Stamp Boot Camp - Sunday, March 11th

New to stamping?  We have something new to offer.  On Sunday, March 11th, we will have a one-hour Stamp Boot Camp followed by the first in a series of Stamp Camps.

Stamp Boot Camp - Sunday, March 11 - Noon to 1:00 p.m.
Want to learn to stamp, but not quite sure where to start?  Join us in "Boot Camp" where you will learn the basics of stamping from the three types of stamps (wood, cling, and clear) to the various types of inks on the market, as well as ways you can decorate your cards.  You will make two to three cards in class so that you can try different stamp types and inks.  The class is free, but you must pre-register.  Please bring scissors and adhesive with you to class.

Stamp Camp - Sunday, March 11 - 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
We will make five fabulous cards that you will be able to use for everyday occasions in the coming year.  We will explore heat embossing, dry embossing and cut out images as ways to give your cards that little something extra that will make your card recipients say, "Wow!"  Please bring scissors, adhesive, and paper trimmer.  The cost of this seession is $18.00.

Be sure to call and register.  The fun starts at noon! 

Creations a la Carte

We wanted to take some time to introduce you to a little something new we have at New England Scrapbook Co.  It is called . . .

Creations a la Carte

Each month will have a number of items available which are "a la carte" items.  Those items may include layouts, cards, chipboard mini-albums, home decor items.  During the scheduled time, you can come in to work on one of our items, and an instructor will be on hand to assist should you have any questions or need guidance.

You can sign up in advance if there is a specific kit you want to complete (to be sure we have one ready for you when you arrive), or you can just stop in and see what's available for that particular month.  At the scheduled day and time, just come on in with your tool kit (recommended items include paper trimmer, scissors, adhesive of varying kinds, black and brown ink pad, marker, pencil, ruler, etc.) and the creativity begins.  

There will be an instruction sheet with measurements at the store, including some basic instructions for completing, and an instructor will be on hand should you have any questions. 

We have a session coming up on Tuesday, February 28th at 10:00 a.m.  Other sessions will follow in March.  Projects are priced individually. Here is our current "menu" (click on it to view a larger version). 

Here are a few photos of the items . . . 

The front cover of the chipboard album . . . love the pockets for memorabilia!

The creative blocks (must see in person) holding the "FAMILY" tag set (beautiful Basic Grey)!

We hope you'll come in and check out these new projects.

K.I.S.S.

You know what those letters stand for?  "Keep It Simple, Smilie."  I think sometimes we get bogged down by our craftiness.  We see what other people are making or doing or we see great projects in a magazine or onlind and we think "oh, I don't have time for that," so we don't do anything. 

With each Valentine's Day that approaches, I wind myself up thinking about baking and decorating sugar cookies for our neighbors, or making handmade Valentines for the 35 or so kids between the girls' 2 classes...  This year I've decided enough's enough.  Sometimes it is about quantity, as well as quality and I just can't knock myself out.  I vow to Keep It Simple, Sweetheart. (I know what that second S really stand for, but that's rude.  Let's be nice.)

For my sweet daughters (and our little carpool friendie, too), I spruced up these Tootsie Roll banks with some Valentine's paper.  There are some great paper lines out right now that are so matchy-matchy, they make it easy.

I didn't even measure exactly, they won't care.  I wrapped the paper around the $1 banks and secured it with some really strong tape adhesive.  I added a little band of different paper and a matching embellishment, and 3 banks took all of maybe 15 minutes to make.

Let's not be overwhelmed, I have a feeling just that little bit of simple craftiness will be appreciated. ;)

-vanessa

 

Kelly Jo "in the house"

 We announced it on Facebook, but also wanted to be sure we let EVERYONE know that this coming Saturday, February 11th, we will have an all day crop, and the world famous KELLY JO will be in the HOUSE!  

Now, she may see this and say . . . "World famous?  What were they thinking? "  But she is totally famous in our world!   

Also in the house will be the new Jenni Bowlin Punches, and Kelly Jo will be working some serious punch magic with these new punches.  

The crop is 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and we would love to see you there.  There are still spaces left, so call the store to sign up.  Kelly Jo will be arriving around 1:00 p.m., so if you can't crop and still want to come see all the great things these punches can do, stop by in the afternoon.  

Humor on a Monday

A little humor for the Monday following a "crop-filled weekend." 

We've Tied a String to our Finger

As you may have noticed, we took a bit of a break from our blog.  And then we got used to the fact that we took a break from our blog.  And then we kind of forgot about our blog.

Hmmm . . . do we let it go or do we revive it?  Well, here I am writing, and there is the answer.

There are times where we just get busy and forget about things . . . not because they're not important, but because other things get in the way.  That clearly happens with paper crafting as well.  Life gets busy, and we take breaks.  Since January there have been so many customers coming in saying that they had taken a break and are just coming back to the hobby.  It has been great to see some of our old friends back in the store.

So for that reason alone . . . it's the revival of the blog and the promise that we will tie a string around our finger to remember to keep you updated on what's happening.

So what is happening?

As I write this entry, there are a number of crafty ladies cropping at The Summit in Simsbury, and there is a smaller group cropping at the store in Canton.  Indeed there is a whole lot of craftiness going on!

What's new in the store for February?  Well, for product we have some new LYB in a few weeks ago which has been selling steadily.  Can you say "Paradise?"  Just check out these gorgeous colors . . .

We have two fabulous new Authentique lines that have come in this past week.  Genuine and Celebrate . . . which are FABulous!  Celebrate is just perfect for birthday or any celebration. 

We have updated our class corner and have so many exciting projects in the works.  Where do I begin?

First and foremost, we will continue our "Kit of the Month" and have a new design posted in the store for February.  

We have a new monthly series of classes . . . "Tools of the Trade" which we just started this past Thursday.  This month's tool was the Cricut, and the class was taught by the crafty Peg Bruno.  What we will be doing is featuring a different tool or product each month and you'll leave with creations using that tool.  Stay tuned to find out what March has to offer for this series.  Do you have a particular tool you would like to learn more about?  If so, please leave us a comment and let us know.

Also new . . . our Creations a la Carte sessions.  Details are still in the works, but I'll give you a quick overview.  There will be several projects offered "a la carte" and you will call to sign up for the session, indicating which project you would like to create.  We will create the kit for you, and you will come at the designated day/time with your own tools and adhesive to create that item.  Each item will be priced separately, and there will be groups working on the different projects with an instructor on hand to assist and answer questions.  There will be an instruction sheet.  This is self-paced, so you'll work at your own pace . . . and just create, no pressure.  Projects will come and go from month to month, depending on supply/demand.  We will offer layouts, cards, home decor projects, etc.  Our first session is this coming Sunday (that's one week from today).  We will have two sessions a month . . . one weekday and one weekend.  

Stop in the store to see the projects for this month . . . here is a sneak peak of one of them . . . a home decor project that I call "Creative Block."  We also have a Disney chipboard album which is displayed at the store and would be fabulous to showcase your favorite photos from your last trip or an upcoming trip. 

We're just getting this project off the ground, so it's a bit of a work in progress.

Our Scrapbooking 101 class is on the calendar for February 16th!  If you know anyone new to this hobby, or someone who might be interested, let them know about this class.  This class will be free for "newbies."  Call the store to sign up and for details. 

Another new monthly series . . . Sketches!  Each month a new instructor will offer this class.  It will be a sketch class . . . you will be given product to create the sketches provided.  We will also have "Solutions" available so you can see how you can apply these very same sketches using other coordinating product.  This month's class features the Authentique paper line for the class itself.  The class is being offered on Saturday, February 18th.

Our Disney Series with Diane Roule continues to be very popular.  This month's class will be Sunday, February 26th.  Diane's pages are MAGICAL for your Disney memories.

As always, we have our Friday Midnighters, Saturday Not Quite Midnighters, CROPATHONS and Coffee Crops on the calendar.  Check the schedule each month and call to reserve your space. 


I think I've covered just about everything . . . and I have indeed tied that stringer on my finger as a reminder to stop back in soon with new updates.

Alright, I used ribbon.  It just looked too plain with a string. 

Happy Scrapping!

August Company Kit

Well here we are!!  Hope you're having a great summer, we sure are enjoying the HOT weather and sun and fun.  Have a lookie at the new designs that you can make in our August Company Kit!
Some double page layouts:





some single page layouts:




and cards and projects:




For more, visit our flickr page!  Supplies are limited, once they're gone, they're gone...  but there's plenty right now, so come on over to see us and pick up your Company Kit today!