Store Photos

During and after the flip. We rotated the south part of the store 90 degrees. Don't worry, things are actually easier to find! We kept all the themed paper together, and it looks better - we all agree. Remember, there's still a bit of work to do, so look for finishing touches to be completed soon.

Catching Up...

Whew... has this been a busy work weekend! We got the entire store flipped in a couple days (a record, I'm sure). As I had hoped, the aisles are less congested, and things are a bit easier to find. We still have a bit of work to do finishing off trims, mouldings, some shelving in the new section, etc. But all in all we've made great progress. Next week we'll concentrate on the addition (getting shelving up and organized). I'll have photos posted soon. Stay tuned!

By the way, we received a few deliveries of new products while we were closed yesterday. We got the new Chloe Marie line from Daisy D's, Seaside from Flair Design, SEI's Poppy line, and the new Scrapbook Trends magazine is here. We also have a couple Cricut Tool Sets, but they'll be gone soon, so be quick if you still need one! :)

New Creative Imaginations

We have the new additions to the Narrative lines. These die cut papers are so awesome, we already sold out of the matching sticker sheets in one day! I'm definitely going to have to reorder this stuff soon. But the rest of the papers are die cut, many different patterns in beautiful colors - yummy! We also received some new polka dot (holey) paper - different colors. I also saw we received a new line from Kelly Panacci (Sandylion) that's adorable; all about scrapbooking!

On another note, we're getting ready for our big shift this weekend. As I mentioned, we'll be closed on Monday as we switch around most of the store to its new layout. I'm optimistic, and plan on us completing the project in about 1 1/2 days. Keep your fingers crossed! I'm planning an Open House after the shift is complete, so plan on coming out on Sat 6/21 from 10a-3p... details soon!

We cut a hole...

in the wall to the new part of the store! My Mom and I were sitting at home Sunday morning after breakfast, and just decided we couldn't wait any longer. We wanted to cut a hole between the current store and the addition, so we did! We only got so far when we realized it was time to open the store (as indicated by the few people waiting outside - sorry). But we can't wait to get the rest of the products set up on the other side. We started with the albums, and I was in shock when I realized just how many we had. They didn't look so numerous in the bookcase, but on the wall - well, just see for yourself!

You'll see this in our next newsletter, but we will be closing at 5pm on Sunday 6/8, we'll be closed on Monday 6/9, and not opening until noon on Tuesday 6/10. We're going to be doing some (major) alterations to the store layout, which won't allow us to be open. Sorry for the inconvenience, but wait until it's done... you're going to love it! I'll be keeping you all posted!

Tips on Organization

I mentioned in the last newsletter that I was interested in your organization tips. I mentioned how well the Clip-it-Up worked for decluttering my scrap space, and I wanted to know what worked for you. Here are a few tips from our customers:

You can use the Cricut to cut out letters to put on the tabs for the Clip it Up. The Making Memories spinning carousel is great for markers, glue, scissors etc. I have storage bins for my papers and have arranged them according to theme. Also the Art Bin plastic containers are a way to store your scraps, arrange according to color or theme. Buy more than one and have extra plastic dividers to divide the sections. - Alicia F.

I love the Crop in Style storage cubes! The file cube holds completed layouts that have not yet made their way into albums. The drawers are labeled with their contents: loose stamps, paper trimmers, etc. Large tools, such as a heat gun, have their own drawer. I keep pictures and certificates for specific events in paper holders for each of my four children until I can scrap them. That way, the pictures don't get separated from the memorabilia, and then everything becomes a bottomless pit. The large cubes hold fabric and yarn for sewing projects, and I keep my writing utensils in cups on top of the units. I also have a pegboard, which I painted to match my decor, and it holds jars of loose items and spools. My embellishment containers and stamp kits are in a Crop in Style cube which has shelves in it. I keep my patterned paper and cardstock in paper holders in a large bookcase, organized by color. - Mary B.

Large metal rings work well for organizing your packaged embellishments. You can hook them all on rings, grouped by brand or theme, to keep them together. I then keep the rings in baskets in my craft space. - Sue S.

Here's an addition: The bottom line for me is filing everything by topic, just like Chris's store. This system has worked beautifully for me for years. I used to use the old Cropper Hopper Sticker envelopes, which worked great, but then I ended up with too much stash. Now I use these cool, large, sturdy bags with real zippers. The bags are quite big and have a good 2 inch section above the zipper at the top that is colored. I keep Anna's stuff in the green bags, and Jack's stuff in the orange bags (their favorite colors). All other categories like birthday, Halloween, Fall, Thanksgiving, Easter/Spring, Pool/Summer, etc. are in the yellow bags. So essentially I have a whole bunch of "kits" in my cropping cart and I have a green, orange, and yellow section. I go to that section, grab the bag I want by vendor (like Zach's Life) or theme (like girly flowers) and crop away. All my "kits" are in my cart and remain there always; I always crop right out of my cart. When I purchase new items, I try to faithfully file them away in the bags. For other non descript items that are not boyish or girlish, that could go with anything, I do have a ribbon box, a misc. embellishments box, and tote bags that hold all my scrap pads of 12x12 paper that are not theme related. Organization is everything. Filing by topic for me helps me to get what I want, crop, and move on without finding some great embellishment after the fact that I could have used! Also, having your stuff filed by topic allows you to lug less stuff to crops. If you are working on Oct to Dec photos, you bring the Halloween, Fall, and Xmas bags and leave summer, spring, Easter, Valentines day behind. I now have so many bags that I have two carts filled and I bring my Anna/Jack bags to all crops and just bring whatever "other" bags I need leaving one cart at home! - Renee B.

These are some great ideas! What do you think? Vote for your favorite idea by posting a comment, and I'll give the on with the most comments a prize. Happy organizing!

Another interesting blog...

One of our customers, Beckie Thompson, recently started her own blog, and I think it's one worth visiting. She posted photos of her scrapbook space, and I have to give kudos (I love the shabby chic, obviously). But she also gets to meet some interesting people, so it's a good read. You can find her blog at http://www.beckonmelrose.blogspot.com/.

Do you know of a scrapper's blog worth mentioning? I'd be interested in hearing about it.

New Making Memories Passport line & more Thickers

We just received the new Passport line from Making Memories, and the whole thing is amazing! There are die-cut papers, most travel-related, all adorable. The embellishments come in a little suitcase, and the kits are wonderful. Erin loves the canvas flowers, too. The stamps coordinate with the Passport line, and there are some other amazing sets. They've come out with their own acrylic stamp binder and blocks (very cool). We also received their new line of alpha stickers - felt, puffy & mini shimmer! Fans of MM letters - these are a must see!

We also got the whole new line of Glitter Thickers from American Crafts - too many to choose from, so I got 'em all! Stop in soon to check it all out!