Indulge me in just one more day of book talk, will you? Because today I want to mention a few really special people involved in the book. This is by no means an inclusive "acknowledgements" - as you will see, I did just fine rambling on (and on) in the book as such. Rather, I want to share a few people whose work I thought you might like to see more of, if you don't know them already.
:::::: First, the cover photography by Jessie Fields, who managed quite amazingly to get all four of us in one shot just the way that only she can envision. I respect her eye, her skill and her energy so very much that I am greatly honored her photograph was ultimately on the cover of my book. That she happens to be one of my dearest friends is just icing on the cake. (As an aside, lots of you have asked why Steve wasn't on the cover...we all joke that the fold out flap on the front should really have Steve - off to the side as he was - juggling sippy cups, clothes, props and dangling treats. Oh, and doing jigs to make us all laugh. So yes, he's there. You just can't see him.)
:::::: On the inside pages of the book, you'll find the beautiful illustrations of Portland artist Betsy Thompson. I was thrilled to have her work as a part of this project - both as chapter header illustrations and instructional illustrations for some of the patterns. I find her whimsical line drawings ever-so-charming and embracing of childhood wonder, and I'm honored they're woven into this book. Check out her amazing collage work if you haven't seen it before.
:::::: I also want to mention here, Jeffrey Yamaguchi, author 52 Projects: Random Acts of Everyday Creativity; and Zoe Weil, author of Above All, Be Kind: Raising a Humane Child in Challenging Times for taking the time to read the book in it's early form, and for so generously sharing their kind words about it in the form of the 'blurb' on the back of the book. I cannot tell you how thrilled I was that they both said yes (I'm still in shock, actually). Each of their books (they've each written additional books besides those I mentioned above) has inspired me - and inspired the writing of The Creative Family - greatly.
In other book news, I started a The Creative Family Flickr group. I'd love for it to be a place you can share your family creations and activities inspired by the book. It's also a great place to ask questions about any of the patterns.
Thank you for all your sweet emails and comments yesterday. How much do I love the image so many of you painted so nicely for me - curling up with tea and the book? Gosh, there are no words for the feeling that gives me. A little overwhelming. And definitely lovely. So, thank you. After all this talking, I'm going to quietly slip into sporadic photo updates for the next few days as I get ready for Friday night's opening and book launch (5-8pm at Edith & Edna - more book event details here). I can't wait to share the results of all of that!
