framed prints and home decor

There are a lot of options for home decor from Heritage Makers--canvases, metal prints, wood prints, posters, and such.  But one of my favorites is super simple.  Just create a scrapbook page and frame it!

For only a few dollars, you can create really beautiful, fun, meaningful, trendy (whatever you're going for) items for your home.  I came across this quote that was posted by {CR Conversations} that I absolutely adored:

"Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up."  ~A. A. Milne

Around my house, some people have issues with a lot of planning ahead.  I, however, am all about the planning, all about the organizing.  So I pretty much REALLY NEEDED this quote for my office.

All it took was an 8.5x11 scrap page and some perfect digital art, and voila!

Waited for my order from Heritage Makers to come in the mail.

Framed on my desk.

Want to make some cool home decor (or gifts!!) like this from prints, scrap pages, etc.? {Get started right here.}

2023 UPDATE:  Heritage Makers became YPhoto under Youngevity (which purchased Heritage Makers in 2013).  YPhoto uses only templates, so the creativity showcased here is no longer available there. Best-in-the-industry quality and permanent cloud photo storage with guaranteed privacy are required for anything recommended here by Photo & Story Treasures, so we highly recommend Forever.  

Using Forever's Artisan program for digital scrapbooking, you can make items similar to those shown here.  This video tutorial shows you how to craft with high-quality scrapbook pages, and this one shows you how to use Artisan to create something unique and then print at home (for instances in which you need thinner paper, sticker paper, etc.)  You can see just a few examples of crafting I've done using Artisan here, including cards, magnets, dry-erase boards, and other products.

DIY wine glass tags

All right, so I'm a {Pinterest} fan.  I saw a home decor idea there about a year ago where you fill hurricane vases or even wine glasses with beads, candies, beans, and various fillers to represent holidays.  I did it and like it, but I've kinda felt like it's not quite complete--like I'd like to have a little more.

AND THEN I GOT A SUPER AMAZING IDEA of a simple, inexpensive, but fun and darling thing I could do with Heritage Makers:  DIY wine glass tags.

This obviously goes with my decor idea, but can you imagine the possibilities?!  This would be so fun and unique for parties, weddings, and other special occasions.  

All you do is use a Heritage Makers 12x12 scrap page and make 1 1/2" circles then put your message inside it. 

Here's half of my Heritage Makers scrap page.  See how I did all the holidays?  (And a couple extra.)  You can fit 56 circles that are 1 1/2" on a 12x12 scrap page.  I did two per holiday because I have two wine glasses for my home decor, but if you're making actual name tags, that's 56 people from a $4 scrap page!  Or $6 for a double-sided scrap page like I used--see how the "I [heart] America" is the front, and the other one at the right shows the back of the scrap page? 

Be sure to add the UV coating option when you check out just so you get a little sturdier page.  After you've ordered your scrap page and it comes in the mail (you'll need 7-10 business days), you just cut out the little circles.  Then punch a hole in the top with a small hole punch (not a regular one--you can get small ones at craft stores).

You'll need to buy some memory wire.  And you'll want some wire cutters.  Just snip a circle.

Then use some pliers to bend each end of the wire circle.

Then slip the wire through the circles and hook them together.

This is what my home decor wine glasses look like--with holiday themes.

2023 UPDATE:  Heritage Makers became YPhoto under Youngevity (which purchased Heritage Makers in 2013).  YPhoto uses only templates, so the creativity showcased here is no longer available there. Best-in-the-industry quality and permanent cloud photo storage with guaranteed privacy are required for anything recommended here by Photo & Story Treasures, so we highly recommend Forever.  

Using Forever's Artisan program for digital scrapbooking, you can make items similar to those shown here.  This video tutorial shows you how to craft with high-quality scrapbook pages, and this one shows you how to use Artisan to create something unique and then print at home (for instances in which you need thinner paper, sticker paper, etc.)  You can see just a few examples of crafting I've done using Artisan here, including cards, magnets, dry-erase boards, and other products.

I also made some with a summer theme.  Instead of beads and candles, I went for sand and shells (just purchased at a craft store).  I LOVE this one!!

But then again, I'm a beach gal.  ;)

Here's the February/Valentine one.  Doesn't this make you think of how fun these would be for a wedding?

These could have PICTURES on them!!  Class reunions!  Family reunions!  Retirement parties!  Birthdays!

The possibilities are endless.  

a photograph proves that you lived

This is one of my favorite quotes about memory-keeping.  This is exactly what photos are for--capturing the moments of life.  You get the power to re-live a moment, to enjoy it all over again.

If I could share one thing with the world, it would be that it doesn't matter HOW you preserve your photos and memories, it just matters that you DO.

So let me introduce you to my favorite memory-keeping methods.  Preserving the photos and memories in a tangible way safeguards them and makes them shareable, too.  It also gives you the many personal "wellness" benefits of memory-keeping.

You definitely want photo privacy and heirloom-quality products.  {Here are my top recommendations!}  Choose whatever fits you best. 

The time to focus on memory-keeping is NOW.

helping people find photo solutions that work for THEM

My job as a Photo & Story Treasures consultant is to help people find solutions for their digital photos that will actually WORK for them.  Some people love creativity, and some people have the time for it, and some people don't.  Some people love hardbound books, and some people love individual scrap pages in a looseleaf system, and everyone loves high-quality products that last.

Bring your unique situation and needs to me and let me give you possible solutions.  I love the challenge of learning your needs and then making you happy.  Contact me and let me solve your photo problems!  

UPDATE 2022:  Check out these 3 options and see which one fits you the best.  Your Forever account gives you not only choices for preserving your photos and memories in print, but digitally in the cloud as well (with permanent photo storage--not temporary photo storage like Google, Amazon, Smug Mug, Dropbox, Shutterfly, etc.) and an app to make it all accessible from your phone as well!

Let's find a solution for your digital photos that works for YOU!

finding the happy medium between your comfort zone and listening to yourself

Is preserving photos something you find difficult because it's "not my thing?"  Or does it come naturally to you?  Is digital memory-keeping easy for you, or hard?  Are you tech-savvy, or do you prefer a paper, tactile method?

I've been teaching people about memory-keeping for over 11 years, and in that time I've found that there are two truths:

1. Sometimes you have to step outside your comfort zone and learn something new in order to succeed.
2. Listening to yourself is your greatest chance for success.

I thought about this initially as it relates to building a team of other memory-keeping consultants--mostly because I'm an introvert to the core!  

I really discovered that doing something new requires some courage, but I also am such a firm believer in listening to yourself.  I didn't try to make myself into a bubbly, over-the-top salesperson because it's just not me.  

My business focus is more about HELPING, and it's much more about an individual than a sale.  Once I listened to that in myself, I could run with it.  So finding that balance between stepping outside my comfort zone and listening to my own strengths was vital.  And it's definitely how I lead my team.  I don't expect any of my team members to be responsible for my growth, bonuses, etc.  I believe if I do my job right, that happens organically.

So how does this apply beyond a business or a team?  HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO YOU?

If you take a picture, it needs a home.  There's a memory associated with it--a story.  The story behind your photo needs to be told in order to make that photo still valuable 10 years from now.  Nameless photos don't mean much.  (And neither do photos left to die on a hard drive or flash drive, but that's another post for another day!)  

When you give your photos and their stories a home, that's memory-keeping.

If you aren't already a regular, zealous memory-keeper, it's VITAL to your success that you listen to yourself and move beyond your comfort zone if you need to.  Don't do anything crazy, just do what you need to to make it WORK.

Let me share with you {my favorite memory-keeping options}.  They're the best!  Just click that link to learn more.  You can decide which one is most comfortable and will most easily help you be successful.  They're all heirloom-quality, so you can't lose!

Please keep in mind that memory-keeping doesn't have to be perfect.  Since scrapbooking became a thing, there seems to be a high standard for memory-keeping, an opinion that if you don't scrapbook and spend an hour on a page, you're not doing it right.

WRONG.  If you are preserving your photos and memories--PERIOD--you are doing it right.  Believe me.

If you need help deciding which one is best, contact me.  I'm pretty great for bouncing ideas off of, and I can give you some direction if you need it.  As I mentioned earlier, I've been at this 11 years, so I have a lot of solutions floating around my head.  If you need one, let me help.