Got kids? Going on a vacation or road trip?

Avoid “are we there yet?” by making them this fun Travel Journal so they can capture their OWN memories in a keepsake booklet. Template designed by Brenda Kruse.
See the project here. Available in the Template Gallery at MyStoryBookLady.com. ~ Betty

Partnership With Captures By Summer

I am excited to announce My StoryBook Lady's partnership with Captures By Summer, a North Atlanta photographer. We are offering an AMAZING special on Gallery Wrapped Canvases and have extended the expiration date to this Saturday July 31st. Take a look (enlarge the flyer by clicking on it):

Call us today to book your photo session and purchase your canvas credits! :)
Betty and Summer

Gallery Wrapped Canvases Galore

With Christmas in July in full swing, we’ve been finding lots of great wrapped canvases in our Template Gallery at MyStoryBookLady.com. Take a look at some of our favorites here.
8×20 Shadow Flower

You could even publish this one without any personalization! It’s quick and easy!
Family Canvas Poster

MC Savannah Collection

Heidi’s B’s

If you like what you see (and we’re sure you do) be sure to take advantage of the incredible Christmas in July specials. See the specials here.

from blog.heritagemakers.com

Create Things With A Purpose + Ways To Use Cards

More ideas can be found in the Template Gallery at MyStoryBookLady.com. Contact me for pricing...otherwise you will pay retail on my website. Christmas In July offers the LOWEST deals of the year on cards, invitations, calendars, playing card decks and canvases so stock up before July 31st :) ~ Betty

Just in Time for Father's Day

Give your MVP his own "Wall of Fame" with our gallery wrapped canvases! These are great gifts for husbands, dads, grandpas, uncles and brothers! Plus, you get a free greeting card with your canvas. Hurry, this offer ends May 27th, 2010 May 31st, 2010! Call me today to order at 404.729.0388 ~ Betty
For template ideas, go to MyStoryBookLady.com and type "Father's Day" in the search field.

Father's Day Is Coming...

And we have the gift that dad will not only display in his office or workspace, but the gift that may bring tears to this strong man’s eyes. Give dad a family canvas to display in his office, a scrap page or poster to hang up in his workshop, a swatch book he’ll show off to all his friends, or even a card that simply says, “I love you.”

Here are just a few template ideas at http://MyStoryBookLady.com:

Fishing, a card for a man! designed by Janet Knoblach
5x7 greeting card - Template ID: 29752

Just For Dad designed by Krishelle Leavitt
5x7 greeting card - Template ID: 32624

Dads Day Card designed by Janet Knoblach
5x7 greeting card - Template ID: 32058

Denim Father's Day card designed by Christie Thomas
5x7 greeting card - Template ID: 27600

Master Class Father's Day Card designed by Lynda Angelastro
5x7 Greeting Card - Template ID: 31658

Happy Dad Day designed by Michelle Bell
5x7 greeting card - Template ID: 21396

Daddy-O designed by Sandra Dovre
5x7 Greeting Card - Template ID: 29924

Heidi's Fathers Day 12x12 Page designed by Heidi Jackson
12x12 scrap page – Template ID: 12293

Fathers Day designed by Barbie Gordon-Carroll
12x12 scrap page- Template ID: 31492

Daddy & Me designed by Michelle Osterhus
8x20 gallery-wrapped canvas – Template ID: 32611

Heidi's Fathers Day Canvas designed by Heidi Jackson
20x16 gallery-wrapped canvas - Template ID: 31788

hunting cards designed by Jason Smith
playing cards - Template ID: 32789

Being a Dad designed by Melissa Huijbers
18x24 Portrait Poster - Template ID: 30516

Family Swatch Book designed by Nicole Rainosek
Swatch Book - Template ID: 23385

Science Project with Heritage Makers

A fellow Consultant writes...My 10 year old daughter was assigned a science project at school. The assignment was to create a book that consisted of parts of the body with each letter of the alphabet. She and her best friend asked if they could make the book with Heritage Makers. Of course, my response was yes!

For weeks they worked on compiling the information and pictures for their report. I was very impressed when they stated that they wanted to create this book “on their own from scratch.”

So they began working together to create the pages! They finished the book with very little help from me and now we are anxiously anticipating the arrival of the final project! It just goes to show that anyone, of any age, can create a successful book with Heritage Makers! I think it is an A+! I can’t wait to see what the teacher’s response is.

See the Science Project here.

 
With Heritage Makers, the possibilities for your own creations are endless. Start a project from scratch at MyStoryBookLady.com or pick from our Template Gallery. 

from blog.heritagemakers.com

Jar of Tears

Mother’s Day is the perfect time of year to celebrate the women in your life. And no matter how you celebrate, the message always communicates clearly. Just take the following for example.

Aldine Allen knew just how to celebrate her mother last Christmas. She created a book of all her father’s stories he wrote to her mother. She celebrated not only her father’s beautiful work, but also his love for a special woman.

By Aldine Allen

My father is a prolific writer.  He has enjoyed writing stories for many years. For several years he, along with my mom, wrote a Christmas Story for the grandchildren every year.  He would make copies and send them to each of his six children to share with their children during the Christmas holiday.

Recently he has tried to have some of his writings published, but no company would do it. The main reason I became a distributor was so I could publish some of his stories for him. The first one I published was “Jar of Tears” which is a beautiful story he wrote to my mother, telling of the happy and sad tears that they have shared throughout their 69 years of marriage.

I sent them the book for Christmas and I am excited for them to open it and realize one of his stories has been published. I sent a link to many family members and three of them also wanted a copy. Of course I made one for me, too, to share with my customers at my workshops.

I have almost completed his compilation of Christmas stories in a 12 x 12 book and I am excited to get it published. I love Heritage Makers and the opportunity it has given me to publish some of the stories my father has written and to share them with other family members.

See the book Aldine created here.

Celebrate the women in your life with a storybook, card, or canvas. Try one of our many templates and get started today at http://MyStoryBooklady.com.

from blog.heritagemakers.com

Before I Was Your Mother

These are simple words with a huge impact. Imagine all the stories that children want and need to hear about their mother’s life before having kids. Her whole life has been one incredible adventure, with experiences growing up, going to school, working, falling in love… Imagine how much closer a child and mother can become with such a story.

Fellow Heritage Makers consultant Melodie Jones witnessed first-hand just how powerful such a story is for the whole family.

By Melodie Jones

I had jury duty during December and January and so, of course, I shared Heritage Makers with my fellow jurors. One woman, Dee, we thought for sure was going to be excused as she had an adult disabled daughter that she helped take care of… But she wasn’t.

We became friends and I showed her a book template in our catalog called Before I Was Your Mom. She got very excited because her daughter, Mary, had an 11-year old son that only knew his mother as disabled and bed-ridden. Dee took the catalog home to show Mary who then helped Dee choose photos and what to put in the book. Mary was very excited to finally have this book to show her son that she wasn’t always disabled.

I scanned all the photos for Dee then helped her upload them into her account. We scheduled a time when Dee could come to my March workshop so she could finish her book and get it ordered. One week before the workshop I got an email from Dee. Her daughter had suddenly passed away the week before, but she wanted me to know that she still planned on coming to the workshop to finish Mary’s book, which we did.

Dee ordered the book on a Wednesday, and she received it on Saturday. Dee called to tell me how beautiful it was, and how much she appreciated my help, and that now she knows why she was put on jury duty: to meet me so I could help her make Mary’s book. She was so happy that Mary knew about the book before she passed away, and Dee was so happy to be able to finish it for Tyler, Dee’s grandson.

Celebrate the women in your life with a storybook, card, or canvas. Try one of our many templates and get started today at http://MyStoryBookLady.com.

Have other great Mother’s Day ideas? Please share.

From blog.heritagemakers.com

Sisters Are Forever Friends

Although a mother is special in oh so many ways, there are other people to be celebrated this Mother’s Day. Think of grandma, aunt, sister, friend. Let them know how special you know they are.

Deb Jones did just that last Christmas. With a simple scrap page, she showed her sisters exactly how she felt about them.

By Deb Jones

For Christmas this past year I made tiles for both of my sisters, using the 12×12 scrapbook page as my palette. My sisters are both very special to me; one is a year older, the other five years younger. We are very close, but rarely see each other as we live in different parts of the country.

I wanted to capture our lives together, so I made two different tiles, one as babies, the other as adults. We’re very different from each other, but love to be together. So I chose the saying “Sisters are different flowers from the same garden” for the baby pictures.  I used the saying “Sisters are forever friends” for our adult pictures because it said in one sentence all of the sentiment I feel for my sisters.

The tiles turned out beautiful; decoupaging the scrapbook page onto tiles was very fast and easy. I bought small gold tripod stands to sit the tiles on. My sisters loved them.

 
Celebrate the women in your life with a craft made from a scrap page, card, or poster. Try one of our many templates and get started today at MyStoryBookLady.com. (Use search words such as: craft, tiles, clock, etc.)

From blog.heritagemakers.com

Six Ready-Made Canvas Templates

Winter is fading away and spring is on our doorstep. In fact, you can almost smell spring in the air at the Heritage Makers home office. Which got us thinking here, “What are some fun bust-the-winter-blues, spring-time projects?” Here’s the perfect thing for you…ready-made, gallery-wrapped canvas. All you have to do is select the canvas print you want, order it through HM Studio, and hang on your wall! Voila! You’ve got an instant update to your home décor. And you can have the gallery-wrapped canvas ready to be shipped in just a matter of seconds (seriously!). No shopping, no mess, no crowds at the store. Simple, beautiful, gallery-wrapped canvases ready to adorn the walls of your home.

Take a look at six simple canvas prints from the Template Gallery.

1. Animal’s ABCs. This bright and cheery 8×20 canvas will look great in any child’s bedroom. Look for other coordinating pieces in the template gallery to make an entire alphabet set! Template ID #: 27610

2. Shadow Flower. Here’s an 8×20 canvas that will add instant charm and romance to your home. The sunset in the background with the flower taking center stage brings a sense of calm and peace. Template ID #: 27188

3. Watching Leaves Turn. This 20×20 canvas is neutral enough to fit into any home décor. You’ll also love the inspiring quote that accompanies the picture here. Template ID #: 19968

4. All Life’s Blessings. Another gorgeous 20×20 canvas in neutral colors. Pair this canvas up with Watching Leaves Turn and your home will soon look like an art gallery! Template ID#: 18921

5. Family That Plays Together. This 20×8 canvas will look great hanging above any door. Remind your family of what matters most as they come and go from your home every day. Template ID#: 27195

6. M is for Monkey. Another super fun way to spice up your kid’s room. This 8×8 canvas is fun for a boy or a girl. Template ID: 27614

Heritage Makers offers so many great canvas options! If you’re a little more creative, try making your own from scratch, or use one of the already-designed templates with your family photos. The possibilities are simply endless! Check out the HM template gallery today to be inspired. From blog.heritagemakers.com

Create your own free account at http://MyStoryBookLady.com

Creative Romance Month

February has a lot of great cultural celebrations, and one of them just happens to be Creative Romance Month. Of course, this is not surprising considering that the all-time-favorite love holiday of the year shares this month.

But to the point… why celebrate Creative Romance Month? Why not celebrate it? It gives us a great excuse to keep our creative juices flowing and to keep the romance going. There are so many things you can do to celebrate the month, but I’ve got a suggestion that will keep the romance more than just a memory in months to come.

Try preserving your romance, your love, your special relationship… on a canvas. All you need is a picture, a few simple words, and a canvas.

Picture – You can have a lot of fun with this. Take a picture of your wedding rings, on your hand or by themselves. Take a picture of your hands holding each other. Take a picture of your heads together, as you stare into each other’s eyes. Take a picture of your backs turned to the camera as one head lies on the other’s shoulder. There are so many stories you can tell with the right setting.

Words – You can use words such as these to display on your canvas: love, my forever, together forever, one, never ending, etc.

The canvas – The design options are endless, but here’s a great idea to start from:

The most Beautiful Day Designed by Shari McLaws 16×20 canvas Template ID: 309
Template Gallery: http://MyStoryBookLady.com

From blog.heritagemakers.com

Hobby #6: Just Wanted To Say...

One hobby that will keep you going is card making. There is always a reason for making and sending cards, whether it is saying “happy birthday,” “thank you,” “get well,” or “thinking of you.” Try out these fun templates as you add card making to your list.

*Have a wedding coming up? Make sure your guests save the date by sending them a “save the date” card. Save the Date designed by Anne Degreef (Template ID: 19077) is a perfect example of a fun, inviting card for wedding guests.

*Valentine’s Day is coming up. You still have time to get your Valentine’s cards made and ordered to get them in time. Plus, Valentine’s is not the only reason to tell someone you love them. Say, “I love you,” with XOXO designed by Kelly Barquin (Template ID: 5592).

Thanks to You designed by Michelle Bell (Template ID: 19747) is a cute card that will make the recipient feel special. 

*And don’t forget about the precious occasions. Baby Girl Announcement designed by Autumn Moses (Template ID: 19039) is the perfect way to announce the birth of your baby.

There are so many fun activities and crafts you can add to your hobby list this year. All it takes is imagination, which you have plenty of, and a Studio account. Log into your "My Studio" at http://MyStoryBookLady.com and begin creating today.

From blog.heritagemakers.com

Hobby #5: Fun for Everyone

You can do more than decorate and make storybooks. One of the perks of Studio is you can do whatever your imagination thinks of. And that includes making games.

You’ll want to make sure you add making games to your hobby list this year. And we don’t have just card games, but board games, as well, in our Template Gallery. Take a look at what kind of games you can make:

*You’ll love the Shiver Me Timbers Template designed by Wenda Top (Template ID 5757). Personalizing your cards with your family’s photos and a fun themes always makes the game that much better.

*You’re kids will love the sports themed playing cards. HM Football Trading Cards designed by Roxanne Buchholz (Template ID: 19928) is perfect for showing off your football star.

*Make a fun photo checker board game with A Checkered Past designed by Darcie Toom (Template ID: 16663). The whole family will have hours of fun with this game.

*You’ll love the How My Day Will Be! Spinner designed by Shara and David Darke (Template ID: 20353). All the directions for putting it together are right there. 

And, of course, there are so many other templates you can choose from in the Template Gallery at http://MyStoryBookLady.com. Just search “game” and you will find personalized templates for the games you love to play.

From blog.heritagemakers.com

Hobby #3: Dinner Dates

It’s time to cook it up with the family, with a date, with… all the people you love to be with. I’m sure you have some great recipes you would like to organize for just such events. But, ugh. Organize…

Maybe it’s not the most fun word in the English dictionary, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make it fun. Make organizing your recipes a fun hobby by putting them in a book or on recipe cards. Plus, you get to decorate your recipes just the way you want. Take a look at these fun ideas:

*Compile your recipes in the book that’s perfect for recipes: the wire-bound book. You can include photos, recipes, and fun stories in this book that lays flat to make your cooking that much better. Take a look at Family Favorites designed by Sharon Asher (Template ID: 19600) for fun design ideas.

*The playing cards make great recipe cards for your own recipe box or to give away as a present. Recipes designed by Sara Boster (Template ID: 6592) is a great example of how you can design these cards for any recipe.

*Don’t forget the swatch book. It’s perfect for recipes on the go. Maybe you need to take a bunch of recipes to grandma’s house for thanksgiving. Or maybe your daughter would like to take something small and tote-able with her to college. Holiday Recipes designed by Michelle Wolfley (Template ID: 20591) doesn’t have to be used just for the holidays, but can be changed to fit your personal style. Take a look.

From blog.heritagemakers.com

Template Gallery http://MyStoryBookLady.com

10 for 2010 - Heritage Making New Year’s Resolutions - #8 and #9

By: Brenda Kruse

8. START A STEADY FAMILY GAME NIGHT.
While it depends on the age of your children, it’s hard to beat the family fun from playing together. Scheduling an official weekly time to play is probably a better way to make sure it happens regularly. In days past, your only choice was board games that came from a store and card games, typically variations from a standard deck of cards.
I’ve decided it’s even more family-focused to tie together the family memories AND the family game-playing. So I’ve been making many HM games from the cute templates in the gallery. This Christmas, I made us the Go Fish/Memory deck of playing cards. And our own version of CandyLand.
Last year, I made a 2008 BINGO game and plan to create an edition each year. Instead of using family faces for it, I made it into a ‘yearbook’ of sorts. With the 52 cards, I was able to use feature about 4 photos per month to highlight our fondest, most fun memories of the year. In one game, we can re-live our whole year of excitement and experiences, complete with entertainment! There are so many fun game ideas in the Template Gallery that take very little time to customize and complete.

9. WRITE MY “BEFORE I WAS YOUR MOTHER” STORYBOOK.
A year before O Magazine’s Editor At Large Gayle King raved about this concept on Good Morning America, I’d been talking about it and meaning to do my own version. Well, it’s time to truly put it into print…literally! Now that I’ve found most of my childhood photos and have scanned many of them, I want to explore those memories and share my “former” life with children. I know they’ll be fascinated by much of what I reveal, and the “looking back” process is sure to be somewhat therapeutic (not to mention lots of fun) for me!
Every mom would appreciate knowing what their moms were like before getting that special lifelong title of “Mom.” If your mom and/or grandmothers are still alive, wouldn’t it be a wonderful experience to work together to create their special storybook of “Before I Was Your Mother?” Of course, this is just as important for the dad/father/grandfather side as well. Stop talking and start writing! Pick a template and play with it!
Browse the Template Gallery: http://MyStoryBookLady.com
From blog.heritagemakers.com

My Challenge To You for 2010...

Happy New Year!  I challenge everyone to join me in Project 365! Take a picture everyday to capture 2010 in a special way. This template allows you to showcase each day & tell what your favorite pic of the week was. Don't just think big events & kids...think about the little things that make you smile & shape your life. Anyone can use this template with our free account & you can share it next year with, or without, printing it. Check it out! http://MyStoryBookLady.com