Hope you had a great Halloween!
I'm missing my book club girls back in New York. They met this week without me-- as they should. I guess I need to find one here in DC!
I'm loving this beautiful book club meeting via The Sweetest Occasion. I hosted a lot (as you may have seen here), but they were never this fancy. It inspires me to elevate them-- should I find a new one!
I have lots of exciting things planned for this week-- so come check me out at Event Lucky!
For the next baby shower that you are invited to, I have a gift solution that is unique, special and is fun for the baby long after he/she has grown into a little adult. The gift that I love to give at a baby shower is the Caldecott book winner for the baby's birth year and the Caldecott book winner for the mom's birth year.
When I was born, my mom purchased the Caldecott winner from my birth year. I still have the book and am still captivated by the amazing illustration. Books are awared the Caldecott because of the beautiful art that graces the pages. In fact, the Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published that year (source, wikipedia).
2008's Caldecott Medal winner is:
"The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by, Brian Selznick. So, if your off to a baby shower soon, think of this as a gift to give or, like my mom, you can give your kids the winning Caldecott book from their birth year. It's a wonderful and beautiful gift.
Best,
Meghann Kopecky
A guest book is a great way to remember a fantastic party. Here is a twist on the standard guest book idea that will be cherished by your guest of honor and fun for your guests to make. Set a blank guest book or just a blank paged book on a table at the party. Place some scissors, a selection of colored paper, a glue stick, and pens on the table. As soon as the guests arrive, start taking Polaroids or digital pictures that you can instantly print out. Continuously place the photos on the table as they are available. Tell your guests to write a little something in the guest book and to be creative! You will be amazed at how interesting the book will turn out (and you barely had to lift a finger!)
My sister is turning 40 this Spring. What a milestone. While our concerns may be different, I think our stress levels are about the same as this event creeps up. While she worries about the wrinkles that are beginning to appear, I worry about whether chocolate or guava will be a better choice for her birthday cake. I have never thrown a birthday party of this magnitude before and since this is such a memorable birthday for her, I want it to be special from the moment she arrives.
I am sure that many of you have been introduced to Shutterfly by now as a resource for printing your treasured digital photos. This online site also offers a ton of different ideas for party favors such as mugs, playing cards and apparel which can all be customized with your choice of personal pictures.
What I really want to touch on is the Photo Books.
The Shutterfly site allows you to easily download digital pictures into a pre-made template using a drag and drop method. In addition, you can customize your book with titles, backgrounds and page layouts. This is a great way to create something a little extra special for your guest of honor. Shutterfly offers various size books ranging from 12x12 to 8x8.
Since my sister's birthday is such a milestone, I have many pictures that I would like to include in her book. I am going to be using images which were taken looooong before the invention of a digital camera. For the pictures taken some time ago, I will take my prints to my local digital photo shop and have the images scanned onto a disc. Most photo shops today are familiar with this process and make it both easy and affordable. Once I have my disc, I can download my digital images onto my home computer and use them to drag and drop into the Shutterfly website. This way, I can be sure to include some of the classic black and white images that will make this Photo Book truly memorable.
Another gift idea that I will be using for the 40th birthday bash is an 8x8 Recipe book that can also be created on the Shutterfly website. Since this party is all about creating memories for the birthday girl, I thought it would be fun to rediscover some classic dishes which always make my sister feel at home. I have asked her to think back to the days of mom's cooking and recall her favorite home cooked meals. With this information, I will create a fun recipe book for her to take home to her family so that she can carry on the kitchen traditions that we grew up with. What I really love about this idea is that not only will this book be filled with her favorite recipes from Mom, it will also have pictures that she can gaze at while she prepares her meals for her children.
I have used Shutterfly for a few of my photo needs. The prices are always reasonable and the time that it takes for me to create my memories is very reasonable with my busy schedule. I can't wait to get started on the upcoming birthday gifts for my sisters special day. Look for future entries as the plans get underway...
Books, I say! Books!
You can't go wrong with books. They're fun. They're educational. And, if used correctly, can even subtly nudge that certain someone into using good manners the next time they're at your house for a play date.
We've tested and kid-approved [and mom, too!] the following list of fun, engaging, thoughtful, educational, best-all-around books:
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Time to Say Please |
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Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late! Mo Willems As a companion book to the popular Time to Pee!, Mo Willems has created a book on manners in his own signature style. Groups of ebullient mice narrate this humorous text as young children try in vain to get what they want, learning along the way that it is helpful to say "Please," "Thank you," "Excuse me," and "I’m sorry." Oh, and you have to mean it, too. |
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Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type Doreen Cronin, Betsy Lewin (Illustrator) This innovative and smart story introduces children to the concept of bargaining and compromise. Using the tools at their disposal, the cows worked hard for their basic needs. Skills and smarts add up to a successful outcome. Another concept explored here is the basic rights of individuals. In understated but clear terms, young readers are led to question Farmer Brown's authority and inherent right to the milk and eggs. Sound a little serious for a kids book? Take another look. The fabulous watercolors and crisp text of the typewritten notes will woo young readers. And the hilarious ingenuity of the courageous cows and hens will inspire and amuse. |
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Diary of a Worm |
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To make your gift even more personal, include a set of personalized book plates available at Anna Bella Baby Online Stationers. Bookplates are smart little stickers that fit on the inside cover or the first page of a book and proudly display the child's name and ownership of the book: This book belongs to [insert child's name]. What child doesn't love that! And moms, they have bookplates for you, too!
Books above can be found at your favorite local bookstore and online at:
www.amazon.com
www.barnesandnoble.com
www.borders.com
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Post and images provided by the folks at Anna Bella Stationery
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