Project: My husband and I began dating in an unusual way -- we worked for the same company, but I began working remotely just a day before he moved down to begin the job in person. We were passing ships for months, having really only met in person twice for brief moments. And then, after several months of talking all day & after 2 days in a row of 3+ hour long phone calls, we exchanged feelings for each other & he drove the 5 hours to come visit me... except as happy as I was to see him, I had a final project due in just a few days. The conversation went something like this, "I'm so happy you're here, but... are you cool with going to the letterpress lab for 5 hours to help me print my final book project?"
So, as you can imagine, handmade books became our thing. When our 1-year was approaching, I surprised him by creating the "Anniversary Encyclopedia." It started off as a “small pocket book” and developed into a “pocket encyclopedia.” It was comprised of silly memories from our past year together, pieced together with quotes, illustrations, and photos.
The following year, I surprised him by creating a second edition... and from there, it was decided that I ABSOLUTELY NEEDED to create this each year. Some sections stay the same: "Remember When," "Quotes," "Nuff Said," "(Bad?) Puns," and so on... and then new sections appear and disappear throughout new editions: Future Businesses, Campaign Slogans & Posters, Book Ideas, etc.
Editions 1-5 are, "The Encyclopedia of You & Me," but since we got married in October 2021, Editions 6+ are now, "The Encyclopedia of Us" ❤️
I collect every quote, memory, text, photo, and more for an entire year, and then go through the process of binding the book myself. And each year, Michael lights up like a child on Christmas to receive it. It's my favorite thing in the world.
I collect every quote, memory, text, photo, and more for an entire year, and then go through the process of binding the book myself. And each year, Michael lights up like a child on Christmas to receive it. It's my favorite thing in the world.
To take a dive into more of the content, visit the social links below:
Year 7 ... coming October 2023
Tools: Adobe Illustrator, Procreate, Adobe InDesign, Book Binding Tools.
