Guest blogger, Erica Jacobs Green, the author of Whose Birthday Is It? writes from Iceland about motherhood, stress, and carving out special time to read personalized children’s books with her kids.

Honk! Was that a big rig? This month, it feels like there’s an interstate highway in the middle of my living room. I work from home and my job has become particularly busy. I have a handful of new clients and I’m trying to catch up from vacation days I took for the kids’ Spring Break. If that weren’t enough, we are also preparing for a big move, which means we are house-hunting and researching schools and trying to prepare for this big transition.

All houses and families can get like this: to a point where work and kid’s schedules feel totally overwhelming. During times like this I know one thing for certain: I need to somehow find a way to press pause.

To add to my life’s craziness, the weather has been erratic: from snow, to blazing sun, to freezing temps. Instead of letting this increase my stress level, I want to find a way to use the season to take a small break from the whirlwind of life, to help me press pause. But how can I use the season to bring calm to my family and to my life?

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how to use the natural world and the seasons in our family activities, in my kids’ playtime, and in our rituals. For me, it will mean getting outside into nature and embracing the weather—whatever it may be. There are dozens of ways to do this during spring, from taking a walk with your child through the rain, to picking a bouquet of spring flowers, to finding the one sunny spot outside to read a story.

Quiet time with a book always gets me grounded again. Sitting with my kids to read is like hitting a reset button. So this week, I’m going to head outside with my children and sit by the ocean’s edge, just down the street from our house. We’ll set aside 20 minutes, pick our favorite Paper Hat Press book, which for my daughter is Little Sparkle and for my son is Whose Birthday Is It?, and we’ll watch the water while we read. Since the stories are personalized, filled with details about us, it will give us a chance to think of all the great little things in our life that make us happy. Another thing that makes reading personalized children’s books more fun is that when we find all the little tidbits about us in the story, I know we’ll stop to talk about them, which will allow us to really savor this special moment.

We won’t let my busy schedule or the seasonal weather dissuade us. In fact, it may be more fun if the weather is crazy. We’ll vow to welcome wild and wonderful spring even if that means holding an umbrella over the book, putting on our thick Icelandic sweaters, or (if we are lucky) wearing our sunglasses.

How will you press pause and enjoy nature and your kids this spring?

Erica Jacobs Green has worked in book publishing for nearly twenty years. Her award-winning writing has appeared in anthologies, newspapers, and online. Currently a freelance writer and editor, Erica is also the co-founder of Ever After Studio and working on a novel. Her book Whose Birthday Is It? was recently published by Paper Hat Press. Originally from California, Erica lives in Reykjavik, Iceland with her husband and two small children in a house full of traveler’s artifacts.

Three Springs ago, we published our very first personalized books, LITTLE SUPER, LITTLE SPARKLE, and LITTLE STAR. The gorgeous art in these books features the primary colors of the season: deep blue skies, green green grass, red superhero capes and balloons, yellow suns, stars and moons. The giant purple flowers in Little Sparkle’s garden were inspired by the allium blooming in our Creative Director’s garden. Exuberant Little Super dashes across fresh new grass. Little Star shines in a blue sky above it all.

Spring brings not only blue skies and new blooms, but brand-new items from Paper Hat Press. We are excited to share our colorful personalized sticker collection, available for all of our books, this month. Choose a book of stickers, personalize your little character, add your name, and collect every set! Stay tuned for our Spring sticker launch.

Spring also brings a shiny, new website that we look forward to launching just as soon as it is ready. Our hope is to better serve your personalized book-making experience at Paper Hat Press.

Last, but not least, that Springiest of holidays, Easter, is just around the corner. Show some bunny you love them. Our newest personalized book, I LOVE YOU, features two adorable love bunnies, making it a sweet treat for the one you love.

Happy Spring from all of us at Paper Hat Press.

In February, early spring bulbs planted months ago begin to sprout. Songbirds return from their annual travels. Almond, plum and cherry trees blossom—little pink buds on bare trees, which, in the heart of cold gray winter, resemble tiny little valentines.

What we love best about Valentine’s Day is just this, the small lovely gestures: the handpicked, messy bouquet of flowers, the lopsided frosted cake, the handmade paper heart envelopes. Remember those? A holiday staple in elementary school. Cutting two big hearts out of thick red construction paper, pasting them together, writing your name on the front, and hanging them up. And then, the best part, your paper heart rounded and full with Valentine’s from your classmates. Store-bought boxed Valentine’s, cards adorned with Superheroes and beloved characters, handmade notes scribbled in crayon, sugar hearts that read, “Be mine”; “You’re sweet”; “Kiss me,” and maybe even a piece or two of chocolate.

Sure, we don’t need a holiday to express our love, but at its simplest and most heart-felt, Valentine’s Day is a little bit of color in these long days of winter.

Paper Heart Press! Each of our personalized books comes wrapped in kraft paper to make a paper hat. It can also be used to make your very own paper heart. Go ahead, make one, hang it up. May your heart be filled.

Happy Valentine’s Day to you and yours.

A new year, a new book! We are happy to announce our brand new title, I Love You, illustrated by Micah Player.

How do you love thee? More than sparkly things, butterfly wings, more than castles fit for queens and kings. More than fireworks, those bouquets of light, more than a clear bright night. Show just how much you love that special kid in your life in this super sweet ode to love. Personalize the story with I or We (“I/We love you”) and the name (or names) of the one you love. Add one's favorite sweet, sport or activity, food and toy, for a book as unique as your love. Complete the book with a special dedication. The name of the one you love will be featured throughout the book and in a spectacular finale.

I Love You comes with a heart-shaped, paper-over-board pendant that pops out of the cover and can be personalized, strung on a ribbon and worn or given to the one you love. When the pendant is removed from the cover, the book’s title is personalized by name, e.g. "We Love Evelyn".

The lovely thing about this book is that it can be given to a child or children, as well as to a parent or parents, grandparent or grandparents, a friend, boyfriend or girlfriend. Our book, like love, is for all ages!

To show how much we love YOU, we are offering a special 25% discount on all of our books the month of January, just in time for Valetine’s Day. Use code LOVE25.

We founded a publishing company to make the most beautiful personalized children’s books and keepsakes on the market. We are lucky to work with the very best in the business, and we are feeling pretty thankful.

Thank you to our talented authors, editors, illustrators and book designers. Thank you to our intrepid tech engineers and our hardworking printers. Thank you to our supportive publishing advisors and our outstanding retail partners. Thank you to our stellar customer service representatives. Thank you to our enthusiastic sales, marketing and public relations associates. And thank you to all of the bloggers, big and small, who have spread the word about our books.

Most importantly, we want to thank you, our customers. We wouldn’t be here without each of you. Thank you to all of you moms and dads, grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends who have bought a Paper Hat Press book for those special kids in your lives. Thank you, too, for your support, your feedback and your ideas.

Paper Hat Press wishes you and yours a happy holiday season and new year.

We are super excited to launch our new personalized book and first holiday title: Christmas Mouse, illustrated by the wonderfully whimsical Sarah Watts.

It's Christmas Eve, and not a creature is stirring...except for a mouse! Mouse needs to get the house ready for his favorite kid. There is so much to do, and Santa will be here soon! Mouse hangs lights, silver tinsel and paper snowflakes. He counts candies and makes cookies. He wraps presents and hangs one last ornament on the tree. Everything is just right. But what will Mouse give his favorite kid for Christmas? This charming story about the magic of Christmas and the meaning of giving will delight readers of all ages.

Our signature personalization allows you to choose a character that most resembles your child (boy or girl, hair color and skin tone). Your child's name is featured in the story, as well as on a stocking, an ornament and a gift from Santa. Personalize the book further by adding up to six family members’ names on additional stockings and ornaments. Complete your book with a personalized dedication.

A brand-new feature and the detail we are most excited about: our personalized holiday book comes with an ornament! The ornament pops right out of the cover of the book. One side is Christmas Mouse; the other side is blank and can be personalized by you or your child. Color it, add festive papers, glitter, your child’s name, the year, etc.; thread a thin ribbon or string through the hole at the top; hang it on the tree or give it as a gift.

We at Paper Hat Press hope you have a magical holiday season.

We just wanted to introduce another member of the Paper Hat Press team, Amy Novesky, our Creative Director, co-founder, and author of our upcoming holiday title Christmas Mouse. An award-winning children's book author and former editor with Chronicle Books, Amy lives in Sausalito, CA with her family. She took time out of her busy schedule to answer some questions for us.

PHP: What was your favorite storybook as a child?

AN: My favorite books as a child were about characters stranded on deserted islands: Island of the Blue Dolphins, The Black Stallion, Where the Wild Things Are. I also loved books about stuffed animals that come to life, because I believed in that, and that childhood belief inspired Christmas Mouse.

PHP: What was your favorite food to eat as a kid?
AN: Mud pie. My mom made it for every birthday party.

PHP: Are you—or a child in your life—currently obsessed with any kids' book, toy or product? If so, what?
AN: My son is seven and definitely in chapter book territory, but as a children's book editor and author, we will always have picture books to read; I believe the best picture books are for all ages. A perennial favorite of ours is Seasons by Blexbolex; Herve Tulle's Press Here is a brilliant book. The gorgeous Man on the Moon by William Joyce is a great cross-over title. Chapter books we love include My Father's Dragon, about a character on a deserted island.... Like mother, like son. Movies: we love Miyazaki's films Ponyo; My Friend, Totoro; Spirited Away. Toys: My son recently discovered beyblades. They are Japanese-designed spinning tops, and there are hundreds of them, each with a unique name, personality and quality. The kids collect them and have competitions with them. I was a little hesitant at first--they are characters from a popular TV series and their backstory is about fighting and destroying each other--but as objects, there is something wonderfully tangible and even beautiful about them, and they are, quite simply, tops.

PHP: Do you read any fun blogs that our customers might enjoy reading too?
AN: There are many lovely blogs out there that I would love to read. But I am not much of a blog reader. I'm too busy making books!

PHP: What's your go-to place for inspiration for your work or hobbies (i.e. design blogs, an art museum, a favorite place to hike)?
AN: I am happiest near the ocean. I have lived near the ocean nearly all my life. There's a beach just down the street from our hundred year old house. I just started paddleboarding. I walk down to the beach, jump on a board, paddle for an hour, jump off the board, walk home. It's wonderful to be out on the water in such a simple way; it's meditative and adventurous, a lovely mix. I also love being in the city (I live 10 minutes from San Francisco); I'm equally a beach girl and a city girl at heart. I find city energy to be exciting and inspiring. Independent bookstores, too, inspire me and give me hope that there is still a place for books and a community of writers and readers. And, always, being with my son is a source of inspiration. We wrote a picture book together this summer.

PHP: If you had a super power what would it be?
AN: To fly, just like Little Super.

By now, everyone’s back to school and fall has unofficially begun. The autumn pumpkins are starting to make their appearance and soon whole pumpkin patches will pop up alongside the highway. Before long, it will be Halloween, then Thanksgiving, and the holidays….

The beginning of fall, and its string of holidays, inspires seasonal rituals. There are those rituals we do as a culture—picking out the perfect gourds, cutting them up and sticking candles in them. Reading books with our kids at bedtime; we, at Paper Hat Press, hope to be helping inspire this nightly ritual. There are the rituals we carry on from our parents—when I was a kid, Halloween costumes were almost always homemade and scrappy; one year I was a Mediterranean fruit fly (If you grew up in Southern California in the 1970s you’ll know what I’m talking about). My son is carrying on the tradition; try finding a pheasant cuckoo costume at Target. And there are the rituals we create with our own kids.

In our house, as the days get shorter, the mornings darker, we light a candle in the kitchen, as we get ready for school. It’s a softer, quieter way to ease into the day, a prelude to the shortest days of the year and the season of lights in whatever tradition you celebrate.

What are your rituals? Do you have special rituals around reading and books? How do you herald in a new season?

Whether school starts while summer is still in full swing or in more studious September, when the air feels just a bit crisper, the sky a deeper blue, who doesn’t love the back-to-school season? There’s just something about sharpened pencils, a new pair of sneakers, brand-new notebooks—the blank page, a clean slate. Back-to-school is a time of possibility, and possibility is inspiring.

Launching August 20, just in time to slip into that cool new backpack, our customizable sketchbooks and notebooks are sure to inspire budding artists and writers, not just this fall, but year-round. Creativity is perennial.

Choose from ten colorful covers featuring our books: characters from Little Super, Little Sparkle and Little Star; a roaring lion or a line of elephants from our forthcoming title Little Big Top; a bear with balloons or a bevy of favorite toys from Whose Birthday Is It? Add name to bookplate to personalize your book, and your child will be ready to create a masterpiece.

Summer is big for birthdays. Here at Paper Hat Press, we celebrate at least five in our little family, including this Creative Director’s. And in my own family, there is nearly a birthday every day of the month of July, including mine and my son’s.

I can remember every birthday since the day he was born. How wonderful each year has been. How quickly the years come. There was his 1st birthday when he ate cake for the first time. His 2nd, 3rd and 4th birthdays with best friends gathered in our garden, which, like him, grew and bloomed more each year. His 5th at an idyllic park as high as the clouds, the birthday boy, giving chase in a felt crown. His 6th in a redwood grove, perfect for climbing trees, bare feet. His 7th birthday, on a recent warm Saturday morning, at the baseball diamond. I remember all of the hand-written invites, the homemade cakes and numbered candles, the party hats and party favors, the striped paper noisemakers, the gaggle of giggling kids, all of the laughter and love.

Our personalized book, Whose Birthday Is It?, is a summer birthday, too. I gave my son a book, which features his name, the location of his party, a birthday cake with 7 candles and a special birthday wish from us. He loved discovering that the book was about his birthday. And what I love about the book is, like each birthday, it reminds me of who my son is at this very age. Every time I look at his book, I will think: That’s the year Quinn loved baseball, math, and reading books. His favorite food was vanilla ice cream. He still had his two front teeth. His personalized birthday book keeps him in this moment, and it’s a moment I never want to forget.

This week Paper Hat Press took a field trip to BookExpo America, better known as BEA. Held in Manhattan's Javits Center, BEA is the largest annual book trade fair in the United States—the whole place is literally brimming with booths helmed by big and small book publishers and four days' worth of attendees including authors, media and retailers.

This year's conference also happened to be the first annual BlogWorld, a new media expo with tons of speaking events and workshops for all things digital. Just look at those schedule boards—too much to see and do!

The first sign we knew we were in for a busy day? The Starbucks' line that seemed to snake around the room with no fewer than 40 people at a time. Seems everyone needed a caffeine fix to get through the jam-packed day.

Luckily there were many friendly and familiar faces to be seen including Erica Jacobs Green, the author of "Who's Birthday Is It?" (she flew all the way in from Iceland!) and Amy, our creative director.

All in all, it was fun to see first-hand where the industry's headed and the books we'll probably all be reading next year!

Lately it seems we've been seeing this flower pop up all over the place—from hotel floral arrangements to the waiting area of our favorite neighborhood restaurant. It's an eye-catching bloom with its overgrown lollipop shape and what seems like hundreds of mini purple flowers composing the top "puff".

We asked a friend who does her own New York City tree "walk and talk" (she's got a degree in forestry) what they were. "Allium!" she told us.

It was then that we realized why exactly allium had been catching our eye—they're all over our Little Sparkle cover and throughout the illustrated pages, too boot.

Plus, they're related to the onion and garlic family. How funny is that?

We were over-the-moon to get our first major review for our newest book, “Who’s Birthday Is It?”, from one of our favorite blogs, Cool Mom Picks. We loved the shout-out to artist-illustrator, Micah Player, and were proud that our die-cut cover design got some attention, too. The best part? We’re offering a very cool discount to Cool Mom Picks’ readers… Just see for yourself and read here!

We’re thrilled to introduce the latest author on our team, Erica Jacobs Green. She wrote our newest book, “Who’s Birthday Is It?” and just so happens to live in Iceland (whoa!) with her husband and two children. A California native, Erica writes about her family’s adventures on her blog, Navigating Wonderland. Lucky for us, she was generous enough to take time out of hiking the fjords to share her answers to our quickie questionnaire (a feature you’ll be seeing lots more here with other members of the PHP team).

PHP: What was your favorite storybook as a child?
EJG: The Maggie B. by Irene Haas.

PHP: What was your favorite food to eat as a kid?
EJG: Grape leaves (alka dolmas) and pizza .

PHP: Are you—or a child in your life—currently obsessed with any kids' book, toy or product? If so, what?
EJG: Fafu costumes and beads—simple, classic, toys and costumes that inspire creative play.

PHP: Do you read any fun blogs that our customers might enjoy reading too?
EJG: I love food and travel blogs, in particular Dreaming about Paris, or Life in Vienna, and for food I like Food52.com. I also like BabyCenter.com blogs, in particular the straight-talking (and sometimes she swears, too) Up Mama’s Wall. And The Mother Company.

PHP: What's your go-to place for inspiration for your work or hobbies (i.e. design blogs, an art museum, a favorite place to hike)?
EJG: I love to travel and explore. Right now, I’m exploring Iceland. I love going through the design stores in quaint and quirky Reykjavik or heading out to the lava fields, hiking along the sea and past ruins, or up a volcano and along a fjord. Through exploration and nature I get most of my inspiration.

PHP: If you had a super power what would it be?
EJG: I’d add more hours to the day—so I could get everything done.

It’s a given—we think Paper Hat Press books are pretty much the best. Our team puts a lot of love into every story and illustration and hope readers love each book as much as we do. Every so often, though, we get the chance to see just how these customized keepsakes connect with kids (and the moms and dads who love them). This letter, in particular, really made us smile.

In all my 5yrs of being a mom I am rarely amazed at toys and books for my already over-stimulated child. I ordered Little Sparkle for her kinder graduation gift. I just got it and it almost brought me to tears. I can't wait for her graduation on Friday much less bed time tonight. I am definitely reading it to her as soon as I pick her up from school. Money well spent for something that she can have forever and know that she is truly my little sparkle. I just thought I would take a second and tell you well done (I'm sure you already know this)! I can't wait to share with all my mommy friends.

All the Best, K