Christmas gift giving idea #2: Sending very personalized greeting cards with our address book

Did you know that your free Heritage Makers account comes with an Address Book? It's the fast and convenient way to send your cards!

Just log in to your Heritage Makers account. From your My Studio page, click "My Account" and then at the top of the page click "Address Book". You can enter your friends and family - anyone you'd like to send a card to. Heritage Makers will directly ship any card you create to your recipient in a beautiful individually addressed envelope with your return address on it! You can send out cards individually for a special occasion like a birthday or anniversary, or send out your entire batch of holiday greeting cards, all without ever having to lick a stamp! Just create your card and choose Direct Shipping when checking out - then pick your recipient(s) and off it goes!

And the best part is, your friends and family will receive a card custom designed by you - a much more personal touch than a generic greeting card!

You can include photos, artwork, and any special message you wish! You can even scan your own handwriting for cards! You can choose one of our templates from the Template Gallery to give you some creative inspiration!

This is the Holiday greeting card I sent last year to my Italian family, which I filled with family pictures and in which I shared the highlights of the ending year, the blessings we received through our trials, and the hopes and dreams for the upcoming year, for both our immediate family, and all our family and friends.

Here is the Holiday Card I sent out last year: it's a Heritage Makers Invitation, which is a double sided postcard that comes in an envelope. I changed a template found in the template gallery, the first side with a family photo and photos of the children and the back side has pictures and a few words to thank this friend of mine, Teresa, for all that she does. She is like a mom to me. I entered my addresses into my Heritage Makers address book and had all the cards sent out automatically!

What a time saver, plus my family and friends loved it, and they felt so special!

And, of course, all of our Cards, Postcards, and Invitations are on sale in our Christmas in July Sale! Get a great discount and get your cards done early! Imagine how great you'll feel if your Holiday Cards are done and ready to be mailed with a click of a button - another item checked off your Holiday List! I can help you get it done - just call or e-mail me and you'll be on your way to a Stress free holiday!

I hope you are enjoying my Christmas in July tips this month! Please write me a comment and tell me what you like, or feel free to request something in particular - I'd love to hear what you'd like to see here on my blog!

Have a great day & Happy Storybooking everyone!

Today's Chrismas in July Idea

Do you like seeing your Christmas gifts in next year garage sale? Do you like giving always the same kind of gifts?
I don't, and I am going to give you some wonderful and thoughtful ideas this month that will help you create some unforgettable and very meaningful Christmas gifts.

Picture CD idea:Make a CD with all the family pictures you can find. If you still have most of them in shoe boxes under a bed or in the closet, take them out, and scan them. If you don't have time to do so, hire a professional photo scanning specialist, it is totally worth it! Make the CD even more personal, by creating a beautiful cover with some of the key pictures on a 3panel family fold!
You can make as many copies as you like, and you will have made so many family members happy, and probably some will even shed some joyful tear!
I have already scanned many of my husband's grandparents pictures, and I am going to look for more. As soon as I have found all the pictures I can, I will burn the CD, including pictures, maybe a word document telling them what I felt going through their story in pictures, and I will have this CD cover that will really make the CD stand out!
I am so anxious to see their reaction when they see it!!!!

Stay tuned for more Christmas in July gift giving ideas!

Family Reunion ideas

Do you have a family reunion this summer? Here are some great ideas of fun things you can do at your family reunion to strengthen your family’s heritage!

1. Family Treasures Card game: This is a fun family game that has a playing board (laminated poster) that goes with it. To view the instructions click here.

2. I AM a Heritage Maker Activity Book: This is a great way for your kids and their cousins to get to know their heritage in a fun activity book.

3. Personalized Card Deck: Does your family like to play card games? Create your own custom deck of cards with pictures of grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. There are lots of templates to choose from in the gallery (rook, old maid, go fish, face cards, etc.)

4. FAMILY LAND: This fun game is just like Candy Land, but with your family name and the family activities you enjoy doing together. It will keep the kids entertained for hours! Also, it has a deck of cards to go with it.

5. Family Cookbook: If you have time before the reunion, have family members send you a favorite recipe and a picture. Put together a family cookbook. Take the cookbook to the reunion and if family members would like a copy, you can take orders. If you don’t have time to put it together before the reunion, have your family bring their picture and favorite recipe to the reunion. Then put the cookbook together later.

6. BINGO: Create your own Bingo cards with pictures of grandparents and other relatives. This is a great way for the young kids to learn the names of their great grandparents.

I got all these ideas from the Heritage Makers blog

Make and Take:

Do you need fun craft ideas? Here are some that are simple, fun, and affordable!

Special Memories Box: This is a great way to keep all your favorite cards, notes, letters, etc. all in one place. This is made using 2 12×12 pages and a 7 inch craft box ($2 at Walmart).

Family Clock: Super easy and a great addition to your home. This is made using 1 8×8 page and a 9 inch clock ($4 at Walmart). Blocks: Create your blocks to say whatever you want. Does your reunion have a theme? If so make a block per family or per kid with the theme or family motto. 1 12×12 page will make 5 blocks. Cut a 2×4 into 7 inch blocks.

Tiles: Create a tile with a picture of an ancestor or of grandma and grandpa that includes one of their favorite sayings. 1 12×12 page can make 4 tiles. Get 4 6×6 tiles at Home Depot or any home improvement store.
Scanning: If you have a scanner, offer scanning services to the persons in your area who will be attending reunions. Have them ask each family member to bring the pictures they have of great grandma, great grandpa, etc. (The pictures don’t leave their sight). You can scan everyone’s pictures while at the reunion and then everyone gets a copy of everyone’s pictures. It’s a win, win for everyone!

Tiny&Totable contest

You gotta love contests, especially when they tickle your creativity!

Storybook Contest
Show us your ideas for purse-packable storybooks. We're looking for interesting concepts that turn bite-sized storybooks into take-along treasures.

Entries welcome: July 15 – August 15, 2009
Winners announced: August 31, 2009


If you don't have a Heritage Makers account yet, you can get a free BASIC one here.

Virtual workshops

Many of you have such a busy life that it seems like there is no way you are going to be able to have a workshop at home and be able to get all the advantages that being a host would bring you.
I want to do all I can to help you earn your free credits and discounted products, so I am going to explain how "virtual" workshops work.
First of all, you need to have an account on my website.
If you don't have one yet, just go to www.preservemyheritage.com and sign up for a free BASIC account.

Since we have online workshops scheduled every Tuesday, all you will have to do is send your family members and friends a link to register for the webinars.You probably think that you don't know how to start, so just contact me to ask for more info and I will send you an email that you can forward to all your friends, with all the info they need to be part of your virtual workshop! They will be able to sign up for a free BASIC account on my website www.preservemyheritage.com, and to attend an online workshop, where they will learn more about Heritage Makers and our products, .
They will receive a welcome email from me where I tell them about the latest offers and then they can contact me letting me know who referred them to me and what projects they want to start and/or what deal they want to take advantage of.
I will then put their order in your "virtual workshop". Once the workshop is completed with all the orders from your "virtual" guests, I will contact you to know what you desire to receive with the free credits you will have earned.
It's as simple as that!
You and your guest will be able to do everything at your own convenience, from the comfort of your own home, even in your pjs, if you like!
Here is a list with the dates and links for the virtual workshops.
Virtual Workshop ~ Introduction to Heritage Makers and Studio 3.0
Every Tuesday 6pm (Pacific) 7pm (Mountain) 8pm (Central) 9pm (Eastern)
Conference Call: 213-286-1201
Access code: 680-797-026
Registration links:
July 14, 2009 https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/480850937
July 21, 2009 https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/731441464
July 28, 2009 https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/295129177
August 4, 2009 https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/470183801
August 11, 2009 https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/266338600
August 18, 2009 https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/692405185
August 25, 2009 https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/837694337


Your friends will thank you for introducing them to the concept of Storybooking and giving them the opportunity to preserve their heritage!

It's Christmas in July!

It's Christmas! In July that is!

Have you always wanted to make your own Christmas or Holiday cards?

Or make everyone in your family a book of your last Vacation? How about sending each Grandma a book of your child's last performance? Wouldn't it be great to put together a book with the best family recipes and make copies for everybody in the family?

It's so easy to make ONE book and order duplicate copies! This month is THE month! Check out these FABULOUS deals and make major headway on you Christmas Gifts!

Are you going to be remembered when this chapter of your existence comes to an end?

Many of us would like to think that we will be remembered long after we are gone.

We spend our life trying to build some kind of wealth, we collect objects that are dear to our heart, maybe some particular jewelery item that we would love to pass to our children, take pictures, record home videos, possibly leave a testament thinking that takes care of everything...

The truth is that fortunes are spent, properties are sold, jewelery can't be possibly divided among all of our descendants, records and stories are lost and memories fade.
Still, we want someone to know we existed. We want someone to know we made a difference. And that existence and difference has value. Unfortunately we often don't know what that value or worth is.

Perhaps this value is best understood to those who will follow us - our children, our grandchildren, or even strangers - those who will remember and learn about our lives of trials, of dreams, of hopes, of success and failures and can gain or learn from it.

The present is fleeting and soon to be… the past.

And although we may have thousands of photos and maybe hours of home movies the reality is that we've probably never recorded the obvious for posterity... what it is that we experienced, what we learned, why we did what we did, what we thought was important, and what words of wisdom and faith we wanted to pass on.

Taking the time to write your story and make sure that is is preserved, that the pictures you leave aren't just images from the past, but are connected to the experience and feelings you had when it was taken, will ensure that you leave a Legacy for your family and friends to appreciate and learn from for generations to come.

Your life is important and thanks to Storybooking, you can make sure that it is not forgotten.

Join us for FREE Online Classes

Are you new to Heritage Makers and Studio? Be sure to check out our beginner classes to learn the basics of Studio. You will see how the system works and learn some awesome design techniques and ideas.

Contact ME for any questions you may have, and get you started with your heritage making project.

INTRODUCTION TO STUDIO with Bergen Fairbanks. Learn the basics of Heritage Makers' Studio program.

• Mon, Jun 29, 2009 - 7:00 PM - 7:45 PM EST Click here to register.
• Wed, Jul 1, 2009 - 7:00 PM - 7:45 PM EST Click here to register.
• Mon, Jul 6, 2009 - 7:00 PM - 7:45 PM EST Click here to register.
• Wed, Jul 8, 2009 -7:00 PM - 7:45 PM EST Click here to register.
• Mon, Jul 13, 2009 - 7:00 PM - 7:45 PM EST Click here to register.
• Wed, Jul 15, 2009 - 7:00 PM - 7:45 PM EST Click here to register.
• Mon, Jul 20, 2009 - 7:00 PM - 7:45 PM EST Click here to register.
• Wed, Jul 22, 2009 - 7:00 PM - 7:45 PM EST Click here to register.
• Mon, Jul 27, 2009 - 7:00 PM - 7:45 PM EST Click here to register.
• Wed, Jul 29, 2009 - 7:00 PM - 7:45 PM EST Click here to register.
• Mon, Aug 3, 2009 - 7:00 PM - 7:45 PM EST Click here to register.
• Wed, Aug 5, 2009 - 7:00 PM - 7:45 PM EST Click here to register.
• Mon, Aug 10, 2009 - 7:00 PM - 7:45 PM EST Click here to register.
• Wed, Aug 12, 2009 - 7:00 PM - 7:45 PM EST Click here to register.

INTERMEDIATE STUDIO CLASSES with Shani Ogden. Learn about extra features such as "My Projects" and "My Favorites".

• Tue, Jun 30, 2009 - 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM EST Click here to register.

STUDIO 2.0 MASTER CLASS with Various Instructors Learn time-saving tips and tricks from Studio experts, including new-to-Heritage Makers’ digital mastermind Lynda Angelastro—former managing editor of Digital Scrapbooking magazine. Lynda and our other Master Class instructors will demonstrate creative ideas and template shortcuts to bring the master touch to your storybooks and projects.

Learn new design techniques and Studio 3.0 tips 'n' tricks. Second and fourth Thursdays of each month at 9 PM EST

Thur, Jun 25, 2009 9:00 PM EST

Topic: Heritage Makers presents a first look at Studio 3.0

Instructor: Lynda Angelastro Click here to register.
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Thu, Jul 9, 2009 7:00 PM EST

Topic: Your Best of Studio 3.0

Instructor: Lynda Angelastro

Watch as Studio manager Lynda Angelastro showcases favorite techniques from ten Studio users. Click here to register.