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When we decided on this month's family theme, the first person I thought to interview was Darcy Miller Nussbaum. Darcy is perhaps best known as the editorial director of Martha Stewart Weddings, but I think of her as the most dedicated documenter of special moments I know. In addition to her work with Weddings, Darcy is a talented and committed scrapbooker and throws some of the sweetest and most well-planned celebrations in the business. From fun children's parties to elegant weddings, Darcy is constantly coming up with clever ways to celebrate the people you love most in your life. So today I'm thrilled to share her interview about families, celebrations, scrapbooking and how she loves to honor special moments or times in her family's life.
As a very special surprise, Darcy was kind enough to help us coordinate a huge giveaway to go with her post! In addition to goodies from Martha Stewart's Craft line and Avery, one lucky winner will receive a package with a signed copy of Darcy's Our Wedding Scrapbook, gifts from Pinhole Press, Graphic Image, Paper Source and a Dennis Daniels Scrapbox. These are all of Darcy's hand-chosen favorites, so this is a very special prize to receive. To be eligible, please leave a comment below (the deadline is Monday at 10am EST) about a memory or moment in time that is special to you and why you'd like to commemorate it (and how, if you already have an idea).
The full interview continues below!
Name: Darcy Miller
Occupation: Editorial Director, Martha Stewart Weddings and celebrations expert, author and illustrator
Years in the business: 22 (Martha Stewart Living was my first job out of college!)
Design*Sponge: I'm always intrigued to see how someone's hometown (or adopted hometown) affects their style or influences. How does New York (or your hometown) shape who you are and what you do?
Darcy: Aside from my four years in Philly attending UPenn, I've lived in New York City my entire life. I think the incredible culture here, plus the opportunities this city has to offer, influenced my passion for all things creative. My dad was in men's wear, based in the Empire State Building, and I can remember as far back as five years old just loving going to work with him, even if it meant organizing fabric swatches. My mom also brought me to all her favorite spots — there was the amazing Denison Paper Goods store on Fifth Avenue we'd visit to search for the perfect stickers and embellishments to make my birthday party invitations (my favorite were these little 3D birthday cakes). And then just up the avenue on 39th Street there was a bead store named Sheru where I'd buy beads to make earrings and necklaces. I'd put them in Ziploc bags and sell them to a small kids' clothing store on Madison Avenue along with a card that read, embarrassingly enough now, "Darcy Miller Original" (!!!). But it's kind of crazy that three decades later (don't do the math please), my work takes me to that same millenary district in Manhattan to shop M&J Trimming, Tinsel Trading and all the other great stores in that area. Most recently I bought the greatest pleated ribbon from M&J that I used to make the favors for celebrity event designer Preston Bailey.
Some afternoons after school, my mom would also bring me to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she volunteered. I'd sit and sketch and do my homework in the corner. She helped mount the Met's Diana Vreeland's Costume Institute shows for many years. How could that not influence someone? I wish I could go back in time and relive one of those afternoons — Simon Doonan, Harold Koda . . . extraordinary talents all in one room. Too bad we didn't have Instagram back then!
D*S: How did you get started making scrapbooks and photo albums that celebrate families?
Darcy: I've made scrapbooks for as long as I can remember — probably even before I can remember. My mom always made them of our travels. On our first family trip, to Disney Land, she kept a travel journal, which was a combo of her writing and drawings both my sister and I did (scribbles is more like it). Since then, I've been a lifelong "collector" of ticket stubs, postcards, notes, pressed flowers from special places — anything that documents where I've been and what I've experienced. [From] my semester abroad in Italy to a safari to ski trips with friends. And once I met my husband, Andy, I just kept going — I documented our wedding, our travels and life with our daughters. When I found out I was pregnant with my third child, it actually crossed my mind, How am I going to keep up with a third set of scrapbooks?!?
D*S: In today's digital world, what it is about physically scrapbooking that is so important to celebrating memories?
Darcy: There is something about having a physical memento that is special — being able to hold the menu from a great restaurant you visited on your honeymoon or a note that your daughter scribbled the first time she wrote her name. There is also something about the process of assembling a scrapbook that reminds you of the special occasion and helps document that eventful day through your eyes and hands. When we were planning our wedding, I kept every last note and scrap. It has everything from notes of congratulations on our engagement (including printed-out emails — who would search for those electronically ten years later?), shower invitations, the seating plan for our reception and the notecards our vows were written out on. It even includes our marriage license, a list of wedding gifts and notes and mementos from how we have spent our wedding anniversary each year.
I think it's so important to document your wedding in a way that is not just the photos, and most people don't keep everything in one place (a copy of your vows, your invitation, etc). Plus, I think the memories of the wedding are as much about the process of the planning and being engaged as the day itself, so jotting down those funny moments (and some not so funny) is important to have as a keepsake. To inspire others to document their wedding, I published an easy DIY scrapbook, "Our Wedding Scrapbook," which allows couples to document their wedding in a fun and easy way.
D*S: How would you describe the type of scrapbooking you do?
Darcy: I guess I'd say it's all about celebrating life's experiences in a very personal, individual way. All my scrapbooks document something specific: a trip, our wedding, each of our daughters' school experience (first day of school and class photos, report cards, stories the girls wrote or scripts from school plays or any other type of memento). Photos are a big part of my scrapbooks. I love to play with scale: either I blow them up big or shrink them so there are lots of small photos. Mementos are also important. I use lots of archival sleeves from ClearBags.com that allow me to slip in special notes, birthday cards, a onesie, toasts from our wedding, a coaster from a bar, a ticket from an amusement park or anything else that you don't want to or can't paste down onto a page (or that you might want to pull out to read).
Scrapbooks often make the most priceless gifts. (Pinhole Press is one of my favorite sources for online books that are easy and look great.)
D*S: What was the first scrapbook you made, and who was it for?
Darcy: I'm not sure I can say if there was one first, since I began scrapbooking with my mom when she documented our family travels. So my passion for scrapbooking really did begin in childhood and carried over into my adult life. Over time my scrapbooks have evolved, not only in style and size, but also in content. As my daughters grow up, I keep finding things I want to scrapbook, but the contents sometimes do not fit flat in a book. That's when I came up with "scrap boxes." I'd been collecting everything from my daughters' first ballet shoes to artwork. These scrap boxes have been a fun way to not only store some of these mementos, but also to live with them as artwork in our home. We have them up in our apartment, and nothing is more personal.
D*S: What are your work/craft room essentials? What sort of creative objects and/or work tools can you not live without?
Darcy: It's hard to say what my "essentials" are because I love crafting with so many different types of craft materials, but I guess I'd start with my markers. As an illustrator, hardly a day goes by without the markers being used, which is why they sit in CB2 glasses on top of my desk. For drawing, I love the Sakura Micron markers that come with tips in a range of sizes, and Prismacolor and Zig Kurecolor, both of which have a different tip on each side: one broad, one fine. I use them to doodle a sketch on a thank you note, a party invite or a decoration.
I also use a wide range of colored papers. Most celebrations I host have a color palette, so I'm a big fan of Paper Source since they have so many choices of paper in different colors, sizes, shapes and weights.
And punches — I'm not just saying this because I work at MSLO, but Martha Stewart Craft punches are pretty amazing. I especially like the circle punch. I designed a Nutcracker-inspired party and used this circle edge punch to make angels for décor.
Even though I do so much by hand, technology has helped on that front so much, too. Thanks to my Epson scanner and HP printer, I am always playing with photos and using them to create crafts. Last year I hosted a birthday dinner at my apartment for Martha, and I sent photos of her French bulldogs Sharkey and Francesca to Shutterfly, and they produced oversized and removable wall decals, so her dogs could "attend" the party.
Most of my scrapbooks are from Graphic Image. I have a range of different types, some that you paste directly on the page and some with sleeves, which is slightly easier for a working mom with three children because it lets me just slip in a memento when I don't have time to craft the whole page. Just knowing it's there and in place is a step in the right direction. And I get all my scrap boxes from Dennis Daniels.
D*S: What sorts of things are inspiring you right now? Where do you typically look for inspiration?
Darcy: I get my inspiration from people whether I am celebrating or documenting — usually the people for whom I'm creating the scrapbooks. I love celebrating and documenting friends and family, and that's a jumping-off point for anything. Recently in Martha Stewart Weddings, I wrote a list of "20 Questions" as a way to inspire couples to personalize their big day. And although it was geared toward a wedding, really, thinking about the person you are celebrating is the best source of inspiration. I recommend downloading it because it's a great starting place for how to personalize something for a friend, whether you're celebrating them or looking for a special gift.
After that, it's all about color. Everything gets inspired by color.
D*S: When do you feel the most creative or inspired?
Darcy: My family and my friends inspire me. I love to be out there seeing new things, traveling and always meeting new people, experts and artisans. The talented people I work with at MSLO are always an inspiration, as well. I always have fun collaborating with others and have fun along the way. Sometimes we have to laugh at ourselves about the amount of conversation we have over the shade of pink or a favor box, but it's important to keep things in perspective and keep laughing (which, by the way, Anthony Luscia, our special Projects Editor at MSLO, and I do. A LOT.). It's also about remembering why we craft and celebrate: my Thanksgiving entertaining ideas were not just crafts for the sake of crafting. I made a "thankful tree," which was meant to remind people of what the holiday is really about. Guests wrote what they were thankful for on a paper leaf and attached it to the branch centerpiece.
One of the people I regularly collaborate with is the stationer Cheree Berry, who is always very inspirational to me. When I hosted a bridal shower for Dylan Lauren, Cheree took my illustrations and designed a chocolate bar wrap invite. It was a huge hit (although one friend did miss the party because she ate the invitation and forgot about the party).
D*S: What do you do to keep yourself, your space and your time organized?
Darcy: Organization is important. I try to be as organized as possible, although sometimes I think I look more organized than I really am. Everything in my craft room has a place where it belongs, and every once in a while, I have to stay up at night to attempt to put everything away.
I also like Michael Roger Press because they make binders and boxes in so many shapes and sizes that coordinate. I use them to store my photos and artwork. I even have three extra-large oversized keepsake boxes that are labeled with each of my daughters' names to hold mementos (baby blankets, etc.) that don't fit in a book.
D*S: How do you combat creative blocks?
Darcy: Just being out and around people inspires me and helps to combat those blocks. I always turn to others for inspiration. When we were not sure what to do for my daughter Pippa's third birthday party, it was actually her big sister, Daisy, who came up with the idea of "Pippa's Purple Party" (you can guess what her favorite color is).
I get inspired every day by the world around me, either in New York City or wherever I'm lucky enough to travel. And Instagram has become one of my favorite ways of documenting special moments and inspiration. (On Instagram: darcymillernussbaum and Martha_weddings)
D*S: What is next for you with your work? What can we look forward to from you?
Darcy: Who knows exactly what's next? More celebrations, and more documenting them in a special way. The funny thing is that I'm still kind of doing what I did in the fourth grade: going to the bead store, drawing pictures and creating things. So the "what" hasn't (and never will) change much, but I'll always keep evolving how I do what I've always loved doing. So I'm excited about what's next, even though I never know just what it might be.
You can find Darcy online at:
Pinterest: pinterest.com/darcymdesigns
Instagram: darcymillernussbaum
My special moment is right now. After a tough time of being laid off and dealing with a lot of not so good stuff — I unexpectedly met the man of my dreams long after I ever thought I would marry. We are getting married on May 18 and moving to an apartment together in early April. I also have a new job that I really love. I feel very blessed and am looking forward to documenting our first place/wedding/honeymoon. In a way because they are happening later in my life for me, I feel I appreciate the significance even more.
I would like to document my daughter's birth. Being the second child, her birth was a lot less documented than my son's since my husband and I were busy arranging childcare for my son even while I was in labor. I love that shadow box idea!
my best memories involve all three of my children. with four work schedules to work around, it is hard to all get together at the same time. updated photos are almost a must. love love love darcy and her clean studio is an envy.
thank you for the giveaway!
Last year we moved into our dream house and had a baby within a few days….I'd like to document both events in their own special way.
Just love her craft room….they eye candy is wonderful…is it always path at organized?
I love this! My special moment is my wedding day (January 2012). We had a beautiful photo book made of the event, and I had my handkerchief wedding invitation framed and mounted. I keep wanting to preserve and showcase everything from that day, but I need to tone it down a bit!
The most significant moment of my life so far was meeting my boyfriend in Florence, Italy. For our anniversary, I wrote him a book of poetry reflecting on Florence and meeting him, and tried my hand at binding it. I'm so proud of the poetry, but the binding was…amateur, to say the least! Now that Design Sponge has bookbinding tutorials, I'd like to try to bind it a little more aesthetically and professionally.
Also, my boyfriend is an illustrator, and I'd love to make a new version of the book featuring his sketches from the trip – I couldn't ask him the first time because I wanted the book to be a surprise!
Thank you for the giveaway!
I would like to have a documented memory book of my daughter's graduation from a fine art's college. She is the first woman in my family with a college degree and we are so, so proud of her. I love the craft room and the markers make me smile.
I'd love to commemorate our engagement. We've been married nearly two years, but almost more than our wedding day, I cherish the night we got engaged. It was such a thoughtful and special evening that we got to share with many of our favorite people. Great giveaway!
In college I did a study abroad program and traveled extensively. I have printed some of my (many) pictures, but I always wanted to have a more creative and cohesive way to remember those people and places. Darcy certainly sparks many ideas.
I would like to document and upcoming trip to Spain with friends
Sparkling conversation over fifteen years with my women's group needs a special celebration! Invitations,a party, fun mementos to capture the budding romance's, weddings that followed,babies who were born,careers that blossomed etc. A rich mix of women and their lives honored in all our guts and glory would take the generous gift on offer to materialize.
I want to make personalized calendars for my family and friends to commemorate their special moments. (I've done one so far). Each will come in a custom made box, with an easel. The calendar documents a special event, such as a wedding or birth, or just something dear to the person, such as their dog, children, home renovation, etc. Each month will have a photo or two, special dates highlighted and embellishments. The calendar allows them to relive the special moments for the entire next year. I love working with my hands after working so much on the computer. And after an especially challenging year financially for our family, I find focuses on others is great therapy. It's really a creative outlet for me. Thanks for offering the giveaway.
I'd love to document my nieces as they grow up. They live several states away, but that makes our time together even more special – and worthy of being documented! Darcy is an inspiration! Where does she find the time, energy and creativity to accomplish so much?! Amazing!
Great interview!
My special moment(s) are Sunday afternoons. My brother and I head out to my parents' (now empty-nesters') house outside of town and just relax and reminisce by the lake. There are always great wines and snacks to make it even more memorable :) I'd love to document how our family has matured recently.
I spent a semester abroad in Spain during college. I still have yet to create an album or memory book. I would love to finally get my photos and small trinkets/tickets/mementos all in one place so that I enjoy them!
Great interview!! My special moment would be when I met my future husband. We were strangers in a bar that met during the final game of the World Cup in 2010. He's dutch (they lost to Spain :-( ) and I was rooting for Spain at the time. We love to tell our story and I would like to document that somehow and give it to him as a gift.
I already did a Shutterfly album of the first ten years of marriage for my husband (which, when I think back, was remarkable, given I was a month away from having our 3rd child; we'd just moved cities; and I was still working right up until the due date). I'm looking forward to capturing the next 10 in a similar-but-stepped-up sort of way, by making it more scrapbook-ish…Thanks!
A special moment in my life was the birth of my daughter, who is now 3. I love to commemorate her birthday every year by making a custom birthday banner out of various materials and making a special backdrop to photograph her against. Generally, the banners are a phrase about how special I think she is, and I hang them in her room the following year as decor. Additionally, I have been saving all her dresses since she was small to either pass on to her, or make a special quilt out of.
I would love to celebrate and document my son's second birthday. Last year, we both are working and he spent most of his time with grandparents. This time, I don't want to repeat the same. I want to make it the most memorable for both us and him. I love your scrapbook collection.
Thanks D*S for such an amazing interview. Loved reading it.
Well, there are so many things in my life to commemorate into a memory book! I recently said "yes" to my partner of 6 years when he asked in romantic New Orleans, LA (we live in Chicago) to marry him!! We love to travel together and I have started to hand bind a book for each of our trips, to record what we did and keep little mementos from the trip.
Obviously, the wedding scrapbook would be amazing to have as we're making the plans for our ceremony and reception. Another event which popped into my head when thinking of this question is my grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary party!! I love my grandparents so much and have such respect for their incredible partnership. It has been a model for the way my partner and I have and will continue to shape our relationship.
Oh, and that craft room is to die for. Prismacolor markers galore!!
a trip to iceland with my husband — i was in grad school at the time and we were broke, but we planned and saved and made it happen. i would love to pull together our memories from the trip in a special way.
My mother has created a Christmas album. A couple pages were dedicated to every year. She would document how they celebrated, who visited, what cookies she made and what handmade gifts she gave. Along side, were our annual photos with Santa and at least one family shot. It is such a treasure. I would love not only start my own version of this tradition, but I would also love to restore the not-so-acid free book that our family has grown to love.
I'd love to document my son's early years. He is 9 now and I've had great intentions of getting all those photos into books/scrapbooks. He is our only child and I'm already missing my 'little boy' as he works his way into tween and then teen status!
Have followed Darcy for years as an avis MSL fan. LOVE the craft room and the creative drive.
I love her!! I say her collages afew years ago and was in awe.. very cool and talented woman!
I traveled throughout the Southwest for a semester (Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado…) and then went straight to Europe for another 10 weeks. It's been three years now and every project I work on has been influenced by those experiences. I've managed to print a hand full of photos, but now that I'm in my own place, I really need to dig into getting things displayed to further my creative juices! Thanks for the opportunity!
My grandfather has always been known for taking pictures and preserving our family's history in his albums. I'd love to make a singular scrap book based on his collection to pass down to all of his grandchildren and great-grand children.
I would like to document my mom's wedding to my stepfather. She's a busy mom of two boys under 5, and hasn't been able to document her big day. It was a beautiful, intimate wedding, with a blue and green theme and vintage decor. After losing most of her wedding photos on CD, having a photographer who was MIA and thinking for years that photos of her wedding were gone for good, he recently contacted her, saying he indeed still had the archive of photos. I would love to put together a record of the planning process, as well as the wedding day itself. It would be a fun project personally, and a treasured gift for my mom.
A memory I cherish.deeply is when one of my most best friends brought baby Harry to my house for the first time 9 years ago. Harry was born on my birthday, when they called me from the hospital to tell me andgive me wishes! Just a few weeks later they brought him home and just last year before I returned to NY leaving them all back in Greece he told his friend that I was his best, big friend. Mind you the kid would comment on my stylistic decisions, he had me change heels once! So adorable. I am planning on making a scrapbook out of lunch bags and all his drawings and pictures he has given and sent me over the years to give it to him when he grows to show to his own children! Only his mum and I know I have them still. So funny! Even the one with the silly donkey.
I love making scrapbooks based on food–ideas, dishes my husband and I cook together, parties we host, etc. Taste memories are some of the strongest–what better way to remember than through meals shared!
I just got married in August and have a big box full of things from our engagement party, showers, rehearsal dinner, wedding, and honeymoon. I'd love to be able to pull all of that together and document it in a prettier way than being shoved in a box! I love the idea of being able to do a scrapbook with more than just photos–something we don't often stop to do in this digital age.
This is a wonderful post! So many interesting and joyful ideas, and loved seeing Darcy's beautiful projects.
My mother passed away last year after 70 years of marriage to my Dad. He is doing quite well (keeps busy – goes to the gym, plays bridge, we got him a dog he loves etc) but of course is lonely without her. I would like to make some kind of visual project to celebrate those 70 years, so he can constantly look at it and remember the moments. We loaded photos into a digital frame but I think we need something more hands on and more than just photos. Not describing it very well, but could use ideas!! Thank you!
One summer, my husband and I took a cross country road trip together. Over 6 weeks we camped in 10 national parks, drove thousands of miles, visited 9 major cities and most importantly- had a blast. Hands down the best vacation ever. I'd love to do something to commemorate that adventure
Wonderful interview! I want to live in this room.
My husband and I are new to New York City and just had our first baby. I am trying desperately to explore this place and document such an exciting time for us. I'd love a book to remember all these changes!
My special moment would be my October 2012 wedding. So much thought and effort went into the tiny beautiful details that made the day so whimsical, lighthearted, and special. We've created photo books for family, but for us I think I'd like a shadow box to display some of the elements of the wedding: a picture, a swatch of of my dress, a piece of the doily garland, a tiny vintage bottle, the heart pins guests wore.
Fun interview. I appreciate how Darcy celebrates family in so many ways. We are in the process of celebrating our daughter's fifth birthday. We started the week with a party for her friends (loud, crazy, and fun) and will end the week with a family celebration (much more quiet and intimate). Darcy inspires creative ways to capture the memories!
I've had the opportunity to travel a lot internationally in the last year or two, and have seriously fallen behind on documenting all of it. I would love to document my trips to Spain, France, and Costa Rica before all of my memories fade! It was so much fun!
My son has cerebral palsy and was just accepted into a school for children with motor disabilities. I look forward to documenting his growth during his time in the program.
Love her illustrations & so many fantastic shadow boxes!
I have two immediate family members who have special needs (both physical and mental). And they're both graduating from college this spring. I am so proud of them for working SO hard (in one case TEN years) to be able to do this and I want to commemorate their journeys – as they've come so far.
I became engaged last summer and am getting married in a few short weeks! I'm a fashion designer, illustrator, and all around crafter, but I've never finished a scrapbook before! This time I'm determined to make a beautiful book filled with every special moment of our engagement, wedding, & honeymoon!
What a fantastic studio!
I'd love to document my honeymoon in a more accessible way – a year and a half late,r it's all just jumbled up in a box.
I am American, my husband is Slovenian, and we met in Nigeria. Miracle of all miracles, I found out I was pregnant while there, after being told five years previous I couldn't have children. I moved back to the States to have our son, Haven, and my husband had to wait to join us until we were legally married and immigration accepted his status. I raised my son for two and a half years by myself before my husband could join us in Washington, D.C. this past July. I would like to commemorate his arrival and the daily business of being a dad. We have plenty of Skype conversations recorded, and funny little videos we sent to each other while we waited, but having my husband here is the best gift Haven and I will ever receive.
My Grandma is about to turn 95 in May on our birthday. I've been trying to figure out a way to document her life as a little girl from Slovakia to her growing up in America, marrying my Grandpa, becoming a widow at a young age and raising 8 kids on her own. She is an amazing sweet little lady and I really want to find a way to show her how amazing her life has been to us.
My parents just celebrated their 71st wedding anniversary after we came close to losing my dad over the holidays. His illness brought my other four siblings together as we took shifts sitting at the hospital and talked about the few photos we have of them from their early life together. As a gift to my brothers and sisters, I would love to reproduce my dad's letters to my mom during WWII – romantic gestures from a young man who was undoubtedly unsure about ever seeing her again and remnants of a period of time unimaginable.
Last year, I traveled a lot of both work and pleasure, adding about 7 new countries and countless new cities to my list. I have't even looked at, much less printed, most of those pictures, but would love to be able to start documenting those special travel moments.
I have two beautiful children:2.5 and 9 months. I haven't had time to commemorate being a family of 4 and I would love to do that before more time passes. I would like to start making family year books to capture all our digital photos.
I've been struggling to keep up with photos of my two kids, much less a scrapbook. But now that we are past the baby stage I'd love to go back and document their first two years together, with photos, mementos, my son's artwork. I have it, but it is just in drawers and envelopes.
What a wonderful interview! Completely inspiring! Our son and his wife are expecting our first grandchild and I plan on making a scrapbook celebrating his or her arrival in our lives.
What a great article! I too love to be surrounded by memories and have many items framed and displayed that represent our family history (the fruit scale from my great granfather's produce stand hangs in my bay window, the match patch that represents when my father in law played against Bayern Munich). They all make me feel grounded in a deep history and keep my family stories alive when the kids or friends ask what they are. But, my favorite are the pictures of my mom that I've framed from previous holidays. I lost my mom to Lou Gehrig's disease when she was 59 and I was 34. I had just had my second child and couldn't bear the thought of her not seeing them grow and them not knowing her. So, I framed pictures of her from different holidays throughout the previous couple of years and display them along with the holiday decorations – it makes me feel like she's still a part of our holidays and it gives us a chance to discuss what a wonderful person she was and keep her memory alive for our kids. Thanks for the wonderful ideas and the chance to share this.
I'd love to commemorate the reunion/vacation we took last year with four generations of my dad's family. It was incredible to be able to see my 97-year-old grandfather hold his 1-year-old great-granddaughter…and how everyone in between so genuinely loved being together. I know there won't be too many more times like these, which is what makes them so precious and worth remembering!
The years are flying by and my little girls aren't going to be little for too much longer. I want to capture that sweetness–giggles, little hands, reading picture books. I will always have a big gooey spot in my heart for preschool aged girls.
I am about to complete my Master's Degree in Strategic Communications. It's been a long and often difficult road, but it's been extremely worth it. I've already started this project, but I promised myself I would craft and "build" a wall of my work to remember where I started and how much I've grown throughtout my academic and professional career. My apartment wall already has framed photos, clips of my writings and a handpainted vinyl record from one of my students. I want to continue to grow this "wall of art" and use it as an inspiration to continue to follow my dreams.
Thanks for the awesome post! I LOVE all the colors. So pretty!
When my husband and I first started dating, 19 years during college – we would send letters to each other during our summer breaks. Before the proliferation of email! So, I have a stack of all our letters from that time that we both hand wrote and stamped. They are the one thing we own, that I cherish more than anything. They've been sitting in a box for 15 years. I've been wanting to do something with them to make them more special (i.e put into a book of some sort and bind them together) and give them to my husband for an anniversary gift. Every wonderful year together comes and goes, and they still sit in a box.
I would love to document summers at the ake with family & friends. I would include big smiles, some frowns, small fish, big fish, farmer tans, camp fires and lots of picnic tables filled with food. Summer in the Northwoods in Three Lakes, WI is my favorite time of the year.
My very special moment is my destination wedding in last November. My husband and I went to Las Vegas to get married by Elvis at the Graceland Wedding Chapel. Just the two of us! Only our parents, siblings and a few very close friends knew that beforehand. With the upcoming birthday of my husband I asked an artist to create a picture from one of our two simple but so impressive wedding photographies which our limousine driver took of us. And there will be the big church wedding in July which needs to be commemorated.
My special moment is when my boyfriend of 6 years proposed to me in a beautiful botanical garden. It was very romantic and sweet and exactly how I had hoped it would be, but it went by so fast! I'm hoping to commemorate it by going back to that exact spot to take pictures together! Now I'm having so much fun planning my wedding to my best friend (and religiously reading every gorgeous page of Martha Stewart Weddings!)
I'd love to better document my second child's birth. My first born I was completely on top of scrapbooking, but for my second, things kind of fell by the wayside while I fumbled with being a Mom of 2. Now is as good a time as any to get organized!
Last May, my mom and I went on an amazing trip to Turkey for two weeks. I took lots of photos, saved ticket stubs, and other little odds and ends and have been meaning to put them all in a scrapbook but haven't figured out the perfect way to display everything. I always love seeing Darcy's projects, she's always so inspiring!
what a sweet post. darcy is so inspiring. my husband and i recently found out that we are pregnant with our first baby after a year of trying to get pregnant, and reading through this post has really inspired me to document the coming months. i always hear people say they are eager to get through the waiting so they can experience the big moment (weddings, babies, anything!) and i have been so bad about savoring and remembering the waiting periods that i am determined to really document our last months as just the two of us so i can look back on this time with fondness!
I went to Italy, Greece and Japan years ago and whilst I took a ton of pictures (old school on 35 mm film!), I've never managed to put them into albums. Your interview and designs are an inspiration to me to finally get my arse into gear and do it!
Mille grazie for the giveaway too!
I'm starting to create a memory book of my husband's and my travels in our first year of marriage. Our entire dating relationship was filled with fun trips and weekend getaways, and our first year of marriage is shaping up to be the same! we're trying to fill the book with photos, ticket stubbs, coasters and hotel keys :)
My special moment isn't really a moment. It's actually the life of my grandma. She had a stroke a few weeks ago, her third one actually. She's bounced back from the precious two but unforunately, it seems she might not this time around. It's a very sad time for my entire family and to be able to commemorate the memories we had with her as we were growing up would be wonderful.
I just bought my first home : D and am getting married soon. My fiance and I have lots of special moments happening soon (and all the time really). Would love to document these with style!! <3
I lost my mother last week, following a decade-long battle with Parkinson's. For the past two years (since we moved her to a nursing home and sold my childhood home), I've been searching for a way to collected all the special things that mark our relationship.
My mother passed away 2 years ago. I have wanted to create a scrapbook for each of her 3 grandchildren (my nieces & nephew) in her memory. This would be a wonderful opportunity to help motivate me to complete this project.
By the way; great post & interview. Darcy is such an inspiration!
I love Darcy and am particularly fond of her scrapboxes, so much so that I made a couple myself. I want to complete my memory books for both my children's first two years – a beautiful way to gather all the little mementos and special milestones that happened. I have it on the computer right now, but would love to create something tangible.
We have big milestone events in my family this year between birthdays (sister 30, aunt 60, grandma 90) and anniversaries (parents 40th), so I'm trying to find the best ways to document and celebrate these events.
Also, although I put together albums of our wedding quickly for my sister, grandma, and parents, I still have the materials sitting in a pile for my own albums and would love some inspiration on finishing this project three years later.
I would like to create working collages/shadow boxes for myself, my husband and daughter showing what we are proud of – being kind, sharing, working hard, exercising, etc. Developing my daugher's pride in herself is of high importance to me as she grows up and a collage that leads by example and allows her to express herself and change it as she changes could be very inspirational to all of us.
My special moment was the time when I realized the person I was dating was the man I truly loved and wanted to marry. In 2010, I started dating a wonderful man with whom I shared anything and everything. I shared my thoughts, feelings, and even my crazy/creative ideas. At the moment I came to realize that I could be myself and share everything with him, I also realized he was not only my boyfriend but also my best friend. The following year we were married and we have been blessed ever since!
Darcy is certainly one talented lady and always enjoy seeing her on TV or reading an article about her. I have been scrap-booking since college years and have documented my two kids growing up years in a huge number of scrapbooks. I love that they still get them out and look at them, so I know my efforts were appreciated. This is the first year that Ben and Kate are both off at college…so my scrap booking of them has slowed down with them away. I think I would enjoy a scrapbook of my husband and I rediscovering each other with an empty nest and enjoying time together…evening walks and weekend trips. Another chapter in life has started….
This may sound strange, or maybe even morbid, but I commemorated the time period just before my mom passed. She had been battling lung cancer which metastasized to her bones, and in her final three weeks, she moved from a nursing care center back home with the assistance of hospice. I don't know how I would have made it through without their help. What stood out for me was all of my extended family and friends pulling together, supporting one another, sharing meals together and memories of my mom. It was truly a special time, and while we all were saddened at her passing, the time we spent together was not sad at all – it was truly an elevating experience I will treasure for the rest of my life. I framed a collage of pictures which represent that time period for me, and in the center is a photo of my mom with my aunt and uncle…the final one she took with them.
I'd like to commemorate our wedding… That's the biggest thing that's happened to myself or my husband to this date! And it would be so nice to have all those memories in one place
One really special moment was when I met my best friend the first time. I don't really know why it was so special, but it has been really much on my mind :)
my daughter and i are about to go on her first road trip – such a right of passage as a kid. i would love to remember this trip
Special Moment in my life…of 35 years (this month). Growing up with my Grandma…my timeline has her in every milestone. We lived one block away and being Mexican, it's unusal that Texas was her actual birthplace. She could tell stories about all the areas around town, knew every short cut and almost all the families that lived along the way. She sewed and watched children during the day. But to remember her all dressed up in the fashions of the time on the weekends was a lesson every girl should know about being a lady. I want to make a tribute book of her and the legacy she left behind. She passed and our family still seems lost without her…no arguing…just lost. I want to remember her knowledge, her fashion, talent and skills through a book we can hand down to the children to come. thank you…
I'd like to document the moment my husband and I bought the building we are going to convert into studios and workspaces to make our dreams come true! A shadow box would be awesome.
I recently adopted a young dog named Olive. I don't know what she has gone through but she is the sweetest most earnest dog. I would love to document her growth (both physical and mental) as she becomes a member of my family.
I recall the magic that is Darcy many, many years ago! Sorry, Darcy, I'm afraid I'm dating us both! I recall seeing shows and magazine articles about her wedding and a few daughter's birthday parties, each one more special and novel than the one before. In my world she is the party queen.
I hate to depart from the one special moment theme, but I must. Winning this incredible package would allow me to finally assemble all the milestones of my family's time together. My kids are both teens, so I have lots of years to make up, but just reading this article has given me the impetus and the inspiration to begin to document all those years that have just flown by.
Since my father retired from farming, he's taken up gardening and canning in a big way. I'd love to document his garden and his adventures in the kitchen. I never would have expected him to be canning tomatoes and making spaghetti sauce at the age of 89!
I'd love to preserve my daughters' lovies.
What an inspiration! And what a great giveaway!
I am in the midst of working on a scrapbook of a very special time; my daughter's first year. It is such a joy to look back through all of the photos and mementos and put them all together. Also? it's a little sad that she has already had her first birthday — where did the time go?
I would love to document our family vacations over the years for my mom.
I still have a box of things from my semester abroad that I haven't put into any kind of order or commemorative form. I think that series of moments is what I am going to put together next. I love the open, ring bound scrapbooks pictured here. I have tons of maps that I would love to use as backgrounds and still be able to open up to see my journeys.
I would love to commemorate the day of my daughter's birth. That day, I knew I would never have to worry about feeling alone anymore. She is the light of my life.
I have two special moments: the birth of my son and my daughter. We do yearly photo books to keep up with their life events.
The special moment I'd love to document would be the purchase of my first home with my husband. We bought a Victorian home built in 1891 and I'd love to keep track of how it looked when we started, the fun (and difficult) projects we've done since we moved in, and how things progress. I love Darcy's ideas, craft room, and aesthetic!
Two years ago, I adopted a french bulldog. At first I was totally scared and kept thinking what did I get myself into. But the past two years have been really something special. My boyfriend moved in, and with Pasha (thats our frenchie) I feel so much more like a family. Also, Pash is amazing with my nephew, letting him tug and pull at him all day long. He has been great for my parents who have always wanted a dog but also like their life the way it is. I know that some people will say, oh he is just a dog but he is so much more than that. I feel really luck to have him in our lives.
i would love to commemorate my husband's maternal grandparents' wedding. my husband is very close to his grandmother and his grandfather ('zeddie') was his 'best friend' – they spoke to each other every other day until zeddie passed away unexpectedly a month before our wedding, zeddie's 90th birthday & 65th wedding anniversary. while it was a heartache to not have zeddie at our wedding, it was even more of a heartache that we weren't able to celebrate the 65th wedding anniversary – a milestone that we were all so proud of. my husband sees his grandparents as a formidable couple and the perfect example of true love. he was really looking forward to celebrating his wedding with his grandparents and had gathered photos and other mementos of his grandparents wedding to share with guests at our wedding. but since zeddie passed away, my husband hasn't been able to do anything with his grandparents' wedding memorabilia because it breaks his heart. i would love to be able to do something fabulous with the memorabilia for my husband. i was thinking a scrapbook that could then be photographed and put online so that we can share it easily with others.
Just love Darcy and her style and creativity! Would love to document my daughter's dancing competitions that are going on now! So many great memories!
I'm hoping to take a vacation soon — my first in 7 years! I had to support myself through college and didn't take any big summer/spring break trips. I've now been at my first full-time job for almost a year and have saved enough to do something fun :) During my last vacation, which took me across Europe from Austria to England, I took lots of pictures and wrote in a journal. Afterward, I created a scrapbook from the trip. I hope to do something similar, only this time I'll probably make the book from scratch thanks to my bookbinding studies in college!
I'd love to document (scrapbox) my honeymoon. Oh to have a daily reminder of the paradise that is Peter Island!!
the last shadowbox is my favorite… the photo is priceless.
lovely post!
My son's first year. I thought I would do a much better job at writing down all the firsts, but most of my comments about his first are scattered around: Facebook, in emails to my husband, etc.
I'd love to document our first year of marriage… It's been the best year of our lives!
I'd love to commemorate the birth of our second daughter, and all the adventures to await her and her big sister!
My husband and I married in 2003; our first was born 2004 and we moved in 2005; we bought a house in late 2007 and our twins were born mid2008. We moved again in 2010 – it was a crazy bunch of years. Unfortunately, after the last move, we didn't unpack our albums and pictures of the early days (my DH and my childhood pics included) and we lost all of it in a flood. I can't get those things back, but I can create a family album of our recent past and present. I would love to have this to share with my daughters. To show them that they are so special to us that we collect and create memory keepers of their lives.
I love your creativity! I have a craft room also and spend many hours making scrap books with my daughter and with friends.
I am in the process of documenting my thoughts and life while under going treatment for breast cancer.It involves my children – 10 & 11 years. It is important that we capture life as we know it. There are so many small things, important things, that we forget about every day.
I would love to work on an ongoing memorialization of all the work we're doing on our new fixer upper' and weave the girls' growing up with it.
I love to commemorate the everyday. I take hundreds of pictures of my family and friends via my digital camera and my phone and they live on the web where I share them with family and friends. I love how Darcy takes those images and lives with them everyday. I am inspired to bring her ideas into my home. It is amazing how loved people can feel by just adding their picture to the walls of your home.
My husband's job moves us around a lot, and it's hard to have a sense of place and feel at home as a result. I have a need to create a place for our family to go to feel at home no matter where we live. Making lasting memories is never a problem, but getting organized and having all of the right supplies can be all consuming. If given this delightful package I would begin creating books that gave our family a sense of home.
My "special moment" happened most recently when my boyfriend of 3+ years proposed — with the help of my twin sister and one of my best friends. It was so magical, personal, and simple, and I couldn't have asked for a better close the last chapter of our relationship — and start of the next!
I have a Shadowbox that I keep for my anniversary with my husband. Every year I take a postcard, or event ticket from our anniversary trips. I even have the room key from the B&B we stayed in for our Honeymoon. This year is our 3rd Anniversary and it looks like I'll have to get a bigger box after that!
I am finally marrying my partner of more than 8 years in June, so I would love to commemorate that. As I've gone along the planning process, I've saved and collected little things like scraps of fabric, save the dates, photos of flowers, that I want to use to tell the story of our big day!
Since I don't have any children yet I would like to celebrate my upcoming wedding and the start of my very own family. Perhaps the idea of where we live now, where we met and where he proposed (in front of my whole family on New Year's). I've seen an idea of cutting out a map of the location in the shape of a heart with the date underneath it.
I love this article and above all, the personal items framed, together with sweet memories! So inspirational! The Darcy's "Our Wedding Scrapbook" would be a perfect way to remember our wedding, comming soon :-)
three years later, i still need to gather all of the mementos and photos from our wedding and figure out the best way to organize/display/package them! i was so sick of all of the polaroids that wedding guests took of themselves sitting in a box that i finally (at least) took all of them and hung them up on a wall with some very vibrant washi tape.
My son, King, turns one in April. I'd like to commemorate his first year, the sweet moments and exciting milestones. This past year since his birth has zipped by, and although I've tried to be mindful throughout, I privately worry that someday, perhaps when he has children of his own, he'll ask me about the first time he did x, and I'll be unable to recall the details for him.
My special moment is the two big (30 people) family vacations we have taken. We had so much fun exploring together and separately and taking the time to get to know each other again
What a great post. Like many others, I would like to document my 4th child's upcoming birth. I have a feeling she's doing to get the short end of the stick compared to my other kids (who have decreasing amounts of memorabilia each in scrapbooks). I tend to think of memorabilia as clutter, so it's important for me to find a way to make it pretty and functional – not just junk in a box.
When I was in high school, I had to do a pressed plant collection for my science class, so one day my dad and I got in the car and drove down the coast of California and then went farther inland than I had ever been in that area. Even though it was a class assignment, I had so much fun that day with my dad. We were explorers for the day and I'm sure there were more than just a few cars that went by giving us funny looks as we were parked by the side of the road picking weeds. I remember we found a small stream in a shaded glen and I saw a little pink newt looking up at me from his rock beneath the water- it was the first newt I'd ever seen and I was totally fascinated! Later we drove into this amazing little valley that was just bursting with yellow and gold flowers- I felt like I'd just stepped into an expressionist's painting. My dad was so cool that day too (though he usually is pretty cool). We took roads we'd never been on before and the more mysterious the road the better. It didn't matter that we had no idea where we were going, we were on an adventure. I was the "navigator" with the final say on which direction we'd go if we came to a fork in the road. We were game for anything! In the end we collected lots of plants and I pressed them, identified them, and pasted them into a giant binder for my class assignment. (I got an "A", by the way.) ;) However, if I had it all to do over again, I'd take those plants and create a collage with them along with photos of me and my dad (and the pink newt of course!) from that day. I'd turn it into a large framed image in which it looked like my dad and I were explorers in the "jungles" of California. I'd even create fancy looking labels for the plants and pin them on with bright colored pins so that years later I'd know what the plants were called. I still think of that day even though I've been out of high school for over a decade! (eek!)
I want to document the birth of my first child to share with both families in two languages.
My marriage. We were married at City Hall and had a photographer, but we haven't done much in the way of putting the photos together or making anything really significant. Would love to do this for our one-year anniversary!
This would be a long one, but my fiance and I have had such a strange courtship and I would love to document how we got to where we are. I have a box of keepsakes, from the plane tickets to go visit each other when we lived long distance, to the one that took us to his proposal. I have the tags from our cat's collar at every apartment we've lived in. The movie tickets from a double feature during our first months together. The tail of my devil costume on the night we met. We've lived in four different states, had so many crazy adventures and I would love to be able to finally make it into something meaningful.
My sixteen year old will be going to college in a few years so my family and I started this tradition of trying out a new restaurant for breakfast every Sunday–it takes a lot of work to get the kids ready and for everyone to get out of the house but I think it would be neat to document our Sunday breakfasts so we can have those memories–the best: moments shared and food.
What a wonderful article. I too remember Darcy's wedding! Her bouquet was amazing. I would love to be able to document my daughters teenage years — something tangible in this digital age. Who knows what technology will be in ten years? When they're adults I'd like to be able to present them with scrapbooks to hold and cherish — even if I have to write down the many many texts they send me! Thank you for the giveaway, so generous.
I'm getting married next month and would absolutely love to make every moment of the occasion special. We've been together almost ten years and I have so many saved memories from that time, like ticket stubs and photos from past vacations. And I love to scrapbook, etc. so this would be perfect. I love Martha Stewart products and Darcy is amazing! xo
I'd love to commemorate my wedding and the births of my daughters. I have had plans in the works for a while now, but haven't yet had the time or materials to do them justice.
My family spent a sabbatical year in Israel that I blogged about, but I've been trying to find a way to make it physical. Like Darcy said in the interview, there is something special about being able to hold a memento in your hand that makes it more real and permanent.
I have just completed a project last night that is meaningful to me and I hope to some other people. My granddaughter marries on April 13th and I made all of the principals in the wedding family a handkerchief with their name, a poem, salutation from Emily Anna, and the wedding date. All of these were done with in hand embroidery.
Being able to tap into my creative and practical thoughts while I'm by myself out in nature. Finding those moments to disappear alone are such treasures.
I'm getting married in six months and am so inspired by the idea of making a scrapbook. I'm enjoying all of the craft projects I'm doing and it would be so nice to have them documented somewhere.
I would love to document this time in my life when my kids are tiny and my little house is full of love. So easy to get caught up in the buzz of everyday, would be truly lovely to have a reason to slow down and put those memories in a tangible place. x
I would like to document my wedding that happened almost 14 years ago. It would be a great project to walk down the memory lane and the end product would be a great gift to my hubby at our 15th anniversary.
Our first child will be born in August! Can't wait! :D
This may sound weird, but… my dad. He passed away a year and a half ago, and I have some notes, event ticket stubs, postcards and letters, printed-out emails, and (tons of) photos that I'd love to consolidate into something I can reach for when I'm missing him.
My childhood dog is getting older and slowing down. She is my best friend and love her so much. I would love to be able to put something together to honor her and remember her after she's gone.
I would like to commemorate my grandparent's upcoming 55th (!!!!) wedding anniversary. For their 50th, my family threw a big party for them and I put together a photo slideshow that featured scans of them throughout the years, but I think it would be even more special to give them a gift for their 55th that would be something physical that they could actually flip through. The book I'm planning to make would show some of their favorite memories from a lifetime together (they met in high school and even went to senior prom together!). Since I have some time, I'm planning to get input and stories from other family members, too, to make it even more special.
I'm one of six 'kids' in my family. Family has always been very important to all of us. Holidays are always about getting everyone together and eating – a lot! Our holiday celebrations usually number around 35 now that everyone is married with kids of their own.
Now that my father has passed away and my mom is getting older, I want to put together a scrapbook/cookbook of celebrations past and all of the traditional recipes that went with them, so the memories are recorded and the food and recipes will live on!
Seeing Darcy's beautiful and organized crafting studio space is inspiration for me to go and clean up my area and get moving on creating something memorable.
I have loved scrapbooking our dating experience. It has been fun to go back and reminisce as I put photos and ticket stubs together now that we are engaged. It makes me look forward to a lifetime of memories together.
I would love to do something to celebrate that my 94 year old Grandmother moved closer to me (1/2 hour away versus 5 hours) and how are relationship is growing. I love to hear her stories!!!!!
my life is wild and wonderful at the moment because our daughter has moved home with her 2 year old son. my visions of a clean house and fun design elements have had to change drastically. but, I'm having a lot of fun!
A memory that is special to me that I would like to commemorate is taking a nap together with my newborn son on my chest in the NICU. He only lived 51 days, but they were wonderful. Whenever I think about that memory it makes me feel full of love and peace, and I can relive that moment of heaven.
I would love to commemorate moments with my mother. She lives in Pennsylvania, while my sister and I each live a few hours away (me in DC, her in NY.) So, when we have moments together with the 3 of us, I always make sure to take pictures and document the day so we can treasure it in the future. This year, we are in the process of planning my wedding! My mom has done so much to help with the planning, and make sure this will be a moment of my dreams. I would love to create a scrapbook of the process and share it with her.
I'm getting married in 3 months and the theme of our wedding is photographs. My family is big on keeping photographs and my fiancee and I take pictures whenever we can and have them all of over our house. He even proposed via scrapbook. I'd love to take our photo theme and make a scrapbook of the wedding process and our big day. Its been an interesting experience (just as all wedding planning is) and to have the photos from our very different families in one scrapbook as we start our own family is invaluable to me.
I am in the process of planning my wedding and I would love to scrapbook a collection of all the ticket stubs, bits of sea glass, and memories from time my fiance and I have shared over the past 5 years. We have already been through sickness and health, good times and bad, and looking at our book would remind us how we worked through it together. It would be encouraging when we hit rough patches in the future.
I'm getting married at the end of this summer and I'm excited to find fun and new ways to capture the memories of the day!
I just got engaged :) And I love the idea of documenting the whole planning process it's been so much more of a bonding experience with just about everyone important in my life than I ever thought it would be…I have been learning so much about myself, my future husband, and my family and friends.
My moment in time will happen this October on my wedding day! It's been a tough year for me dealing with an illness, and my fiancé, family and friends have been with me through every step of the way so far. I'm looking forward to the day to celebrate our love (of 6+ years!) and how far I've come health-wise. It's already my favorite memory and it hasn't even happened yet. :)
I am in the process of planning my wedding and I would love to scrapbook a collection of all the memories from time my fiance and I have shared over the past 5 years. We have already been through sickness and health, good times and bad, and looking at our book would remind us how we worked through it together. It would be encouraging when we hit rough patches in the future.
My fiance is a 2nd year general surgery resident which means we barely have time to spend together. Fortunately when we do we really take advantange. One random saturday evening this past September we got engaged! We will be getting married next year. It all happened in front of the flatiron building while eating gelato from eataly and i would absolutely love to stage a scrapbook page about it!!
It's so hard to choose a moment to commemorate when you have your first child. There are so many things that I want to remember and I know there will be many more future feats for my daughter as she gets older. I guess at this juncture in her life I want to create something to remember her first steps. She is at the moment cruising and I know it's only a matter of time before she steps away from the objects she leans on (including myself).
Oh my! I am so motivated to make sure every detail of my daughters wedding on June 1 is documented so I can spend the summer putting together a scrapbook for her (or me)! I've loved all of Darcy's things since she documented her own wedding! Thank you!
My husband returns later this year from first deployment, and that is definitely something I'd like to showcase as a huge accomplishment for him, as well as for our family.
I'm a salon & session stylist and would love to take all of the great images behind the scenes and put them together beautifully. We're often consumed with final images in our business, but the journey to those images are awesome!
My boyfriend and I are currently trying our hands at urban homesteading. I would love to document our misadventures with raising baby chicks, building garden beds and chicken coops, and transforming our yard
The memory I would like to document is of a person. My significant other committed suicide about 3 years ago and there has been a lot of pain to work through but I would like to document the good times and happiness not only for me but for his mother, sister, niece and nephew. His niece and nephew never had the opportunity to meet him. I want everyone to remember all the positive things and happy times. I think a scrapbook would be the perfect way.
While my daughter was in college we'd spend part of our summers in Europe. It was a glorious time of discovery, adventure, frollicking and indulgence. She's gotten married this past month, so in addition to capturing those journeys we enjoyed together years ago, I'd like to provide them a launching point to collect the memories of their discoveries together.
Our 30 year old son died in July 2011. I've been yearning for a way to celebrate his life, incorporate all the mementos we accumulated for him, and leave a legacy for his own son to learn of his father.
What a great give-a-way! I married my hubs back in 2011 and have already commemorated our day with a scrapbook… but my BFF is getting married this summer. She's planning a truly romantic evening. If I won I'd totally pass this prize along to her… she's not a big scrapbooker but this would definitely get her started.
I'd love to make a book for my best friend for her 30th this year!
Lovely, lovely article about moments and momentos.
I'm pretty obsessed with the simplicity of Pinhole Press! I'm marrying a wonderful man in 74 days, I'm already plotting how I want to savor the memories!
I just got back from a month long trip to Korea and realized I have so many stories and artifacts, not to mention 2000+ photos from the trip. YIKES. I would love to give that amazing trip the documentation it deserves.
I'd love to document the process of completely renovating our down int he dumps home to a comfortable family home. We've completely redone the yard, the exterior, the inside, and welcomed a son!
The sweetest memory I will cherish forever is the moments in the hospital after my sister delivered a sweet baby girl, that unfortunately did not live through delivery. My mother, sisters (3) and I were there waiting for her to come out of recovery. We cried, we comforted her, we kissed and hugged her. Because of the emergency of the situation my sister, Jenae, was totally unprepared with any personal items. The photographer would be coming soon to photograph their sweet family and she wanted to try to "clean up", although she could not leave her bed. My sisters and I began to rummage our purses and bags. ( You know what women can have in their bags!) Between all of us girls, we found nail files, clear polish, concealer, lip glosses, hair supplies, mascara and even a hair flower and elastic band to put on sweet baby Celia! We each took an area: hands, face, hair etc. We silently went to work giving Jenae her makeover. It was the sweetest bonding moments, and ones I will never forget. The photographer actually stepped in while we were at work and snapped pics of us sharing these moments together. Our hearts were broken that day by the loss we experienced, but also mended that day by the love we have for each other as a mother and daughters.
What an excellent interview and stunning photos!
I have three children and I have written and mailed each one a handwritten (not an emailed) letter every day they have been in college. One daughter changed majors which then added an extra year to her college life. All in all, I calculate that I have written 1525 letters so far with 275 more to pen! They have kept the letters and I would like to somehow showcase them, or at least parts of them in a scrapbook so they won't just be letters in a drawer.
I'd Like to commemorate my relationship with my boyfriend. I Had the idea of creating a photo album of doors that are meaningful to our relationship. Such as the front door to his apartment, the door to school or a building at school, etc.
I love all her features, especially all the illustrations. I really need to better organize my Europe photos.
Every mama knows that looking into your babys eyes for the first time is a pretty special moment. We struggled with infertility and waited a long time for our son to come into the world, making that moment pure magic. Of course, I started him a baby book to record all of his own special moments and milestones, but I would love to expand on this with added embellishments and by creating some framed shadow boxes.
My husband and I have been working on a plan to open a restaurant for about 2 years, and it's finally happening – we're planning to open our doors in August! It will be a quick-service rotisserie chicken place (aka pollo a la brasa) in a renovated service station. We are so excited to see our plans come to life, and will of course be documenting the renovation and opening online. It occurs to me, though, that I also need a scrapbook to capture and save photos, mementos, and other artifacts from the process of opening our own business.
I'd love to document the first year of my twin girls' lives—as they are our miracle babies—after 6 years of trying and IVF, they were born at 35 weeks, and spent two weeks in the NICU. I'm thankful for them every day! They turn one on June 20, and while the celebration will be important, I want to have a book documenting our first year as a family.
I am getting married in a month and I would love a cute and decorative way to display the memories in our family room.
My older brother passed away from leukemia when he was 5 years old and I was 3 1/2. I have never found a tangible and tactile way to document the time we had together. We were best friends. My Mom did a great job of keeping things, like his first leather pair of walking boots, his favourite toys, some special pieces of clothing. A momento box would be perfect for some of the items, but also even taking photos of things and including them in a scrap book. We have lots of great pictures of us together during the good and bad times. The memories are so special I want them to be preserved in a wonderful way. (On a side note, I will be getting married in the next year and a half and am dying for a copy of the Wedding Scrapbook, so perfect, so fun! It's easy to get lost and overwhelmed, so having a book like that to remind you to savour and document the process would be amazing).
Thanks D*S & thank you Darcy Miller, your work is so inspiring!
Got married three years ago in Provance town mass ( its legal there) to my partner of now 29 years. I Have always drawn inspriation form all your publications and weddings may be the title but the content can be applied to any special event . Was so glad to see a gay couple reflexed in that magazine and as always you did a wonderful job. Seeing Darce's work room and her keepsake boxes its hard not to see what talent a vision she bring to her home and her work.
Right now, my husband and I are ending our 8 months of living in Costa Rica. We moved here for 8 short months for a long term project assignment my husband is on. These 8 months have gone by so fast, and I am honestly dreading leaving in a week. We have made so many friends here and created so many beautiful memories in this beautiful country. I just want to hang onto these memories for the rest of my life…
i love her reminder to document the little moments, especially around a wedding. i do this every day for my clients, but i don't always have the chance to do it for my own family. my in-laws' anniversary is coming up and i'd love to create a special book for them. thanks for sharing this inspiration!
My special event is my upcoming wedding!!! I'm planning a destination wedding in Mexico and can't wait to create amazing memories! I hope I can use these tools to make a wonderful book that will always show all of the fun and excitement :)
The first year of my daughters life in photographs … to celebrate all her firsts. Her first smiles, the day she found her voice, first giggles, baby yoga, first hugs from grandparents, etc. I compiled them into a small printed book (8″x8″) and it's our favorite book in the house.
I just got engaged so everyday creates a new memory. I'd love to be able to document and save every step of this journey.
I'm writing my dissertation and have created an altered book to document my research. I fortunate my committee want art with my research so even though this is more work, I really feel my art has improved my writing. I am always looking for new ways to assemble, illustrate, and create during this time in my life.
The days and months, right now…..my husband has been diagnosed with a terminal illness and I want to capture and savor all of the moments that I can.
I'm getting married in May and would love to document my relationship with my fiance up to this point. We've had some great adventures and I've got a box full of stuff that will hopefully, one day, be made into a scrapbook.
My best moments are right now… as in the year 2013. My husband and I will have been married 30 years October 8th. We've been thru MANY ups and downs, trials and tribulations and he is still my "bestest friend". I give God the glory for sustaining us.
I'd like to display my and my husband's college diplomas with our picture and tassels- we graduated the same year after six years of each working part-time to support our young marriage.
My husband and I just returned to the US after spending the past five years in Europe. I miss it terribly and have been trying to think of a way to commemorate those wonderful years of exploration, challenge, growth, and friendship. I just got a lot of ideas from this post. Thank you!
I have admired Darcy's work for years and she inspired me to start working on my own "scrapboxes" (although not anywhere near as artistic as Darcy's). I would love to do something really special to preserve our memories from the last three years. We have two sons, and with a one-year old and a three-year old running around the house, I have yet to start any sort of project that lasts longer than 30 minutes. I would love the materials (and time) to focus on documenting this magical time. Thanks for the great interview with one of my personal heros!
When I first moved to what has become my city I didn't know anyone, or have family here. My colleagues quickly became my close friends and support network. I would like to document the wonderful work environment we have the pleasure of sharing. I would incorporate momentos from my travels for work which take me to rural corners of Quebec and allow me to meet people I wouldn't otherwise and see beautiful places I couldn't if it weren't for work.
Over the past year my boyfriend and I have become more and more outdoorsy. We've been camping as much as we can (we're spending Easter weekend in the mountains!), and in January we instituted Saturday hikes into our weekly schedule. I've collected our trail maps and guides, along with taking tons of photos. Now I'd like to start putting it all together so we can look back on our adventures and remember the places we've been and the outstanding natural beauty we've witnessed. Pressing ferns and wildflowers is a great idea. (Though I'd keep it minimal in the interest of conservation.) We did have an idea of creating a vertical garden as a headboard in our room using native plants so that it resembled what you find growing from a nurse log. But that is another project. Anyway, inspiring interview. Thank you!
I have twins turning two in May, and I never have sat down and really put anything together for them. I love to look back at my baby book and my husband's, and I want to store up these memories in a tangible form for them to look back on one day.
We took a really magical beach vacation a couple of years ago. It was a really quiet place with very few distractions (read:technology) and no cars. I loved the way my husband and I and our three kids really connected really were able to stop and listen to one another in peace. I have great pictures and natural mementos from this trip that I would love to use in some special way.
Amazing space and interview! I would like to find a special way to document my family's upcoming trip to LA. We don't get to take vacations often and the last time we went away (almost 4 years ago) my husband made the most wonderful video compilation that perfectly captured the magic of our trip. We recently had our third child and I think this trip (for a cousin's wedding) is the perfect opportunity to take a "snapshot" of where we are now in our lives.
I created a scrap box with a preemie sized onesie my son wore during his 4-month stay in the NICU. It reminds me of how far he's come, what a fighter he is, and how lucky we are that he's grown into a healthy, chubby, 8 month old baby boy.
The day that my husband asked me to marry him was epic, so I'd love to commemorate that moment by gifting him a shadow box or framed tray of "memory remember-ers" (or items that make me think of that day). Thanks so much for the chance to win.
I would love to scrapbook my amazing engagement , wedding planning , bridal shower, and all the things leading up to my dream wedding. All the things that make the time before your wedding to magical!
This is such a great gift! I would love to commemorate our first year of marriage. We plan on having kids soon so we know that we only have a small window of time before our family changes, so I want to treasure our time alone together. Then, BABIES!
* I'm still drooling over the picture of her table with all of the pens in the middle*
Every May for the last 14 years – I have created a scrapbook in a crafting binge. I started with my own life as I was single, then moved on to special dates that transformed into a wedding, our first years together, the birth of Little Man (who is now almost nine). My son adores them as they have become our favorite bedtime stories. He begs, "I need one more memory so I can dream."
I would like to commemorate the future and the sweet dreams they will inspire.
We're thirteen years into a major home renovation – I'd love to find a meaningful visual way to display the journey. I have so many digital images and stories, but I really want something tactile, in our house.
And oh – that work table full of those markers. I think I just died.
I just married my wonderful husband in September, and other than sticking my headpiece in a shadowbox, we have yet to put together anything together that documents our wedding day. I need to sit down with al l of the CD's full of photos and get them into a book we can flip through together.
On April 15th my parents will be celebrating their 60th Anniversary! This should be a really special one, since my father is recovering from heart problems and feels great (at 94) with the help of a pacemaker. I would love to gather many relevant photos and mementos to create something beautiful for them.
My husband and I will be celebrating our 1st wedding anniversary this coming May. I always make a point of making hand made gifts for him. Every year it's my goal to make him shed tears of joy on our anniversary…
I want to create a scrapbook called "The Three Amigos" of my step son and his two younger brothers (they share the same Dad). Neal, Cooper and Ben have been brothers for the last 14 years, and while Neal is now 29 years old, they still sit together on the sofa, eating their self-invented "Mash Milkshakes" while watching their favorite movie, The Three Amigos. This scrapbook would remind them that while they have a 13 to 15 year gap between them, they still shared a special growing up together that was all their own.
I returned tonight from Disneyworld, where my husband and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary. Just when we were looking forward to an empty nest we found ourselves raising our two granddaughters, so time alone as a couple is a rare treasure. I can't wait to scrapbook every wonderful moment!
I would love to document my twin's birth. they are now a year and a half and things were so crazy after they were born (as you can probably imagine) so I have so many mementos just in a box waiting to be displayed in some way. This will definitely motivate me to get my act together!
Thanks for this great give-a-way!
I'm working on an autograph quilt, the blocks of which were the guest book at our wedding.
My daughter growing up. She's becoming such a lively little person, and I love the idea of doctumenting it. Thanks for the giveaway!
I would live to help my sister document her upcoming wedding with the wedding book. As for me I have years of scrapbooking to catch up on and mu goal is to work on it in April. So this giveaway would be amazing!
I am thrilled to see Darcy's work on D*S today! I bumped into an article on her memory-making collections a few years ago, and it was a captivating and truly life-changing discovery. I have always been a keeper/collector/historian-type, but Darcy's displays enabled me to think about memory preservation in a much more dimensional way. I have since appropriated variations of her ideas in my home: posting enlarged pictures of my grandmother's cookbook in my kitchen, framing childhood Candy Land cards in my room, and incorporating bits and pieces of life artifacts throughout my home. A future project will be to display a play-by-play sequence of sketches and progress photos from the building of my treehouse!
This room is something else! I recently got engaged and would like to document the history of our relationship in a meaningful way and give this to my fiance as a wedding gift.
Not to be too cliche, but the two birth-days of my two children – so different, so wonderful – would be fantastic to formally document.
We've been remodeling our 1970s condo for the past three years. I have a huge collection of stuff from our construction days that I would love to organize into a scrapbook.
I'm so inspired! My parents have their 50th wedding anniversary coming up next year in February, and I want to do something extra special for them that they'll always remember. I think the 20 questions idea is a great place to start and I'm excited about downloading it. I also want to create a scrapbook documenting their anniversary, so I'm so glad I took the opportunity to read this interview. I now have some fresh ideas on what I'd like to do. Seeing how creative and organized she is, I think she has that unique balance of left and right brain thinking I wish I had more of. Bravo!
I have four kids and four boxes of things " to be put into an album" I have had grand plans since before the oldest was born almost 10 years ago and have not gotten past putting everything into boxes. I know the kids would love looking through all those momentos and photos so this prize would be just the push to get going finally! since the youngest is about to turn two I feel like I finally have enough energy to tackle this.
thanks for the contest
I'm so inspired! My parents 50th wedding anniversary is next year in February, and I want to make it extra special for them. I think the 20 questions idea is a great way to start, and I plan to download it. I also want to create a scrapbook for them of the event, and I'm so glad I took the opportunity to read this interview, because I now have some fresh ideas on what I want to do now. Seeing her creativity and skill at organizing, I think she has that unique combination of right and left brain thinking I wish I possessed. Bravo!
Hi there, I would love to enter this giveaway. For me, I would love to commemorate two of my dear loved pets that have since passed on. They were my children to me, and I miss them dearly. I have so many pics and videos but they are scattered everywhere and have no order or make any sense. So, I'd love to be able to organize these and make them into something beautiful to look at and wonderful to remember. :)
I have recently been given a wonderful opportunity to add a new facet to my professional life. I'm an interior designer full time. But, my partner and I will soon be opening two small restaurants in our little town of Kent, Ohio. The support and mentoring from our families, friends and the business community has been overwhelming. I would like to honor their efforts and celebrate this exciting time in our lives.
I want to go back on a special day on which me and my husband (we were dating at that time) had a very peacefull moment at a park by watching the nature sitting together and talking on a sunday morning, strange that such an ordinary day years before but still very strong in my mind, i still can feel the love in that morning.
What a great interview!!!! I want to commemorate the birth of my son. It was the most incredible moment of my life thus far. My husband and I are forever changed by that moment!
I would LOVE to document my Goat Cheese experience!! I know that sounds crazy, but I've gotten to do some really great things I wouldn't have EVER been able to through my cheese- among them being thrilled to have my cheese served at a James Beard nominee's dinner, going to be on Oprah as MARTHA STEWART"S biggest fan, (one of my goats is named after her!), Oustanding in the Field dinners , and many more cool things!! I used to scrapbook all the time when my kids were at home, but I want this to be different. Darcy always inspires me to GET BUSY!!!
I make books and memory boxes for all the children in my life (grandchildren, nieces and nephews) to give them upon their 18th birthday. I am an artist and chronic picture-taker, so these include all the art projects we ever did together.
ALmost 20 years ago my only son was born. At the time my Dad was termially ill. My son was his first grandson. As a family everyone was thrilled to have a baby, John, to care for and fuss over especially Dad. However the urgentcy of Dad's condition overtook all of everyones spare time. Things like memory books and photo albums don't exsist. Instead I have a box filled with all his special papers. Over the years, I have thought ofton about how to organize these items and turn them into something wonderful for him. It is truly overwhelming. I go to the store an just look at the items untilI get a headache as I try to figure out what I can afford and what I can use and how I want to use it. Having these items sent to me to use and create with would give me the resources and push I need and want to make a book of my sons's life so far. Thank you for considering this story.
Several years back I came across letters from my father-in-law, written to my mother-in-law during his 18 months in a German prisoner of war camp during WWII. They are precious love letters and I want to somehow preserve and show them for our children and grandchildren. He is now 93. My mother-in-law passed away in the late 1980's.
What an inspiring interview! Darcy, how do you do it all SO AMAZINGLY WELL and make it look so effortless? ;-)
I would love to document the first two years of my sons life. He is 17 mo old now and I just can't believe what a blessing he has been in my life. I want to remember every tender moment.
Since I was not happy with the photos taken at our wedding ( digital photography came out the year after we got married) I decided to have them redone. For our 10th year anniversary, my husband and I got back into our wedding attire ( both fit still fit!) and had a spectacular photo shoot in fields of wild grass. The best part of it was the inclusion of our two sons. I will never forget that day!
I have waited 41 years to find THE ONE and not only do we plan to get married, we are trying to have a baby, too! such important things to scrap and watch the love bloom… Dreams do come true if you wait! patiently… not that I was patient, just had to try!
My great-grandparents owned a diner. When the circus came to town, an animal trainer brought a baby elephant over to get some food & water.
I've been wanting to find the picture in the newspaper's archives for years. Once I find it I would love to make a fun little book for my nephew.
This post reminds me there are several events that I haven't documented well just yet – children's births, a difficult yet defining year for my sister's family, my mother's AT hike. I love the shadow box with baby hat, photo with dad & ultrasound picture.
I think one of the best things about this post, though is reading the comments with such intimate stories of others' treasured memories. This online space has connected people to their own souls. Thank you.
Ohhh, Darcy Miller is sort of my idol. I would RACE to the store to buy new issues of MSW when I was wedding planning.
Our special time is now! After 3 great years of marriage (and 7 of being a couple) my husband and I welcomed our first child. I fell even more in love with our son than I imagined I would, and we decided I could resign from my job as a research analyst to live my dream of being a full time SAHM. Money is tight, but we're so much happier.
Despite having a great camera and lots of time with the baby, I don't do a great job of taking and organizing pictures like I want to…I really need to stop Instagramming so much and make a real album!
My first child is about to give birth to my first grandchild. The baby is due on July 31, 2013. I am so thrilled and I tried to channel my excitement into a project; "Baby Brown; The Prequel." (Brown is their last name) I started with some narrative about the family and wanted to add family history but I got stuck and the book I planned is not what I hoped it would be. I'd love to have the priviledge of your input. Thanks, Elisa
My one and only daughter got married last year and it was the most special day of my life. Her father had passed away two years before and so it was a very bittersweet day.
The Birth of my daughter
A wonderful, beautiful memory I hold dear is of my 4th birthday party. My parents had a Belle themed party and my Gigi and Papa (my names for my grandparents) came to visit and celebrate. From the Belle and Beast cake to the decorations, everything was Disney. But the single, defining moment was caught on tape. Upon opening the biggest and final gift, I started screaming and not a little cheer, full on 4 year-old screams of joy. That last present was my very own Belle dress, a gift from my Gigi and Papa. It probably took all of a minute for me to get into that dress and the photo sitting on my desk is of me grinning ear to ear while my Papa hugs me. Since my beloved Papa passed away almost 14 years ago, I've been trying to figure out a way to honor him and include him in my upcoming wedding day (58 days away!!). What I'd do is take the original video tape of me opening my present, with him sitting right next to me, and print out photos of the reveal, frame by frame. Then I'd matte and frame them in sequence, sorta like a framed flip book to display at the wedding.
My moment was when my mom was diagnosed with cancer. I stopped everything to fly from California to Georgia to take care of her during her chemo treatments. I learned not only how much I loved my mom, but that we don't have a lot of time to do things or spend with the people we care about. Since then I have made it a point to spend at least two to three hours a week painting and drawing and another two to three hours connecting with friends.
My special moment was when my husband proposed, we only have a few pictures, but would love to display them better, and give them the spotlight they deserve!
My grandmother is 104. Her body is strong, but her mind is just beginning to fail. It's especially frightening for her because she's aware of it, she can't say the words but she says she's most fearful of going (index finger circling temple). Right now, our best times together are when we talk about her past. At 104, you can imagine what she's seen. I'd like to put together a memory book or box for her to look at when I'm not with her, just sort of as a touchstone for her to assure her that she make a mark on this world. She embroidered, canned, knitted, smocked, baked, raised tomatoes and iris perfectly. Help me?
The memories I'm most looking forward to commemorating are those related to starting a family. My husband and I have struggled to start our own family but I hope that some day we'll be successful. I have thousands of pictures from my own childhood. Whenever I look through them, I'm instantly taken back and I get to relive it all over again. I am so looking forward to capturing my own children's lives on film and saving them so that they can treasure them one day.
Oh it's hard to choose but I'd say that I'd love to capture one of the every day moments when I catch my children (son 8 and daughter 5) out of the corner of my eye being kind to one another…especially if it involved them reading a book together! Those are the moments I want all of us to remember for a lifetime!
I still need to make a photo album/memory book from my wedding (several years ago).
I'd like to document all of my children's art. They are prolific and I save so so much of it. I'd like to scrapbook what I can by including the actual art and then including photos of them making the art, visiting museums, and photos of their sculptures and really huge pieces.
I am so jealous of her craft supplies!
My special moment was walking down the aisle, with my brother. My father did not live to experience this, but we both knew he was looking down at us – My brother's wedding was 4 months before mine and we were both very happy, looking at our mother and at our spouses (or, in my case, spouse-to-be) that our family has started growing again, and after years of funerals we finally had a year of weddings – hoping also that it will be followed by years of christenings :)))
The moment we were handed the keys to our first place by the realtor after signing a gazillion papers. We documented the moment with our phones but we never print pictures anymore. I'd like to commemorate the moment now while it's still fresh. You always think "there's no way I'll forget anything about this moment," but I, at least, always do.
Family, family, family! The most precious photos I have are the ones of family – not of landscapes or possessions… I want to pull together some memory books of the years and people of my life…
I am throwing my parents a 50th wedding anniversary party soon, and would like to commemorate not only their 50 years of marriage (!), but also the moment/party – so many friends and family will be there, people who have been a part of their lives for so long, and to me that is just as much a testament of who they are as people, and as a couple, as the success of their marriage.
The moment I would document is a long one: the time my husband and I have been together, including before we got married. I'm not sure yet how I would do it, but photos are a must. And taking the time to do it, together with him, would be part of the beauty of the project.
I am expecting baby #3 in a couple of weeks. My first pregnancy, delivery, and daughter have been well-documented; my second pregnancy, delivery, and son a little less so (he just turned 3 and I'm a couple years behind…). This poor baby is getting neglected in the "memories" department; I'd like to have something special for him!
I would love to win this! I would document my late grandfather's life. We lost him a year ago last Monday. It's been though going through his things but we have come across some amazing treasures and photographs (things for him being in WWII, etc).
Amazing giveaway! I'm currently working on creating a gallery wall going up our staircase. I'm trying to use few posed pictures and fill up most of the space with candid shots of special moments with my family.
Love this giveaway- Would like to honor my friend's sobriety date into Alcoholics Anonymous. A complete life altering event for her.
My aunt and me are the last two women of our side of the family (with my mother and grandmother gone). My aunt, whose birthday is coming up, is the keeper of family photos dating back to the 1930s and stories of people on them. Sometimes when I feel lost or sad I visit my aunt, we drink tea and talk about the people we miss the most. I would give this gift to her to help her keep family memories.
As my grandmother ages, the reality that our family farm will need to be sold approaches. I can't keep that from happening, but I can make something to celebrate those memories.
I just took a trip to Tanzania to go on Safari and also to visit my sister who is living there for two years and teaching in an orphanage school. I would love to do something special to document our time there together.
My children are 9 and 11. My mother passed before they were born. On her tombstone, it reads, "find me in the sunsets, somewhere between hot pink, orange and tangerine". So when my daughter sees these brilliant sunsets, she says, "Look Mama, there is Mimi". I would like to create a scrapbook that celebrates the life and spirit of my mom so my children can see her legacy. She was a bold woman, lived in bright color, an accomplished poet, artist and sculptor. It would be a way to honor and capture her spirit and create a connection between my children and her.
I'd like to do a project incorporating the memory of my mom and the spirit of my daughter, whom I adopted a few years after my mom's death. They've been the most important people in my life and would have reveled in the company of the other.
My special moment HAS to be my wedding – it will be October 5, this year, and it will be rustic and DIY and very intimate. I am a huge scrapbooker, so guaranteed this will eb the biggest one yet!
as my son approaches his first birthday, I am looking at the things I have collected over the past months and wondering how to gather and preserve them in a way that allows us to easily reminisce. this post gave me a lot of great ideas. now it's just about execution! :)
I'm working on collecting and creating shadow boxes with my family's old wedding photos and invitations, as well as my children's favorite items with cherished photos. Darcy has inspired me with creating tangible, real heirlooms for my children to enjoy for a lifetime!
My upcoming wedding and new, first house are the special moments I'd like to preserve. This post is inspiring me to create a space that will encourage me to do just that.
I travelled a lot in college, but I will never forget my time in China. I am an artist and have been studying Chinese language and art for over a decade, and in school I was so fortunate to be able to study art in China. I met wonderful, talented people whom I never, ever want to forget! I would love to find a way to creatively put together all of my photos, iteneraries, and scraps- perhaps an up cycled library book, wall collage or even some sort of memory box?
I'd commemorate my son's adoption.
It's been so wonderful to read everyone's comments so far, bu I just wanted to say how amazing it's been to read so many comments about adoption. It's an issue close to my heart and I'm so glad to hear that so many of you have opened your homes and hearts to children in need of loving families :)
My favorite photo of my parents and me is when I was a four-year-old flower girl at my Cousin Estelle's wedding – many decades ago. My father was so handsome; my mother so beautiful. I have the earrings and pin my Mom wore that day. Would love to create a shadow box with the photo and jewelry.
I've followed Darcy through M.S. for years – she is very inspirational. Maybe because she is a mother of young children, too, and she makes it seem possible that we can still exercise our creativity even when we're busy with children, family, and work. I loved article about Darcy in the recent M.S. Living issue – all those pens and markers and papers…aaaaahhhhh.
I would like to document moving our moving to a new city (soon), an old house which needs work, and not being in corporate America for the first time in my whole life (business closed). Many new starts.
i really loved this interview and learning about darcy's creativity! i would commemorate my future (ahem!) engagement… my boyfriend and i have been together for 2 years and i know it's coming, so this would be particularly exciting!
Life is full of too many special moments to pick just one!
I studied in Florence, Italy for 6 months about 4 years ago….and have been saying that I will create some sort of book to pull together all the pictures / sketches / ticket stubs / maps that I accumulated while I was there ever since!!! This might just give me the shove I need to finally do it! Additionally, my fiancee and I are getting married on August 3rd this year, so the wedding scrapbook would be incredibly well timed!
Great post! I'd like to commemorate running my first 5K. I have 2 daughters who I encourage to challenge themselves and try their best. I have never been a runner and never had any intention of running in any sort of race. I'm taking a lesson from them now – if you practice and train and try your best you can accomplish what you never thought you could. Thanks!
I had a little boy, much later than my girls, and I appreciate many of the goofy/prescient/kind/silly things he says (realizing he will be my last child). For a few years I have been scribbling down his comments and throwing them in a little wooden box. I look forward to opening that box and spending some time more carefully cataloging his childhood years.
This was such a wonderful post. Keep up the good work! I've met some pretty terrific people as I've traveled. I'd like to do a folio with pictures and other media such as cartoons, poems, etc. that tell each person's story.
I'd like to commemorate my little one's birth.
Wow what an incredible giveaway and Q&A! I studied abroad last Spring for a semester and did a lot of great traveling but what I'd most like to document would be all my favorite places and things to do while I lived in Florence. I have a huge box FULL of maps, tickets, etc. and I can't wait to use them in a project!
I wanted to do a shadowbox of the sequinned Minnie Mouse ears that my sister made me buy (along with her) and wear during our family vacation in Disneyland last summer. We had to wear them as 'much as possible', according to my sister. My niece was dancing in the parades, and it was the most incredible vacation I ever had, and I am 49 years old! I felt so blessed to be able to do this driving trip with my parents and family, and even more so; since my Dad recently had a stroke (which he is recovering from). The shadowbox has now turned into a ScrapBox that I will put photographs as the backing (black and white copies onto acid free paper) and the Minnie Mouse ears. Thanks to Darcy's wonderful ideas, I am going to include a tiny figurine of Minnie as it was so imporant to my sister and myself. Extra thoughts to all those above who have come up with memorable ideas/people/places/events to document. Nothing is more memorable than a visual reflection of it.
Wonderful interview. I'd like to commemorate my daughter's birth. She showed up 8 weeks early and we spent a month in the NICU with her. It was the hardest thing I've ever done. But she is now 1 and healthy. I'd love to have a something that shows how far she has come.
I would love to better commemorate the birth of my baby girl. I have a half finished baby book, and lots of special items laying around. I need to get my act together and make one of these amazing shadow boxes!
My friends have started getting married, and I would love to make a memory display like the ones Darcy makes, in shadow boxes. What a brilliant idea!
AAAH too many special moments to choose just ONE!
I like documenting the every day simple stuff like a funny thing the girls say or going to the park or playing a board game as a family.
My daughter dances so much now that she is 11 that I stopped find all the photos etc but looking at the shadow boxes I could combine all her classes and momentos for the together to make an amazing collage. Thank you for the idea!
So inspiring! I would love to document my daughter's first year. I started a tradition with my children of putting a cut-out shilhouette of them up on the wall when they are a year old. It's her turn and I'm going to try hard to capture those sweet little lips, long eyelashes and curly mullet!
I've loved DMN since the mid-90's, when MSW first started. I was a freshman in high school and I used to buy Weddings magazine! I'd love to document this upcoming summer. We recently purchased a home on 5 acres and I can't wait to spend time outside with my toddler boy.
I commemorated the my Summer 2005 trip to Italy to study abroad with my college for three weeks with an elegant, hand-crafted scrapbook. I still have it on display in my apartment here in NYC and love to look through the photographs and mementos from time to time, as a reminder of what a fabulous time I had seeing ancient and historic sights!
My moment in time that I want to commemorate hasn't happened yet but will be my wedding next year. I would love to make shadow boxes for both sets of parents, bridal party and myself of course featuring photos and memorabilia (invitations, napkins, flower petals, etc) from the wedding to give as gifts afterwards.
I have done scrapbooks of our wedding, honeymoon, my pregnancy and my baby's first six months of life. I can already see how you could amass volumes as Darcy has with her three kids. I love everything that Darcy touches and I love how she embaraces special events and helps her family remember these sweet times. Now I am thinking about what shadow boxes I might like to make in the future.
Such a great interview! I would like to create a scrapbook for my younger brother. He just finished cancer treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma and my husband and I took him on a week long trip to Florida to celebrate finally closing that chapter. We went to disneyworld and the beach, such a fun trip!
What an inspiring interview- Darcy is so talented! I would also like to document the birth of our son. Just this past December my husband and I adopted our first child. A precious little boy who is now the joy of our lives. His adoption process was long and tedious, but the most rewarding thing I've ever done. Now the challenge is to document it for him :)
I would love to document my daughter's soon-to-be engagement (she doesn't know about it yet) and all the details of planning her wedding. This was such a great interview that I could relate to in many ways! I have three daughters as well and have been insanely busy with work and going back to school for my Nurse Practitioner's certification. It seems as if I've been in school off and on the whole time they were growing up and I have a lot of memories in boxes that I would eventually like to organize into precious memories and keepsakes. Now with a little more time on my hands, I am looking forward to this exciting time we have to look forward to and all the new memories we will have to cherish! Thanks Darcy for all of your creative ideas and inspiration!!
I have been inspired by Darcy Miller Nussbaum for quite a while…thanks for tracking her down for this fab interview! My kids keep pointing out that I'm the only one in the fam that doesn't have my own birthday scrapbook, so I am tracking on putting one together this year. Since my birthday usually falls on spring break, and we're lucky enough to be in Hawaii for spring break this year, there will be plenty of fun material to include!
I think this might be my favorite DS interview ever! I actually have several of Darcy's scrap boxes pinned to one of my Pinterest boards. I had my first child this year, and would love to commemorate his birth, or maybe his first birthday (still to come.) What a great way to celebrate those special events for years to come!
August of this year marks ten years that I have been living in Richmond, VA. I first arrived a few days before college started and I have loved it ever since. Not only have I seen this city grow into the thriving and wonderful place that it is but I have also seen myself grow as a person. I can't put into words how much living here has meant to me– so many milestones! I would love nothing more than to document my time here and have something to show my love for this city!
Love, love, love Darcy Miller! I am currently planning my parents' 50th wedding anniversary and Darcy's ideas are a fantastic help. I never thought of getting a wedding album for them, but Darcy's Wedding Scrapbook might do the trick! Thanks for the contest and keep the great ideas coming!
A special moment I would like to document is when I found out my husbands visa to move to the US was approved. Things were so up in the air and we had basically given up hope that he would ever be able to move here because they kept sending his request into further processing and deeper background checks. Luckily, I was actually visiting him when his visa arrived (which was a complete surprise because the embassy never notified us of his application being approved) so we were able to celebrate together.
I would love to commemorate when we got our puppy. It has brought my fiance and I closer together. It gave me a new sense of joy for life. And honestly, it taught me that I may someday make a good mom (which terrified me before). And we've only had the darling puppy for a year and a half. I remember how amazing it felt to pick her up… this little bit of fear that I might screw it up, but so much hope and love and joy. I'd like to do something to remind myself often of how wonderful Tift is and what a beautiful part of our lives she has become.
I'd love to celebrate and commemorate the blessed births in my life – my two kids (born after 13 miscarriages and the Dr's saying I'd never have kids ) who are in their early 20's now; my 4 year old grandson (born with a hole in his heart, yet he's thriving and not needing heart surgery!) and the upcoming birth of my granddaughter! Joyous, joyous celebrations of life's miracles!
Love this interview! I would love to commemorate our wedding day – the possibilities are truly endless!
my favorite moment to document was a random road trip we took as a family to san diego. it was the best unplanned trip we've ever taken. We really soaked up all that sd has to offer and enjoyed eachother as family. we all say it was our best trip ever…and the cheapest. i hope to put together a picture collage or something in the family room to remember the moments.
My Grandma Rosa was a seamstress working in the garment district in NYC in the 40's sewing wedding dresses. She was a very hard worker and her boss would let her take leftover fabric and trims home. Saving this material for only special, she created original designs for my Barbie dolls. Sleek satin pants with matching tops and jackets, ball gowns trimmed in fur, suits and even nightgowns. She was way before her time. I would display my favorite strapless silk with lace overlay dress and matching wrap with a picture of my Grandma in the memory box. Thanks for the idea. Mary D.
I am finally having my own craft room. Small though it may be, it's mine. I have bought the most beautiful Martha Stewart designed craft table. I have spent the last 6 months choosing just the perfect color. Tranquility, blue. Now all it needsto is a wonderful basket of goods designed by Marcy.
I would like to create a scrapbook to collect memories my parents have of their parents. I did not know my grandmothers and would love to have a way to celebrate their lives and share them with my children.
After going through hurricane sandy, losing almost all of my home office, kitchen, bathroom, etc…I like commemorate our rebuilding of our home, from the true awful
(the day after) to the finally done, four months later. Our family got through it all, with help from good friends & family.
I would love to commemorate my first trip to Africa — it was a passion that began at the age of four and was finally realized in 1998 (some of my best photos were taken with a disposable camera!). Then I can move on to all my subsequent African adventures.
We have been waiting over a year for my husband to finally get his immigration visa so we can live together in the US. We are hoping he'll be able to move here this summer. I would love to document our American Dream finally coming true!
I am a teacher and I completed my student teaching abroad in England. I was so absolutely fortunate to be placed with a host family while there and in order to commemorate my experience, I am am going to have my wedding reception in their backyard (my wedding is next July). I'd be so appreciative of any winnings as they would be such a treat and a help to my host family who is already starting to help plan!
I have collected memories, keepsakes, and of course photos of my son so far (he's almost 4) and would love to document and arrange all of it into one scrapbook. Darcy's creativity and sense of style + optimism is so refreshing!
Wow…I am so inspired by the interview, the pictures and everyones comments. We are all so lucky and have so many special times to celebrate. I am not sure what moment I would commemorate. My family has been so blessed with so many special times. I would like to just get back to documenting them for us all to remember and share. If you could also give away your craft room – that would get me started! Thank you for the inspiration.
A time that is special is every winter my family goes to Door County Wisconsin for a 3-day weekend. We've been going for 27-years. I'd love to make some kind of scrapbook or memory frame to give to my grandma who loves the trip more than anything else.
I'm getting married this fall and I really want to document the moments leading up to the big day, then of course the wedding itself! Wonderful interview – thank you!
I love Darcy's work–
I lost a lot of pics due to a hard drive crash….so—documenting is rather important to me right now. {plus, backing up my computer and putting pics on disks!}
I made my first digital book of our family trip to Florida….everyday moments too are worth putting into books. {including instagram photos!}
Love this interview!
We recently bought a house and I'd love to document all the changes we've made and little scraps as we figure out what our style actually is. Tags from the trees, flowers, and vegetables we plant. Just everything and how we've been having so much fun with the process. I was in awe when I saw Darcy's space in Living mag and it's so fun to learn more about her in this interview!
I am trying hard to recognize the beauty of ordinary life, and I am documenting that this year using Project Life. I love it. So often I dismiss the week that has just passed as "boring" or "difficult," but when I go through the exercise of remembering what has transpired in order to document it, I realize that there are joys in every week. I am rediscovering the joy of "la vie quotidienne" thanks to this to project. I also collect random strangers' scrapbooks when I find them in antique stores … I love looking through their stories and giving their memories a home.
And I have been so inspired by Darcy's work.
First, thank you way back when: you gave me permission years ago to draw in my journal, and those 'pictures' are as precious to me now as the words that describe them. My aunt is a retired nun who championed montessori teaching all over the world, starting 50+ years ago; her 85th birthday is coming up and I am working on documenting some of her life and achievements in a creative way. Thanks for your inspiration, Darcy!
Every time I visit a new tearoom, I collect as many mementos as I can – menus, place mats, napkins, tea bag wrappers, business cards, receipts – and add them to my tea scrapook. Tearooms are so ephemeral that I love having something to remember them by if they don't make a go of it.
I also made a shrine for my grandmother and plan to do another for a favorite cat.
Darcy is a great lady and a real inspiration. Loved to see her on TV with Martha.
I would like to document a book project that my team and I have been working on for 3+ years and is finally about to come into fruition! So very excited!
My mother in law passed away in January, after a brief illness. Going through her things, we found amazing momentos – letters, geneology data, pieces of fabric, photos no one had ever seen….travel diaries. In addition, she was a collector of small games and puzzles so we have dice and dominoes from the turn of the century from her own grandmother, metal wire puzzles from her own childhood, and bridge directions she wrote out for her children. I would love a way to take all of these treasures and make something for all seven of her grandchildren to have forever to remember their grandmother.
My (now) fiancé proposed to me last month with a beautiful story of us and photos from our years together posted around our apartment. They're still up n the walls! I don't know what to do to keep such a special moment of our relationship but definitely don't want to just recycle it.
Wow, this was a FANTASTIC interview and I'm so grateful for the specific recommendations for journaling and keepsake boxes! I would like to get better at documenting my daughters–I do write a lot and take endless photos but the organization of it all has already become a mountain. I would love to tackle said mountain! When I turned 18 my mother handed me a giant keepsake box full of my mementos from school, ballet, etc. and to this day it's my best present ever. I am vowing to pass the same sentiment onto my girls.
Last year my father passed away right before a trip my boyfriend and I had planned. This year my boyfriend and I organized our trip with both of our families to capture the memories. Not only did our families get along great, my boyfriend became fiance when he asked me to marry him in front of our families. Your ideas in this article gave me wonderful ideas as to how to capture the memories from that special trip.
im sending my daughter to college in the fall.. wow.. what a weird time…we are all happy and proud and sad and scared and excited at the same time… id love to put somethings together for her …. xoxo
My husband and I sort-of-secretly married last summer, and while we didn't take photos, I saved little bits and pieces from that entire day– the receipt from the officiant, the business card of the dessert place where we stopped for ice cream after the ceremony, even candy wrappers! I would love to include all of this in our wedding scrapbook, along with the the items commemorating our big, family-and-friends ceremony. Thank you for this lovely giveaway! I've always adored Darcy Miller.
All those markers…amazing. I suppose I'd have to finally do my son's baby book — gulp, he's going to be 5 this year and I still haven't put all the little precious bits and bobs in one special place.
I would love to make a scrapbook of my mom who passed away. It would be great for both my family and friends who already knew her, and for those who unfortunately never got the chance to meet my extraordinary mother. All around my house there are pictures of great memories, and scrapbooks of family and friends, but it always hurts when I realize she isn't in any of my recent scrapbooks. It would also be comforting that my kids will know more about her through the book, since she passed away before I had children. I would love to be able to showcase how beautiful, talented, wonderful and kind my mom was.
My grandmother Vera was an avid scrapbooker, picture taker, family video maker, special celebration thrower and genealogy tracer. She made a scrapbook for all of her grandchildren and added to it every year giving it to them at their high school graduation. She even completed mine after having a massive stroke and losing her speech and the function of the right side of her body. The moments I shared pouring over old photo albums, scrapbooks and family videos with my grandmother shaped my life and my own identity and sense of self. They gave me a sense of who I was and where I came from. And the way in which she celebrated her family and documented those moments made feel special and unconditionally loved. For as long as I can remember I have had a passion for all things nostalgic and sentimental. I collect family heirlooms and the stories that go with them. To commemorate these moments I plan to start my own business focusing on helping other people bring back this important art in a now digital world. I would love to start by winning this giveaway!
Hi Grace! Do you notify the winner via email? Just curious. I was on pins and needles to see who won! :-) Thanks!
yes, we email the winners :)
I would love to catch up to today on my scrapbooks. I am so far behind! I just lost a close friend to cancer and it makes me think about preserving memories for my daughter even more.
Love the interview! I learned a lot about Darcy and nurturing creativity.