Tag: 30 Day Challenge

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.

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.

Our New Routine

I know 2 posts in one day is a bit crazy but the other post was a regular post and I have been working on this one all week.  Welcome to our new routine with a bit of grace and change around every turn.

Has your routine been rocked?  Are you juggling more things than you thought you could imagine a few weeks ago?  Have you learned new skills – maybe homeschooling can now be added to your list?  Is your home extra noisy these days with kids at home and parents working from home and you are searching for a spot to be still and quiet?  Or maybe your house is like mine, it is so quiet these days you dream of the days for people, laughter and chatter to fill it again?

Wherever you are, I imagine your routine has changed.  For me, I spend my days at my kitchen table working from home.  I take conference calls and participate in Zoom Meetings while working on other projects in between.  I am trying to take time each day to connect with family and friends through calls, texts or dropping a note in the mail.  I have made it a priority to go for a walk outside each day and am taking advantage of my time at home to do some of those small projects that just don’t get done very often when I am on the go all the time.  Last week, it was fixing a light bulb over my stove that broke in the socket and this week it was getting a few bags of mulch spread.

I am also taking some time here and there to work on my photos.  Not as much as I would like but still making some progress here too.  Last weekend I was able to try out the new Forever AutoBooks.  It is a “automagical” way to take your favorite photos from a trip or time and put them in a simple book FAST.  I had worked on my 2019 Favorites Album last year with the Little by Little approach that I described in a previous post so when it came to doing a book of all of my 2019 favorite photos, I was able to do a short review of them to get the total number of photos in that album under 400 and then hit one button and all my photos were in a book like magic.  I tweaked a few pages and added my journalling and ordered.  I expect my book will be here this weekend so I can enjoy.  Can you imagine what photo book you would like to have ordered this week so you and your family can enjoy it next week?

Would you like to join me in a Stay Home Photo Challenge where we gather, organize and create a photo book while we are at home these next 3 weeks?  I know you have so many more things you are doing these days but if you can set aside 15 minutes 3-5 times each week (that is less than an hour each week), you will be amazed at how much progress you can make, have a few more days or times you can work and you can see a year’s worth of photos organized in as little as 2 weeks.  You pick the pace, your project and whether you choose digital or traditional style books or you choose your 2019 book or a family vacation book, it is completely up to you.  We are gong to take this off of social media and do it through a few simple text messages to remind you, encourage you and inspire you over these next 3 weeks.  Ready to get started?

Text SIGNMEUP to (919)205-5212 .  This is a special text number I am using for this challenge and a few other updates.  E-mail, message or call me with questions through our usual ways too.

As we find our routine over the next few weeks, we may adjust and tweak things but know that one thing that is constant is that I am here to help you with your questions and photo projects.  If this a time that you want to make progress on your photo projects, I am here.  If this isn’t a time you can add one more thing to your plate, know that it is OK too, we can connect once the dust settles a bit.

Be safe and take care while you Stay Home this week!

 

2020 Favorites – Monthly Catch up

Remember that post about Little by Little progress on our photo projects.  It is the first of March and now is a great time to make a little more progress on your photos.  If you already set up your 2020 Favorites Album and put January photos in it, then you are ready to move on to February.  If you haven’t joined us yet with this, go back to the Little by Little post and start there.

As we enter a new month, it is also a great time to look at your calendar for the upcoming months and sign up for the events you are interested in joining us so you can make even more progress on those projects.  We will be headed away on our 2020 March Retreat this weekend but now is the perfect time to sign up for any of our sprint Photo Fun Days by checking out the Events Page.

Download, Backup 1, 2, 3

Happy Leap Day and Happy Final Day to my 16 Gifts for 16 Years series.  I didn’t quite get each post out on time but we have 16+ great gifts that have been shared and I look forward to continuing to use this website and blog posts as a way to share more with you.

With the p2p Team sharing Blueprints on the final Saturday of each month I want to take time today to share my process and encourage you to create a routine for keeping your Forever Artisan projects and digital content safe and secure.

Download Day is my reminder to download the latest Blueprints from the p2p website as well as back up all of my digital content whether it be from p2p Blueprints, Forever Digital Art or CM Digital Content and my completed projects.  Here are my steps:

  1. Log into the Pixels2Pages website and Download the latest Blueprints under Recent Posts.  If you are interested in learning more about the P2P community for Forever Artisan and Historian software users, you can check out here for this Premium Training Resource:
    • Once I have downloaded the latest Blueprints, I file them away in my Blueprints folder.  Here are the simple steps to remind you but for details instructions you can go to the P2P page for helpful tips on Downloading Blueprints:
      1. Download the Blueprints to my Download Folder
      2. Unzip the folder from the Blueprints folder using Extract All option
      3. Open the Unzipped folder and copy contents
      4. Paste in my Blueprints folder under Documents (or in the location where I save my Blueprints)
      5. Delete the unneeded folders from my Downloads folder.
  2. Go to my Forever account and verify from my order history if I have any orders with digital art that I need to Download and install:
    • There are helpful instructions in the e-mail confirmation on How to Install your Digital Art.
    • Once I have downloaded any recent purchases and added any new Activation codes, I go to Artisan and select Manage Content (from the Welcome screen).  Choose Activation Codes from the top of the screen and then Make a Back up of my codes.
    • This will create text file.  Save it on your computer or where you keep your Art Kits.
    • In addition to this file, I also convert to a PDF file by clicking on File > Print to PDF and save that file as well.  I always put the date in the file name so I know which one is most current and can delete any extras if needed.
    • I upload my PDF version of my file to my Forever Account so I have it backed up there as well.
  3. Steps 1 & 2 are about mainly about Downloading, this step is where I back up 3 groups of files.  I back up my Artisan Projects, Blueprint files and Digital Content on an External Hard Drive (EHD).
    • I have a folder for each of these on an External Hard Drive (EHD).
    • Simply plug in your EHD and then in your File Browser, go to the location on your computer (typically under your C: drive) where you save each of these types of documents and copy the whole folder.
    • Go to the folder you have on your EHD and paste the new contents in that folder.  If you do the whole folder each month, you can delete the past version once you know the information is safely copied for the new file.
    • Keep your EHD in a safe place – best if it is not kept with your computer.

By doing these simple 3 steps each month, you will not have to worry about lost files or projects if something happens to your computer.  With the project files and content, if you have to buy a new computer (or rebuild from a crash) then you will have everything you need to reload your projects to keep working.

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

 

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

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.

For the 14th & 15th day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I want to help you tell your story through printed and digitized photos so I am offering the first 2 people who want to take advantage of this offer.  Order a media conversion box from Forever (don’t forget the coupon code for 20% off through 3/9) and I will send you a Gift Certificate to use on your next order or to apply to any additional items you may include in your box over the allotted credit.  The Gift Certificate increases based on the size of the box:

  • Personal Box – $10 Forever GC
  • Value Box – $50 Forever GC
  • Family Box – $100 Forever GC

For the FINAL day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I am going to take everyone who has participated in the 16 Gifts for 16 Years Celebration in some way prior to 10pm tonight 2/29/2020 and do a drawing for a SWAG Bag of Forever and CM goodies.  This may be logo items or products but the gift bag will be full of surprises.  I will do one drawing for each 10 entries we have in the drawing so help me spread the word so increase the number of drawings.

 

THANK YOU for joining me in this celebration of 16 years of my business!

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 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.

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.

 

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.

  1. Create a folder or Album for your Favorites – I am calling mine 2020 Favorite Photos
  2. 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.
  3. 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.

 

16 Years & 16 Gifts to Share

16 Years ago today, it was Valentine’s Day, I had been running errands and helping with a project with friends from church however the lunch with a new friend to discuss my final questions about signing up as a Creative Memories consultant is the part of the day that I will always remember the most.  I am so thankful she extended the offer and am even more thankful that a simple decision to “give it a try” turned into years of meeting new friends, stepping out of my comfort zone and gaining confidence to share what I love with those I meet.  I have completed countless photo projects and helped friends and family do the same.

I love that this side hobby business has turned into something that brings me so much joy and a little supplemental income too.  I am thankful for each of you whether we met at one of those first events or we have been lifelong friends and you have supported me in little ways along this path.  We have laughed together, traveled together and experienced life together and I am so thankful that this business brought us together to do each of those things.  I am excited that a recent shift in my full time job is opening the door for me to have a bit more time in the coming months to grow this business again and I look forward to connecting with more of you soon.

As we move through the final 16 days of this month, I think it is a great time to offer a few treats to those of you who have followed me and supported me through these years.  I will post a gift here each day through the end of the month.  If you want to take advantage of the special, comment on this post on my website or FB or reach out by e-mail.  There are only a limit number of each gift so be sure to reply quickly when you see something that strikes a cord with you.  All gifts must be claimed by the end of the month.  These will be available for pick up at my home in Apex or shipped to you for an additional charge.

On the first day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I want to go back to where it all started with a Creative Memories product that I LOVE.  For the first person who replies to me, you can have the CM bookcloth album of your choosing for 50% off.  You can see all of the Bookcloth Albums (decorative and solid colors) on my website: https://www.creativememories.com/user/ElizabethGoodson under Shop choose 12×12 Bookcloth Albums.

Need a little encouragement on that photo project?

Do you have a photo project that you have been wanting to make progress on in 2020?

Watch your mail for information about a 30 day challenge I am doing to help encourage and spur you on to making progress or completing your project in 30 days.  Whether you want to get your 2019 photos organized or you want to spend some time creating pages in your next photo book or you want to catch up your children’s albums from years ago, this opportunity is a good fit for you.  We will set up groups with similar goals and skill level and encourage you and help you right where you are.  This will be done over 30 days at a time with an option to renew at the end of the month.

I will share tips and encouragement through a couple of texts through the week and then you will have a challenge to complete each week to be entered in a weekly drawing for gift certificates and prizes.  This is a great way to have a little fun while making progress on one of your projects.

I am sharing this information with my current mailing lists this week.  I am using the same list I used for Christmas Cards this year so if you didn’t received a Christmas card from me last month then you might miss out because I don’t have a current mailing address for you.  To be sure I have your current information, please complete the form below and if you did not already get the mailing, I will get you the information to you too.