CREATING KEEPSAKES HOF CALLS ARE ABOUT TO GO THIS NEXT WEEK!

It seems like just yesterday that I received the coveted phone call from Creating Keespakes Magazine that I had been selected as a Hall of a Fame winner…the most exciting thing I remember in that phone call was when the Founder and then-editor, Lisa Bearnson, told me "Teri, what really stood out to the judges was your photography…".

And now here I am, having taken a different turn in life and am now a professional photographer, keeping the dream of my deceased grandparents alive…another pro photographer in the family! No, not enough time to scrapbook these days, but I still cherish capturing the important memories and events in my family.

Well…probabaly due to the fact that HOF calls are about to go out for the 2007 Hall of Famer’s this next week, I’ve received tons of emails this past week from other scrapbookers asking me where to find the post I wrote about "getting published" and the experiences I had with it…so I’m posting that previous post below and dedicating this post to all of the past and future Hall of Famers (hi guys!) with a simple reminder as to WHY we REALLY preserve our memories:

GETTING PUBLISHED…THROUGH MY EYES.

Scrappbooking. It’s really just all about our memories, paper and glue.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

In our family, it’s a fun tradition to call each other on the phone and be the FIRST to say "Merry Christmas Eve Gift"…not sure what the reward is other than a fun little chuckle and a smile. Smiles are good. Laughter is even better.

(BTW: GOTCHA, HEIDI.)

In the year 2007, I will be sharing lots of uplifting stories, faith-filled messages, favorite quotes and versus, and inspirational experiences mingled with favorite images from photo sessions taken throughout the year.

I am asking you to be a part of my blogging year! Please EMAIL ME YOUR FAVORITE inspirational story, scripture, faith-filled life experience, quote, etc so that I can share it here on my blog. Be sure to let me know if you would like me to mention your name or not. Email these to me using the email button in my sidebar, above the calendar.

I have a small inspirational gift to send to the selected participant—trust me when I say it’s small but PACKED with rich blessings and inspirations—here is how to enter your name for the gift:

1. Post your name on this entry (your entry will register you as a number "first entry is given the number 1, second entry is given the number 2, etc.—my kids will be choosing the "numbers" from a hat!)

2. EMAIL me your inspirational quote, story, verse, experience, etc. DO NOT POST IT HERE—EMAIL IT TO ME SO I CAN SHARE THEM THROUGHOUT THE COMING YEAR WITH MY READERS, mingled with my own thoughts, stories, etc. again, use the EMAIL BUTTON AT THE TOP OF THE CALENDER IN MY SIDEBAR.

Recipient of the gift to be announced in the next posting on my blog—date to be a mystery but soon!

My sister recently sent me this adorable, UPLIFTING and positive little message. It’s my gift to you today.

Merry Christmas to all—and my you truly be blessed with the TRUE joy and peace that comes from knowing my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.

       "Well," she said, "I think I’ll braid my hair today." So she did and she had a wonderful day.

       The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head. "H-M-M, " she said, "I think I’ll part my hair down the middle today." So she did and she had a grand day.

       The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head. "Well," she said, "Today I’m going to wear my hair in a pony tail." So she did and she had a fun, fun day.

       The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn’t a single hair on her head.  "YEA!"  she exclaimed, "I don’t have to fix my hair today!"

Attitude is everything.   

Last year I received an assignment from Creating Keepsakes Magazine to create some photo and scrapbooking projects for an upcoming book. Well, the book is finally out…it’s called The Ultimate Guide to Photo Keepsakes!!!

Lots of fabulous ideas in this book for anyone looking to create some Christmas gifts, birthdays gifts, or photo decor for your own home!

These are my projects you’ll find in the book (book available at all scrapbooking stores, Barnes and Noble, Michael’s, Borders, Costco):

Pages 170 and 171…a mini Holiday Album using favorite snapshots through the years and adding your favorite Christmas Carols as a theme for each page…instructions in book (this actual project had a last minute revision of the flower—the one in the book is a poinsetta—much cuter!):

(page 233) A locker mirror for a teen’s locker at school, created with a standard mirror from Target, some scrapbooking suplies, acrylic paint, and a large mounted magnet on the back:

(page 107) A photo-keepsake box to be used for photos or "doo dads":

And I LOVE Rhonna Farrer’s photo frame display on page 118! Check it out!

Have fun!

published in Better Homes & Gardens online "Scrapbooks Etc" Family article:

Finally received this layout back after having been requested for it over a year-and-a-half ago (welcome to the world of publishing!!! LOL!)

Find the article here (scroll down).

Off to a family photo session in a few hours…a family consisting of a mom, 3 kids, and grandparents including a 3 generational photo of grandma, mom and daughter. Will post photos this week!

PS: I updated my "quote" in the sidebar on the left…I *LOVE* that quote…so real to me. So true. As if I wrote it myself. Photography is all about "how" the photographer sees the ordinary things in life in an extraordinary way and holds them in time…to be treasured forever.

:)

Having a DIGITAL DIVA for a sister is SWEET.

Heidi is an all-around-digital-queen in my book. I’ve been tossing some ideas around with her over the past month and asking her all kinds of how-to questions relating to photo-shop. And she…always knows the answer!

I have about a million different photoshop CS2 books on my shelf. Do you think I EVER crack one open? NO. I call Heidi instead! (Thank you, Verizon Wireless phone plan!).

So, she is now about to launch a pretty cool website geared towards Professional Photographers, based on some of the needs I’ve had lately. Things like E-Newsletters, creative and UNIQUE photo-card templates, logos, etc. She’s an innovative one, that one. And I’m the first customer in line!!! :)

Some of you probably remember that we both launched the Scrappin Sassy website last year, right before the debut of our book we co-authored. Due to my decision to go pro with my photography business, I’ve stepped aside and she is running the show over at Scrappin Sassy. Just wanted to remind all of you scrapbookers that she is STILL up and running and offering some pretty cool TRA-DIGI™ kits for digital and traditional scrappers. I’m one of her biggest fans…can you tell?

Okay. I admit it. I ADMIT IT!!! I’ve been…playing around on the dark side. The digital side. I didn’t MEAN TO! It just happened! No, I haven’t abandoned all of you traditional designers. I STILL love the traditional way the best. But here’s one of my attempts at a digital page using one of Heidi’s latest digital kits from her Scrappin Sassy site. No…I’m not a pro at it…she’s the pro. But playing with these papers and elements is so fun!

Since I haven’t posted any scrapbooking work lately (my photography is ALL CONSUMING these days—I’m in LOVE with my new camera and LOVE my photography biz), I’ll post my latest *traditional* page…although by now it’s OLD NEWS to all of you die-hard scrappers!

But hey! I was absent in the blogging world for awhile so I’m STILL trying to catch up! This page appeared in the April issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine as part of the "self portrait" article. CK editor Tracy White liked my blog entry from way-back-when on the same subject (she told me at Memory Trends last year that she actually reads my blog…hi Tracy! ;) ) so I was asked to create a page and article based on that blog entry…remember that entry with my silly "self portraits" (this one here)?

Yes…I took all of these portraits…of…me. *sigh*. Goofy me.

Okay…so back to Heidi. She’s just a real innovative, entrepreneur. She also has an actual EBAY STORE these days! My head just spins when she tells me about everything she’s got her hands into. And she is doing so well at it! She sells scrapbooking stuff, Americana Decor (a biggie with some people, I hear), and lots of other fun things. Go peek at it!

Just thought I’d share…

Okay…off to bed I go.