Author: Elizabeth

Cards & Cocoa

Grab that cub of Hot Cocoa and log in to Forever’s website to create that Christmas card this year.  Did you know that you can create cards and other photo projects right from your phone or tablet.  It is that simple and fun.  Want a little extra help or some friends gathered around the table together while you create your card or project?  Join us this Sunday, November 24th for an afternoon of fun along with our Cards & Cocoa!  This event is at my house and if open to anyone who is interested in joining us.  Drop in for the time you wish between 2pm and 4pm.  Bring a friend and you get $5 off your card order on top of other specials already in place for amazing discounts and FREE shipping.

Comment below or reach out by e-mail or phone to get my address.

 

Gather Them Up & Jump In

This time of the year always reminds me of raking leaves.  I have some sweet memories of fall visits at my grandparents’ house where we would arrive to find the yard covered in leaves.  Sometimes my Granddaddy would have already started the process of raking but most of the time it was a project that we would all join in and help during the weekend.  It never seemed to be a job we dreaded.  We would have so much fun raking the leaves and piling them up throughout the yard only to gather the cousins around to take turns running and jumping in the piles of leaves and spreading them back out to rake all over again.  Over the course of the day, the leaves would be gathered and put in a large pile in the back yard near the horse pasture with other yard debris to be burned later.  Before the evening was over we would have had fun jumping and playing and then wrap up with watching the fire crackle.  Oh to be that 8 year old little girl again.  Take a peak here for a glimpse of what I looked like about that age on one of those fall days at my grandparents’ house.  This photo is special but what is really special is the story that goes with it – maybe not that exact day but there are so many memories that are intertwined and triggered when I see it.

Whether we are gathering leaves or other things like our photos, it doesn’t have to be a job we dread.  Just like the experience I had as a child when we did it with many hands or tackled it a little bit at time, the big job wasn’t so tough and could actually be fun in the process.  When you think of your photos, do they feel like leaves scatter all over the yard – maybe more like all over our house or computer.  Are some in neat piles ready to be dealt with while others are blown all over the place.  As you think about where all of your photos are, can you imagine a day when they are all in one place where you can find the precious one you are looking for with ease.

To get there we have to start somewhere, so let’s start at the beginning with gathering them from all their hiding spots and coming up with a plan of where we want to store them.  Take a peak at this image here to the left and see if it sparks any other ideas of where you might have some tucked away.

As you gather them, make sure you have a physical spot to collect the photo prints, video taps, CDs, etc.  Maybe you want to designate a box or bin to collect them all in or set up a table to gather and sort them on.  Also think about a place on your computer – a folder where you can make sure that all the loose photos and folders of photos from your computer can all be gathered too.

This may take some time to gather so you can spend time collecting all of them in one place or do a first pass of your house and electronics and then get those organized while you continue to gather and find more.

Remember our goal is to have them all in one place, organized and where you can find what you want and enjoy them.  Do you have a permanent home for all of your photos yet?  A place you know is designed and set up to handle photos and media.  At a minimum, I recommend that you keep your most special memories in at least 2-3 places.  Some possible solutions might include some of the same locations as listed above but if you would like to talk more about how Forever can help provide you the tools and systems to simplify this process, join us at an upcoming Photo Workshop or reach out and let’s set up a time to chat.

Fall Back in Love with your Photos

Where did October go and how did we end up in November with the time changing already?  I know I am not the only one that is in awe of how fast time seems to be going the older we get and the more things we have going.  As I get things back up and going with the blog this Holiday Season I want to remind you to think of that photo that reminds you of a special time in your childhood or with a special friend of family member.  That feeling you get when you think of that photo – that is why I do what I do, I love the feeling of reminiscing and remember the story that went with the moment that was captured on the photo.  It doesn’t have to be a professional photo, or even a good angle, the photos of someone’s head cut off or the mostly of the floor tell a story too.  Do you know where that special photo is, do you have that story captured somewhere?

Do you dream of a day where all of your photos are in one place?  Maybe you dream of that perfectly lined shelf of photo albums and books that tell your children’s life story (or even your own)?  Do you want to have your walls filled with photos and memories of those you love?

Let’s work to make some of those dreams come true. This Fall and into the holiday season, let’s spend a little time Gathering our photos just like we gather the leaves in the yard or apples from the orchard.  Let’s find ways to Celebrate and Share them with those that will enjoy them too.

If you are ready to jump in (whether it be a piles of leaves or pile of photos), mark your calendar for next Saturday, November 9th for our Monthly Photo Workshop in Cary, NC.  I have plenty of room in my afternoon session (3pm-10pm).  Come for as short or as long as you would like.  Remember if it is your first time, it is FREE after 3pm, for everyone else you can sign up here, choose the Evening Only Option for just $25: https://squareup.com/market/sagp

If you are not quite sure about jumping in all the way but want to get started, here is my best advice for tackling any photo project.

Start Current and the Work Backwards

Yes that is it – start with your current photos (digital or physical prints).  Gather those that are the most recent – this month or even this year and tackle those first.  It will help you create a system that works for you today.  If you find others from outside of this time frame put them in a box or folder until you get to that time.  Then back up a month or year at a time and continue with the process you have started.  If you want some additional tips and ideas, you might enjoy going back to my post about The Power in 15 Minutes.  I am continuing my 2019 Favorites Album and look forward to creating my annual photo book pages with ease because I have spent 15 minutes once a month, gathering my favorites as I go and don’t have hundreds of photos to go through later.  It is a great time to start with October 2019 if you haven’t started before now!

Happy Fall!

 

I may have been quiet on the blog the last few weeks but I am working on a few fun things with my business to have ready for you all in the last quarter of the year.  To give you a sneak peak:

Events

October: We have our Fall Ladies Get-a-way coming up in October

November: Regular Monthly Workshop

December Regular Monthly Workshop

Be sure to check our the Events Page for sign up information and further detail.  

Forever – Click here to Shop

Watch for more information about getting Back to the Basics with storage, media conversion and photo project creation this fall.

Storage: Whether you have just purchased Forever storage or you have had it for years, I want to help you find the work flow and organization system that works best for you and your family.

Media Conversion:  Let’s get that old box of photos, slides and videos out of storage and determine the items you want to scan or convert to digital versions that can be shared.

Photo Projects: Are you overwhelmed with past projects that are undone?  Whether you are an avid Artisan user or you are loving the quick options with Design & Print.  We will break those projects into manageable pieces so you can see progress and check off those projects this fall.

Creative Memories – Click here to Shop

So many great products are being released each month, we will take time this fall to taken inventory of our projects and supplies to make sure we know what we need to finish those up.  Join us at our October Retreat or monthly workshops this Fall for a Mini Power Layout Breakout to help you with those traditional projects.

Don’t forget that Forever is now a great choice for printing high quality photo prints.  If you are interested in getting a $10 welcome coupon, sign up for a free intro account at: https://www.forever.com/ambassador/elizabethgoodson  This is a great partner for our traditional projects with CM.

Fun Mail Surprises

Do you love when your mail box is filled with fun things rather than only bills and advertisements?  Help me make sure I have your address correct by using the preferences option at the bottom of any recent e-mail or use the form below.  If you like surprises and fun in your mail boxes, I am launching a fun new project this fall that you will not want to miss.  Be sure I have your mailing address so you don’t miss the sneak peak mailing introducing this in a few weeks.

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Check back here and in your e-mail for more updates over the next few weeks!

Wrapping up the Lighten the Load Summer!

I don’t know about you but this has been a good focus for me this summer.  I may not have finished everything on my list but I did Lighten my Load this summer.  I made quite a bit of progress on my album pages in one of my ongoing photo projects, with your help I was able to clear the shelves of some of my extra Creative Memories inventory and I even package up a media conversion order that had been sitting for months and get it sent back to Forever to convert.

I know that my work is not done so don’t worry we will shift to a new focus this fall to keep going or get started whichever stage you are in.  But before we close out this wrap up, I would love to hear about what projects you got done or maybe that you wish you had made some progress on this season.

What is coming Next

I have a few fun things up my sleeves this Fall and don’t want you to miss out, I will continue to share here on the Blog but more details will be shared through e-mail.  Are you on my e-mail list and getting my messages?  Typically you will see something from me about once a week through e-mail.  If you have not been seeing those and know you are on my list already, be sure to check your Spam or Promotional folders with your e-mail service to be sure they are not getting hidden in there.

If you haven’t joined my e-mail list yet, you can do so by going to the About Section above and enter your e-mail address in there.

I also want to make sure I have correct mailing addresses for all of my clients and followers so you don’t miss a couple of extra special treats I am working on.  Please take a moment to go to the last e-mail you have received from me and go to the bottom of that message and Update Preferences.  You can add your address there, update your preferences like if you prefer Traditional or Digital photo projects as well as add your birthday.

Upcoming Events

I love to connect in person and help you see that progress with your own project.  Be sure to check the Events Page above to see the latest events and to sign up for the ones you want to join.  We have a workshop coming up Saturday, September 14th or a Retreat the weekend of October 11-13.  Each of these are great times to work on your own projects and ask your questions too.

DON’T FORGET – UPDATE YOUR PREFERENCES ON YOUR E-MAIL AND CHECK OUT THE EVENTS PAGE TODAY

Is time flying for you?

I don’t know about you but my social media feed has been filled with college move-in photos and fun milestones happening with lots of friends as they are helping get new college freshman moved into to school this weekend.  The next things coming up will be all of those first day of school photos and I am sure if there are this many moving into college there are probably a few High School Seniors this year too.  No, I don’t have kids graduating or moving into college but as a friend shared this photo I couldn’t help but think that I have a tool and simple process that might be helpful to some of you if you find yourself in a similar stage to my friend – especially with high school seniors although this can be helpful to others too.

 

I know it was true when I was in high school and have found that it is still true today, that senior year can be crazy but it is also a time when you are pulling out old photos.  There seem to be lots of times when you need that photo of your sweet senior as a baby, elementary school aged student just starting school, playing the sport they loved, or other special moments.  Do you know where those photos are today?  Does that causes you panic just thinking about it?  First, take a breath and know that I can help and will be happy to help you come up with a unique plan just for you but if you need a little guidance to get you started, here are some simple steps, I would suggest today.

  1. Set up a FREE Forever Account (if you don’t already have one) by using this link: https://www.forever.com/ambassador/elizabethgoodson
  2. Set up a couple of Albums for your soon to be graduate:
    • Senior Year Album – to capture all of the current year’s photos of the special gatherings, events and celebrations.
    • Toddler to Teen Album – to capture your favorite photos from each stage of life.
    • Special Project Album – If you have a special gift in mind, you may want to create an album for that project.
  3.  Spend a little bit of time each week so you aren’t overwhelmed come spring.  If you haven’t been following my blog this summer you may enjoy checking out: The Power in 15 Minutes Blog post.
  4. Need more help, consider joining us for a monthly workshop or let’s set up a coffee chat.
  5. Enjoy this season!

Some of the benefits of using a Forever Account for this project are:

  • When you create a FREE account using the link above, you will get a $10 Welcome coupon you can use on your first order.
  • Your photos will be maintained in their full resolution – when you need to share with others for yearbook entries or video celebrations, they will be the high quality versions that can be used however they are needed.
  • If you wanted to create a photo book, canvas, graduation announcement or other photo gift you will already have the photos handy.

Forever is a great tool for saving, organizing and sharing our favorite photos, videos and audio files and memories.  Whether you have a high school senior or other photo goals, I am happy to chat with you about your specific needs and create a plan that will work for you.  We didn’t gather all of these photos overnight so it is best to work on them a little at a time and have a system that we can keep up – little by little.

Dreaming of a Fall Ladies Getaway Retreat

As I set the schedule for this year’s Photo Workshop, there was a gap in the schedule for October due to the a conflict in the schedule at our usual venue.  I have been brainstorming for months what I wanted to do to fill that gap and a few weeks ago the perfect fit has come together.  I will be offering what I hope to be an repeat event but for this year we will just focus on the best “Fall Ladies Getaway” we can imagine this year!

Here are the critical details so you can make your plans, mark your calendar and decide if you want to join us.

 

Who is invited:

Ladies who love saving, organizing, and sharing your family’s photos – whether it is in printed or digital format

When:

(Noon) Friday, October 11, 2019 – (Noon) Sunday, October 13, 2019

Where:

G’s Quilt & Craft Retreat in Hillsborough, NC

 

This will be a weekend retreat filled with fun, photos and fellowship.  We will staying at a beautiful house that is set up with crafters in mind with large table space and comfy chairs too.  We will be able to escape but not have to drive too far either.  We are limited to 10 guests so there will be a very limited number of participants.  Don’t wait to sign up!

This retreat will be unique in that your retreat registration will include everything all rolled into one fee – 2 nights of lodging, 6 meals, 5′ table workspace, break out sessions and surprises.   We will have multiple break out sessions that will that appeal to both digital and traditional participants.  Full Weekend Retreat Registration is: $250.  Reserve your spot with a non-refundable deposit of $50 today and final payment due by September 13th.

To sign up, please fill out this registration form and I will be in contact for your deposit and/or registration fee: https://forms.gle/EGJbiRDvKdprBQU98

What happens in Vegas…

…sometimes just can’t stay in Vegas!

I have returned from my forth Forever LIVE – our annual convention where we as Forever Ambassadors along with Club Members, customers and home office staff gather each year for a time of connection, training and celebration along with a lot of fun and laughter too.

I look forward to this trip each year and especially look forward to reconnecting with the friends that I have made through Forever.

I am also very thankful my sister has joined me each year and is the best travel buddy I could ask for, she has become friends with so many of these special people too and has her own friends she reconnects with each each year too.  She is my constant cheerleader and ready to let me bound ideas off of her anytime.

With so many fun things shared and done while we were in Las Vegas, I thought it might be fun to include my top 10 list with you of things that I was excited to hear or do at Forever LIVE.

 

Elizabeth’s Top 10 List from Forever LIVE

10.  Glen Meakem’s New Book – The Gift of Forever was shared as a pre-release for those attending LIVE.  Glen is our CEO and founder and he along with his son have written the story of how he started Forever.  They signed copied during the weekend as well.  I have just started reading it and am excited to finish and share it with others.  The full release will be coming later this fall.

 

9.   Updates with Design & Print: Oh how I was so excited for a New Name – we now have a clearer name for our online Print application where you Design and Print, books, Wall Decor, Calendars, and more.  There will also be a few other new products coming this fall.  Watch for new the size for Wall Decor on Design and Print of 8×8 like we can already do with Artisan, there will be a new premium thicker paper for cards that is non-coated and an option to add gold foil inserts into your envelopes.

 

8.   Audio is HERE – We now have all 4 options, Photos, Documents, Video and Audio capabilities in our Storage accounts. I am excited to have this full memory keeping option for so many friends, family and customers who have those special audio tapes of weddings, sermons, solos, even voice mails.  The sound of someone’s voice can be so very special to us and is such a special part of our memory keeping solutions.

 

7.  Our Referral Program has gotten better with a 60 day coupon for referral coupons.  The greatest compliment you can give me is to refer a friend. I love that Forever’s Home Office helps me reward my customers, friends and family who help me share Forever with their friends and family.  Now we have the opportunity to use those referral coupons a bit longer.

 

6.  Beautiful Bellagio Fountain – Oh it was so very HOT the day we went downtown to see the strip but what a fun experience to see the fountain at the Bellagio hotel.  We arrived just a few minutes before the next song was to begin so we found our spot and it was worth the wait.  Here is a short video of our view of the fountain. This has been saved in my Forever account with my other trip photos and videos.

 

5.  The company is Thriving & Growing – It is good to hear the update from Glen how we are on target with his goal to grow this year by 30% is sales over last year and we are on target to have over 42 Million photos uploaded this year in safe and secure storage accounts.  We are meeting a need and reach new people each and every day.

 

4.  Photo PRINTS are HERE – My excitement is climbing as we continue down this list.  I have been waiting – not so patiently to have the ability to print from our Forever accounts again and now we can do it and it is even better than ever.  We have the high archival quality we know with all of our products and we no longer have to download and export and re-upload to another vendor to order.  I can print my photos for traditional scrapbooking or frames right from my Forever Account.

 

3.  Stepping out of my Comfort Zone as a Mainstage Speaker – What an honor to be one of the ambassadors chosen to help lead this year as a speaker.  Although I speak in front of groups fairly often with work this was a bit different and an opportunity to embrace my word of the year “GROW”.  I worked with an amazing fellow ambassador and through preparation and practice what was a bit nerve wracking at first became a experience that built confidence for us both as we stood before a room full of friends who were eager to hear what we had to share.

 

2. p2p 10th Anniversary Birthday Bash Party in Texas – Travel is always fun and when you can pair that with work with your photos it is extra fun for me.  I am excited to be joining a lot of great friends in Texas in the Spring for a weekend of digital scrapbooking fun.  I am looking forward to working on my own projects and learning new tips and ideas too.

And to top off the whole list, my #1 item is

  1. Forever LIVE 2020 next year will be in Orlando, FL – I had a hunch that we were headed to Disney and have to say I am a bit excited.  I have always been a Disney fan and even though I didn’t get to Disney World until my mid 30s I am excited to be headed back for this convention there on the property.  I am hoping I can twist my family’s arms and have them join me for some fun on one end or the other too for some family time at the parks.  I know that I will have a blast at Forever LIVE like we always do but I am also excited about the location and the bonus time we get to have there too.  If you are interested in joining us for Forever LIVE in Orlando you can join as a customer, Club member or Ambassador.

Well that may not have been the Las Vegas lists you were expecting but those were the Top 10 things that excited me about our trip last week.  Have you been traveling this summer?  Where have you been?  What have you enjoyed seeing and doing?

Summer Sale…Coming to a Close

Our Summer Sale will becoming to a close the end of July.  You have a chance to pick from nearly 50 items remaining for just a few more days.  There are pictures posted on my Elizabeth’s CM Customer Group on Facebook or you can see some of the remaining items listed on the Summer Sale Page.  Please either fill out the form on the website or e-mail with your order no later than July 31st and I will be in touch for payment and pick up options.

 

Thank you for your help in clearing my shelves and Lightening my Load as we make room for new products this fall.  I will be placing a order of New CM products later this week if you wish to add any of those items to your order as well and pick up at our workshop August 10th.

 

Have you signed up for our August Photo Workshop?  Don’t miss the fun, sign up for all day, just the morning, just the afternoon or plan to pop in and shop!  The registration link can be found on the Events page!

What is Inspiring You?

Books, Podcast, Blogs – I never really thought I would be a writer and I guess that my go hand in hand with the fact that I have never been a big reader either.  Those that knew me in high school or growing up know the struggle I had to get through any required reading or writing assignment.  In college, I was thankful that my Engineering curriculum had minimal English Literature classes and so the amount of novels and heavy reading started to reduce.  That is not to say there wasn’t plenty of reading needed, but at least it was a little different.

It took years before I finally would pick up a book and read for fun.  I still didn’t do it often but I at least would grab a book when I would head on vacation or maybe a little bit in the evenings before bed.  I know some of you can’t imagine this but for me it was never enjoyable and honestly I am not a very fast reader so that probably is why I avoided it.  I would rather wait until the movie came out and typically it would before I would finish the book anyway.

In the last few years, I have started to embrace reading a bit more and finding books that I enjoy.  It is still typically only when I am on vacation or have enough down time where I can get lost in reading to get started with a book.  Once I am started I can pick it up and read it a little at at time to finish it.  It can still take months or even a year or more to finish a book by the time I have picked it up and put down so many times.  A few years ago I discovered a love for audio books and since then I am loving current books in a whole new way and finishing them before they are old news.  Last year I “read” 12 books through listening to them.  I also finished another two that I read in print version too!

In addition to audio books, I have also fallen in love with podcasts and discovering new ones that I can enjoy.  I have always known I was an auditory learner but this has been fun to embrace the technology and trends we have available to us and enjoy books and inspiration in new ways.  I will share some of my recent favorites but I would love to hear what books, podcast and even blogs you enjoy and find inspiring too.

A few recent favorites….

Several of these books led to podcasts I am following too so we will group them together.

Bob Goff has two books that I have really enjoyed in the last year (or last couple of years if I am honest).  I received the first Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World as a gift from my friend Lisa a couple of years ago.  I was thankful for the book at the time but as I shared above I am not a quick reader so it has taken a while to finish it.  I am so glad that I finally finished reading it earlier this year so I could fully appreciate the value of this gift.  All of the proceeds from sales from Bob’s book Love Does are donated to work he has in Uganda at the Restore International Leadership Academy. This book is a gift of inspirational short stories that will lift you up and encourage you to push forward to Love in more real ways everyday as well as to find the out of your mind ways to LOVE BIG too plus this book also continues giving through it’s sales to further one of those very stories as it invests in big ways in the lives of young people in Uganda.  In the mean time while I was slowly making my way through the print version of this book, I knew I was liking Bob’s spirit and grabbed Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People as an audio book as soon as it was available.  I was not disappointed with this one either.  Both of these books have challenged me to see people around me differently and look for ways to show love in my own unique way.  The fun thing about finding an author you start to enjoy is when you discover they have a podcast and you can continue following along that way.  Just this month I have finally checked out the Dream Big podcast and started listening to some of the recent episodes.  It is fun to hear stories referenced from the books and even people from our own area here in North Carolina.

In the last year, I have become intrigued with the Enneagram system.  It is an ancient personality type system that has a way of outlining just how many of us are wired and how we are motivated and react to those situations and circumstances around us.  I heard that the book The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery by Ian Morgan Cron & Suzanne Stabile was a good place to start to learn a bit more about this so I added it to my list of audio books and enjoyed learning more.  As my sister and I have shared some books and podcast we are listening to, she shared about a podcast that she was enjoying that had a summer special on Enneagram and suggested I might enjoy it too.  I did and have since really enjoyed other episodes from Annie F Downs and her That Sounds Fun podcast.  Her EnneaSummer series was so fun to listen to in June.  She had friends of hers who were in each of the different categories join her over 9 episodes.  She would ask them to share answers to questions to prompt what their motivation or drivers were to responding in different ways.  As the listener you could hear how same response from different types might be for different reasons because of what motivates each of them.  We are all wired uniquely and understanding some of those motivators can help us relate to one another more effectively.

I have shared before about my love for Lara Casey’s book Cultivate What Matters.  Through following her and her recent blog and social media posts, I recently discovered a dear friend of her’s Nancy Ray.  She has a new podcast Work and Play with Nancy Ray.  What a fun title and what sweet nuggets she has been sharing each week about how to live fully awake and with purpose through transitions.  I am finding myself anxiously awaiting the post each Tuesday when a new one is added.

 

This list goes on but we will keep it to these couple for now.  I hope you will enjoy exploring a few new inspiring books or podcasts.  I would love to hear what is inspiring you too in the comments here or through e-mail or messages.

For those that know my sister, you will not be surprised to know that she and I think a lot a like and will be into similar things.  The funny thing to me was that I had drafted this post about my favorite books and podcasts for you all and check my social media to fine her blog post below shared.  You may find a few similarities here – we often share a few of our favorites with each other so it is no surprise that our lists have some authors in common.  

What I’ve Been Reading (Listening to) Lately…