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!

May pick of the month: Pay tribute to your loved ones.

This month we celebrate our mothers, but also get closer to the ones that are going to graduate in our family.
Thanks to the pick of the month, you can pay tribute to each of your loved ones, and save a bunch too!

When you get a (8x8), (8.5x11) or (12x12) storybook credit, you have the opportunity to get a second one and save a ton, especially if  you are a club premier member.
You can use this second credit to make a copy of the book you are going to create for your loved one, or you can create any other book you desire.
Remember that credits last up to 2 years, so you can save now, and take your time to put together a tribute or any other project you are thinking of.
Contact me to take advantage of this offer, but hurry, as it is only valid during the month of May!

May host rewards and gifts

One of the best ways to save and sometimes publish your projects for free, is having a workshop, either virtual or in person.
When you have a workshop, or even a simple Studio Demo, your friends will get the chance to learn about the wonderful creative opportunities Heritage Makers offers, and also how to use our super easy online editing software.

This month's host rewards and gifts are really tempting!
Check out the flier!

Your friends will get a free greeting card credit just for coming to the workshop, or contacting me letting me know that they heard of the workshop from you!
Contact me to know more about how workshops and/or Studio demos work, and you'll be on your way for great savings!!!!

My first blogiversary... and I am late!

Well, I have an excuse!
I was in Italy^_^
Let's just say that I was celebrating there!

I must say, I have enjoyed writing about my passion and sharing my creative ideas with fellow geneabloggers and friends. When I started a year ago( April 16th 2009), I wasn't really sure that I would be able to keep it going, with my 3 little little kids, all the work I was already doing, and everything else.
It has been challenging at times, but overall, it has been fun, and it has also been a way to write my "creative journal".
I have appreciated each and every comment, and all the people that have spread the word about my blog, and my creative genealogy projects.

This blog has also given me the opportunity to be noticed and contacted by the organizers of the 2010 NEFH conference, which I was so happy to be part of, to share many of my ideas with so many genealogy enthusiasts like me, and even more, getting some input from them that might bring me to new future projects.

I hope you have enjoyed my blog as much as I have enjoyed writing it, and I hope I will be able to celebrate many more blogiversaries with you and many new friends.

So, I am sorry I didn't post exactly on my blogiversary, but I am not joking when I say I was celebrating in Italy: what better way to celebrate your passion than to follow it?

MIA? Not really!

Ok, some of you might have noticed that I have been missing in action for exactly 4 weeks, but in reality, there has been tons of action going on!^_^

I have been in ITALY!!!!
Yes, after more than 2 years I was finally able to see my family again, and have them meet my youngest one, which they had never seen, if not in pictures.
I have had the opportunity to show many of them some of my creative genealogy projects, and I must say, they loved them all!!!
I got many of them much more interested in sharing pictures and stories, and you can bet I will soon follow up on that;)!
My aunt Carmela finally showed me the pictures of 3 of my great grandparents, Antonio Iannone, Francesca Iannone and Antonio Sannazzaro, her grandparents, which I had never seen, giving me the opportunity to add them up to my family tree.

 My heart was so full of joy when I could finally see the faces of my past!

What was even more meaningful to me, was to be able to go visit my grandma's sister, who is now 92.
I really had wished to be able to see her this time, since last time I went to Italy, she was in Germany, and so I wasn't able to visit her.
What I didn't know, was that we were sharing the same desire...
She had been telling my cousins, when she would go visit them, to please tell me and my siblings(who live in England) to go visit her, because she wanted to see the children of her dear nephew(my father) before she died.
Oh the hugs that she gave me!

She was also happy to see my "baby", and know about all my family.
We also shared our common desire to be in Italy. She had been living in Germany for tens of years, all of her children are there, but she just had to come back to Italy, to her home. She wants to die there.
How much I understand her!!!
I asked her about her memories of my father and my grandma, and even if she couldn't tell me any story in particular, she confirmed me how good a person was my dad, how much everybody respected him, and told me that the same was for her sister (my grandma), who died at age 35, of childbirth, together with her baby.
I will never forget the 2 hours we spent together, having a simple lunch, and talking, sharing our deepest desires.
I pray I will be able to come back soon with all of my family, and have many more opportunities to go visit her!

In Italy I have also been able to do some genealogy work, both for a client, and for my Santoriello side of the family, but I will talk about that in a later post.
For now, I just wanted my friends to know that I wasn't MIA at all, but I was following my heart desire and pursuing my passions with all my energies!

More to come soon!!!