Love and Sugar Launch Countdown Week

As a former producer of television arts and entertainment news, I thought I knew teamwork. Middle child of five? Teams-R-US.

(Stop snickering, siblings!)

I’m not young enough to know everything.

J.M. Barrie

This book of mine took up brain space without paying rent long before I sourced any help. It just sat there like a crazy squatter dreaming of a castle on a hill. The lines and bones of the castle were clear in my head, as were all the rooms inside. From head to finished product?

Roll out the team.

Renata Chubb had no idea.  This project of mine, first tossed around like the delicious salad we ate over lunch last summer at a Toronto bistro, was supposed to be done, as in Here’s my complete draft and photos and go ahead, please. Design away.

Scratch that. I had no idea. Renata has worked on several projects with others in the creative arts and surely this experience would be like those, a little give and take here, there, and no, that’s not the right colour, and start again.

CAN WE ALL GIVE A CHEER NOW FOR EXPERIENCE??? (It didn’t work for Hillary but it did for me).

Extraction. The real Renata skill.  What tumbled out from the hidden recesses onto her design board was a vision she had to interpret without any sort of sensible dictionary from me. We tweaked and turned it around and around. It was done but then it wasn’t. I changed it. Changed it again. Then it was done. Then it wasn’t. Knowing what you want isn’t the same thing as showing what you want. Throughout was this from Renata: Don’t worry, Anne. This is how it works-this here? It’s just the creative process.

Renata lives in Oakville, Ontario. We worked mostly by phone, email, and Dropbox. How she did it is anyone’s guess, juggling two daughters, volunteer work on parent councils, and demanding clients like me who want the work done yesterday. Never once a complaint, a cross word, or cuss at this circus of a life she took on when she agreed to design my book. Next week I get to toast her at a Toronto bistro once again but for now, I give up this space to a lovely and talented pro who lent me gentle guidance, keen insight, and gorgeous design chops.

Here’s Renata with the Love and Sugar breakdown.

What’s your favourite sweet thing to eat?

Dark chocolate!!! Dark chocolate truffles, dark chocolate cake, dark chocolate pudding…. You get the idea.

What’s your favourite sweet thing to bake?

Lately, it has been pumpkin scones, because every time I make them I eat one and think “Damn this is soooo good!”

 What’s a ritual you love?

One ritual we have with our girls is on the last day of school. We load the backpacks in the car as fast as we can and head out for ice cream! No limits! If you want the triple cone with sprinkles you gotta go for it 🙂 it’s a great way to say “Let the summer begin!”

For more on Renata’s latest project, check back here in December.

Tomorrow, meet the photography team.