Your kids’ natural smiles make most authentic photos

It’s pretty cool when, as parents, we get some slick shots of our kids posing in trendy duds, looking like they belong on a J. Crew billboard. Plenty of amazing family photographers can capture those shots for you, and they’re a hoot, as my grandmother would say. Indulge in those photo shoots, to be sure—the kids will (most often) have fun, and you’ll be rewarded with some magazine-worthy pictures. But don’t showcase those in frames and books at the expense of showing your kids for who they really are, too.

photo legacyDawn M. RoodeApril 5, 2016how to photograph kids, preserving family memories, child modeling and fashionComment

It’s time to start spring cleaning your photographs!

Leave the Windex and broom in the closet for now—all you need to undertake this spring cleaning project are a few boxes, post-it notes, and a pencil. Oh, and all those scattered photographs you've got lying around the house! While spring cleaning might not be ‘your thing,’ the deeper meaning in this organization project will hopefully spur you into action...and score some winning #ThrowbackThursday pics in the process!

photo legacyDawn M. RoodeMarch 30, 2016sorting and storing boxes of old photographs, spring cleaning family photos and memorabilia, cutting through the clutter and organizing boxes of photographsComment

When your wedding photographer doesn’t do albums, “I do”!

Many destination-wedding brides return home married, with a boatload of special memories and a disk of digital images but no wedding album. Ordering an heirloom-quality album once the couple returns home is not such a simple thing, as I learned from experience. With Modern Heirloom Books, now it's easier than ever.

book ideas & inspiration, weddingDawn M. RoodeMarch 21, 2016where to get wedding album made after destination wedding, professional wedding albums from high res images, destination wedding album design Comment

Out-of-the-box ideas for making your photo book truly unique

Heirlooms shouldn’t be stuffy or overly conservative: They should reflect the values and real lives of their subjects. And—we hope—for most of you that means lives filled with joy, music, and good company. If you're tackling your own DIY photo book, here are a few out-of-the-box ideas for adding color to your homemade books, from thought bubble captions (with a free download) to flip-book fun!

book ideas & inspiration, photo legacyDawn M. RoodeMarch 9, 2016how to add personality to your DIY photo books, add a music playlist to your photo book, ways to add more than pictures to your family photo album, beyond scrapbooking are modern ideas for personalizing photo booksComment

How a struggle to tell my mother’s whole story turned into a more intimate portrait of love

The first legacy book I designed was as personal as it gets: a book honoring my beloved mother. But after struggling to find a way to tell her whole story, I realized that simply was not possible. And I didn't want some long, boring biography, anyway. What resulted is a book that is precious to me, and I hope will one day be inspiring to my son...and the children I envision he will someday have himself. May you be inspired to tell the story of one of your loved, ones, too!

book ideas & inspiration, remember lost loved ones, why tell your stories?Dawn M. RoodeMarch 1, 2016legacy book about a mother daughter relationship, telling a story through pictures and letters, designing an heirloom book in honor of a deceased relative, when a family member dies honor them in a book, essential readingComment

Sometimes it’s the outtakes that matter. #unfiltered

From the crying baby to the teenage 'tude captured on Instagram, the less-than-perfect moments in our photo feeds should not be throwaways—heck, those are some of the most fun (and honest) pictures we have! Our top 5 reasons why the outtakes might matter more than your professionally posed pictures in the end.

photo legacyDawn M. RoodeFebruary 22, 2016Comment

Why tell our stories? Wisdom from RootsTech 2016 & beyond

There are likely a million reasons to share personal stories. We've collected 10 nuggets of priceless wisdom from #RootsTech 2016, from inspiring love and empathy to helping us raise resilient children. Stories are gifts—are you sharing yours?

family history, why tell your stories?Dawn M. RoodeFebruary 8, 2016how stories add depth to family history and dry genealogy, rasing resilient kids through a family narrative, highlights about storytelling from rootstech conference 2016, why its important to tell personal stories, raising resilient kids with family historyComment

Your search for “unique bridal shower gifts from the parents” ends here

Your daughter is engaged. Celebrate the girl she was and the woman she has become before she walks down the aisle. Or honor your own relationship with her and how it has evolved over time. Our Heirloom Original is a wedding shower gift that is as personal as it gets, destined to be cherished by the bride-to-be.