Category: Simple Life

Introducing the Photo Fun Bundle

As we continue this embrace this season of doing things a little different, I am introducing something new. It is called the Photo Fun Bundle and is an expansion of what I have been doing for my Photo Fun Club members these last few months.

With so many of us doing things from home and finding a walk to the mailbox was one of the biggest joys we had each day for weeks, I want to bring something fun right to you in your mailbox (or your doorstep). This subscription box will be filled with a touch of inspiration, instruction and fun each month. I am calling it the Photo Fun Bundle as it brings products and tools that can help you with a photo project and a few of my favorite things all in one bundle of Fun!!

For those that have been a part of my 2020 Photo Fun Club (my VIP CLUB for all the fun we have going on with photos this year), you are already signed up and will get the first box the week of August 3rd in time to have all the supplies you need for our Project Recipe break out at the virtual August Photo Fun Day on Saturday, August 8th.

If you are on my mailing list you also have received a postcard last week that has more details about how to start signing up for September. All orders have to be in to me no later than August 20th to be included in the September Bundle. The September Bundles will be shipped our the week of August 31.

I am offering 2 options for your Bundle so once you sign up, I will reach out and get your mailing address and preference for a Traditional Bundle or Digital Bundle. If you are ready to sign up today, you can go to https://elizabethphotofun.square.site/ to get things going for your first Bundle. I also welcome you to follow us on @Elizabeth.PhotoFun on Instagram for more sneak peaks and info about this fun new opportunity.

Don’t forget Sign up starts NOW for the September Bundle – You will not want to miss it!!

https://elizabethphotofun.square.site/

4 years ago

Memories Worth Preserving

What a different time we are living! I was suppose to be in Orlando, Florida right now, wrapping up an amazing conference and transitioning into some family fun at Disney – making memories.

This would have been our first time going to Walt Disney World as a family. We visited Disneyland in California when I was very young but we always talked about going to Walt Disney World in Florida and never did, even during the short time my parents lived in Florida.

About the time as we were growing up that we were seriously considering it, we had connected with a family from Belarus and our hearts were changed forever. We hosted some sweet sisters in our home for many summers and took our first international trip to a country that was not as glamorous as many aspire to travel to but was very special to us. I wouldn’t change that time and experiences for anything but fast forward to last year when I learned that my annual conference with Forever would be in Orlando at the Walt Disney World Resort, I knew I was going to go and quickly my family decided to join along with me in making plans. To say we were sad and disappointed that our trip had to be postponed would be an understatement. We knew a trip to Disney would not be a relaxing vacation especially in the heat of July but oh the fun we have together and the memories we were looking forward to making. We are hopeful that in another year we will all be picking up those plans and experiencing new things again and a trip to Disney World is high on our list of things to do in 2021.

As many of you have done, in these days, weeks and months lately we are shifting and adjusting to virtual experiences for the things that should have been in person. It isn’t the same as hugging that friend, sitting together over a meal or gathering in a large group to cheer and celebrate exciting things but for the last 3 days I have been touched by how much I have still enjoyed and learned through a virtual experience for the conference part of what would have been my trip to Florida.

I am reminded about how passionate I continue to be that our Memories are Worth Preserving. #MemoriesWorthPreserving is a phrase that has been repeated often this weekend and speaks to what the heart of Forever is all about. We are committed to helping you save, organize and share your precious memories whether they be a big family vacation like ours to Belarus many years ago or a moment in the yard on an average day 4+ months into a pandemic like this flower blooming. As we continue to shift and adjust to the new way of doing things, remember your memories are worth preserving today as well as the ones from past trips and experiences.

Do you have a photo taken recently that captures a moment you want to remember about this season? Maybe it is one tucked down deep on that camera roll on your phone from an experience before all of this craziness consumed us. Pull it out and let’s make sure that memory is preserved in a way that brings you joy or shares the story you want to capture.

4 years ago

June Updates and Mid Year Refresh

I have been slow in posting here lately as I am sure you all have noticed. The changes and shifts to our routines the last few months seem to be constantly changing and hard to keep business as usual these days. I did want to come to you today with a few updates and reminders as we wrap up June. Don’t forget that any text highlighted in Blue below is a link that will take you to more information on that item whether it is another blog post or a website link.

Monthly Back Up Day

It is the last Saturday of the month so that means it is a great time to doing a little backing up of our digital photos and projects along with the digital art we use to create with in Artisan. For P2P members, I suggest you start with Downloading & Backing up our Blueprints since new ones were just released by Pixels2Pages today, then Download any digital content your recently purchased and make sure your Art Kits and projects are backed up too. We touched on this 3 step process back in February – you can catch a refresher on the original post: Download, Backup 1, 2, 3 . This is a great thing to do before you join our next Virtual Photo Fun Day so you are ready to make progress with your photo projects right away.

If you want a refresher on how to back up your photos too, check out the post called Back up, Back up, Back up

Clean & Simple Photo Projects

I am loving the simplicity of the new options with Forever to create simple and quick photo projects right from the website. With the amazing sales recently, I have taken photos from friends and family and have put together a simple AutoBook in minutes. I had it shipped straight to the recipients so they could enjoy a little fun mail. Do you need a gift for under $25 or want to brighten someone’s day? Take a look at AutoBooks or our Design and Print options and remember that Done will be Better than Perfect in many cases! You can use this same link to explore ideas on Wall Decor or to order Photo Prints to frame and share.

Photo Fun Days – Going Virtual

I am excited that we have had a few successful Virtual Photo Fun Days now and are getting the hang of what that looks like for us each month. I hope to be back to in person group events one day but for now we are making the most of virtual opportunities for everyone’s safety and peace of mind.

Our next Photo Fun Day event is scheduled to be Saturday, July 11. This event will be Virtual Only. As we continue to have these Virtual events, I wanted to share what you can expect.

Everyone is welcome!
Right now these Monthly Virtual Photo Fun Day events are a FREE way to connect and learn but I ask that you do Register.
You can expect these events to be a chance to connect with each other. I will be there to support and encourage you throughout the day too.
We will have several dedicated “Break-Out” Sessions throughout the day. During the 2-4 scheduled “Break-Out Sessions”, I will share demos, showcase new products, share specials sales I am offering on Discontinued Products I have in stock. Sometimes we will have guests join me (typically fellow CM or Forever team members).
We open up the event through a Zoom Call at 10am and will close it down at 10pm. Other than the scheduled Break-Out Sessions, the rest of the time is open for questions and fun along the way.
You can choose to come and go as you wish or just pop in for the scheduled times.
One of the break out sessions will be a walk through of a Project Recipe featuring a new tool or paper pack. You do not have to pre-purchase the kit to participate however if you wish to purchase the kit, I will have them available prior to the event for Porch Pick up or after the event. Typically these Kits are between $7-$10. The kit is included in our Photo Fun Club Member’s offerings.

For July’s Project Recipe we will be featuring Electric Summer Paper Pack and the new Flip Flop Border Maker. I have a few remaining kits available for $6.50/each. Message me ASAP to reserve yours!

Staying Connected

I continue to offer porch pick up and love a quick visit with those that I am able to see when you stop by. I continue to be only a phone call, e-mail, text or zoom call away if you need help with a project or have a question.

If you are on Facebook, you can find me in a couple of places. Take your pick of the ones that interest you most.

Public Business Page – Elizabeth Goodson’s Photo Solutions: https://www.facebook.com/Elizabeth.PSPage/

I post general Photo Solutions info on this public page. You can follow or like it to keep updated here.

Private Forever Customer Group – Elizabeth’s Forever in 15 Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Elizabeth.ForeverGroup/

This is where I share more about upcoming events, specials and unique opportunities for my current Forever customers. We focus on how you can tackle photo project in as little as 15 minutes a day.

Private Creative Memories Customer Group – Elizabeth’s CM Customers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Elizabeth.CMGroup/

This is where I share new product sneak peaks each month plus other specials and unique opportunities for my current CM customers.

Ready to place an order, reach out to me or you can go directly to either Forever or CM’s website. If you want to be sure your order is connected to me, you can use these links too:

Forever Website: https://www.forever.com/ambassador/elizabethgoodson
Creative Memories Website: https://www.creativememories.com/user/ElizabethGoodson

Have a great Saturday and be sure to have a little fun with your photos each day whether it be capture life with photos or celebrating past moments through your photos!

5 years ago

2020 Favorites – May Day!

It is the first of May! Remember that post about Little by Little progress on our photo projects from earlier this year. Have you been keeping up with us each month? If so jump in with those April photos and make a little more progress today. If you haven’t joined us yet with this, go back to the Little by Little post and start there.

The beautiful thing about this approach to our photo projects is that we get to see how just a little bit of attention each month can make a difference in a project that seems so overwhelming. As we slowly check off one month, we gain a bit of momentum.

Don’t forget to check out the Events Page for any upcoming events you want to attend. Did you have an order you wanted to place? You can always order your products directly through the CM or Forever websites or E-mail me with your order no later than 1 week prior to a Photo Fun Day and I will make sure I add your CM order to mine for pick up at the Photo Fun Day that month.

5 years ago

2020 Favorites – Making Progress

Remember that post about Little by Little progress on our photo projects from earlier this year. It is the first of April so let’s keep going and make a little more progress on our photo projects. If you joined us in previous months and already have your January and February photos in your 2020 Favorites, then you are ready to move on to March. If you haven’t joined us yet with this, go back to the Little by Little post and start there.

Don’t forget to check out the Events Page and sign up for any upcoming events you are planning on attending. Did you have an order you wanted to place? I am still offering porch pick up for CM orders of items I have in stock. Did you know that when you place the order directly with me and pick up at my Photo Fun Days or through my Porch Pick Up option you get to take advantage of the discounted shipping since we split it among those who place the order. Typically it is 6% of less but the larger my order the smaller the shipping is each month. E-mail me with your order.

5 years ago

Have you ever considered?

Have you ever considered joining my team? I have a team of amazing friends on both my Creative Memories Team and Forever Team? I love that we can partner together to share each of these companies products and services further than I could do alone. We enjoy bouncing ideas off of each other and celebrating with each other as we achieve personal and business goals. If you are interested in learning more you can find details online:

Creative Memories – https://www.creativememories.com/advisors.html

Forever – https://www.forever.com/ambassador/elizabethgoodson/opportunity

I am happy to meet or set up a call to chat with you about any questions you may have.

Here is a recap of the gifts for Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years plus the new one for today:

On the first day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I went back to where it all started with a Creative Memories product that I LOVE – one person can get the CM bookcloth album of your choosing for 50% off. Available until claimed!

On the second day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I am reopening the 2020 Photo Fun Club until the end of the month for the 2 remaining spots in the 2020 Photo Fun Club ~~PLUS for the first person who replies I am offering 1/2 off one of our upcoming 2020 Photo Fun Day – FULL day registrations.~~ Message me if you wish to sign up and I will share the details or answer any further questions.

On the third day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I am offering to the first 2 people who respond, 10GB of Forever Storage for 1/2 off.

On the 4th day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I am offering Buy One Get One 50% off on those supplies you never want to run out of – Refill Pages with Protectors, Tape Runners, and Tape Runner Refills. There is no limit on how many people can take advantage of this offer however all orders must be placed no later than Feb 29th and pick up at my home in Apex or at my next Photo Fun Day or Retreat. Please use the form in the original post here!

On the 5th day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I want to help you get those family recipes or photos of your community gathered around the table scanned and digitized so you can share them too. For the first 5 people who complete the form on the original post, I will offer you up to 16 of your favorite photos or recipes scanned with my next media conversion box for FREE.

On the 6th day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I want to keep the sharing theme going and share FREE shipping on any CM order over $50 placed before the end of the month. All orders must be placed directly through me in the form on the original post (and not on my CM website) and picked up at my home in Apex or at one of my upcoming Photo Fun Days or Retreats in March or April.

On the 7th day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I will create your panel for you with Forever Design and Print and have it shipped straight to you for 50% off the retail price. Take a peak at the Forever Design and Print options so you know what you might want me to create for you. To take advantage of this, please use the form on the original post

On the 8th day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, Share a blog post & comment on the original posts with your favorite snow day activity and earn an entry into my $10 Starbucks drawing. Drawing will include all entries as of Feb 29th at 5pm and must include a share AND a comment below.

On the 9th day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, Join with fellow customers and when your online orders equal $200 or more in one day, I will a drawing for a $25 Gift Certificate. Available with each CM and Forever orders.

On the 10th day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I am offering the first 3 people who upload (up to 16) your favorite photos, I will have them printed for you with Forever for FREE and available at our next Photo Fun Day or retreat. Check the original post for details.

On the 11th day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I always enjoy helping my customers and friends with their projects. Do you have questions and want to meet for a FREE 30 minutes coffee chat with me? Today is your day – the first person to message me will get a Coffee Chat in the next month to get any of your questions answered.

On the 12th day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, One idea that I learned from a friend sharing with me was how to use Forever’s Artisan software to create luggage tags with our ornaments. For the first person to reply to this message, I will create a customized luggage tag just for you.

On the 13th day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, As a member of my team, I am always here to support you in your own goals for your business but for those that join my team in February, I will partner with you for a joint event in March to kickoff your business. Message me for more details.

5 years ago

Recharge

I love these messages that Creative Memories shared over the last year. I recently took some time to recharge between jobs. It was much needed after an intense time of wrapping up one position and preparing for a time to enter the next job. It wasn’t fancy and I didn’t go away but I took time to do some of the things that help me recharge:

Take a walk
Went to bed early so I could get a bit of extra sleep
Spent time working on my own photo projects and making progress
Took time to write several of these blog posts
Connected with friends and family through lunch dates, coffee and dinner.

What helps you recharge whether it be on a routine basis or not so often?

Here is a recap of the gifts for Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years plus the new one for today:

On the third day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I am offering to the first 2 people who respond, 10GB of Forever Storage for 1/2 off.

On the 11th day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I always enjoy helping my customers and friends with their projects. Do you have questions and want to a FREE 30 minutes coffee chat with me? Today is your day – the first person to message me will get a Coffee Chat in the next month to get any of your questions answered.

5 years ago

Fresh Start

For those that have followed my blog and journey over the last couple of years, you may remember a post in 2018 titled Turning the Page… where I was changing jobs. I have found myself in a similar place closing that chapter and starting fresh again this month. As you read this message, I will be embracing a new “day job” this week and with that comes the perfect time to freshen up my work supplies.

Do you have a favorite pen, notepad, snack or tool you keep at work to bring a little happiness and joy to your work day? Here are a few of my must haves for office supplies or tools that I have tucked in my bag for the new job this week.

I love having my Painted Pearl 2020 Watercolor Miniature Calendar on my desk. Since I knew I was likely changing jobs earlier this year, I waited to open my 2020 Mini Calendar until I started the new job so I am extra excited to pull out my new one and add it to my desk for the last part of February and rest of 2020.
My go-to work pen right now is the Pentel EnerGel Medium Point Pen, typically in Blue but I love fun colors too. Be careful if you ask to borrow one, I might be a bit possessive or ask for it back before you leave.
My TI-82 Calculator – yes I still have the calculator I got for high school math class. It has been with me for decades now but is still going strong and will be heading to the office with me this time too.
For those times when I need to focus and work without interruptions, I will have my Bose Headphones tucked in my bag and a few of my favorite playlist queued up on Spotify.
And last but not least, there will be a bag of Dove Promises – Dark Chocolates to put in my candy dish. This has become a favorite of friends and visitors through the years. The conversations that come from sharing a piece of chocolate with a coworker on a crazy day or sharing the message of encouragement that Dove puts on each of their wrappers are a perk of having this simple candy dish on my desk.

Do you have a item on your desk or in your office that brings you joy or puts a smile on your face when you see it? I would love to know what your favorite office items are too.

Now for the Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years:

On the third day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I am offering to the first 2 people who respond, 10GB of Forever Storage for 1/2 off.

On the 7th day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, Another thing that can bring joy and make you smile is to take a favorite photo or quote and create a simple canvas or wall panel. Would you like to make the walls in your office or home bring a smile to your face? For the first person to reply here with your e-mail, I will create your panel for you with Forever Design and Print and have it shipped straight to you for 50% off the retail price. Take a peak at the Forever Design and Print options so you know what you might want me to create for you.

5 years ago

Back Up, Back Up, Back Up

I am so glad I found Forever 5 years ago. I have shared this story with many through the years but as I remember these last 16 years of my business journey, I would love for you to hear a bit of this story too.

Forever came along with products I was looking for at just the right time. See I had fallen in love with Creative Memories’ PC-based software Storybook Creator Plus and Memory Manager several years earlier when it was first released and loved taking my digital images and storing them all in one place with Memory Manager and then creating beautiful photo pages with Storybook Creator right on my own computer to print and add to my annual photo albums. It was a couple of years before 2015 that the old Creative Memories went through some difficult changes and they would stop selling and supporting these two PC-based programs that I had grown to depend on and love. As long as I still had the computer they were installed on working, I was able to continue using them just as they were designed.

In the summer of 2015, I needed to buy a new computer and would be faced with how to transition forward. The good news was the original creator of these two programs was still around and offered the programs under a different name but what I didn’t know was that they were in early discussions already about being purchased by a new start up company called Forever. I began following closely as I purchased my new computer and purchased by replacement copy of the Memory Manager software now called Historian so I could continue keeping my photos organized and in one place. I soon discovered that my method of backing up my photos onto CDs and DVDs was not going to work now that my computer didn’t come with a CD drive anymore. I needed a back up solution for my photos and Forever was offering just the option that fit that need. I began learning more about this cloud based, permanent, photo storage site that was designed for long term storage of photos and media. It was as I learned more about Forever that I fell in love with this company’s mission too. They took that love for photos and helped us with a practical way to preserve the photo and albums we had made as well as have a permanent home for the digital images that we were collecting.

I now have a more complete memory keeping solution that ever before. I can save my photos and media both on my computer in Historian and back them up in my Forever permanent storage account. I would love to share more about these amazing tools but while we are talking about backing up, let me remind you of a few other items that it is good to back up when we are talking about our photos and projects.

Photos from all devices
Videos from all of your devices
Photo Projects (all of your Artisan project files)
Digital Art (all of your art kits from your Commercial Art Kit folder PLUS your Activation Codes)
Blueprints (make sure you have downloaded them and then back them up too)

Whether it is moving over to a new computer or rebuilding a device that has had a technical issue, you will be glad that you backed up these items often! Take a few minutes today to back up your projects. Even my gift below is designed to help with this task.

Now for the Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years:

On the first day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I went back to where it all started with a Creative Memories product that I LOVE – the CM bookcloth album of your choosing for 50% off. Available until claimed!

On the third day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I am offering to the first 2 people who respond, 10GB of Forever Storage for 1/2 off. Forever Storage is an amazing tool for backing up your most precious memories and I want you to be able to try it for the first time or add to your account. You must comment below or e-mail me directly to take advantage of this deal.

5 years ago

Little by Little

Whether it is a photo project, taking on a new habit or tackling a big project, I have come to really appreciate with the phrase “Little by Little“. There are many things I want to get done and areas I want to make a difference but I have learned some time ago that sweeping in and doing the big one time thing is not nearly as effective as the Little by Little steps I do daily, weekly or even monthly. A couple of years ago, I shifted my focus on my photos to being more intentional with Little by Little progress, even focusing on the power or 15 Minutes at a time. With this approach I have spent the last year really acting this out. In January of 2019, I create a Photo Album called 2019 Favorites. Each month, I would take some time to pull my favorites from the previous month to add to my Favorites Album. When I had finished this task, I would go back and work on my 2018 Photo Album Pages. Little by Little I make progress on both my current photos and my older project. I just recently finished up my 2018 Album Pages and a few other photo projects from 2018. I am starting 2020 in the same way. Will you join me?

I recommend doing this with a Forever Permanent Storage Account where you can create a Album of your most favorite photos from each year and know they are protected for generations to come. If you would prefer to have a program on your computer to help you with organizing, Forever Historian would be my recommendation. Whatever your tool, the steps below will help you get started with purpose this year with your photo projects. The best thing to do is keep the steps simple and repeat each month.

Create a folder or Album for your Favorites – I am calling mine 2020 Favorite Photos
At the beginning of each month, mark your calendar to go into your phone, cameras or other places you keep photos and pick your favorites. Some months this will go quickly while some it may take a little longer.
If you have time to do this more than once a month, you can work backwards an extra month or two at a time. Just remember the first of the month, be sure to stay focused and do the most recent past month.

I promise a year from now you will be glad you took the time and made progress today.

I challenge you to take time today and create a 2020 Favorites Album and add your favorites from January 2020. What other tasks, projects or habits do you want to tackle in 2020. Can the Little by Little approach help you with those too.

Now for the Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years:

On the first day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I went back to where it all started with a Creative Memories product that I LOVE – the CM bookcloth album of your choosing for 50% off.

One the second day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, let’s celebrate the many events we have held over these 16 years. We have had classes, Crops, Workshops, Retreats and so much more. for a limited time, I am reopening the 2020 Photo Fun Club until the end of the month for the 2 remaining spots in the 2020 Photo Fun Club. You can read more about it here: 2020 Photo Fun Club and since I know some of you can’t join us each month but would like to attend, I will also offer to the first person who replies 1/2 off one of our upcoming 2020 Photo Fun Day – FULL day registrations. To claim either of these, please comment below or E-mail Me directly.