It’s Wednesday, so where’s the usual Obsess & Inspire post? My posting schedule only allowed for one post per fortnight that didn’t fit into any of the features. I’ve been finding that my ‘free-choice’ posts have a serious backlog because I couldn’t squeeze everything in. Since I’d rather focus on more original content for you (rather than featuring stuff that’s cool but you’ve probably seen already elsewhere) I’ll be cutting back the Obsess & Inspire feature to every other week. I hope you enjoy the change.

When The Man and I returned from our honeymoon in New Zealand, I showed you a few a lot of our photos. What I never showed you was what I did with them: a bound photo book.

With every second electronics and discount department store now offering photo books, it can be really hard to decide which one to go with. We chose Photobook Australia (there’s also a worldwide website). They are quite a bit more expensive than many options, but it was really important to me to have excellent quality and the timeless look of a beautiful fabric cover instead of the usual photographic cover.

They have special software with layout templates for you to create your book. However they also allow us picky designers to use our professional software and provide the finished artwork, which was another must-have when considering which company to go with.

I love that we have a beautiful coffee table style book documenting our first overseas trip together.

I don’t have children but I imagine it would be pretty difficult to part with those itty bitty adorable baby clothes after they’ve been outgrown. Most of them can be donated to a friends or charity, but for those extra special items don’t just shove them in a box never to be seen again: treasure them every day with these ideas.

Photograph them and make into a journal (That’s Happy)

Frame them and hang in the child’s room (Liberty Biberty)

Create sun prints or make into a quilt (Martha Stewart)

 Have you got any ideas for cherishing your child’s baby clothes?

Hands up who keeps greeting cards they receive? I definitely don’t keep them all (ugh, clutter!) but I do keep cards that have particularly sentimental messages, great design, were handmade or were for extra special occasions.

This card, made by a dear friend for The Man and I for our engagement, falls under all of those categories. I just love how she’s added our initials to the design. Certainly one of the perks of being a designer is that I’ve made a lot of wonderfully talented friends!

If you haven’t got any frame-worthy cards sitting in your memory box you can still achieve a similar look. Find a piece of pretty wrapping paper, take an abstract photo or cut a fun pattern out of a magazine and add your personalised text using Letraset (you can find this at graphic arts supplies or scrapbooking stores).

That’s not the only cheap-but-meaningful greeting card art around our place. This cute illustration is actually an oversized greeting card purchased while on our recent New Zealand trip. I was running out of unused frames lying around so I simply used a bulldog clip instead.

The final example is one of my own designs, a letterpressed calligraphy greeting card. I think the sentiment is ideal considering its location next to the front door.

So what do you think? Time to drag out the shoebox full of old cards and breathe new life into some of them.

1. Paperchase goes fun and floral.  2. There’s a Kolo in every colour.  3. Edna Mae makes it easy with a ring-binder and refills.  4&5. Paper Source has something for very taste.  6. From Smiggle, the masters of cheap’n'cheerful.  7. Classic red leather from Profile.  8. Amazing craftsmanship, appealing colour combos and unusual imagery makes Grimm a winner.  9. Modern Australian classics by Corban & Blair.

Post-wedding and -honeymoon I’ve got photos on the brain (and the to-do list). With so many options these days, I want to know what you prefer. Do you like the couldn’t-be-easier pocket inserts, the timeless look of dry mount or the layout flexibility plus protection offered by peel & stick film?