Secret Ingredients
A new book by Nancy O'Dell

Earlier this year I saw a Facebook post from Tom Hanks, the wonderful actor. It was Tom's birthday and he had uploaded a photo of the plaque he'd received from his grandchild. In the middle of the plaque were tiny, painted imprints of his grandchild's feet.

It was adorable. And I remember Tom's post describing it as "the perfect gift." Now think about that for a minute. Is it surprising? When we were young, the best gift was usually the biggest or the flashiest or the noisiest. But sooner or later we all come around and understand that the BEST gifts are the ones that connect us. They're the gifts that remind us of the people we love most and that help us remember the moments that really matter. That's what Secret Ingredients is all about. A cookbook normally gives you great ideas for meals. This "cookbook" gives you great ideas for meaningful gifts. Secret Ingredients is about mixing together your photos, your memories, your wishes and your sentiments and putting them all into the gifts you give. I often hear "Oh, I just don't have time." As much as I love my scrapbook albums, a gift doesn't have to be a monster photo album in order to show and share love. Some of the gift ideas you'll find in this book are much simpler. They're delightful little ways to let the people you love know how special they are to you on a particular occasion or in every day life. Bottom line, they can be easy to do and think of all the hours you will save not having to trudge through the mall trying to figure out a gift. And my favorite thing about giving gifts from the heart is that there's as much joy in giving as there is in receiving. It's a feeling you'll never find in a department store. I promise you these gifts will be some of the best you have ever given!

EXCERPTS FROM THE BOOK

If you want to get help started in album making, go to www.creativememories.com. They will give you a consultant to help! If you already have a consultant then go to your consultant's personal website.