Christmas in July! Are you Ready?

by Cynthia Coulon, Mar-Com Manager

Has anyone asked you lately if you’re ready for the holidays? It might seem like a silly question in the middle of summer, but it’s really worth considering. Now is prime time to make your gifts and greetings list and to start accumulating all the publishing points you’ll need for your meaningful Heritage Makers holiday projects!

Enjoy looking through the templates below and get inspired to make this year's holiday season extra special with heart-felt gifts and greetings, seasonal decor, and more.

Make Holiday Cards as Unique as You Are
We have so many fabulous greeting card and invitation templates, the problem won't be finding one you like, it will be choosing which one you like the best! Below is a festive grouping of 5 x 7 invitations just to give you a small taste of what we have to offer.  With our new rounded corner and matte finish options, now you can add even more style to your holiday cards!



“Joy & Peace Basic Portrait” by Michelle Bell, template 100653; “Year in Review–Red” by Michelle Bell,template 100733; and “A Blue & Red Christmas” by Anna Gehmlich Bates, template 108685.

Studio makes it easy to create coordinating holiday pieces like the holiday greetings and thank you cards below. These very merry templates are very quick to personalize and will be an extra special way to share your love and thanks with friends and family this year. Complete your coordinated set with matching address labels!


“Merry Little Christmas Card,” “Merry Little Christmas Thank You,” and "Merry Little Address Labels," 5 x 7 invitations and address labels by Kari Pieratt, templates 98783, 98784, and 98785.

Make Your Cards Talk
This year, add an extra special touch to your gifts and greetings with the fun application of QR Code technology! QR Codes are scannable by most cell phones. The codes link to unique URLs on the web—so you can send people directly to videos, slideshows, audio files, etc., that you created and uploaded especially for them. The holiday greetings below are great examples of placing QR Codes on cards. Lynda Angelastro, the designer of the snowman card below, made a unique holiday greeting video for each of her grandchildren and uploaded them to YouTube. She then generated QR Codes for each video and put the codes on her holiday cards. Think of all the creative and fun possibilities with this technology!  Check out this article for more information about using QR Codes on your HM Projects.



“HM Bring on Christmas QR” 7 x 5 invitation by Roxanne Buchholz, template 97322; “Young Man Holiday QR” 6 x 4 greeting card by Lynda Angelastro, template 97710;  “Warm Wishes” 8 x 4 photo card by Michelle Bell, template 97500.

Make Fun Holiday Home Decor

Bring some extra cheer into your home this year by personalizing some of our 11 x 14 holiday prints. Here are just a few of our favorites below.



“Santa’s Beard Countdown” 11 x 14 Print by Kari Pieratt, template 90921; “Christmas Subway” 11 x 14 Print by Cynthia Coulon, template 97144; “Christmas Joy Subway Art” &“Merry & Bright Subway Art” 11 x 14 Prints by Kari Pieratt, templates 97429 & 97430; “Oh Christmas Tree” 11 x 14 Print by Roxanne Buchholz, template 96174.

Add More Heart to Your Holiday Tree
Our customizable, double-sided Keepsake Ornaments are a wonderful way to celebrate holiday firsts, family events, and more. They make meaningful and lasting gifts as well. Below you'll see just a small sampling of our templates, and of course, you can always choose to make one completely from scratch!

“Our First Christmas” by Brittany Hutchings, template 94969; “HM Naughty or Nice Penguin” by Roxanne Buchholz, template 94979; “Baby’s First Christmas” by Anna Gehmlich Bates, template 92871; “Pennant Christmas Keepsake” by Kari Pieratt, template 97927; “HM More Wag Ornament” by Roxanne Buchholz, template 97252.



Make Fun Tags and Crafts
We've got lots of scrap page templates designed to be used for cute holiday gift tags and other crafts. Here are some especially fun templates brand new to the Gallery.


“Soda-lighted” 12 x 12 Double-sided Scrap Page by Cynthia Coulon, template 109376


“Holiday Dough v.2” 12 x 12 Scrap Page by Cynthia Coulon, template 110125



“You’re Getting Muffin” 12 x 12 Double-sided Scrap Page by Cynthia Coulon, template 97140



“Christmas Nativity Blocks” 12 x 12 Scrap Page by Marin Barney, template 110554

This article was just a small taste of the many holiday templates available to you as you prepare for the upcoming season. Remember, larger items like Storybooks, Canvases, Metal Prints, and Brag Bags make very meaningful and totally unique gift items for those you love. When you take the time and make the effort to personalize these keepsake projects, you can be sure that you'll be creating a gift that will keep on giving for years to come!

Continue

Make it in Moments: Family Reunion Cards and Christmas Ornaments

Family Reunion Playing Cardsby Lynda Angelastro, Studio Product Manager

Show and Tell or Souvenir
Looking for a fun show-and-tell or souvenir for your Family Reunion this year? Try a playing card deck with one card for each family member. Super fast and simple, this project encourages family members to seek out relatives at the Family Reunion and preserves the family bonds that are built at the event.



Why Playing Cards?
Here’s why. Every year, I send a deck of playing card ornaments to each branch of the family to be decorated and hung on the tree. The bond-building potential of these cards really hit me hard this year when, nine months after Christmas, a photo was posted on Facebook by my daughter-in-law. “Aww! Look what I found under Robyn’s pillow. I asked her what it was doing there and she said she likes to keep it there because it makes her feel close to Lindsey,” she wrote.

Whether you take your cards to the Family Reunion or use them as a reminder of the good times you had when you were there, this “2013 Family Reunion” playing card set, template 110716, (under the name Lynda Angelastro) is versatile, easy to create and is designed to help form and strengthen relationships, much like the holiday ornament cards. Tape these cards to the fridge, spread them out on the coffee table, or make a display with them. They are a fast and easy way to get kids talking about their extended family.



Step1: Choose & Input Your Information
Select the text information for the bottom of the card. Will it be the marriage partner and the birth date or will it be mom's and dad’s names? In this template, I chose to use the mom's and dad’s names for cousins and the “married” and “born” information on older generations. This text box could also be a quote, a favorite activity or something you want to remember from the Reunion. Once your photos and information are in place, change the names and the “relationship” text boxes on the banner.



Step2: Choose Your Colors
To keep family members organized, I chose a different color frame for each generation. Keep yours the same or use one color for each family unit. Here’s how to find more colors. Open the “art collections” tab. Enter “color” in the search box and it will bring up the “Color Pickers” collection. Use this for a faster, easier way to pick the pastel colors you want to use on your cards.



Step3: Put a Name on the Back
Not as easy as it sounds. Choose the name of the grand- or great grandparents from which you are all descended or use the Reunion place as your name. Add a date if you want, push the publish button, and you are done.



Only One Life to Live
Live intentionally. Plan projects, like this one, that enhance family lives and relationships. It’s simple and easy-to-do, but it really works. Start your “2013 Family Reunion” playing card deck tonight!

Continue

Template Spotlights: Stocking Stuffers from Heritage Makers

Looking for original smaller gifts or stocking stuffers this holiday season? Check out these ideas. Whether you’re looking for a gift for a co-worker, an extra something for each stocking or a neighbor gift, Heritage Makers has fast, easy and meaningful smaller projects for every person on your list.

     
Pocket Size Swatch/Flip Books
If you’re looking for gifts of impact, in smaller sizes for a child in the family, nothing does the trick quite like a swatch or flip book. “Barnyard Pals,” template 30613, shown here and a similar “My Animal Pals,” template 30613 are both stocking-stuffer-size swatch books by Krishelle Leavitt that teach very young children about the animals around them. Print them just as the template comes (there are no photos needed) or add your child’s name to the front cover for easy customization.





What teenage daughter wouldn’t love this self-esteem building flip book “What I Love about You” by Tanja Rigby, template 49851. Fill it with heart-felt sentiments telling her how important she is to your family. The project needs nine snapshots to complete the purse-packable book.



For a stocking stuffer for the teen or tween boy in your life, how about a “Time Capsule” square swatchbook by Darcie Toom? It’s template 30546 and with its garage grunge look, the boys would find the small book lots of fun. With glimpses of them and their favorite foods, sports and current events, this may be a gift they request every year. We added a dog-tag initial to our cover to replace the “do not open until 2020” text. Want to make a version that covers several years? Simply replace the year-number text with your boy’s last name. And if you’re looking for a stocking stuffer for a husband, dad or grandpa, this works just as well for them too.
  
If you’re looking for a stocking stuffer for an aunt or grandma, how about this “2012 Crazy For You Calendar” by Sandra Dovre. It’s a flip book, template 64555. The calendar/brag book is designed with room for a photo on each page along with that month’s calendar. With a slightly off-beat, “Crazy 4 You” theme, it’s the perfect gift for your teenagers to give their family members and friends.
     
Playing Card Gifts
Playing card decks also make wonderful stocking stuffers. Our standard, regulation deck is a Basic template called “Your Photo Card Deck” by Lynda Angelastro. Template 51251 requires only one photo and can be used so many ways. Think snapshot of Dad’s favorite hunting dog, a family photo, a teen BFF photo like the one shown here, an organization’s logo or building, a portrait of grandma and grandpa or a snapshot of the family vacation. There’s a treasured photo that would make a perfect card deck for each member of your family.

Another playing card gift that doesn’t need ANY customization except your name on the card back is this calendar card set by Sandra Dovre. Each card deck makes four calendar sets. It’s called “2012 Dream Often Gift Calendars” and is template 67630. Punch holes in the top right-hand corner of the card and put each of the four sets on small binder rings. (You can find brightly colored ones at the scrapbook store or use silver office supply rings and dress up with ribbons.)

If you’re looking for a family game for a stocking stuffer check out the “Colorful Go Fish” template by Michelle Bell. You can find this deck by putting 56908 in the template search. It’s a wonderful addition to any family member’s stocking and helps children of all ages remember the names of extended family. It’s an especially fun gift for nieces, nephews or grandchildren when the deck is used to play together during the family holiday and the players are all documented in the card set.

Smaller but Special
Smaller presents and stocking stuffers can be so much more when they are customized gifts from Heritage Makers. You can pack a lot of family connections, self-esteem building or friend appreciation into one of Heritage Makers smaller products. Make yours today!

Continue

Make it in Moments: Fast and Easy Canvases

If you haven’t found the perfect present for a much appreciated family member or friend, or you’ve left some of your most important gifts a little late; check out the canvas gifts shown here. None of them require more than a fifteen minute photo-swapping session and each makes a gift that will show just how much you care.

Repurpose the Holiday Card Photo Shoot Photos

If you just had a family photo shoot for your holiday card, repurpose those same shots as a canvas gift for parents or grandparents. Designer Jill Means’ “Season Series—Winter” is the perfect canvas to display Christmas card photos. It’s a 16 x 20 canvas, template 41484. While beautiful on its own, this canvas is also available in three other versions, making up a seasonal set. Others in the set of seasons make wonderful birthday or other special-occasion gifts, so your gift could grow as the year goes by.

  

Show Off Your Child’s Snapshots

Need a gift for your child’s godparents, aunts or uncles? Take snapshots from across the year and make one of these charming 20 x 20 canvases from Wendy Bailey. The “Little Boys” template is 41904 and the “Little Girls” version is template 41894. Find four snapshots you love and you’ve got a gift that will be as treasured as your child is.

Unique Key Holder Gift

If you’ve got a photo of each of your loved ones, consider this delightful and certain-to-be-used and appreciated holiday gift. It’s a 20 x 8 canvas by Wendy Bailey that you customize with a photo of each family member. After template 40415 arrives, screw cup hooks into the bottom of the canvas’ wooden frame, centering each hook below a picture. Your finished gift is now a one-of-a-kind key holder! If the family you’re thinking of does not have four key-carrying members, consider this. Include doggie family members so they can have leashes hanging on their hooks. Add a spare pacifier to a hook with a baby photo above it for the littlest family member. Hang a belt, sports lanyard or ponytail holder from the hook for a school ager.


  

Statements of Value or Style

For gifts that echo your family and friends’ values or style, try these two 8 x 8 canvases that require absolutely no customization! “Heidi's "BE" 8x8 Canvas” is by Heidi Jackson and template 34271. The “Simplicity Canvas” is by Cristina Brown and is easy to find in the Template Gallery by entering 41963 in the search box.





Family Pride

If you haven’t yet made “name” canvases for friends and family, this too would be a much appreciated gift. The template “Family that Plays Together” by Jenna Muir, template 27195 can be a gift given as is, with no customization or find the large type box that contains “Family,” (if you click right in the middle of the canvas, you’ll get the “quote” type box, click above the quote for the “family” box.) Change the word “family” to your loved one’s last name. “Bailey” by Wendy Bailey, template 42387, was also designed to have the “Bailey” last name replaced with your own. In this case, the name was made with an alphabet that will need to be swapped out for the appropriate family name. And for an extra custom touch, change out the papers in the four corners of this design to match your recipient’s décor.

Canvases: Luxury Gifts at Club HM Prices

A custom canvas is a gorgeous gift that will typically be hung with pride and appreciation for many years. Make yours meaningful by selecting any of our canvas templates and taking just a few minutes to personalize them for your gift recipient. At our low Club HM prices, you can give a luxurious custom-canvas gift at a very reasonable price!

Continue

Personalized Christmas Ornaments

For decor that’s the highlight of the holidays, feature the faces of your loved ones on the tree this year. It’s easy with these playing card ornaments from Lynda Angelastro, “Holiday Ornament,” template number 64087.

  

   

Instructions

1. Open the template and personalize the two background papers to fit your holiday theme or home décor.
2. Swap out photos for each family member you want to feature on the tree. A deck makes 54 ornaments, so make two, three or four of each to give as gifts, depending on how many people you are planning to feature in the “set.”
3. Search the art collections for one small element that helps show off your loved ones personality like the soccer ball, guitar and penguins shown here. Try sports, art, baby, bling or handyman elements. Add to the appropriate card.
4. After the card deck is printed, punch holes at top and bottom of card as shown in last card above and thread with narrow ribbon or yarn.
5. String beads or buttons on thread or yarn to add festive touch to bottom of card as shown here.
6. Repeat for top, leaving a yarn or ribbon loop as a hanger for tree.

 

Template designer Lynda tells of having these on her tree for several years in a row. She does not discard the previous year’s ornaments but hangs them alongside the current year’s photos. Her grandchildren now spend long stretches at the Angelastro tree looking for their new ornament, as well as those from years past. It’s become a delightful and bonding family tradition.

 

Memorable and personalized tree ornaments that build traditions for your family are easy with your Club HM membership and our Studio templates. Try trimming YOUR tree with family this year!

Continue