Casa de Spooks

I'm dealing with the issues inherent in being an overachieving dreamer with a variety of interests right now.

I'm struggling, specifically, with the idea of whether or not I should focus all my energy into writing, or if I should keep up with both writing and Heritage Makers (or, as I mentioned the other day, whether or not I should replace Heritage Makers with Pure Romance).

They all have merit. If I gave up on Heritage Makers it wouldn't be because it's a bad business or a bad company - quite the contrary, I like them and the products quite a bit. I believe in what they're doing quite strongly and I think more people should be storybooking.

The trouble is, I have too many passions. That's not a secret. I also love to write. That's not a secret either. I keep coming up with more and more writing ideas and I could conceivably spend all day every day writing or researching things I want to write about. Obviously I have a family to care for and a house to maintain too, but aside from that... I could write. A lot. I want to write. A lot. I'm hindered by time.

One thought is to scale back on the time I've scheduled for Heritage Makers, and add in a bit more writing time to my day. I may try that simply to see if I feel like I'm getting more writing done, and if that satisfies me.

The thing is, I'm not sure how well the two things go together. On the surface, fine. But the majority of the things I enjoy writing about - halloween, horror movies, the strange and unusual, and Adult Topics - don't necessarily fit in with "family values" and "scrapbooking". Yes, you get your weirdos who like to scrapbook from time to time (HELLO, you're looking at one right now, heh), but for the most part my target audience for Heritage Makers is family matriarchs. And a lot of them are more... normal?... than I am. Since I've been working in offices for the past decade or so, I look pretty vanilla most of the time. But now that I'm working only for myself, my wardrobe is slowly changing back to my preferred 'jeans and t shirt', horror shirts, goth-y type stuff. I'm feeling the freedom to be able to do whatever the heck I want with my hair. I'm not sure that the hot-pink hair and the "wolfman's got nards" t-shirt look fits in with the majority of the folks I'm trying to sell scrapbooking stuff to. Yes, I'll always have a small audience and I am happy to work with anyone (I don't judge because other people aren't into the same things I'm into, it's more that I'm worried I'll scare people away, like the one Pampered Chef consultant who wouldn't come out and have a party at my house because she was religious and she found out that I LOVE Halloween). I'm just not sure that it's worth the time and effort for ME to continue. And I guess that sometimes, when I'm trying to market to people that I know will think I'm one of the weird ones, I feel like I'm trying to force myself into a place I don't belong. I'm trying to wear those business clothes that, once again, just never fit quite right, while all the time thinking that I should be able to BE in business but still look however I want. I know that the world doesn't work that way, but I think it SHOULD; I think if you're good at something and passionate about something, it shouldn't matter if you like to wear jeans and tshirts instead of suits, or that your hair is pink instead of brown, or that you have piercings or tattoos. Those things don't mean you aren't the best damn candidate for the job. But, unfortunately, some people can't get past those things.

And yet, I harbor guilt over the thought of quitting too. Heritage Makers, more than anything else I've been involved with, is a repeat-business company. People buy credits for their projects and then you work with them to get those projects completed. People's lives go on, and there are ALWAYS new stories to tell. I have a number of customers with outstanding credits right now. And my upline is all in Utah, so it's not like they're nearby for easy customer service if I jump ship. I don't want to leave anyone hanging. And, like I said, it's a business concept that I truly do believe in - I believe people SHOULD be using their credits, SHOULD be making books about their lives.

But at the same time, I could happily spend all day writing scary stories, watching bad movies and reviewing them, working on my halloween display (yes, I know it's February, hush, I'm already three months behind!!), and just living a Spooktacular life in general.

And this is, really, the issue with my entire life. I LOVE doing stuff. Lots of stuff. Much of it is at odds with the other stuff I like to do. And I just plain don't have time to do ALL of the stuff I want to do. Choosing between things, and making decisions about what dreams to give up and what dreams to pursue, is one of the hardest struggles in my life. It's perpetual, because my dreams never seem to end. I will go through this cycle again and again, and I don't think it will ever get any easier.

At the same time, I'm blessed to have the imagination and life that I do. I am NEVER bored. I don't think I will ever GET bored. And I wouldn't give up my dreams for anything. I lead a fascinating life, even if it is only in my own mind. :)

I don't know what direction I will ultimately end up going with these things. I do believe I am going to rewrite my schedule slightly and devote less daily time to Heritage Makers, more daily time to writing. That's just where more of my passion lies right now.

I'm not giving up on Heritage Makers but I am having what I guess you could call a small crisis of faith, heh. So if you've got outstanding credits with me, let's get together and get them finished and published!

And whatever may happen... here's to the future.

Heritage Makers Digicrop, Events, and Specials

Man, there is a LOT of exciting stuff going on with Heritage Makers right now. I'm thrilled to share it with you! Here is what's happening this week:

1) There is still time to send out your custom holiday greeting cards - even easier using DIRECT SHIP from the website! Contact me if you are interested!

2) Our month of Holiday Hits specials keep coming! This week it is buy one, get a second half price on our GORGEOUS canvas posters. See this link for more details: http://www.heritagemakers.com/comm/go/2009/holidayHits/week3.html (If you've been coveting our posters, this is a great price!)

3) I will be exhibiting at a couple of holiday bazaars this weekend. If you're in the neighborhood, please feel free to stop by and see me!

This Friday evening from 5PM-9PM, I will be exhibiting at Art 4 Soul in Homewood IL, during the Homewood Holiday Lights festival.

Art 4 Soul
18135 Harwood Ave.
Homewood IL. 60430
708-206-1026

And on Saturday from 9AM - 2PM I will be at the Welch Tiger Bazaar and Kids Holiday Shop in Naperville, IL.

Welch Elementary School
2620 Leverenz Road
Naperville, IL 60564

4) Finally! I am hosting a digicrop out of my home in Lansing this Sunday from 10AM to 2PM.

RSVPs are necessary, especially if you would like to reserve one of our two computers. First come, first served so call me as soon as possible if you need one!

Cost for the event is $5 if you will be bringing your own laptop; $10 if you are reserving one of our machines.

If you have never attended a digicrop, it is the perfect opportunity for you to work on your projects (and finish up those holiday projects! Ordering deadline is next week to have them by Christmas!) AND to share ideas with other participants AND to get all your questions answered. I will be here to assist all of you the entire four hours at an extremely low cost! Snacks and drinks will be provide as well. Please RSVP to me via email or phone (both available on my Heritage Makers website) if you plan on attending. (At which point, if you need my address, I will provide it to you!)

I hope to see some of you this weekend! Please contact me if you would like any assistance with your holiday projects!

Holiday Hits, Week One

The holiday season is starting to get into gear, what with Thanksgiving this week and all, and it's about time you did your holiday cards, isn't it? ME TOO. Heritage Makers' fabulous sale on customized greeting cards ends tomorrow at noon (MST)! You can get your fully customized, personally designed greeting cards for as low as 79 CENTS if you order through me before then!

You do not need to have the cards CREATED by then; you just need to purchase the credits. They will be active on your account for a year, so even if the 100-card pack is most attractive to you but you don't send 100 holiday cards, you can still use those card credits throughout the year for birthdays, anniversaries, thinking of you's, get wells, sympathies, or any other occasion. This is a GREAT DEAL; don't let it pass you by!

(If this is your first purchase, remember that I can also get you a free month of our premium artwork, which means you can make your holiday cards EXTRA gorgeous at no additional cost!)

Call me before noon MST tomorrow to place your order! 773 860 1108.




Some folks have asked me what the cards look like... since they're completely customizable, they can look like anything you want! But if that's a little overwhelming and you prefer to work from a template, here are just a few examples of the MANY templates you will find in our gallery. Just drag and drop your photos in place, change out any elements you don't like, put in your own text and you're done! (Also, don't forget you can always call on me for assistance.)

Craft Fairs This Weekend

Hi everyone! Just a quick note to let you all know that I'll be exhibiting at two different craft fairs this weekend. If you're in the area and have time to stop by, won't you please come in and visit us? I'm sure there will be lots of lovely gifts for the season, and we'd love to see you!

Thanks for supporting local artisans in your community!

Sat Nov 21, 10AM - 3PM
Kahler Middle School
600 Joliet St / Route 30, Dyer IN

Sun Nov 22, 10AM - 3PM
The Community House of Flossmoor Community Church
847 Hutchison, Flossmoor IL


This is one of the craft tiles I made using Heritage Makers scrapbook pages, a ceramic tile, and Mod Podge. Quick, easy, beautiful!

Give It Away, Give It Away, Give It Away Now!

Do you like free stuff? Do you like to win things? WHO DOESN'T?? Here's a list of giveaways and contests all around the 'net, as I come across them. If you are running a contest or giveaway, or have come across one you think should be featured here, please leave the URL in the comments! I will do my best to keep this list updated.

Contests / giveaway that you can enter daily are in RED.

Ends Dec 16, 2010, at 10pm CST

A Southern Fairytale's iPad Giveaway

Ends Dec 17, 2010, at midnight
Me As A Mommy's Kalorik Food Slicer Giveaway

The Baby Birthing Mama's Waffle Maker Giveaway

She's Mommafied's Baby Food Maker Giveaway

Mama B's Food Processor Giveaway

Baby Dickey's Steam Mop Cleaner Giveaway


Crunchy VT Mommy's Deep Fryer Giveaway

Ends Dec 21, 2010

Freddy In Space's Twisted Art of Jes Karakashian Giveaway

Ends Dec 24, 2010 at 11pm ET

Win a Carnival Cruise with BRET MICHAELS!

Do you have your 2010 calendar yet?

Have you decided on a calendar for 2010 yet? What about Christmas gifts for family and friends - have them all picked out? If not, then you should check out Heritage Makers' November Pick Of The Month! This month you can get some great savings on BOTH of our calendars... the traditional 11 X 8.5 AND the brand-new 11 X 16!

As a bonus, you can add three months of our Studio Premier artwork to your account for only $44.95 - a 40% savings!

Personalized calendars make great gifts, and the customization options here are nearly limitless. Contact me here or via email for more information or to place your order today! You can also check out my website for more information.



http://www.scrapyourbooks.com

What is it I do again, exactly?

Ever wonder what I do as a Heritage Maker? This video will help you understand. We take pictures to chronicle the things we see and do in our lives. But snapshots abandoned in a basement (or on your hard drive!) tell no story. You might think you will never forget what it was like to buy your first car or to bring a new baby home from the hospital but as the years pass, memories fade! Check out my all-new website, www.scrapyourbooks.com , to learn how I can help you preserve those memories... forever.

I don't even know where to start...

So I'm just jumping in! There's been a lot going on lately, not least of which is that as of Friday I AM UNEMPLOYED. Yes, my position was eliminated. Also, my son starts kindergarten tomorrow. I am home in the morning to take him for his first day (which lasts two hours), then I am going in for my last afternoon in the office, to turn over any loose ends, clean out my desk, and say goodbye.

Obviously there's a lot to sort out, and this will bring a lot of changes for my family. Once I get my new routine in place, you can expect to see a lot more of me here.

Also, I am moving forward with my idea of a couple weeks ago and selling my stuff on ebay. Not ALL of it, but a lot of it. Trying to drastically simplify my surroundings. When I think about what I want to do with my life right now, it's fairly simple. I want to write, and I want to craft. (Of course there are many other things, that's why I'm the lady of a million dreams, but those are the things I'm currently most empassioned about.) So I will be focusing on blogging and Heritage Makers in the coming weeks, and we'll see where that takes me.

To that end, OJ and I tackled a couple major projects this weekend. We procured a computer cabinet for the dining room so I could have an honest-to-goodness WORKSTATION, something which I have been sorely lacking (I found that I could fritter away endless hours on facebook and video games while hunched over our bar, but it didn't work so well for getting actual WORK accomplished). We then proceeded to completely declutter the dining room, dump a TON of paper (yes, that was very hard for me, you know it), and move my computer upstairs. The only thing left to do in the dining room is mop the floor (OJ is out buying a new mop head right now), and it'll be done!

I don't have any 'befores', but I did post some pictures of the computer cabinet in my twitstream, which also gives you a little glimpse of some of the in-progress work...and here's the 'after' video:

Christmas In July

This month, Heritage Makers is running a Christmas In July special. Most of our products are 'buy 3, get the 4th free'. This is the perfect time to get a jump start on holiday gifts AND holiday cards for those folks on your Christmas list!

Here are some ideas for holiday gifts:

1) Create custom storybooks for all those folks on your list - or create one fantastic family storybook and give a copy to everyone in the family!

2) Make a Favorite Family Holiday Recipes cookbook and give it to everyone for the holiday season.

3) Make personalized day planners or calendars for 2010 and give them as gifts.

4) Use Heritage Makers for all your holiday cards this year! Did you know that Heritage Makers will not only allow you to design your own personalized cards; they will also MAIL those cards directly to the recipients for you? You can send your beautiful, heartfelt cards directly from the comfort of your computer! Just import everyone's information into your Heritage Makers address book and send. No more addressing 100's of envelopes...no more stamps...no more long lines at the post office.

This month, Heritage Makers makes it easy and affordable to do all of these things, and more. Don't miss this great special! Talk to me for additional details.

Ad flier is here: http://www.heritagemakers.com/go/christmasJuly2009/
My website is: http://www.scrapyourbooks.com for more information on Heritage Makers.

Some Great Heritage Makers Specials

There are a few really great specials going on with Heritage Makers right now, and it would be a crime if I didn't share the news with everyone. If you're new to Heritage Makers, this is a great time to grab up some credits for a great price. AND, if you were thinking about sending a personalized Mother's Day card to that special lady in your life...THIS IS THE WEEK TO DO IT. Heritage Makers has an an address book feature that will even let you mail the card directly from the website! Now you have no excuse to ever be late with a card again! :)

As you probably know if you're a reader here, I'm running a contest on this blog. April is National Pet Month and if you stop by and leave a comment on my contest post, you will have a chance to win 1 of 3 12X12 pages or maybe even a free 5X5 brag book! (PS - you don't HAVE to use these items to make projects about your pets, by the way!)
The contest entry is here.
This contest ends April 30th so please stop by today! (And yes, you CAN enter more than once!)

Also, Heritage Makers will be featuring a "Pick Of The Month" moving forward; a popular product at a fantastic price. Well, this month it's our 8X8 storybook...normally $49.95; in April you can get them for $39.95 (limit 3)! This is a fantastic deal and is probably our most popular storybook. If you are going to be working on any 8X8 projects this year, now is the time to stock up on credits! More information here.
If you'd like to place an order, just call or email me and I will make sure you get this great deal.

And of course, don't forget that Club Premier is still only $100 for a full year of a premier studio account, through the end of May. That's $8 a month for premier for a whole year!

Finally, Mother's Day is coming up soon..if you haven't already made a personalized card for that special lady in your life, now is the time! Do it this week! Don't forget you can even use our address book feature to mail that card directly to Mom. And we still have our great Mother's / Father's Day special (a free greeting card when you buy a 7X5 or 7X10 storybook).

Please contact me to take advantage of any / all of these great specials. Happy storybooking!

March Madness - Great Savings! Last Day for Cookbook Deals!

If you, like me, are in Illinois, you know that March is going OUT LIKE A LION rather than a lamb. To help ease some of the pain, so am I! For ONE DAY ONLY, I am offering some fantastic Heritage Makers deals. If you email or call me with an order tomorrow, March 31st, between 9AM CT and 6PM CT, I will give you FIVE PERCENT off your entire order!

If you call me with an order AND book a show in April (or convince a friend to book a show in April), I will give you TEN PERCENT off your entire order!

This is a great savings off our everyday products and packages, but don't forget that tomorrow is also the last day of our fantastic cookbook special! Starting April 1st, cookbooks will be $24.95 each. However, if you order tomorrow, you can get your cookbooks for:

$19.95 each (save $5) OR

3 for $53.85 (save $21)

(for more info: http://hm.myvoffice.com/pdf/en/Cookbook09Flyer.pdf )

PLUS you will get your additional 5 or 10 percent off for ordering tomorrow.

If you've already got your cookbook credits for March, consider joining Club Premier!

For just $99.95, you will get 12 months of a premier account. This is a savings of $139!! PLUS you will get your additional 5 or 10 percent off for ordering tomorrow.

Premier accounts normally renew at $19.95 per month; Club Premier gives it to you for a year at just over $8 a month. You really can't beat that deal. And Club Premier only lasts through May, so order while you still can!

(more info here: http://hm.myvoffice.com/pdf/en/ClubPremierFlyer.pdf )

Finally, consider our Mother's / Father's Day specials. These holidays are coming up fast, and who better to make a special storybook for than a beloved parent?

For $39.95 you will get a 7X5 storybook AND a 5X7 customizable greeting card.

For $59.95 you will get a 7X10 storybook AND a 5X7 customizable greeting card.

Plus, OF COURSE, you will get your 5 or 10 percent off for ordering tomorrow!

(more info here: http://hm.myvoffice.com/pdf/en/MothersFathers09Flyer.pdf )

But you MUST ORDER between 9AM - 6PM central time on March 31st to receive the extra savings.

This deal is offered through me only and can not be redeemed by purchasing through another consultant or through the Heritage Makers website!

I look forward to speaking with you tomorrow!

Kristi Dorson

Independent Heritage Makers Consultant

Who will tell YOUR story?

http://www.scrapyourbooks.com

kristi@thedorsons.com

773-860-1108