Inspirations Classes

Christmas and all of the other exciting fall/winter holidays are just around the corner! If you are like I am, you love to give the most meaningful gifts,and it is an extra bonus if I can find a great price as well. Since I have discovered Heritage Makers, the bulk of my gift giving turns into a celebration of family and friends as I am able to personalize a quality project just for them.

Here is just one cute example of a fun family calendar:

One thing I love about Heritage Makers is that they provide a place to get new ideas--for gift giving, home decorating, and more--in the form of online classes and an extensive template gallery! I am not a creative person on my own accord, but show me an idea and I can certainly run with it! :)

The past two "Inspirations" classes (as they are accurately called) were on calendars and home decor. I highly suggest that you watch them!

The link to find the classes is here: http://studio.heritagemakers.com/onlineClasses.cfm

View the template gallery here: http://studio.heritagemakers.com/templateGallery.cfm

2011 Best of Heritage Winner "For the Good Times"

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This is such an amazing story. There is no better way than storybooking to pay special tribute to a life--storybooks last a lifetime!

Rest In Peace, Linda

My cute new storybooking friend, Linda Gray, lost her 15+ year battle with cancer earlier this week. On Tuesday, October 11, at 4:37 am, I received an email update that said that she ended up at the ER the previous Thursday where they discovered cancer in both lungs, along with pneumonia. They gave her 3-6 months to live. The next day she became disoriented then fell unconscious, after which an MRI showed the cancer had spread to her brain. They gave her 10 days at the most and sent her home. Monday morning, her life expectancy was moved to "a couple of days..."

Then later Tuesday morning, around 11:30, I received another update saying that Linda had passed...

She was part of my life for less than a week, but she has impacted me. I will never forget her.

I have offered to donate my time and the cost of publishing a copy of her life story via the Caring Bridge blog. I hope her husband will respond...in his own time.

The Reason I Do What I Do

The other day I had a powerful reminder of WHY I love being a Heritage Makers consultant. I got a call from a lady who had signed up for my community ed "Storybook Your Heritage" class but who was unable to attend because she didn't feel well. We arranged for me to come by her home so that I could catch her up on what we did in class...,

She greeted me in the driveway, and I could see that she walked with a limp. As she led me into her kitchen, she told me she was a "one eye," so she doesn't always focus well. She showed me that her eye was a prosthetic. Of course I asked what had happened...

She explained that she was in stage 4 liver cancer, stemmed from a melanoma that she developed over 15 years ago. It came back in 3 different places, then it spread to her eye, and now her liver. I always thought melanoma was a mild and "easy" form of cancer. She spoke freely and openly and really touched me.

She loves to ride bikes, but she has struggled recently with balance, so she bought a really cool trike--the kind that professional disabled athletes ride.



She loves to live life and does it the best she can, even with her physical struggles. What an inspirational person!

She doesn't know how long she has to live and she wants to write her story in the way she wants it to be told. THAT is WHAT I DO!!! and the exact reason why I do it!

She was the sweetest lady, and I could really feel her heart. I love these moments that I share with people. I always leave a better person; an hour really well spent. A reminder of why I do what I do.

Here is Linda's website, if you would like to read her story: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/lindajgray

We all have stories that only we can accurately tell. Heritage Makers offers a simple, fun, and really fulfilling way to do it.

I'm just not sure if it is more fulfilling for "The Storybooker" or the consultant...

Start the Magic Today!

Today is a gorgeous September day in St. George, Utah. We have had a little bit of rain and the temperature is just around 80 degrees. As I am enjoying the perfection, I am also realizing that "The HOLIDAYS"--Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hannukah,Kwanzaa, and Christmas--are just around the corner!

It seems to me that this time of year is when our hearts turn to our families and friends more than at any other time. It's the time for precious traditions and to celebrate relationships by finding the "perfect gift" for our loved ones. We can let it be a stressful time of year, or it can be magical! The difference is in the preparation!

I met the cutest man--probably in his late 60s--who is passionate about preserving the journals of his mother and grandmother for his children. His idea of the perfect gift for them was to scan the precious handwritten pages and place them in a beautiful hardbound storybook that will last forever.

He has the right idea! His childhood traditions and maternal heartstrings will be shared through time. I can't think of a more preciously perfect gift! Can you? AND he is starting NOW!

I can't wait to see (and post) the final product...

Some Awesome New Heritage Makers Products

It has been so long since I posted in here! In fact, I think I actually forgot about it. The company has introduced some fun new products and I have published so many fun projects in the last while...I'm going to try to catch you up:

We have business cards!
I created these for my daughter as she ventrues into business with her dad. Double sided, high quality, fully customizable...Take a look!


Canvas Posters! These are just gorgeous! That is all there is to it...

I made this from one of my husband's paintings. (He is quite the artist) He did a study on Degas' "Frieze of Dancers."


This one is not of my family, but I soon will have a Mac Arthur version of this on my wall. It is a part of a fabulous collage, using 8x8, 20x20, and 20x8 canvases. This will be my Christmas present to myself.



7.5x10 Storybook: OK. This one is not a new product, but it makes me soooo happy! I took one of my favorite books of all time, Oh the Places You'll Go, by Dr. Suess, and turned it into a graduation book for my daughter. We used to read this book together when she was little. I had soooo much fun with this, and she loved it, which, for me, is the best part.


I love the new Booklet (8.5x11 or 6x9), or as I like to call it, Magazine. Look how cute this one is! It was my friend, Heidi Arave's, 10 year anniversary gift to her husband. (Mine is in the works...)
Cards AWWWWW!!! We have so many sizes and they are so fun! but my favorites right now are the new ones:
5x5: I have made a few of these, but they have other people's kids' photos and I haven't asked permission to share them, so here is a template that I found in the HM Template Gallery:

4x8 (or 8x4): I am posting a couple of these because they are so darn cute AND so affordable! They are like the ones you can print at Walmart, only they are fully customizable! (and a little better quality)You can do holiday cards and baby announcements and wedding announcements and... and... AHHH!



Probably my favorite new item (right now, it changes often) is the Soft-Bound Storybook. They are just classy yet inexpensive, precious little books that are great for little hands and big hands and so many things! I am again posting a template from the gallery. It is a VIP book, which is a theme that is dear to my heart. Each of my kids has one but in a different format (I made them before the soft-bound book came out.) Tell me what you think!