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

Stop the Summer Blues of "there's nothing to do"

Summer Survival Kits.....go today to http://www.recallwhen.com or contact me to get you through the dreaded chant, "Mom I have nothing to do!"

Grandparents - here's a great creative outlet for those grandkid visits.

To see the flyer full size click here

Barb Ashcroft

Summer Survival Specialist

wechangelives@shaw.ca or

BarbAshcroft@shaw.ca

1-800-919-1998

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!

Time for Photography

Persistent- great name for a lifesaver

Since I've moved to what is termed "Canada's Riviera" there has been wonderful opportunities to take marvelous images. Ocean, mountains, luscious floral arrays...you name it, it's here.

BUT, my self confidence to do justice to those images wasn't quite on par.

So what do you do...............well if you're me with built in entrepreneurial DNA you create a Newcomers Photography Club so you can find and mingle with like minded peeps. I've found with life or anything, someone always knows more than you do and likewise you also know more than some others...so create a community and share, learn & grow together.

Through that association I came to meet a retired photographer by the name of Alan Cornall.
I signed up for a 4 hour lesson and he took me on a private photo shoot. This "Persistent" photo image is the result.

Wow, you don't know what you don't know! He pointed me to new ways to SEE!

It was marvelous to catch his passion (still there at 78) and to allow his enthusiasm to keep me going as we became mountain goats to get just the right light, the right view, the right everything.

I will be sharing nuggets of what I learn this coming year through this blog.

**Sign up** on the left and become a *follower* to make sure you get all of them.

Make it a Great Day!

Barb Ashcroft
1-800-919-1998
http://www.recallwhen.com

Capturing Holiday Shots & How to Share Them

Rathrevor Beach, Parksville, BC Miles of beach waiting for the fog to lift.

We're now at the time of year when you gather the family, the dog and all the gear and head out for day trips or long weekend visits......and of course you take your camera.


Well hopefully, the images you take don't just sit there on the memory card, the pc or simply shrunk down to a tiny thumbnail on facebook. I want to show you a simple fantastic way to share your photos.

Step One:
Go to http://www.RecallWhen.com
Create a free account which takes less than 5 minutes

Step Two:
Login & go to My Photos Tab
Create a photo album (you can have an unlimited of albums, so use this technique to help SORT your photos, ie: 2010 April Family Trip)

My Personal Tip: If you name the year first then all of your photo albums will sort alpabetically and be easier to find. You can create folders as well but let's start with the album.

In case you'd like a visual view of this there is a marvelous short tuturial right here. It is one of nine on the home page of the website

Step Three: (illustrated on tutorial)
Click on and highlight the album that you want the photos to go into and and click on Add More Photos on the right side of the page. It will take you to areas on your pc where you've stored your photos. Choose which ones you want to upload and click enter.

Here's the MAGICAL PART !
Once you have your photos uploaded you can SHARE the entire album with family and friends right from the website.

Best part of this is, unlike facebook, this site does not shrink your image. Selected images can be downloaded to any pc at the orginal resolution......that is HUGE if you are wanting to create anything with them later. And if you're not the creative one in the family and you share the album with a relative that is, you can get them to create the family holiday book, calendar, cards right on the same website.

Super Organizer Time Saver:
Make it part of your regime that EACH time you take out your camera that the first thing you do when you get home is download the new shots to your pc and upload right away to your new account here....then YOU ARE SECURE, even if something happened to your camera, your memory card, your pc -your photos are preserved and could be retrieved at any time.

Now go out and enjoy the sunshine!
Happy Snapping.
Barb Ashcroft
Digital Storymaker
1-800-919-1998

Heritage Makers connects Generations

Local Family History Fair includes one of Oprah's 2008 & 2009 All Time Favourites

Press Release

Qualicum Beach/Parksville/Nanaimo, BC April 8, 2010

- Barb Ashcroft, Vancouver Island’s first Heritage Maker Director of www.RecallWhen.com will be showcasing Family History Projects at the Nanaimo Family History Fair April 17th at Beban Park, from 9 till 6. Admission is free.

- Heritage Makers is a web-based company that believes in the power of strengthening family relationships through storybooks. Heritage Makers’ publishing platform is easy-to-use and simple enough to help anyone make a book—families, photographers, genealogists, creative professionals, artists, writers, or anyone else with a story to tell. With Heritage Makers’ unique online publishing process, peoples stories can be preserved forever in custom hardbound books and related projects.

- Barb has always been interested in the stories featuring her own and other people’s ancestors. When her young grandson asked his great granddad (age 87 shown in photo) what his favourite TV show was when he was a boy she knew that her grandson needed to know more about his ancestors. Barb has now published the history of three legs of her ancestors; plus more than 50 other bound books and projects to build self esteem & connection within her family.

- To ensure that no story is left untold, Barb teaches Life Story Classes as well as drop in workshops. For those who have boxes of photos she offers a very inexpensive scanning service.

- Heritage Makers offers a unique Heirloom Assurance with their products. If anything happens for the life of a project the customer can receive a BRAND new one at ½ price. That way the books, though treasured, can be shared without worry. The project are meant to be shared and enjoyed; not just put away on the shelf and never looked at again.

- Ann Buchanan, local historian and genealogist shares her enthusiasm for this process. “The Heritage Makers web publishing is so much fun and easy! I love the idea that my photos can be stored safely off-site. Recently I went to Mexico with my son and by the time we got home the story of our adventures was published in a book that we both treasured.”

To create one of Heritage Makers storybooks and other products, go to www.heritagemakers.com/173517 to create a free online account. Heritage Makers’ publishing platform runs on a Mac or PC. Heritage Makers enables anyone to preserve family stories, strengthen relationships, and build self-esteem with unique, creative, and personalized heritage-building products.

About the Company
In addition, Heritage Makers offers a unique income-building opportunity for its consultant sales force and anyone interested in binding families together.

Contact:
Barbara Ashcroft
Heritage Makers Personal Publishing Director
phone number 250-752-5499 or 1-800-919-1998
website www.RecallWhen.com or www.heritagemakers.com/173517

Willing to bet your grandkids will be upset with you

I found this article awhile back and have not been able to stop thinking about it….why??? Because this is totally our generation. Most of us are putting all our images on disc or worse yet leaving them on the computer. My heart sinks and I am refusing to not be "this grandma".


I'm willing to bet your grandchildren will be upset with you. Here's why.

Imagine, 50 years from now, as your grandchildren or great grandchildren are going through the boxes in the attic. They are enthralled with the treasures and keepsakes they find and how they tie into the story of your life.

Amongst all the old items, they find a number of round silver objects. Some have writing on them, some are blank, but they resemble some kind of a small platter about 4.5 inches across, with a hole in the middle.
Puzzled, they take them to their parents. "What are these, Mom?" they ask.
"Oh, I think those are all of grandma's photographs. Yep, here's one labeled `My Wedding'. Here's some more labeled `Family Photos,' and some more labeled `Vacations'."
"How do we look at them?" they ask.
"Well, I'm not sure we can. First of all, no one has the device that reads these anymore.
Besides that, I doubt after all these years that they're any good anymore. Being stored in the attic, the heat and cold probably ruined them."

The kids are very disappointed. Nowhere amongst all the treasures are any actual prints.
All that history is lost. Their connection with the past and all the wonderful stories that might have gone along with all those photographs are gone as well.

Along with all the wonders of our digital age come some significant problems that most people have never thought of.

Did you know that over 90% of all images taken on today's digital cameras are NEVER PRINTED? I'm guilty of that myself. I have gigabytes of personal photographs that have never been seen other than on a computer screen. In the old days, film went to the lab and everything that was printable was printed. Even if it was a bad photograph, it still was a hard copy, a part of your family history and it had permanence. Even if they never went in an album, they at least went into a box, to be discovered as treasures years later.

The same problem exists in professional portrait studios today. Many people are simply asking for the images on CD. "I'll print them later" or "I'll design my own wedding album" are common phrases. Usually this is done with the thought that they'll save some money by doing it themselves.
But you know what? Most never make it into any kind of an album. Life gets busy and 20 years later they'll be looking for some way to read those disks.
I bring this up only to point out the importance of what we, as a professional studio do.

Our job is not just to create the images, to create wonderful story telling photographs about the people in front of our camera; it's to create a final product, whether it be a professionally retouched and printed single image, a family heirloom wall portrait, or an incredible storybook album using a collection of the images that were created.

It doesn't matter whether it's a wedding, a newborn baby, a senior or a family. Having the final product created for you is important. To do less is to leave the job half done and to short change the customer.

So, if you're asked for a disk with all the images "so I can print them later", that's fine, just make sure your customers understand that if not printed, the conversation their grandchildren will want to have about their family history may never be able to happen.
Fred Molesworth

In addition to running a full time portrait studio in Salem Oregon, Fred Molesworth is a small business teacher and advisor, and the author of the Portrait Studio Marketing blog (www.portraitstudiomarketing.com). He's also a nationally known business and marketing speaker in the portrait industry, and past president of the Professional Photographers of Oregon.

Thank you Fred....just a reminder to start today, get your free account at www.RecallWhen.com and start uploading your photos into albums on the site.
That's the first step.

Now go to the template gallery and let your imagination run loose. There are literally 1000's of projects that you can start. Some take as little as 15 minutes to create once you have your photos uploaded into your account.

Don't become the stranger in the attic....make some memories today and CAPTURE them.
Contact me for the Pick of the Month to save up to 25% on your projects as well.

Barb Ashcroft
Your Personal Publisher who is available for assisting you
barbashcroft@shaw.ca
250-752-5499 or 1-800-919-1998