FREE Premiere weekend!

Great news!!!
HM is having its very first Free Premier Weekend! That’s right, from October 14 - 17, you can get full access to a Heritage Makers Premier account, absolutely free. This is a no-risk opportunity for you to try designing storybooks, canvas prints, greeting cards, playing cards, photo books, and more with over 47,000 pieces of digital art and thousands of pre-designed templates.
Imagine having free reign on a scrapbook store. That’s what it’s like when you use Heritage Makers Premier account. Unlimited creativity and fun is waiting for you! Join us!
Here’s a sampling of some of the art you’ll find in Premier:





To participate in FREE Premier Weekend, simply log into Studio and click on the “unlock Premier” button. This button will be available from 7:00 p.m. October 14 until noon October 18 MDT.
If you don’t already have a Studio account, get a free account here

Also, check out all of the great classes going on this weekend, too!

Thu, Oct 14, 2010 7:00 PM MDT
Topic: Celebrate FREE Premier Weekend & Explore October's Art
Instructor: Lynda Angelastro and Tanja Rigby
Studio Product Manager Lynda Angelastro and Creative Marketing Assistant Tanja Rigby celebrate FREE Premier Weekend by showing fabulous tips and tricks with the October art collections.

Register here.

Fri, Oct 15, 2010 6:00 PM MDT
Topic: Celebrate Our FREE Premier Weekend, Day Two
Instructor: Lynda Angelastro
Studio Product Manager Lynda Angelastro answers your art and design questions.

Register here.


Sat, Oct 16, 2010 12:01 PM MDT
Topic: Celebrate FREE Premier Weekend, Day Three, Saturday Show-and-Tell
Instructor: Lynda Angelastro
Lynda Angelastro shows off projects you have made during FREE Premier Weekend. To have work considered for the Saturday Show-and-Tell, email project previews to langelastro@heritagemakers.com.

Register here.


You can contact me with any question at any time!

What Can You Make With the New Art this holiday season

This holiday you can really let your imagination fly with the new art available!
Here is some ideas that are sure to make your holidays really special:

Delight the spooks in your life! Template ID #: 39756, Playing Card Deck

No tricks, just treats with this fun greeting card. Template ID #: 38867, 7x5 Greeting Card

Remember the special moments of the fall with a board book. Template ID #: 18801, 8x8 Board Book

Creative Thanksgiving Table place cards. Template ID #: 39747, Playing Card Deck

Celebrate the blessings in your life with this festive flip book! Template ID #: 39767, Flip Book

For a preview of the template, click here.
Count your many blessings with this adorable bucket. Template ID #: 39768, 12x12 scrap page

A fun neighborly Christmas gift! Template ID #: 16841, 5x7 Post card

 

Trim the tree with these unique ornaments! Template ID #: 37814, Playing Card Deck

Tuck the lil’ ones into bed on Christmas Eve with this charming storybook. Template ID #: 40432, 7x5 Storybook

 

For a preview of this template, click here

This greeting card is a great twist on the traditional holiday card. Template ID #: 20770, 5x7 greeting card

For more creative ideas and template applications, be sure to check out the Master Class recorded September 23, 2010, right here.

You can create any of these projects by signing up for a free account on my website.

Choose the template you like and then contact me to purchase the credits to publish it at a discounted price!

October 2010 pick of the month: Storybooks!

What is going to be this year?
Is your gift going to be returned on Dec 26th?
When it comes to holiday gift giving, it's hard to match the impact of a customized keepsake storybook.
Now through the month of October 2010 you can buy a two-pack of our most popular storybook sizes at a huge discount! In fact, Heritage Makers is offering a 20% discount for the entire month!!!

2 Storybooks (8"x8") $79.95
2 Storybooks (11.5"x8.5") $95.95
2 Storybooks (12"x12") $111.95
2 Wirebound Storybooks $39.95
Premier Account holders enjoy even BETTER PRICES! 
Check the flier for all the details!

Contact me today to place your order! 

In memory of zio Mario...

Yesterday a very humble and kind person completed his journey on this earth, my uncle Mario...
He was the quintessential gentleman. Kind, honest, thoughtful, always looking for ways to make you feel good in his home. A wonderful husband and father, the best uncle one could ever hope for...
I will always remember how much he used to tease me when I was a little girl.It was almost like a ritual...
He would always make sure that there was pineapple juice (my favorite) for me when I would visit, and I had plenty of chocolate to enjoy at the end of every dinner at their house...
Once I was married, he made also sure that my husband would have Fanta (the Italian kind is gazillion times better than what you can find here) when we go visit...
So many memories....
My heart is swelling with sorrow, I am here on the other side of the Ocean, and I can't be there to mourn with my family....
I just hope that my aunt Carmela felt how much I love her through the telephone... Saying that she is devastated is the least, the pain that I could feel in her voice broke my heart even more...

I wish I had arms large enough to hug her from this side of the Ocean...

Zio Mario will never be forgotten.

TI VOGLIO BENE ZIO MARIO!

Mario Procida b.30 Jan 1938  d. 7 Sep 2010.

New Hosting rewards!

The best way to get your publishing credits is through a workshop.
Workshops can be either in person, or virtual, through emails, phone calls etc.
When ordering through a workshop, you not only get the best prices, but you also receive free rewards.
Each guest gets a free greeting card credit, and when the workshops reaches at least $150, the host will be able to choose between $15 in free publishing credits or a highly discounted product.
Host can get even higher rewards! 
Check the flier for all the details:

(Click the image to enlarge)
Contact me today to know more about workshops and all the ways to get your free credits!

September pick of the month: Calendars!!!

This month you have the opportunity to get ready for those christmas gifts, and at the same time save a bunch of money.
You can create beautiful personalized calendars for the whole family at a fraction of the price!
Give a look at the flier(click on it to enlarge):

This is a great deal!
We really enjoy our family calendar, and my mom, who lives on the other side of the ocean, loves it and cherishes it. It is a great way for her to remember all the birthdays!
Contact me before the end of this month to take advantage of this sale and to find out how you can save even more!

New customizable post bound album: you know you want it!

Great news! Heritage Makers just released a completely new product:
A completely customizable post-bound album!
It's the best way to collect all those 12x12 scrap pages, either the digital ones and/or the classic ones!
I love that you can completely customize the cover, with pictures, embellishments and make it just the way you want it!
What's even better, there is a sale going on up until the end of the month of August, so you can be one of the first to have this wonderful album, and save at the same time!!!

 Contact me today to know how to get your hands on this fantastic new publishing product!

Last chance on photo jewlery!

August is the last month in which our photo jewelry items will be available to order through Heritage Makers. These are perfect for your Christmas giving needs, and as a gift to yourself, so take advantage of this last offer, and create a gift to cherish for years to come!

Contact me to take advantage of these great prices, this is your LAST CHANCE!

August host gifts and rewards

Here comes August, and while we are still enjoying our Summer, soon we will be sending our kids to school...
Where will the memories go?
How about on some gorgeous scrap pages?
This month you can choose to receive 5 free 12x12 scrap page credits when you host a workshop!
And your guests get a free scrap page coupon too!
Check out the flier!

You can also earn up to 20% in free credits!!! And that's in addition to your hosting gift!

Contact me ASAP to host a workshop, and be rewarded!

Remember, workshops can be in person or virtual, you choose!

 If you live in the Jacksonville, FL area, I will come to your home and not only show the storybooks and other projects they can realize with Heritage Makers, but I will also show them how to get started and how the online software is easy and intuitive. They will be able to start creating that same day!
If you are not in my area, don't worry. You don't need to be in my area to be a host.
All can be done virtually.
You can either have friends over at your house, or if they are all far away or all very busy, you can communicate through emails or phone calls, and they can give a look at the 2010 spring catalog and check out all the wonderful and inspiring ideas that are displayed in it, and also you can send them a link to my blog, to check all that I have created.
They will just need to contact me telling me that they are your guests, and make any order. It will go through your whole "workshop" order, and they will each get the free gift(12x12 scrapbook page) while you will get the host gifts and rewards.
I will also guide them through online presentations that will teach them how to use the free online editing software and take advantage of its full functionality.
The more friends you share the news with, the more products credits you will have the chance to earn!
Plus, your friends will be glad you helped them become the heritage makers in their home!
Feel free to contact me with any question about workshops, offers, quality of the books etc, I am here to help you every step of the way!

As easy as 1,2,3

I love creating my own projects, but when I see a template that is just plain gorgeous, I cannot help but using it for my own pictures.
Templates make it easy to create wonderful projects in no times.
Here is what I created by just swapping 1, 2, 3 pictures:

You can see the original template by clicking  here.
It took me less than a minute to create this canvas.
I just chose the template from the template gallery on my website, started my own, and now it is ready to publish!
Isn't it great?

Take advantage of this month's offers to get your canvas credits at the best price, and then create at your own pace, or as fast as 1,2, 3!

3+ generations in a cube

I have had a few people asking for more affordable ideas to help kids learn and love their genealogy and family history, so here is a photo cube with at least 3 generations  that is fun and easy to create.
I first created a template on my website using a 8.5x11 page and then dragged and dropped the pictures of my kids, of my husband and me, and of our parents.
I published it and got it shipped to my home together with some other projects I had been working on.
The page was about  $2.69 plus shipping (I had pre-purchased a package of (10) 8.5x11 scrap page credits, since I love to use them for my projects)
I also used one of those 50% coupons for Joann's or Micheals and purchased a 3.5x3.5 photo cube, making it less than $2, taxes included.

I cut the photos and then placed them inside the cube.

This project can be personalized with some little heirlooms or little stories about each person inside the cube.
You could create a cube for each person and then make your very own pyramid/family tree cubes. You could make a puzzle with them... You get the idea!
Have fun!

July host rewards and gifts

This month you have the opportunity to get a free spiral bound book when hosting a workshop either by inviting people at your home or through a virtual workshop, that can be done simply through the internet!
Also, all your friends will get a coupon for a free family fold credit, by just participating in the workshop! How cool is that?
Give a look at the flier:

Contact me before the end of the month to host your very own workshop and take advantage of all the gifts and rewards available! In addition to the free gift of their choice, hosts  can earn up to 20% in free credits!

It's Christmas in July!

I don't know you, but I hate going crazy the last weeks or days before Christmas because I haven't gotten a gift or even send that card yet!
I love getting Christmas in July deals since they help me getting organized and done long before everybody else goes crazy!^_^
For you cards and special gifts, Heritage Makers has a great Christmas in July offer!

You can get postcards/invitations for as low as 99cents, and greeting cards for as low as $1.79!
Great deals on playing cards, calendars and canvases also!!!!
Plus if you are a club premier member, you can get  free swatchbooks/flipbooks with your order!
Check out the flier!

25 Invitations $34.95 ($1.39/each) a $44 Value
50 Invitations $59.95 ($1.19/each) a $89 Value
100 Invitations $99.95 ($.99/each) a $179 Value
25 Greeting Cards $59.95 ($2.39/each) a $73 Value
50 Greeting Cards $99.95 ($1.99/each) a $147 Value
100 Greeting Cards $179.95 ($1.79/each) a $295 Value
Club premier members get a free rectangle swatch book when ordering any of the mentioned sets of cards
Also
(4) Playing Card Decks $69.95 ($17.49/each) a $99 Value
(4) 8.5 x 11 Calendars $79.95 ($19.95/each) a $119 Value
(4) 11 x 16 Calendars $99.95 ($24.95/each) a $139 Value
(2) 8 x 8 Canvases $49.95 ($24.95/each) a $65 Value
(2) 8 x 20 Canvases $99.95 ($49.95/each) a $139 Value
(2) 16 x 20 Canvases $129.95 ($64.95/each) a $179 Value
(2) 20 x 20 Canvases $149.95 ($74.95/each) a $199 Value
(2) 20 x 24 Canvases $169.95 ($84.95/each) a $219 Value
Club premier members get a free square swatch book when ordering any of the gifts mentioned above!

Contact me to learn how you can get in these great offers, and also how you could get even more!!

How are you keeping your kids busy this Summer?

Our children are out of school, and here comes the dilemma: What to do?
Sure you cannot go on vacation for the whole time, and probably you are not going to the next door pool everyday. Are your children going to spend most of their time on video games? Watching TV? Sleeping?
How about giving them a more creative outlet, something much more productive and that will also boost their self esteem?
You can have all this by giving your children the tools to create their own storybooks, flipbooks, posters, playing cards and more!
Here is your Summer Survival kit:

Contact me today to know how to get your kids started! Your children will thank you for it!

June host gifts and rewards

I love great quality products, and I love to get them at the best possible price, even better if free^_^
This is why I love getting my publishing credits through the host rewards and gift program!
I have a few friends over, we check out the ideas and products available, and then we choose what best fits our need, always taking advantage of the current offers.
As a host, I get free gifts and credits, and my guest also get a free gift! It's a win win situation!
Check out what June is bringing :

You can get a free square flipbook, one of our newest products, perfect to bring your favorite memories with you wherever you go!
Plus, you can get products credits up to 20% of the full workshop sale, and 1/2 price products!
When you take also advantage of this month's offers, you really can't miss this great opportunity!
 If you live in the Jacksonville, FL area, I will come to your home and not only show the storybooks and other projects they can realize with Heritage Makers, but I will also show them how to get started and how the online software is easy and intuitive. They will be able to start creating that same day!
If you are not in my area, don't worry. You don't need to be in my area to be a host.
All can be done virtually.
You can either have friends over at your house, or if they are all far away or all very busy, you can communicate through emails or phone calls, and they can give a look at the 2010 spring catalog and check out all the wonderful and inspiring ideas that are displayed in it, and also you can send them a link to my blog, to check all that I have created.
They will just need to contact me telling me that they are your guests, and make any order. It will go through your whole "workshop" order, and they will each get the free gift(12x12 scrapbook page) while you will get the host gifts and rewards.
I will also guide them through online presentations that will teach them how to use the free online editing software and take advantage of its full functionality.
The more friends you share the news with, the more products credits you will have the chance to earn!
Plus, your friends will be glad you helped them become the heritage makers in their home!
Feel free to contact me with any question about workshops, offers, quality of the books etc, I am here to help you every step of the way!

June POM Buy 3 get 1 free!!!

What are you doing this summer?
With all the memories you are going to create, and the pictures you are going to take, you really don't want them to go lost or forgotten, so you will need quite a bunch of books to record them on!^_^
You won't need to spend a fortune to do so, with the pick of the month of June!
You can get a free storybook credit for each 3 you buy, and if you are a premier member, you can get a free storybook credit for every 2 you buy!!! Yeah!
You can use these credits any way you want: make copies to give to other family members, or make all different books, you choose!
Here is the flier:

Contact me ASAP to get this wonderful offer, it will last only until June 30!
Happy storybooking!

4 generation cheat sheet foldout

You know I love to have my family genealogy always at hand, and while I am sad that I won't be able to create the 7 folds anymore, I am not letting that stop me, so I created a 3 fold one, that also contains all the siblings of the root person.
Here is how the one I already ordered for my children looks:

This fold out also matches the magnetic family tree game that I created last November. It could be used as a reference for children to know where to put each person in the tree.

I am also going to order one for myself and some to give as a gift.
This is a preview of  the one that I created for my self:

As you can see, I am missing the pictures of 2 of my great grandmothers. I have been looking everywhere for those, asked everybody, and while I will never cease having hopes that someday I will find them, I wanted to have my own 4 generation cheat sheet, and I just put the image of a tree in place of the pictures.
This also goes to show you that you don't need to have all the pictures to start your own nice family tree.
Do you always have your 4 generations with you?

Two new ways to preserve your memories

It is always nice to have more options, especially when it comes to the ways you display your pictures, your story. If you are like me you will enjoy being able to use 2 new products, the 11x14 print ( perfect to be framed and displayed in any room!) and the flip book, which can be square or rectangular.
I think they are pretty cool! And what is even nicer, they are pretty affordable!
Check them out here:

Guess what I am going to create soon?;)

If you would like to preserve your memories using these great publishing products at the discounted prices, don't hesitate to contact me and I will be happy to help!

A wall of fame for dad

Father's day is coming fast, and you have been thinking to do something special for him, but haven't gotten the right idea yet...
Well, Heritage Makers has just something that will help you make your dad feel like the champion that he is for you.
With a great deal on canvases, you can give your dad his very own wall of fame!
Check them out!

This incredible offer will only last a few days, so you need to hurry up!
Contact me today to get in on this deal!
And to add my very own offer... If you are among the first 5 people that contact me and get at least a canvas credit, I will create it for you! You will just have to send me the picture(s) and I will do the rest!
Don't wait!

Sad news

On June 1, 2010, Heritage Makers will be turning off the ability to create new 5-panel and 7-panel family folds, and 12x18 posters. On August 1, 2010,  the ability to publish these projects will be turned off. They will continue to offer 3-panel family folds and 18x24 posters.
This means that if you were thinking to create a 7 fold  4-generations cheat sheet like the ones I created, you need to do it now, and  you will only be able to have it published and shipped to your home until the end of July.
This is pretty sad for me, since I really loved the cheat sheet I had created.

I had made one for me, one for my husband, one for each of my children and was going to make some for our siblings and parents too... I guess this teaches me not to procrastinate!
You can still use the 3-folds, in fact I made a genealogy one that I will show you in another post, but if you really love the ones I already created, maybe you can try writing support@heritagemakers.com and let them know that you really like the 5 and 7 folds and would really appreciate if they would just keep them in the line of their products.
You can do the same if you would like them to keep the 12x18 posters.
Maybe if they receive enough emails, they will re-think their decision! That's my hope!
After June 1st, if you bought a family fold credit you will be able to use it only for the 3-fold version, and if you have a 12x18 poster credit, you will be able to use it to publish an 18x24 poster.
Let me know if you wrote Heritage Makers!

My gift for mom: Memories

My mom lives in England with my sister, and rarely gets to see me or my children, if not in pictures.
This is why I thought it would be nice if I could create something for her that contained as many pictures of her children and grandchildren as possible, but at the same time, was portable enough to always bring with her, wherever she goes.
I was so glad when the swatch book format came out, because it really tickled my imagination, and among all the other projects, it gave me the opportunity to create something unique for my mom.Italian. I  desire her to realize that even if we are far away, she is very blessed to have so many grandchildren.
I was hoping to be able to see her in my last trip to  Italy, and see her reaction when I would hand her the gift, but unfortunately she wasn't able to come, so I had to bring the swatchbook back, and just send it to her together with a nice card.

 I loved the fact that I could just put the swatchbook inside the card, and send it in a normal envelope (saving me a good bunch in shipping^_^). Also, she will not expect to find a real gift in it!

I can't wait for her to receive it, and know about her reaction. I really hope this will bring a great smile to her face, and will let her know how much we all love her and miss her.

How about you? How are you going to tell your mom that you love her this mother's day? And how about any other day?

Tombstone Tuesday: Cava de' Tirreni, Salerno, Italy cemetery

In my trip to Italy, while in my home town, I couldn't help but go to the cemetery where most of my ancestors on my father's side are resting.
I love this cemetery. I used to walk around all of those resting places and say a prayer to some of the tombs that looked like they were abandoned or the tombstones of little children.

I just loved the peace that you can find there, and I still do.

The main purpose of this trip, beside visiting my direct family tomb

 

was to take pictures of as many tombstones of Santoriellos (my maiden name) as possible.

Unfortunately, being with a little child, I could only go around almost half of the cemetery before he would start getting really bored and scream for freedom from the stroller, so I know I will have to go back and take pictures of the remaining Santoriello tombstones, but you can find the pictures I was able to take on the photo section of Santoriello in the world facebook group which I created to reunite all the Santoriello, as I am convinced, we are all cousins.

With time I am going to match the info on the tombstones with the info from my researches in the Cava de' Tirreni commune, library and churches, and I will give a better explanation on who each person is.
I hope with my efforts, to be able to reconnect as many Santoriellos as possible to their roots and to their long lost cousins.
If you are a Santoriello, or a descendant of a Santoriello, or even have ancestors born or died in the Cava de' Tirreni, Salerno, Italy comune, don't hesitate to contact me as I might be able to help you find your roots!