Scrapbook Fun

Wendy's School Album

Just thought I'd show you a picture of both pages of the 2nd grade layout for Wendy's school photos album, since I couldn't fit both pages into the newsletter. I think that those of you who choose to make this album out of your children's yearly photos are going to be very glad you did. (And, may I say that your friends will envy you, too. Not that a scrapbooker would ever want to incite anything like envy . . . ) You can slip into this class at noon on Saturday, November 14, and either make one layout for $15 or make 16 (yes, 16!) complete layouts, covering grades pre-K through 6, for only $60. Just call the store to sign up at 860-399-4443.

Don't Neglect Inspiration

In my recent "staycation," I made over 35 layouts and realized that for me, at least, inspiration is the number one thing I've got going for me as a scrapbooker. If the photo, the subject, or the story excites me, I'm halfway home.

Try it yourself. Just pick the photo(s) that speak to you with the following message: "it's going to be really fun to scrapbook me." Or you might pick the photos that say, "Believe me this is one story you're going to want to remember all your life," and you've got INSPIRATION. Then run with it, baby. You'll love the results!

Card Stash Samples

I've been working on my cards for the "Card Stash" class this week.  Sorry I'm a little behind, but the flu hit my family hard over the last two weeks.  Luckily everyone is on the mend.

I'm super excited about this week at the Clubhouse.  So much going on. Here is a photo of some of the cards for Friday.

Ooh, and did you all see in the newsletter that the crop for Nov. 14th is back on the schedule???  Call and sign up today!

Wendy's Birthday Card Box

Here are the photos of Wendy's Birthday Card Box Class, as promised in the newsletter. 

Isn't it beautiful?  I think it would make a fantastic gift, especially for someone on your list who has "everything". 

Time at the Clubhouse

You know, I think Motherhood is one of the most amazing things on the planet.  Lots of unconditional love flowing back and forth.  Watching kids grow and change and become little personalities.  Seeing them gain confidence as they learn to communicate, first with signs and grunts, then the spoken word, then the written word.  Amazing.

However, as much as we love them, we yearn for time with our friends, too.  Conversations about anything and everything and never having to tell anyone to sneeze into their elbow or take their hands off their sister. My kiddos have been sick for the better part of a week and a half, as have several of my co-workers' kids.  So believe me when I tell you, I am really looking forward to my time at work tonight! 

You'll have to forgive me that I am a little behind on receiving (more QuicKutz embossing folders and paper dolls came yesterday, but I can't leave my sick little girl to receive them until her Daddy comes home from work) and that I only have a few sample cards prepped for Cards for the Troops tonight.  Don't worry, though, there are enough designs to keep everyone who comes busy, plus a stack of materials that you can use if you want to flex your creative muscles and create a design of your own for the troops. 

Hope I see you tonight!  I need some time with you, my friends.

Tracie

Nutmeg, Nooks and More

I am so excited to get to the store today and receive our newest goodies, Nutmeg from Cosmo Cricket and Nook & Pantry from Basic Grey.  I know, I know, the store is closed today, but yesterday I was home with a sick little one so I couldn't get to the Clubhouse.  And as most of us would agree, you can't stay away from the Clubhouse for too long without suffering withdrawal!!!  So in I go to receive the goodies so they are available to you all tomorrow. 

For some GREAT ideas of what to do with Nutmeg, check out Wendy Sue Anderson's blog http://www.wendysueanderson.blogspot.com  Several of her most recent posts feature page and card samples from Nutmeg.

Here is a beautiful card that Jennifer McGuire posted on her blog on 10/9 - we've just restocked these gorgeous Hero Arts Vintage Collage Art Flowers.

Check out all her fabulous ideas at http://jennifermcguireink.com. 

Copics - Classes and Colors

I am so excited about my card class with Copics tomorrow.  I've got one card we're coloring, one we're airbrushing, and one we're decorating with the alcohol ink tool from Tim Holtz.  There is still room in the class, so call to sign up!

Also, we've received a bunch of new colors in the Sketch markers - come on in and check them out!

Our Next Card Swap

Did you participate in last month's Christmas card swap? If you did, you took home 15 unique, handmade cards for your collection. We're swapping again this month, too, with a series of themes. Each swapper has chosen to make either a Thank You card, a birthday card, anniversary card, get well, congratulations . . . you get the picture. She'll make one for every other swapper in the group and bring them to the Clubhouse on Friday night, October 23 at 6:30.

With a great deal of merriment and exchange of comments and ideas, the swappers then divvy up the cards, and it's not too late for you to get in on the fun. To do so, read below about how the swap works and what the basic requirements are, then call the Clubhouse to sign up. The event is free and judging by last month's gathering, should be tons o' fun. 

Swapped cards are a great way to get a start on your cards, get new ideas, and have a large variety of different cards to send out.

Here are the "rules":

    Sign-ups will be taken through October 16. Final card numbers will be sent to each participant on that date. This group will be at least 15 people; we'll cap it at 20 and start a new group. You may participate in as many groups as you like.

    If you cannot make it to the swap, you are welcome to drop off your cards any time up to the evening when we swap the cards. If you do, we'll keep your cards for you to pick up whenever it's convenient. If you don't drop off your cards, you'll be out of the swap because there's no way he can save cards for people who haven't contributed their cards.

    All cards must have a layer of quality cardstock and must be in the traditional A2 size (4-1/4" x 5-1/2").

    All cards must use at least two embellishments including but not limited to die cuts, paper piecings, Stickles, brads, fibers and ribbons, stamping, eyelets, dimensional stickers (no flat stickers, please), embossing, rub-ons, bling, buttons . . . in short, the sky's the limit.

    Want to get in on the fun? Call the Clubhouse at 860-399-4443 and be prepared to tell us which occasion you want to make cards for.

 

The 25 Days of Christmas

As Christmas is the one thing that makes winter even remotely tolerable in my humble opinion, I tend to throw myself into it so I can recover from one of the cruelest occasions on the calendar: the shortest day of the year. From the way you devour the many Christmas collections we bring in for you each year, I know you love Christmas too. And you're really going to like the new line from My Little Yellow Bicycle, "25 Days."

 

A unique quality of these beautiful, double-sided designs is that they're printed on glossy stock, which sets off your glossy photos beautifully and gives your scrapbook a fresh new look. Unfortunately the scans don't show the glossiness, but you can see that for yourself next time you're in the store.

I love the colors of this line, with hunter green and dark burgundy red set off by gold, silver, and teal (that's the best part for me, the teal accents). 

I adore these graceful dancing reindeer, who remind me of some Borzoi dogs I knew years ago. Coming from Russia, these guys were hard-wired to love snow, and when the first snow came each year, they leapt gracefully and tirelessly trying to catch each flake on their tongues.

Here's a few more images of the paper and embellishments in this collection for you to enjoy:

 

This last image are the transparent frames that My Little Yellow Bicycle has been including in their collections and which are customers are buying like hotcakes. They add a subtle but unmistakable dimension to your photos. Talk about telling your viewers what the focal point of the page is, these frames will do the trick for sure!

Graphic 45

Many of us view Graphic 45 as a heaven-sent company. They generate wonderful, witty pages devoted to images and styles of days gone by. Their new collection, Domestic Goddess, is absolutely no exception. When we first put it out, a customer came up to these papers and sighed, "this is exactly like the curtains in my mother's kitchen." And I said--that's what I thought too! Here's just a few images from this beautiful, cardstock-weight, double-sided collection:

The one that reminds some of us of our mothers' kitchen curtains is called "Tea Time":

And this one reminds me of my grandmother's life:

I love the style of this one, too. It makes me think of so many dreamy memories from tea parties, to hotel dining rooms and railroad dining cars, to very special family events.

It goes without saying, of course, that these images are ideal for setting off heritage photos, but they're also great for cardmaking and altered projects. 

I wish I could show you the whole line, but I'll content myself with just a couple more couple more because like many of Graphic 45's designs, they make perfect backgrounds for greeting cards: