My lovelies, I wanted to share my dad's 60th birthday present (just because I'm so excited about it). I made him a hardcover photo book filled with snapshots from all stages of his life. It was so much fun looking through family shots and choosing favorites, including a few he had never seen! (How hilarious is his expression in his wedding photo, by the way?) When I gave it to him this past weekend, he was so touched and couldn't stop looking through it. It was one of those truly special life moments.(P.S. I made the book through Pinhole Press, and the book felt beautiful, with silky paper and a linen cloth hardcover. This book is the exact one I choose, but there are a bunch of other lovely options. Would be amazing to make a wedding album, too, don't you think? xo)
Wow, that's such a great gift! Borrowing this idea ;)
ReplyDeleteThat is a fabulous gift, Joanna. It means more than any other kind of present.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great idea, I'd love to do this for my parent's anniversary.
ReplyDeleteThis is SUCH a special gift! I'm sure he will love love love it! xo
ReplyDeletehow perfect! this would make a darling present for mother or fathers day too! thanks for the idea :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet idea! I have the hardest time thinking of gifts for my dad. I may have to borrow this idea when his 60th rolls around :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful book! My mom made me one from our wedding, my sister made one for our wedding dinner for guests to sign and they are so fun to look at! My sister also makes them every year recapping what her family did and she makes them for my parents. They are the greatest gifts!
ReplyDeleteThat is something so sweet and generous, and something to share with all who show up to celebrate him.
ReplyDeleteCheers!
I'll add to the chorus of praises. This is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing you used a combination of actual paper snapshots, and some digital images (or were they all printed out?)...
You've made me want to make one!
Thanks,
Anna
This is so beautiful. I just love it!
ReplyDeleteAMAZING.
ReplyDeletewow...that is awesome! Great idea!
ReplyDeleteAmazing! I kind of want to make something like that for my nephew because he never knew my dad and it would be a fun way to give him a little family history. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely gift. And yes, his expression on his wedding day is hysterical. Weddings are crazy though, and there is so much going on, and so much excitement, it is all so wonderful, and overwhelmingly beautiful.
ReplyDeleteNeed to go put my little papoose in his crib now.
Hope you and Toby are having a lovely day
beautiful gift/wedding album idea. i can only imagine how much he loved it - lovely :)
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, that is one of the best gifts I've seen. Great job.
ReplyDeleteWow! It looks truly amazing! Very inspirational. You can be very proud. Would love to get something like this some day.
ReplyDeleteThat's so sweet! My dad's turning 55 in a little over a month; I bet he would find this an incredible gift..
ReplyDeletethis is amazing! congrats, great idea!
ReplyDeletemy mom made me a book here in Brazil when I turned 18 :) it's such a lovely gift.
How inspiring! I'd love to do something like that for my dad/mom one day.
ReplyDeleteYou have a gift! Thanks for sharing.
that's one of the most beautiful gifts ever!
ReplyDeletewww.pelininstyle.com
Such a great idea! My wheels are already turning!!
ReplyDeleteJudging from those pictures, your dad aged so gracefully - a sign of a true gentleman. What a sweet gift!
ReplyDeletePersonal gifts are always so special. The book looks beautiful and I must say I think you have your dad's eyes!
ReplyDeletesuch a great gift for your dad. i wish i still had a chance to do something like that for mine. he would've loved it.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely. What a great idea. I'm bookmarking the site. Thanks! xo.
ReplyDeletemy aunts did a similar book for my stepfather and he just loved it, we all look through it so much. its such a special gift.
ReplyDeleteThat's such a sweet idea!
ReplyDeletewoah! i was just brainstorming ideas for my dad's 60th birthday yesterday. this is perfect. i just passed it along to my mom to collect the photos.
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing!!
Wonderful!
ReplyDeleteYou look so much like him on the front cover.
(Such a cheeky one!)
how lovely and special :D
ReplyDeleteIt just amazes me how expressions and looks are passed through generations. I see a whole lot of Toby in your Dad. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful present!
This is so beautiful! I love the feel if high quality paper - makes all the difference. Such gorgeous pictures, too!
ReplyDeleteThat's an amazing present! Looks like it'd be awesome for a couples' anniversary too!
ReplyDeleteHow beautiful! I am attending and photographing the wedding of two dear friends next weekend, and while I've looked at many "photo book" sites, this one is the most lovely I've seen! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this - and what gorgeous photographs from your Dad's life too. He looks like he was a mischievous kid!
ReplyDeleteI'm inspired. My Dad's Birthday is in May and I think I'm going to make him a book too.
This is truly beautiful! Love that it is so clean and classic with no captions. xo
ReplyDeleteI love the way you dad held you/lucy when you were a baby. And also your dad's expression with your uncle in the last photo. Such a great gift, Joanna! Xoxo michelle
ReplyDeleteI LOVE photo books! I made one for my mum and dad's 25th anniversary, my little sister's 18th and as a present for friends in Italy. They're such a lovely way of storing and looking back on memories!
ReplyDeletethat is the greatest gift ever! i am bookmarking that site and stealing your bday gift idea :)
ReplyDelete<3 steffy
http://steffysprosandcons.blogspot.com
This is so wonderful! Such a beautiful idea for a gift. So perfect for Mother's Day!
ReplyDeleteit turned out so well! fantastic job, joanna.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous!!
ReplyDeleteIt turned out so lovely Joanna! I'm still working on mine, so I'm thrilled to see yours!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great inspiration! My dad turns 66 this year and I will copy this idea completely! Thank you!
ReplyDeletethat's awesome, it would take me a year to get organized enough to do something like that. Good work girl!
ReplyDeleteI love this! Beautiful!
ReplyDeletethis is so great. I get this feeling that you are a superior gift giver
ReplyDeleteBest,
Anna
what an amazing present! So creative and thoughtful!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a brilliant idea! Both my parents turn 60 in a couple of years (they were born 12 days a part) and their 30th wedding anniversary is in 2 years, so I could see doing a joint book of them together. Thanks for the idea!
ReplyDeleteDid you do one for your mom?
Joanna, that's great! My mom's 60th birthdayis in two weeks,and I have already made a photo book on Shutterfly and planned to order it soon. I'm now seriously considering re-doing it with pinhole press because it's more modern (and less expensive!). Do you how long it took to ship after you submitted it? Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteLovely lovely lovely. What a treasured gift!
ReplyDeleteI love photo books! If you are short of time or creativity contact me! margaret@margaretlewisphotodesign.com
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! What a lovely sentimental gift. I'll have to add it to my list for upcoming occasions.
ReplyDeletethis is so beautiful joanna. i want to make one for my parents but it's hard to find old photos as my mom came from communist prague and had to leave all her belongings and pictures from her childhood behind
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful book! We have given those for Christmas presents and things and things like and they are always a hit.
ReplyDeleteThe Cheeky Cafe
This is so beautiful! I love gifts like that as they are so special. Well done, Joanna:)
ReplyDeleteMy dad has alzheimer's so a few years ago I made him a book like this of his life for christmas so he could maybe remember us a little longer. It's been 3 years and he looks at almost everyday. One time he told my brother that it was worth a million dollars. Sometimes the simplest gifts are the best ones. That one looks absolutely gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful present, I would cry my eyes out if I were to get such a lovely and personal gift...
ReplyDeletelove the look of this book. Classic and cool. I always use apple, but I'm thinking I want to try this brand out. Perfect gift for a 60th bday. I did the same for my mom.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic idea. So thoughtful.
ReplyDeletebeautiful way to put together such a meaningful gift... thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful idea, so much depth and soul to it.. You always make the best presents! And for those thinking of Mother's day gifts.. come see our Etsy shop for some ideas http://www.etsy.com/people/PetitCoeurDesigns
ReplyDeleteLove your blog!
LOVE. SUCH a great idea!! Thanks for the inspiration~~
ReplyDeleteThis is done so beautifully... what a precious treasure to have! You have my wheels spinning for a gift for my parents this coming Christmas.... you have truly inspired me!
ReplyDeleteabodelove.blogspot.com
Well done! So very thoughtful. It looks amazing.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness. That is so beautiful. I love how it's designed, and of course it helps that you have some really awesome photos! What a great thoughtful idea.
ReplyDeletei have a question, how did you get your dad's old photos in there? did you scan each one individually?
ReplyDeletethanks!
What a perfect present! Thank you for the great idea! My dad's 60th birthday is just a couple of years away, will have to keep it in my mind!
ReplyDeleteamazingly sweet and thoughtful :)love it
ReplyDeletethis is JUST what i need! for my paternal grandmother's 80th, my mom and i made a book for her by hand. it was beautiful but it cost soooo much money and it took several weeks of constant work. my maternal grandmother's 80th is this december- and i think we will have to try this! it's gorgeous!
ReplyDeletep.s. i love the schoolboy photos- too cute!
wow. this is so SO beautiful, Jo. I think I may have to do this for my mom. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks for giving me such a great idea for my own dad's 60th, which is right around the corner! Your book came out so lovely. ;)
ReplyDeleteOh my GOSH, what a thoughtful present! You are such a sweetheart. Love the cover photo : )
ReplyDeleteReally beautiful! I am photographing my sister in laws bridal shower on Sunday and I think this would be the perfect after shower gift!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous gift! I may have to do that for my family members.
ReplyDeleteso beautiful and heartfelt :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely and thoughtful idea!
ReplyDeleteThis is truly beautiful gift.
ReplyDeleteMy mother is turning 50 soon and I'm stressing about what to get her. Something like this could actually be nice! Do you have any other ideas what I could give her? You find always such inspirational things :)
Love, Riikka
This is the best gift idea. Very touching.
ReplyDeletebest present ever! great looking book--and I think I will make a wedding album.
ReplyDeleteVery beautiful :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome idea !! Hubby is turning 40 this year and that would be a brilliant present for him (he would LOVE it)... Did you have to scan/upload all the photos ? I'm secretly hoping I could just send all my pics over and they would do it for me (and then send them back with the book)(so lazy, I know :) xx
ReplyDeleteThat's a wonderful gift, it's a life gift (:
ReplyDeleteha, your dad's facial expression is pretty hilarious as you said. :D
DaWolf x
yes! jessica, a wedding album would be AMAZING! i think we're going to make one, too.
ReplyDeleteesthere and marie, i did scan old photos, and i used some photos that were already digital. then it was really easy to make the book after that. scanning isn't too tough -- you can actually take photos to photo stores and they'll do it for you and give you a disk, if you want! xo
ReplyDeleteJoanna, what a GREAT idea, especially for parents!! You're sooo sweet! I bet your dad was just smiling from ear to ear! Thanks for sharing with us!!
ReplyDeleteWow, that is fabulous! I think I am going to make one for my kids for Christmas - that will give me enough time to look thru my photos! Thanks for the idea! xxoo :)
ReplyDeleteAmazing and truly unique gift.
ReplyDeleteThe bunny ears made me laugh. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is such a fabulous idea! I am definitely going to look into this for a present to my mom. It is so perfect! Thanks so much for sharing this lovely present!
ReplyDeleteOMG. YOur Dad is adorable and this photo book is the best gift idea ever.
ReplyDeletei did the exact same thing for my dad's 60th!!!
ReplyDeleteoh, it looks gorgeous.
That's beautiful!!!
ReplyDeletewww.CelebrityOwned.com
My husband turns 40 this year and I think this is just the present I've been looking for! Thanks for the idea...
ReplyDeleteI'd love to do this for my parent's 30th anniversary this year, but there aren't a lot of recent photos of the two of them (my mom doesn't like being photographed).
ReplyDeleteWhat a special gift for your dad's 60th! So polished yet very personal. I've been delaying putting together my wedding album for several months, and this is a great option to consider. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful gift idea! It's beautiful!
ReplyDeleteTHIS IS BRILLIANT!
ReplyDeletethis is so so so amazing... i want to do one for every special person in my life right now!
ReplyDeleteGreat blog! So glad I found you!
ReplyDeleteCheck out my new blog when you get a chance. Thanks!
Have a great afternoon.
Paula
what an awesome and thoughtful gift! looks great and will keep those photos alive for much longer.
ReplyDeletewow,such a nice idea <3 I want somthing like that for when I turn 18!!!
ReplyDeleteoh ! happy birthday to your dad!
alexandra @
shoependant.blogspot.com
what a fantastic gift! I'm sure it was as much fun to give as it was to receive, those are the best kind :)
ReplyDeleteWow! What an amazing gift. I wouldn't be able to put it down either! So thoughtful
ReplyDeletepics-o-andrea
What a super duper idea! I can see why he loved this book.. he'll probably keep it close by for a long time so he can look at it often.
ReplyDeleteDi
That is the perfect gift! I'm sure he loved it!
ReplyDeletexo Trina
this is lovely! you just game me so many birthday ideas! thank you so much for sharing this!
ReplyDeletebeautiful!
ReplyDeleteYou are a wonderful daughter. That is an amazing gift.
ReplyDeleteCheers!!
Lovely! I'm also copying this idea.
ReplyDeletethis is absolutely fantastic!! i'm in love, like really want one right now. It's perfect for a gift just as yours.. beautiful jo!
ReplyDeletewhat a gorgeous gift!
ReplyDeletenothing short of amazing. i love the twin babies photo next to the tower. oh and your wedding one, of course!
ReplyDeleteA wonderful idea and a great, loving gift!
ReplyDeletethis is lovely - we just got our wedding photos back from the photographer and was just about to start looking in to printing albums, so thank you! i am playing around on the site now. xo
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea!! I've been looking for a service to use for my wedding album (no way am I paying the photographer 1000 bucks for one) and this might be the perfect one!
ReplyDeletexoxo Lauren
http://happylifeinnyc.blogspot.com/
love the photos so much :)
ReplyDeletehttp://girlynote.blogspot.com
that is so beautiful...the perfect gift!
ReplyDeleteThat is a beautiful gift idea! So touching! I definitely would like to use a service like this! Xo
ReplyDeletewww.studyingwithstilettos.blogspot.com
This is so awesome! Thank you for sharing! I might have to make one of these for my parents...
ReplyDeleteThis is so sweet! Our dad would LOVE this :)
ReplyDeletethreesistersthreecities.blogspot.com
i'm in love with sentimental gifts, and this is sooo perfect! thank you for sharing- this would be awesome for any occasion.
ReplyDeleteIt is a wonderful gift, Jo. I was very moved, not only by all the effort you made, but also by the feelings brought forward by so many of the photos, especially those images I had not seen before. It was wonderful to be so transported. Quite a labor of love; thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteMe xx
I was introduced to blurb.com last year and made a birthday book for my fiance's 30th. It's been easy to use too, plus great layouts.
ReplyDeleteYou can preview the book here if you're interested:
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/invited/802786/5bdc2ea19f5017d6b8f18929ef7d16f8
what a lovely gift!! such a thoughtful gift for anyone to receive! thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteoh, this is absolutely gorgeous! i'm feeling less guilty about not having made a baby book now...will definitely look into making one like this. thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for bringing this to my attention. What a wonderful present! I'm sure your dad will cherish this for a very long time.
ReplyDeleteI think I know what I'll be doing for my mom's birthday now!
Love the Birthday Book. Your dad must have been thrilled. It looks so professional too. I'm sure it takes pride of place on his coffee table now!
ReplyDeletewhat a beautiful and thoughtful gift! I love the idea!
ReplyDeletexo-kelly
http://beinglovely.blogspot.com
That is a beautiful way to save memories.
ReplyDeleteI just quit my job and am going to go travel for a year- hope you will follow me (not literally of course).
www.hercaviardreams.blogspot.com
This is such a beautiful and thoughtful book!
ReplyDeletei'm planning a surprise vow-renewal for my parents' 35th anniversary and now you've totally inspired to make a photo book! your's is beautiful!! thank you for posting this!!!
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful, beautiful gift. Thank you for sharing the idea, it's perfect :)
ReplyDeletexo Nadia
What a great idea! I would love to receive one of those. And pinhole press is just lovely!
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful :) Thanks for sharing. My mom's birthday is coming up and now I have the perfect gift for her!
ReplyDeleteI love it!
ReplyDeleteGreat job!
:)
So glad your father fell right into loving this gift... who wouldn't?! It's one of the most treasured treats to let someone know how much they are loved. I made one for my own father for his 70th recently and, although I couldn't be with the gang when he opened it, my siblings shared how he just quietly and slowly moved through each page, taking it all in. How beautiful that you were able to experience this right along with him. It looks wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThe book is beautiful, the photos are wonderful (your Mom and Dad look so young and happy on their wedding day-made me think of my wedding day at about that age!) and the thought you put into it is priceless.
ReplyDeleteWhat a special gift. I'm sure he will treasure it always! :)
ReplyDeletecath, that is so sweet!
ReplyDeleteIt turned out beautifully, Joanna! I think I might need to steal your gift idea. What a thoughtful and special thing to give. I love the full page spreads, btw.
ReplyDeleteThis gift is AWESOME. My mom is turning 60 this year, too. Great idea.
ReplyDeletewow!! this is wonderful! what an amazing gift!! dad's are so awesome. I miss mine everyday, but i treasure all my memories of him.
ReplyDeleteyou carry their love with you all your life.
Definitely a beautiful and thoughtful book. I've been procrastinating on making our wedding album...I'll be sure to visit Pinhole Press.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a sweet gift! Very thoughtful and heartwarming.
ReplyDeleteMy husband surprised me at Christmas by making me one called "ONE" that documents the first year of our daughter's life. I've written her a letter every month and he included those at the top of each months' photos. It's the best present I've ever received.
ReplyDeleteOmigosh -- I love it so much! heading over to Pinhole right now.
ReplyDeletep.s You are the best daughter!
Love the idea so emotional and lovely!
ReplyDeleteSeriously, that is the best birthday present idea – EVER! Perfect for the person who has everything! Joanna, I can see why your dad was so touched. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.
ReplyDeleteI love the book!! I am definitely want to make a couple of books. I want one for both of children's first year and one for my grandparents. I think this is so wonderful. Thanks so very much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWow, he looks like Dennis Quaid in that last one!
ReplyDeleteWow, en excellent present!!
ReplyDeletewww.soyfrivolita.blogspot.com
perfect! i think i'll borrow this idea for my dad's 60th, too. thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeletewww.americangypsyliving.com
Best birthday gift EVER! :)
ReplyDelete*Ashley {a little dash of ash}
this book is beautiful! what a wonderful idea!
ReplyDeleteIt's such a great thing, too bad they don't ship to Europe yet.
ReplyDeleteLove this. I think I might finally create my wedding album!
ReplyDeleteThis is so thoughtful and cool I'd love to do something like this for my mom.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely!
ReplyDeleteMy sister made a similar book as a gift for everyone in her bridal party and mine is always a favourite, sitting on my mantle!
Sarah
http://www.iwishforcourage.com
haha, anonymous, he kind of does look like dennis quaid! :)
ReplyDeleteThat looks great! What a lovely gift!! xxxx
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this! My boyfriend's parents 45th Anniversary is in June and were are going to put together a little love story book for the two of them. Merci!! xo
ReplyDeleteWhat a great gift! In the last picture of the series the black and white photo of your Dad he looks alot like Dennis Quaid!
ReplyDeletewhat a beautiful gift and idea. so sweet! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteyou have definitely turned me on to pinhole press! thank you :) since your initial post about it - i have designed and received two panorama books (my favorite), one for my elopment :X and one for my actual wedding half a year later :) i plan on making more of vacations, etc. they are so easy to make and the quality is awesome. i also had a technical issue with one of the books and they are sending me a newly printed one, no questions asked :) wonderful company!
ReplyDeletexoxo viet
oh , that a good idea . You are the best daughter .
ReplyDeletexoxo
http://girlcute4u.blogspot.com
that is so so beautiful!! i love it!!
ReplyDeletewhat a GREAT gift! my mom always makes me a calendar with pictures for my birthday, but a whole book! love it...
ReplyDeleteMiyan
www.miyan-overseas.blogspot.com
jo- this is amazing. what a thoughtful gift. the design is lovely as well!
ReplyDeletek
wow, i love this! i think i will do one with my wedding photos, its so perfect for a coffee table book :)
ReplyDeletep.s. love tina fey and am looking forward to reading the book and cracking up.
Great work.
ReplyDeleteI have been meaning to get organized and get on the photo book train and this has motivated me!
Love it.
This is so great. The cover photo is to die for! I always wonder, what do you get the dad who has everything? I started making photobooks for my dad a couple years ago; before that we gave him everything from photo calendars to coasters with our pictures on them as gifts! It never gets old, pictures never fail.
ReplyDeleteit's so beautiful and timeless- your father will undoubtedly enjoy it forever.
ReplyDeletewhat a great gift idea. your dad must have absolutely loved it.
ReplyDeleteso funny, in the moment i'm collecting photos from my father because in may is his 50s birthday and i want to make him, as you did, a photobook. so good inspiration- just photos and no kitschy stuff around (as little stickers or horrible tipograph. ... my englisch is really bad, sorry).
ReplyDeletelove your blog!
This is suuuuch a good idea! I might have to do this for my parents... :)
ReplyDeleteSo gorgeous!!!!
ReplyDeletewhat a fabulous gift.
ReplyDeletewe're doing the same for my gran's 8oth at the moment. so special.
This is a very beautiful and incredibly thoughtful gift. [as well as inspiring!] Thanks for sharing, I hope your Dad loved it.
ReplyDeleteI stinkin love pinhole press. This is a beautiful gift.
ReplyDeletesweetest idea ever (:
ReplyDeleteWow! This is such a beautiful idea. I'm definitely going to have to remember if for my dad's 60th :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a supper idea! I love it ~
ReplyDeleteI love this book! I sent my Dad this link for some ideas for my Mom's 60th this year. He responded immediately to tell me that he and my Mom used to hang out with your parents in Chavenay in the early 80's! It's funny to place Joanna and Lucy from some of my childhood pictures, after having read your blog for so long :)
ReplyDeleteI could recognize the Wren Building anywhere. GO TRIBE! :D
ReplyDeletecheck out a cup of jo on the gold hat.
ReplyDeletexx,
Aja Lake
the gold hat.
That is something so sweet and generous, and something to share with all who show up to celebrate him.
ReplyDeleteWow this was a nice gift.
ReplyDeleteall shots are great.
I liked it.
Photo Book Dubai
For some reason I missed this post the first time around. Beautiful gift! I think that your dad looks exactly like Toby in his wedding photo, with his goofy expression!
ReplyDelete