I’m an artsy craftsy person. I’ve doodled. I’ve painted. I’ve sketched. The lastest creative outlet of mine being card making/stamping.  If you’re like me, you’ve spent countless hours in Michael’s and Joann’s – much to the dismay of the hubby.   He has seen me go up and down aisles, looking for just the right piece for my latest endeavor. So when my husband and I came across a Heritage Makers booth at a local Jazz Festival, we were quite enthralled by this unique company.  You see, I’m also a perfectionist. Things have to look just so to me – my own worst critic. I know, pretty odd combination to be an artist and a perfectionist. That’s just ONE of the reasons why Heritage Makers appeal to me.

Heritage Makers allow you to create lasting storybooks and…

• All you need is a computer and internet access - There is no software you need to download.  Better yet, you do not need supplies.  No hole punches, no brads, no embellishments, no scissors!  As the mother of a lil 2-yr old who LOVES to look at and touch everything that her mommy is doing, this is a major pro.
• There is NO WASTE - How green is that??  How many scraps and left over paper have you tossed into the recycle bin?  With digital scrapbooking, there is no waste.  A perfectionist like myself appreciates that I can see the whole picture and still be able to change my mind on a picture or placement without wasting materials.
• It’s quick - All you do is log on to your account and work on your projects.  No set up time, like getting out the scissors, glue, and other tools.  More importantly, no clean up time! 
• Every book is truly an heirloom - Pages get torn, books get lost or even ruined in a natural disaster.  You can get another copy of your book – at half price.  If it were an actual scrapbook, think of all the materials, you would need to reproduce it!  This guarantees that your stories and history gets passed down to generations to come.
• Costs less – Think about it.  Once you buy a scrapbook album, stickers, embellishments & ribbons, how much did it cost you in the end?  I can’t tell you how much times I’ve gotten a strip of stickers for only a particular one? How many timesmuch stickers, paper scraps, and other things do you have leftover sitting unused waiting for that other scrapbook project?  With Heritage Makers, you use what you want out of a collection – and as much times as you want and NO leftovers!
• Earns you money! Contact me at mjreed@yourmemoriestokeep.com to sign up as a consultant.

But it’s not just about that… Heritage Makers is for preserving memories, going back to family, roots, and heritage.  As I mentioned earlier, it was the creative scrapbooking aspect that first caught my attention but now that I know what you can do with storybooking, I want to make sure that all of life’s moments are captured for those of us that weren’t lucky enough to experience these moments first hand.   As I learned more about HM and saw story maps and Cornerstone books,  I realized I really didn’t know my grandparents. 

MY “why”

On my mom’s side, my grandpa died shortly before I was born. My grandma suffered a stroke when I was in middle school that left her paralyzed on her right side and unable to speak clearly.  She hardly said much because it was too frustrating for her to verbalize what she was trying to say.  In high school, I started asking about what she did as a kid and through her slow and slurred speech, eventually I found out that she had to drop out of school to help her older sister care for their nine younger siblings. I was intrigued, I wanted to know more – about what life was like, how she met Grandpa, everything… but I never did find out.  She suffered a second massive stroke and died before a month before my high school graduation.

My mom’s kidney are failing.  She has been on dialysis for nearly 14 years now and if you are familiar with dialysis, you know that that is a rare and remarkably long time.  And in the eight years since she has moved to Arizona, I’ve seen her grow more and more frail and weak.  It’s a reality that I’m still not willing to face.  She is my best friend after all… But, what I want, is for my daughter to know my mom… as I knew her, as everyone knew her.  Like how she would be the one on the farthest reef braving the crashing waves trying to catch the biggest fish… I want my daughter to know her Gramma was up on the trees alongside her brothers trying to get the best norfolk pine for for Christmas… I want her to know how Gramma used to make her co-worker mad by getting good tips because she was the best waitress… I want her to know how her Gramma always made people laugh, even in the hospital emergency rooms… I want her to know her Gramma always  liked laughing…

And when my daughter is old enough to read,  I will have SHOWN her who her Gramma is… and I’d have made her Gramma’s best memories part of my daughter’s favorite memories too…