Here is the third and final little Christmas gift book; this one for my eight-year-old daughter. I started this in the fall and was glad for the motivation of a Christmas deadline to move it to completion.
Helen's favorite color is yellow, so if the cover doesn't relate to the inside, no matter ... it's what she likes. I did repeat black accents, ribbon and polka dots throughout to tie it together.
This is the final season for baseball at RFK stadium. Next year The Nationals move to their new venue -- so (although we were there to see the Indians) this ticket (above) is a real keepsake. I lined the back with polka dots to jot some more notes.
Whew! That's the last.
One of the things I inadvertently discovered while doing these two books simultaneously is apparently there are times when I photograph more of one girl, while at other times I focused on the other. While the books have a couple of shared images, for the most part each has its unique photo set -- and the girls were together most of the summer.
It is not easy for me, I realized, to closely observe all three of the kids in the same experience. Not surprising, since I tend to get pretty focused on one thing at a time. I think I just get a stronger sense of one of the kids on a particular day and they become the centerpiece at the time. That isn't a conscious decision, but in retrospect I see that's the way I operate.
I did the same type of canvas words in this project. A couple of enlargements here:
Also, a close-up of one of my favorite bits, this letterpress card from Green Chair Press, used to frame this cute photo, taken by her 6 year old sister.
By pushing to complete these books in a short time frame the learning curve was condensed and it's hard to enumerate all of the practical, mechanical lessons I gleaned ... but there are many. I'm so glad I took this on, even in this busy season.
There are things that I would do differently, for example, I cannot wait to try a new adhesive. But the main thing now is this: on Christmas morning the kids loved them; really got right into them -- each and every one.
materials list:
- patterned paper - cover: American Crafts, polka dots: American Crafts, Scenic Route, circles: Scenic Route, lined: 7 Gypsies, letterpress card: Green Chair Press
- 6x6 chipboard book: 7 gypsies
- ribbon: wrights
- chipboard cover element: Bazzill luggage tag
- charm & jump rings: 7 gypsies
- transparency film: office depot
- word circles: punched from canvas sheets, Office Depot
- eyelets: can't quite remember :)
- fonts: Georgia & Avenir
- ephemera
