Enjoy the Kaleidoscope Digital Element Kit as a FREE GIFT from me to you with any purchase of $40 or more! Use the elements to create album designs, timeline covers, thank you cards, packaging tags, birth announcements, grad cards, birthday invitations, studio marketing pieces...the possibilities are endless! This is a great time to stock up on the brand new holiday cards and any other business essentials!

Here are a few examples of how you can use the elements to create products for your studio:

Considering I work full-time as a photographer it will probably come as no surprise to my readers that I have quite a few photos of my own kids. Although I must admit it's not as many as you might think. Sometimes I have to remind myself to pick up the camera and document my own family every now and again as it's easy to let my gear rest in its case when I'm not working. On top of that I tend to be very critical of my photos and when I'm shooting my kids it's often random chaos in less than ideal shooting conditions. Thankfully, I'm learning to take off my professional photographer hat when documenting my family and I just do the best I can with what I have. In other words, I guess I'm beginning to embrace imperfection and appreciating the photos for what they are. For several years I had a collection of photos stored in boxes in my basement. As the boys grew, so did the pile of boxes! I knew I needed to find a solution so my photos didn't sit stored in my basement or on my computer until my boys graduated from high school and I was forced to do something with them. After spending quite some time thinking through how I wanted to preserve our family photos I decided to move forward with albums for each of the boys.

Some of you might wonder why I wouldn't choose a digital album like the books I create for my clients. Truth be told, I came very close to choosing this as an option. However, there is something so nostalgic for me when I look back at old family photos of my own. I've loved having hardcopy prints over the years and I especially love when there is a handwritten note accompanied by the photo. For me there is something significant about passing down photographs and handwritten notes from generation to generation and it's a tradition I'd like to continue with my boys.

I often find myself having conversations with clients and friends when they ask how they can preserve their own everyday photos so I thought I'd take some time to share what I've found works for me. In the photo above you'll see I use12 in x 12 in We R Memory Maker Linen Albums for my boys. These 3-ring style binders hold a variety ofclear plastic photo sleeves designed to hold an assortment of photo sizes. When I take personal photos I store them in a folder on my computer and every two months or so I go through and print the pictures I'd like to include in their memory books. Then it's simply a matter of putting the photos in the sleeves and jotting down a few details on a journaling card. You can buy journaling cards at most on-line and brick-and-mortar scrapbook stores or create and print your own. I've also created a set of printables (shown below) that you can download forFREE HERE.

Now, having said that I will tell you that often times when we are out and about and I'm without my camera I have to rely on my iPhone and Instagram. Over the past year I've built quite a collection of photos and I am planning to put those images into a softcover digital book printed throughArtifact Uprising. This really makes it so I have the best of both worlds knowing that my boys will have hardcopy printed photographs along with a digital album filled with fun family memories captured on the fly.

I'd love to hear about how you preserve your everyday family photos. Feel free to leave a comment below!

If you had a chance to attend my class at WPPI it probably won't surprise you to know that this quote is one I try to live everyday. I have this set as my desktop on my computer, iPad, and iPhone to serve as a little reminder and I thoughtI'd share it as a FREE DOWNLOAD with all of you. Click HERE to retrieve the download. Enjoy!

When I saw this"Christmas in a Jar" project on Pinterest I thought it would be the perfect hostess gift during the upcoming holiday season! It was so easy to throw together using dehydrated orange, lemon, and apple slices, along with some cloves, allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon sticks. You can find the exact recipe HERE. Then I printed up a set of gift tags to tie onto each jar and viola! No more scrambling for a gift to hand our hostess as we make our rounds to holiday parties! I made a few extras and have been simmering the blend at home and it makes the house smell WONDERFUL.

As my gift to you I created a business card sized Foodie Gift Tag as a free download HERE. Enjoy!