Those Christmas Photos

Ok I know y0u must have done it. Or at least someone in your family did. Someone took some great Christmas family photos.....right!!! Well what are you going to do with all of them?

This is one GREAT idea!

A Canvas Collection for that bare wall that always looks like it's missing something. The different sized canvases surround a 20x20 canvas with a saying on it that you love as your family creed.

You can even start from a template at this website in the template gallery.

My help is always provided along the way....

Don't let your babies grow up to be only jpegs...........

Here's your photo problem solution..

Happy New Year from the Digital Diva

Barb

wechangelives@shaw.ca

Dear Abby

I found this in DEAR ABBY last week:

DEAR ABBY:

I have a suggestion for people who are stuck for gift ideas.

Several years ago, I asked my mom for a very special Christmas gift.

I asked her to write down her life story -- things she had done as a child, the experience of hitchhiking from New Mexico to Tennessee during the Great Depression, and all the other experiences of her life. She did, and I printed it for her.

That year she gave each child, grandchild and great-grandchild a copy. It was the best Christmas present ever and one that's still cherished by us all.

Both my parents are gone now, but we have Mom's wonderful stories to remember.

Without her book, those memories would be lost forever. I encourage everyone to record their family history and memories for your loved ones to read.

You'll never regret it, and it will be enjoyed for generations to come.

-- ANDREW IN JOHNSON CITY, TENN.

DEAR ANDREW: That's a terrific suggestion. And if the parent or grandparent isn't comfortable with writing, the same goal can be accomplished by setting up a video camera and interviewing the family member by asking questions about his or her youth.

Barb's Comments: I'd do both and with the video that you tape make a DVD out of it and glue a CD Mailer Envelope onto the back inside cover of the hard bound book. Then you'll have the best of both. Their voices...and then their photos and written out heritage in bound book form.

BETTER YET make this a bonding experience for the youth who know how to get around and navigate on a pc. Contact me for the QUE sheets (questions to ask) and have the grandchildren interview them. They will learn so much and then have them create the heritage album (my help is always available local or online). You will have just bridged three generations.

Making Strong Connections

ps the photo at the top has my husband waiting on the bench, but behind him is the train that his own Dad worked on over 65 years ago...we were waiting for our daughter to arrive by train for Thanksgiving. Capture those precious moments.

Barb Ashcroft,

Binding Families together with storybooks

http://www.recallwhen.com/

wechangelives@shaw.ca

That Magic will never go away

What could be more perfect? Sitting on grandpa's knee with your stuffy and you're both reading a book together and of course getting a tickle at the same time.

I just read a blog post in a First Time Parenting context that stated scrapbooks were going the way of the Apple iPad...hmmm. I don't think so looking at this photo.

Yes I believe scrapbooking in particular has changed. I saw my Mom's scrapbook when I was preteen. It showed all the paper clippings from the local prairie paper of 'the boys' who were going to war. It also showed her pangent ribbon as Miss Manitou in a beauty contest circa 1930.

I loved looking through it and 50 years later it is still clear as day on my mind.

With our busy lifestyle and everything so INSTANT I'm not surprised that busy parents can't find time or space to do their traditional scrapbooking (often described as therapy or girl time).

I think we have made a big leap to Digital Scrapbooking because of the ease of digital photography and the TIME SAVINGS...I can design a page (and complete it) in 30-40 minutes. I can do an entire book over a weekend or less. With web based online publishing several members in different parts of the country can work on the same book at the same time. How cool is that to create that one of a kind book for Dad or Mom having access to everyone's photos and each one can design their own pages.

Yes the world is changing, but I can't believe the feel good emotion of reading to a child and showing them pictures of themselves in a personal bound book will ever go the way of the iPad.

It will be a sad day if it does...

What are your thoughts?

Barb...online storybooker and proud of it!

Capture those Olympic Photos

Let's help our kids and families remember what a special time in history we are presently recording. How about sitting down and creating a beautiful swatch book or even a bound storybook of the adventure and excitement.

Here is a preview of a lovely family project that one of our Heritage gals created once they saw the flame in Okotoks. Click on Saw the Flame to preview the project.

Then go to www.recallwhen.com sign up for your account and let's get creating your own.

Where ever you are in Canada you may have had a chance to view it as well. The Torch is the symbol of lighting and connecting us from coast to coast. Never in all my years have I heard 20,000 sing O Canada in full abandon as we're seeing this week.

Let's Celebrate for all time and have something special to remember it all with.

I'd love to see this go viral....share with a friend who purchases the swatch book from me and I'll give you a swatch book to do for free. Contact me directly for this offer.

Go Canada Go!!!

Barb Ashcroft

250-752-5499 / 1-800-919-1998

barbashcroft@shaw.ca

www.RecallWhen.com

Details on the Most Acclaimed Gift for 2009

Must be too much Holiday Sugar in my fingers as my post was published without me getting a chance to add the text.

On the previous post you'll see a photo of the Ashcroft Land Family Board Game.
It was so simple to do using a poster, deck of personalized playing cards and a family fold for instructions; but it got the most acclaim.

Ayden my grandson went ape over it. He just couldn't play it enough. Despite it saying for ages 3 and older (doesn't require much counting) both Ayden (9) and his dad and grandparents had a grand time and were stumped often with the variety of wild cards in the deck. So my suggestion for you when you're looking for a way to have Family Fun together.....get one of these sets created and ENJOY!

This is a photo of many of the favourite men in my life....wishing you Happy Holidays!
Barb Ashcroft
Personal Publishing Coach
250-752-5499 (new)
barbashcroft@shaw.ca

Special Creations - One Step Further & Tons of Fun

Many of my newest friends are talented in the area of genealogy. It is such fun to play detective and discover new family members & new stories.

The proof picture shown above is an outline of the Title page of our Ashcroft Family coffee table book (red lines are just for aligning & will be cut off). I was able to google a map of England and save that as a jpeg image and then place a transparent tinted circle over the area the family came from. I was also able to highlight the names on the family list that pertained to our LIMB of the Ashcroft Family Tree.

Whether you have just started or are well on your way, I encourage you to create a coffee table book to share the discoveries. Imagine a compilation of all the family photo albums (& more) put together in one place. The photos can all be tagged with names and with stories.

Once you have done that I want to encourage you to go one step further. Summer is approaching and we are planning our first long weekend at the lake.

It is the time when families come together and PLAY.

How about taking those photos and stories and history tidbits and create 3 more things that end up being a Family History Game.

1) Our website has a template gallery to show you how you can turn a poster into a Family Game Board.

2) Our personalized decks of playing cards becomes the Family Fun Facts - variety in the Template Gallery. The sky is the limit on creating it your way.

3) Our Family Fold becomes the Rules for the Family Game.

Right now I am creating a Family Game Board based on my 86 year old Dad's life. It begins with a photo of him as a tiny child, and progresses along his 'happy trails' right up to today.

Email me for a preview and I'll show you how I'm doing that.

The deck of cards are alternating photos of the family shots that correspond to photos on the game board. Our HM team has created endless ideas for your own Family Board Games - so have fun this summer, create some fun and get those kids involved in a fun way to celebrate family and our heritage.

Best yet, the work has already been started with the creation of templates. All you have to do is personalize it with your own photos and words.

Your basic account on our website is free. So go ahead and get started today.

Barb Ashcroft

Personal Publishing Coach

1-800-919-1998

www.RecallWhen.com

Bringing Your Stories to Life!

History Nugget Challenge

Please read my previous post called
It's the playoffs - so this is about hockey
as my history nugget to meet the challenge posted by
http://www.markeroni.com/blog/hn-20090420

I got so excited telling the story I forgot to include the link.
Thanks for the opportunity to retell a special story.

Barb Ashcroft
www.Recallwhen.com

It's the Playoffs - so this is about hockey

Yes, that is my dad, Bob Frost sitting on the lower left end of the first row.

1936........age 13.......champs!

The Magic of this photo is that I found this photo as a damaged crumple in one of my dad's dresser drawers.........and ASKED him about it.

I'm so glad I did...because he told me the story.

5 of these boys went on into the NHL. That's right. I'll write it again. 1/3 of this team went on to an NHL career. I think that is worth writing about. In fact it gets even better. My dad went east to pursue his hockey career. However my mom followed him with a wedding cake in her trunk. How's that for 'go get em' attitude!

Vic Price, a scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs got Dad to sign a deal that he would play for them. Being conscientious, providing for a family won out though...and he shared his love of hockey another way.

Upon returning to Saskatoon he was one of Gordie Howe's Pee Wee coaches. Dad remembers Gordie as a shy, quiet kid from a very poor family. Looking back, wasn't everyone? Poor times back then. Dad with some of his friends got 25 cents together and bought Gordie a pair of skates from McCoys 2nd hand store. Even with 100's of kids trying to get on teams, Dad said Gordie stood out. He played goalie at that time.

Taken from "The Frost Family 1886 to 2006 - Preserving Memories by Barb (Frost) Ashcroft.

Now if I hadn't asked for the story behind the photo who would know this today. I think it is something my 8 year old grandson will want to know some day.

What's holding you back...write a story. Start with a paragraph or a recorder.

ps. Go Canucks gooooooooooo!

Barb Ashcroft

Personal Publishing Consultant

www.RecallWhen.com