Hi Everybody - A very dear friend of mine is getting married in October. I've known her since she was 16 and worked for me when I managed a small business. She had a tough time growing up, her parents arent exactly model citizens. I took on a motherly role, and we have become very close.
We chat just about every evening on the phone. Last week I mentioned I was in the middle of baking something and she said, "OH, I want that recipe." On multiple occasions she has called me to ask questions while she is preparing a meal for her fiance. I told her that one of these days I would have to get all my recipes together for her. Maybe put them in a book or something. Wheels in my head started turning....
What I would like to do is get all my recipes together, with pictures, and get them into a book. And then give her that book as a wedding present! Her mother isnt in her life, and she is on the younger side. I think this would mean a lot to her.
I want it to be spectacular, but I have no idea where to start .... Can anybody point this well-meaning but not very creative person in the right direction?? THANKS!
What a lovely idea. I would have LOVED to receive that gift!
You can head to a local printing store, or a big one like kinkos. You could also design them online with Snapfish, and Shutterfly. My absolute FAVORITE place to go online, is Paper Coterie. They even have a recipe collection in their books section. Their quality is incredible, and I've been thrilled with everything I've ordered. http://www.papercoterie.com/
WOW! That's a fabulous idea! Do you have a Kinkos in your area? I heard that they are really great at helping with these types of projects.
I second the FedEx/Kinkos. I think they'll help you do it all. But if you wanted to do it all on your own, Snapfish or Shutterfly may work. I have found Snapfish books to be easier. Snapfish has LESS options as far as editing your book (centering it here, moving this picture over 2 mm to the right, etc) but if you want one picture and the rest text, then that may be simple-enough for Snapfish. I would recommend a spiral-bound book so that it's easy-enough to keep open while she cooks.
Another option if you are more hands-on, would be to get a scrapbook from the craft store, cute paper for the background, then actually glue a pic of your meal on it and glue a printout of your recipe on it. The plastic sleeve will keep the paper from getting splattered on and she can easily wipe clean and add recipes herself to any blank pages you leave for her.
Not sure if it would work, but places like Shutterfly, CVS, etc., offer the option of making "photo books." You use the photos you want, and I believe some have options for text. You choose the pattern, layout, etc., and customize it to your specifications. I would look into that first, other wise I would probably make a scrapbook type cookbook, with photos and recipes on each page and different background paper and embellishments.
In case you want to try it out Shutterfly is offering 50% off 12"x12" photo books right now, here's a link with the info:
http://grammaswealthofinfo.blogspot.com/2012/07/50-off-sh...
What a fabulous gesture on your part! I hope your cookbook is a wild success.
Another vote for Shutterfly. I'm pretty sure that they have an actual template for cookbooks. And the nice thing is that once you create it, you can order more copies or edit for other friends if you want. Good luck! I think that sounds like a fabulous gift!
Just type in "book publishing" on Google to get a list of self-publishing sites. check them all out to see which one best fits your needs. Then you just enter all your data & pictures to set up your custom book.
This is one of the most popular things that my business does! We make recipe scrapbooks for people. They do make wonderful gifts or are helpful if you have tons of your own recipes overflowing in your kitchen. We can use the original recipes in your handwriting or we can type them for you and put them in a recipe book with a creative twist! Inbox me for my website or if you decide to make the recipe book yourself and have any questions, I would be glad to point you in the right direction!
