Friday, October 26, 2012

tinkered treasures: the book!

This is the cover of my book. My book. Even as I type the words and see the image, it barely seems real ... this dream come true.


















Tinkered Treasures will be out on Valentine's Day 2013 (how perfect) but is available for purchase now as a pre-order. I plan to list a supply at my Etsy shop in early spring to sign and sell. Again, barely real.

It was last year on my birthday actually (mid-October) that I received a confirmation from the publisher about my book proposal. And what a busy year it has been! My publisher is in London and I am in Rhode Island and it was decided that I would create the projects and ship them to London to be styled and photographed.

The very messy Girlie Office















I needed to provide step-by-step photographs for illustrations (!) and supply all of the text. The months that followed found me making glorious messes as I recreated favorite projects and worked out new ideas, shipped boxes of "makes" and crossed my fingers that they would arrive safely to their far-away destination.


Some projects ended up not being quite right for the book like the switch plate frames that didn't translate because the ones standard in the U.S. aren't widely available in the U.K.

For the book, which will feature just over 35 crafts, I probably created almost double that amount of projects.


















With three batches of projects completed and shipped it was now time to write, write and write some more. I wrote everything from catchy titles and snappy introductions to projects steps, to descriptions of supplies, techniques and more. I was also sure to infuse my text with silly puns to keep "my voice" in there.

















Next, there were many rounds of carefully proof-reading layouts to ensure that instructions and illustrations made sense and that terms were used consistently.


And now my treasured book is listed on Amazon and Barnes & Noble!

Something very interesting that I learned about myself during this process was that I am clearly not a perfectionist when it comes to the projects but when it comes to the text, boy, am I ever a stickler and sometimes even getting a phrase just right could take an afternoon.

Thank you for reading. I have so much to say, am a bit sleepy and just hope this all makes sense.

For all of you dreamers out there, remember that it all begins with an idea and it all began for me right here on this dear little blog.

xo
elyse








43 comments:

Kristin_Texas said...

It looks beautiful. Congratulations!

Kristin

Jenna said...

Congratulations! what a wonderful accomplishment, be very proud of yourself! :o) Have a nice weekend! Hugs Jennifer

Anonymous said...

Oh Elyse! I'm so happy for you!! Congratulations girl, can't wait to get mine next year!!!
Marcia

Anonymous said...

Oh Elyse I wish I could give you a great big hug along with my congratulations! It has been so neat traveling with you a bit on your journey writing your book!

What a dream come true for sweet you!

bee blessed
mary

Anonymous said...

Congratulations, Elyse! Your book looks amazingl ~ full of sweet projects created in your own special style ~ what a wonderful accomplishment!

The Polka Dot Closet said...

Congratulations on having your dream come true!!

Carol

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

I am so thrilled for you! You must be beyond excited!

Erica of Golden Egg Vintage said...

Thank you for the inspiration!
And Congrats! You made this happen for yourself, and you should be so proud!
Erica :)

koralee said...

Congratulations my friend..I so love the cover photo.. I want a signed copy so will wait for you to have them in your shop.
I can so relate to the amount of work...coming up with the ideas alone and making every single one plus more can be overwhelming. I had to do all the photographs myself as well...and ice cream is not an easy one to photograph believe me...it really HATES being photographed especially in the hot days of summer...I am soooo excited for you because I so know what it takes. xoxoxo

Hearts Turned said...

Oh, Elyse! Overjoyed for you, dear friend! Kind of surreal when dreams become reality, isn't it?! This dream-come-true couldn't have happened to a more deserving woman, I think! Well done!

Can't wait to own my very own copy--February? WAAAY too long!

Wishing you happy snd VERY sweet dreams, my friend!

Julie

Diane Mars said...

Congratulations Beautiful~ I cannot wait to see your Book! I bet it was a very hard and complicated process, not sure I would be able to do all you have done! Very Very Cool! Hugs, Diane

Unknown said...

How exciting! The cover looks beautiful! Congratulations!

Art and Sand said...

Too exciting. I can't wait until I can buy it.

Kate Nyquist said...

Congrats! That is a huge achievement!! I look forward to checking it out next year! Kate x

Vintage Gal said...

Congratulations~! How wonderful for you and what an accomplishment. Wow ~ the books looks absolutely dreamy. Have a great weekend ;-)

Theresa said...

SO beautiful, but I knew it would be!!!! Congratulations my dear friend! Big hugs;)

Anonymous said...

Oh, Elyse. It's beautiful!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!! I can't wait to get my hands on a copy! :)
Big hugs,
Zuzu

Anonymous said...

I love hearing the behind the scenes details! I didn't know you were having to ship your creations to London! Did they all arrive safely?

When will you be able to see the finished product?

I'm sure you've learned many things about about life and yourself along the way.

I'm so proud of you and can't wait to hold my own copy! ♥

boomerang jane said...

Congrats and we'll done on bringing a dream to life.

Into Vintage said...

Wow -- it's beautiful! Loooking forward to having a copy that's been *signed bu the author!* ;-) I can't imagine how you accomplished that much work in one year not to mention that fact you had 70+ ideas! I hope you'll continue to share this process with us; I think it's fascinating. Congrats and hugs to you, Author. xo

Melinda said...

Wow--
Congratulations to you.
What an exciting ime for you.

M:)

Lorrie said...

Congratulations, Elyse! So happy for you.

Blondie's Journal said...

I am so happy and excited for you, Elyse! The book cover is fabulous. I know you put your heart and soul in this book and I can't wait to order it!!

XO,
Jane

Kit said...

I am so thrilled for you! Your family must be so proud of you. I know I am. :) Kit

vivian said...

How exciting. it looks like a book I would definitely be drawn to if I were to see it in a book store. Congratulations! I'm sure the book is full of wonderful ideas! I can imagine the amount of work you put into to. carefully creating and photographing step by step... and in the end a wonderful book! Congrats again!
xo
vivian

Jasmine said...

Congratulations, Elyse! Looks amazing!

Jessica Rodarte said...

The comment before was from me. My sister signed in on my computer and it kept her signed in. Oops! It is worth repeating:
Congratulations, Elyse! Looks amazing!;)

NanaDiana said...

Hi Elyse, I am back from my blogging break and I am SOOO very thrilled for you. I can't say that I am surprised at all because you have such a special talent...your tinkerings are to be envied. Blessings to you and I hope you had a wonderful weekend- xo Diana

20 North Ora said...

Congratulations! It looks like a beautiful book. Can't wait for it to come out.

Judy

Tammy@T's Daily Treasures said...

How wonderful, Elyse! So happy for you! I'm sure the book will be a great success. I can't even begin to imagine the process you had to go through to see all this realized. Takes pure determination and a lot of time and effort. Congratulations! Have a wonderful new week. Tammy

Sandi~A Cottage Muse said...

I am so excited for you, congratulations!!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations, Elyse!! What an awesome accomplishment! I can't wait to get your book! :)

SLR said...

So happy for you my friend! Can't wait to get my book!! I think I'll do a giveaway on my blog for a copy too :)
xo

SLR said...

ps
Love the adorable cover!!!

Jen Kershner said...

I'm SO happy for you sweet friend. I love watching your dream come true! Congratulations. Soon all of your hard, hard work will be worth it!

Amy C said...

YEAHHHHHHHHHH completely cool and totally fantastic!
It looks so beautiful - congrats Elyse!
Happy spoooooky Halloween
xoxo

Unknown said...

Oh my goodness....I am so excited for you!! It's a dream come true! I CAN'T WAIT TO GO see your BOOK at the store to purchase!
Daisy~

debi said...

Elyse, I'm so excited for you, and can't wait to have my own copy. Of course, I will need to have one signed by the very famous and talented author. :)
Sending hugs, Debi

Rose Brier Studio said...

elyse, you are a true inspiration. can't wait to see your book. hope you weathered the storm as easily as we did. thinking of you often!
xoxo,
~marilee

laMariLovable said...

i love
your blog
your ideas give me many inspirations for my creations

passes from me, and follow me
thank you
http://bricieemicie.blogspot.it/

Heidi said...

Congrats! It looks like a wonderful book!

Kimberly Jones said...

Congratulations! Your book looks so lovely! You are such an inspiration! I can't wait to see your book in person!

Katy Noelle said...

Oh, Elyse....!!!! Oh, my heart! I'm so happy for you!!! and, you are an inspiration for sure - really, really! As a matter of fact, last time I visited, I read your 'about me' that's somewhere around on your blog... it's new-ish, I'm sure. You talked about the encouragement and inspiration from the blogging experience - just about your growing creative experience - and I could SO relate! (Although, i don't think that I'll be popping out a book anytime soon. heh, heh. =])

Alright! I'm rambling... let's see here... there was something else...

Oh! I've been reading, lately, about the prosaic reality of writing and the more than general consensus is that it's just plain work. I just pinterested this darling quote: "There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed." Ernest Hemingway (GOL! =O)

...and there was something else but it's gone, now...

I'll just leave it at - I loved reading your news - hearing about the process - sharing the excitement. Thanks for letting us in! =]

xxo