Let's write your tape.

This is something we make together. I wasn't there, so the memory itself comes from you: your photos, your details, your words. My part is building it into a place you can walk back into and rediscover. The more you can show me, the closer it will feel to the real thing.

If you find you don't have much from this moment, that's OK. Pick a different moment that matters to you and that you have more of. I'd rather build that one well.

Before you start, gather what you have. Photos from the day are the best thing you can give me, even blurry ones. If you don't have many, anything that pins down the place helps too: the exact name or address, a screenshot from a map, the venue's own photos. Good places to look:

Your phone's photo album, scrolled to that date
Social media posts and "memories" from that day
Texts you sent that day, tickets, receipts, or a reservation email
A map app, to find the exact spot and what's around it

You'll need at least 5 photos to send it, and up to 15 in all: photos from the day, plus any screenshots or photos of the place. Video clips help too, up to 5. After this, each step asks specific questions to help fill in the gaps. Your answers save on this device as you go, so you can stop and come back.

Your Etsy order number It's on your receipt in Etsy, under Purchases. It just tells me which order this is.

Step 1 of 6

Who is this tape for?

Their first nameIt goes on the note on the shelf: "For ___"

Your first name"from ___". Or "from all of us".

What's the moment?

Step 3 of 6

The two of you that day

Everyone in the scene is built from simple blocks, so I'm after colors and shapes, not faces. Describe how you looked that day, not how you look now.

How did they look? Hair color and length. What they wore, top to bottom, with colors and patterns: a red plaid coat, white sneakers, a gray beanie. Anything they carried: a purse, flowers, a camera.

And you?

Was anyone else there, or anything else I should add? Friends or family who should be in it, a dog, a crowd, a street musician, holiday decorations, a car you drove.

Step 4 of 6

Walk me through it

Each stop is a spot along the way. The words you write appear on screen there, a line at a time, so write them to the person who's going to watch it.

Start a little before the big moment and end a little after. Three to six stops is usual; up to twelve is fine. For each one, tell me where you were standing, and add a photo of that spot if you have one. The small things are what make it feel real: what you were nervous about, what someone said, what went wrong.

See an example stop

While you were distracted, I snuck the engagement ring out of the trunk and into my jacket pocket. You were not an easy person to trick! My heart was beating out of my chest.

Step 5 of 6

The finishing touches

Any other photos that would help? Anything that shows the place or the day: more photos, a screenshot from a map, the venue's photos, the outfit. These help me build it and won't appear in the scene unless you ask. Up to 15 photos in all.

Add photos

Any video clips from the day? If you have them, they show me how the place moved and sounded. Up to 5 clips, each under 500 MB. They're for me to build from and won't appear in the scene. Like photos, they don't save between visits, so add them right before you send.

Add video

What should we call this moment? A few words in your own voice. It's the title on the moment's card, and it shows again at the very end.

What should it sound like? Soft background music, picked to match. I can't use a specific song.

Anything else I should know? Things to include or leave out, inside jokes, a question you'd like asked in the conversation cards at the end.

Step 6 of 6

Read it over

Here's everything I'll build from. Change anything you like before you send it.

Your tape is on my workbench.

Thank you! I'll start building now. If I have a question, I'll message you on Etsy. Your private link and printable card come in about 3 days, counted from now that your photos and story are in. Sooner if we agreed on a rush.

Remembered something else? Send it to me in an Etsy message any time.