Saving Photos Is Their Business

‘Organized” does not begin to describe stay-home mom, Laura Tabish. Her Veradale house, carpeted in spotless white, is neat and tidy despite having two small children, ages 2 and 7 months.

Tabish also is her own boss, running a business from her basement.

As a Creative Memories consultant, Tabish teaches her neighbors, friends and others how to preserve and store photographs so they will last a lifetime.

For Tabish, and others like her, the advantages to working at home are many. For example, she saves thousands of dollars on daycare costs and revels in the pleasure of raising her two children.

The extra income helps Tabish and her husband, Dan, with plans to complete their basement, buy a personal computer and a new van for family trips.

“We probably couldn’t afford them without (the business),” she said.

Her husband’s job at Inland Northwest Metallurgical Services in the Valley is the family’s primary income. But Laura’s income helps them maintain the lifestyle they want for themselves and their children, Jordan and Molly.

For Laura, finding a business venture came easily. Her friend and neighbor, Sandi Weber also is a consultant for Creative Memories, a company founded by two women, one of whom was a stay-home mom.

Weber hosted “Crop ‘til you Drop” workshops at her Veradale home. There, photo enthusiasts crop, organize and design pages.

Before she became a consultant, Tabish often attended Weber’s workshops. For years, she enjoyed arranging family photos in albums. She said she got hooked on the Creative Memories idea of preserving photographic memories. Now, she hosts cropping workshops.

“The goal is … to make your albums safe, meaningful and creative,” said Tabish. The album pages are different from the traditional “magnetic” or sticky plastic ones. They’re acid-free plastic sleeves with reinforced edges.

Once a week, other moms, friends and neighbors meet at Tabish’s house for a class or workshop.

A neighbor, Ralinn Jones, says she goes to all the cropping nights, which last six hours, because it’s a release and an escape for her.

“I’ve always been good about organizing (albums) but they’ve always been so plain,” said Jones. “This is something special to give to my daughter. I don’t have to worry about discoloration or anything happening to the photos.”

Tabish collects a small fee, between $7 and $12, depending on the presentation, and sells album supplies. Pages of her four albums are themed with Halloween, a trip to Arizona, apple picking at Greenbluff and other family events.

Weber has capsuled her trips to Germany, California, Oklahoma, Oregon in albums. She tucks foreign hotel bills, napkins from restaurants and other keepsakes in the album pages with her photos. There’s even space for “journaling” - with acid-free, fade-proof pens - on the pages.

“I wouldn’t be able to do this (traveling) without this income,” said Weber, a consultant for 3-1/2 years.

“This is the first time I’ve had something of my own,” said Weber. “I never had my own checking account. My husband paid all the bills and handled the bank accounts. Now, he thinks I’m awesome. He’s so proud of me. This has been a real self-esteem thing for me.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo