Thursday, March 26, 2009

National Scrapbook Day Theme Revealed: Bling It On!!!

Alright, I know you've all been wondering what exactly we have up our sleeves, so to speak, for National Scrapbook Day. Well, here it is: BLING IT ON!!! We will be having a most awesome BLING SWAP, and every person who signs up will receive a "Glass Slipper" and special sash to decorate according to whatever theme they have been given (randomly). On National Scrapbook Day, the decorated sashes will be worn, and after we have our Glass Slipper Swap, we'll all vote for Blingerella! Yes, I did say GLASS SLIPPER SWAP. How, you might ask? Well, I guess you'll just have to come into the store to see for yourselves! This is sure to be the most fun we've ever had, and those of us "in the know" are just laughing hysterically thinking of what you all will come up with in answer to what we'll have you doing! Sign up NOW if you want to participate, so we can be sure to have enough sashes and slippers for everybody. We don't want anybody to be left out of all the fun and excitement!

We will also be having the event catered, by none other than Pontchartrain Poboys, right here in Mandeville! (Who'd have guessed, huh? I mean, we're only on a first-name basis with these guys!) Anyway, we will also have people bringing in dishes if they wish. Some of you make some really great stuff, and we're hoping you'll bring it again. It's not a requirement, but it just makes it all the more fun. You can bring cheese, crackers, chips, dip, special drinks (Nina, don't let us down, girl!), stuffed eggs, potato salad, chili, cookies, brownies, cheesecake, WHATEVER you like. If you think they'll eat it, bring it! We will supply the main course and the drinks for the entire day. And of course, THE FUN!!!

DON'T expect to get a lot of scrapbooking done at this event! At least, not in the conventional way... The swap will be truly the first of it's kind, and everybody will go home with Glass Slippers and lots of goodies! We have crazy games planned, and have a couple of make-and-takes ready just to get you thinking outside of the box.

The sashes and slippers will be ready to hand out by this weekend, and further instructions will be given at the time you sign up. CALL NOW to reserve YOUR spot!!!

(I told you we were having a bling sale for a reason!)

Until next time, happy scrapping and stamping!

Dee

Saturday, March 21, 2009

March is National Craft Month

March is National Craft Month!!!

This is the one month out of the year that we try extra-hard to set aside some time to craft with our families at least once a week. Crafting with your family helps you to learn to work together as a group, and also allows for increased self-confidence through self-expression. When a family crafts something together, they work towards a common goal, and every person's input is important, regardless of what specific tasks they have to complete to reach that goal. Everyone learns how important even the "little" stuff is, and feels satisfaction knowing they contributed to the end result. You don't have to put together a scrapbook album. You could make lawn or garden signs or stakes. Or a bird house. Or paint pottery. Or make a macrame hanging plant holder.


Learning to work with other people is extremely important in today's society, and while crafting might be overlooked by some as just a "leisure" activity, it is actually an excellent way to learn how to be a part of a team effort. It also allows us to see a different side of our family members, and find out just how creative they can be. And creativity is not just the ability to paint a beautiful portrait or make an Origami bird... it is also in problem-solving, learning to prioritize steps required to make something, and coordinate individuals' efforts to come to a common goal. And it gives us a chance to relax a bit and really enjoy time with our families doing something we know will mean more to us when it is completed simply because of the efforts that went into it, than what the final product will function as. Every time you look at something you have crafted with your family, you will be able to recall all the different steps it took for that project to be completed, and for it to look and function the way it does. And it will make you smile, remembering the laughter and learning along the way.

And, because most of you ARE papercrafters and photographers, remember to TAKE PICTURES while you're doing it! You could even do a mini-album on your projects for National Craft Month! There are papers and embellishments that would go with crafting, should you decide to do that. Ask us if you don't see them, and we'll point them out to you. We'll even help you make that mini-book, if you want to make your own, with whatever number of pages necessary. So many ideas...so little time...!!!

We have new products in the store that arrived today: BO-BUNNY's Grease Monkey and Pet Shop collections. If you click on the following two links or paste them into your browser, you'll be able to see the collections and a sample layout done with each of them, on the BO-BUNNY website: http://www.bobunny.com/januaryrelease/19petshop.pdf and http://www.bobunny.com/januaryrelease/17greasemonkey.pdf. We also received in new brads: pink bunnies, pastel Easter eggs, green frogs, white snowflakes, blue snowflakes, tan pawprints, black pawprints, and blue airplanes. These are in addition to the new brads Felix posted about last week.

Spring Bling Sale is through the end of March 2009! EVERYTHING bling is on sale 40% off (bling gemstones, bling words, bling brads, and Bazzill Bling cardstock).

NSD signups have begun... are YOU signed up???

Until next time, happy scrapping and stamping!

Dee

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Spring Bling Sale / National Scrapbook Day 2009 / Workshop Updates

Hey guys! I know it's been a long while since I've blogged and honestly I don't know where to begin... There's been so much going on at the store and with my family and in my personal life that I really haven't had the time or energy to blog. Sorry! I'm thinking I'll make it up to you with what I am going to call the Spring Bling Sale. EVERYTHING bling in the store (gems, brads, bling words, even Bling cardstock) will be 40% off, for the rest of the month of March. No coupon needed, and no coupons or other discounts accepted. And, no Scrappz cards redeemed for this sale nor Scrappz stamps given on the bling sale itself. You have to play fair!

People are already asking about National Scrapbook Day, which will be on Saturday, May 2nd. Of course we will be having our usual fun-filled day of celebration of our wonderful hobby. I'm not certain just how much actual "scrapbooking" will be accomplished, but you know lots of excitement will be happening! We will soon be releasing the details of this year's theme and contests we will be holding, so stay tuned to your e-mails or the blog. Last year we did a wonderful recipe swap that everybody adored. Apparently y'all love swaps, so we're going to give you a FANTASTIC one this year!!! Don't ask yet, because it's still a secret, but you will have time to get everything together and have it ready for NSD 2009! Plus, we'll be offering some discounts and incentives to help you along with the fun (hint: bling sale...shhh)! We also have some very special people coming into town to help our celebration, and honestly I'm not quite sure yet how we're going to fit everyone in the crop room, but I have a few ideas I'm working on. As soon as everything's set in stone, I'll let you know how it will work. PLEASE call or e-mail ASAP if you want to be in on this year's celebration. We will, of course, have the event catered as well as pot-luck (the mix is what makes it!) and have contests, prizes, games, and goodies for everybody. No one will go home empty-handed, we promise! We will challenge you in your craft like you've not been challenged before, and we know you'll LOVE IT!!! I'm really excited about it, and you know, May 2nd is only six (6) weeks away!!! So, get ready!

We have lots of classes already posted on the calendar, and there have been a couple of things rescheduled, so please check the calendar to make sure you have the latest info. Definitely remember to check the website calendar before you come in to shop because we sometimes have unadvertised sales or specials that you can only see in the calendar for that day, and you don't get the sale price or special offer unless you mention you saw it posted on the calendar.

In particular, we are now offering Home Decor project workshops using the Cricut. We have an absolutely stunning project scheduled for the first one, an etched glass frame that you will learn how to make yourself. Once you learn the technique and what products to purchase from us to do more, there's no limit to the possibilities of what you can do. Heather (our teacher for these workshops) will show you exactly what you need to know and do to create your own gorgeous home decoration projects and ways to decorate other things using your Cricut. And, if you don't already own a Cricut, we do sell them and even offer a very reasonable and affordable Lay-Away plan. We carry all the Cricut products, and support your purchase here 100%. Let us know what we can get for you. PLUS, we RENT CRICUT CARTRIDGES for $5.00 for three days. That's a lot of cutting for a very little amount of money! OR... you can come and use OUR Cricut here while you are cropping at the store. We only ask that you supply your own mat (which we do sell) because mats are considered consumables.

Until next time, happy scrapping and stamping!

Dee