Archive for January, 2011
Wednesday, January 19th, 2011
First of all, I’m excited to share a POTD idea that I just implemented into our Project Life book yesterday. It was kind of an exciting a-ha! moment for me in my little quest to document life.
{ POTD idea }: Take a screenshot of a satellite view or map of your neighborhood.
Totally a worthy POTD, don’t you think? So what that you didn’t actually take the picture? We can thank crazy-expensive technology for that. Just head over to GoogleMaps and plug in your address. Click on Map or Satellite for options. Zoom in & out to see if you want a wider angle or a close-up view. Then get a screenshot (I use SnapNDrag on our Mac) or a snapshot (with an actual camera) … and there you go!
(No, this isn’t our neighborhood. I just picked a random suburb in the middle of the U.S. to illustrate.)
Where you live is very much a part of your story. Including a birds-eye view is just one more angle from which to document our life. Then journal about why you love the area, or what makes it hard to live there, or whatever you want to write about.
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If your approach to Project Life is documenting a little piece of life every day, you may find yourself wanting a little inspiration from time to time. A few ways to get POTD ideas:
1. If you type “POTD” in the search field here on my blog, a list of blog posts will come up that have POTD inspiration in some way. I will continue to share POTD ideas on my blog from time to time.
2. If you click on the Photography category here on my blog, you can scroll and scroll and scroll some more to find more ideas — from me and also from awesome fellow blog readers.
3. The Project Life Community always has the latest & greatest in idea-sharing among fellow Project Lifers.
4. Check out other favorite blogs of those participating in Project Life or any type of 365 project. For example, I’m recently inspired by Susan Weinroth’s approach, which is to use her iPhone for their family’s daily shots. No fancy camera, no editing.
And now … I’m pleased to announce yet another way to get life-documenting-picture-taking inspiration! As most of you know, I use the platforms of facebook & twitter to share ideas, links, tips, and even an occasional POTD idea.
5. Now — moving forward — you can expect even more consistent POTD idea-sharing on facebook & twitter. Yippee! Not necessarily every single day but pretty close.
It’s simple: Just click HERE if you want to “like” my facebook page so you automatically get my feed. Or click HERE if you want to get see how to get my twitter feed. I’ll share the same ideas in both places. No reason to follow me in both places.
{ This is the fun part }
I’ll share plenty of my own POTD ideas, sure. But I also want to share the very best reader ideas too. Variety is the spice of life. Have you got a knack for taking great pictures? Have an inspiring POTD idea that most people can relate to or find inspiration from? Here’s the scoop:
1. Email your POTD idea(s) to submissions@beckyhiggins.com anytime. Subject line: POTD.
2. JPG format. Full or medium size.
3. Be sure your picture is already edited, if needed.
4. No deadline. I’m always interested to see what you’re photographing!
5. Must include your first name … and it’d be great to know which state or country you call home.
6. Please include just one quick sentence that describes the concept or idea behind your POTD. Remember, ideas I’ll be passing along via twitter & facebook have to be very short & sweet.
7. By submitting your picture(s), you automatically grant permission for me share/use your picture. Just because you submit a picture doesn’t mean it will be shared or used. If I do share or use it, I’ll let you know. Did you catch all that? : )
Tags: facebook, inspiration, pictures, potd, Project Life, twitter
Posted in photography, scrapbooking | 20 Comments »
Tuesday, January 18th, 2011
Hi. How are those resolutions coming?
Or … should we not talk about it? : )
One common goal for many of us at the start of a New Year is of course, better health. Betting eating habits. Less sugar. More exercise. Less take-out. More water. Something along those lines … right?
One thing that has helped our family in the past is e-Mealz. I’ve talked about it here before. Many of you heard of it long before I ever did and some of you are already using the service. I’m bringing it up again now for two reasons:
1. Because in our little family, we’ve totally gotten off-track lately with consistently homemade dinners. Holidays, wacky schedules, stress, feeling slammed with so much to do. Excuses, excuses, excuses. We’re so ready to get back on-track.
2. There is an e-Mealz promotion going on right now that will knock off $2.50 from the already-cheap subscription price. Click HERE to learn more and if you sign up, enter ORGANIZE. This code expires January 31, 2011.
We’re so getting back on e-Mealz. If you’re not familiar with how it works, you’ll learn all about it on their site. For me (and anyone else who uses it), it helps in several areas – budget, weight management, simplifying, and organization.
I know you guys well enough to know you’re going to ask me for this recipe. It was an e-Mealz recipe we made this past Fall but I’m afraid I don’t remember which one, sorry. It involved stir-frying rotisserie chicken and zucchini and red peppers in a little olive oil and we added pine nuts. That’s all I remember. It was delicious.
I also know you’re going to ask me if the kids like the food. Mostly, yes. Our kids are picky eaters like most kids. Yes, they say “ewww” and “ugh!” more than once a week when they see a pile of vegetables on their plate. We’re over it. As we say over and over and over again – You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit.
Here’s to more consistently homemade meals. Here’s to sitting around the table each night as a family. Here’s to better health and stronger family ties. Wishing each of you the very best with whatever your goals and resolutions may be.
Tags: e-Mealz
Posted in food, home, organization | 40 Comments »
Monday, January 17th, 2011
We’re all pretty good at taking pictures of life’s big moments. Birthday parties, travels, first day of school, holidays. And most of us are getting better about also capturing the “mundane”. The everyday. The simple stuff that makes up our life.
Today I just want to put a little reminder out there, to capture the moments that aren’t necessarily our favorite moments in life. Now obviously there are challenges and even horrible things that happen in life that aren’t meant to be photographed and displayed. That’s not what I’m talking about. Sometimes we need to photograph and/or document moments because they play an important role in who we are, what we believe, and how we gain strength through hard experiences.
This POTD is a picture that not only represents more than $4000 worth of damage, but it documents an event in a family’s life that changed their outlook on life forever.
With permission, I am sharing an email I received last week. She ties her experience into Project Life, but it’s not about the product. It’s about the concept of documenting life. This is from Beth in Ohio:
Yesterday I was driving down the highway, hit a patch of black ice, and spun out across three lanes of traffic. I hit the guard rail and ended up facing oncoming traffic. I will swear to my dying day that I felt God’s hand push me across the highway. No cars hit me, and unbelievably there were no semi trucks on the road at the time. Our three-year-old was with me, buckled snugly in his car seat. No one was hurt, but our car is totaled.
What I am getting at is that even though I have just started this project for the first time, and it is just the beginning of the year, what I do for five minutes a day would have been there to bless my family if things had turned out differently yesterday. They would have had a visual and written record of the last 8 days of my life. This tiny little time commitment and the $53 is well-spent to record life AS IT HAPPENS.
Yesterday I used my first bi-fold journaling card to record the accident and my feelings about it. If I had waited to “scrapbook” it, these things would have been lost to memory. I can’t believe how much I am preserving with just FIVE MINUTES a day.
Becky, thank you for this product. What an incredible blessing it is to so many families. You have created something that allows our lives to be preserved and remembered in this time-crunched world. I feel more so much more strongly about Project Life now than I did a week ago — it has taken on a meaning that, although I knew was there, I had never felt the urgency of until now. We never know what will happen in any given day, and what better way to be cognizant of that than to remember the everyday moments each day.
My POTD for that day was actually a photo that my husband took of the damage to the car. I find that the visual reminder of the damage brings those moments back. I know that sounds odd, but I want to remember how grateful I was just to be alive, and feel that all the other stuff is just stuff.
I can only add one thing to what Beth has so beautifully communicated: Like every one of you reading this, I am so grateful that she is okay and their sweet little boy is okay. Their lives were spared that day for a reason. There is more life to live. There is more love to give.
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On a similar note of documenting our not-so-favorite moments … but on a much, much, MUCH lighter note … check out this moment that my friend Kara happened to capture in our home last month.
If you look closely through Claire’s hair, you see a face of huge disappointment and sadness. Crew, of course, just looks shocked. Yes, Crew. When you throw a snow globe on the floor, it really does shatter. For real. Don’t mind that it was Claire’s favorite Christmas decoration.
The reason Kara was even able to capture this moment is because she was hanging out with our family for the day. She was documenting A Day in Our Life. It’s one of the greatest gifts a family can have for themselves: The documentation of a day. I am so excited to share with you that Kara is adding this “offering” to her photography business. Learn more about it HERE.
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Folks, life is happening. Good stuff, funny stuff, blessed stuff, hard stuff, devastating stuff. It’s all there. This is life as we know it. Let’s do our best to cultivate a good life and record it.
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Added note: As you know, the Project Life kits are currently sold out. We are very close to having more inventory in stock. We expect those kits to be available on Amazon (for U.S. customers) by the end of January. Any sooner would be a pleasant surprise. We all want to be pleasantly surprised! Thank you for your patience (and your interest!). As always, I will communicate updates & information as we get closer — especially here on my blog and on facebook and twitter.
Tags: beth, car wreck, challenges, snow globe
Posted in photography | 36 Comments »
Friday, January 14th, 2011
{ refresh }
I’m going to ask you to do something: Please click on your refresh button. We made some changes to the website, namely the red background. If you’re not seeing red, you need to refresh. See it now?
{ why the red? }
Today we are exactly one month away from Valentines Day. So I thought it’d be fun to splash the color of love on the website to give us all that constant reminder of … well, LOVE. (This is not a permanent change.)
{ love }
Love isn’t just about being in a relationship. It’s not just about having a boyfriend or girlfriend or even being married (although that’s certainly significant and wonderful. In fact, marriage, as we know, often leads to children and I believe FAMILY is most definitely central in God’s Plan of Happiness.)
Love is about even more than that though. Love is what can heal. Love is what can lift another. Through love, burdens are lifted, hearts are mended, and a crummy day becomes blessed. And it doesn’t always mean a close friend or family member. Sometimes it’s a stranger. And you know what? They need love too. Do you realize that even a simple smile can change someone’s entire day?
{ love is a verb }
That’s what they say, right? Well because it’s true. A relationship takes effort. You don’t see a friendship blossom on accident. You don’t see a marriage make it through hard times because husband & wife are waiting for the other to make the first move.
This is a small invitation to each of us to be more proactive in being loving human beings. More patient in our driving. More willing to volunteer our time in service. More likely to following that prompting to phone a friend or write a note of kindness or stop everything you’re doing to read with your child. More effort in changing the subject when gossip flares up. More likely to express gratitude. Being quick to forgive. And more smiling. Definitely more smiling.
{ a visual reminder }
As a small token of my gratitude for you, dear reader, I’m sharing a couple “Love One Another” prints to use however you’d like. Let this visual be a daily reminder of what I hope we can all focus on this month … and always.
Head over to the Free Stuff page to snag your free print(s).
PS – Want a more tangible way to share love this Valentines season? If you missed it last February, this Post-it Love idea might get the wheels a-turnin’. (Unfortunately all the reader comments were erased in last year’s blog server transfer.)
Tags: frame, print, valentines
Posted in holidays & seasons, home | 62 Comments »
Thursday, January 13th, 2011
Okay, so seriously. Seriously you’d think I have drummed up some sort of Project Life Dream Team or something. While that actually sounds like a terrific idea — Hmmm. I’ll tuck that away for later. — I am realizing over and over again that there are just amazing and talented and GOOD people out there. Everywhere.
And today I’d like to share a few of them with you. Maybe they’re familiar to you. Maybe not. Either way, they each have really fantastic Project Life ideas to share. And that’s just what they’ve been doing on each of their respective blogs. They each explain their individual approach to the project. I didn’t ask them to; They’re just awesome like that.
And that, of course, is the key to Project Life. Which is … approach it the way you want to. Make the project adapt to you. Have a look at these very inspiring articles by clicking on the links. And if you’ve done something similar (thank you!), feel free to leave a comment with a link to your blog too.
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Jade (a.k.a. “Super Organiser Mum”) in Australia. Go HERE.
 …..
Ali Edwards. Go HERE.
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Jessica Woodford. Go HERE.
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Michelle Wooderson. Go HERE.
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Kelly Willette. Go HERE.
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{ giveaway }
Un-related to Project Life, but I’m super excited for Becki Crosby and her “baby”. She’s put a lot of hard work into making her vision a reality. Did you hear about Whippy Cake’s newly-launched website and the new product line of deliciously tempting accessories? I’m loving. You’ve gotta check it out.
Oh, and pssst. While you’re there you must click on her BLOG because guess what? Yep — It’s a Project Life Giveaway. Enter to win! In the meantime, I’ve got my eye on the “muffy”. Aaaand a few others.
Tags: ali edwards, giveaway, jade, jessica woodford, michelle wooderson, Project Life, whippy cake, willette
Posted in organization, photography, products, scrapbooking | 45 Comments »
Wednesday, January 12th, 2011
When our niece Kyra asked me to be in charge of a guest book for their wedding reception, I probably said “yes!” before she finished the question. I love projects. I also love simplicity. And weddings. And new love. And I love Kyra. : )
I immediately saw in my mind’s eye the end result. It involved no fluffy, distracting “stuff”. It involved edge-to-edge pictures. It involved a lot of pictures from their engagement shoot. And most importantly, it would be filled with love from so many people that would be there to celebrate with them on the most significant day of their lives.
Whether you have a baby shower, wedding reception, 50th anniversary celebration, or retirement party coming up, here is one way you could put together a guest book. It’s simple and classic. You just can’t go wrong.
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1. Always, always start with your album first. Make sure you know exactly what size you’re dealing with before beginning a project. We decided on a cute & practical 6″ x 6″ size.
2. Prepare your photos for printing. Using digital editing software (I use Photoshop Elements), get your images ready. Because of our 6″ x 6″ size, I created 12″ x 12″ canvases (yay that Costco can now print that size) and put (4) 6″ x 6″ images on each canvas.
3. Print photos.
4. Trim photos.
5. Insert photos. Note: For this title page, I knew this picture would be the title page so I added the text in Photoshop first.
6. Insert blank pages. Note: I decided to put a photo on every left side of the layout and a blank page on every right side. This particular album already came with blank cardstock in each page protector, so lucky me, I saved some time there.
The album is ready for guests to sign! At the reception or party, just take some of the blank pages out and have them on a table with some pens. As they fill up, place them back in page protectors and pull out more blank pages. By the way, I would love to give credit to this awesome little album but nowhere is it branded (and I’ve had it on-hand for years). Sorry.
Jason & Kyra now have this little book of family & friends waiting for them when they get home from their honeymoon. May it always serve as a reminder to them just how loved they are.
Posted in DIY, organization, photography, scrapbooking | 35 Comments »
Wednesday, January 12th, 2011
Got this email from WendiRae in Michigan.
Yesterday my entire family of five waited outside in the snow and 24 degree weather to welcome the UPS delivery person who brought me my Project Life. As he brought me my pretty little box, this conversation took place:
Evan (my 7 year old): “What did you order Dad?”
Me: “Nothing, this is for me!”
Evan: “Really? Why?” (he was truly shocked!)
UPS Delivery Man: “Because Moms deserve good stuff, too.”
That they do. That they do.
WendiRae, you’re adorable.
I am LOVING all the Project Life glamour shots that continue to pour in. Thank you so much for sharing your enthusiasm! Still want to submit your picture with your white box? Just email it to projectlife@beckyhiggins.com.
Tags: mom, Project Life, ups
Posted in Uncategorized | 9 Comments »
Tuesday, January 11th, 2011
{ project life tuesday }
We have seen awesome growth and positively fantastic sharing going on over at the official Project Life Community. So awesome! I wanted to let you know of yet another place to share and be inspired. The Mom Creative blog by Jessica Turner, will be resuming “Project Life Tuesday” today.
Says Jessica: “I started Project Life Tuesday in 2010 as a way of keeping up with my photos and encouraging others to do the same. I have found that if you are using Project Life as a Project 365, staying on top of your photos is key! By hosting this weekly link-up, myself and many others were encouraged to keep going all year.”
Each Tuesday, people are invited to blog their photos from the previous week and link their blogs posts on Jessica’s blog. She asks that you link to The Mom Creative and/or post the cute Project Life Tuesday button within their post. It is a fun way to everyone’s photos, get creative ideas, and stay accountable.
Today is the first Project Life Tuesday of 2011 over at The Mom Creative. Check it out and – should you feel inclined – link up! A huge thank-you to Jessica, who’s done an awesome job keeping many motivated about Project Life. I didn’t ask her to do any of that. She’s just a believer like me. She gets it. She uses it. She loves it. And she shares with others.
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{ you have my permission }
I was deeply touched with the comments on yesterday’s post about the reminder to BREATHE. I’m so grateful that the message reached the people it needed to reach at the time they needed to hear it. I was asked about permission to print it.
Absolutely. You go right ahead.
I just took that picture on Saturday in Mesa, Arizona. It was an absolutely beautiful day. Awesome weather, yes. But more importantly our niece Kyra and her sweetheart Jason were married. It was such a happy, happy day.
Anyway — Just click HERE, right-click on the image, save it to your desktop, and feel free to print it any size you want for personal use. Or use it as your desktop image. Or share with friends. Whatever.
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{ school kits }
I’m just going to be like a classified ad for just a moment, if you don’t mind. Many of you are familiar with the school kit I did a few years ago. Of course they’re sold out. I have a couple of friends who bought them, held on to them, never got around to using them, and would like to sell them … now knowing that I’m working on a new & improved school kit.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, don’t worry about it. They’re not available anymore anyway. The more important thing to note is that I’ve been working on a new school kit that will be even more simplified than the original. I don’t have anything more specific to tell you for timing other than “this year”. I know. Very vague.
Of course you know I’m an updater. If you’re up on my blog, or getting my facebook or twitter feed, you will be the first to get those product updates.
So — if you’re interested in purchasing the “old” school kit, here are a couple people you can contact. I believe they each have 3-4 kits and Marji has 2 of those “bonus” kits with more materials & components.
Megan: M-Hintz@hotmail.com
Marji: schnebergers@cox.net
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{ facebook likers rock }
So … holy smokes people. We hit 15,000 “likers” on facebook last night. What!?!? Thank you so much! A few of you might be sitting on the fence. Do I follow Becky on facebook? Is it worth it?
Yep. You should. Because guess what? If you get my facebook (or twitter) feed, you are not only the very first to know of any product updates and get little bits of inspiration like Project Life ideas, and POTD ideas, but I share plenty of other useful stuff un-related to my products. Cool websites & blogs & articles to check out, my latest favorite thing to use or eat or read, great products, a notice every time there’s a new blog post, random tips, and an occasional personal anecdote.
And today, there has never been a better time to like me on facebook. Because I’m giving away Project Life! Because that’s fun to do. And because I like you too. We sold out of the kits just last week but as soon as the new inventory shows up in the next couple weeks (let’s say by the end of January to be safe) … I will personally place the order for the randomly-selected winner so they’re first in line to receive their kit from this next batch.
Just get on facebook like you normally do, click on my page (Becky Higgins LLC), and you see that cute little LIKE icon? Click it. And just like magic, you like me! : ) Then you’ll see my update about the contest pop up on your wall just like all other facebook updates that you get.
 Thank you for the love.
Tags: facebook, giveaway, jessica turner, Project Life, project life tuesday, school kit, the mom creative
Posted in Uncategorized | 43 Comments »
Monday, January 10th, 2011
NOTE: Right-click on the image to download and save to your computer.
Just in case you needed the reminder. Just in case you’re feeling completely overwhelmed. Just in case you needed someone else to tell you to step back. Take a breather. Take a moment to gather your thoughts or say a prayer or sit in silence or go for a walk. Then come back to facing whatever you’re facing.
I’m hearing my mom’s words in my head today. When I would get overwhelmed she used to always tell me, Just take it one step at a time. Easier said than done, I always thought. But she’s right. When you look at your list of a million to-do’s, when you think of all that is expected of you, when you think too much about how overwhelmed you are, this can and will hinder you from being able to break it down and just start with one thing.
Start with just one thing. Check it off your list and go to the next thing. And then the next. Before you know it, you’re making progress. All the while, don’t forget the big picture. The really big picture. That’s going to mean something different for everyone. Whatever it means to you, don’t forget it. Helps keep everything in perspective.
I needed to remind myself of this today and I have a feeling some of you need this today too.
Posted in Uncategorized | 65 Comments »
Friday, January 7th, 2011
1. Today there are two well-loved blogs featuring us: Tom Kat Studio and Where Women Create. There are a few pictures of our home office on the WWC post, for those who have been asking for pictures. And … I am giving away Project Life in both places. So if you head on over and leave a comment on both posts, you have double chances of winning a free kit. : )
2. Inventory update. As most of you know, we sold out of kits. This is temporary. We are expecting more Project Life kits to become available on Amazon by the end of January.
3. Facebook is not wanting to cooperate with me at all today. Not sure what’s up there. Those of you who get my Facebook feed probably know it’s pretty unusual for me to not share at least a couple ideas/tips/links/anecdotes on a weekday. Hopefully that’s up & running again.
4. I ordered both designs of the brand-new Photo Pocket Pages and Journaling Cards and they came in the mail! Which means … many of you must also be receiving your orders as well. Super excited about the potential with these basic, basic, basic ingredients to simplified scrapbooking. More idea-sharing coming soon.
Tags: giveaway, tom kat studio, where women create
Posted in Uncategorized | 60 Comments »
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