Archive for April, 2010
Friday, April 30th, 2010
Important message today:
- If you find a little something that doesn’t belong to you, turn it in to the place (store, venue, etc.) where you found it. The thing is, you all know that. You’re good people. I’m just bummed that not everyone is honest like that. Thank you for being good and honest.
- If you take your camera anywhere with you (we all do), do yourself a favor and label the camera with at least your phone number so that if it is found, the Nice Person will know how to return it to you. Do that right now.
That’s all for today.
Tags: goodness, honesty, lost camera
Posted in Uncategorized | 59 Comments »
Wednesday, April 28th, 2010
Know what this Saturday is? May 1st. Right. Good. Know what else it is? National Scrapbooking Day. Did you know that? True story. But you know what ELSE it is? I’m kicking off a little party here and you’re invited.
That’s right. It’s time, people. It’s time for my big photography giveaway! In honor of National Scrapbooking Day, we’ll be giving away photo shoots. As in … remember when Kara Layne and I did that giveaway last month?
Well, many of you know that I found that to be just way too fun. Couldn’t stop there. Nooooo. HAD to be all inspired to do it again and again and again. Had to open it up to photographers everywhere, didn’t I?
Oh yes. It’s true. I did. Remember the map? Right. That one. With a few dots here and there, marking where photographers were interested in being a part of this whole thing.
Well, folks. The map has filled in. I have been swarmed by emails from all over the country this month. (And even a few countries outside the U.S.) And it’s awesome. It’s photographers everywhere who want to GIVE AWAY a photo shoot to a deserving family in their neck of the woods.
How cool is that, right?
Very. It’s very, very cool that they’re willing to do it because when a photographer – a true artist – gets behind the camera, it’s so much more than just “taking pictures”. It’s work. And it’s work that they love, but it is work. So major kudos to all the photographers who are participating in this. Amazing people. Sharing their gift, their talent, their time.
And many, many of you are about to be blessed with the news that your family has been chosen to be photographed by one of these cool, talented people.
So be sure to stay tuned in. We wouldn’t be celebrating National Scrapbooking Day if we didn’t have scrapbooking. And we wouldn’t have scrapbooking if we didn’t have photographs. So we’re celebrating BIG — to honor all of that, and … because I love my blog readers.
Tags: big photography giveaway
Posted in Uncategorized | 101 Comments »
Tuesday, April 27th, 2010
Speaking of gathering opinions … remember this blog post, where I shared a handful of favorite senior pictures of my niece? Well, the verdict is in. The photo was chosen and Kyra’s graduation announcements are made.
Congratulations to all students and families who are celebrating a graduation right now! Awesome.
Added note: The fonts I used are CK Becky (the big “Kyra” title) and American Typewriter (for “mae higgins” and “graduating”) and everything else is Gill Sans, in a couple different thicknesses. If you want to download CK Becky for free, just click on the grey button to the right of my blog here.
Tags: announcement, graduation, high school, invitation
Posted in style & design | 24 Comments »
Monday, April 26th, 2010
About a week and a half ago, I blogged about kitchen towels and how I wasn’t finding really absorbent ones. You guys offered some great ideas and suggestions, both here and on Facebook and Twitter.
By the way, several of you mentioned the don’t-use-fabric-softener-when-laundering-your-towels tip. I agree. Using softener really does seem to hinder the absorbency.
Anyway, there was an overwhelming sense of loyalty to a particular brand of kitchen towels that convinced me to give them a try. Williams-Sonoma. Many of you have been using & loving these towels for many, many years. So I’m on my way to becoming convinced myself. We picked up these and these.
Today is Day One of using the towels and I have to say … things are looking good. These towels just may have a bright future in our kitchen.
Tags: kitchen, towels, williams-sonoma
Posted in home | 33 Comments »
Thursday, April 22nd, 2010
I promised I would show you what our recent organizational project was. THIS is what did with those Snapware containers:
But that won’t do. You want to see more.
We maximized the space in our pantry last year by having the shelves torn out and putting in drawers. Makes a whole lot more sense so as to not forget what is hiding in the back. And of course … it’s so much prettier. There’s just something about a pretty pantry.
Labeled pulls were a must. We found these online at Spokane Hardware.
We know what’s in each drawer. We know exactly where to put stuff away and where to find things.
I labeled the drawers (and everything in my house) with our handy dandy label maker.
A few other things found in the pantry, such as grissini (new to us).
Familiar with them? They’re all natural, low calorie, low fat, low carb kind of breadstick. I enjoy a couple of these each day and reach for them instead of Oreos, peanut M&M’s, and other delectable but not healthy snacks. I’d rather have the other stuff, but we’re working on some habits and these are actually tasty.
Back to the pantry. Let’s see … a few aprons.
I know you’re curious to have a peek inside one of those drawers, right? Alright. But don’t judge.
And because everyone loves before & after shots, here you go my friends.
If you happen to be local (AZ) and happen to need any woodwork done, John Broderick is the man. He is genius with anything wood and has done a few amazing projects for us. bbfurn@juno.com | 623.566.2232. I’m sharing this with you like I would share a great resource with any friend. Not because John asked me to say anything (I’m not sure he even knows how many people read my blog) but because he is just darn talented.
And I like to share.
Tags: aprons, drawers, grissini, john broderick, label maker, label pulls, pantry, snapware
Posted in home, organization | 64 Comments »
Wednesday, April 21st, 2010
1. Have you heard of the Magic Bullet? Very cool. We got ours at Costco and have officially become fans. Every morning I enjoy a smoothie made of frozen berries, exactly 5 pieces of ice, a little water, fresh spinach, vanilla protein powder, and a dropper full of vanilla Stevia (it’s a natural sweetener). Way delish. Completely healthy. And I can make it as fast as pouring a bowl of cold cereal.
PS – Yeah, I kind of broke up with Raisin Bran. I know. Shocking. Actually, we’re just on a break. We’ll see each other again, but only once in a blue moon.
2. Ali Edwards is doing a very cool “Week in the Life” project right now. Another really fantastic way to document life. Most of us are on some sort of quest to try to document in our life as best we can. Project Life, A Week in the Life, some other system of scrapbooking or memory keeping or documenting. Whatever you’re doing, head on over to Ali’s blog for some fantastic everyday photography inspiration.
3. Have dry skin? I’ve been noticing my hands to be extra dry lately. You? For years I’ve been using Aquaphor ointment on my feet at night. I slather it on my feet, wrap them in plastic bags, put socks on to hold it all in place. No, not every night. Yes, it’s very attractive. And I wake up with amazingly soft feet. So anyway, the other night my hands were especially dry. I rubbed some Aquaphor only on the backs of my hands and it totally healed my skin overnight. Very cool. I will be doing this more often.
Tags: ali edwards, aquaphor, magic bullet, skin care, week in the life
Posted in products | 840 Comments »
Friday, April 16th, 2010
Is it just me, or have all the kitchen towel companies come together to play a joke on the consumers? It’s like they said Hey, you know what would be funny? Let’s make really fun kitchen towels. But instead of acting like towels they just LOOK like towels. Hee-hee.
Clearly I have a problem kitchen towels.
In short, my problem is this: Why can’t I find kitchen towels that are absorbent? You know. Like actually soak up the water from your hands or drying dishes. Seriously. Do they exist? Am I looking in all the wrong places?
Please tell me your secrets. I know you guys must know something about where to get amazing all-purpose kitchen towels that are great for actual, real drying. Please share.
PS: Please can they be cute too? Every cute towel I see is so for looks and so not for getting the wet off of anything.
I can’t be the only one with this issue, am I? : )
Tags: kitchen, towels
Posted in products | 156 Comments »
Wednesday, April 14th, 2010
Someone recently asked me if they could use one of my baby feet images for a baby shower invitation she’s making. I thought, Why not share these with everyone? If it helps someone with a project they’re working on … great! So here you go. Feel free to use these if you’d like. Just right-click on what you want and download it to your computer.
Consider this my random-act-of-kindness-of-the-week for you, my fine blog readers.
Tags: babies, baby announcement, baby shower invitation
Posted in family & children, photography | 19 Comments »
Tuesday, April 13th, 2010
1. I know I’ve been blog-missing for like a week. Really busy time, that’s all. Life is full and blessed.
2. I quite enjoy the very sight of The Container Store. Just putting that out there since I was just there again today. Working on a little home organization (yes, I’ll share more on that soon). Here’s my POTD for today:
3. By the way. Be sure that you’re taking pictures out & about during your errands. Errands might seem mundane and “just a part of life”, but that’s exactly what we should all be recording. Parts of our life. Carry a small point & shoot camera with you at all times. Or use your phone’s camera. Here are a couple other POTDs from last week. Fabric Depot (in Scottsdale, for you locals) and WalMart’s cereal isle.
4. My friend Jaime just launched her food photography website. I don’t know what it is about beautiful food photography, but I just dig it. And Jaime is one of the best, in my opinion. So if you’re up for some eye candy and delish recipes, check it out: www.jaimemormannphotography.com
5. That’s all. More to do. More to blog about later.
Tags: errands, fabric, fabric depot, jaime mormann photography, The Container Store, walmart
Posted in photography | 24 Comments »
Tuesday, April 6th, 2010
This little renewed hobby has resulted in a couple more pieces lately. The pots were both really terrific to start with (and great bargains to boot). Now they’ve become a boost of beauty around here.
There’s definitely something therapeutic about arranging flowers. For me anyway. So what is your hobby that has the same effect on you? It’s therapeutic in some way. Knitting, fishing, exercising, painting, doodling, gardening?
Go on. Tell us.
Tags: floral design, hobbies
Posted in DIY | 53 Comments »
Monday, April 5th, 2010
This is how our map is looking since my post on Friday (see post below this one).
**Updated again Monday evening**
And this doesn’t even show photographers in Scotland and New Zealand too. To participate in this big photo shoot bonanza, photographers have through this Friday 4/9 to email me.
Tags: big photography giveaway, map
Posted in Uncategorized | 29 Comments »
Friday, April 2nd, 2010
Earlier this week, Marianne of Scottsdale, Arizona learned that she won a complimentary photo shoot by local professional photographer, Kara Layne. I then extended the invitation to photographers everywhere …
If you are a professional photographer or you know someone who might be interested in doing a complimentary photo shoot like this for a deserving (and local-to-you) family … send an email to customerservice@beckyhiggins.com and let’s do another give-away like this! It’s just too much fun to make someone’s day.
I got a handful of responses from photographers — both professional and semi-professional. Check out this map. (I love maps.)
This is a sneak peek of the locations of several photographers who are ready to share their gifts with a lucky family in their respective areas. But I know we can get more photographers involved. Feel free to pass the word along to a photographer that you may know. Let them know that they have the opportunity to serve someone in the community, but also gain a boost in traffic. I will be sharing links to the websites and blogs of all photographers that get involved in this big photography frenzy.
Deserving families win a complimentary photo shoot.
Photographers gain new fans and customers.
Everyone gleans more photography inspiration.
What’s not to love about this? : )
If you’re a photographer and you’re interested in participating … no matter where in the world you are … shoot an email to customerservice@beckyhiggins.com.
Tags: big photography giveaway, map, photographers
Posted in Uncategorized | 19 Comments »
Thursday, April 1st, 2010
Forget about April Fools Day. (Never loved the made-up holiday anyway.) Let’s make today … Project Life Resolution Day!
For anyone who might be new around here (hello, hello!), Project Life is all about keeping a photo + story documentation of your life … without stressing over what a lot of folks don’t love about scrapbooking. It’s simplicity at its finest. Learn more here.
Note: Yes, we sold out. Yes, we’re making more. More kits should be available next month. The digital version is available to anyone, any time, anywhere … and completely free to create a book online. You only pay if/when you’re ready to have us print a book for you.
Now. For all of you who are already doing Project Life … let’s assess where we are, shall we? In the spirit of motivation, let’s talk about it. I’m going to guess that some of you are not skipping a beat. Perhaps you’re totally on top of taking a picture and jotting a note or two of journaling every single day. Kudos to you! Or maybe you’re doing a different version instead of the picture-a-day concept. You’re doing a handful of favorite photos of your baby each month and you’re able to stay on top of those layouts. Or you’re taking a different approach and doing a topic at a time for each layout. Like snow adventures. Family dinners. Spring Break. Around our home. Neighbors. School. Whatever you’re doing. GOOD FOR YOU. Keep it up!
My focus today, is really more for those of you who are doing Project Life but perhaps you’ve fallen a little behind where you’d like to be with your project. Welcome to my club. That’s me too. (Feel better?)
I don’t want anyone feeling like this has become a chore at all. After all, the whole point of Project Life (besides the documentation) is to have fun with it! And while you’re capturing slices of your life, a little here and a little there, no matter what your frequency … you should be more aware of the blessings in your life. More aware of how cool your life is. How much you love your family. How unique and truly wonderful you are.
I want to share something with you. Kerrin in Ontario, Canada emailed me recently because she had an a-ha moment. With her permission, here is part of her email:
Kerrin writes: I decided to do this POTD thing for the same reasons other people take on this project. I wanted to capture my family’s day to day life and I was ready for a break from traditional scrapbooking. So I have been faithfully taking a picture and journaling its significance daily. It had become another chore on my list each day. Until today. I realized that this isn’t just about completing a task. This is about appreciating our life and all it has to offer. It is about really seeing the beauty and joy in each and every day. It is about sharing these joys with my family. And it is about teaching my 4 year old daughter that every day is full of gifts and it is important to honour those gifts. Funny, I think that she “got it” before I did. She has been suggesting ideas for POTD and even taking a few herself. Another gift that this project has given me. So thank you Becky! Thank you for creating this kit. For making it so easy that I don’t need to spend tones of time on it. Instead I can use that time to live in the moments we are capturing each and every day.
Okay. Hello. Kerrin gets it completely. I love that.
So let’s move on to a plan of action. A Project Life Resolution. If you’ve fallen a little behind with the pace you want to keep with your own project, how do you catch up? I’ll share what I’m doing. And then, as always, I invite you to share your own input in the Comments.
I’m taking a picture a day. Zero problems with that. I keep all the daily images in a folder on my desktop labeled 2010 POTD. I am doing the digital version. Ideally I’d be going online and spending 5 quick minutes to sign into my account, upload the new picture, and write my quick journaling blurb. But since I’ve fallen several weeks behind, this is what I’m doing:
Most days lately, I am adding my POTD and writing my journaling … plus … I spend an extra 20 minutes or so going back and doing a full week that I still need to do. So every day I’m not only staying current (so as to not fall further behind) but I’m catching up on a full week because really, it’s only like 20-30 minutes a day. I can do that. I want to do that. I want to get back on track so that I’m back to a daily 5-minute routine. And now, because I’ve been prioritizing and doing this, I’m just about caught up again. Feels so good. Feels so good telling my family’s story and keeping these snippets of our life in a book.
Okay. Your turn. What are you doing to stay caught up? What tips do you have to share with others?
PS: Don’t forget that we have a new Project Life Gallery up & running now. Check out others’ photography & full layouts for Project Life inspiration at your fingertips.
Tags: digital Project Life, Project Life
Posted in scrapbooking | 54 Comments »
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