Christmas Safety Tips for Parents of Toddlers

Everyone wants to have their holiday vacation be a pleasant one. Ideally, everyone in your family should be warm, safe, and happy. One way to help ensure a merry Christmas is to follow some of these holiday safety tips. These are geared for new parents and for parents who have small children. Toddlers will grab trees. Many parents make use of a playpen from time to time. Some parents use the playpen as an easy place for their toddler to take a nap. Others put their toddler safely into the playpen so they can quickly run to the bathroom or … Continue reading

Tips for Preserving Childhood Memories

Whether you are a parent or there are grandchildren, nieces, or nephews in your life, you know the value of photographs as a way to preserve the story of a child’s growth and development. Unfortunately, even the most well intentioned among us often end up with a collection of snapshots that capture select moments from a child’s life story yet somehow fall short of preserving the entire journey. Here are a few tips for taking pictures of children which will tell their stories long after the children have grown. Instead of focusing only on portrait style pictures or only on … Continue reading

Fall Photo Tips

Whether you photographing pumpkins, leaves or little ghosts and goblins, you’ll want to take note of the following tips to ensure your seasonal shots come out looking simply spectacular: Jack-o-lanterns After spending hours carving a prize-winning jack-o-lantern, you’ll want to document it in the best light possible. The trick to getting a stellar shot of your pumpkin is to turn off your flash. That may seem like an odd tip, but the problem with most cameras is that the flash pops automatically, especially if it’s dark. Since the tone of the flash is cold compared to the warm glow from … Continue reading

How to Make Your Fourth of July Fireworks Pictures Pop

Whether you are heading to Grant Park in Chicago for Macy’s Independence Eve Fireworks Spectacular (with accompaniment by the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra) or you are simply planning to host your own light show this weekend, you want to make sure that you have what it takes to capture the moment. Fourth of July fireworks shows can be a challenge to shoot depending on where you are seated and the type of camera you are using. The following are basic tips that will help you capture the explosions in the sky in the best possible light: TRIPOD AND FLASHLIGHT Bring … Continue reading

September 2008 Scrapbooking Month in Review

Did you know that the month of September was actually National Stamping Month, and that National Stamping Day fell which after a bit of research, I am find actually started with Close to My Heart, a home-based scrapbooking and stamping business. They have also made the second Saturday in September each year, National Stamping Day. What fun to celebrate one of our passions. Here is what was going on in the scrapbooking blog in the month of September. Time Saving Scrapbooking Tips for the Busy Holiday Season That magical time of year is quickly approaching and as each day passes, … Continue reading

Photography Week in Review for August 1-5, 2008

We are headed down the home stretch of summer… have you shot some prize-winning shots this season? If not consider following the tips provided in the series of blogs posted this week: August 1st—–Tips to Remember when Shooting Outdoors. If you are going to experiment with outdoor shooting techniques now is the time to do so. Summer is when most families spend the bulk of their days in the great outdoors and snap happy parents are getting a workout trying to capture all of their children’s adventures with their cameras. To avoid spoiling those spectacular outdoor summer shots follow the … Continue reading

Scrapbooking Week in Review for May 12-18, 2008

School’s almost out, the days are getting longer and warmer and we had another great week in the scrapbooking blog. Who could ask for much more? Hopefully by now you have noticed that I have changed things up a bit this month and that there are now new ideas and step by step directions included more often. Here’s what has been happening in the scrapbooking blog. What is Hybrid Scrapbooking? If you are active in the scrapbooking community at all, you might have seen reference to a new term dubbed hybrid scrapbooking. But what in the world does it mean? … Continue reading

Photography Week in Review for April 8-13, 2008

How can you snap a prize-winning photo of your child during her soccer game? What company is the leader in the production of indestructible cameras? And where do you begin to sort a pile of pictures the size of a small child? The answers to those questions and more are included in this edition of the Photography Week in Review. April 8th—A Unique Photo Exhibit. If you have ever wanted to see shots of Bruce Springsteen taken at angles that defy gravity head to New Jersey. That’s where a unique photo exhibit featuring more than a thousand images of the … Continue reading

Scrapbooking Week in Review for March 10-16, 2008

Springtime is near and more than likely you are already getting the mixed up spring time weather in your neck of the woods. I adore being outside on the warmer days and enjoying the fresh air. On the colder days, I use them to get caught up on scrapbooking. What layouts have you been creating lately? I am getting ready to begin working on last years Easter pictures so I can get in the mood for the upcoming holiday, which is just around the corner. Hope you all have a wonderful week. Check out what has been happening in the … Continue reading

Scrapbooking Week in Review for March 3-9, 2008

Did you remember to turn your clocks forward an hour this weekend? I love having the extra hour of daylight in the daytime, as it tends to make me feel more productive and I get a lot more accomplished. Take this time to get caught up on all your scrapbooking projects from winter, so you can move into the beauty of Spring with a clean, fresh slate. Here’s what’s been happening in the scrapbooking blog this week. How To Get More Scrapbooking Done This Week Do you feel as if you have absolutely no time to sit down and create … Continue reading