In a perfect world, every single person would have every single piece of their product completely perfect. Always and forever. But we all know that doesn’t happen. We do our very best to ensure excellent quality in our products. We also do our very best to take good care of our customers. We’re so happy that most of you received your kits in pristine condition.

Have a piece of your Project Life kit that is damaged or missing? We are so happy to help. This is what Customer Support is for.

That said, this is time where lots of people receiving their product all at once … and so we are noticing something. Customers who need something or have a question are filling out the web form (which is good). But some of those folks are then also emailing Customer Service in addition to the web form. Doing this double-duty causes confusion and makes us less efficient because then we’re trying to play the matching game and put this email with that web form, etc. Don’t feel bad if you’ve done this. It’s something we’re just now realizing. As a still-new-ish company, we have plenty to learn all the time.

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{  B O T T O M   L I N E  }

In an effort to better serve you, and to be able to help more people with a quicker turn-around, please please please do just one, simple thing: If you have an issue with your Project Life kit or other Becky Higgins products, KINDLY SUBMIT A WEB FORM HERE.

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That’s it. That’s all you need to do. Simple. After you have submitted the form, you can expect an email response. Thank you so very much. We’re doing what we can to serve you best.

First of all, there’s been way too much text on my blog lately, so I thought I’d share a few snapshots from our New Years Day hike. (No, we didn’t get a dog. We snagged a couple friends & their sweet dog to join us.)

Arizona is such a great place to live in the Winter. Just sayin’.

Quick photo tip: (Referring to the top picture) Shoot through a plant or tree or something when photographing a subject. Just seeing a few branches or leaves (or parts of a cactus, in this case) in the foreground adds an interesting touch and gives the image a different feel.

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On to something else I want to address: You guys are awesome. (That’s the official most important item of business of today.)

We see & read what you’re doing over in the Project Life Community. You’re sharing terrific ideas there, and in comments here on the blog, and in emails. There is such great sharing on your own blogs, and on Facebook and Twitter.

You’ll notice we have a section on the Project Life page called IDEAS. There you will find some inspiration, some different approaches to using Project Life. Which is nice. But you know what’s missing? VISUALS. Clean, clever, completed Project Life layouts. That’s where you come in.

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{ CALL FOR PROJECT LIFE LAYOUTS }

I invite you to submit a favorite Project Life layout. We will choose a small handful of layouts to include in the IDEAS section and you can bet there will be some product rewards too.

***YES, digital Project Life layouts are welcome. Just do a screen shot of your layout and submit that JPG.

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T O P   1 0   G U I D E L I N E S :

1. All submissions must be sent to submissions@beckyhiggins.com

2. While we’d love to see what you’re doing all year long, this particular call for layouts has a deadline: January 15, 2011.

3. Please review the list of ideas featured HERE. If your layout fits in one of those categories, that would be awesome. If you have a totally different approach, we absolutely welcome other ideas as well. Please be sure to give us a BRIEF description of your approach in the email.

4. The email subject line should give us a general idea of the layout’s theme (such as “Baby’s First Year” or “365″ or “old childhood photos” or “month-by-month review” or whatever.

5. The products used can be from any of the Project Life kits – Original, Turquoise, or Amber … or any Becky Higgins products, including the new Divided Photo Pocket Pages and Journaling Cards.

6. Submissions must be clear and bright. Good photography will be favored.

7. How to photograph a layout: Take the 2 pages out of the binder and take a picture of each page separately – left and right. A simple, plain background is best (and white is the ultimate best, if you can swing it). For example, lay a sheet or pillow case on the floor or ground.

Tip: Natural light is best. No flash. If it’s cold & snowy outside, stay inside and get near a window for optimal indirect light.

Tip: Stand directly above the page and zoom in to fill the frame with your page (as shown below). Try to avoid being too close to the page and zoomed all the way out. This will result in your image looking warped; straight edges will look curved.

Tip: You’re photographing plastic. There will be glare. It’s nearly impossible to eliminate all glare. However, shifting your angle even just a tiny bit can result in less glare so try moving around a little to get the best shot.

8. Please label each JPG with your name (such as “Jane Doe left” and “Jane Doe right”).

9. Please no more than (two) 2-page layouts submitted per person.

10. Be aware that submitting your pages automatically means that you are granting us permission to publish them (most likely here on the website).

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Can’t wait to see what you come up with! We’ll be running a separate contest of sorts once everyone starts getting their blank Journaling Cards and Divided Photo Pocket Pages. So be thinking about that while you await the arrival of your product. The possibilities with these items? Endless.