Create something meaningful with Heritage Makers Studio.

Welcome Spring!

I love spring. It's almost like emerging from hibernation. I am referring to the hibernation of winter, staying in, not wanting to get out too much because of the cold etc. The only drawback to spring in NC is that my kids have horrible pollen allergies and it is wreaking havoc on them. However, the leaves begin to change colors, we get more daylight and the sun shine is beautiful, making for great photo opportunities. On top of that...business expansion!

I am really excited about the opportunities that become available for my Heritage Makers business in the spring. There are some great events scheduled for this spring and summer and I have the opportunity to meet some really amazing people. I do hope that you will keep up with the event schedule. There's a crop for the cure coming up at the end of this month. Keep your eyes open for those details!

So what's been going on? I know you think I gave up on the early riser thing. I didn't. I have kept it up, most days in fact, but it has had it's challenges. Mostly because I have had to get up to go to work and not for the reasons I originally set out to accomplish by the challenge. Nonetheless, I am getting up earlier.


I am also excited to say, that I am officially a chamber member!! This has been something I have considered for a while. If you live in an area where you have an active chamber, it can be a great thing for your business. However, if you join the chamber expecting that your business will grow because you are in the directory, and you don't attend any events or get involved, you will be disappointed. That was the biggest obstacle for me was making sure I could find the time to attend events. Juggling a full time J-O-B, a family, kid's events etc. Let's just say you don't want to add too much to your plate. At any rate, I am excited and look forward to meeting more fabulous people in my community!

Great news! The Waiting Child Project is moving forward! I am not sure if I have mentioned it here or not, but this is project that has been a passion of mine for a while now. Basically, it involves helping to put one of our Heritage Makers books into hand and heart of a children in foster care. I heard recently that when you put a child's face (picture) on something in your home, it increases their confidence. Wow...our books can make a difference.

WOW!!

So I attended the DSWA Elite Express Weekend last weekend, and WOW... and I am not referring to within one week. It was really a great experience! I learned so much about myself, about this industry, self-imposed limitations, about myself in this industry~oh I said that already didn't I? Anyway, I have a renewed sense of direction and purpose and I am just so excited about moving forward armed with these new information and revelations. That's the important thing. This week, I am making it a point to look at my business through a different set of lenses.

In all, there were fourteen of us enjoying this experience...onene more thing I really enjoy about this industry...I get to meet and share space with some truly amazing women that I might not otherwise have had the chance to meet. It is amazing to me how quickly you can touch someone's heart or change their frame of mind (or them for you). Women in business+working together+in support of each other=Power House!

On another note, while I didn't falter on my early to rise project, I didn't follow through on my morning to-dos. I guess that is to be expected when traveling or away from home. It becomes a little more of challenge to stick to the morning routine. So thumbs up for getting up early but room for improvement on keeping the routine in order.

Arise!! Day 2

I thought that at the end of the day yesterday I would be completely wiped out. I wasn't any more tired than a normal day. We went through our normal routine and I was in bed by 10. I don't think I fell asleep before 11, also a no-no. If this new habit is going to stick, there can be no late nights. Eleven was my normal bed time so I am shooting for 10-10:30. I REALLY want this to stick.

So how did it go this morning? I hit the snooze button...but I didn't get back into bed. I went on to the bathroom and then I knelt down to pray. Soon the alarm went off again and I walked over and turned it off. I sorted some laundry, did my crunches and hopped into the shower. I was able to get a load in the washer before I left for work. This is also a new routine I am implementing, so the trick will be to remember to rotate it to the dryer when I get home and then fold them and put them away after dinner. Yeah...wish me luck.

Anyway, I remember walking to the car, not dragging wishing I could get another 30 minutes of rest, but feeling ready to take on the day~the power of prayer!

Becoming a Morning Person DAY 1

I recently came to the conclusion that I must begin my day earlier if I am going to accomplish the things I would like to accomplish each day. It's just so much harder trying to get things done after work. I am consumed with dinner, homework, bath time, story time~mom's you know the drill. Anyway, if I am fortunate enough to get the kids in bed on time, I sit down to catch my breath and gather my thoughts and that's a wrap! So, I came across a blog post recently (unfortunately as I write this I can't think of the name of the blog) and got inspired.

Yesterday, I moved the alarm clock across the room. When it went off this morning, I got up walked over and hit the snooze button (a no-no)! I knew it was wrong, and I guess that is why when I laid back down I just laid there. I didn't drift back to sleep. I was up 5 minutes later and began my morning routine baby steps. I did some calisthenics, jumped in the shower and got ready for work. I had 20 minutes of quiet time and enjoyed some praise and worship this morning.  I feel great!

Missed Opportunities

I can't believe it. I am always ready to talk about Heritage Makers but this time I had an opportunity and I missed it. I am still kicking myself for it and this was Monday! On one hand, every time I go to this place there is hardly anyone else waiting and the few who are, are glued to their computers or books. They look as though they really don't want to engage. So when I jumped out the car with my son and without my bag, I decided that I wouldn't go back for it because there wouldn't be anyone to share HM with anyway.

Low and behold...I walked in and soon there were 3 women there and then there were 4 women!! They were in two separate groups, chit-chatting amongst themselves, engaged and appearing to enjoy one another's company. If I had a catalog, business cards, or sample, this would have been a great opportunity to share my business and invite them to a class. But I didn't have anything. I was unprepared.

Lesson learned. How many of us run out the door to dash into the grocery store in sweats, a pony tail and no make up and realize we could have had an opportunity to talk with someone but didn't approach them because we looked like we just stepped off the treadmill? Maybe they would have been interested, maybe not~but Wayne Gretsky said, "you'll miss 100% of the shots that you never take." Always, always, be prepared to share what you do.

Accept the Things We Cannot Change

I had an epiphany. I have been trying to force a square peg into a round hole. When you keep trying to fight a battle, uphill, that you know you really can't win, I think it's called insanity. I've been trying to arrange my life around my business instead of fitting my business into my lifestyle, which is not the reason I was drawn to this industry!

I think many of us stuggle with this same thing. We decide we want to work our business "this much" because we want to achieve "this title, rank, income or whatever" and then when it gets tough, we throw in the towel because we just "don't have time." Well we all have the same amount of hours each day and while we all have different responsibilities and/or obligations, most of us do have them. My kids have activities, we have our family time and events; I work a full time job and my husband works a completely different schedule AND I'm building business. I spend more time coordinating babysitting, pick ups and drop offs and trying to fit in the income producing activities than I do actually working my business. Many times after dinner, homework, and the bedtime routine, I am wiped out myself. Then I feel defeated because I didn't have time to make all my calls before it got to late. Well...this just isn't working for me, but I refuse to give up on my dreams.

Then I was reminded of the Serenity Prayer. " God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things that I can and the wisdom to know the difference." I can't change the way things are right now. I know it won't always be this way. I know that there are sacrifices that need to be made during this stage of business building. I don't have a problem making sacrifices when necessary, that isn't my issue. The lesson I am learning right now is that I have to fit my business activity into my current lifestyle AND not feel bad about it. I may not advance as quickly as others, but the growth and success of my business isn't measured on someone else's yard stick. You can't compare yourself to someone else.



This is a race everyone can win. It's not about being the first to cross the finish line. It's just important to cross it.

Top 10 Reasons to Join Club HM

If you haven't heard by now, there's a new club in town. It's Club HM; the absolute best thing that Heritage Makers has done for it's storybookers! It's such an exciting change for clients and consultants that I had to blog about it. If you aren't yet a member of club, let me tell you why you need to join:

10.  FREE PREMIER! 

  9.  With free premier, you get unlimited photo storage for all your high resolution photos.

  8.  With free premier, you can upload and store both jpeg and png files.

  7.  With free premier, you have access to over 4500 professionally designed, customizable templates to create beautiful gifts and keepsakes of your favorite photos.

  6.  With free premier, you have your very own digital art premium outlet. That's over 50,000 pieces of art!

  5.  You have the option to purchase 100 points at 50% off when you sign up for Club HM.

  4.  Receive publishing discounts every month.

  3.  Enjoy a massive discount...up to 35% off your point purchases each month!

  2.  Community fun! Get deas and tips from our national Facebook HM Club Community.

AND ...

While there are many great reasons to join club. The most aggressive change that HM has made for our clients, is the ability to play while you play! Your club membership allows you to purchase a small amount of points each month (that you can bank for up to 2 years) while you work on your projects with full access to all templates and artwork. Then when you are ready to publish, you simply use the points in your account.

Still want more? Enjoy your local club community laptop/digi crops. These crops are a great way to spend time with friends, make new ones and get projects completed. There are door prizes, refreshments, and fun games for everyone. So...talk to your consultant and get signed up for club! Don't miss out...membership really does have it's benefits!

  

I'm Back!

Photo Courtesy of Belle-Luce Photography

 I know, I know...it's been quite some time since my last post, but I have good reasons. Here's the reader's digest version:  Within two weeks of my last post, prince charming proposed. We got married in October. Shortly thereafter, I found out I had gall stones and had surgery to have them removed. Of course, at that point we were right in the middle of the holiday selling season for Heritage Makers. Then Christmas. So all of that is wrapped up and I am getting back to business as usual, slowly but surely. Heritage Makers has some great things rolling out to kick off the new year. More on those things later. Now for the good stuff!

We were married at All Saint's Chapel on October 17th. Since I had been married before and we were blending our families we wanted to make are ceremony really special. So for starters, we didn't have a bridal or wedding party in the traditional sense. My father was my Man of Honor. My daughter and my step daughter were junior brides and my 4 year old son walked my down the aisle and gave me away. I walked down the aisle to Have You Ever Been in Love by Celine Dion. He was so handsome and it was absolutely adorable when the minister asked "who gives this woman to be married to this man?" and he responded "I do." Talk about melting one's heart. I can't be sure, but I think I heard some awes from the guests.

To further personalize the ceremony, we incorporated the Infinity Hand Blessing Ceremony, wrote our own vows to each other and the children, tied God's Knot instead a unity candle and we closed the wedding ceremony with a Bouquet of Love and Support. So, many people write their own vows these days so that's nothing new, but we wrote our vows based on the biblical principles of marriage and the roles and responsibilities of husbands and wives that we have learned from our Marriage and Family Bible Study that we have been attending for the last two and half years. We were getting down to the nitty gritty of the covenant and it was emotional. We also made vows to each other's biological child(ren) and exchanged family medallions with them. It was important to us that they really felt part of the ceremony and the union. The girls received actual rings from us and Zach received a lapel pin symbolizing the establishment of our new family. The music was carefully selected although not necessarily the typical wedding music. As I said, I walked down the aisle to Have You Ever Been In Love. The Prayer by Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion was played during the knot tying ceremony and the recessional music was Lucy and Linus-Peanuts theme song. It was great!

Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Record Your Stories

Inside us, we all have a story to share, a story of triumph, a story of healing, a story of blessing or a dear memory that we don't want forgotten.  The most ordinary of lives can yield the most extraordinary of stories.  No one wants to read your stories, you say? Don't believe that hype! I read a book put together by a woman I've never met, about her grandparents, whom I've also never met and was moved to tears! She put together one of the most beautiful books of her grandparent's love story and it was entitled The Dress.  It wasn't fancy or heavily embellished but it's my most favorite Heritage Makers book to date.

My children read look at their books over and over again. I've found it to be a great way to encourage reading when my daughter was first learning to read. We would read about Grandpa and Gigi and her birth story. What child doesn't want to read a book that features them (or some one they know) as the main character? And even better...what better way to share the stories of our family heritage and keep the loved one that they don't see often visible in our daily lives? Yes, the photos and the stories behind them are an important part of who we are and yes, they need to be written down. So here are the top 10 reasons you should record your stories:

10.  The world will be a richer place for your having written your stories.

  9.   In telling how you survived painful times in your past, you teach useful coping skills to your descendants and come to a greater understanding and peace.
  8.  The things you did when you were young are as remote from children today as the Earth is from Mars.
  7.  You are part of the history of your city, state and country.
  6.  There are many pieces of information nobody else knows about you.
  5.  The stories you heard from your grandparents will die without you.
  4.  Let your descendants know that you were a real person and not just a name on a tree.
  3.  You owe it to yourself and to your family.
  2.  No one else knows the stories of your life quite like you do.

AND...the #1 reason you should record your stories is...
  1. No one has a better perspective of you than YOU!

It's Christmas in July!!

We have an amazing deal going on now through the end of this month that I just had to share! I know for many out there, Christmas has the tendency to sneak up on you. Then you find yourself scrambling for the perfect gift.  For the past several years, I have had my Christmas shopping done, gifts wrapped and under the tree by Thanksgiving! It's such a great feeling too. Then I don't get caught in the holiday rush and the long lines and the perfect item being out of stock. I remember one year calling every Toys R Us in the state looking for a particular doll house that was...you guessed it, on back order! Often times, I am just as surprised as the recipient when they open the gift because it's been wrapped and waiting for so long. At any rate, if you want to give something really special this season or have some other gift giving to do over the next few months, you will definitely want to take advantage of this special. Cards, invitations and all canvas sizes are at the lowest price of the season! And stay tuned for more exciting deals as the gift giving season draws near and new products are launched in the fall. This year give memories instead of gifts.

What is a Crop?

A CROP is a planned quality time to work on your album or project without the interruptions of the phone ringing, the kids or husband calling, the housework or the other 19 other projects beckoning around the house! It is a time for exchanging ideas, learning new techniques and tricks, meeting new people who share your passion for preserving memories, laughter, stories and sometimes even tears! CROPS are a great deal of fun and wonderful for catching up on your pages and projects.

What do I bring?
All you really need to bring to a laptop crop is your laptop. However, if you have photos that you want to have digitized or traditional scrapbooks that you would like to have digitized, you may bring those to be scanned while you crop.

May I shop during the crop?
Absolutely! There are great specials available at crops, so by all means take advantage of the sales!


Can I bring a friend?
Absolutely! Seating is limited at crops, so make sure you call ahead to see if there is ample space.


Can I bring my children?
No. If for some reason your sitter falls through, we do ask that you reschedule. This is a time for you and the other ladies to get away from your children and responsibilities. However, storybookers in training that are over the age of 12 are welcome along and nursing moms may bring quiet infants.


Where can I find the crop schedule?
Join our fan page The Storybook Life to receive crop calendar notifications and view the schedule. If the crop schedule does not fit your needs, call or email us. We are happy to plan an unscheduled crop for you and 4 friends.

Creative Break Through

First let me say that there is nothing like operating under a deadline to get your juices flowing. HM is discontinuing the publishing of 12x18 posters. A few months ago I had come up with the idea of putting my daughter on the cover of 3 magazines and making them into posters to decorate her room. I did the first one and never completed the other 2. This past weekend, not only did I complete the other two, but I did two additional posters, a deck of cards and completed a first grade yearbook! Only 2 weeks left to get these published. For clients that still have 12x18 credits however, these will be transferred to the 18x24 poster size.

I love when I catch her in motion. Obviously she loves to dance. The lead photo used here was her doing the macarena in the rain. I don’t ever remember my parents letting us dance in the rain. Once in a while you just have to throw caution to the wind and live a little. It was actually kind of fun and your children think that you are the coolest ever! Anyone else ever danced in the rain?

Top 10 Signs of a Storybooking Addiction

10.  You're in a fender bender and your first thought is, "I wonder if there is an HM template for this event?"
9.  Your three year old wants to know if her coloring book is "archival quality."
8.  You decide to give your child piano lessons so you'll be able to use the musical instrument embellishments that are in the art gallery.
7.  You redecorate your family room to coordinate with your storybook covers.
6.  Your child is the only one in agriculture class who thinks "crop" is to cut your photos.
5.  You buy a new pink swimsuit because it coordinates with the new Cocoa Couture art collection.
4.  You try to claim your premier membership as a medical expense because storybooking is such good therapy.
3.  A regular sandwich is no longer acceptable--it must be cropped or cut with decorative edges.
2.  You are more likely to have a camera on your shoulder than your purse.
1.  You're the only one at a social gathering yelling, "Just one more photo; I don't have enough for a two page spread!

Hello everyone! My name is Yolanda and I'm a Storybooking Addict!

How I Became "The Memory Keeper"

Although the seed had been planted a few months before, it started in early 2002. I took a weekend trip to New York and decided that while I was there, I would visit Ground Zero. I'm not sure exactly why I wanted to go, but I felt it was something I needed to do while I was there. I came across a vendor selling brag books of photos from the attacks to the clean up as a fundraiser. He was uniformed, so I believed this to be true.

I had absolutely no idea what I would do with this photos. As I contemplated buying them, I thought, one day I will have a child that may be doing a report on this event in history. So, I purchased the photos and continued with my visit. I  have to say when I approached the wall of messages and memorials, I had a very emotional experience. I don't know that I can really put that into words. I came on home with that experience weighing on my heart.

A few weeks later, I was cleaning up my spare bedroom and found (underneath an unfinished project) a laundry basket full of envelopes of photos. There must have 20 or so envelopes! Anyone else out there take photos, get them printed, look through them and then stash them some where? Here they were, precious memories that I had captured, so excited to have them developed, and then toss them aside. I recalled a conversation I had with my friend The Hair Whisperer about scrapbooking. I was adamantly against doing anything crafty because I was not a crafty person. But I thought, I can make a scrapbook to preserve these photos.

A few months later, I found out I was pregnant with my first child. I decided I would have to give scrapbooking a try so that I could make a baby book when my daughter was born. So I went on a mission to find out what I could about scrapbooking so that I would be a pro by the time my daughter arrived. Let me just remind you here, that at this point in the story, I still had not started the 9-11 book yet. I walked into Michael's for the FIRST TIME EVER! I was overwhelmed, but I picked up a few kits and decided to scrapbook my entire life up to this point. I became a fanatic! I soon discovered the local scrapbook store, Scrapbook Plaza, which is no more, but it became my second home. I took classes, made friends and developed my skill. I even earned my Bachelor's and Master's in Scrapbooking from Scrapbook Design University!

In 2004, I took my first scrapbooking weekend retreat and finally completed my 9-11 commemorative album. The photos that launched my VERY FIRST HOBBY, my passion, and my business was finally completed 2 years later. 

Are there any other crafters out there? What's your craft and how did you get started?

Mari's Morning Room: The *Best* Time

Mari's Morning Room: The *Best* Time

Wordless Wednesday

 The Storybook

Bowling With My Boy

So, Zachary turned 4 last week. I can't believe he's already 4! They grow up so fast. We started the day with him opening his gift. If we are friends on Facebook, you probably already know how much he loves the movie Cars. So he got a Cars bicycle. Since he wanted Handy Manny tools (and costume) for Christmas, we thought he might enjoy putting it together. So he got dressed up in his hard hat and tool belt and went to work. One word~ADORABLE!

Times have been tight financially, so we didn't have a party. In retrospect it would have cost me less, if not the same amount of money to have a party. When exactly did bowling stop being an affordable family outing?!?! I was shocked at how much it cost for shoes, the lane (per person/per game) plus food and drink.

Ok, the cost aside, my little man had a blast! We asked him what he wanted to do for his big day and gave him 3 choices. Hannah and Lauren wanted skating or Monkey Joes. When we weren't around, I am pretty sure they tried to convince him to go somewhere else. However, when we all got in the car, I asked him one more time and he said he wanted to go bowling. He was so funny! I wished I had taken video because the lighting was so bad my pictures didn't come out very well. But I will forever remember the happy dances and the jumping around in excitement whenever he knocked some pins down! It was so worth it! I don't really bowl but I think he did pretty good; he bowled a 68.

We finished off the afternoon with a stop at dairy queen for blizzards. I selected a few pictures for this month's photo spotlight.

What’s in a Name?

I’m not certain, but I think my mother chose my name. She went high school in an area where there were a lot of Hispanics and liked the name Yolanda. While I have met several Hispanics named Yolanda, I wasn’t sure it was of Spanish origin. I recently did a little research. Most sites said it was of Greek origin or Greek and Spanish origin. They all agreed that the name meant violet flower. I also found out that it peaked in popularity in the early 1970s, which happens to be when I was born.

Growing up, I didn’t really like my name all that much. For one reason, most people butchered it, mispronouncing it all the time. Secondly, there were all these cool personalized items like key rings, zipper pulls, nameplates, stickers and the like, but there was never, ever a Yolanda. Lastly, I didn’t meet another Yolanda until I was in high school. The originality of my name in my circles may have been a good thing, but I didn’t recognize that until years later. I really, really wanted a “regular” name like Karen or Jennifer. I did try to have a little fun with it. At one point I would develop aliases and try them out, like when I met a guy I wasn’t really interested in-I’d give him a fake name.

There came a time when I was reading about how it was considered disrespectful to your parents to trash or change your given name. Apparently in some cultures and certainly in the Bible, the given name had significant meaning to the family or events in their life at that time. I have great parents, whom I love and honor, so I still have my name. However, my childhood isn’t without scarring.

For a nickname, I was called Gypsy. My great-grandmother called my Gypsy. She struggled with saying my given name and gave me this nickname. At the time, my parents lived out of state and traveled I-95 heavily. Great-grandma Ida likened us to gypsies and that’s how I got my nickname. As a child, it didn’t matter to me. I hadn’t known any different. As a teenager however, I would beg and plead to not be embarrassed in front of my friends by being called by “that” name.

I had long reconciled myself with my name when I began to meet other Yolanda’s. In fact, there were four Yolanda’s in my high school. Okay, this was confusing. You always had to ask “which Yolanda?” in conversations. With the embracing of my name came a little more research: what does it say about me? I found some interesting things for example; I am a person motivated by success. I am a joyful person. I have reasoning power and I am known for loyalty. I don’t like leaving things unfinished and I have inherent artistic qualities. I don’t even remember which site I found this stuff, and I don’t know how valid the information is, however, I did feel as though it was pretty factual about me. Perhaps, I just became inspired to be all those things.

The Generation That Lost Their History

Almost everyone you meet these days owns a digital camera. It's always interesting to hear what people do with their photos after they take them. Some people storybook them, others scrapbook. Some people I meet actually keep their photos stored on their memory stick and just keep buying new ones. Others I meet, upload them to their computer and think that they are safe. I have run into so many people in my profession, who have lost precious photos because their computer crashed.

You should always have a back up of your irreplaceable files. Photos are the proof of our history, of the life and times and memories we've shared. If they are lost, no amount of insurance can replace them. Back your files up on CD or DVD and store them in a safe place, like a safety deposit box or in the home of another relative or friend. Even better, get online storage. Several companies, including Heritage Makers, offers online photo storage. Some are free for a limited amount of space and others are fee-based for an unlimited amount of space. Then if something happens to your computer, you can always download them back to your new computer or hard drive.

Don't be part of the generation that lost their history to a simple hard drive crash!

Sincerely,

Yolanda Ventura~The Memory Keeper's Coach