First, credit where credit is due. I found the idea in the USA Weekend Magazine (it comes in my Sunday paper). And here's what it looks like when you finish:
See how the ring makes a heart shadow in the book? Okay, that's a little mushy. But in a cool way, right?
Since I've actually worked on this little idea, I'll give you tips that the article left out.
1. Find a book (or a poem, story, song or journal entry within the book) that has special meaning to you and your beloved. I used The Moral Compass, edited by William Bennet. It's a gem of a book, packed with so many wonderful words, it was hard to choose something special. But I also chose that book because the Beneficent Mr. Hall gave it to me a long time ago. Can you tell that I have the book opened to the Pronouncement of Marriage (from the wedding vows)?
2. Find a ring, preferably a simple, banded ring. I used my wedding band. Notice how small that ring is? Honestly, I never noticed that myself till today. My fingers are like skinny, little carrot sticks.
3. Open the book to the page you like and fit the ring in the binding. It won't (despite cramming with all your might and harassing it) stay put. You will need to use a dab of glue to hold it in place. Now, work fast here, because you don't want the glue to harden and dry, lest you'll need to rip the page to get your ring out. I used craft glue, which is very sticky and washes off easily (from your ring). And please, put the stopper in the sink while washing off your ring. A ripped page is one thing. A lost ring is quite another thing altogether.
4. Place the book under a strong light and you will notice how a heart shadow forms in the crease of the opened book. Lovely! You might want to play with it a few moments to get the right angle for the heart. I traipsed from room to room, looking for the right light.
5. Get your camera, quick! Snap a picture! This step sounds easy, but here is where you might run into a bit of a bother. When I used my everyday, cheapo camera, the flash kept coming on and wiping out the shadow. But I was able to get the words (I used a folk tale about marriage) in sharper focus. What to do? I covered the flash with my finger and snapped the picture. It looked like this:
Hmmm...you can't see the shadow as well, and of course, there's that pink glow. But in a way, that pink glow adds to the whole Valentine feel, doesn't it? So I ran like the wind (if the wind were middle-aged and sluggish) to find my super expensive camera and try again. That's when I got the better shadow, but the blurred words. I'm still not sure which picture I'll use.
If I were a better photographer, this Valentine idea might come out better. But I'm still going to print one of the pictures and frame it for the Beneficent Mr. Hall. I have a feeling he'll like it just fine. He's kinda mushy like that.
