Learning how to Resize Photos

It's the time of year when you may have received a new camera that takes extra large photos. It's also the best time to create your annual year book from last year's photos or create that 2012 calendar to help you remember all the dates you forgot last year. (ps if you publish either of those this month you will save 10% right at the check out).

So now you're ready to start that new photo project but all your photos are too large to upload to studio.
So here is the answer with step by step instructions.

See our HM blog post and save it on your computer for future reference.

Check out our website at www.recallwhen.com and use January Resolution month to get some prizes. Until January 16th you can pledge to Make Something Special as in Publish 12 in 2012 and after you fill out the online pledge form you are entered into the draw. By the way there are 12 prizes. By pledging it also helps me so I'm aware of what projects interest you. I'm published over 100 projects personally so I can assist in a more thorough manner by knowing what interests you.

2012 - Make Something Special and Make it a Great Year!
Digital Designer Barb
Your Personal Publishing Coach
barbashcroft@shaw.ca
250-752-5499

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

Share a moment of sweetness

I knew it had been awhile with packing, renovating, moving but when I saw my last post was in July I nearly fell over.

Well it's a new day and I LOVE SEPTEMBER!

I really do LOVE September.
It perfectly celebrates the end of summer and the beginning of fall. The weather is still great and I’m filled with yeah back to routine and getting all things in order!

With moving to our lovely little rancher I have actually completed most of my "Fall Cleaning" as my psyche was to think of the move as 'early' fall cleaning so I could feel good about all that packing up and reassigning new places for my stuff.

So now I'm into Creative Mode.....getting things all lined up for my workshops, my outreach and connecting with friends and clients. I thrive on creative time and this photo that I've shared before is now designed into an 18x18 inch deep canvas print. Isn't it so sweet!

Tomorrow is my first FALL Digi Date from 2-4 at Serious Coffee. Bring your laptop & I'll be teaching how to do this....we'll be ramping this up during the month and into October to help all my friends get their Christmas gifts not only started but FINISHED in time for gift giving.

I just read a neat post called 30 Days Hath September in a blog by Stacy Julian and while we're down to 24 days we can still accept her fall challenge. I encourage you to work on your projects for 20 -30 minutes a day or plan if you're working on a book to do One Page a Day. It's very doable with our studio that is built into www.recallwhen.com. It is like an intuitive photoshop program. In 24 days you could have most digital designed books done.

Glad to be back on track.

Join me for an amazing fall and if you've caught the digital heritage bug and want to share the fun and creativity of taking your photos and memories & placing them in heirloom projects give me a call. Our parent publisher has a great business kit offered right now. I'm also giving a free 8x8 canvas print to anyone who joins my team with a purchase of the business kit in September.

We don't wish any stories to be forgotten.

Signing off,

Digital Diva

Barb Ashcroft

Your Personal Publishing Consultant

250-752-5499

wechangelives@shaw.ca

20 Questions to ask when writing a Grandparent's Story

20 Excellent Questions to Ask

Questions = Page #

The Page # relatess to each question and tells you the exact page where you would put the answers when you create your

Grandparent Cornerstone Legacy Book

Example: Grandpa & Grandma _________: A Legacy That Lives On

Pg. 1: Their Legacy Lives On
What inspired you to write this book? What do you want your children to remember about your parents? (this is written from the perspective of you writing about your parents for your kids).

Pg. 2: Grandfather Benjamin
Give a brief biographical sketch of your father’s childhood. Where and when was he born, who were his parents, what were some of his childhood interests and experiences?

Pg. 3: Grandmother Esther
Give a brief biographical sketch of her childhood. Where and when was she born, who were her parents, what were some of her childhood interests and experiences?

Pg 4: When Grandma Met Grandpa
Write about how, when and where your parents met. What kinds of things did they like to do together? What did they admire about each other?

Pg. 5: Building a New Life Together
Write about why your parents decided to marry each other. How did your father propose? Where did they get married? Where was their first house? Describe their early life together.

Pg. 6: Working for a Living
What kind of work did your father do? Why did he choose that profession? What kind of professional advice would your father leave for your children? What kind of work ethic and legacy did he leave for them?

Pg. 7: A Woman’s Work is Never Done
Write about your mother’s work and responsibilities. Was she working when she met your father? In school? How did her responsibilities change as children came? What did she do to make your house a home?

Pgs. 8-9: A Growing Family
Write down the names and birthdates of your siblings as well as yourself. Include details about them such as their interests and talents, nicknames, or things they were known for. How did the children get along and care for each other? What experiences did you have that bonded you all together as a family.

Pgs. 10-11: The Places We Called Home
Write about the homes you grew up in. Write about your neighbors, your community, and your surroundings. How did that shape you as you grew up? Where were your favorite places to go? Who were your family’s friends?

Pgs. 12-13: Exploring the World Around Us
Describe family vacations or trips that you took together. When was the first time your parents took you beyond the boundaries of your regular home life and community?

Pgs. 14: Grandpa’s Favorites
What were some of your father’s favorite things: songs, food, recreational activities, books, quotes, music, hobbies, etc.

Pg. 15: Grandma’s Favorites
What were some of your mother’s favorite things: songs, food, recreational activities, books, quotes, music, hobbies, etc.

Pg. 16: Grandma’s Words of Wisdom
What kind of advice would your mother have left to her children? Make a list of some of your mother’s positive character traits. What kind of example did she leave as a legacy for your children?

Pg. 17: Grandpa’s Words of Wisdom
What kind of counsel would your father leave for his grandkids? What kinds of attitude and ethics would he like to see in his posterity? What kind of example did he set for his posterity?

Pgs. 18-19: Spiritual Reflections
Some people adhere to a specific organized religion. Some people have a more individualistic set of values they adhere to, but you can always tell a person’s true beliefs by the way they live. Write about your parents’ religious beliefs and personal philosophy of life.

Pgs. 20-21: Their Legacy Lives On
Write your own thoughts about your parents. Include thoughts of siblings, relatives, neighbors, etc.

This page is excerpts from our Story Maps

Once you create your free account you have access to Story Maps or cue sheets on the Studio Page. These include how to write a Life Story, a Love Story, a Baby Story and many more.

Follow these cues and you will have your Grandparent Cornerstone almost ready to publish. Just need to add the photos.

In fact contact me and I can provide you with a template that you only need to fill in your photos and your words. Totally customizable with your personal touches.

It never got easier to preserve the memories of those precious to you.

Create your free account today!

Barb Ashcroft

your Personal Publishing Consultant

http://www.recallwhen.com

http://twitter.com/recallwhen

BarbAshcroft@shaw.ca

1-800-919-1998 (North American toll free)

Don't like to Journal?

We've got you covered. We have the wonderful Quote Library in our Studio 2.0 online storybooking design center.

It even comes with a FREE Membership.

Just drag and drop the quote of choice (even comes with a search function) to your page and voila you're set. You select the font, size and color to fit your design.

Quote Garden is another great source.

Here are a few favorite Graduation Quotes to be thinking for 2009 Grad projects.

When you leave here, don’t forget why you came. ~Adlai Stevenson, to college graduates
Graduation day is tough for adults.

They go to the ceremony as parents. They come home as contemporaries. After twenty-two years of child-raising, they are unemployed. ~Erma Bombeck

You are educated. Your certification is in your degree. You may think of it as the ticket to the good life. Let me ask you to think of an alternative. Think of it as your ticket to change the world. ~Tom Brokaw

The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet. ~Aristotle

It takes most men five years to recover from a college education, and to learn that poetry is as vital to thinking as knowledge. ~Brooks Atkinson, Once Around the Sun, 1951

A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad. ~Theodore Roosevelt

An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest. ~Benjamin Franklin

Commencement speeches were invented largely in the belief that outgoing college students should never be released into the world until they have been properly sedated. ~Garry Trudeau

People will frighten you about a graduation…. They use words you don’t hear often: “And we wish you Godspeed.” It is a warning, Godspeed. It means you are no longer welcome here at these prices. ~Bill Cosby

The future lies before you

Like a field of driven snow,

Be careful how you tread it,

For every step will show.~Author Unknown

Hitch your wagon to a star. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Just had to slip in a photo of my kids .....ah sweet memories.

Barb, Digital Publishing Consultant

We Bring your Stories to Life!

http://www.recallwhen.com

Baseball Fever

Ok my apologies first off. At the risk of sounding like a real ditz I have not posted for AGES as we moved and I misplaced all my log in, blog name etc. Detective Barb found it now! Yeah!

I am newly recommitted to posting at the very least, twice a week to keep you all in the loop.

We're having such amazing fun...I don't want you to miss out on ANYTHING!

BASEBALL FEVER! We can now design personalized playing cards.This photo is a template I created for TRADING CARDS for my grandson's baseball team. All the players can be added with their own names and favourite things they like about baseball. HOW MUCH FUN IS THIS!!!

I also did a set of "Seniors Memory Cards" for my oldest brother who turns 65 next month.

My two brothers and their wives accompanied Ron & I on a trip to Palm Springs last month.

We all got married 40 years ago within 8 months of each other and decided to celebrate this milestone together. So I had lots of fun photo images to place on the cards to make this personalized version of Old Maid. I can hardly wait to see his expression when he gets the package. They come in a neat plastic container. How's that for a creative way to ward off dementia?

If you want to create your own simply contact me at wechangelives@shaw.ca or phone 604-271-5434 (my new phone number since our move) and I'll get you set up with your own free account.

You can check out our website for all kinds of new products at www.RecallWhen.com

Till next time,

ta ta,

Barb Ashcroft

Your Storybook Coach

Don't let your babies grow up to be JPEGS!

Make something extra special with all those photos.

Here's a brand new place with help & more tools!

A new year is around the corner and I'm finding lots of great new tools. These will also make your Storybooking Experience that much more enjoyable. We've created this BLOG for you to have a 'one more access spot' to get the info you're looking for.

First off though I want to share the MAGIC of giving these Heritage Maker projects as Christmas gifts.

I sent out a Christmas letter about the Anticipation:

Christmas Morning 2006…..months of waiting to see the response…..

Here’s the anticipation:

I can hardly wait for my 84 year old Dad to be here Christmas morning as he opens not one, BUT TWO incredible bound gift books. Both were lifetime goals for me and a big reason for me to join Heritage Makers.

The Frost book is his personal family history going back to his grandparents, his British roots and the wonder of a pioneering family. It showcases a story of him being one of Gordie Howe's pee wee coaches and how he and his friends collected 25 cents to buy Gordie some skates. If I didn't tell these stories who would?

The 2nd book is called, "Through my Mother's Eyes!" My Mom, who Dad was a caregiver for 7 years never lived long enough for me to take her to Nova Scotia to see where her Mom & 6 previous generations had lived...so in Sept/Oct I took the trip in her stead. It was so beyond what I could have expected!! So I HAD TO CREATE a 12x12 Digital Storybook to tell and show the story. Beautiful transparent pictures of my Mom in her 20’s showcase her eyes on the cover.

I had the GIFT OF LIVING MY HERITAGE and could hardly wait for my Dad to receive a copy!

Barb Ashcroft

Storybooking Your Special Times

***

This is real, this is palpable, eyes welling, my Dad sees for the first time the book dedicated to my Mom who has passed on….he had to get his handkerchief before he even opened the cover.