A Brief History

I have been an avid crafter for most of my life. I also enjoy photography, writing and journaling. Approximately ten years ago, one of my friends invited me to a new kind of home party, a Creative Memories scrapbooking party. I was already a rubber stamp aficionado, and I was writing up journals and taking tons of photos, so it was only natural that I took to scrapbooking like a duck to water. As a matter of fact, I signed up to become a consultant on the spot. I was a Creative Memories consultant for several years before I realized I really enjoyed the scrapbooking more than the selling. I loved the products, but I didn't love lugging things from home to home in order to bring them to people. I just wanted to share stories! So I stopped selling, but didn't stop scrapbooking.

Six years ago I met my husband. We got married, had two children, moved a number of times. Life went on. The demands of motherhood and the realities of a house with two young children, a cat, and two dogs meant that I was almost never able to scrapbook. I didn't have time to start a project, let alone complete one! And if I tried, the kids and pets all wanted to 'help'. It was a disaster. My scrapbooking supplies were relegated to boxes in the laundry room. I continued taking pictures and writing journals but sorely missed being able to create beautiful scrapbooks.

Three years ago I was introduced to a new company called Heritage Makers. Heritage Makers is a digital storybooking company. (I will talk more about them in a future post.) The company returned my ability to create beautiful scrapbooks, and even let my children help. It was a lifesaver, opening whole new worlds for me. I signed up to be a consultant almost immediately.

I am still a consultant for Heritage Makers, and indeed many of the projects I create digitally are created using the Heritage Makers system. I love the company and truly believe that everyone has a story to tell. However, as a consultant over the past few years I have encountered the same problems time and again. People love the products, they love the idea of preserving memories and telling their stories. What they don't have is: Time. Technological ability. Confidence in their creative process. Oh yes, and did I mention time?

The front of our family Christmas card, December 2009

Memories have many enemies, among them: Water. Sunlight. Time. Disasters. All of these things and more can diminish or outright destroy precious photographs, memorabilia, and memories. It brings me tremendous sadness to know that people's heritage is being lost. I am very passionate about helping people tell and share their stories, and as a result, I decided to launch a personal scrapbooking business.

Those of you that are willing and able to create scrapbooks on your own, wonderful! If you are a Heritage Makers customer, or would like to become one, I would love to continue being your consultant and help you create beautiful projects that protect your cherished memories.

Those of you that are unable to create scrapbooks right now, I would love to work with you. I will use the latest in archiving technologies to help you preserve your heritage in beautiful ways that your family will treasure forever. Preserve those memories for yourself and future generations to enjoy. Your values, photos and stories make up your heritage. What you experience today is your family’s history; don’t let that be lost!

I love working with people from all walks of life. I offer a variety of services and products. I work with both digital media AND traditional paper products (and sometimes, a combination of both).

You may learn more about Heritage Makers at my personal Heritage Makers website here.

To see some of my personal scrapbooking offerings, please visit my etsy store, amilliondreams.

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Don't forgot to 'like' my business on Facebook; I offer periodic contests and giveaways there!

I look forward to working with you in the future.