If pigs could fly … they’d travel the world!

The moment I saw this book, I knew I had to cover it here on the Mixing Bowl. It was witty, creative, cute and downright fun.

Mixbooker Candy Y. proves that pigs can fly, and that they can also travel in style. In the book, “Voyage with McMug and McDull,” 2 pigs take off on an adventure to exotic locales with delicious food all along the way. These pigs have been more places than I could ever have imagined!

Some highlights:

- delectable dumplings in Taipei, Taiwan
- a feast in Bangkok, Thailand
- snorkeling in Bohol, Philippines
- building snowmen in Hokkaido, Japan
- visiting the Olympic stadium and Water cube in Beijing, China
- stunning views of the Grand Canyon in America
- traveling along Australia’s Gold Coast

Boy, pigs sure can take great photos! Take a cue from this awesome Mixbook and have fun with your photos. And be sure to share your experiences with us by emailing us at feedback@mixbook.com

If pigs can fly, then they can definitely Mixbook,
Alison

The summer is here! And we’re so excited to see all those Mixbooks of your summer trips. To inspire you, we’d like to highlight Janet C.’s book about her trip to Thailand. It’s filled with elephants, snake charmers, and a Thai McDonald’s! It’s exotic, tropical, and fun.

We hope that even if you don’t go somewhere this season, that you’ll try out our new features to make a book of your daily adventures. Go crazy and be creative!

Happy Mixbooking,
Alison

Love, love, love! It’s all about love! Today’s Mixing Bowl comes just in time for Valentine’s Day – the most dreaded day of the year for some, and a great excuse for others to get flowers and candy for their special someone. Well, whichever way you see it, it’s a great opportunity to get $4 off any Mixbook order! (Use coupon code MIXNLOVE)
And today’s Mixing Bowl is the cutest ever – with sweet and silly sentiments from this third grade class. Check out “Roses are Red, Violets are Blue” by Miss Arthur’s third graders. Here is a small excerpt from one of the poignant and poetic students:

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Your hair is a mess!
Fix that hairdo!

So get to it and make your sweetie a lil’ book of your very own!

Love that Mixbook o’ mine,
Alison

Happy New Year everyone! We hope you had a wonderful 2007, and we wish you the best 2008 ever!

The year is off to a great start with “The Mixing Bowl” back in action. We’re excited to share some of the new books that have been made on our site as well as the ones that have been made through Facebook. It’s so exciting to see books that have been made with the click of a button — it’s the beginning of some really new innovations.

In any case, we’d like to start off with some picturesque views and fun commentary courtesy of this Mixbook -

Utah Extravaganza 2007 by Nik H.

This book follows four friends through their trek into Zion National Park – complete with stunning views, awesome photos of Antelope Canyon, and photographs scattered with beautiful sunlight. This Mixbook is fun to page through after all the hubbub of the holidays – it is simple and creative, marked with notes about the highlights of the trip.

This is great inspiration for the globe trekkers out there, as well as those of you who have hard drives chock full of photos from the past year. Take some time to upload them to Mixbook.com and you can make a book about your year in review.

One of our resident Mixbookers made a book about her year in review – all the highlights, special people, events, and even a hairdo change! Her book will remind her of all the memories of 2007 and then some.

2008 should be great,
Alison

We’ve talked about pets before, but Mixbooks about them seem to be popping up here and there! We love one in particular about a dalmatian named Queen. The photography is exceptional, and the use of different layouts and matching backgrounds (the grass background with grass photos) make this book outstanding. I love that Queen’s owner took so much time to lovingly record the antics of this unique breed of dog. This book, along with two other dog books are too cute for words!

1) Queen by Miguel A.

2) Meet Isolda the Pug by Nelson F.

Isolda is a cutie, and her owners dressed her up in some bike leather! Wow. What a hip dog. Pugs are funny dogs, but I think Isolda is more than just funny. This goes to show that a simple book can still be really neat.

3) Bella by Travis H.

This trial book is worth a look because of the beautiful pup that graces its cover. Chronicle your dog’s life from the very beginning — watch them in their element, playing, eating, and even lounging around.

Panting for more?
Alison

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas earlier and earlier in the season nowadays. It seems that stores are just skipping Halloween and Thanksgiving altogether and going straight to Christmas trees and Santa Claus.

So with this 10th edition of The Mixing Bowl, we’ve hopped on the seasonal bandwagon! We wanted to inspire Mixbookers to make personalized Christmas gifts with a twist, so we made a Christmas Mixbook. This book is a compilation of page layouts that you could use for the holidays to bring someone you love a little cheer! It is fun, sweet, and so easy to make.

Check out some of our ideas, and catch the Holiday Spirit! Wouldn’t it be great to have all your Christmas shopping done by the end of November? Yes, of course it would!

Sending you Holiday Cheer,
Alison

Shout out to our intern Anna for making a stellar Mixbook!

As fall continues to come upon us, I’m reminded of the beauty of the fall weather. Crisp, cool, and laden with rain or snow. All across the country, fall manifests itself in changing leaves and windy days. Here in northern California the fall season is interesting, since weather tends to be pretty mild. In any case, here’s a look at fall in three different cities, from three different Mixbooks.

1) Boston by Christina B.

This book chronicles a year in the life of a Harvard grad student. There are many pictures of Boston landmarks, marked by the change of seasons in Boston. A Red Sox win, Quincy Market, a Harvard-Yale football game, turkeys and pumpkins!

2) Ladies in San Francisco by Annie S. with Kari M. and Nora G.

Almost every famous San Francisco sight shows up in this Mixbook – the Golden Gate, fog, Chinatown, Ghirardelli, sea lions and the Bush Man! This book looks like such fun.

3) Fairweather Friends by Alison T. (hey, that’s me!)

Seattle’s gray skies and falling rain make for good “hot chocolate and warm blanket” days. Our visit to the Pacific Northwest was an adventure, with fun every step of the way.

Enjoy the fall … wear lots of layers and make a Mixbook.

Alison

Ahhh, love is in the air. Well, okay maybe not in the air … but on Mixbook! My own wedding anniversary is coming up, so it pleases me to see a few engagement books on our site. With engagement stories becoming so elaborate these days, it is a good idea to have a way to recall the happy moments even years later. Check out the books of these two couples — they have quite a few things in common. A convertible, Pebble Beach, and of course, a ring. One book is still in progress, which speaks of any relationship. Because as married folks we’re always “in progress …”

1) Matt and Jen’s Engagement by Jennifer S.

This book chronicles the surprise engagement that took place down the coast of California, all the way to the San Diego Wild Animal Park. This couple got engaged and began their adventure right away, enjoying the blessings over the course of an entire weekend!

2) Thai and Angela’s Engagement! by Thai L. with Angela C., Rebekah L., Arpit M. Photography, cadenais, and Stacy J.

What a fun engagement story – and what effort it took to come to fruition! Thai had to do a lot of work to make sure everything went right on his engagement day. I love that this engagement was a joint effort among family and friends, since everyone was supportive and involved in every step of the event, even in the Mixbooking portion.

Mixbook is LOVE,
Alison

Ciao Mixbookers! This week’s Mixing Bowl is coming to you from the country of Italy. Newlyweds Rebecca and Matt went on a fabulous honeymoon trip to Rome, Florence, Tuscany and Venice — and through their Mixbook we get to travel along with them.

Italian Honeymoon by Rebecca F.

Romance and love are in the air … along with cups full of gelato! I love Rebecca’s narrative style paired with the beautiful photographs of Italy’s architecture and famous sights, with funny little anecdotes here and there. Be sure to check out page 12 for a picture of the Pope on a giant lollipop! That was definitely a sight to see … and I didn’t have to pay the price of a ticket to Italy.

Take a look at this Mixbook and be inspired — whether your next Mixbook is about a trip to another country or a trip down the street, the memories are what it’s about.

Felice (Happy) Mixbooking,
Alison

Today’s Mixing Bowl book is a cool display of kids getting big air on bikes, boards, and even scooters! I love the use of our grungy blue circles background. Check it out!

Skate Park Concert by Matt Y.

I’ve always wanted to learn how to skateboard, but never really got the chance. This Mixbook inspires me to dream big and fly high with the guys and gals who participated in this rockin’ event in Derby, Kansas. And I won’t have to worry about eating the pavement.

Do you have an event coming up that you want to remember? Or maybe you took a hike this weekend and want to recall the scenery? It’s easy when you keep the background the same and the text simple. Take a cue from Matt and Mixbook about your next big event! Matt even used the book to promote their next event, which is coming in October 2007. Great job, Matt!