Make it in Minutes

Make it in Minutes

Treat your Neighbors to a batch of homemade goodies at the holidays. In many communities, it’s a the traditional way of being neighborly. Present your treats in Roxanne Buchholz’s amazing “Holiday Cookie Bucket” made from a 12 x 12 scrap page, template 37815 and you’ve got a memorable and personalized gift that lets your friends and neighbors know how much you care. The template makes two, so here’s how to make both in moments:
 

 
1.    Personalize the template if desired. “From Our House to Yours” can be changed to say “From the Smith Family” or “From Andy and Ann Smith” or any other greeting you’d like to share.

2.    Print the number you need, remembering that each page makes two buckets.

3.    When you send the page to print, request UV coating at checkout to give the labels extra protection from cookie crumbs or grease.

4.    Purchase “gallon size” clear plastic buckets from the craft store or online.

5.    Cut out all pieces using sharp scissors.

6.    Using a tacky white glue, scrapbooking adhesive roller or a glue stick, attach large labels to front of buckets and circles on the lid.

7.    Punch holes in tags as marked.

8.    Using 4-5 inch lengths of ribbon, yarn, inch-wide fabric, or even holiday colored curling ribbon, tie with double knots onto handle as shown.

9.    Fill with homemade cookies and deliver to the neighbors. Yum!

Heritage Makers Christmas in July!!!

The temperature outside may be rising, but inside this “Christmas in July” issue of Club Connections you’ll find the coolest ideas to help you get a jump start on holiday gifts, greetings and décor. Check out our suggestions for 8 x 8 storybooks and 20 x 20 canvases. They make wonderful holiday gifts and are 10% off this month! You’ll also find projects that build holiday traditions, décor that sets the stage for the merriest of Christmases and gift ideas for your entire circle of loved ones. And, if you’d like to put extra presents under the tree in December or help neighbors and friends make one-of-a-kind gifts that will never be returned or regifted, contact me about joining my Heritage Makers team. I’d love to show you how this meaningful and rewarding business opportunity could brighten your holidays this year.

Back by popular demand! Save the date for our 2nd Digi-Retreat in Birch Run, Michigan. It is scheduled for September 30 – October 1st. Watch for more info to come soon.

Would you like to receive free publishing credit? Contact me to set up an in-house or online workshop with your friends today.

Printing your memories

There are many companies out there to print your special life moments with, some good, some horrible. Recently Photoworks went out of business and Shutterfly decided to take those photos. While this wasn't my first dealings with Shutterfly, it will be my last.

My first order for Shutterfly was my memorial album I made of my Grandma when she passed away in Fall 2009, the quality was horrible, pages were blurry. I contacted Shutterfly and got no response from them, even though they claim a 100% Customer Satisfaction. Never any response, complete silence. Now onto the Photworks/Shutterfly transfer.My heart sank when I saw that Shutterfly had agreed to take over accounts at Photoworks, I had positive experience with Photoworks, and couldn't understand how a great company could merge with a horrible one.  I had 425 photos at Photoworks that were to be transferred, however only 308 were ever transferred, and all my emails about this matter were ignored. Customers could no longer log into their Photoworks accounts to get the photos, but were all given $30.00 credit for the inconvenience. 



After months of trying to find those other photos and no replies from Shutterfly I decided to use the promo since it was expiring. The promotion didn't work fduring the order process and I spent over $30.00 that I never would have spent if it hadn't been for the transfer and credit offered. I thought that they would apply the credit and was informed this morning that they would not honor it, but instead give me more credit to apply to the next order. Really??!?!?!?!?? So they think I should chance another $30.00 on a gift certificate that guarantee won't work!?!?! The revolving door to continued dissatisfaction?!? It was an expensive lesson to learn and hope others will think twice about trusting their beloved memories in the hands of Shutterfly.

Shutterfly prices are higher than Snapfish as the online printing companies compare. And quality and service are awful.  As a Heritage Makers consultant, customers get a real person, not ignored through emails- it is a little more through Heritage Makers, but as a customer feeling left in the dark last night at 1 am. I personally like paying more for quality items and top notch service.

There are several printing services out there,

WalMart- the system is hard to figure out and the photos are grainy when printed out. No personal service.

WalGreens- same as WalMart when it comes to quality and service

Any one hour photo place will get your photos printed and have low quality. Their services is to bring in customers, they aren't pro's with photos and act more like a fast food restaurant, rather than a 5 star restaurant in matters of preserving your memories.

Shutterfly-offers tons of promotions that are not honored, prices are high, emails are ignored, quality is horrible and the guarantee is just a wishful thought on the customers part.  

Snapfish- great quality and price is much cheaper than than online competitors, they also have tons of promotions that are honored. They offer more personalized gifts. I have never ordered a book from them, but their prints have always been great.

Of course there is Heritage Makers which doesn't print out photos, but helps the customer to organize and place those memories in quality pieces of art. These wont be hundreds of photos lying around waiting to be placed in a scrapbook, but stored in a convenient online storage  for later publication into a quality scrapbook, brag book, cookbook, playing cards, or cards.   Consultants like myself  help you make sure your photo is crisp, clear of flaws and walks you through the process of making photo albums, preserving your photos to the highest quality.  Heritage Makers is the 5 star restaurant of photo preserving, why spend less on those special moments-you want the memories to last generations beyond today. 

My Journey

There are moments I get very off track or try to take on way more than any one person should. Life is so short and there is just to much to explore and enjoy. I never really grasped how true that was until my Grandma passed away in 2009. There was so much she had taught me, and was the most important person in my life. One of the things that we shared a love for was Genealogy, old photos, Cemeteries, recipes, and old stories that were passed through the family from Generation to Generation. It was then that I decided to take my education in Paralegal Studies-researching documents and change to become a Professional Genealogist.

In order to do that I really want to get my Certification, so I decided to open my own scrapbooking shop to sell die cuts, and cards to reach my goal. I got a little off track in the process and forgot to enjoy what I was doing. So a little focus was much needed. I am restructuring my shops to provide items geared towards preserving family photo's, and genealogy. In addition to traditional scrapbooking, I became a Heritage Makers Consultant to help others preserve their family memories digitally. I am still a volunteer for many Genealogical Organizations, Whispers from the Dust, Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness, Find a grave, Names in Stone, where I take requested photos of gravestones, and obituary retrievals.

It is so fun to help others preserve their family memories present and past.