Fabulous February

For February we’re sharing a little love in a variety of ways. Playing cards, along with swatch and flip books in both regular and square sizes are 10% off all month, so we’re showcasing many creative ways to use them.

Click here to see how versatile playing cards can be!

Click here for more about swatch and flip books.

Along with these smaller, home-brightening, memory-making projects, click here to learn about the power of memory-preserving storybooks and the deep impact they have on families just like yours.

We have new eye-candy for February as well.  Click here to see the new art collections.

Do you need some help with your projects?  Attend my monthly digi-crop and get face-to-face help! Let me help you make something meaningful. Email me your RSVP to Rebecca@OurPhotoStories.com and I will send you my address. 

You’ll also find a short Tips & Tricks article here encouraging you to think like a professional photographer, so you’ll always have the photos you need AND can work more efficiently in Studio.

And if you are looking for a quick project to get you going in studio, check out the Make it Moments article here on 11 x 14 posters.

The Club HM Facebook page is a great place to be inspired by other's projects.  The Club Kudos article here highlights projects showcased on the Club HM Facebook page.

There are two Inspirations Online Classes available in February to help inspire you in Studio.
What's New in Storybooks
Thu, Feb 9, 2012
7:00 PM MST
Register here
 
Birthday Gifts and Greetings
Thu, Feb 23, 2011
7:00 PM MST
Register here

Upcoming Themes & Specials

February: Swatch Books & Playing Cards
Swatch books, flip books, and playing cards (save 10%)

March: Post Bound & Scrap Pages
12x12 Post Bound Albums and 12x12 Scrap Pages (save 10%)

April: Canvases
All sizes (save 10%)

Notice: Website maintenance
Feb 18 10:00 pm MST to Feb 19 2:00 am MST

I saved the best part for last!  Fall in Love with FREE Publishing here and Get Paid Doing What You Love here!

 

Go to my web site at http://www.OurPhotoStories.com or contact me via e-mail at Rebecca@OurPhotoStories.com to learn more about  Heritage Makers products.

Get Paid for Doing What You Love

How much do you love Heritage Makers? If you find yourself spending your free time creating in Studio, browsing the Template Gallery or participating in challenges on the Club HM Facebook page, you should ask your consultant about their job. You could get paid to do what you already love!

As a Personal Publishing Consultant with Heritage Makers, you can earn free and discounted publishing for your own projects, plus an extra income to help contribute your family’s budget. You can earn special incentives like cash and prizes, as well as an all-expenses-paid luxury vacation just for working your business.

What’s more, you’ll expand your social network as you meet amazing Heritage Makers from across the U.S. and Canada. Take the opportunity to learn from top leaders and receive recognition for your efforts and achievements.

Ask any Heritage Makers Consultant and they’ll tell you they LOVE what they do! Helping others save and share their photos through keepsake products is very rewarding on many levels. It’s a business you’ll LOVE and so will your family when they see what you can create and earn!

Read more about the potential of this business opportunity here. With a start-up cost as low as $50, this is one investment that won’t break the budget. Instead, it gives you the chance to add to the budget! What’s not to love about that?

Go to my web site at http://www.OurPhotoStories.com or contact me via e-mail at Rebecca@OurPhotoStories.com to learn more about the Heritage Makers business opportunity.

Fall in Love With FREE Publishing

If you love Heritage Makers personal publishing products, you’ll love them even more when you can publish for free using our generous host rewards! Our average hosts earn up to $75-$150 from a Heritage Workshop or Studio Demo.

Do you love sharing and showing off your latest publishing projects? Gather a small group of family and friends so you can reveal your newest project to everyone at once. The excitement will be catching and everyone will be impressed by your efforts!



Do you love being the first of your friends to introduce something new and neat? Then be the one who shows them all about Heritage Makers and they’ll be eternally grateful!

Do you love learning more about Studio, photo storage and our publishing products? As your consultant, I can teach you and your guests about the importance of saving their photos and stories, as well as give you tips on how best to do that.

Do you love spending time with your friends and family, laughing and learning about something that interests — and impacts — everyone? A workshop or Studio demo can be as simple or as elaborate as you wish. Throw a full-blown party if you’re an entertainer. Or invite some gals to the local coffee shop so you don’t have to clean your house for company. The location doesn’t matter…what your guests learn will!

You just invite your friends and family who love photos — let your consultant handle all the rest! Everyone will enjoy having hands-on help and one-on-one coaching from your very own personal publishing consultant…me!

Set your sights on free publishing with this host rewards flier [LINK], then contact me to set a date for February or March. You’ve already fallen in love with our products, now fall in love with publishing them for free using our host rewards!

Go to my web site at http://www.OurPhotoStories.com or contact me via e-mail at Rebecca@OurPhotoStories.com to learn more about hosting a workshop and other Heritage Makers products.

How to Be a Fabulous Photographer and a Studio Speed Diva

Ever wondered why some Heritage Makers finish their Studio projects so quickly or receive constant compliments about their photography? The fact is the fastest, most efficient and celebrated users of Studio are the ones who take their tips from professional photographers. Let’s look at the work flow of these professionals and see what tricks we can use for making our photos look fabulous while speeding up our Studio process.

Take MORE Photos

Professional photographers have always taken many more shots than the average home photographer, even when they were still using expensive film. The medium does not matter. And what professionals do with the shots AFTERWARDS is radically different and very informative. Let’s start by looking at each group’s typical picture-taking process.

Amateur: Takes a few shots of each event, waits several weeks, downloads photos from many different events to same dated file on computer, then uploads all to Studio.

Professional: Takes many more photos of a single event, downloads to computer so that event or topic is in one dated file, edits photos down to best handful and then finishes by uploading and publishing only the very best photos.

What Are the Lessons Here?

The professional takes more photos but downloads them right away so each subject ends up in its own dated file. That already sounds more efficient. And, because the professional takes so many more photos, they have plenty to choose from and can delete anything blurry, too dark, poorly focused, or that does not show an individual at his or her best. Because a professional takes more photos to start with, they don't have to hang on to the blurry one of great grandma because “It’s the only one I’ve got of her” or go searching a hard drive to find three less-than-impressive photos of an event that are all junk.

Good Photographers Are Ruthless

And we do mean ruthless. Anything that reflects poorly on the photography studio goes in the Recycle Bin immediately. “Maybes” are considered carefully and pared down, until a few “stars” remain. Star photos are the only ones used to make finished products.

Bottom Line

To be a fabulous photographer and speed up your creative processes, TAKE lots more photos, but KEEP far fewer, just like the professionals do, uploading only your very best, print-worthy images to Studio. The benefits of the “Take More/Throw More Away” approach are amazing. You will have the important photos you need. You will find your photos faster. The photos you do find will be exceptional ones. And you’ll be so much happier with your finished projects. So commit to this photography method today. You won’t just like this approach, you’ll LOVE it.

Go to my web site at http://www.OurPhotoStories.com or contact me via e-mail at Rebecca@OurPhotoStories.com to learn more about Studio and other Heritage Makers products.

Club Kudos - February

Visit our Club HM Facebook page and you’ll see why so many Club members visit every day and love every minute. You’ll find challenges to inspire, instruct and stretch you. You can ask for help or feedback and get tips and encouragement from other fans. You’ll see an occasional “Tip of the Day” or personal message from HM Home Office with additional tricks to make designing fast and easy. If you’ve never visited, do it today. Here’s what to watch for.



Studio Challenges

If you like a little competition and love designing in Studio, our challenges will keep you hopping. We have one nearly every day and the winners receive points as prizes. Shown above are the “Owl Always” challenge winners, where Club HM page members were asked to design any page or project from a brand new art collection called “Owl Always.” Cassie Balser’s entry is on the right. It’s a square flip book that tells a child about his or her parent’s love for them. It’s now a very welcome addition to the Template Gallery as template 79374. Rebecca Klompstra’s winning entry for the challenge was a 12 x 12 scrap page.




A later challenge encouraged page members to add a little grunge to their pages using stains, distressed frames, torn edges, paint splatters, ripped cardboard and faded text.

Jeanne Coto was the winner of this challenge and her entry is now available as template 79619, "Grunge Bathtime."




In a “Name Tile” challenge page members designed name tiles made on 12 x 12 scrap pages. As with every challenge, many of the entries, winning or not are submitted to the Template Gallery, giving us lots more templates to choose from. Shown above are two entries from that challenge entries that went on to become templates. Kim Reynolds “Wings,” template 79173 and Rebecca Klompstra’s “Life's too short to drink cheap wine,” template 79249 are both wonderful additions to the Template Gallery that came about because of a challenge.




Tip of the Day

The Club HM Facebook page keeps ticking along every weekday. Over weekends and holidays, there are still challenges, but there are also design tips and tricks posted that we call “Tip of the Day.” A recent “Tip of the Day” is outlined here and illustrated above.

Tip of the Day: When designing with circles, insert 1000 into the "ROUND CORNERS" input box instead of using the slider bar. Why? A 1,000 input will keep your circle perfectly shaped no matter how many times you change your mind about its size. If you use your slider bar, you'll need to adjust every time you change your circle's size.

Inspiration, Instruction and Community

Club HM Facebook fans love the support and inspiration that they find on the Club HM Facebook page. Questions are answered, projects are “oohed” and “aahed” over and inspiration is everywhere. If you haven’t joined our online community, do it today. We’d love to see you there.




A recent post on Club HM probably sums it up best:

“Today is National Compliment Day - so I created this to share with people like all of you. Your sharing on this page is so kind. And the support of each other is so heart-warming. What a nice place to visit each day!”
- Kimberly Keber

Thanks Kimberly, we agree.

Check out the Club HM Facebook page here.

Go to my web site at http://www.OurPhotoStories.com or contact me via e-mail at Rebecca@OurPhotoStories.com to learn more about Club HM and other Heritage Makers products.

February New Studio Art

This month we’re adding twelve new collections, six in Premier, and another six that you can show off to friends and family getting to know Heritage Makers with Basic accounts.



Our first two collections “A Romantic Moment” from our French art provider Digital Crea and “Spa Bubbles, the Papers,” from the Lily Pad, are two totally unrelated collections that have the same feel and color palette. In soft springtime colors with an emphasis on aqua and pink, both collections work beautifully for weddings, Easter or Mother’s Day projects. They are now part of our Premier art.



To add even more to our already abundant Valentine art, here are two smaller love-themed collections. “Love Always” is from Penny Springmann and “You & Me” is from Krystal Hartley both of the Sweet Shoppe. We’ll be calling the second of these two collections “You & Me SS” to distinguish it from a collection of the same name that was released last month. These mix and match Premier collections will add a perfect touch to Valentine, anniversary or family-themed projects.



Some time ago we added “12 Months Mega Kit Papers” to our art. In classic patterns and neutral shades, the papers made great storybook backgrounds. This month we’re releasing “12 Months Mega Kit Elements,” the matching element collection. A huge collection, this Premier offering is full of flowers, frames, journaling blocks, ribbons and word art that together with the matching papers provide everything you need for a larger coordinated project.

We’re also adding a wonderful collection from French digital scrapbooking site Digital Crea called “Douce Elegance” (gentle elegance). In classic shades of black and gray accented with green and red and full of swirls and flourishes, this will be the perfect Premier collection for projects celebrating love, family, personal growth and more.



We’re bringing a little spring flavor to our Basic art this month by adding these two coordinated collections from the Sweet Shoppe. “Garden Blooms” and “Splice" will add to the flowers and frames offered to HM members using just Basic. Designed to work together, these two mini collections are made from the same color palette and can be mixed and matched. Perfect for Easter or other spring or summer scrapbooking, they’ll be a great addition to our Basic offering.



A set of light colored alphas makes its debut in our Basic art this month. In very light colored paper with soft blue and peachy outlines, these are the perfect letters for everything from baby to heritage projects. In addition, the three full alphabets are accompanied by a set of upper case letters embellished with three small buttons. Use for the initial cap on a wide range of projects from baby to Father’s Day topics. Our “Vintage Worn & Torn Papers” will also be a great addition to our Basic offering. With a distinctive paper tear on one side of each of its seven traditional style papers, Basic users will now be able to give their projects that antique or grunge look.



To finish out our six new Basic offerings, we are releasing two Lily Pad paper collections called “Barely There Vol 12” and “Barely There Vol 13.” Each six-paper set is a layer-upon-layer mini work of art that brings some newly added deep dimensions to the papers for Basic users.

Chosen Especially for You
Remember, Club HM/Premier users enjoy unlimited access to ALL our artwork -- both Premier and Basic collections, with more added every month. Our ever-growing treasury of 900-plus beautifully designed collections are chosen to provide a wide range of style and content so that our Club HM members have what they need for any kind of project. In styles from classical to modern and shabby chic to whimsical, we’re betting you’ll find just what YOU need in our huge art collection. And if what you need is NOT there, let us know and we’ll start hunting for it!

Go to my web site at http://www.OurPhotoStories.com or contact me via e-mail at Rebecca@OurPhotoStories.com to learn more about the art collections and other Heritage Makers products.

At the Heart of Heritage Makers

When Heritage Makers asked Studio Product Manager Lynda Angelastro to add a new “grandpa” cornerstone to the Heritage Maker line, she naturally turned to her own father’s life for inspiration. He was happy to talk about his younger years and on a Christmas visit, Lynda and her dad finished the fact-filled 8 x 8 storybook that would eventually become template 52533.

“Listening to Dad’s stories was the highlight of my trip to England that year. As he recounted memories of his childhood and meeting my mother, I realized he was telling me the stories along with small, but important details I’d never heard before.”

Lynda’s father was delighted with the book and finished by dictating a personal message to each grandchild, to be included on the last page of the book. The plan was for Lynda to print the finished books for him to give to his grandchildren as surprise gifts. But, within weeks of her visit, Lynda’s father’s health was in rapid decline.
“Even at 88 years old, my dad was so self-sufficient and young for his age that I thought I still had lots of time with him.” Lynda recalled. “And while I should have been better prepared, the news of his death came as a huge shock to me.”

At a company meeting just before she left for the funeral, Lynda turned to her fellow Heritage Makers employees and said tearfully, “I’m so grateful to have had an assignment that prompted me to get my father’s story written. I’m taking the personalized copies of his book to England with me to the funeral. It will be a much bigger surprise than he had anticipated, but what a priceless legacy for him to leave his nine grandchildren.”
In her Heritage Makers role, Lynda produces many home décor, holiday and children’s projects. “I love designing super cute, fun things to inspire Heritage Makers,” she says. They are the “desserts” of my professional life and they ARE important, because they shape today’s memories and strengthen family relationships. But nothing will ever compare to the deep satisfaction, the sustaining “main course,” of having made Dad’s “Before I Was Your Grandpa” book.

She continues to show her heartfelt commitment to storybooks by designing new meaningful templates. For a recent milestone birthday she made her brother a “Down Memory Lane” 11.5 x 8.5 storybook, template 52543.



Lynda also preserved her own story for her grandchildren in the “Before I Was Your Grandma”, 8 x 8 storybook, template 52532.

With many of her father’s stories yet to be told, Lynda’s next project is making a copy of "For the Good Times" by Kelly Wolfer, 11.5 x 8.5 storybook, template 61703. This template is one of the easiest to use and most beautiful family history books at Heritage Makers. With instructions in the margins and a text and heading type style that requires no separate text boxes, this template is ideal for your first family history project too.

If you’re ready for a deeply meaningful experience of your own, we encourage you to start a cornerstone or family history project of your own today. As Lynda Angelastro knows only too well, you can never be certain how much time you have left to get your important family treasures made.

Go to my web site at http://www.OurPhotoStories.com or contact me via e-mail at Rebecca@OurPhotoStories.com to learn more about calendars and other Heritage Makers products.

Take Along Books

If you’re looking for the ultimate go anywhere, purse- or pocket-packable memory book, be sure to check out our swatch and flip book selection. Every style has a durable see-through cover for take-along projects your family and friends will love. From kids' first ABC books to a brag book Grandma would never leave home without, these little books are must-do’s on your project list and during February, they are 10% off your already low, low Club HM prices.





Swatch Books
Our standard swatch book is an adorable 5.75 inches wide and half that deep. It’s fastened with a black, grommet-type “Chicago screw” in the top left-hand corner. Use this durable and portable product to make a Mother’s Day gift for Grandma, send the aunts and uncles a super special birth announcement, give your entire team autograph books or customize a brag book of your entire family. Here are the templates you’ll need. From top left to bottom right: “Grandma's Lil Love Bugs” by Lynda Angelastro, template 18078; “Sweet Safari Baby Girl” also by Lynda Angelastro, template 19846; “HM Football Autograph Swatch Book” by Roxanne Buchholz, template 37874 and “Simply Sweet Brag Book” by Jill Means, template 18734.





Square Swatch Books
Square swatch books are, again, fastened in the corner with a Chicago screw, just like our standard swatch but are 5.75 x 5.75 inches square—twice the size of our standard swatches, but still small enough to tuck in a purse or planner.

“Things I Love About You – Mother” by Lori Mar, template 30912 is the perfect Mother’s or Valentine’s Day gift for grandma.

“Blessed Wedding Swatch” by Darcie Toom, template 55622 is the perfect souvenir for the bridesmaids, grandma or just to have at the office to show off the highlights of the wedding. 

If you’re looking for the perfect present for a toddler girl, “Girl ABC Book” by Michelle Bell, template 31513 will fit the bill perfectly. Full of alphabet themed photos of loved ones, the book teaches her about family and her letters.

And if you’re looking for a book for a man or boy in the family “Time Capsule” by Darcie Toom, template 30546, is an adorable book full of photos of the time span you choose. It could be a year, a month or an entire decade.






Flip Books
Heritage Makers flip books are the same size as regular swatch books but have a spiral binding on the left-hand side, allowing the pages to be turned just like a book. They make perfect books for smaller hands or for packing in the corner of a purse.

Ideal for an anniversary or for Valentine’s Day, “10 Reasons I Love You” by Michelle Bell, is template 50462 and requires less than a dozen photos and you’re done.

For a very special memento of your baby’s first year, “Sweet Little Boy” also by Michelle Bell, is template 44318 and comes in a version for baby girls a well.

For a wonderful souvenir of a basketball year, make a flip book for each of your child’s team mates with Susan Kurak’s template 52334, “Basketball Memories.”

“What I Love about You” by Tanja Rigby, template 49851, would be a perfect gift for your teenager for a birthday or for Valentine’s Day.






Square Flip Books
Square flip books as you can guess by now are 5.75 x 5.75 inches and bound with a spiral binding on the left side like the smaller flip books.

One of our newest favorites at Heritage Makers is the adorable “Owl Always...” by Cassie Balser, template 79374. It’s a book from parent to child, expressing love and appreciation for that child’s individual characteristics. Perfect for a family Valentine or to mark a birthday, it’s in a crisp clean style that works for either boys or girls.

If you’re looking for a keepsake for your football player, try Roxanne Buchholz’s square flip “HM Vintage Football Flipbook,” template 78387. Beautifully designed, it would be a wonderful memento of a football season for your player, or perhaps a gift for the football coach.

This size project makes a wonderful remembrance of special days in baby’s life for Grandma or for you. That’s what “Baby Boy Flip” by Jill Means, template 47587, was designed for. This cleanly styled book showcases a baby’s blessing/naming day at church.

The last project we are recommending is also a love note to a child. “Oh, How I Love You!” by Michelle Bell, template 78388, is an adorable 20-petite page Valentine, exclaiming how much the child is loved. More likely to be treasured and preserved than a card, it’s a wonderful way to preserve photos of the child at a his or her current age while strengthening and confirming the importance of your relationship—small touches that inoculate your child against the big, wide world.

Choose a square/flip books in either size next time you want to assure your children how much they are loved, commemorate a special occasion or sports season, or gift anyone something small in size but meaningful in content. They are an inexpensive and durable gift that will see a lot of show and tell and still stand up well. Make one in February and they are especially good value at an additional 10% off your very reasonable Club HM prices.

Go to my web site at http://www.OurPhotoStories.com or contact me via e-mail at Rebecca@OurPhotoStories.com to learn more about swatch and flip books and other Heritage Makers products.