Wonderful Quotes about Mothers

Happy early Mother's Day!  I found this selection of quotes about Mothers and thought they would be perfect to put in a Mother's Day card or in a Bellflower Book for a special mother in your life. I have also included some artwork by one of my favorite artists, Mary Cassatt.  Enjoy!



Mary Cassatt ~ Mother and Child III

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.” ~ Elizabeth Stone, high school literature teacher and author of A Boy I Once Knew

“A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to make leaning unnecessary.” ~ Dorothy Fisher, American social activist and author

 “Men are what their mothers made them.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, American philosopher and poet

 “The strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws.” ~ Barbara Kingsolver, American writer and author of Pigs in Heaven

“My mother had a slender, small body, but a large heart – a heart so large that everybody's joys found welcome in it, and hospitable accommodation.” ~ Mark Twain, American author and humorist

Mary Cassatt ~ Mother and Child

 “A suburban mother's role is to deliver children obstetrically once, and by car forever after.” ~ Peter De Vries, American editor and novelist

 “You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother.” ~ Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist

“A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity; it dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path.” ~ Agatha Christie, English crime writer of novels, plays and short stories

“The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness.”
~Honore de Balzac, author

Mary Cassatt ~ Mother and Two Children





“The mother's heart is the child's schoolroom.”
~Henry Ward Beecher, US Congressional clergyman

“By and large, mothers and housewives are the only workers who do not have regular time off. They are the great vacationless class.”
~Anne Morrow Lindbergh, author

Photo Collages for your Bellflower Book Made Easy!

One of the biggest questions that people ask us is if they can put more than one photo on a page in their Bellflower Book.  The answer YES as long as those photos have been combined into one file or jpg.  The best way to do this is by creating a photo collage.

I recently stumbled upon an app that makes creating photo collages from pictures in your phone extremely easy!  The app is Photo Collage HD – the Amazing Pic-Frame & Pic-Collage & Postcards Manager Plus iLoader for Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr Pro and can be purchased from the itunes store for only $0.99.

Here is an example of what it can very easily do:

And this is how this image looks in your Bellflower Book:

Even though it is extremely self-explanatory, here are the simple instructions:

1) Select a Frame from the many wonderful options.  You can even customize this frame by adjusting the color, margin width and corners.  See below:

2) Choose your photos - you can even have friends and family participating in your book send their photos right to your phone!

3) After your photos have been chosen, it is easy to adjust them within the template with their simple editing functions.

4) The last step is to email this photo to yourself so that it can be downloading onto your desktop for easy upload into your Bellflower Book.  There may even be an easier way to do this if all of your systems are connected!

5) To send your collage, touch the button on the top right of your screen and email the photo. Make sure that the file size is large.  You may have to play around with file size a bit to make sure the photo is not too large to upload into your Bellflower Book or that it is not too small.  I have found that keeping the size at "normal" then emailing it as "large" works best.

6) Once the photo is emailed, download and save it and you are good to go!





A Meaningful Gift for a New Mom

Having your first baby is such an exciting time!  We have had many books come through our printers to celebrate this special occasion as a gift from a husband to a wife or as an extremely special gift from a group of family and friends to the expectant mother at her baby shower. Rather than one more rattle or pacifier, give a personal baby shower present that the new parents will treasure long after Junior is out of diapers.

One of the many options for a "Baby Shower" themed book

There are many creative ways to create a Bellflower Book for your favorite new mom to let her know that she is loved, appreciated and cared for.  Here are some of our favorites!

A personalized memory book full of favorite photos and warm wishes makes a beautiful and unique gift for the new Mom.

Invite her closest friends and family members to shower her with good wishes.

This creative baby shower gift could include reasons why she’ll make a great mom, tips for motherhood, fun memories of her life before children, or reminders of why she is so important to you.

Don’t forget that Moms pregnant for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th time (or more!) need encouragement too!

Why not make a personalized book full of reasons why you think this special person is a great Mom? She will love the encouragement.

Make a custom photo book for the baby!

Have friends and family contribute photos and write special letters to the new baby welcoming him or her into the world. Include favorite stories about the new Mom and Dad, advice from older brothers or sisters, or favorite memories from grandparents and other relatives.

A personalized book for the baby is a unique shower gift that will be treasured by both the Mom and the little one (when she learns to read).

Build a custom cookbook!

Collaborate with friends and family members to create a book of delicious and easy recipes. Make sure to include a photo of the finished product! What a great resource for the busy new mom!

Do you have an idea for a "New Mom" themed Bellflower Book?  Please let us know!  We'd love to include it in future "inspiration" :)

Great Quote to add to a Wedding Themed book!

We have many customers who create a Bellflower Book as an exceptionally meaningful wedding gift for someone special in their lives.  I saw this quote on Pinterest and thought it would make a great page in a wedding or engagement themed book!

Are you following us on Pinterest???

Are you following us on Pinterest?  If not, you should be!

Pinterest is a new social media site focused on visually sharing and organizing great ideas discovered online.  We are addicted!

An Example of one of our "Pin Boards"

Follow us on Pinterest to gain access to "pin boards" full of ideas for home decor, Bellflower Books,  delicious recipes, organization, gardening, kids crafts and activities and many, many more!

Our username is BFBOOKS

Hope to see you there!

Our New Guest Post Series

We are so excited to announce our new guest post series for 2012!  Last year we focused on paying tribute to meaningful people in our lives.  This year we are going to focus on sharing stories about meaningful events! 

Since so many of our books are created for weddings, anniversaries and new babies, we have decided to take guest posts from people telling their special wedding and birth stories.  I am so excited to read these posts and I am even looking forward to sharing my own!

If you are interested in being a part of this series, please email me at: kerry (at) BellflowerBooks (dot) com.

A New Year full of New Memories

This is a page that was created by my sister after a visit last January

Every year I use our website to create special memory books for my kids.  I am usually horrible about writing stuff down, so I have found that my account with Bellflower Books has made it easy to quickly type in a fun or funny story about my kids.  This is great because at the end of each year I have an individualized and personal memory book for each of my kids.  I make sure to have friends, babysitters and relatives contribute as well, especially if we take a special vacation together or if they come to visit us.

This will be the third year that I embark on this mission to preserve their special memories.  Considering it is a special book just about them, they absolutely love looking through the finished product and remembering all of the fun and silly times we have had together.  I have even printed "back-up" copies to put away for when they are grown.  I figured that by the time they are 18 or so these copies are going to be pretty "loved" and a little worn, so it would be really special to give them a set of brand new books for their own collection.  I hope that someday their kids will enjoy reading them and relating to the incredible and entertaining people they were are children:)

Bellflower Books in time for the Holidays!

Trying to finish a Bellflower Book in time for Christmas? 

Use the code SHIPNOW by Friday, December 16th at Noon Eastern Time for us to upgrade you to expedited shipping. 

This cannot be used with any other offer, including discounted gift certificates.

We hope you are having a wonderful December full of meaningful moments:)

Guest Post Series ~ Post by, Shannon Szemenyei of Sweet Stellas

My Dad

Meaningful Person Guest Post by, Shannon Szemenyei of

Sweet Stellas

I’m not really sure where to begin with this guest post. When I saw the tweet from Bellflower Books that they were looking for guest bloggers to write about influential people in their lives, I immediately thought of the most influential one in mine; my Dad.

Writing about my Dad is difficult. You see, he passed away very suddenly in 2005 from a massive heart attack. My boyfriend at the time (who later in life became my husband and the father of our gorgeous son) and I were at a Halloween costume dance with my best friend and her boyfriend at the time when I got the news from two police officers. (a story for another day…)

So…when I think of his influence, it hits my heart and soul in a very very meaningful way. I think of the times when I was a child and I would absolutely give up on sports. He would encourage me to try again, but knew that at the heart of it…I just wasn’t into it. I was content to sit and draw, or write poetry and stories. When he saw how happy it made me to engage in the more artsy things, he tried his best to foster that love in me.

I recall many Thursday nights when my mom was off at choir practice for church, and Dad would go to the basement, strap on his ear phones and drum. He was the type of musician who could play by ear, not by sheet music, and it was such an incredible experience for him to give me the nod to join him. He had this special attachment that would split the earphone jack into two so we could both listen. What a sight to see we were; both hooked up to headphones, him drumming and me singing! He taught me to love music…to feel it, and to let it guide me wherever I go.

Then came my high school years and the challenges with math and science. I wanted so badly to be a biological oceanographer (ie: marine biologist) and our dream was to get a boat and study orcas and bottlenose dolphins off the coast of British Columbia. Dad was going to be my undersea photographer. I think he really just wanted to swim with the whales. When I hit a road block in grade 11 with math and really really struggled, he encouraged me to try again. I did…and it didn’t go well. My brain just doesn’t work that way; it’s wired too creatively for trigonometry!  Recognizing that, my Dad sought to again, foster that love of the arts in me.

He certainly was a proud Poppa when I graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with a double degree in Fine Art and History in June 2005. He even yelled “Way to go, Beans!” when they announced my name. In an arena of some 10,000 parents and loved ones, there was my Dad, yelling at the top of his lungs. It is a moment of pride that I will never ever forget.

He passed away a few short months after my graduation, but that moment will forever be etched in my mind. He was my biggest fan, and the works of art that were his absolute favourite under the sun, were created by me. How amazing is that?! Those are works that I absolutely will never part with because he is a part of them.

Five years later, when I look back on the last moments that I had with my Dad, I recall sharing ice cream sundaes, going for movie dates to see Shrek, and him being there on every step of my journey to become who he always imagined that I would be. He believed in me, heart and soul, and I truly believe that he guides my hand with every brushstroke that I make and every piece of paper that I cut.

To learn more about Shannon and her beautiful work, please visit her blog: www.sweetstellas.blogspot.com

and her website: www.sweetstellas.com

Comment from Bellflower Books:   This post is very close to my heart.  I too have an absolutely amazing and supportive father who I am incredibly close to.  I am very fortunate that a couple of years ago my husband and I moved our family back to our hometown so that we could be closer to our parents. I see my dad everyday and everyday I am appreciative of the time we spend together.  I admire Shannon so much for writing this post.  It made me cry just to read it, so I can only imagine how difficult it was to write.  It is a nice way to remind those of us with excellent fathers how very lucky we are! 

Guest Post Series ~ Featuring Brandon Duncan

Unfading Memories
Contributed By,
Brandon Duncan of the Blog Brandon the Duncan ~ Fatherhood in 4L- Living, Learning, Laughing and Loving it!

This is not Bellflower’s typical guest post, nor I the typical Bellflower guest.  Even though you know this, I encourage you to look beyond the fact that it is written by a man. Ignore the fact that I am not someone that scrapbooks and keeps memory boxes. Disregard the fact that frill and frou-frou exists nowhere in my life aside my daughter’s bedroom and wife’s craft room. I need you to squint just a little and take a glimpse in between the lines. For there you will find a message that is too often overlooked until it is much too late. We all have a few special moments in our lives that are permanently captured in our hearts and minds. Moments that you can recall as if they happened only minutes ago. They could be our wedding day. They could be witnessing that wobbly first step. They could be as simple as a birthday---no matter the year. In my case, a shocking and unexpected belly laugh from my newborn induced the happiest tears that have ever run down my face.

There are others, of course, but not many. Because no matter how exquisite the sunset, no matter how calm and refreshing the breeze that fall day, your mind will eventually just store it away. The finer lines become less detailed. The colors, not as crisp. The warmth of the fingers intertwined, now more a memory than an emotion. Your memories begin to fade. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and I believe it. Yet a picture by itself is nothing more than a captured moment in time. It is able to pull fond, wonderful memories to the surface, that much is true, but think of all the pictures you have come across in your life. There are details in many that you cannot recall. Books display photos of old that leave you curious about the story happening at that moment. What were they doing? Why were they there? They look happy…were they?

As a writer, I understand the power of words. When crafted properly, they can answer those questions and more. They can transport you to that time and into that story. They are capable of creating the world around that frozen moment. The pictures are the bookmark, the words the narration. No, I am not the typical Bellflower guest, but I am an unofficial evangelist for the magic they are helping create---the gift of memories unfading.

To learn more about Brandon Duncan, please visit his blog at http://www.brandontheduncan.com/.  It is a wonderful way to get a male's perspective on raising a family:)

Comment from Bellflower Books: Wow Brandon!  Thanks for doing such an amazing job summing up the importance of our product (we just asked him to guest post for us, we didn't expect anything like this!) One of the things that makes our product different from a typical photo book is the emphasis based on text and the mission of our company to have more people take the time to tell loved ones how special and appreciated they are.  You are right, a picture may be worth a thousand descriptive words, but only a written out memory can accurately preserve feeling.  Thanks Brandon for all of your support!

Collaborative Vacation Memory Books

My mom recently turned 60. We celebrated her birthday where we always do, Rehoboth Beach, DE. The Corrigans have been visiting Rehoboth for over 30 years, so it was the perfect place to celebrate such an important birthday!

Since I am in the business of supplying people with meaningful gifts, I could not let my mom's birthday pass without the creation of a Bellflower Book! I decided to put together a collaborative book of vacation memories from Rehoboth over the years. I contacted all of the friends and family who visited us there and received a great response. In addition to the pages the contributors created, my sister and I created many wonderful pages full of our own favorite memories, photographs and traditions.

The Bellflower Book I created ended up being a gift not just for my mom, but for the whole family. I can't wait for my children to read it so they can relate to the traditions we are now doing with them. One of my friends liked the idea behind this book so much she immediately started one for her own mom honoring their family traditions in Harbor Springs, MI.

Now that I am a parent myself I see how much work goes into family vacations. Until around five years ago I think I thought the cottage magically cleaned itself and that my mom actually enjoyed grocery shopping and making dinner. I now know how much work goes into making a family vacation special. I am so happy I could create a book for my mom honoring everything she has done over the last thirty years to make our family vacations happen!

My Bellflower Book ~ A Special Gift for my Wedding

My cousin and my oldest friend worked together to create a Bellflower Book as a special gift for my wedding.  It was given to me at my bridesmaid luncheon the day before my wedding. I was so excited! I had been involved with writing a Bellflower Book for a friend, but was so happy to be the one receiving it! I skimmed through it at my bridesmaid luncheon, but found it to be truly amazing to read while I was getting hair and make up done. It was so great, on such an important day in my life, to hear all the wonderful memories from my friends and family and how much they loved my husband and I together.

Everyone who contributed to my book wrote such heartfelt and amazing letters.... but I have to say that the page from my husband was my favorite. He wrote the last page in the book.  After reading letter upon
letter, laughing at times, crying at times, hearing how wonderful everyone thought my soon to be husband and I are together,  I was very emotional. His letter was so heartfelt and the perfect ending to such an incredible book. And if I had any butterflies about getting married, which of course I didn't haha, reading his letter made me want to run down the aisle because I am so lucky to have him!

Bellflower books are truly priceless and make an incredibly meaningful wedding gift. To have a book where all of the people you care about the most, can express how they feel about you is so amazing. I read through it again before writing this post and I laughed and cried just like it was the first time I was reading it.  THAT is why everyone should be luckily enough to receive a Bellfllower book!

Nicole H.
Chicago, IL

A traditional anniversary gift with a twist!

The traditional gift for your first anniversary is something to do with paper.  I can't think of a better way to incorporate paper than by creating a Bellflower Book!

I still remember my first anniversary.  Even though I have now been married almost 9 years, my first anniversary was the most meaningful and memorable.  I also remember struggling with what to get my husband to show him how happy I was with him and our life together.  I ended up getting him a really cliche book about love and some random candles.  It did not make much of an impact.  I wish that Bellflower Books would have been around back then.  Not only would I have had the option to create a truly amazing and priceless gift to give on my 1 year anniversary, I would love to have a copy of that book to reflect on now!  So much changes in 9 years!!!  It would have been wonderful to have a record of the blissful time in our life when we were young newlyweds with little responsibility:)

I was inspired to write this post because of our sponsorship of Project Marriage with blogs Life Without Pink and Mommy Friend.  I love the idea behind Project Marriage and I think a Bellflower Book is a wonderful way to let your husband know he is loved and appreciated on any occasion or anniversary.  I know that in my own marriage, it is when either one of us starts to feel neglected or unappreciated, that things start falling apart.  Creating a Bellflower Book is a great way to show your significant other how much he means to you.  Plus, it is an excellent record of your life together!

Guest Post Series: Tell us about someone special in your life

Bellflower Books are all about telling the important people in our lives why they are loved and appreciated.  We decided to do a series of "guest posts" on our blog profiling the important people in the lives of our readers.  Please contact us if you would like to contribute a post.  We are hoping to do with our blog what we have done with our product and encourage people to write the meaningful words they may not always say:)

Meaningful Person of the Month - Dionne Williams

Dionne Williams - One of our fantastic interns!

Dionne is one of our very dedicated UNPAID interns who has donated her time and energy to our company (Bellflower Books) because she believes in our product and truly enjoys helping others.  When I interviewed Dionne for the internship, I was so impressed with her intellect and maturity and with how genuinely interesting she was.  I had Dionne write her own Bio to be showcased on this blog.  Please continue reading to learn more about a very impressive young woman...

In her own words....

Hey!  My name is Dionne Williams.  I am a junior at Bowling Green State University studying creative writing.  I have always had a connection with words.  From reading to music, I have always enjoyed the way that they can make a simple statement into a powerful emotion.  I always say, if you're going to say something make sure it's worth saying.  I write poetry, short stories and occasionally lyrics. Upon my graduation, I want to be a jingle writer.  I seem to have a knack for making catchy slogans.  My leisure activites include writing parodies and singing every Disney song that pops into my head, while making dances for talent shows.  I am currently the public relations chair for Sigma Kappa Theta Upsilon.  One interesting fact about me is that I am only 4 feet 11 inches tall, which is one inch less than a midget.

I am originally from Cincinnati, OH.  Go Bengals!  I attended Hughs Center high school, which is across the street from the University of Cincinnati. During my senior year of high school I had the opportunity to enroll in the University of Cincinnati for English and Math and entered BGSU with enough credits to be considered a sophmore. So, technically, if you judge my class standing I am a senior.

Another interesting fact about me is that I have only had two jobs in my entire life.  One was a King's Island Amusement Part in Mason, OH. This is a big park with rides and attractions like Cedar Point or Coney Island.  I worked there for four years in food service and every year I was promoted.  Thanks to King's Island, I can make a pepperoni pizza in a minute.  My current job is a lab monitor at the Wolfe Viewing Center on BGSU's campus.

What I wish for my future is to be happy like everyone else.  I knwo my major isn't very lucrative, but it makes me extremely happy and as long as you have happiness you are the richest person in the world!  I love to make people laugh and smile and pursuing a career in marketing makes me able to do everything I love; write poetry, make music and spread love!

For Your Favorite Grad




"I don't have an artistic bone in my body, but every Bellflower Book design is so beautiful and the experience is so personal that I felt like the finished product was truly my work of art."

~Camie C.

 I remember how when I graduated high school my mom created a special scrapbook for me full of photos, awards and newspaper clippings.  The only thing that could have made it more special would have been letters from loved ones.  I took it with me to college and looked through it when I was homesick, which was quite often.

Now that we have created "Bellflower Books" I can't help but think about what a wonderful gift our books would make for sons and daughters leaving for college.  A Bellflower Book would make a great graduation gift or a wonderful surprise to leave with you child when you drop them off at school.

Think about what an impact a book full of family memories and letters from loved ones would make!  You could now scan in all of those newspaper articles, awards and certificates so that they will be perfectly preserved.  How fun for your child to also have letters from close friends reminiscing about the good times they shared in high school.

The first year of college can be a lot of fun, but it can also be pretty lonely.  A Bellflower Book is a special way to remind your children where they are from and how many people love and appreciate them there.  What a wonderful boost of self-esteem that would be as they enter into an adult life of creating new friendships and making their own decisions.

Make sure to order a copy for yourself :)

Welcome to our new blog!!!

Kerry and Heather's first publication - "Kid's News" made neighborhood history!

Considering that the very first business that Heather and I started together was a neighborhood newspaper when we were in the fifth grade, it only seems fitting that our new company, Bellflower Books, would have its own electronic newspaper in the form of a blog.

As a former art teacher, I miss having a daily opportunity to share information, interact with people and be creative.  I will be the main contributor to this blog and I am hoping it will serve as a wonderful and fun outlet for me!

I can't wait to share information with you about interesting new artists, gifts that give back, good books, great people, charitable opportunities and of course, fun tips and inspiration for creating a Bellflower Book. 

I am also hoping to help promote entrepreneurs like myself, so if you have a great blog or have started a small company, please contact me and tell me all about it!

Welcome to our new blog!!!  I think this is going to be a lot of fun!!!

Cheers!  (Heather and I in fifth grade)

~Kerry