1000

Posted on April 25, 2014 by pixologie

A great friend to Pixologie, this amazing photographer reached 1000 days of posting “A Photo A Day.” She also broke her wrist the day before the scheduled 100oth photo shoot! We admire her plunk, determination and consistency!!!

OdesIsPro

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It was tough but I got it. Today I am working on getting into a hand specialist. At one point not having use of my right hand was my greatest fear. Not anymore, it happened and I am surviving it. It seems like this is the week to prove to myself that indeed I have conquered some of the bigger fears I had at one point or another. I will take that as a success.

In addition that group in the picture … Holy Amazing group of people!

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6 Benefits to Organizing Your Photos

Posted on April 10, 2014 by pixologie

Pixologie welcomes this guest blog from Certified Organizer Coach Tiffany Lynn Lepp!

“Organize my photos.”

There it was.

For the fifth consecutive year, “organize my photos”, made it to the top of my New Year’s resolution.

Year five was the year I did actually organize my photos.

It was also the year I achieved my coaching certification.

The fact that I organized my photos and achieved my coaching certification in the same year are not a coincidence.

My coaching instructor said, “in order to be a great coach you have to know who you are, how you show up, what’s important to you, and why!”

So, for the first part of the program all we did was figure out these questions for ourselves.

It’s because I finally knew my WHY that I was able to complete my photo organization project.

BEFORE, I wanted to organize my photos because:

I felt like I should.
I wanted to have them in pretty containers.
I wanted to find them easier.
I wanted the extra space in my home.

These are all very good reasons, but they weren’t good enough for me to put in the work.

Once I spent a significant about of time studying myself and creating my values I could finally come up with reasons as to why organizing my photos were important:

Photos are an expression of love.
Photos evoke self-reflection
Photos remind us to be grateful.
Photos celebrate life.
Photos make history.
Photos give hope.

Photos are an Expression of Love. My wedding scrapbook. The photo book I made for my uncle. The birthday video for my mom. These are all an expression of my love for others. Before my photos were organized I would resent these projects because of the work involved. But, now that they are organized I look forward to creating these “love works.” My uncle tells me that he looks at the photo book every morning and smiles. No other gift could have made an impact that like the photo book. That is love.

Photos Evoke Self-Reflection. We can learn a lot about ourselves when we pause and consider our upbringing. Looking at photos creates that pause. When we know why we are the way we are and why we do the things we do it makes changing what we don’t like about ourselves easier. Most of us are so busy running from one thing to the next that we told give ourselves permission to stop and become aware. Photos create awareness.

Photos Remind us to be Grateful. Life is messy. Most of us can’t forget the hard times, but can’t remember the blessings in our lives. Chances are we have boxes and boxes of memories to be grateful for. When we are feeling depressed, worthless, or ungrateful look at your photos and praise God for the many blessings we have been given.

Photos Celebrate Life and Comfort Us. Photo help us celebrate special occasions. They also help us remember and celebrate the live’s of those who have passed away from this earth. Sometimes, there is no greater comfort than a photo of someone we love. This is why so many soldiers in the field have photos with them.

Photos Make History. Going through my photos there were many faces I didn’t recognize. I am blessed that I still have parents, grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles to turn to for help in identifying those pictured. But, I know this will not always be the case. Pull out the photos you might need help with first and get other family members involved before too much time passes.

Photos give hope. There are times in our life when we question what we are doing on this earth. We question our purpose. We question our accomplishments, achievements, and choices. When you feel in despair, pull out your photos. I recall a time in my life when I was feeling purposelessness. I felt like I hadn’t achieved what I wanted to by a certain age. As I was going through my photos it brought me hope to know that I didn’t waste my time, but was going in the right direction even though there were a few detours.

If you have disorganized photos, reframe your thinking. Don’t see them as “just another thing to do.” Instead see them as: love, self-discovery, gratitude, celebration, history, and hope. With this way of thinking, you will surely get excited about organizing your photos.

Now it’s your turn. How can you get excited about organizing your photos?

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Tiffany Lynn Lepp is a Christian Organizer Coach, Certified Organizer Coach®, and Certified Professional Organizer®. She coaches women on how to live a less cluttered and more Christ centered life. She does this through her one-on-one and group Simplification Coaching Programs. Visit her online at www.TiffanyLynnLepp.com

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Put Your Family On Expo This Weekend!

Posted on April 3, 2014 by pixologie

At Pixologie, we love celebrating life, family, fun and much more! We do this by helping people reconnect with their photos, get them organized, printed, shared and much more. Making memories is so much fun (figuring out what to do with the photos is what we offer to you!)

Every time you take a child’s photo or have a family portrait done, you are featuring your child, your family and your life for a moment. That moment is captured and on exposition for a split second in time! These moments, so very often, are tucked away in digital memory (smartphone, tablet, camera card, computer, etc.)

We saw a staggering statistic on Yahoo at the beginning of the year . . . nearly one trillion photos will be taken this year. Consider this:

The vast majority of those photos will never be printed
Many will be lost through digital crashes, smartphone disasters (stolen, left behind and never found, traded in without a back-up of photos saved)
Most people are so overwhelmed with their photos, they have no clue where to start.

Here’s where we come in. . .

Pixologie Challenge & Simple Solution for this weekend – Put Your Family On Expo!

Come to the Just Add Kids Expo this weekend in Racine – see details above – Visit our Pixologie Photo Zone and get a crazy fun family portrait together by a professional photographer (available for digital download at no charge)
Don’t live in the area? Send us your craziest family photo to contact@pixologieinc.com) and we’ll post it for you on Facebook!
From all the family photos, we will draw a name to win a digital photo album featuring your child with a value of $100!

For your simple solution to photo organizing dilemmas – we’ll be handing out our QuickPix Guide to Photo Organization – and give you ideas and tips on how to get started, one step at a time! For those who can’t make it – we’ll send it to you!

Happy memory making and we’ll see your family on EXPO! : )

Say No To Bad Selfies! : )

Posted on March 20, 2014 by pixologie

Here’s a beautiful selfie of Co-Founder Ann Matuszak’s daughter – who happens to also love photos! (However, this gem of a selfie was found among many, many other goofy selfies!)

We love, love photos at Pixologie!

So, my friend, Paula at Just Add Kids, was telling me about how her kids use her smartphone to take many “selfies.” When she mentioned that, I groaned. (Okay, we don’t love all photos.) Her biggest problem (besides her kids just using the phone) was something like, “Well, how can I delete them?” Admittedly, some of her kids’ “selfies” were adorable, but most of the selfies, in my humble opinion, just needed to be trashed.

I am going to make a categorical statement in my life, “Say No To Selfies.” (hashtag is #saynotobadselfies). After talking with Paula and her assistant, Theresa, we came to the following conclusions:

Selfies clutter our phones.
Selfies, while fun in the moment,tend to desensitize children and teenagers and really seem, at a deeper level, a form of self-disrespect. Consider the headline in a recent New York Times article, “With Some Selfies, the Uglier the Better.” See the link below as it provides an interesting perspective on selfies. I’m not sure how I feel about it all.
They can take away the innocence of a teenager – first, it’s a goofy face; next – a provocative look; then – a daring cleavage shot; and in too many instances – a bikini selfie and worse

Having said all of that, there are some “selfies” that are amazingly awesome. So, after further reflection, I can’t say no to them all, just the bad ones. Selfies can catch a moment in a special, ethereal, way – such as at a wedding – or at the Academy Awards like Ellen did with the most tweeted ever photo!

UPCOMING CLASS

Related to the selfie dilemma, Pixologie and Just Add Kids is offering this class to anyone with too many photos on their phone.

Get Your Photos Off Your Phone!

Pixologie Studio at The Gathering in Oak Creek

8825 South Howell Avenue, Suite 102

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/23/fashion/selfies-the-uglier-the-better-technology.html?_r=0

Check Out: Just Add Kids – http://www.justaddkidsonline.net

Your Photos Are Calling You . . .

Posted on February 9, 2014 by pixologie

. . . And they want to remind you of so many things!

Truly, in our stacks of printed photos and countless stashes of digital photos, special things are happening:

The road trip to Florida back in 1962, hanging out at the beach!
A daughter’s six birthday where she got her ears pierced for the first time (YES, that’s a milestone!)
The seventh annual family reunion where cousin Mike spent $30 on a white elephant auction for an old raggedy ann doll (Okay, we need to know that story!!!)
A 1918 photo of your great grandfather sitting on his vintage (well, it wasn’t vintage back then) Harley Davidson
The annual trip to California with the kids to visit grandparents (Wow, look at how the kids grew in between trips!)
Family members who have passed away – are smiling and enjoying life

We hear so often from our clients and people we talk with about how they want to work on organizing their photos, get them printed and in albums to enjoy. The common denominator is. . . “I just don’t have the time.”

The truth is this . . . there will never be enough time to spend time with photos and memories. . . unless we DECIDE to DEDICATE the time. By dedicating, we mean “I will work on my photos and nothing will interrupt me, not the kids, not the phone, not the laundry.”

That is where Pixologie comes in . . . with weekend retreats where all you will have is DEDICATED time to put your photos in order, make albums and preserve memories! No matter what format you use to do this, Pixologie will be there throughout the weekend helping, cheering and working with you on these projects!

Retreat to Phantom Ranch, Mukwonago, WI – Friday, March 14, 2014, 4 pm through Sunday, March 16, 2014, 11 am

Pixologie is pleased to invite all gals who need some downtime away from the family to get their photo and video projects done in a beautiful location. While there is no cooking, no cleaning, no children clamoring for attention, this is a RUSTIC getaway with accommodations in cabins complete with bunkbeds and newly renovated bathrooms.

Join us for the weekend where you can work on your projects all night; enjoy beautiful outdoor walks, go for a horseback ride, get a massage, share and get ideas from other women working on their projects and much, much more. This is a great getaway for working on organization, scanning, digital books, scrapbooks and more.

$150 includes lodging, five home cooked meals and Pixologie’s co-founders, Mollie and Ann to help you on your projects when needed. We have a fun bunch of gals who have joined us for the last five years and we promise a great time! Click here to register.

Things that get in my way.

Posted on January 26, 2014 by pixologie

A beautiful photo and post from a Pixologie friend. . .

OdesIsPro

Blockades get in my way. Sometimes I put them up. Sometimes I take them down. Other times, the majority of times, it has nothing to do with me. It is outside forces that cause things to be in the way of me reaching my goals.

Today for example, a broken computer is in my way. This could be the worse possible timing for it. There is never a good time, this is just less than ideal. It is a reality check I have to say. I am so much more appreciative of ” It wasn’t me” road blocks.

It also, just as this picture yesterday made me think, makes me want to remove the road blocks I create myself. It is bad enough that the world brings its own issues, I do not need to add to them,

One really awesome thing I can say about all of this is that…

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A Memory Crisis . . . Avert Yours in Advance!

Posted on January 22, 2014 by pixologie

It happened on December 1, last year . . . nearly two months ago. I lost my iPhone and, even today, I have the sinking feeling of sadness and dread over this. It is not because of the money I paid for the phone, or the frustration of having to figure out how to get a replacement, or the time invested into apps that I may or not even get again.

I miss my family photos on it.

We had a very unique and special Thanksgiving weekend (just five days before I lost the darn thing.) I was heartsick that I hadn’t uploaded the photos anywhere – including the memories of our family celebrating Thanksgiving in a new place with very special family, spending time together at a Christmas tree farm where my 12 year old daughter was able to take the reins of a four horse wagon ride, the special times working on crafts with family friends and so much more.

I just knew I was going to remember some other photo that I lost . . . and this past weekend it hit me. I had the MOST awesome video of my seven year old son dancing his heart out at a birthday party we attended earlier in November. He was this crazy, wild, full of life dancer doing moves I never expected and would never even do myself! The video is gone as well and, for the first time, I had actual tears over losing my phone.

While I cope with this loss (and, I well understand, there are so many things worse that can happen in life), what really bugs me is . . . I should have known better. Smart phones, these days, have so many ways for a person to back up their photos. (iCloud, upload to my computer, Facebook would even have saved me here!)

At Pixologie, we don’t want anyone to ever go through this situation; avert the crisis in advance! Make a plan on how your photos on your phone will be recovered if you should ever lose the phone or severely damage it where you can’t access your photos/videos.

Message us if you need help with this. . . and in the meantime, I’ll keep reliving those moments in my heart.

Big Payoffs and not so typical pictures.

Posted on January 7, 2014 by pixologie

Beautiful shot of the harbor!

OdesIsPro

This is a very typical shot for Milwaukee if you take out the ice and the ship coming into port. I have never seen the ice and a ship here before. In fact I have never seen a ship coming into port here. This is not actually the port area. What it is though is the entrance way to a rather large company that has a dock for a ship this size right outside the back door.

It was happenstance that I was in the area on a Sunday afternoon. I had a meeting with the printer for the show in April. His studio is right in this area. I never miss a chance to go to this spot when I am in the area. Imagine my delight upon seeing this. I love working for the POD. I never moan and groan about having to work for it. I will…

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Brrr. . . It’s Cold Outside, Let Memories Warm You Up!

Posted on January 4, 2014 by pixologie

This is a photo I took a couple of days ago – it was 7 degrees out and my seven year old, Alex, wanted to go sledding and tubing really bad. However, he took one ride down too many. As he left the hill, he placed the inner tube on the pile and began walking away, but then looked back for me.

I gave him my hot chocolate and took this photo. He said to me in a shaking, shivering voice, “I am not real stable,” and he hobbled inside. His feet were very, very cold – but it was his expression here that made my heart melt. Alex is a rough and tumble, talking back, trouble making boy normally – but in this moment, he was my baby again!

Without this photo, I absolutely know I would not remember this moment years from now. Can you think of moments you have gotten a snapshot of – that warms your heart? While the weather stays extremely chilly out these next few days – pull out your photo albums and enjoy smiling and laughing at some of your best moments, and maybe even some of the not so good ones!

If you need help figuring out a place to start with getting some of your more recent photos in an album, let us know at Pixologie. We have a great “Pixguide to Getting Organized” flyer to share with you. Email us at contact@pixologieinc.com.

And stay warm!

Two Men and A Plane

Posted on November 12, 2013 by pixologie

Yesterday, we celebrated Veteran’s Day . . . a special honoring of those American soldiers who served and serve our country to defend our freedom and way of life. We saw many photos posted on Facebook, shared on Twitter and other social media. We are awed by the sacrifices made throughout the years by so many and express our appreciation for those who have chosen service in the United States military.

My dad served in the Vietnam War . . . and we have a few photos from his time with the Navy. These pictures are special to us . . . because he doesn’t like to talk about those years of his life. He has explained to us how he voluntarily enlisted with the Navy as many of his friends and he expected the draft to kick in – and then they’d not have as much of a choice of where they would go. I have another family member who loves telling the stories of his time with the Army and he has many, many photos taken with his service friends. It is fun when he brings out the box and we go through those memories.

This photo above was found online searching for photos of WWII – we don’t know the story of the two men and their plane. . . but imagine they saw life in a completely different way then our current generation ever will. Sure, photos can tell a story – but do we have the right story?

What stories do you or your family members have about serving our country? We’d love to hear about them. We hope that you are preserving these stories, photos and memories safely – and that they’ll be around for generations to come. If you need help, contact us – we can get you a place to start.

God’s blessings to all our veterans!