Negative Space

Scrapjazz had another "Photo Challenge". This one from Jamie Warren, and I loved it! Her picture samples and info about what "Negative Space" is in photos and how it brings to much more emotion and depth to a picture.

I don't even think I have pictures that are good enough to share...that have negative space, so check out this link! SCRAPJAZZ

Preschool Book...LOOK-LOOK-LOOK!

Here's a sample Pre-school book! This is a Cherish Bound "Legacy" style book. That means that this book is already designed with the colors, fonts, and embellishments/designs. Makes it so easy for you! You just have to drop your photos and text in.

You can also see how there are photos and scanned images as well. You can take any of your children's art work, handwritten letters and notes, drawings, awards, etc., and add them to your books!

Wordless Wednesday...Wonders Under the Water

For more Wordless Wednesday visit 5minutesformom.com

Tuesday Tradition #21

Lemonade Stands!

How much fun are those?? I remember as a child setting up lemonade stands during my mom and grandmother's quarterly yard sales, on hot summer days when there was NOTHING to do, and even in the cold days of December trying to earn some extra Christmas cash. Those were the days!

My 5-year-old has just discovered this idea and is OBSESSED with selling lemonade. At first I thought, "Oh, come on...this is too much work! I have to get the table out, make the signs, make the sticky lemonade...." But I realized that I have some incredibly fun childhood memories of sitting behind my little table and my neighbors dropping quarters into my cup.

So if you need a fun summer tradition....go out and sale some lemonade with your kiddos! Everyone loves a yummy cold cup of lemonade and the sticky smiles that are made!

Here is a link to FamilyFun. They have some cute Lemonade Signs already made up and ready to print. Click HERE!

Product Spotlight - Vacation Dailies

It's summer and that means VACATION! Everyone I know is out gallivanting around the world! Except for me of course....actually, I'm choosing to stay close to home this year. We're taking a year off from vacations and enjoy ourselves at home. But for those of you that are out and about Vacation Dailies are just for you!

Vacation Dailies are a set of 16 story "leaves" that contain multiple questions about your adventure. They are designed to help you write your story ONE DAY AT A TIME! Telling your

vacation story while you're on the vacation...BRILLIANT! The questions are organized i n event/chronological order to help you better record your memories and stories that are happening. You have plenty of space to write your side of the story, but you can also get multiple perspectives on your vacation by having your children, husband or other guests write their thoughts as well.

There is even space for you to mount a matching photo or you can publish our "Vacation" story when you get home in one of Cherish Bound's professionally bound books.

Photographing Babies

I'm intrigued with baby photography. I can look at my children's baby pictures over and over for hours on end. I think it's because those stages of life come and go so quickly. Every time I was blessed with a new little one I would think to myself how can life be so grand, so wonderful, so amazing...how can this sweet little baby bring so much love and joy into my soul? If you're a mother I don't even have to try and explain it...you get it. It's not something you can describe in words...it just makes me smile.

The pictures that we capture of our little ones at birth and during the first few months of their lives help us remember those deep overwhelming feelings that we experience when a new baby has blessed our lives.

I found this article on Scrapjazz called Shake, Rattle & Roll, Photographing Babies. It's a great little article with tips for photographing your new little babies.

The "Landscape"

The beautiful Landscape book...yes, that's probably my favorite style of Cherish Bound book to publish. I gives me a warm fairytale feeling. I have flashbacks of being read to by grandparents and even my own parents and I always picture large flowing landscape style books spread across our laps. It evokes deep nostalgia in my soul. Hummmm.....

So here are a few of my favorite "landscape" style Cherish Bound books that I have published. Of course they're all my favorite.

This is the story about my twins and the stories about their surprise arrival and pictures up to about 10 months old.

For Mother's & Father's Day 2007 I gave each of my parents a book about my memories and stories of growing up with them as my mom and dad. By using the Tribute to Mom/Dad Story Starter I was able to remember memories WAYYY back. It helped me discover some amazing stories and memories that I never knew existed.

This is book was a gift to all the softball coaches on my daughter's softball team. Each coach got a book at the end of the year. All the girls wrote about their favorite memories, stories and what they learned during the season.

This is a book I did for my grandmother who told me stories about her mother and father, her youth and her experiences as a mother.

If you're interested in publishing a landscape book through Cherish Bound contact me today! I'll help you get started sharing your stories!

Wordless Wednesday...Let Us OUT!

For more Wordless Wednesday visit 5minutesformom.com

Tuesday Tradition #20

I love summer! I love the warm air (most of the time), I love the beach, the pool, BBQ's and get togethers....I love NO SCHOOL and NO schedules! Such a nice change of pace. And I love the 4th of July...and of course I'm a July Birthday, so I love it for that reason too.

Summer Rocks! And I love that with the simplicity of our schedule we get to spend more time together as a family. No 6 hour drives to soccer tournaments or 2 hours of car pool back and forth to all of our after-school commitments....it's just filled with dates by the pool, morning jogs, afternoon basketball, a little more swimming, some trampoline jumping....then daddy gets home from work and more swimming, late night tennis....

I didn't realize it, but we have great summer traditions in our family. I think we take it for granted that we are so blessed to be able to spend so much "FUN" time together in the summer. Obviously our family revolves around a sports theme, but that's tradition for us! My husband and I are....I guess you could say obsessed with sports, and we have successfully passed on our tradition and passion for sports to our kids. How many couples happily fall asleep with ESPN on in the background....last night, we were up watching the re-play of Tiger Woods' incredible victory of the US Open until 1:00 am. That's bonding....that's tradition in our family.

So maybe you're not a big sports fan, but you have something that you love that you can pass on to your children. And when you put those things into practice it's a tradition...how about cooking or baking? Reading? Writing? Do you collect something? Sing? (Ain't none of that going on in our family) Sailing? Artist? Comedian? Fishing? (that's us too) It can be anything! You are the one that will mold your children and grandchildren, and the family traditions you set in place today will be what connects their family together. Are you passing those wonderful talents and traditions on? I sure hope so....because if you don't, someone else will.

Product Spotlight - Heritage Journal

Finding our family's connections can seem like a daunting task. Most families are so big and extend in every which direction it can become a little overwhelming. Sometimes it's just best to start within arm's reach...start with those living right now, right down the street.

Cherish Bound has a new pre-published journal called Heritage, which is the second book in a collection of four. It joins the previously released Traditions Journal. This pre-made hardbound book will offer ideas, resources and just the right amount of space for recording your Family Heritage Stories. With 12 blank spreads and pages of questions and ideas, this darling journal from Cherish Bound will help you create lots of heritage stories. Use this simple and easy journal to record several stories about one family member, or use each page to highlight a different member of the family.

This Heritage Journal is a great activity for any family reunion or get-together. Don't wait until it's too late....get those stories now! Grandparents, Uncles, Aunts, and even your own parents can offer amazing stories, advice, and wisdom. The Heritage Journal can help you capture those amazing stories!

"Some things can only be told by you. Only you can tell a particular story that will then become a rich heritage passed down to your children and your children's children... Good stories come from plain people saying simple things." (WJH)