In  honor of the American Music Awards show going live later today, here is a quick peek at a book I made last year after an incredible experience at the AMAs with my music-obsessed daughter. Stepping into this foreign land of red carpets, celebrities and paparazzi was a highlight of our year…

Every once in awhile a special event inspires me to make a quick book like this to capture the energy and feeling around an amazing experience. Nowvel’s 8×8 hardcover book is a favorite format of mine for these sweet books. Two tips for this Tuesday on how I quickly pulled together this book in time for a Christmas delivery…

First, I used an hourly “timestamp” concept to guide the book text. The main event was the awards show so including the hourly details leading up to the show was an easy way to document and build the narrative of the day.

Second, I selectively included stock photos to tell the stories not as easily captured on our mobile phones.

The books ends with a few pages about the extra day we spent exploring Los Angeles after the show, complete with a classic southern California sunset.

Short, sweet and simple but also a tangible, visual reminder of an incredible experience and mother-daughter moments I don’t want either of us to ever forget!