Christmas Gift Idea

Ok...so, Christmas is approaching faster than I anticipated.

Christmas??

Why are we talking about Christmas when we haven't even gotten to Halloween yet??

Well, to put it simply... I'm one of those people. (My husband won't talk about Christmas until after Thanksgiving is over...he also does his Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve.) I tend to do my Christmas shopping all year round, but it hasn't happened that way this year, and now here I am at the end of October. Christmas is staring me right in the face, and I'm nowhere near as ready as I was last year at this time.

Anyhoo, if you're like me and feeling somewhat frazzled by the fast approaching holiday season, and need some quick and easy holiday gift ideas, here ya go....

(the posts over the next few weeks might give you a few ideas for family, friend, teacher, neighbor, etc. gifts, so stayed tuned)

Gift 1 - Poster!

Bah....poster. Who needs another poster in their house? Maybe you when you see this one! This is actually a family proclamation poster, so it would be perfect as an extended family gift.

It's super easy. It's made from a template...just drop your pics in, publish it, throw it in a frame when you get it and you're good to go. You can make it in both a 12X18 or an 18X24 size, and as with any Heritage Makers stuff that you do, it's completely customizable.

Click here for a better view.

Can it get any easier than that? Probably not!

Honestly, it took me about 10 minutes to do. (shhhh...I won't tell if you don't!)

Just remember that holiday deadlines are coming up, so if you want this for Christmas, you'll want to get busy. If you don't already have an account, go to www.featuringfamily.com and create one. Load your photos. Let me know if you want the template (because it's not available in the template gallery) and plop in your pics. Contact me for special pricing that's not available on-line, and publish away!!

Yay!! You're one gift closer to being ready for Christmas!

Tiles

I'm still in the process of creating some great storybooks with Heritage Makers...but in the mean time, here's another fun (and easy) project!

As a company, Heritage Makers believes that their products can be used to help strengthen the family. I think so too! And that doesn't necessarily mean I've done something with family pictures or memories or anything like that. In fact, for this project, I had conference on the mind.

I decided that one way to strengthen my family would be to have uplifting, faith-building art/quotes/etc. around the house. As I was re-reading the April 2009 conference issue of the Ensign I remembered one of my favorites quotes given by Pres. Monson, and thought that it would be perfect for this project.

I used a 12X12 scrap page. I started with a picture of Pres. Monson, added the quote, threw in a picture that I took (I knew I'd find a use for it one day!), stuck on a couple of embellishments, and put a title on it. Who knew the title would be the hardest part to come up with??? Anyway, here's what the finished scrap page turned out like:

Click here for a better view of the finished scrap page!

Now for the second part of the project...

I wanted to use this as some kind of art around the house, so I needed to find a way to display it other than stick it on the wall. My solution: A Tile

Here are the quick and easy directions to making your creation into a tile:

Supplies:

1 tile (the size of the scrap page...in my case 12X12)

modge podge

foam brush

1 scrap page

Directions:

1. Since the scrap page and tile are very rarely the same size, trim the scrap page so that it will fit nicely on the tile. (Be sure to take this into account when you are actually making your scrap page, and don't put anything too close to the edge.)

2. Put a light layer of modge podge directly onto the tile.

3. Place the scrap page on the tile (right side up obviously!) Smooth out the page. Rub out as many of the bubbles as possible.

4. Turn face down (and add some weight) until dry.

5. When dry, place another layer of modge podge over top of the scrap page. Let dry again.

6. VOILA...done! Now find a place to put it.

The finished product is now sitting on top of my piano for all to see. I'm thinking of doing a few more (with other conference talks) to either display in other places around our house, or switch out every once in a while. I think that they are perfect little reminders of really important things!

Wouldn't this be a great Christmas gift??

So...now it's your turn. What quote, picture, etc. could you put on a tile that would be a good message for your family? Think about it, make it, and share it with me!

Family Standards/Mission Statement

So...

Here's a nifty, quick little project, made with a 7 panel family fold (technically, you could make it with any of the family fold's that you want to, but the 7 panel fit my family perfectly.)

I must admit that the idea to make this came because I was somewhat annoyed at my children and their behavior. I guess the other thing Heritage Makers does for me is offer me an outlet to vent my frustrations :) LOL!

Anyhoo, the idea came as I looked at a vinyl saying I had on my wall: "Be true to who you are and the family name you bear." As I thought about the saying I started thinking about WHO we are (meaning my family) and how that should be reflected in the way we act and the things we do, so I decided to use the letters of our surname to write a reminder for my kids of how the hubby and I expect them to act/behave/conduct themselves/etc. This is what I came up with:

Click here to get a closer look at the finished product.

We have this sitting on a little shelf in the living room, and we're planning to take a letter each week during our FHE and discuss what it means in a little bit more depth. I've also thought that since the family fold is fairly small, I can make copies for each of the kids to carry with them as a reminder of what we expect of our entire family.

So...there you have it. A quick and easy project with a potentially great lesson. What characteristics/qualities could the letters of your last name...or maybe each child's first name represent?? Think about it, make it, and share it with me!

Up and Running

Okie dokie...

I am officially up and running, and this is officially my first post for the Featuring Family Blog...a blog that will feature ways to feature our families.

First thing's first:

I am Heritage Makers Independent Consultant. Translation: It's my job to create (and help you create) projects to help preserve the meaningful relationships and memories in life.

Heritage Makers was founded in 2005 and has quickly become a leader in personal publishing.

At Heritage Makers their goal is to make preserving family stories simple, fun, and rewarding. Heritage Makers helps people everywhere create beautiful, heirloom quality storybooks which document the priceless relationships, events, and experiences of life. They also believe that the company can strengthen family, improve relationships, and build children's self esteem.

That's it (in a nutshell.)

For me personally, Heritage Makers has become a way for me to take the special memories that our family has created and make them into tangible projects for my entire family to enjoy. It has become a way to keep our family journal. I has also been a way for me to take things that are important to our family, be it pictures, stories, quotes, etc. and preserve them in some form or another. It has got me taking more pictures, and making notes to remember what those pictures are. I'm constantly thinking of new storybooks, posters, cards, etc. to create!

Which brings me to the reason for creating this blog....

My goal in starting this blog is to give you (the reader) ideas for projects. Things that you can do to make your home a heritage home. Everything from my own personal stories and projects to home decor. As this blog is a work in progress, check back often for new ideas...and remember, heritage is a million everyday moments!