and learn? I've lived long enough, haha, you'd think I would have learned these lessons.

Thanks for taking a peek....Have a marvelous Friday and weekend! It's Fall, glorious Fall, so go out and enjoy it! Love and peace to all!





I've Got Mail

The past month has been extremely busy and although I have been in a creative frenzy I haven't posted anything on my blog. I was feeling a little down about this yesterday and then I got the mail! I had received this......

It was a complimentary copy of the Fall issue of Somerset Life that will be on the newstands October 1st! I had been notified that a little "work" of mine would be published, but I didn't know that I would receive this notice and advance copy of the publication! I have not had anything published before because I usually only make things when I need them. What I create is usually finished right before deadline and sent off to its new owner. But this particular little piece had fallen into the hands of Stampington graphic designers and they submitted it and it made its way into this Fall's issue as a Creative Living Idea. (And yes, it helped that my daughter is one of the graphic designers.....hopefully, it was selected on it's own merit though! She doesn't have anything to do with the selection process, but she and two other designers submitted it without my knowing....and of course I do not mind at all!)

I am grateful for the submission and the subsequent printing! It has inspired me to try harder and do more, more, more! I needed a boost and this couldn't have happened at a better time!

The following photo is after my hubby and I sat on the sofa together and opened the package and looked at the issue! I really do love all the Stampington Publications! Please excuse the patheticness of this photo, we don't "self" take a lot and we are pretty poor at it. But, it was just such a fun moment to share with each other!



I am holding the magazine, but it is only half in the photo!
Told you we were bad at this! Haha!

 I spent a long time looking at the entire publication....I really love all the Stampington magazines, but this one is my favorite. I get so excited and so inspired by the work of the artists.....and some of my fondness stems from the fact that my daughter is currently Lead Graphic Designer of this particular pub! I know that I am the typical totally biased mom, but I do think she does a beautiful job with her part of designing the layout! It's hard not to have her living close to the rest of the family, but seeing first hand what she is doing right now, makes it easier!

And with that, I will say good day! If you are a "creator" I would  encourage you to submit something to Stampington and Company.....It really is a fun little perk to see your work in print!

Stay safe friends and have a beautiful rest of your day! Oh and last but not least, here is a picture of the layout!