They could also be used as cupcake toppers.
I know what my neighbors and co-workers are getting for Christmas.
This template for 2" K-Cups (Keurig Coffee Cups) was created by Colleen Ballentine.
They could also be used as cupcake toppers. I know what my neighbors and co-workers are getting for Christmas.
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This article was written by Roxanne Buccholz, Studio Creative Team Manager, in December of 2012 Featured Above: “HM Bring on Christmas QR” template 97322, “HM Bring on Hanukkah QR” template 98392, “HM New Years Party QR” template 98397, “HM Talking Candy Hearts QR” template 99303, “HM Chalkboard Christmas QR” template 99297. We are proud to announce that Heritage Makers is on the cutting edge of new technology—being one of the first companies in our industry to allow you to place your customized QR codes on our customizable products.QR Codes have been around for a while but are now entering the mainstream of our lives. It’s time for us to get on board and start making our 2-dimensional projects come to life with this new interactive technology. You may be asking some of the following questions: What is a QR Code?“QR code” simply stands for “quick response” code. It’s like a traditional bar-code but so much more. QR codes actually have information embedded into their pixels and can store amazing amounts of flexible data. Have you noticed them on magazines, billboards, business cards, shop windows, t-shirts and more? When scanned, QR codes direct people to personal and business websites and blogs. They can contain text messages, music or your favorite YouTube videos. Sound too difficult to figure out? Scared about the latest technology? Don’t know how or why to use them? Don’t be afraid! We are going to show you how easy they can be to use. Who can scan a QR Code? Anyone who has a smart phone or tablet with a camera can download a QR Code Reader App and then scan a QR code. Once you have the App, you simply take out your mobile phone, point your camera at a QR code and you will instantly get more information—maybe it will take you to a website, a video or a text message. Where do I get a QR Code Reader?If you have an iPhone or iPad, simply go to the App Store and search for QR Readers. Most of them should be free. We recommend the following: QR Code City Scan and Quick Scan – QR Code by iHandy, Inc. For our Android users, we recommend going to the Google Play App Store and getting the QR Droid Reader. Once you have a QR reader app loaded, give it a try! It’s amazing how many QR codes you’ll find around you to read. How does the QR Code App Work? Once you’ve installed the App, simply point your camera at the QR code; the App will then lock on and scan it. The QR code will load the data instantly and you will be brought to the web page, video or text message directly. Why would I want to create my own QR Codes?With QR codes, you can make any printed project more interactive. Put one on your business card or on party invitations with directions or a gift registry. How about a poster to promote your business products or services? Have you thought about personalizing your holiday cards with your family newsletter or videos of the kids playing their favorite sport or a photographic slideshow set to music? QR codes simply bring a 2-dimensional product to life. How do I create my own QR codes?You’ll need to jump on your computer and search for free QR Code Generators. You’ll find many options. We recommend the following: www.quikqr.com, www.qurify.com, and www.qrcode.kaywa.com Once you have a generator page pulled up, give it a try. Type in a message or copy and paste the URL from your favorite YouTube video and see what happens. You’ll be amazed! Tips and Tricks for Successfully Using a QR Code on a Studio Project:#1 — Never print a QR code which is smaller than ¾-inch square on a card and always print larger if used on a poster or canvas. The more data you put into the code, the smaller the dots become, so size adjustments may need to be made. For most smart phones, the relationship between scan distance and minimum QR code size is approx. 10:1. That means a 1-inch code will be most effectively scanned at 10-inches or less. #2 — Always test your QR Code before publishing your project. Always, always! After you have created your own QR code and dropped it into your Studio project, give it a test to make sure that it is readable at 100% of the project size. If you go to “View” at the top of your Studio page, scroll down to Zoom and select 100%. That will give you an accurate view of the size it will be when printed. Simply hold your smart phone up to your computer screen and scan. Did it take you to where you wanted to go? If not, try re-generating the code or making the QR Code larger in your project. #3 — Until people become aware of QR Codes and how to use them, we suggest placing some simple instructions on your holiday cards this year. For instance: “To see what’s new in our lives, simply open up a QR Code reader app on your smart phone, point your phone’s camera at the code on the card and scan.” #4 — We suggest that you always use the QR Code in its original black and white form. If you choose to add color, always remember that the code color should be dark and placed against a light-colored background. Make sure the contrast is sufficient or the code will be difficult to scan. A reversed-out code, where the background is dark and the pixels are light, is never recommended. And always, always test before publishing! “HM Christmas Penguin QR,” template 97637 QR Code FAQ’sIs there any way to access QR codes without a smart phone? Although not easy, if you use your computer’s search engine, you can find a few sites that offer a service of translating the QR code for you. But it requires taking a picture of the printed code, downloading the picture to your computer and then uploading the QR code to the translation site. Will QR Codes be good for years to come? Or are they a passing fad? QR codes have been around for a while but are just becoming popular in the mainstream. QR codes are being used in magazines, on marketing campaigns, in museums and art galleries. As long as the URL or website address exists, QR codes will always work. How do we get our own QR Codes into our Studio account and can they be used in both Basic and Premier? QR Codes can be uploaded into your account just like a photo. Once in your Photo Album, a QR code can be used in a project just as a photo would. Just drag and drop to replace an existing QR code or photo in a project. QR Codes that are .png or .jpg files can be uploaded into a Premier account. However, QR Codes need to be saved as .jpg files to be uploaded into a Basic account. To save an image as a .jpg, simply right click on your code and select “all files” as the file type and be sure to type in a file name followed by .jpg. “HM Christmas Stamps QR,” template 99301 What do I look for when searching in the Template Gallery?We have introduced many new QR templates in the Template Gallery and more are being added every day. Simply keyword search “QR” and you’ll find many selections. If you ever see a QR Code on a template that has the Heritage Makers book in the middle of it, please know that it is purely a placeholder and will need to be replaced with your own QR code. If you see a QR Code in a project in the Template Gallery and it does not have the book in the middle, that means that it is a real or “live” QR code and you have the ability to scan it and play. Once again, any QR code that you see in one of our projects from the Template Gallery will need to be replaced with your own QR Code. You wouldn’t want to make someone a card or calendar with another family’s message on it. Always double-check your QR Code before publishing your project just to make sure! How else can a QR Code be used?So many possibilities exist for using QR Codes; consider the following:
Driving directions on a party invitation Preserving Grandma and Grandpa’s story or message to future generations Documenting each child’s school year Making a video guest book for the bride and groom Placing a video recording on your family holiday ornament Adding your baby’s first cry to his birth announcement Making a card asking your girlfriend to the dance Adding clips of each school year to a graduation card or gift Talking calendars where there is a special message recorded for each family member’s birthday or a special holiday message Letting Dad read stories to the little ones to hear while he’s serving far away, or your little ones recording video messages to send to him The possibilities are endless with QR Codes. Clearly, our society values all things digital but QR Codes are also fun to play with and can add that “cool factor” to your Heritage Makers projects. There is no need to fear the unknown. We, at Heritage Makers, encourage you to give it a try and to see how simple and easy it can be. For further information, be sure to check out our free recorded QR class or call your Heritage Makers Consultant. Because technology changes at a rapid pace, some of the website and phone app information in this article may be outdated. You may have to search out different QR Code generating websites or code reader applications for your mobile devices. Has anyone asked you lately if you’re ready for the holidays? It might seem like a silly question in the middle of summer, but it’s really worth considering. Now is prime time to make your gifts and greetings list and to start accumulating all the publishing points you’ll need for your meaningful Heritage Makers holiday projects! In addition, Heritage Makers is offering a great promotion during the month of July, so you can get our deepest discounts on publishing points and start using them now to make the personalized gifts your family and friends will adore! Click here or talk to your consultant today for all the details. Enjoy looking through the templates below and get inspired to make this year’s holiday season extra special with heart-felt gifts and greetings, seasonal decor, and more. Make Holiday Cards as Unique as You Are We have so many fabulous greeting card and invitation templates, the problem won’t be finding one you like, it will be choosing which one you like the best! Below is a festive grouping of 5 x 7 invitations just to give you a small taste of what we have to offer. With our new rounded corner and matte finish options, now you can add even more style to your holiday cards! “Joy & Peace Basic Portrait” by Michelle Bell, template 100653; “Year in Review–Red” by Michelle Bell, template 100733; and “A Blue & Red Christmas” by Anna Gehmlich Bates, template 108685. Studio makes it easy to create coordinating holiday pieces like the holiday greetings and thank you cards below. These very merry templates are very quick to personalize and will be an extra special way to share your love and thanks with friends and family this year. Complete your coordinated set with matching address labels! “Merry Little Christmas Card,” “Merry Little Christmas Thank You,” and “Merry Little Address Labels,” 5 x 7 invitations and address labels by Kari Pieratt, templates 98783, 98784, and 98785. Make Your Cards Talk This year, add an extra special touch to your gifts and greetings with the fun application of QR Code technology! QR Codes are scannable by most cell phones. The codes link to unique URLs on the web—so you can send people directly to videos, slideshows, audio files, etc., that you created and uploaded especially for them. The holiday greetings below are great examples of placing QR Codes on cards. Lynda Angelastro, the designer of the snowman card below, made a unique holiday greeting video for each of her grandchildren and uploaded them to YouTube. She then generated QR Codes for each video and put the codes on her holiday cards. Think of all the creative and fun possibilities with this technology! Check out this article for more information about using QR Codes on your HM Projects. “HM Bring on Christmas QR” 7 x 5 invitation by Roxanne Buchholz, template 97322; “Young Man Holiday QR” 6 x 4 greeting card by Lynda Angelastro, template 97710; “Warm Wishes” 8 x 4 photo card by Michelle Bell, template 97500. Make Fun Holiday Home Decor Bring some extra cheer into your home this year by personalizing some of our 11 x 14 holiday prints. Here are just a few of our favorites below. “Santa’s Beard Countdown” 11 x 14 Print by Kari Pieratt, template 90921; “Christmas Subway” 11 x 14 Print by Cynthia Coulon, template 97144; “Christmas Joy Subway Art” &“Merry & Bright Subway Art” 11 x 14 Prints by Kari Pieratt, templates 97429 & 97430; “Oh Christmas Tree” 11 x 14 Print by Roxanne Buchholz, template 96174. Add More Heart to Your Holiday Tree Our customizable, double-sided Keepsake Ornaments are a wonderful way to celebrate holiday firsts, family events, and more. They make meaningful and lasting gifts as well. Below you’ll see just a small sampling of our templates, and of course, you can always choose to make one completely from scratch! “Our First Christmas” by Brittany Hutchings, template 94969; “HM Naughty or Nice Penguin” by Roxanne Buchholz, template 94979; “Baby’s First Christmas” by Anna Gehmlich Bates, template 92871; “Pennant Christmas Keepsake” by Kari Pieratt, template 97927; “HM More Wag Ornament” by Roxanne Buchholz, template 97252. Make Fun Tags and Crafts We’ve got lots of scrap page templates designed to be used for cute holiday gift tags and other crafts. Here are some especially fun templates brand new to the Gallery. “Soda-lighted” 12 x 12 Double-sided Scrap Page by Cynthia Coulon, template 109376 “Holiday Dough v.2” 12 x 12 Scrap Page by Cynthia Coulon, template 110125 “You’re Getting Muffin” 12 x 12 Double-sided Scrap Page by Cynthia Coulon, template 97140 “Christmas Nativity Blocks” 12 x 12 Scrap Page by Marin Barney, template 110554
This article was just a small taste of the many holiday templates available to you as you prepare for the upcoming season. Remember, larger items like Storybooks, Canvases, Metal Prints, and Brag Bags make very meaningful and totally unique gift items for those you love. When you take the time and make the effort to personalize these keepsake projects, you can be sure that you’ll be creating a gift that will keep on giving for years to come! I officially have spring fever! The warmer weather is stirring up my creativity, and the fun holidays coming up give me a lot of inspiration for March projects! Rainbows, bunnies, and spring flowers – what’s not to love? Heritage Makers has come up with a few projects to inspire your digital scrapbooking projects this month. A fun collection that arrived just in time for March is “This Life: March” by Penny Springmann for Sweet Shoppe Designs. With paper, embellishments and word art galore, the project possibilities are endless! We’re also celebrating Easter this month! Start planning ahead to create some fun digital scrapbooking projects that get your kids excited and help them experience their traditions. Heritage Makers love this fun Easter Scavenger Hunt made by Amanda Van Leeuwen on an 8.5 x 11 double-sided scrap page. What a fun way for kids to find their Easter baskets! Looking for a fresh, new accessory for spring? Or maybe a gift for the hard to buy person? Showcase your kids’ photos on a personalized bucket bag! You can take your favorite faces with you wherever you go. Plus, you’ll save 10% when you publish any bucket bag during March, so start a project now! Heritage Makers hopes these cheerful projects inspire you to create your own digital scrapbooking projects this month. Whether you’re flying kites in the park or hunting for Easter eggs, spring is calling us outside to make some warm-weather memories! Capture these moments and create one-of-a-kind keepsakes that will make you smile every time you see them. What makes you the most excited about spring? Share with us! Heritage Makers 12 x 12 scrap pages are an incredible value at just a few dollars each and can be used to make all sorts of adorable spring decorations. For this month’s Make It in Moments, we’ve updated an Easter Basket idea that can serve as a beautiful Easter Dinner table decoration. It’s a perfect excuse to show your family how much you value them this spring Preparing the Page Customize template 80880, “Easter Egg Basket” or template 56453 “Spring Elements Easter Eggs” by Lynda Angelastro with your family’s names and photos.(If you use template 56453, not shown here, be sure to change the date to 2012.) Use the same photo or another photo of the same person on each matched pair. Finishing Touches When the pages arrive, carefully cut out each egg and lay the back and front together as a pair. Take heavy-gauge, fabric covered floral wire and cut each into two pieces of assorted length. Place egg front face down on table. Lay wire on egg back and cover with hot glue. Put a narrow bead of glue around egg edge and quickly line up and cover with the egg back, with design facing up. Prepare a large basket by gluing Styrofoam to the bottom and covering with Easter grass. Place assembled “egg picks” through the grass into Styrofoam. Arrange all eggs you’ve made. Finish basket off with large bow. A Meaningful Tradition
Celebrate spring in style at your house with this easily made basket. Pages are an additional 10% off during March, so you’ll save even more by making one soon. What takes only minutes, is sure to become a treasured tradition at your house for years to come. If you’re looking for a quick and clever Easter decoration this spring, consider this adorable and fun basket to showcase those good eggs in your life. Just follow these simple instructions, and you’ll have a unique and festive springtime piece for your classroom, Sunday school, or family gathering. 1. To begin, get the Easter Egg 12 x 12 Scrap Page template by Lynda Angelastro. 2. There are four brightly colored pages featuring a back and front for each of 24 eggs. There are eggs for boys, eggs for girls, and a style to fit each member of your class or family. Once you have chosen the pages you want, customize them with the photos you want and add any additional embellishments that suit your fancy. 3. Delete any unused template pages and order your project. 4. When your printed pages arrive, carefully cut out the back and front of each egg and match the edges. 5. Using florist’s picks, heavy green wire, or wooden kabob sticks, glue the eggs together around the pick. You can wrap the kabob sticks with green florist’s tape first, or attach floral leaves to any of the “stems” with the tape. Find a nice basket (dollar stores usually have inexpensive holiday-themed baskets), and glue a piece of Styrofoam to the bottom. Cover this with enough Easter grass to hide the foam then arrange the picks by pressing them into the foam. Add silk flowers or floral leaves to create a garden look, and finish the arrangement off with a springtime bow or wire ribbon.
This clever and fresh basket makes a wonderful centerpiece or party focal point and will surely be the talk of your Easter gathering. Valentine’s Day is nearing, and it’s time to start thinking about ways we can express our love to those who matter most. We probably all agree that the best gifts are those that come from the heart. While chocolate and flowers are nice—there really are more meaningful and lasting ways to show we care. With Heritage Makers, you can personalize and give heartfelt greetings and gifts that will be treasured long after February 14th. We offer hundreds of ways to say ‘I Love You.’ From greeting cards to tote bags, you can customize unique Valentine’s Day gifts for loved ones of all ages. Cards are always a popular way to send a Valentine, but why show your adoration on just a single day when you can express it all year long? Give the gift of a greeting card and coordinating deck of ‘love notes’ playing cards, and share your love and appreciation 52 times! Or personalize this fun template to create a one-of-a-kind Valentines for your children to give their school friends. If you are looking to create personalized photo gifts for that special someone, our storybooks are a great way to celebrate your love, or detail your family love stories. And because all of our projects are customizable, you can create a matching card to go along with it! Or you can express your love to your tot or teen in a unique way with a ‘What I Love About You’ flip book. These are just a few ways you can give special, personalized gifts for Valentine’s Day this year. We have hundreds of artfully designed templates for you to choose from, or you can create a project completely from scratch. So think outside the ‘box of chocolates’ this year and give meaningful gifts that will last! How will you say ‘I love you’ to that special someone? Browse our gallery for inspiration! |
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