CHA Preview Party Scheduled

I mentioned we were planning a preview party to show you all the goodies we ordered from CHA. We chose a date, and it's on! Join us this Thursday, 2/5 between 6-8pm. We'll have catalogs and samples out for you to drool over (just like we drooled over them last week - they're dry now), refreshments, giveaways and demos of new products. We're very excited about what we purchased, and want to share the excitement with our amazing customers!

Superbowl Scrap Anyone?

We've had a couple people ask if we have anything going on Sunday during the Superbowl... we do! It's our crop! I know, it's nothing out of the ordinary, but here's my suggestion: If you plan on coming Sunday to crop, feel free to bring a dish to share! It can be our own SuperScrap Party! We'll be open from noon to 6pm - hopefully we'll see you then!

Think Spring!

I think we're all thinking Spring by now... Get in the mood with Making Memories' new line, Flower Patch! These adorable Spring-y colors will get you in the mood for scrappin'!

New Products already arriving!

We placed several orders before leaving for the show, so I wasn't surprised to see some had already arrived while I was away. We got the new Summer line from Imaginisce, including several new $1 stamps - flip flop fun! We also received a portion of the new 7 Gypsies line, Gypsy Market.

Keep an eye on our sales and clearance section over the next few weeks, as we'll be moving out merchandise to make room for the new goods. Some major product changes will be in the baby, travel and branded paper sections.

Homeward Bound

We're sitting at the airport enjoying a glass of wine (mine without a bug) before we board our plane back to Detroit. Speaking of bugs, Hailey had her photo taken with the Cuttlebug (and Cricut, too) at the Provo Craft booth today. I said I'd try to post again today, and I did (at least on pacific time). We are happy that we were able to place all of the orders we planned to, and ordered from four new vendors.
Hailey is excited about the upcoming classes, and I'm geeked about all the new products. We're planning a CHA Preview Party featuring the new things (and techniques) we picked up here. Keep an eye on the blog and our calendar for the date, but it will be the first week of February. Everyone is invited, and we're planning on giveaways, demos, sneak peeks and at least one make & take, along with refreshments! We're so excited to share with you! See you all soon...

Day Two of CHA

Sore and glad to be in our pj's already (it's only 7:15p here in CA), we had a long day at the show today. There was a fire in the convention center. When the alarms went off, everyone stayed where they were (everyone was waiting for the drawing, including me). Nobody wanted to lose a chance to win some great prizes, but security came through and assured us it was time to move - it was an actual fire. Fortunately, we didn't have to wait outside too long, and the drawings resumed (although I didn't win). We placed tons of orders, a couple from new vendors. We have some great class ideas, a few venturing into more mixed media that we think you'll love!

Tonight we went to the 2 Peas Ice Cream Social. There were some delicious gourmet cupcakes (mocha caramel, to name one... mmm). Hailey and I participated in some trivia and each won a cool prize (even though I had to get help with the answers). Hailey's involved finding specific people in the room (one of whom was in the middle of eating her cupcake). It was a nice wind-down after the show. Tomorrow is our last day of the show, since we're leaving a day early. I'll hopefully have another post for you tomorrow before we leave.

Does Paris Hilton Scrapbook?

We'll see... but she did release her own line of scrapbooking products. I haven't seen them yet, since we waited in line for over 2 hours only to wait for her to show up (over an hour later than advertised), allow about 10-15 to take photos with her, then leave 20 minutes later. I guess you could say we saw her, with 10 feet and several security guards between us.

We made good progress today. Between the two of us, we covered the entire show floor. That doesn't mean we placed all of our orders, but we picked up catalogs, which we're looking through while we wait for our Chinese food delivery. I was going to see Deborah Norville's keynote speech tonight, but my feet just couldn't take any more, so we came back to the hotel early.

Tim Holtz Rules

Ok, for you Tim fans, you will love what we learned today! Not only is Ranger coming out with 12 new alcohol ink colors, but they will also be shipping out their new blending pens in March - OMG! This is the coolest pen ever, and Hailey and I each got one in the class, so we'll show you when we get back.

The weather in CA is pretty dreary this weekend, and of course- I didn't think I'd need my umbrella (boy, was I wrong). Here's a photo near the convention center and our hotel.

We have a few more classes today, then the Making Memories VIP event and a couple others. I'm happy to be here after a long, uneventful (and cramped) 5-hour flight. Stay tuned for updates through Tuesday!

We're on our way!

Today's the day... Hailey and I are flying out tonight for CHA in Anaheim, CA. I'm always a nervous nelly about flying, and I miss the kids so much while I'm gone, but it's worth it. This is the largest show of the year, and all the best scrapbooking manufacturers are there. It'll be 1 or 2am (our time) by the time we get checked in, but we have an early class with Tim Holtz first thing tomorrow morning we're looking forward to. Check back here during our trip (through Tuesday) to see tidbits of the show! See you all soon!

Valentine's Goodness is everywhere!

We have some great deals on Valentine's products for your cards, projects and pages! We are offering all of the new Reminisce Valentine's line at a discounted price - great die cut, shimmer & shine papers! We also have the American Crafts $0.99 ribbon spools and $2.99 mini albums. The mini albums come in 6 different styles, and there are tons of different Valentine's ribbons.

Valentine's Mini Book

Ok, I need to ask my blog-readers a question. Pictured is a book Hailey put together as a possible class. But is this something you'd like to see as a class or as a kit? Let me know what you think! It's approximately 5"x7".

Basic Grey Kits available, etc.

For those who were interested in the Basic Grey Page-of-the-Month class for January, but couldn't make it, you'll be happy to know there are a couple of kits left! If you'd like one, you'll need to call the store or stop in to pay for it - to call dibs! This cool kit comes with everything you need to create the 2-page layout (and plenty extra), including step-by-step instructions.

Also, some of you will be very happy to know we finally got some QuikStiks back in stock! These little tools are great for picking up your small die cuts (like alphas from the Cricut) and sticking them where they should be instead of on the floor or stuck to you. It's actually got several other tools built in - well worth $7!

Reminisce Valentine's Line is here

... and it's sparkly! Reminisce always has interesting and colorful papers and stickers, the Be Mine line being no exception. There are hearts galore in this bright red and pink line. Have you made your Valentines? Check it out next time you're in!

Which Celebrities will be at CHA?

Do you know? I just found out some interesting information (thanks, Erin). The keynote speaker will be TV journalist Deborah Norville. Vanna White and Jane Seymour both have their own lines of crafting products and will be there. But we just found out that Paris Hilton also came out with her own line of craft (including scrapbooking) products, and will be at the show! Of course, I never pass up a good photo op, so keep an eye on our blog while we're gone next weekend!

Getting Ready...

CHA here we come! We're getting ready to head out to California next week to the biggest trade show of the year. This is where we choose our product lines for the next several months. There are so many choices (and you thought we had a lot in the store) it can be overwhelming. Erin and I have been checking out a lot of sneak peeks online and have already made many choices. But I want to hear if there's something you'd really love to see in our store. So far, I'm really in love with Cosmo Cricket's new releases (already posted on their blog) and the new travel line from Little Yellow Bicycle. The hard part after ordering is the long wait until we get them; sometimes months (or even a year as we've seen occasionally in the past). We will be taking a class from Tim Holtz and will be sure to pass on what we learn. It's always so much fun (and a lot of work) going to the shows, but the benefits carry over to our customers. You can be assured you'll have a fresh, fun selection of goodies to choose from, backed by hands-on product knowledge. Be sure to check the blog while we're gone for news & updates on the road!

Basic Grey POTM Class Supply List... and prizes!

Since I don't have access to update our website from the checkout counter :) I'm going to post the new BG class supply list here for next Thursday. This class is going to be so awesome... to be able to do an entire album about yourself by working on it only one day a month. I'll even be doing one myself! Here is what participants need to bring:

Charcoal chalk ink

Black journaling pen

1" circle punch

Large scalloped scissors (if desired)

Dimensional dots (if desired)

Straight edge

Trimmer/scissors

Craft knife and sharp blade

Adhesive of choice

Pencil

Photos: 1-7.5x6.5 horizontal and 9-3.5x2.5 horizontal photos

If you're interested in taking this class and/or series, please contact the store to sign up. It's not too late! Plus, as a bonus, we'll be giving away coordinating products in the class - yes, prizes! See you there!

SEI Lovebirds is in!

I completely forgot I ordered this until the other day when I saw the package sitting there. This was actually one of my favorite lines from the July trade show last year! Yes, some lines take that long to get here. But this one is worth the wait. SEI always has such high quality papers, and these are no exception. Love Birds delight!

October Afternoon in January...

It's been a long time coming, but we finally got our new October Afternoon lines! Since there are so many, you won't find it on the endcaps, but rather with the rest of the holiday, in the branded aisle, and maybe even in the kids section. I can't say enough good things about how adorable these lines are. There aren't many companies from which I order entire lines of paper, but this is one of them. It's too hard for me to even choose. So next time you're in, be sure to check it out... you'll see what I mean!

Creating Keepsakes Special Issue is in!

The newest CK magazine is here, as well as their new Special Issue, 101 Expert Solutions for Scrapbooking. It has a great layout on almost every page - tons of ideas, both hands-on and digital!

Making Memories Love Notes is here!

You know I love Making Memories, so it's no surprise I ordered this entire line. There are some adorable 8x8 mini book kits, with tons of goodies in them, for only $19.99! This whole line is beautiful (I know, I'm a little biased). But I hope you like it!

More New Stuff!

Ok, I tend to get really excited when new stuff just rolls in one after another. This week has been no exception. We added a couple other new lines... Fancy Pants' Arctic Chill collection, which has some amazing colors (I call them snowsuit colors). We also added the Letters Home collection from Kimberly Poloson - gorgeous black and cream line. I've also picked up a series of journaling cards from Pebbles which are great - they're 4x6 so you can not only use them on a scrapbook page, they also work great in photo albums! We're trying out some other products from KaiserCraft, like their board books (actual wood), new bling, paper and rub-ons. I hope you like what you see!