Freeze Time Frame Memories

Anthony Torrone's Book Signing Saturday, Dec. 3

2011-12-01T08:35:00.000-05:00

Local author, Anthony Torrone, will be at Schuler Books and Music on Alpine Avenue on Saturday, December 3 from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm to sign copies of his book Anthony's Prayers: Thank You Father for Everlasting.

For more information on Anthony, please visit his blog site.

Thank you and we hope to see you there!

~Laura

Small Business Saturday and Anthony's Book!

2011-11-25T08:08:00.001-05:00

Saturday, November 26, 2011 marks the second annual Small Business Saturday. In honor of all small businesses in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area, we encourage you to stop, shop, and purchase an item from your favorite small business.

Anthony's Prayers: Thank You Father for Everlasting is a newly published book by Grand Rapids author, Anthony Torrone, that can be purchased at several local small businesses: The Bitter End Coffeehouse, Frank's Market, Nawara Brothers Appliance, and Schuler Books and Music (Grand Rapids locations).

Thank you for supporting small businesses in our community!

Happy Holidays,
~Laura

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T08:15:00.002-05:00

From our family to yours...

Anthony's Books Are Printed!

2011-11-23T07:24:00.001-05:00

Author Anthony Torrone visited Color House Graphics on Tuesday, November 22 to watch the covers of his book being printed. He also picked up his first batch of printed softcover books: Anthony's Prayers: Thank You Father for Everlasting.

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Schuler Books and Music on Alpine Ave in Walker will host a book signing for Anthony on Saturday, December 3, 2011 from 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm. We hope to see you there!

Happy Thanksgiving

~Laura
please visit our web site for information on Freeze Frame Publishing's products and services.

Year In Review Photo Books

2011-10-18T09:20:00.000-04:00

Autumn weather has finally descended upon Michigan! Something about 'crisp air' makes it easier to focus on wrapping up the summer!

Now is a good time to sort your photos from this year for a Year In Review photo book!

Sorting your photo book is up to you. It can be sorted and categorized by seasons, by months, by holidays, by family member... Sixty to 80 pictures can fit quite nicely in our classic 8.5"x11" landscape hardcover photo book.

Happy sorting; happy memories!

Freeze Frame Publishing offers FREE downloadable software to help you create custom photo books, cards, calendars, and posters using your images. Please visit our web site for more information on our products and services. If you would like assistance along the way, please contact us... we're happy to help you freeze time and frame your memories forever!

~Laura

Card Example with Creative Commons Image

2011-10-13T09:00:00.001-04:00

To spice up this holiday greeting card, I visited CreativeCommons.org and typed "Christmas" in search bar. There were several great images available. I chose Santa in a snow globe for this example.

It's not too early to plan your custom Holiday Greeting Cards! We'll have tips and ideas for creating your cards over the next few weeks. Start gathering your images!

Freeze Frame Publishing offers FREE downloadable software to help you create custom photo books, cards, calendars, and posters using your images. Please visit our web site for more information on our products and services. If you would assistance along the way, please contact us... we're happy to help you freeze time and frame your memories forever!

~Laura

Creative Commons and Your Creative Projects

2011-10-12T09:00:00.000-04:00

Creative Commons is a great site to visit if you are "looking for images, music, writing, code, or other creative works." It's basically a site with lots of stuff in the Public Domain... which means items here are available for "fair use" at no charge to you. Of course, you are encouraged to donate, either financially or by uploading works of your own that you wish to share with the world, but you are under no obligation to do so.

I was interested to see what images were available for use in my holiday card. A quick visit to CreativeCommons.org provide me with lots of options.

Here's how you can search Creative Commons:
1. Go to CereativeCommons.org (The opening screen is shown above)
2. Click the "find cc-licensed work" button in the "Explore" box on the far right column.

3. On the Search page (shown above) type in what you're looking for and select where you'd like to search. For my search, I chose to look in Fotopedia, but several different places are available. I also selected "labeled for reuse."

4. Select the image you like. For this example I selected "snow day."

5. To download an image, right click your mouse and select "save image as." Your file will download. Or you can click on the "download" button on the right side column.

6. Click on the "Attribution" button on the right hand column to view how this image can be used, and to whom credit should be given.

7. Go to your download area to find your new image and begin using it!

Have fun searching the Creative Commons database... and maybe consider sharing an image with others!

Freeze Frame Publishing offers FREE downloadable software to help you create custom photo books, cards, calendars, and posters using your images. Please visit our web site for more information on our products and services. If you would assistance along the way, please contact us... we're happy to help you freeze time and frame your memories forever!

~Laura

Last Day 2-for-1 Wallet Size Cards!

2011-09-21T08:00:00.004-04:00

Today is your last day to receive an additional set of 24 wallet sized cards for each set your order!

Download our software to create a custom wallet sized card that is perfect for enclosing with your holiday greeting cards and also perfect for framing! Our wallet sized cards measure 2.5"x3.5". Customize your cards by adding text in any font, any color, anywhere!

Please visit our website to learn more about Freeze Frame Publishing, our products and services. If we can be of any assistance to you, please contact me... I'm ready to help you freeze time and frame your holiday memories forever!

Laura

Wallet-Size print SPECIAL through September 21!

2011-09-19T08:00:00.001-04:00

Last three days to enjoy our 2-for-1 offer on all wallet sized cards! Through September 21 receive an additional identical set of wallet sized cards with each set of wallet sized cards you order.

Our wallet sized cards are sold in sets of 24 and measure 2.5"x3.5".

Wallet sized cards are great enclosures with your holiday greeting cards and make nice gifts when framed!

Please visit our website to learn more about Freeze Frame Publishing, our products and services. If we can be of any assistance to you, please contact me... I'm ready to help you freeze time and frame your holiday memories forever!

Laura

Wallet-Size print SPECIAL through September 21!

2011-09-14T08:00:00.001-04:00

Order one set of 24 wallet sized cards and receive an additional identical order absolutely FREE!

Wallet sized cards make perfect enclosures with your holiday greeting cards! Our wallet sized cards measure 2.5"x3.5" and are perfect for framing! Check your local dollar stores for wallet sized frames. Your family and friends will appreciate a framed favorite picture that you send them! These make great stocking stuffers, too!

Please visit our website to learn more about Freeze Frame Publishing, our products and services. If we can be of any assistance to you, please contact me... I'm ready to help you freeze time and frame your holiday memories forever!

Laura

Custom Calendars for Your Fund Raisers

2011-09-13T09:51:00.000-04:00

Are you looking for a new fund raising product? Have you considered selling Customized Photo Calendars?

Customized calendars, using Freeze Frame Publishing's calendar software, may be the perfect solution to meet your group's fund raising goals.

Choose a calendar size. You have four different sizes from which to choose. (Please see our blog post Which Calendar Size to Choose for more information.) Sell advertising. There are several ways to sell advertising: exclusive month sponsorships; shared month sponsorships; day sponsorships, day sponsorships with a note.

Suppose your athletic group wants to raise funds for new uniforms this year. For this scenario we will use the 11" x 17" Centerfold calendar. Team members take 100 orders for their customized calendar. This calendar retails for $18.99. With a 25% group rate discount (See products and pricing page for more information. For orders over 100, please contact us for pricing.) and selling no ads, your group can earn $474.75 towards new uniforms.

Now let's suppose you sell Day Sponsorships for $20. One hundred day sponsorships are sold to parents and local businesses amounting to an additional $2,000 for your team. Perhaps you sell ten Day Sponsorships with a special Note for $25 each. That could generate an additional $250 towards your team uniforms.

Another idea is to sell shared month sponsorships. You determine the number and size of ads to be sold in this manner. Suppose you sell 25 Shared Month Sponsorships at $50 each. That will generate $1250 for your team.

Another idea is to sell Exclusive Month Sponsorships. Suppose you sell five Exclusive Month Sponsorships for $200. That would generate $1,000.

To recap our example:
100 day-sponsors x $ 20 = $2,000
10 day-with-note x $ 25 = $ 250
25 shared-month x $ 50 = $1,250
5 exclusive- month x $200 = $1,000

100 calendars sold (group rate) = $474

Total: $4,974 for your group or organization.

Our software for calendars is very flexible and easy to use. All of our products are fully customizable from backgrounds to fonts, layouts, borders and enhancements. Our blog has many tips, ideas, and suggestions to aid you in framing your special memories forever.

We invite you to download our FREE software ! If you have slow internet connection, or no internet connection, request a disc and we will send our software to you! You can also sign up to receive our blog posts emailed directly to your in box! Please visit our web site for more information on all of our products and services.

If you would like more information on how Freeze Frame Publishing can help your group or organization in its fund raising efforts, please contact us. We're ready to help!

Thank you for visiting our site. We welcome your comments and suggestions.

Laura
this post first appeared in April, 2009

Wallet-Size print SPECIAL through September 21!

2011-09-07T08:00:00.010-04:00

You still have time to take advantage of our wallet size card special! Through September 21, order one set of 24 wallet sized cards and receive a second identical set absolutely FREE!

Download our FREE software today and start freezing time and framing memories with Freeze Frame Publishing!

Please visit our website to learn more about Freeze Frame Publishing, our products and services. If we can be of any assistance to you, please contact me... I'm ready to help you freeze time and frame your holiday memories forever!
Laura

QR Code on the back or your favorite Wallet Size Pic!

2011-09-07T08:00:00.008-04:00

QR (Quick Response) codes are all the rage these days. They are those little boxes of squiggly lines that, when scanned with your smart phone, lead to a web site, a message, or special content. Lots of information can be accessed with a scan of a code.

So why not use the QR technology to enhance your own customized photo products?

Here's a quick idea for using a customized QR code to enhance your wallet sized card...
The front side of wallet card will display a picture. For this example I have chosen a group picture:

The back of the wallet card will have a QR code of a video montage of this year's annual fishing trip:

If you have a smart phone handy, scan this QR to see the video.

To make this QR code, first I made a video using video software available on many PCs and Macs. I then uploaded the video to YouTube so that it would have a web link. I copied the web link into a QR code generator, saved the QR image and used it just like a picture file. I "clicked, dragged, and dropped" this image onto the back of my wallet card. I now have much more than a picture to share with friends and family!

Customized QR codes would make wonderful additions to holiday news letters, to holiday cards, to graduation announcements, to wedding thank-you cards... the possibilities are endless!

Download our FREE software for photo books, cards, calendars and posters and have fun creating your holiday cards! Please visit our web site for more information on Freeze Frame Publishing, our products and services.

If you would like assistance in creating truly unique holiday cards this season, please contact me!

~Laura

Sort and Organize Your Summer and Year-Long Pics!

2011-09-06T08:00:00.002-04:00

If you are like most of us, you take LOTS of digital pictures throughout the year. And if you're like me, most of those pictures stay in your cameras... on the media card!

I encourage all of you to set aside time to organize your pictures. The holidays will be here before we know it and we will be ready to dazzle our friends and family with some neat additions to our holiday cards...

It can be quite easy. Create specific folders to hold the pictures you wish to keep. As you are sorting through all of the images on your media card, copy or cut and paste them into the appropriate folders.

If you have Windows 7 or iMovie, you can make a video of your images. More on that later...

Happy organizing!

Laura

Happy Labor Day!

2011-09-04T08:00:00.000-04:00

Summer's last hurrah!

Where ever the holiday weekend finds you, we hope you are surrounded by friends and family creating memories to one day look back upon.

Gather your group and take a few pictures! We'll have tips and suggestions for framing this season's memories!

Happy Fall,
Laura

Labor Day Weekend and Family Pictures

2011-09-02T08:15:00.002-04:00

Labor Day Weekend is a perfect time to get one last family or group shot of the summer! Keep your cameras handy to snap candid shots as well. Who knows... your family Christmas or holiday card picture may be in the bunch!

Stay tuned for holiday gift ideas using all the pictures you've taken throughout the year!

Please visit our website for more information on Freeze Frame Publishing, our FREE software, our products and services available to help you freeze time and frame your memories forever! Please contact me if I can be of any assistance to you!

Happy memory making,
Laura

Wallet-Size print SPECIAL!

2011-09-01T08:00:00.001-04:00

September 1 through September 21 take advantage of our 2-for-1 special on all orders of our wallet size cards! (order one set of 24 wallet cards and receive a second set FREE!)

Wallet sized cards are perfect for enclosing in your holiday greeting cards! Do you have a favorite family photo? A great shot of your child's first day of school or a picture of them in their athletic uniform ? Any favorite picture can be used.

Wallet sized cards can be found under the CARDS section of our FREE software! And as with all of our products, you can add text in any font and any color anywhere!

Please visit our web site for more information on our products and services. If you would additional assistance, please contact me!

Laura

Summer may be ending... looking ahead to Fall!

2011-08-29T09:33:00.000-04:00

Wow! It's the end of August already! Labor Day weekend is upon us in a few short days.

Amidst the start of school, the beginning of football and other fall sports, and the wrap up of summer we hope you will take a moment to remember all the memories you created with your friends and family this summer.

Enjoy the remaining "lazy days" of summer!

~Laura

How about Interactive Christmas and Holiday Cards This Year?

2011-08-04T11:59:00.001-04:00

It's the beginning of August and December is a looong way off! But now is a great time to think about your Christmas and holiday greeting cards!

How about sending a customized interactive holiday greeting card this year? You can... and quite easily!

Does your family have videos on YouTube? Do you have digital slide shows showcasing your family adventures? Do you have lots of digital pictures that you would like to share with friends and family? Would you like to send a special holiday greeting to loved ones?

We can help you turn any or all of the above into a personalized QR (quick response) code that you can place on your custom cards. When scanned with a smart phone, your QR code will open up to your family video, your family slide show, your family blog site...

Here is the QR code for our blog site:

and this one leads to our Facebook page:

Imagine placing your own QR code on the inside of your custom greeting card. Connect with friends and family like never before this holiday season!

Start gathering your favorite pictures from the year...

Please visit our website to learn more about Freeze Frame Publishing, our products and services. If we can be of any assistance to you, please contact me... I'm ready to help you freeze time and frame your holiday memories forever!

~Laura

Travels with Pierre: A Teddy Bear's Story Book

2011-07-26T08:37:00.001-04:00

Meet Pierre. He is the darling teddy bear of Karen; a gift from her husband, Ron. Most days, Pierre spends his time in Lowell, Michigan. But when Ron and Karen travel, so too does Pierre! Pierre has visited some pretty amazing places. He has traveled extensively in Europe and the United States.

Karen, a retired art teacher, has kept journals and sketches of their travels. Her grandson has inspired and challenged her to make a book of Pierre's travels. She is taking up the challenge and is drawing, sketching and painting pages for her book. Using her journals and pictures, she is recreating their 5 month stay in Europe in 2006-2007.

When she is finished with her artwork, Karen will scan her pages into digital format. She can then easily add them to our photo book software to create Pierre's story book. Her original artwork is preserved--and she can make multiple copies for her friends and family to enjoy.

Here is a peek at Pierre's title page...

Karen will add text once her scanned artwork is in the actual book template. She has printed words for her title page to help her visualize the finished printed page.

Above is a peek at another page. Karen has left plenty of space in which to add her text. Adding text to her scanned pages rather than placing it directly on her artwork will give Karen more freedom to change font, font size and font color to fit each page of her book.

Karen already has an offer to read her book to children at the local YMCA. A reception is planned for her when her book is printed. Details to follow!

Do you have a story waiting to be told? Our software makes it easy and affordable to get your story in print! Please visit our web site for more information on our products and services. Contact me if you would like assistance in getting your story ready for print!

Happy Tale Telling!
Laura

Step-by-Step Directions for Mail-In Orders

2011-06-13T08:34:00.000-04:00

If you do not have high-speed internet or you are uncomfortable entering your credit card information over the internet, you can still order your custom products from Freeze Frame Publishing! Follow these instructions to create a file that you can save to a CD or other media device.

When your project is finished, click the send to FreezeFrame button in the top right corner.

Your first prompt will begin processing your file. Click "yes."

Please Preview your project at this screen. Remember that Freeze Frame Publishing does not edit or alter your project in any way. Here is where you check your project for the last time before submitting. Click "view." If you need to make changes, click the "cancel" button at the bottom of the dialog box. You will return to your project. Make your changes and begin the process again.

When you are satisfied with your project, check the box stating your OK then click the "continue" button.

For Mail-In Orders click the "I prefer to bring the files with me to the store" button. You will proceed to save this file to your computer. This is the file you will send to Freeze Frame Publishing!

Complete the information and click OK.

This dialog box lets you know that your file will be created. Click "OK."

If you are using a PC, the default setting for saving files is My Documents, as noted above. You can change where you save your file if you wish. Please name your file. Note the file extension is .dgl You will not be able to view or open this file once it has been saved, but this is the file you will send to Freeze Frame Publishing.

You will see this confirmation screen that your file has been saved to your desired location. Note the file extension is .dgl

Save this file to a CD or other media device for mail-in orders. You can also attach this file for email orders or place this file in a file-sharing folder (e.g. DropBox.com) for submission to Freeze Frame Publishing. Enclose payment along with your contact information (email address and phone number).

If you have any questions, or need additional assistance, please contact me!

Please visit our web site for more information on Freeze Frame Publishing, our products and services. We're also on facebook. Video tutorials can be accessed from our facebook page. You can also access our web site directly from our software when you are connected to the internet!

~Laura

Rays of Hope for Haiti Greeting Cards NOW Available!

2011-06-09T14:38:00.000-04:00

Rays of Hope for Haiti greeting cards and note cards are now available in two sizes: 4x5.5 and 5x7.
You can purchase cards this Saturday, June 11 at the Eastown Bizarre Bazaar in the Eastown Business district of Grand Rapids, Michigan from 9:00 a.m.to 5:00 p.m. The Rays of Hope booth will be on Wealthy Street along with several other local vendors.

For pocket change you can purchase a card to send to a friend or family member. They'll feel good receiving a card from you; you'll feel good knowing that proceeds from your purchase help support many programs sponsored by Rays of Hope for Haiti in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Two of their largest projects are a water purification plant in the Dominican Republic and an orphanage in Haiti.

Cards can be purchased at their booth or on their Etsy site, Shop Haiti.
5x7 cards are $2.00 each
4x5.5 cards are $1.50 each or 4 for $5.00 or 10 for $10.00
As an added bonus for those of you with smart phones, you can view a message from the executive director, Kim Sorrelle, as well as visit their website and "like" their facebook page!

For more information on Rays of Hope for Haiti and how you can get involved in their projects, please contact Anna at anna@raysofhopeforhaiti or Kim at kim@raysofhopeforhaiti.com

Feel Good. Do Good. Help support a Good Cause: Rays of Hope for Haiti.

Thanks for helping Kim and Anna and the rest of the team at Rays of Hope for Haiti!
~Laura

Custom Poster Collage that YOU Make!

2011-03-24T20:25:00.001-04:00

Sometimes an 8x10 image just isn't big enough to frame your memories... time to try creating your own collage using your images and Freeze Frame Publishing's FREE software for posters.

Open up the Freeze Frame software, select 'poster,' and begin creating your custom collage.

Our posters are 11x17 inches and can be printed on one or two sides. Since most computer screens do not show the entire work area, one way to "see" where you are placing images is to shrink the work area as shown above.

Add blank picture "frames" to your work area. Lay out the frames as you like them.

Once you have the frames laid out, it's time to add your images.

Add your pictures into the picture tray at the bottom of your screen. Use the single + to add one image at a time, or use the multiple + to add an entire folder. You can always more images at any time!

If you want to add borders around images, you can. Select the width of the border from the drop down menu as shown above. You can also change the color of the border as well as round the edges using the tools right next to the borders.

You can also turn images by highlighting an image and moving the scroll bar as shown above. Frames and embellishments to enhance your collage poster can be found on the far right side of the software screen. A click, drag, and drop is all that is needed. Once you have your poster collage just how you like it, click the "send to FreezeFrame" button on the top tool bar and follow the prompts.

Our posters are printed on 10 point C1S and C2S and are suitable for framing or hanging as is!

If you would like more information on Freeze Frame Publishing, our products and services, please visit our web site... or "like" us on facebook!

~Laura

5th Annual Dam-to-Dam Ice Fishing Contest Photo Book Link

2011-03-14T08:33:00.005-04:00

The monies have been counted; the awards have been given; the ice is now melting on Croton Pond...

The 5th Annual Dam-to-Dam Ice Fishing Contest, held annually between Croton and Hardy Dams on the FREE fishing weekend in February, raised $16,400 for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Newaygo County.

John Leinenkugel joined us for the festivities on the ice this year. He was on hand to crown the 2011 "Dam She's Hot" winner

as well as award the winners of the ice fishing contest.

Leinenkugel's also donated several signed items for the raffle.

The sponsors of this year's event expressed their thanks and gratitude to John by presenting him with a signed and framed event shirt. He plans to make Dam-to-Dam an annual event himself!

Other contests at this year's event were Craziest Hat and Best Shanty.

Nestle was a new sponsor this year. They donated 100 ice fishing poles and reels to 100 children.

Everyone had a great time... plans are in the works for next year's event. We hope to see you on the ice in 2012! Here's a peek at this year's photo book.

If you would like more information on Freeze Frame Publishing, our products and services, please visit our web site... or "like" us on facebook!

Thank you,
Laura

Women in Business Expo Saturday, February 26!

2011-02-22T10:33:00.000-05:00

The Women in Business Expo will be held this Saturday, February 26 at the Byron Township Community Center, 2120 76th Street SW, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.

Fifty local women-owned businesses will be represented in this year's event. Freeze Frame Publishing will be on hand with samples of our newest photo products that YOU create using your digital pictures. We'll have cards and book marks for purchase, too.

Short "How-To" classes will be offered throughout the event. Classes ranging from holistic health care, make-up techniques, Quick Books assistance, and how to build a photo book are among the day's offerings.

We'd love to see you there!

Please visit our web site for more information on Freeze Frame Publishing, our products and services. If I can be of any assistance to you as you freeze time and frame your memories forever, please contact me.