New Papers, Limited Edition Tim Holtz Inks and Mailing Tags

New Products!

A fun Halloween Project....

Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year.  I love the season, the leaves, the ghouls and goblins, and especially decorating....I love anything that I can make involving Halloween especially that I can make in no time.

Last year, we got some paper mache witch hats in here at the store.  Let me tell you....I love paper mache...It's probably one of the most versatile surfaces out there!  You can decoupage, paint, spray, spritz, cut, ink, and glue on this stuff and it holds up....really well in fact.  It's a blank canvas and it's amazing how two people can start with the same item and have two totally different results....

Jen's is the orange hat.  She painted the brim of the hat black and the top orange.  Then, taking a spider stamp and black ink, she stamped little spiders all over the top of the hat.  Cutting a round circle out of patterned paper, she decoupaged it onto the brim.  She then hand cut a witch out of another sheet of patterned paper and 'pop-dotted' it on the hat.  Then, Jen finished the hat off with some prima flowers.  Pretty cool huh?



The purple hat was painted purple with acrylic paint and then were inked with a black archival ink by Ranger. Then I took a Tim Holtz stamp and stamped a little texture around the brim with the same black ink.  This stamp gave the hat an 'aged' look.  After stamping was completed, I spritzed the whole hat with gold Perfect Pearls Mist to give it a little shimmer and dried it with a heat embossing gun.  (And don't worry...The archival ink won't run or bleed after it is wet.)  Then, I took some Prima ribbon and wrapped it around the bottom of the hat.  I then glue the same type of Prima flowers from Jen's hat to mine.  Finally, I inked a Tim Holtz ticket and stuck it in the hat with a memo pin.  Voila!

Both of these hats took less than an hour to complete and they are also an easy project to do with the kiddos!  The hats come in two sizes a 6" and the 12" that was used in the above projects!

Happy Scrappin'

What is a crop?

What is a crop?  We get asked this from time to time. 

Crop.....definition: a collection or group of persons or things appearing or occurring together.  In this case, a fabulous gathering of scrapbookers (and from time to time, cardmakers) who want to join together and complete their projects....

Personally, I find crops refreshing....It's nice to hang out with a wonderful group of women (and sometimes men) that have a common interest.  Picture working on a layout and having a case of "scrapper's block".  It happens to the newbie and the seasoned scrapper alike.  Normally, I would grab a magazine or hop online to see if I can get my creative mojo going again...But, if you are at a crop, you have an advantage....Because no two scrappers scrap alike, you can get all kinds of fresh ideas and techniques in one night.  It's no odd occurrence to see scrappers walk around the table and browse the projects, asking questions about techniques and design....What a great way to get rid of a case of scrapper's block!!  We've even had crop attendees do mini demos!  And another advantage: you are at a scrapbook store.  Run out of glue or need a different color of paper?  No worries...It's all right there at your fingertips!  And the best thing, you even get a little discount at our crops!  How cool is that?!

Crops also are a place to get away from daily life for just a bit...a place to take a breather...Come work on scrapbooks, cards, sort pictures and supplies, or just come for the chatting and friendship....In all the crops I have hosted, I have met some wonderful, dear people, who I am honored to consider dear friends...

We always have a blast at the crop. We play games (sometimes silly), eat good food, win prizes, and laugh....It's always an absolute blast!!  There's definitely never a dull moment!!  :)



For all you ghouls and goblins out there, our annual Halloween Crop is coming up Saturday, October 15 from 3-11pm.  It's always a blast to see everyone show up in their favorite costumes. Last year, we had a cow, the wolf from Lil Red Riding Hood, a pair of salt and pepper shakers, and Flo, from Progressive.  The year before we had witches, cats, and Bella from Twilight (whom I portrayed, but was mistaken for Howard Stern...LOL. And looking at the picture on the 'Wall of Fame' at the store, I definitely look more like Howard Stern...hehe)  We'll have a prize for best costume and of course, prizes for games, good food, and great friends....

So come join us for the Halloween Crop on October 15!  Can't make it then?  Be sure to keep checking the e-mails for the dates of the next crop!

Happy Scrappin!