Archive for April, 2012

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feedback friday: tech edition

Friday, April 27th, 2012

It’s that time again. I’m handing this edition of Feedback Friday over to my brother whom many of you (and your husbands) have come to know + appreciate for his willingness to share that techie brain of his. Heeeeeere’s Kevin!

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I am trying to make an iMovie, after being inspired by your 12 videos of Christmas in Dec. ’11, and I am unable to access my iTunes songs (there is no arrow next to the iTunes icon in iMovie).  Any idea what might be wrong?

Adding an iTunes track to your iMovie project should be really easy to do, which makes me think there isn’t something I’m understanding here. Just in case there isn’t, all you need to do is look for the iTunes button on the right side of iMovie. Clicking this will reveal your iTunes library. From there, it’s a matter of dragging and dropping into your project.

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I recently switched to a Mac and am having such a hard time editing in Photoshop but still effectively using iPhoto for organizing – I’m not using the organizer and need some tips.

For the most part, PhotoShop (and even PhotoShop Elements at that) should be very similar between the Windows and Mac versions. Similar enough to make the transition relative easy when using those tools, at least. As for organizing your photos, there are lots of good how-to videos available on YouTube for using PhotoShop Elements’ Organizer tool.

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I had a paid subscription to me.com before iCloud came.  Now that I have moved over to iCloud and set everything up, do I still need to pay the annual fee in order to access my iDisk and the sync – up of my calendar/ to-do/ contacts, etc?

No – unlike its predecessor, MobileMe (and .Mac for that matter), iCloud was designed to be free for everyone! You will be able to sync most everything exactly how you do now, with a couple exceptions. Apple plans to discontinue the use of iDisk, MobileMe Photo Gallery and iWeb hosting after this Summer. Calendar, Tasks, Contacts, Email, Bookmarks, etc will remain in tact. I’ve actually had really good luck with all of those syncing services since migrating to iCloud. With the exception of the items that will be discontinued, I think you will be really happy with iCloud. I am still hoping that Apple announces equivalent services to compensate for the ones that we will lose shortly. Stay tuned.

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I am new to iMovie.  Do you know of any online classes that would teach me how to use the program?  Do you know of a PC counterpart?

Apple has some really great how-to videos on their site that helps you to get started with using iMovie. I really recommend you spend some time watching some of those. The other recommendation I have is that once you have some of the basics down, schedule an appointment with your local Apple store to go in for further help. Those guys are really, really good at spending quality time with you helping you to understand the ins and outs of your questions. It’s a one-on-one session, and best of all… it’s free!

As for a Windows alternate to iMovie… ArcSoft has a pretty good solution called ShowBiz 5. Check that out. Price is $79.99, but you also have the option of a 15-day trial.

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Any recommendations for organizing your pictures in iPhoto?  How often do you download your pictures?

The answer that I would give here totally depends on a couple things: 1) how large your internal hard drive is 2) how many pictures you take in a period of time. If you have a big hard drive and don’t take a lot of pictures, there really isn’t too much a need to archive older pictures off to an external storage device. However, if you are taking a lot of large (RAW) shots, it’s worth archiving off once in a while. I personally archive my pictures about every 6 months to make sure I have plenty of free hard drive space available. When that time comes, I usually leave about 2 months worth of shots on my local hard drive, the rest are stored elsewhere. Regardless of how you attack this particular challenge, be sure you are BACKING UP your photos! I can’t say that enough.

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I just got an android phone.  I see that the iPhone has an app called ‘Notica.’  Any recommendations for an android app that is similar?

I’m not too familiar with Notica, but I did some quick research for you. The closest thing that I could find for Android would be an app called “Photo Diary“. I’m not necessarily endorsing or recommending this app, but it might be a good place to begin your search. Good luck!

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I am using ‘Transfer.”  Do you know of another app that will move a large number of photos between all my devices: iPad, phone and computer?

As a one-time photo share project, you may want to consider syncing your photos to your computer, using that as your new primary copy, and then simply syncing the photos to your various devices. If you want to continually be in sync (not to be confused with ‘N Sync), you should definitely consider using iCloud’s Photo Stream service. This service (as part of the free iCloud service) syncs your images automatically from one device to another as you take them.

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What size dpi should I be scanning my photos at?  Also, what is the best file type to save them in for archival purposes?

Most consumer scanners have the ability of scanning images at very high resolutions. If the images are significant enough, you may want to consider scanning them at a really high resolution to ensure you are protected going forward, regardless how large you want to blow the images up. That, however, does result in much larger file sizes, so there is a fine line to walk. I scan my images at a 600 dpi resolution, which is good enough for most applications. Keep in mind that when you print these images, you typically don’t go much higher than 300 dpi.

As for format, that again depends on how significant the images are. If you want a really good compression-less format, you will want to use TIFF. Again, that will result in massive file sizes. If you save them in a JPG format, your images will be compressed, but A) you usually can’t even tell, and B) you will save yourself a LOT of hard drive space.

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My iMac just arrived this week.  Any “start doing this now so you don’t spend hours doing it later” sort of tips?  How about any must have software?  And why do I see the little blue box with the question mark instead of pictures?

First of all, congratulations on buying a really nice system! I hope you’re enjoying it. If this is your first Mac (moving from Windows), check out “Learn the Switch the Mac“. It costs $0.99, but walks you through (interactively) how to make the jump from Windows to Mac. Some other apps to look for would be the Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Evernote, Caffeine and Twitter.

As for the “question mark instead of an pictures” issue, head over to my site and send me an email with more details. I’ll help you out.

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My iPhone won’t access all that I have on my computer when I am using Wi-Fi.  Is there a way to access it without having to load it?

There are some limitations to use the mobile version of Safari (the browser built-in to iOS, and thus iPhone/iPad). One of those limitations is the use of Flash video. Apple has made it pretty clear that they don’t intend to support Flash on these devices because of stability concerns.

That probably isn’t answering your question, but if you want to visit my site and provide me with more details, I can help you out.

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Does the iPhoto app allow you to do the same things that iPhoto on a Mac does?

Because iPhoto on an iOS app (iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch) is strictly touch-based and has a smaller display, you will be somewhat limited on what you can do. Having said that, Apple has done a really great job of incorporating the necessary filters and processes to make it a really useful tool. I have it on my devices and use it almost daily.

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How do you take a DVD you own and upload and watch it on your iPad?

This is a great question. I actually get this quite often, so I have a write-up on how to do it (step-by-step) here.

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I take most of my videos on my iPhone because it is always with me.  However, I cannot figure out how to get them on a DVD so we can watch them on the TV and not just on the computer.

First, you will need to transfer the images from your iPhone to your computer. Once they’re on your computer, it’s a matter of burning them to a DVD. Some DVD players will allow you to play a slideshow from a disc containing a series of images, and others require you to use iDVD (or something similar) to build an actual DVD menu. If your DVD player is like the latter, then it can be a painful process.

Another option that you may want to consider is to pick up a $99 Apple TV. These are awesome devices for streaming content to your TV, including photos. It has a feature called AirPlay that allows you to display a picture taken on your iPhone on your TV with a quick tap of the button. It’s very slick.

To be quite frank, the days of the DVD are very quickly going away. I personally wouldn’t spend too much time working out how to use DVDs to accomplice this.

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How do I re-size and purchase pictures using my new iPad?

You can crop photos using most third-party photo-editing apps available for the iPad as well as the built-in Photos app, but cropping isn’t really applicable here. Depending on the size of the original image, there can be an option to resize on the fly when you send the image via email, but outside of that scenario, I’d be curious to know why you need to resize it.

Purchasing photos… is there a specific source that you are trying to purchase these images from? If you’re interested, head over to my site and let’s start a two-way dialog about what you’re trying to accomplish.

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I have an android phone and I see now an app for instagram.  How do you use it and print the 4 x 4 picture?

Yes – Instagram for Android was launched not too long ago. There are two ways to print an image on your Android. The simplest way would be to email the photo to yourself, open it on your computer and print from there. Alternatively, you can print directly from the device. Keep in mind that Android doesn’t support the ability to print from the device by default, but here’s a quick write-up on how to work around that.

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I don’t get instagram – What exactly does it do for me and how do you use it?

To be honest, I’m not a big fan of Instagram myself. Having said that, Instagram is a social photo-sharing app. It’s sole purpose is to allow you to easily share your photos with family and friends. Think of it like a photo-only version of Facebook or Twitter. In fact, Facebook recently acquired Instagram for $1,000,000,000 because they feel so strongly that it will compliment their social network nicely.

Becky chiming in: GASP! Not a fan of Instagram, Kevin!? I just wanted to say that I love Instagram for the quick filters that make my everyday pictures look cool. I don’t have it set up for social sharing at all. I don’t follow anyone, and no one can follow me. It’s just for taking personal pictures, which I then implement into Project Life, etc. I know a lot of people love it for the social sharing, and I just felt all these little gasps across the world wide web when Kevin said he wasn’t a big fan.  ; )

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I need help organizing photos in iPhoto.  Previously, on my PC, I have folders organized by year, month and date.  With iPhoto I am finding it hard to organize and find a file easily without having to scroll through my whole library.  Do you have any tips to make the process easier?

There are a few things you can do to make it easier to find your images quickly in iPhoto. First of all, iPhoto has a feature called “Faces”. This technology automatically finds and catalogs the faces of your family and friends. For example, if Sally is in one of your pictures, it will then put a link to that picture in Sally’s personal collection of photos.

Another method of organization would be to use Photo Albums. Using Albums is similar to creating/using albums in iTunes. Your album entitled “Rock” can contain songs of rock and roll. Likewise, your album entitled “Grand Canyon – 2012″ would contain photos of your trip to the Grand Canyon.

The last organizational method includes using tags. You can tag your photos with certain words, then have iPhoto search for all photos matching that tag. For example, if you tagged a series of photos with the words “vacation”, iPhoto would then list those images when you search for that keyword.

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I have a Canon 60D camera and I shoot in the best HD video possible (so I can create quialty home DVD’s).  I have iMovie/Quicktime.  How do I re-size the video/formatting so it does not take hours to upload to Facebook?

iMovie has a very easy-to-use video export feature that allows you to export a video using various sizes and qualities. Be sure to look under “Share”.

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How do I print downloads in the sizes I’d like?  For example it says ’3×4′ but I get a full page when I open it.

It sounds like you might be using Preview to print? If not, I apologize for a misleading answer, but if you are, read on…

The default setting in Preview is to print an image at full page size. Simply change the setting in the print dialog to “Scale” and “100%”.

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What online storage system do you recommend as another backup for photos?

For online backup, I recommend using Carbonite. Mozy is another service to check out.

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I have taken a few instagram photos on my iphone and uploaded them to my iMac.  I plan to transfer them to my USB stick to print along with all the ‘normal’ photos I have taken.  Can you please tell me, when I go to print these off, will they automatically print out as a 4 x 4, even if I select 4 x 6 size?  Will I need to copy them onto the USB separately?

The end-result paper size will be a direct result of the size you request from the printer. If you select 4×6″, you will get 4×6″ paper, even if the image you submit is 4×4″. You will definitely want to check with the specific print house you plan on using to find out how they handle this specific request. I can see this being handled differently, depending on their equipment and individual preference.

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I just got a new iPad 3 and it will not connect to our Wi-Fi network.  Our other devices connect just fine.  The first time I tried to connect my ipad, it was successful but the connection was lost within an hour and will not reconnect.  When I try to select to it again in the Network Settings it just hangs there (i.e., the rotating gear next to the network name just continues to spin).  I’ve tried resetting my network settings to no avail.  Any ideas?

First, let’s try and remove your wireless network connection, then we’ll reestablish. This will effectively reset it on your iPad.

On your iPad, go to Settings > Wi-Fi. Tap on the blue arrow to the right of your home wireless network, and then tap the “Forget this Network” button. When that’s done, go back to your Wi-Fi settings and try to re-add the network. That should do it. If not, head to my site, and we can start a two-way dialog.

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I want to be able to read and write to my new external HD, on both my PC and mu iMac (running Snow Leopard).  My old external HD worked perfectly with both.  My iMac won’t write to my new external hard drive which I think is formatted to NTFS.  I came across a product called NTSF for MAC OS X 9.0 (Paragon Software).  Is this the product I need or is there another way this can be fixed?  Also, when using my external hard drive on my PC it won’t let me save directly onto it from within a program.  It tells me the external HD is full (which it is not).  The only way I can save onto it is to copy and paste from within Windows Explorer.  What am I doing wrong?

This is a good question. First of all, there’s no need to purchase anything to make this work, and it’s easy to work around.

Before we dive in and fix this for you, you need to make sure that you have a copy of everything on the hard drive that you want to keep. If not, make a copy somewhere while we reformat it. If it’s an empty drive, you’re ready to go.

Next, let’s connect your new hard drive to your Mac. On your Mac, go to Finder > Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility. Select the new hard drive from the list to the left (again, be careful to select the correct drive as the next step is destructive). With the drive selected, click on the tab called “Erase”. From here, change the format to “MS-DOS (FAT)”, give it a name and click Erase…

MS-DOS isn’t the most efficient file system out there (certainly not like NTFS for OS X Journaled), but you can read and write from both Windows and Mac. That’s it! Now you can enjoy using your new drive.

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I was attempting to burn photos onto a DVD that already had 4 months worth of pictures on it.  While in the process, the pictures that were already on the DVD somehow disappeared.  Is there any way of recovering these pictures?

There’s a very good chance there isn’t. If a file has been overwritten, it can’t be recovered because that space has been reallocated for other use, and another image has been overwritten on top of the old. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I hope you have a copy elsewhere!

 

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Posted in Q&A | 21 Comments »

more creative uses for cardstock

Wednesday, April 25th, 2012

Yesterday I featured 4 nuggets of cardstock inspiration and today I’m sharing 4 more.

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{ Idea #5: Frame It }

From my own home … and something I bet some of you have done in your homes as well. It’s simple, really. Need a splash of color in an otherwise boring frame? Don’t want to spray-paint the frame? Just cut a piece of your favorite patterned paper to the right size and place this in the frame. That’s it. (This piece is from the Clementine Collection.)

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{ Idea #6: Handmade Photo Book }

Alison in South Auckland, New Zealand: Since getting a Zutter I have been making lots of different notebooks and albums. I make my own photo albums for all those photos I want to print and keep, but that don’t make it into Project Life or our standard scrapbook albums.

I love the Project Life cardstock and the Cobalt colours went well with these photos for this little album I made. I put DuraSeal onto the cardstock (on the cover) to protect it from little fingers and to help it keep a bit longer. The photo pages have strips of cardstock glued to them and then its all punched and bound together for a very personalized album. It takes some time folding and gluing the strips but the end result is so worth it and these albums make great presents.

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{ Idea #7: Instagram Backgrounds }

Lisa in New Jersey: Like many people, I am documenting our family’s year for 2012. I purchased the Clementine kit and the additional pack of cardstock and have been putting it to good use! Many of the pictures I include in our album are smaller than the 4×6″ photo pocket (some 2×3″ and LOTS of Instagrams sized 4×4, 3×3, and 2×2).

I have been cutting down Clementine Cardstock sheets to the 4×6 size and using that as the background to these smaller photos. It is quicker and so much easier than rummaging through all my other “regular” scrapbooking cardstock to find a piece to coordinate with my layout. I am enjoying this process so much! Thank you again for developing Project Life and for all the new products. It just keeps getting better & I can’t wait to see what else is on the horizon!

Peyton in Virginia has the same idea. In fact, this is a picture of her stash of pre-cut cards from the Clementine Collection of 12×12 Cardstock. You’ll notice she even cut some 3×4 cards as well.

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{ Idea #8: Greeting Cards }

Naturally, cardstock is a great staple for making cute cards. Kristen Spencer in Texas says, I love to have kids’ birthday cards on hand and I think these turned out so cute! I have to say the weight and texture of your cardstock is PERFECT for the Cricut! It cuts even the tiniest details flawlessly! (Cobalt Collection shown.)

 

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Posted in DIY, products, scrapbooking | 11 Comments »

creative uses for project life cardstock

Tuesday, April 24th, 2012

As you know, Project Life is designed to simplify the memory-keeping process. Our Core Kits and Photo Pocket Pages are the basic components to go in an album and really, that’s all you need. While I firmly believe that you can complete an entire scrapbook with just these items …

… we totally recognize that many of you have that desire to get creative and do more than the beloved slip-the-photos-and-cards-in-and-be-done method. This is why we have additional products – to support your need to create, and help you keep it all looking good together.

So let’s talk about the Project Life Cardstock. You don’t have to have full 12×12 cardstock for a Project Life album, but you asked for it, we listened, and so of course we have it. We have a collection of designer paper to go with each of our Project Life Editions:

Many Project Lifers have put the 12×12 Project Life Cardstock to good use with a creative spin. Today I’m sharing 4 recently submitted ideas. Tomorrow I’ll share another 4 ideas. Each idea comes from readers/customers who submitted their own pictures. We’re grateful for their willingness to share so that you can be inspired.

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{ Idea #1: Manila Folders }

Pedita in Newcastle, NSW, Australia: I covered some manila folders to brighten up my desk. (Papers from the Amber Collection are shown.)

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{ Idea #2: Mini scrapbook pages on one scrapbook page }

Megan in Nashville, Tennessee: I use the cardstock with Design E Photo Pocket Pages to do 4 mini layouts for each of my sons each month. I highlight what they are doing that month. (Papers from the Cobalt Collection are shown.)

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{ Idea #3: Chore System }

Regan in Texas: I used the Cobalt cardstock to make a new chore system for my two daughters, ages nine and five. My girls helped me cut the papers into cards, then we added a chore to each front and a gold star to each back, and then laminated them and punched a hole in the top. We hung them on our fridge on hook magnets. When the girls complete the chore, they turn it over to the star side and put it on the hook below (we love that the papers have such fun patterns on both sides!). Each day I select the chores that need to be done that day (the extras live in an envelope at the top), and at the end of the day they receive a tally mark for the completed jobs (and they lose a tally mark for the ones they did not finish). They also have the option to select additional jobs for extra marks. They have both set a goal for their reward when they reach a certain number of tally marks. It is extremely flexible, and more importantly, extremely cute! The girls each chose which papers they wanted for their own jobs. So far, so good!

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{ Idea #4: Wrapped Boxes }

Carol in Washington state: I think these boxes are great sizes and yet I just send them to recycling. SO … I covered them with cardstock (papers from the Turquoise Collection are shown) and keep the things I am working on in them. Plus, they match my Project Life album. From baggie boxes, to supply boxes …

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Posted in DIY, products, scrapbooking, style & design | 13 Comments »

DIY memory game

Monday, April 23rd, 2012

Anyone who has Project Life knows we give you plenty of supplies in that little box. Chances are, you have some extra cards in your stash. Right?

Creative Team member MaryAnn has put her extra cards to excellent use. She whipped up a DIY project that you’re going to want to pin. (No – I’m still not on Pinterest. I’m holding strong, ladies.)

This is a memory game that she made using filler cards from the Amber Edition of Project Life, and the cards are stored in a 3×4 journaling card box. MaryAnn says, When I was a kid I loved to play Memory. I can recall countless hours of fun playing the game with my parents and siblings. I wanted something fun and small to take with us while we are traveling by plane cross country on our summer vacation this year. It’s a twist to the traditional game of memory match-up using family photos.

I have also started working on a Go Fish game using the same concept as the memory game. I love it! The best part about both of these games is that just when my girls think they know all of the cards or have it mastered, I simply switch the photos to more recent ones and totally update the game. Love it! Well … really the best part is the look on the girls faces as the play the game. That is priceless and it just makes my heart smile!

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Of course you don’t need to use Project Life 3×4 Journaling Cards. It’s just convenient with those because they’re pre-cut and pre-designed. You can certainly use full sheets of cardstock and trim to your desired size. I did this several years ago and used the same pattern on the back of ALL the cards.

Download MaryAnn’s PDF of instructions: Photo Memory Game

Speaking of creative uses for patterned cardstock … keep your eye on the blog this week for more DIY goodness. We have oodles of fun ideas on the way and I’m certain you’re creative juices will be flowing.

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Posted in DIY, family & children | 7 Comments »

feedback friday

Friday, April 20th, 2012

I remember you blogged that you bought some Williams-Sonoma kitchen towels a couple years ago. How are those holding up?

Hands down, these are my favorite kitchen towels that we’ve ever had. I am so pleased with the towels, and they’re holding up beautifully.

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What is your opinion of the Nikon 1 J1 Camera?

Honestly, I’ve never heard of that one. I like the Nikon D90 that we’ve had for the past few years and am not currently in the market for another one, so I’m pretty clueless about the latest & greatest dSLR models. But have you checked out dpreview.com? Anyone in the market for a new camera should check out this review site.

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How did you choose the new designs of Photo Pocket Pages and Page Protectors? Like, were they what you needed as you put together your kids’ scrapbooks?

The whole Project Life concept came about because I had a problem and I wanted to create a system that would solve the problem. So – yes, many product ideas come from my personal experience and my desire to bring out the practical side of an otherwise “creative” hobby. But this is just one factor. Another key element that plays into our decision for what products to make? Your voice. Your feedback. Your suggestions.

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Do you think you will keep designing page protectors and coming up with new designs like you used to come up with new sketches?

It’s pretty much looking that way, isn’t it? Interesting for you to bring that up. In my season of sharing sketches, I really was trying to take the guesswork out of scrapbooking. That’s why people loved them. Funny how things have evolved. Now I look at sketches and think – If that is made of actual pockets, THEN we’re really solving the problem! What’s easier than slipping pictures into pockets? Pretty much nothing. Easiest scrapbooking ever. So – yes. We will continue to grow our line of plastics because they are creating solutions. Mine and yours.

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Are you doing the 12×12 or 8.5×11 inch size for your family’s albums? Is the physical Project Life binder 12×12 in size?

Yes, the Project Life Binder is the classic, standard 12×12 size. I’ve done a lot of 8.5×11 albums, then transitioned to 12×12 in 2001. Now, with 43 volumes of these albums in our home (ouch), I do 8.5×11 Project Life photo books on Shutterfly for our family memories. I am carrying on with the 12×12 size for the kids’ individuals albums. I show & talk about this in the very beginning of my video featured here.

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Do you ever show your own pages?

I sprinkle my personal pages in once in a blue moon, but no – not very often. I’ve been in this industry for 16 years. I have shared plenty. But I have become much more protective of our personal memories, stories, pictures as we’re raising our little family. That is the only reason I don’t share more often, and why I am very strategic in what I do share from our personal scrapbooks.

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I was wondering what you do with photos that others send you, like family? My family will periodically send me few photos of their vacation or other events. I’m never sure what to do with them in Project Life. The images aren’t part of our story, but I still like it when they send them. Thoughts or ideas?

I really had to think about this one for a minute, because I can’t remember the last time someone randomly sent me a physical print. So much is shared electronically these days. If you like to hang on to the pictures sent your way, it seems easy enough to just slip them into Photo Pocket Pages and perhaps, since they don’t really “go” with your own life story, you could put that page (or those pages) at the very end of the album.

I’ll share another thought with you. A couple years ago I came across many years’ worth of Christmas cards that I had collected. I had an epiphany that I am not the keeper of other people’s memories. That doesn’t have to be my responsibility. I’m recording my own family’s story and that is plenty. Why was I hanging on to all these Christmas card pictures when we honestly never even went back and looked at them? I love our family & friends, but I tossed those pictures with no regret. In fact, I felt like a weight was lifted with that simple decision. Just something to consider. Perhaps you have a few recent photos on your fridge for a few months or a year, but eventually – it’s okay to toss the pictures that aren’t super significant.

The significant and sentimental pictures? Absolutely you should keep those.

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I am looking for ways to document my pregnancy on weekly basis. Ideas would be greatly appreciated!

You could certainly use any edition of Project Life if you wanted. They are theme-less and versatile for so many topics. Your life is your life – married or single, pregnant or not, working or at home. Just photograph the little details of your journey – no matter what it looks like.

Speaking of babies and those who want to do a baby album … well, let’s put it this way: I pretty much haven’t done much with Crew’s baby album. He’s three. And I’m pretty much not going to do it until our Project Life: Baby Edition products come out. Because they’re going to make my life soooo much easier and his album will look completely amazing. I’m unbelievably stoked about what we’ve been cooking up for you guys. I don’t have a release date yet, but at least you know the wait won’t be years since we’ve already been working on it.  ; )

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For your kids’ personal books, the way I take it from reading your blog, you combine personal activities and school stuff in the same book. How do you separate? Do you have a “school section” by grade or is it all just chronological and mixed in with the personal stuff? What do you do– what works for you?

You should absolutely do what works best and makes the most sense for your situation. Since you asked about my system, I am all about telling the LIFE story. School is not a separate thing in my children’s lives. School is an integral part in their story, and who they are – just as much as other activities, sports, friends, extended family, travel, hobbies, and mundane stuff at home. So for me? I tell my kids’ story chronologically by year. I am not concerned about the order of pictures and pages and stories within that year. But if I want to know all about my child when they were in, say first grade? I can quickly identify that section (thanks to the Scrapbook Dividers – one of my absolute favorite products that I think every scrapbooker should have) … and enjoy the pictures & memories from that time in their life.

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What do you do with all of the photos that don’t make it into the album?

I don’t print pictures that I’m not going to put into an album or a frame or use in a project. So all the pictures I don’t use are in the same place that most of you store your pictures: On the computer (and of course backed up). I refer to them often, share them electronically, work them into an iMovie, etc.

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I’m wondering if you have any advice on how to catch up when you’re behind on Project Life! Has anyone addressed this?

It sounds to me that you’re locking yourself into an expectation that you will document the year with a picture every day, or a layout every week. Do not make this more complicated than it needs to be. It doesn’t need to be hard. In fact, Project Life is designed to SIMPLIFY the process of memory-keeping. So if you’re getting stressed about “keeping up” … get that phrase out of your mind. It’s not about keeping up. It’s about having a convenient place to slip your photos and memories into a book – no matter when or how often.

Now. Raise your hand if you’re thinking, “But that’s not like me. I have to stay on-track with my goals to document life they way I started this thing.” Truth be told, that’s totally my personality type. All or nothing, right? So let’s be real. If you really, really, really have to follow your own rules, then this is what I suggest: Let’s say you want to keep up with a picture-a-day. Very ambitious, but certainly rewarding. I did that a few years in a row and am not much more relaxed about that in 2012. I use a handful of pictures per week but it’s certainly not a picture for each day.

But anyway – to “catch up” on a couple weeks worth, simply walk around your house with the camera. Take pictures of the little details of everyday life until you have enough pictures to fill in your gaps. That’s it. Take pictures of things that were the same a couple weeks ago, like where you store your makeup or the kitchen sink full of dishes, or what’s on your iPod, your pet’s favorite place to chill, or whatever.

Need inspiration? We have a whole list worth of great ideas to get the wheels in your head turning!

…..

Becky I know you are working on your new school products but could we have a little idea of what it is? Is the school kit like Project Life with a school theme or something completely different? I know you have said that it will be out this year. Does that mean next couple of months? Summer? Fall? Christmas??? A ball park idea would be wonderful! Thanks for all you do!

Short answer: Summer 2012 (that means Winter for those of you in the Southern Hemisphere). This is what I can tell you right now: The childhood/school products that we’ve been working on will help you tremendously in documenting ALL of childhood. Not just school. The designs are remarkably awesome. I am itching to put this stuff to good use in my kids’ books – and even my own childhood stuff – and David’s. I want so badly to share the details of these products but it’s a little premature. The good news is that it won’t be long before I can share more and you’ll be totally clear on what to expect. Get excited.

…..

I have a scrapbook room full of pictures, paper, embellishments, etc. that I have planned on scrapbooking for a long time now. Is it even reasonable to think about using Project Life for all of these past photos or should I continue to use traditional scrapbooking for those and use Project Life for now? My kids are 20, 19 and 15 already! I am a procrastinating scrapbooker who needs some help … sigh.

Keep your chin up. Do yourself a favor and simplify. You could go back and do all those years in traditional scrapbooks by designing full pages. Absolutely. If you have the TIME + the DESIRE to get creative, go for it! If that thought overwhelms you however, I promise you that the EASE of Project Life is going to be a huge weight lifted from your shoulders. No more mom guilt. This is precisely why I designed Project Life to be what it is. It solves problems! It saves time! It’s easier to involve your family so that it can even become a TOGETHER project instead of Mom tucked away in her scrappy corner.

And now I sound like an infomercial. But wait. There’s more!

All those supplies that have been collecting? They’re fun. They’re gorgeous. And they were expensive. You don’t have to waste all that. Put them to good use in the Project Life pages if you want. Or … pass it all onto your kids to use, or donate to your local school or children’s shelter or another great cause. Plenty of people will appreciate your generosity.

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Do you journal as you go along before you print your pictures?

Sometimes, yes. For example – because my kids’ albums are physical scrapbooks and I’m using the Project Life system, I always have the 3×4 Journaling Cards handy to write down things they say, etc. Some things need to be written while they’re absolutely fresh in your mind. I love the 3×4 cards for this reason, and then I can slip them into the Photo Pocket Pages whenever I want.

For our family yearbooks, which I mentioned that I do on Shutterfly … my ideal routine (sometimes I get behind) is to do a layout per week. Each Sunday (again, this is ideal) I gather the pictures I want to include in last week’s layout, and add my journaling at the same time. It’s all on the computer. I print nothing. When I get a few weeks behind, it is super fast to catch up. I keep things simple and I couldn’t be happier.

…..

What do you do for months (i.e. summer or during Christmas or vacations) when you take lots of photos? That is my biggest issue with Project Life. I feel limited for these situations that I can’t include them all. But I guess my book would be huge if I included everything.

That’s it. You nailed it. If you included every picture you took, you’d have a ridiculous amount of albums. I’ve living proof of that from my earlier scrapbooking days. I am so into consolidating memories. You can tell a very rich story just as well with fewer pictures. In fact, if you include “too” many, that could just water everything down. Make sense? Case in point: We went on a big trip for our Spring Break. Guess what? That entire trip is on ONE layout in our family yearbook. That trip was no more important than life at home. It was simply part of our story, part of our life’s journey. But it didn’t define who we are any more than our everyday happenings in our everyday life.

I can’t say this enough: Project Life is what you want it to be. If you want 20 layouts from Christmas, then why wouldn’t you do that? Don’t listen to me or anyone else. Taking in suggestions is great, but go with your gut. Prioritize the real estate inside your album based on what matters most to you. Period.

…..

What tense do you write in? Are you writing to your kids? To a general audience? To yourself? I can’t decide which one I would like yet.

Personal choice. For me, I write to my kids in their individual albums. I never put words in their mouth. And I absolutely quote them or have them write their own journaling as much as possible. For our family yearbooks, I write to a general audience because while we are the ones enjoying these books right now, eventually they’ll end up in the hands of grandchildren or extended family. They are my general audience.

…..

I’m trying to get all my old photos out of those albums we used back in the 70s that had sticky pages with a plastic film overlay. What size pocket pages will work for those little square pictures?

I’d have to know the measurements of your pictures. There were a lot of interesting sizes over the years! I have plans to continue growing our plastics family (as mentioned above) so anyone who wants to put in a vote for what size pockets you’d like to see, especially when it comes to old pictures – let’s hear it.

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If ever there was a product I’d like to sell to my friends and family… THIS IS IT!!! Any chance you will be opening up to use individuals as sales reps in a Mary Kay, Scentsy, etc. party type program?

That is not at all in our plans right now, and yes – we did consider that. Again + again + again: We love you, loyal customers, and we are very grateful any time you spread the Project Life love and share this with your friends. Thank you a million times over!

…..

{ i’m blusing. }

From Beth: I had an epiphany today. Project Life is impacting our *quality of life*!!! What I realized is that Project Life motivates me to get off the couch and do things! It makes for a more interesting album, and a more interesting life. So on weekends or special days, I’m constantly thinking about what we could do in our home or community that will make me look back and say… “Wow, we did a lot of things.” It makes my kids more rounded and healthy, and it makes me feel like a better mom. Project Life motivates me to get out of a rut and really live. Thanks, Becky!

From Kiley: I just wanted to say thank you. My family loves this project! I also just completed a digital version on Shutterfly and made smaller versions of last year for my kids to have their own copy they love them so much. It took two hours. I love love love this project. I know it won’t be long before all of my years of collecting the bits and pieces of life will find their way to a book to be displayed the way they should be. I’ve been a fan since CK days. Thank you for creating this, sharing with all of us and for constantly keeping us up to date, for listening to feedback and adding more and more to project life!! Thank you!! 

 

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Posted in Q&A | 66 Comments »

Did I say 11 new products? I meant 13.

Wednesday, April 18th, 2012

On Monday I shared a short video review of 11 new products that are coming this July. Thank you, thank you so much for your enthusiasm and support. We’re so excited that you’re excited!

I love when you speak up. I love when you tell us what you want. In case you haven’t caught onto that aspect of our brand and how we run our company … we don’t just say “we value your feedback”. We actually do value what you have to say, and that is reflected in the products we’re making.

The moment we realized you guys not only want these new plastics, but you also want the option to purchase Variety Packs … we thought, ABSOLUTELY. So friends, I’m pleased to tell you that we’re adding 2 Variety Packs to the shipment of plastics coming in July. They will be 12-packs and packaged just like all our 12-packs.

Just to be clear, these are the 13 new plastic items in the making right now:

…..

{ pre-orders }

U.S. customers: Pre-ordering is not available because Amazon simply doesn’t offer that as an option.

International customers: Pre-orders will become available very soon. Check with your local distributor. Don’t know where to purchase our products? That’s what our SHOP BY COUNTRY page is for.

…..

{ plastic re-stock }

Speaking of our ever-growing plastics family, the items that have been sold out are very close to becoming available again. If you live outside the U.S., check with our international distributors on what kind of timing you can expect.

If you live in the U.S., you know that Amazon is the exclusive place to find our products. We still expect to see the re-stocking of inventory show up to Amazon by the end of April (sometime in the next couple weeks) but the exact date is not up to us. As soon as we hear from Amazon when they will accept our shipment, I will let you know.

These are the items that are part of this next big shipment to show up:

Photo Pocket Pages – Big Pack of Design A (box of 60)
Photo Pocket Pages – Big Variety Pack 1 (box of 60)
Photo Pocket Pages – Big Variety Pack 2 (box of 60)
Photo Pocket Pages – Design A (12-pack)
Photo Pocket Pages – Design B (12-pack)
Photo Pocket Pages – Design C (12-pack)
Photo Pocket Pages – Design D (12-pack)
Photo Pocket Pages – Design E (12-pack)
Photo Pocket Pages – Design F (12-pack)
Photo Pocket Pages – Design G (12-pack)
6×12 Page Protectors (12-pack)
12×12 Page Protectors (12-pack)

As always, you can see everything on our PRODUCTS page. All products are nicely organized so you can easily find what you’re looking for. We’ll add the 13 new items very soon.

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Posted in products, scrapbooking | 55 Comments »

video reveal: 11 new products

Monday, April 16th, 2012

{ quick item of business }

Sammie in Torrington, Wyoming: You are the randomly selected winner of a seat in the upcoming True Scrap event! Email Lain and she’ll hook you up. Congratulations!

…..

{ new product reveal in video format }

Let’s get to the part that will make the rest of you happy.  : )

I am pleased to present to you a first look at the next 11 plastic items coming from Becky Higgins LLC:

These are due to arrive July 2012.

It’s just a few short months away that these new pages will be in your hands. Like you, I have big plans to put these to good use and I can’t for the big arrival. The video includes answers to most questions you may have but certainly feel free to ask any other questions in the comments.

By the way, the development of these new items has not caused the delay of our Core Kit reprint or the development of our childhood products. I’ll have an update on all of that in the next couple weeks.

In the meantime, we’re still on-track to receive the re-stock of all our other, existing plastics by the end of this month. That’s only a couple weeks away. We won’t know the exact date until right before the delivery to Amazon. As always – I’ll keep you posted as we get closer – especially on facebook + twitter, where it’s easier to give quick, anecdotal updates.

All of you Project Lifers who follow what’s going on around here understand everything I’m talking about but I do realize that we have many newbies all the time. Welcome! If you are interested in learning more about this fantastic solution for getting your memories & pictures into a scrapbook without all the time, money, creativity, effort, and “fuss” that traditional scrapbooking usually involves … take a minute to learn about Project Life. It just might change your life.  ; )

 

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Posted in organization, products, scrapbooking | 165 Comments »

feedback friday

Friday, April 13th, 2012

What brand are those shoes?

This reader is referring to my favorite flats that Oreo loves to chew on. I shared a close-up picture on facebook & twitter yesterday and here’s another picture so you can see the pair of shoes. I love these mustard-colored flats. I could seriously wear them all day, every day.

The brand is Me Too. The style is called Nini Flat, and I probably picked them up at Nordstrom Rack a few years ago. I just did a little research and sadly, I don’t know if this color is carried anywhere anymore. But I did find them on DSW.com, in what looks to be the exact same style in bronze, pewter, navy, and black. And I found a super similar flat in red on endless.com.

And … I stumbled across something else in this crazy amazing shade of green that is causing me to have a serious shoe crush. But I don’t need them. I’m not buying them. Go me.

I don’t need them. I don’t need them. I don’t need them.

…..

Dying to find out how hard it was to house train Oreo? This is my first puppy so I am new to this part of the training. While I know they have accidents, I hope my puppy learns quickly.

We’re so not there and I am so not the person to ask. Oreo is not totally house-trained yet. In fact, we just called in the experts and have an appointment set up for one day next week. I’m really hoping this professional can give us magic tricks so that we can get through the house-training phase soon. PS – He’s getting a haircut today.

…..

Ok, call me an Instagram newbie… where/how do I get these babies printed? Costco is my go-to, just FYI.

Great question. I’ve been using Costco for many, many years too. So what I’ve done in the past is just drop my 4×4 Instagram image on a 4×6 canvas in Photoshop and save that new JPG to upload & print. Once I get the prints, I simply trim off the extra 2 inches.

However – I am really ready to try Persnickity Prints. I really like what they do and how they do it, and I’ve seen the prints in real life. I’m really impressed. I just haven’t printed anything recently. Of course there are other apps & websites for printing Instagrams but I don’t have personal experience with any of them … yet.

 

…..

What is the paint color in your office?

There is no name for it because I color-matched a swatch of chartreuse from a piece of fabric or something when we painted this room 6 years ago. Sorry that’s not helpful.

…..

Do you use anything for your iPhone other than the lens? I feel like your pics are always SOOO much clearer than mine.

Be sure you hold your phone very, very still – just as you would with a “real” camera. My iPhone pictures look the way they do because of the apps I use. My two most-used go-to apps are Instagram and Camera+. In fact, every picture in this blog post is the “Lo-fi” filter in Instagram. I should also mention that in the Camera+ app there is a “Clarity” setting that will give your picture extreme clarity, if that’s what you’re looking for.

You can see more of my favorite apps here.

There is just one lens that I have for my iPhone, but it’s not for clarity. It’s the Olloclip 3-in-1 Lens for iPhone 4 & iPhone 4S (Fisheye Lens, Macro Lens, Wide-angle Lens). It literally slips onto the corner of your iPhone, covering the built-in lens. Pretty cool. The picture below is a macro shot I took of my favorite brownie on the planet (found at Kneaders Bakery & Cafe).

…..

Did you receive that new camera you ordered?

The Lytro? No. Thanks for reminding me. I should check into that since it feels like I ordered it forever ago.

…..

Do you know the name of the tile on your backsplash? Brand… anything??? Thanks!

I really had to dig around and I think I found some helpful information. We got the tile from Craftsman Court Ceramics in Scottsdale, Arizona who carries tile made by Pratt & Larson Ceramics. I believe it was a custom color but on the back of one of the extra tiles, someone wrote W62 RUSTIC 3×6. The tile size is 3″ x 6″ and I’m wondering if the W62 RUSTIC is their code for our color.

…..

Did you notice that nowhere in this post did I mention scrapbooking or Project Life? Just a nice little change of pace, of course. I am always happy to answer questions – related to my work or not. I won’t be able to address each one, but please know that Brandi (my Project Manager who just got the birthday surprise of a lifetime – watch the flash mob video) … does a great job collecting your random questions from all over the place. Emails, facebook notes, comments here on my blog, etc. Each Friday I try to address a handful from the ever-growing, on-going list. Next Friday I’ll get back to your Project Life questions.

Have a terrific weekend!

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Posted in Q&A | 20 Comments »

winners across the globe + True Scrap giveaway

Friday, April 13th, 2012

{ digital winners from all over the globe }

The following have been selected to receive a full collection of any Digital Project Life Edition. Winners, please email kari@beckyhiggins.com so she can hook you up with your digital goodies. Congratulations!!

1. Michael in Paris, France (he entered for his wife)
2. Michelle in Johannesburg, South Africa
3. Pauline in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
4. Cheryla in Beverwijk, The Netherlands
5. Kylie in Sydney, Australia
6. Gwen in Ontario, Canada
7. Jennifer in Tokyo, Japan
8. Melanie in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
9. Minttu in Espoo, Finland
10. Lee in Waterloo Lower Hutt, New Zealand

…..

{ chatting about the journey }

Next time you’re on the treadmill, going for a solo walk, or working on something and just want some conversation noise in the background, Lain Ehmann’s most recent podcast includes a short 10-minute clip of my recent interview with her.

Lain asked me about the leap of going from my career in publishing to starting my own company and I also discuss some of the surprises I’ve encountered since introducing Project Life. If you find that you’re interested in the full 45-minute interview, she has included that as part of her upcoming online event – True Scrap. You have to register for True Scrap 3 in order to get the full interview.

…..

{ want in on True Scrap 3? }

This 2-day live online event can be viewed entirely from home, in your pajamas, and it promises to be loads of fun. Check out the video and registration information. Register by April 19 for $147. Better yet – if you want to save $20, register before April 16 and plug in the code: BECKY. Thank you Lain, for offering a discount to my readers! Very cool.

Lain is giving away a seat to one of YOU! Check out the line-up of True Scrap teachers. Leave a comment at the bottom of this post with your first name, city, state/country, and mention one of the teachers that you’re really looking forward to learning from. We’ll announce a randomly selected winner on Monday.

 

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Posted in products, scrapbooking | 68 Comments »

“i statements” challenge

Thursday, April 12th, 2012

Over at BigPictureClasses.com, they have a fun way of sharing teacher bios. Instead of this-is-where-I’m-from-and-what-I-do, each teacher shares very current snippets about who they are right now in this moment.

This got me thinking … this is such a fun + easy way to capture a quick bit of journaling that you and I could do right now, for our Project Life album … or any scrapbook we’re working on. Are you with me?

Here is a list of prompts I was given when I joined the collection of teachers at Big Picture Classes:

…..

{ challenge for you }

Fill in the blanks. Finish the sentences. Get these little snippets into your journal or scrapbook or somewhere. There are no right or wrong answers. Just follow the lead from each prompt and complete each sentence authentically. Be you. And then – pass along the challenge. Perhaps you’re feeling inspired right now, as I felt inspired by BPC. Share the list with your family members. This is a great little list of journaling prompts that anyone can do. Kids included.

Okay – I’ll start. Here is my list actually from my bio on BPC:

…..

i was … just thinking about how I need to be better about writing down my kids’ quotes.

i am … exactly between 30 and 40.

i think … I am incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by amazing women in my real life.

i wonder … what it would be like if I got 8 hours of sleep on a regular basis.

i wish … everyone knew their divine worth.

i save … Box Tops for my kids to turn into school.

i always … crave a little silence.

i can’t imagine … existing without my family.

i believe … everybody’s story is worth recording.

i promise … I really got a D in High School Photography.

i love … home.

i scrap … more simply than I ever have in my life and the result is that our family’s story is told more honestly, more accurately, more completely than ever in all my life.

…..

Of course I had the kids do this for their albums. I just wrote a handful of prompts on a 3×4 grid card and gave them a few minutes of quiet to fill it out. Simple. And now the card oozes their personality in every way.

Translations (to save you time, for those who want to decipher what they wrote):

PORTER: I am really smart, awesome, fast kid. I think that I have a great family. I wonder if (blurred) and (blurred) like me (I promised I would blur the girls’ names). I wish I could be my own secret super hero. I always thought I was a small kid. I never should meet a bad guy. I love my family. I believe that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live.

CLAIRE: I am six. I think that my future is true. I wonder if I can get another grandparents (four’s not enough?). I wish that I can have a house (she knows when she has her own, she can have as many pets as she wants). I always want to live. I never eat poop and pee (awesome). I love my family. I believe Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father.

No help from me. I so love these. And now they’re going in their albums (and yes, they are signed and dated on the back). Come on. Take two minutes, grab a little card, and write some “I” statements.

 

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Posted in family & children, scrapbooking | 38 Comments »

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