Hey guys... I need some help. There is a special place here in my college town that my girlfriend and I go to when we want some quiet and solitude. It's sort of a water reserve park... Anyway, I would really like to make her some sort of gift using pictures (maybe even also leaves and stuff like that from the site) of our place at some point before I graduate. This can definitely be a long term project -- I have a year and a half left -- but I want to start planning now so that if I need pictures from different times of the year, I can get them. Do any of you guys have ideas on what I can do?

Love Rebecca

Mostly I just wanted to say that this idea is SO sweet and I'm sure your lady will love it!!

Hmmm... some not too earth-shaking ideas...
-a scrapbook (obvious, I know) but you could caption the photos with things you said/did in each spot, little romantic things, you know
-frame one of the photos and decorate the frame with the leaves and stuff
-Make a box, decoupaged on the outside with photocopies on the outside and filled with the leaves, rocks, a couple of the photos, little love notes and such.

I made my husband a journal for Valentine's day about 3 years after we started going out--I copied all the (good) things I had written about him in my journal over the years and illustrated it. He loves it!

I think it would be really cool if you made a kind of diorama box. you could make it kind of 3D, w/say a picture cut out of a big rock placed acouple of inches forward from the complete picture in the backround. Did I explain that OK?

i think it would be so nice to have a large collage of pics, drawings, leaves, leaf tracings, etc... maybe divided into 1/4's by season, but not with sharp edges, just kind of each season blending into the next... does that make any sense at all?? i always picture these grand schemes in my head that never quite work out but i try... ;)
jenna

the first thing that popped up in my head was using the images on one of those revolving lamps. you know the ones that project the inside image onto the surrounding white screen?

you could have the different images printed on transparency paper, connect and shape them into a cylinder and then have the different seasons twirl!

here's an example of the lamp i have in my son's nursery. it really creates a mood and it's the only lamp i ever turn on in there.

http://www.target.com/common/catalog/product.jhtml?prodid=27423&catnav=90240&navAction=push&navCount=9

by the way, wow! what a heartfelt, sentimental gift. i'd love to get a gift like that.

Thanks guys! Those are some awesome ideas. Things are slowly starting to really form in my mind...

Love Rebecca

or you could use the leaves/pictures etc. to make a series of notecards for the two of you to use for each other - especially if you will be apart at all after you graduate. it would be a special way to keep in touch.