Limited Time Leather Covers

If you’ve seen the beautiful leather covers available on the 11 x 13 Legacy books, you may have wished you could put the same elegant cover on a different sized book. Now, for a limited time, you can! Heritage Makers has secured a limited number of leather covers for our 11.5 x 8.5 and 8 x 8 Storybooks. These covers will only be available on a first-come, first-served basis, so don’t wait to take advantage of this option. Just like black end papers and matte covers, it is available as an upgrade at check out.

The cost for the 8 x 8 leather cover is $10, and for the 11.5 x 8.5 is $15. Publishing points can be applied as payment for this upgrade. You can create a new book project, or perhaps you’d like to reprint an existing book with this new and stylish leather covering. You’ll still have your original cover design, only it will be printed as a dust jacket to protect the leather cover. ~ Betty

What Are Cornerstone and Foundation Books?

Once you’ve fallen in love with making pages and projects in Studio, put cornerstone books on your to-do list. Cornerstones are books you write about your life and the lives of your parents and grandparents. Designed to preserve the photos and memories of you and your loved ones for future generations, these books also put treasured stories in the heart of your home and can be a rich and meaningful family experience. 

Start your cornerstone to-do list by documenting your grandparents’ lives. The easiest time to help grandparents write their stories is while they are living in the family home and remain in good health. Once they retire, many grandparents move into smaller, easier-to-care-for, or warmer-climate accommodations. Downsizing often means that precious records, mementos, or photos are scattered among family members or get boxed up and sent to a storage unit. Just asking for access to these family records often brings to light stories that no other family members have heard.

Our “How I Became Your Grandpa” and “How I Became Your Grandma” 8 x 8 cornerstone books by Lynda Angelastro make writing family stories simple. Download the templates, look at each spread, and make a note of how many photos are needed for that topic. Only have three photos of Grandpa as a baby instead of four? No problem, find photos of the family home, scan birth certificates or fill in a photo box with patterned paper. More photos than allowed for in the design? Go to “manage pages” and duplicate a spread or two. Your book can be a few pages bigger than the template and need not be like anyone else’s.

If your grandparents are no longer living, ask parents, aunts, or uncles to help you write the stories and find the photographs. Make it a family project. You’ll be grateful you did, and so will your brothers, sisters, and cousins.

If you’re doing the math, writing a story for each grandparent is four books. Add four more if you’re helping with a spouse’s grandparents. Try to get at least one done every quarter. Put it in your day planner. Add it to your computer calendar. Plan ahead and you can make many opportunities to talk to family members about your grandparents at family gatherings.

Once Grandma and Grandpa’s lives are documented, turn your attention to the growing up stories of your mother and father. The 8 x 8 storybooks “Before I Was Your Dad” and “Before I Was Your Mom” by Wendy Bailey are perfect for the job. Documenting the lives of your parents is far easier if they live close enough to share facts and photos, but if they don’t, make it one of the priorities on your next visit.

Finally, write the stories of you and your spouse. If you have children, you can use the same “Before I Was Your Dad” and “Before I Was Your Mom” storybooks. Swap some of the cover papers around to give the books a different look from your Mom and Dad’s. Your book is every bit as important as your parents’ and grandparents’. How precious would your book be to your spouse, your siblings, your parents, or your children if tragedy ever struck?

Cornerstones do not have to be 8 x 8 storybooks. The 12 x 12 “Hats Off to You Grandpa Ben” and “Hats Off to You Aunt Alice” templates make wonderful life story books for Grandma and Grandpa or Mom and Dad.

“Through the Years: Male” and “Through the Years: Female” 11.5 x 8.5 storybooks, by Wendy Bailey again, also make good choices for cornerstone volumes.

And, if you like the 11.5 x 8.5 storybook format and want to make a snapshot of your family heritage before working on individual cornerstones, check out the template “Becoming the Goddard-Angelastro Family” by Lynda Angelastro. With a three-generation family tree as the opening spread, followed by pages about you, your spouse, your parents and grandparents; this overview of family heritage works well for both traditional and blended families.

While you’re checking cornerstones off your list, consider working on a couple of “foundation” books each year. Foundation books are a series of 12 x 12 storybooks that capture the flavor of your family across the years by providing a look at the ways various holidays and traditions are celebrated. These fun and easy-to-make books provide an over-time history of what makes your family unique and special.

Foundation books currently available include: "How the Butlers Celebrate Birthdays" by HM Signature Templates "How the Butlers Keep Christmas" by HM Signature Templates, "A Prezant’s Hanukkah" by Christine Prezant, "A Butler Thanksgiving" by Elisa Black,  "Family Weddings" by Elisa Black, and "Family Love Stories" by Lynda Angelastro. More titles will be added this year including family, baby, and vacation books.

Chances are that one of the things that drew you to Heritage Makers was your enthusiasm for capturing just the kind of family stories we’ve been talking about. You understood the importance of making these precious memory books the heart of your home. There’s also a good chance you haven’t got to them yet. February is cornerstone month. Put cornerstone and foundation books on your to-do list and use Studio Night to work on them. Be sure to sign up for Club HM today of you haven't yet! As a member you'll save big on publishing all year long and get Premier for free! If you've already got points, but no Premier, contact me today to find out how you can get Premier for as little as $8.33 per month. ~ Betty

Article from my February Celebrations newsletter. To subscribe to my mailing list drop me an email.

Club HM Contests

Have you seen the good times we’re having on the Club HM Facebook page? If not, you’re missing out on a boatload of fun! This Monday, we’ll announce our “Firsts” winner, but right now, let’s get started with this week’s challenge. How about a “2011 HM Souper Bowl” project? We’re not looking for pictures of your family in front of the TV.  What we want are pages and projects that show off and preserve your favorite RECIPES. From onion dip, to pulled-pork sandwiches, to brownies – show us what your fans are cheering about this weekend! Visit the Club HM Facebook page for details. ~ Betty

Have You Heard About Club HM?

Have you heard about Club HM? It’s a great new option for people who love to publish because it offers fantastic savings on all your Heritage Makers projects plus it gives you free access the amazing Premier collection of digital art and templates! Watch this short video to see the benefits of Club HM. Then head on over to MyStoryBookLady.com and sign up for Club HM today. ~ Betty

Wow! Super Discount on Premier!

Don't you just love having a Premier account? Here’s an opportunity you can’t afford to pass up: Through the rest of January you can purchase a full 12-months of Premier access for only $79.95. That’s a 20% discount off our already discounted yearly Premier plan! Let’s be honest—you need the power of Premier in your life. The 4,000 pre-designed templates give you options for every season and occasion imaginable. And 50,000 digital art pieces make dressing up your photos and stories a pure joy. So contact your consultant (that would be me! :) and get back on the path of publishing nirvana. It’s just the right thing to do, especially now before the month ends. ~ Betty

Free Premier Weekend!

You’ve seen the amazing templates and art work that are part of a Premier account. Wouldn’t you like to have a chance to create a fabulous project using the Premier art? If so, this is the weekend you’ve been waiting for! Our FREE Premier Weekend begins on Thursday, January 27 at 7:00 MST and runs until midnight MST on Sunday, January 30. That means you have nearly four days to play with, experiment, and create beautiful Heritage Makers projects with our exclusive designs. You can kick it off with the “Make it in Moments” Master Class on Thursday night at 7:00 MST (click here to register) then visit the Club HM Facebook page for additional ideas and inspiration. Better yet, consider becoming a member of Club HM. You get a free Premier account + the points you need to make the projects you want to do this year. You won’t want to miss out on the unique opportunity to test drive a free Premier account this weekend. Go to MyStoryBookLady.com to create your free account today! ~ Betty

Valentine's Day Gift Ideas

Wow! I'm blown away by all the creativity within our Heritage Makers community! Check out these ADORABLE Valentine gift ideas that YOU can make easily and then head over to MyStoryBookLady.com to get started :)
Our next Studio Master Class is Thursday January 27, 2011...mark your calendar now!

Your child's teacher will LOVE this!

Tell your hubby what you love about him!

 12x12 Storybooks

Tell your significant other what you love about them with this "I Love You Because" template.

Love Notes to Lift and Inspire! Drop these in your child's lunchbox, drop one into a girlfriend's purse, hubby's nightstand, in a neighbor's mailbox or just give one to a random stranger as an act of kindness!

Lunch Box Love Notes! Slip these into your child's lunchbox for a note of love and humor in the lunchroom! :)

Love Coupons! Create your own Love Coupons and give to your spouse for Valentine's Day and let them "cash them in" all year long!

 RAWR!!! Adorable Valentine's cards to send with your little dino man to school on Valentine's Day!

 "Bugs and Kisses" Treat Toppers! Fold over our playing card decks to create these adorable treat bag toppers!

 Just for Fun - Valentine's Jokes playing card deck!

 Perfect for any child that attends a Christian or Catholic school. Adorable religious themed playing card deck.

A VERY sophisticated Valentine's Day 3-panel card.

Do you LOVE Deeply? Tell that special someone that you do with this beautiful card!