Wednesday, March 3, 2010

family favorites recipe book

We held our "family favorites recipe book" project class last night. I loved seeing all the different papers everyone chose for their pages and borders.

What is a Family Favorites Recipe Book?
It's a place to organize and store your family favorite recipes--the ones you use often. I'm loving how simple it is to go to one book instead of trying to remember if a certain recipe is in my "favorites" file or one of many recipe books in my pantry.

How do I get started? 
 
SUPPLY LIST:
  • family favorite recipes
  • 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" album
  • 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" sheet protectors
  • 8 1/2" x 11" non-textured white cardstock
  • 7-8 sheets patterned paper
  • paper trimmer
  • adhesive
  • 1" circle punch
Print or see a more detailed supply list.


Albums are available online at ShopWeR. (I hate to say it, but this company's customer service is awful, so if you can find an album somewhere else, do it!)

What's next?
Step 1: Gather your family favorite recipes. Download the page template and type in your own recipes by clicking on the boxes. If your title or recipe doesn't fit, make your font smaller. You can choose a template that will allow you to add photos or leave them out.
page template with photos
page template without photos

Step 2: Remove the center line from your typed recipe pages and print. (Our experience was that printers feed pages very differently, so removing the center line allows you to trim down the middle of the page without small discrepancies being noticeable.) Trim recipe pages in half.

Step 3: Download and personalize your title page with your own name and your table of content page with your own categories by clicking on my text. A box will appear so you can type your own information. Print the title page/table of contents page.
Title page and TOC template

Step 4: Assemble your recipe book.

Trim the title block about 1/4" from the border and adhered it to patterned paper.


Choose one pattern for each of your categories in the table of contents. Punch a 1" circle and adhere right over the circle on the template.


Trim 3/4" strips from each of your patterned papers and adhere to the edge of each page according to which category it fits into. Soups have this pattern:


Salads have my favorite pattern--the apples:


Main dishes have the chicken pattern:


I had to work with this last pattern because there are spaces between the rows of chickens. I didn't want half my pages to have chicken bums :), so I did some selective trimming.

Step 5: Add recipe pages to sheet protectors. If you plan to add photos to your book, your recipes will be on the right side of a two-page spread. If you are omitting photos, you will insert a recipe on each side of the two-page layout.

Step 6: Enjoy being organized and showing off your family favorites cookbook!

I loved having the Young Women join us for this project. We have several using it as a YW value project. This is the last project Daria Roberts has to do to receive her Young Women recognition. That's awesome! I think each of the girls have done most or all of the typing for their own (and their mother's) books. :)

Be sure to show me your finished pages when they're completed, I want to see!

Tip: I trimmed the rest of my patterned paper into 3/4" strips for when I want to add more recipes later. I keep them and my extra cardstock together in a "recipe book project file" in my craft area.

61 comments:

  1. Those turned out beautifully! Now I know how to make my Family Recipes book look a lot nicer . . . it's a work in progress for sure.

    Now that everyone's family favorites are already entered into the computer, is there any chance of sharing them with the rest of us?? :-)

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  2. Thanks, Sheri. I'm loving using it.

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  3. this is fabulous! A friend found this pinned on Pinterest & shared it with me & the rest of my blog readers. :) I'm going to have to create one myself after seeing how nicely hers & yours turned out. :)

    http://www.pinfluence.com/2011/10/22/reader-faves/

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  4. Hi Kim, Came across your fab cook book DIY on Pinterest...was especially interested since McCrary is also my last name! It's truly a small world. ~ You have a beautiful Blog...sharing your gift and talent with the world. Blessings to you & yours !! ;-]]

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  5. Anne,
    I was excited to hear about another McCrary. I'm curious to know what part of the country you're from. Most of our relatives are here in Utah and Idaho. Thanks for your kind words.

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  6. Hi! I also found your post on Pinterest, and it came at the perfect time - my husband for Christmas tried to put all my printed recipes in a binder, except the binder was too big, and won't fit in my recipe cabinet! So this will work out perfectly!

    I found inexpensive (though not as fancy) small binders at staples, for anyone else who might be looking for one. They also sell the inserts!

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  7. Thanks, Erica! So glad this is going to work for you. I LOVE mine.

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  8. If only I had seen this before I made 15 of theses (with 50 family recipes per book!) for our family reunion! It took me a full year. I may have gone a bit overboard, though. I love the simplicity of your pages and fonts.

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  9. Thanks! Fifteen recipe books with 50 pages each is a huge endeavor not matter what! Congrats on completing them.:)

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  10. Did a search on pinterest for DIY cookbooks. I made one out of a cheap photo album with the slots for 2 4x6 pictures in each page. And I just don't like it. Thank you so much for the idea!!! Now to wait patiently until next payday where I can budget for it. (=

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  11. LOVE this idea!! I'm planning to make a full size binder for my daughter to take to college in the fall and plan to adjust the pages to work. The scrapbook paper on the edges is a fantastic idea. Thanks for sharing!!!

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  12. Thanks, Julie. What a great idea to send your daughter off to college with her own cookbook!

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  13. Hi there! Love your recipe book. And the addition of the scrapbook paper.... fantastic. Thanks for sharing. One question: Is the binder 2". It looks like it, about how many pages do you think fit in there? Thanks again!

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  14. What a fabulous idea for a cookbook. We also provide best recipe books for more recipes

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  15. Do you have any pictures of how you printed the recipe with a picture? This is a great project! I found it on Pinterest and am giving it as a gift for a bridal shower. I have all of the women in her life to send a recipe to include in it! Thank you!

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  16. I am probably being very dense but I am struggling with the page layout. The only difference I can see is the strip where you put the fancy paper. With the picture, they are both on the right hand side of the page and without the picture they are on opposing sides of the pages. Is there a way you could post a picture of what the pages should look like if they have pics? I am obviously missing something. Also, do the pictures just go in the box. Both of these templates have recipes on both pages. Sorry to be so confused.

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  17. I love this but cannot seem to get file to download ..

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  18. Mine says windows cannot open this file. I am so dense...how do I make this work? It's a darling project!!

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  19. Not sure what the problem is. If you can't get it to work, e-mail me and I'll send you the files.

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  20. I love this :) Is there an easy way to turn an existing document into this layout (i have mine typed in word 1 per page). I tried to use the template, but can't figure out how to add an additional page with the same template!

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    Replies
    1. Amanda, Could you just copy and paste your recipes into the new template?

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    2. I can't figure out how to add pages with the same template, either. When I add a page, it doesn't have the formatting.

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    3. Never mind. I figured it out. You have to save the save the document as a template instead of as a word document and then do "select all" to copy the format and then paste onto a blank page. At least that was what worked for me.

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  21. What a cute recipe book! I will have to post about it on my blog and show my scrapbook customers how to use the We R Memory Keepers binders. We stock them in our store and ship via our online store, if you're looking for them. We carry them in yellow, lime green, red and black. :)

    The site is www.awdml.com

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    Replies
    1. Lisa, Thank you for the source information. The binders have become a little harder to find.

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  22. Are your binders 2"? Love this idea. I am ordering stuff to make it ASAP!

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    Replies
    1. The one pictured is closer to 2.5 inches, but I also have the 2 inch size. Either works great.

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  23. Maybe I am doing something wrong but when I print out my recipe pages there is about 1" border on the right side (enough room to put a 3/4" strip but on the recipe on the left side there is hardly any room (definitely not enough to put a 3/4" strip) Any ideas on how I can fix this?

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  24. I am putting kits together over the next year and giving them as christmas gifts next year! Super idea!

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  25. Thank you so much for your awesome tutorial and the free printables. Now anytime I need a quick extra gift for a wedding, etc. I will have it all ready. :) I'm making one for myself, and one for my boss who's family cookbook has gone missing after her last move.
    I thought I'd also let you know that there are some really cheap folders in the dimensions you advised on amazon.com
    for example these are the ones I got: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FIYAB2/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i02
    they are however only 1 inch thick

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  26. what font did you use? love the idea, thank you!

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  27. what a great idea for all the Pinterest recipes I have collected and tried. The Chicken Noodle casserole was delish! Thanks for sharing, your book was inspiring me to get it together!! Thanks

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    Replies
    1. You are welcome. I need to update mine to include the recipes I've made and loved from Pinterest too! :)

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  28. I absolutely love this. I might even see about making some for christmas presents.

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  29. Thanks for the great ideas! I want to make one as a gift for our son's wedding this summer.

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  30. Thank you for a great idea. I just compiled a "Family & Friends Favorite Recipes" book for a bridal shower using your basic idea. I found an Avery mini binder with a hand-sewn oilcloth cover (which should be perfect for the kitchen) on Etsy. The bride-to-be (and all those who shared recipes) were thrilled with the finished product. Now I just need to make one of my own family favorites!

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  31. A friend and I are going to attempt the recipe book project even though we will need help with the technology. Do we have to join BoX to download the templates?

    Margaret

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  32. I've been using the small binders from Staples for several years already, and just recently found that they carry some cute Martha Stewart ones as well. I'm currently updating mine,(into a new cute M S one). I love the template that you have here. My daughter made a Word page for me once that I saved and always use, but sometimes it gives me a lot of grief. Now, my question is, how do you remove the center line? Can the lines on the sides be removed as well?
    Anna

    PS. I found your site through Pinterest. And I love your cookbook!


    PS

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  33. Well, it's taking forever...but that's mostly my problem. Love the idea! I don't understand where you would insert photos in that template? I downloaded both and don't see much difference. Can you clarify for me? Have you used photos? please advise. Thanks, Kim. You've made my work so much easier! Ellen

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  34. Thank you so much for posting this. I'm trying to finish my Divine Nature project for Personal Progress (it's a recipe book), but I didn't know how to go about putting it together until I saw this helpful article of yours. Thanks again!

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  35. I really like this as I just purchased a binder of the same size. I was hoping to do the same thing and glad that you have posted this as instructions for me to follow.

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  36. You should see my notebook- a wild and crazy collection of food stained recipes shoved together- your idea is so lovely - I am just thinking how long it will take....... maybe I could hire you :-)

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  37. i don't know if this is even a possibility, but is there a way to use this template in google docs? i don't have office and i am trying to make a recipe book for my soon to be sister in law :) thank you!!

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  38. I saw this post many, many months ago and decided it was exactly what I wanted to do for my recipes. At the time I couldn't afford to get the supplies I needed so I just started typing up my recipes into the page templates and getting that all ready. I just bought my album this morning from K-Mart online, it's the same one you use (it's even Kiwi!) and from the card making I do I have the rest of the supplies. I can't wait to complete this project! Thanks so much for the post!

    Sally xoxo

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  39. I made this book and it turned out so good, I love it ! It sits in my kitchen proudly displayed. Thank you so much for the good directions and posting.

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  40. KIm... I am starting to work on my book.. do you know the font used in the template? Thank you!

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  41. I am making a family recipe book for my college aged daughter as well as one for each of my "future" daughters-in-law. Your templates were so helpful and finally encouraged me to get the ball rolling on this project!

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  42. I think I'll use tabs for the different categories and then the strips to show if its stovetop, bake, grill, or crockpot!

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  43. I did this for my family the Christmas after my mother unexpectedly passed away. Everyone said it was the best memory book they could think of.

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  44. Thanks for posting. Love your ideas! Working on one for Christmas.

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  48. I recently stumbled upon the "Family Favorites Recipe Book" and it's been a lifesaver in help with my assignment on traditional family dishes. The book is filled with delicious and easy-to-follow recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation. From hearty stews to sweet desserts, this book has it all. I highly recommend it to anyone in need of some culinary inspiration and a little help with their assignment.



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