Albums Touch Lives

The albums we create have more power than we probably realize.  The following was shared by Cathy Wallin, a sister Creative Memories consultant,  about her Dad, Rusty McKellar, who passed away on April 15, 2012.  I share it here with her permission.  It was written back in February while her Dad was in the hospital.  Sometimes even the small books have a greater impact than we ever imagine when we are creating them. 

"While my father has been in the hospital for the last 22 days (19 in ICU), the digital Storybooks that I made for him have been a great comfort. Numerous doctors, nurses, and assistants have taken a minute, or several, to look through their 50th Anniversary album that chronicles their 50 years together.

Two weeks ago, when a doctor mentioned that on his day off, he had attended a cub scout Pine Wood Derby with his boys, my brother immediately reached for my parents' 50th Anniversary book. He showed the doctor a picture of our dad in scout uniform. Dr. G. immediately noticed that they were a part of the same Scout Council. Then, his eyes went wide when he saw that Dad had been awarded the Silver Beaver, the highest honor bestowed on an adult scout.  At that point, I recalled the small paper back Storybook in my bag that tells the story of Dad's discovery at scout camp of the largest piece of petrified wood ever found in NC.

Dr. G. stood next to dad's bed in the ICU reading. He then looked up to say that, as a young scout, he had sat on Dad's rock in the dining hall at scout camp. He apologized for asking, but continued, asking if it were possible to get a copy of the book. I replied that he could have that one and he immediately slipped it into his white coat. Later, while sitting in the hallway, I saw him leave the ICU reading as he walked down the hallway. Days later, Dad was alert and able to smile as Dr. G told him that as a scout camper for fifteen years and more years as a counselor, he had admired Dad's rock, and that it was an honor to meet the man who had placed it there. Dr. G also told dad that next month when he takes his son to camp for the first time, he will be able to tell about the man who discovered the petrified wood in the dining hall.

Unlike a hand made album, Storybooks are small and light enough to carry into the hospital. We do not worry about leaving them in his room because they are replaceable More importantly, they have allowed his nursing staff and even doctors to see the man that he is rather than just their very sick patient who just a few days ago was "essentially comatose" on a respirator."

Now wipe away the tears and keep plugging away at your projects.  Please let me know if there is any way I can help you.  You are creating lasting legacies for your families.  I'm proud of each and every one of you.

A sweet Valentine that will last well beyond Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day will be here before you know it.  Why not take the time now to share with that special someone why you love them and how special they are to you?  With just a few photos you can make a 7x5 StoryBook that includes special photos and stories.  You can use our new pre-designed Simply Said I Love Books (click to purchase) (click to view content); the new Nancy O'Dell Love pre-designed pages (purchase) (view content); the Simply Said I hope pre-designed pages (purchase) (view content); the Simply Said Wish pre-designed pages (purchase) (view content); or any pages you choose.  This is your book and your theme.  Remember you use the 11x8.5 pre-designed pages for a 7x5 softcover book. 

If you complete your book before January 26th you will enjoy a 20% savings.  That means a 20 page 7x5 softcover book will be just $14.36 - what a bargain for a gift that will be treasured forever.  Plus if you are a Rewards Club member you will get an additional 15% in Rewards Club Credits! 

You could even make your book very simple with just 11 photos and 10 reasons you love them.  Check out this Creative Memories blog for samples and directions on how to make this book. 

Please let me know if you have any questions. 

25% off almost EVERYTHING SALE

Remember to take advantage of the 25 % of EVERYTHING except digital artwork downloads.  This means EVERYTHING on my website as well as EVERYTHING at the Creative Memories Digital Center.  Sale ends Sunday January 15th.  You can order through me or directly from my website, whichever is easier for you.  The album sale of 20% off albums and StoryBooks is still good through January 26th. 

Think ahead to any gift-giving occasions you have coming up - Graduations, Weddings, Birthdays, Anniversaries, New Babies, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Valentine's Day. 

The Everyday Displays - both weathered and sleek make a great gift for many occasions.  It is great for a teen bedroom, a college room, combined with the invitation as a wedding gift, a great addition to baby's nursery.  The Simply Said books are a quick way to make a heartfelt gift that will most likely bring a tear to the recipients eye. 

How about a quick PicFolio album for a graduate, new bride, or new Mom and Dad?  The smaller PicFolio albums are great for a desk at work or to carry around as a brag book. 

The Ashby Baby Boy/Baby Girl albums are a gorgeous baby book.  It is all done for the busy Mom and Dad.  All they need to do is add pictures and jot down notes about baby's development. 

The Recipe Quick Kit is also a great gift for a bride or for Mother's Day or for the child going off to college or graduating college and living on their own.

If you love to create things digitally how about a set of custom cards or a personalized white board?  These are both great for teachers as well as anyone on your list.  A Photo Panel -either traditional or metal is also a gift that will be treasured forever. 

Mugs, mouse pads, page prints, t-shirts, and wall posters are also on sale for 25% off.

If you don't have time to create your digital gifts or albums before Sunday January 15 you can always order a product credit at the 25% off price. The product credit is good for 180 days from the date of purchase so you can take advantage of the sale price and still have time to get the gift finished. Note: if you order a StoryBook before Sunday Jan 15 ALL of the pages will be 25% off, if ordered before Jan 26 ALL of the pages will be 20% off. If you purchase a product credit you will only get 25% or 20% off the base price (20 pages) of the book.

Please call me with any questions.

Here are some samples of cards and white boards to help inspire you. They are all from the Creative Memories Go Digital page on Facebook.  These are card samples - sometimes of front and back and sometimes just one portion of the card. You can make both 5x7 flat cards (front and back) or 5x7 folded cards (all 4 sides).

These are photo panels made to be used as dry erase boards.  You just order a traditional photo panel and use dry erase markers.  It's very easy.

365 Project

Have you ever thought about starting a 365 project?  It is a project where you take one photo a day for an entire year.  I would encourage you to give this a try.  I have done this for the last two years and it really changes your perspective on your life.  You start to look at things differently and take photos of things you never thought of before.  It is a quick representation of a year in your life.  The photos can be as simple as what you had for breakfast to photos of momentous events in your life.  You can do as little or as much journaling as you want.  You don't have to worry if you miss a day or two.  You can always make up for it with two pictures on another day.  Since my life was a bit extra crazy this year I have also filled in some days with comics that I could relate to. 

Wouldn't you love to have a book showing what life was like when your mother or grandmother were your age?  You are creating this legacy for your children.  Think about what grocery stores used to look like 50 years ago, the price of gas, car types, shoes - you get the idea things change and this is your opportunity to document what 2012 was like in your life.

Once you commit to taking the pictures the question becomes what to do with them.  You have several options.

1. Create a Digital StoryBook.  Some people like to do one page per week.  But my preference was to mix and match.  Some days I would do one full page photo and other pages are a mix of several photos.  It depended on how much I liked the photo and how much I wanted to journal about.
2. Use our Expandable PicFolio album.  With one album and 3 sets of refills you get 450 slots - enough for 365 photos and 85 journal boxes (not quite two journal boxes per week).  If you use Memory Manager you can lay out your photos so you have the correct orientation for your photos and decide where you want to add journal boxes.
3. Use our traditional albums.  You can fit 6 or 7 photos on a page if you want it to all be in one album.  Or you can choose to split it into two albums if you want to add more journaling and embellishments. 

With all of these options you can choose to keep it simple with plain backgrounds or you can embellish to your hearts content. 

You can read some testimonials from others who have been working on this project for the last year here.  You can also see many examples of pages on the Pixels2Pages Page on Facebook.  Just click on the Day2Day project on the left.  They also have a list of different ideas for photos for each month under the Day2Day project.

Please let me know if you are going to take up this challenge in 2012.  I would love to help you brainstorm ideas. 

Another wonderful site for inspiration for a 365 project is Michelle Perry Photography.  She has some amazing journaling to along with her photos.  She is also starting a 52 project - one photo a week.  She is inviting anyone else to participate along with her on her Facebook Page.

If you have done this project before please share in the comments section your own testimonial and why you would encourage someone else to give this a try.

Holiday Album Inspiration

Have you ever thought of making an album that included all of your annual Christmas Photos and cards/letters?  Imagine how much fun your family will have getting out the album each year and reminiscing about the highlights from past years.  Plus it will be fun to watch the hairstyles and clothing change over the years!  Getting the album out as you decorate your home for the holidays each year could become an annual tradition.

Some people like to make an album with all of the photos they receive from their family and friends each year.  It is fun to turn the pages and watch the children grow. 

But what about a special album just for your family?  This type of ablum works best with our traditional album but is very fast and easy.  You really don't need any embellishments - just do a 2 page spread each year with your family photo and card and maybe a few favorite photos and some notes about things you want to remember.  You could even make it a New Year's Day tradition to put the album together as a family before you put it away for another year.

Here is what Rhonda Anderson, co-founder of Creative Memories, has to say about her own family Christmas album. 

If you need help getting started with this new tradition let me know. 

Do you already keep an album like this?  Please share your favorite stories about your album.

Leather StoryBooks

This is from Dr. Mark Mizen's blog, All About Images  It explains the quality behind the new leather StoryBooks by Creative Memories.  These books are perfect for any StoryBook theme that you want to preserve in an extra-high quality book.  Please call me with any questions.



Leather that Lasts a Lifetime

Posted by: Mark Mizen on: June 17, 2011

On May 1, Creative Memories introduced the Leather Premium StoryBook. This photo book contains double-weight, lay-flat pages and has a genuine leather cover. The stitched leather cover makes the book special. The Leather Premium StoryBook is available as a standard book and with a window.

The leather cover is genuine leather, not bonded leather or artificial leather. Bonded leather contains small leather particles in a synthetic binder. Artificial leather includes leatherette, faux leather, and pleather. It is made from paper or plastic textured to look like leather, but does not actually contain leather. Only genuine leather has the look, feel and durability of real leather.

The leather used in the Leather Premium StoryBook is chrome tanned to ensure durability. Unlike many other tanning processes, chrome tanning provides durability and protects against air pollution. Chrome tanning also avoids the high acidity associated with some other tanning processes.

Finally, the leather for these StoryBooks is coated with a protective layer to protect against accidental spills and damage.

Not all leather photo books are identical. Many books that are available are not made with genuine leather. Others are far more expensive and available only from professional photographers. Only with the Creative Memories Leather Premium StoryBook do you get the value of a high-quality genuine leather photo book at an affordable price.

Caring for your Leather Premium StoryBook

Avoid areas where the humidity is either too low or too high, such as attics or basements. Humidity above 75% can cause mold growth and swelling. Humidity below 25% can cause shrinkage. Extreme dryness, heat, and changes of temperature and humidity can cause warping, stress fractures, and cracking.


Our Leather Premium StoryBooks are manufactured with a protective coating. The leather requires no conditioners or other treatments. Should your album cover require cleaning, use a mild soap with a damp cloth. Avoid abrasive cleaners.

Show your Love in an Album

I've been spending even more time than usual lately thinking about the power of our photos and our stories.  My Dad, George Weinschenk, recently passed away, just shy of his 90th birthday.  A few years ago I made a book for him and another for Mom thanking them for all of the things they taught me growing up.  They were simple books with random stories and pictures.  But they had a huge impact. 

Many studies have been done on the power of albums in a person's life.  They are a powerful tool to help build self-esteem and belonging in the life of

a child.  But they are also a powerful tool and a symbol of love for anyone, regardless of age.

In an album you can document your feelings and your experiences.  By putting it in an album it is not just said once to your loved one but they can pick it up over and over again.  Many teens have been found with their albums in their bedrooms reading them when they are having the typical teenage struggles with their parents.  The album gives them hope and tells them you loved them enough to take the time to document something special in their life and add words of love and encouragement. 

Creative Memories has created an "Album of Hope" that you can easily make to give to your loved one.  This is particularly meaningful for a graduate or someone who has been going through a hard time.  If you want to create your Album of Hope as a digital book, you can get a free download of the template here.  All you do is add your own photos and a letter at the beginning of the book.  You can also make these albums in the traditional or PicFolio style. 

I so believe in the power of these books that I am willing to work with you for FREE if you don't want to make the book yourself.  I will make the book

for you using your photos and your letter.  Just contact me so we can get started.

Click here to see some Album of Hope examples. 

I would encourage you to also think about making an album for someone in your life that has made a difference.  Take the time to say thank you now.  Life is short and it would mean so much to that person to know they impacted your life in such a positive way.  Too often we wait until it is too late to say thanks. 

I am here to help you, all you have to do is ask. 

(If you want to see any of these images larger just click on the image.)

Albums provide a sense of connectedness

I wanted to share with you a letter from Creative Memories in Japan about the importance of albums in our life.  After such a horrible disaster they are finding that the importance of our memories and stories is one of the most powerful tools they have to rebuild and go on with their lives.  With our busy lives it really is important to take the time to do something with our photos.  We are creating our own legacy and are providing our own families with a sense of connectedness and love.  From simple to complex I am here to help you tell your story, your way. 

Creative Memories Mission: Creative Memories believes in and teaches the importance of preserving the past, enriching the present, and inspiring hope for the future.  We strive to re-establish the tradition of the photo historian/storyteller and the importance memory preservation and journaling for future generations. We offer quality photo-safe products and information that utilize cutting-edge technology.  We provide profitable career opportunities for those who believe in and want to share the Creative Memories philosophy, value, and ethics.  We offer a successful company that provides joy, dignity, and pride for Creative Memories consultants and staff members. 

Earth Day is everyday at Creative Memories

The following is an excerpt from a Creative Memories blog.  You are using products that are archival safe for your photos, made in America, and have been created as environmentally friendly as possible.  


........don’t take that the wrong way – I’m not implying that conservation and recycling aren’t important here at Creative Memories. Quite the opposite, actually. Truth be told, it’s in our DNA.

Our original parent company was founded in 1926 as the Antioch Bookplate Company. Ernest Morgan and his partner, Walter Kahoe, recycled the paper scrap from the campus print shop where they worked. And, with permission from the school to use the machines and ink after hours, they began printing bookplates.

That kind of ongoing awareness has always been part of who we are at Creative Memories. Not specifically on Earth Day, but just kinda every day.

Maybe the fact that we don’t make a point of celebrating Earth Day is a blind spot or an oversight for us. We’re certainly not perfect in this area. We haven’t converted our flagpoles to a wind farm yet.


And there are still more SUVs


than Priuses (Prii?) in our parking lot.


But, in case you’re interested, here are some fun facts* about the things we do to make sure we’re being (fairly) responsible with the Earth’s limited resources!

Product Standards
1. Creative Memories plastic products are typically PVC free. PVC is not readily recyclable and emits chlorine while being manufactured and, worse yet, often incorporates either lead or cadmium (up to 20 percent by weight).
2. Creative Memories metal products are lead and cadmium free. We use steel and zinc for strength and cutting applications, avoiding nickel and chromium.
3. Our albums and papers are inert and 100 percent recyclable and biodegradable. They are also free of mercury (common in cheaper papers).
4. The corrugate we use is 100 percent recyclable and meets CONEG (I’ll save you the trouble of looking it up. That’s the Coalition of Northeastern Governors, who developed model Toxins in Packaging legislation in the early 1990s.) requirements for the absence of lead, mercury and cadmium.
5. The packaging pillows we use are 100 percent recyclable and biodegradable.
6. Our inks and dyes use organic porphyrins for colorants, free of heavy metals and VOCs.
7. All of our adhesive products are VOC free and 100 percent biodegradable.

Systemic Controls
1. All of our tier 1 suppliers are audited for compliance to applicable environmental laws.
2. All of our products are actually tested (we don’t just trust a certificate from our suppliers) to be free of heavy metals.
3. VOC-containing products are not allowed in our manufacturing facility.

Manufacturing Processes
1. Scrap, rework and excess inventory are all actively discouraged so we can minimize energy and material consumption.
2. Equipment and processes are selected, at least in part, based on energy consumption and are designed for peak efficiency.
3. No processes in our facility require PPE or ventilation for VOC removal.
4. We use a four-day work week (250 cars x 3 gallons x 50 weeks = 37,500 gallons of fuel per year! And roughly 1,000,000 pounds of CO2.)

Last year we recycled 85 truckloads of paper, cardboard, plastics and metal.

Early in 2010 we wrapped up a complete lighting retrofit in our plant. Almost 650 light fixtures were replaced with energy-efficient fluorescent high-bay fixtures. Of those, 363 have motion sensors installed on the fixture (which are totally fun to play around with –– check this out –– as long as you don't do it often enough that you're wasting a lot of electricity).

These light fixtures only turn on when someone is under the fixture in that particular warehouse aisle. In addition to that, 56 of our 67 nightlights are now on motion sensors. After these areas are free of motion for 7 to 15 minutes, the lights turn off automatically. And, just so you know, all the old fixtures were dismantled and recycled responsibly.

All told, our green initiatives have lowered our energy use by 1,834,000 kilowatt hours annually. That’s $209,000 a year, in case you’re wondering. And it’s enough to power over 100 households a year.

Congratulations! Wow, check you out -– reading all the way to the end of this post. You’re quite the little eco-trooper, aren’t you? How about a couple ofEarth Day-themed digital freebies to salute your sticktoitiveness? (Honestly, that’s one of those made-up words that sounds okay spoken out loud but really looks awkward when you type it out.)


*All fun facts courtesy of Joe Ohman, our Manager of Equipment and Facilities.

Valentine Ideas

StoryBook Creator Plus or sbcStudio can come to your rescue this Valentine's Day.  You can use it to create cards, invitations, book marks, candy bag toppers, cupcake decorations, cup holders, and more.  It is so easy and fast using either of these programs.  You can use the pre-designed cards in the 5-panel or 3-panel sizes.  Or if you want to start from scratch you can make them in a 4x6 size, or do two to a 4x6 card; make them in a 4x8 size, or do three to a 4x8 card; or you can make them as 5x7 or even 12x12 page prints, as displayed here.  This is particularly good if you have boys.  They can make their own that are not so "girly".  Your imagination is the limit.  Please let me know if you need any help creating these.  I am also offering individual sessions for you to use my Software and my help in creating your own projects. 

Check out the new Valentine papers and embellishments on my web site. 

What about creating a StoryBook about the one you love.  You can do it using the ABC's with one letter for each trait you love about the person. (I can share with you several alphabet ideas if you would like.)  Don't worry about matching pictures to letters - just use random pictures with the words.  Or you can use your favoite quotes with random pictures.  Or you can use your favorite bible verses with random pictures.  The point here is to share what you love about the person and include some of your favorite pictures.  The kids could even help to create one of these books for Dad or Grandma or set up a time with me and I will help them create one for you - pass the hint along to Dad and I will even help him create a book. 

If you want to do something really special and really easy check out the pre-designed cards at the digital center.  All you have to do is drop in your photos. 

I would love to see what you create.