Brenda's Books & Other Publishing Projects

Reunion Re-Cap Report #1: Rewarding Results

2009-09-22T16:30:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a memorable Heritage Makers Reunion 2009 "Let's Get Loud" convention in Las Vegas! I'm just back from the City That Never Sleeps with news of new products & tools that will mean many more of my clients and consultants won't be able to sleep...they'll be staying up late being creative in Heritage Studio to design these incredible new projects!

With so many things to report, I have to start somewhere so I'll start by getting LOUD about my OWN news first! I received not one, but TWO, big awards at Reunion. One I had known about beforehand...the other was a TOTAL SHOCK!!!

I accepted the BEST OF HERITAGE PAST AWARD for Gloria Mohlis' Life Storybook "Beyond the Pier" that I helped her publish. She wrote almost all of it...I designed all of it! She's an amazing lady & it was a pleasure working with her to turn her story into a book. After learning a lot more about her life, I've decided her life story should become a movie! Producers, please contact me...I'll be her agent! I'll have to post more about Gloria because how I met her is a story in itself!

HERITAGE MAKERS MISSION AWARD
This was the huge surprise! In fact, I had such a look of shock on my face that a few people caught on camera! I was even stunned almost speechless, which is pretty hard to do for those who know me at all! It was truly a special moment and huge honor as my fellow consultants had nominated me for this based on my Oprah story last year that led to us being named one of Oprah's All-Time Favorite Gifts last fall. Thank you to all who appreciated my contribution to the company's growth!

Another aspect of the REWARDING Reunion is that I had a FULL HOUSE hand of cards from our Take A Chance incentive that earned me $70 cash. Of course, I used it to buy our newly released samples & brand-new product catalogs for my clients! Well invested! No, I did NOT put it into the slots hoping to double my money!

Also exciting was watching my fellow Heritage Makers friends accept awards for top sales, top sponsoring, rank advancement promotions, and reaching other recognition-worthy milestones! They'll all tell you what a thrill it is to walk on stage in front of more than 500 others to be recognized for achieving success. I look forward to cheering on my team to such accolades & running up front to take their pic too! It truly is a special experience to be surrounded by so many inspiring women leading this company, supporting their teams, plus strengthening homes & families across the country with the heritage-enriching power of storybooking! A salute to all my fellow consultants from the early pioneers to the newest to join the family!

Reunion Re-Cap Report #2: New Studio Stuff

2009-09-22T16:28:00.000-07:00

The first thing that gave me chills was the announcement about the latest enhancement to our online Heritage Studio...improved photo management! Now this may not seem like truly sexy news but it's a HUGE help for those who have many, many gigabytes worth of photos stored in albums on my HM account. (Gotta love unlimited storage for Premier accounts!)

What's new with PHOTO MANAGEMENT includes 3 big things:
1) Shows filenames now...if you don't rename your JPGs, this won't matter to you but if you've already classified those baby pics as 6 months, 8 months, etc., you'll be thrilled! Plus, you can click to name them right in the Editor window so if you know which pic has eyes open, you can name it "best" or something and it'll show that way for quicker, easier reference later. Plus, all filenames are shown in alphabetical order so it's a snap to find the shots you want, even in a big photo album.

2) Foldering...create sub-folders for Family, Friends, Holidays and such to better classify your albums & pics into additional groups or categories. Drag in specific images to make a whole folder of a certain event or person to make it easy to find them fast when you want.

3) Sharing albums...now you can email anyone (even people without HM accounts) your uploaded photo albums so they can see your latest pics. Put in their address and a personal note. It will go to them and let them view them easily. If they want to create an account of their own, they can but it's not required to view your pics.

PUBLISHING PERKS
Two new upgrades have been added as well. These special options are FREE for all Premier members and just $2.95 (total) for Basic members. Your choice at the time of checkout. Neat!
1) MATTE FINISH COVERS: If you don't like the high gloss look of our laminated hardcovers, now you can choose a flatter matte look instead. It can still be wiped off too!
2) BLACK END PAGES: This adds a classy flair to the front & back of your books if you prefer it over the standard white end pages. The vellum front sheet will stay!

ENJOY THE NEW WHITE WORKSPACE
This one may not be as obvious for an improvement, but the white work area around your pages will show up your text boxes and elements much better so they won't get lost when you drag them off to the edges for use later.

DESIGN DOUBLE-PAGE SPREAD LAYOUTS IN STUDIO
This is another huge enhancement that will make many designers very happy. Currently we can only view and design one side of a page at a time in the Editor, which makes it a bit challenging to be creative with full spreads and elements that cross the gutter. But with 2 of our newest just-released products, this design option will be offered. The developers are working to roll it out for all our storybooks in Studio soon!

Reunion Re-Cap Report #3: New Products Part 1

2009-09-22T16:25:00.000-07:00

This is probably the news you wanted to know the most but it's just one part of the HUGE HAPPENINGS in Vegas at Reunion 2009...granted, it's a big, fun part but there is and was lots of other stuff to cover too! Without further adieu, I'll spill the beans about the details! Here's Part 1:

NEW 8X8 BOARD BOOKS
Much in demand, the toddler-friendly design is finally here! This 8x8-size storybook features 32 pages (non-expandable) with sturdy pages in a unique lay-flat, no-gutter design. It retails for $59.95 but ordering through me (your consultant) means it's just $53.95! Just released...it has Basic & Premier templates for a boy or girl version of "I'm a VIP" to help build a child's self worth!

NEW SWATCH BOOKS
Not just for paint or carpet samples any more! Design your own to feature family photos, favorite recipes, addresses, business reference, or whatever you want! It's 5.75x3.5 inches with 10 double-sided pages (non-expandable) with a corner post and clear protective cover sheets. Basic & Premier templates are already available with more to come soon! Retail price is $19.95 but I can get it for you at $17.95. A perfect gift under $20!

Reunion Re-Cap Report #3: New Products Part 2

2009-09-22T16:18:00.000-07:00

Here are two LARGE additions to the product line that will make a huge impact on your walls:

20X20 GALLERY-WRAPPED CANVAS
Already popular in 16x20 and 20x24 sizes, this new square version will likely prove to be a hit as well. Deck your halls with your own family photos, artwork and designs done in Heritage Studio. All of our canvas prints come gallery-wrapped delivered to your door and ready to hang. UV coating adds protection but it's also covered by our Heirloom Assurance Guarantee (like everything we sell!).

This new size retails for $99.95 but is just $89.95 through me. Get the 16x20 for $89.95 ($80.95) and the 20x24 for $109.95 ($98.95)!

11X16 SINGLE-SIDED CALENDAR
Want more room to write on your own custom calendar or just want to make your photos even larger to display on the wall of your home or office? Our new 11x16 single-sided calendar is your best bet for visual appeal & functional calendar use for 365 days! What a great gift that lasts & is useful! Perfect for those people who don't need more "stuff" in their life! Vibrant full-color with durable wire binding and the hook to hang it up.

Choose this new larger size for just $34.95 retail or $31.95 through me. The standard size 11x8.5 double-sided calendar is also still available at just $29.95 retail or $26.95 through me!

Reunion Re-Cap Report #3: New Products Part 3

2009-09-22T16:16:00.000-07:00

The third segment of the new product introductions at Reunion 2009 is part storybook, part DVD! Introducing our HISTORY HEROES SERIES of storybooks and DVDs that will bring world history to life for you child. Teach the values and character traits of these respected icons in history and help your child emulate them.

How many of you admire a historical figure and wish your child would learn to idolize someone like George Washington instead of Spiderman? Skip the domination by Disney cartoon characters and let your children learn from the real heroes of our history such as Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln, Helen Keller, Joan of Arc and Harriet Tubman.

Choose any of the 20 different Hero DVDs for $24.95 each. Two 10-video Collections or the complete 20-DVD set are also available (see me for pricing).

The 7.5x10 size storybook has two Basic templates that let you showcase "The Hero in You" or "Our Family Heroes." Get the storybook publishing credit with an accompanying DVD of your choice for only $69.95.

Don't just entertain...educate! And inculcate values of endurance, sacrifice, honesty, determination, and such in your child. You'll be making the world a better place and possibly shaping the future history of our world!

Reunion Re-Cap Report #3: New Products Part 4

2009-09-22T16:15:00.000-07:00

The final new Heritage Makers product introduced at Reunion 2009 is NOT a storybook! Or anything printed actually...well, sort of, but the printed parts are very small!

I won't make you keep trying to guess and I don't think you will because this is a unique addition for us. We now have a few select pieces of HM Keepsake Jewelry just in time for the holiday gift-giving season! My guess is this will be very popular for Mother's Day & Valentine's Day as well!

If you like to look stylish & sport pics of your loved ones, we have the wearable art you want! Stylish silver-tone plated jewelry features small inset images of your choice and comes shipped to your doorstep already assembled and ready to wear!

Choose the HM Keepsake Bracelet! This stretch cord style fits any size wrist and lets you show off 6 photos (or designs; single-sided).

7-inch 6-photo bracelet $39.95 retail ($35.95 your price)
A larger 7.75-inch 6-photo version is also available at the same price!

Simply design your "photo" in Heritage Studio and it will be printed, assembled into the jewelry and shipped to your door in about a week all ready to show off!

An HM Keepsake Necklace & Pendant is another way to keep loved ones close to your heart. Available with one, two or three double-sided pendants, this heavy-duty chain sports the people you care most about in a look you'll love!

1-Pendant Necklace: $34.95 retail ($29.95 your price)
3-Pendant Necklace: $54.95 retail ($49.95 your price)
Single Pendant Separately: $14.95 retail ($12.95 your price)

3 Ways to Make Your May More Memorable

2009-05-10T19:29:00.000-07:00

CLICK THE IMAGE TO VIEW MY WHOLE MAY NEWSLETTER!
It's loaded with free stuff! Free online classes!
Free templates! Free publishing! Free ideas! FUN!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

2009-05-10T08:01:00.000-07:00

To my many Mom clients & fellow Mom consultants...I hope your day was special and memorable in so many ways! As a single Mom myself, I'd like to give a double shout-out to those who go it alone!

As a salute to my Dad's mom, Grandma Shirley, I'm sharing the project preview of the 8x8 storybook I just finished to honor her 80th birthday party with thank-you letters from each of her 7 children. Priceless!

Click the image to open the Project Preview window!

Kyan's Birthday Buddy Thank-You Card

2009-04-15T20:15:00.000-07:00

My son Kyan had a monster truck themed party for his 4th birthday. His friends got this cool customized thank-you card afterward!

HINT: To best view the 7x5 greeting card, zoom in slightly (about halfway on the slider) and then just click your mouse on the card, hold down and "spin" it to see the inside spread!

Coming Soon! See what I do with storybooking!

2009-03-20T11:48:00.001-07:00

Bear with me...I'm just in the process of making the Oprah Called Me blog its own so I can create this one separately.

In the meantime, you can see what I'm doing at http://www.buildyourheritage.com and at http://oprahcalledme.blogspot.com!

I'll be back soon!
Brenda Ebel Kruse