My cousin, Chrissy, in Portland Oregon, goes to prove that there are always new creative ideas which can become the traditions of tomorrow. Most ideas, like Chrissy's require not only a good idea, but also, effort and the willingness to take the time to see the project to fruition. Chrissy proves it can be done. Here, in her own words, plus a little editorial comment from me, is her "Wedding Recipe Book."

"I am near completion for the Wedding Recipe Book I started back in February for my niece. I wrote to all the people on her wedding invitation list. I enclosed a white piece of paper (8 ˝ " X 5 ˝ ") and a second card ( 4" X 6") along with a self-addressed envelope. I requested that they write or type their recipe on the smaller card and decorate around the sides of the larger card. I asked them to put their name on the card in the right hand side of the larger paper. As an example, I showed them a drawing of the way I wanted it to be set up. I gave everyone a deadline and it was suggested to me that I do it way, way ahead of time because there would be cards coming in late. My deadline was March 1st and here it is April 7th and I am still receiving the cards. But that's okay! My deadline is the end of this month and the wedding is May 19th!"

"People decorated the recipes in various ways . . . picture collages pictures from various magazines, rubber stamps, watercolor, stickers, pictures of the bride and groom, and so on. Every time a recipe came in, I got more excited. Amazingly, there was not one duplicate recipe!"

"The next step was to make dividers for the various categories, i.e., appetizers, desserts, etc.. My dividers were either the kind found in standard cookbooks, likes weights and measurements and food yields, or wedding-related, like my niece's E-mail engagement announcement, ‘How To Be A Good Wife by 1st and 2nd Graders', Cherokee Wedding Prayer and various quotes from the Internet regarding weddings. It was surprising the amount of material there is at Scrapbook Stores for weddings (stickers, background paper, etc.). I laminated each page to protect it from spills and stains. The front and back covers will be laminated with a heavier laminate. The outside cover will be a ˝ " bigger than the inside pages so that my niece can flip the pages and stand the book up on edge. I will have it spiral bound at a copy store."

"I have had so much fun doing this project. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a unique wedding idea. I can't wait to see my niece's expression when she first sees it!"