CHA #4 Glimpses...Anna Griffin...not Griffith

I have a total mental block when it comes to Anna GriffIN. I always say Anna GriffITH. But as then man said in the booth, "I don't care what you call us...as long as you buy our paper."

And buy their paper, I did. Here's a sneak peak.

Peyton will ship in April and its is STUNNING!!! The animal prints are actually velvet flocked with the pattern. The croc print is actually embossed!

Riley is shipping in June and its the cutest thing you've ever seen in your life! It's a vintage circus theme with vibrant hues. You'll LOVE it!

Alix is also shipping in June and is a great tropical print. You'll love the color scheme and the details on these papers & embellishments.

CHA Glimpses #3 - Just the Basics

Ok, I'm swamped today, but here's your next sneak peak as promised...from Basic Grey. Basic Grey released 4 collection at the show....

Porcelain is shipping in February and is a lovely watercolor-feel collection. Great for litte girls, wedding, spring & mother's day!

Marrakech is also shipping in February and has a brigther pallet. Inspired by Morrocco, look for elephant & peacock motifs. Beautiful!

Apparently Lime Rickey is a type of soda pop but I've never had it so I'll trust Basic Grey. This is the most vibrantly bright collection I've seen in ages and its captivating! Ships in April.

Wisteria is another watercolor-feel collection with violet & blue hues...also great for mother's day & the spring. Will ship in April.

More glimpses tomorrow!

Glimpses from CHA #2...Feelin' a bit Sassy

I just love Sassafras Lass. It's modern and vintage all at the same time. So ecclectic and so fun to work with. Don't let the bold prints dissuade you. You can make really lovely layout with their prints!

Vintage Yummy is Shipping in mid February.

This annimated display was part of the booth. Isn't if fun?!?

Bungle Jungle is shipping in mid March & is a lovely zoo print but versatile enough for boys!

Check out the Sassafras Lass blog for up close photos of the papers and the embellishments. I've also ordered coordinating brads & paper whimsies. And I reordered the dear and owl prints from our last collections.

Also, do me a favor...check out the Anthem Collection and let me know what you think. I couldn't decide at the show. Post your reaction to it and let me know if we should get it or not...

Basic Grey sneak peeks tomorrow...

Sonja

Glimpses of CHA #1

Ok everyone. Here are some photos from CHA. I was remiss and really didn't take any photos until the last day, but I will post what I have over the course of the next week, so stay tuned each day!

Here's a few shots of what I've ordered from My Mind's Eye. This is shipping next week so it will definately be one of the first arrivals.

Penny Lane Collection

Penny Lane sample layout (using those transparencies that I never know what to do with ;-) and a sample card.


One color scheme of Bella Bella, another coming in blues...

One color scheme of Bloom & Grow, one more coming.

Also, I have several suprises comming from My Mind's Eye, but you'll have to come in and see those when they get here....

Here we are being evacuated from the convention center during a fire alarm. It was a false alarm but it was nice to get some fresh air....

& here's Pepper inspecting the catalogs and investigating purchases after a long day at the show...

More to come tomorrow.

Sonja

Basic Grey Page of the Month

Who doesn't love Basic Grey?

Well, it's one of my favorites and I just found out that they are starting a Kit of the Month club, so of course I signed up for it! Here are the "basic" details. Kits will be for a double page spread and contain ALL of the supplies for your project (not just partials). For example if the page calls for 3 buttons, you'll get the whole pack!

The theme of the 2009 projects is "All About Me." This is a great idea to archive your life story or the story of someone near & dear to your heart. But don't let the theme deter you, these layouts are beautiful for any project.

Kits will be offered on a priority basis to those who attend the class and any remaining kits will be sold after the class date. I have only ordered 12 per month so these are sure to go fast! Classes will be offered twice a month, Sunday Afternoons and Thursdays.

The value of these kits are $30 but for the first 2 classes are being offered as a special for $15 each. After that, the class will be $25 and any remaining kits will be sold for $30.

Our first 2 classes will be in February, so we'll be caught up for March.

Kit #1 February 8th 1-3pm or Februray 12th Anytime All Day

Kit #2 February 15th 3-5pm or February 19th Anytime All Day

Call now to reserve your space and your kit! Reservations must be accompanied with payment.

310-410-7272

Sonja

Of Life & Lighting Candles

So while this blog is mostly about creative project ideas and events at the shop, sometimes I like to reminisce about life as a store owner, small businsess adventures and other life stories. I hope you don't mind.

It's been about a year since I started out on this journey. The Crop Circle (where I was working) closed at the end of January '08, and soon after that all the pieces fell into place to open a shop of my own. 6 weeks later, here I was opening up the door and learning on the fly! Truly it has been a marathon. So while my official anniversary isn't until March, right around now is an anniversary of the birth of the dream.

It's been a terrific year and I can truly say I don't regret one moment of it! With 18 scrapbook stores closing last year I am truly thankful to enter my 2nd year of business and continue to serve you.

So where do candles enter in? I'll explain. This weekend, I took time to clean my apartment, go through piles of paper and in general just "deal" with things. Then I did something I haven't done in a long time. I lit a candle, sat down and just enjoyed my apartment and life in general. You see, I've been feeling like all I do is come home, eat, sleep and come back to the shop on this never ending hamster wheel. But lighting the candle, as simple as it was, indicated to me that things are settling down and I'm getting used to the new rythmn. It was a time out. And it was so relaxing...a simple little candle!

In all of our journeys and stresses, I hope you take time to light your own candle, whatever that may be.

Thanks for partnering with me & this store!

Sonja

Bringing you a Better Glitter Paper

Just when you think things can't be better, someone comes out with a better glitter paper. So most of you are familiar with the glitter paper I carry. Its gorgeous, but it does shed. Well, in all the Pre CHA previews (CHA being the tradeshow I'll attend in a couple days), I came across the most beautiful glitter paper. It's totally different than any other glitter paper on the market. Its not simply coated with glitter. It's almost like a sheet of pressed glitter. I don't know how to describe it. Each color paper has its own color of glitter on it, not just one clear glitter so the colors are amazing. And did I mention it doesn't shed?!? I did the shake test, nothing fell. I even picked at it a bit with my nails...nothing. Best of all, you can use it in your die cut machine without fear of ruining the blade or mat. It's a bit more expensive $2.50, instead of $2 but when you see it, you'll know why. 3 colors arrive this week or next for Valentines, but I'm planning to get the full line.

Valentine's Spoiler Alert

Ok - don't hate me but I have Valentine's things in the shop already. I dislike rushing from one holiday to the next as much as you do, but here's the scoop. Because of the downturn in the economy/industry a lot of vendors are producing less of their collections which means I have to buy them much sooner than I'd like. (I missed out on some gorgeous Basic Grey Calendars because I waited too long in the fall =( ). And since it seems a shame to lock up all that pretty paper until February, I've put it out on display. So there you have it.



If you're not ready to see it yet, don't read any further












This is Bittersweet from Basic Grey. It's a limited release so once its gone it's gone. Also, I only have a small number of the coordinating embellishments in stock, so if you're a fan of the Basic Grey rub ons, chip stickers, stamps or epoxy brads, I'd pick those up soon. I've paired the collection with some of the luscious Velvet Cardstock from Doodlebug which matches perfectly!

Also coming in this week is Romance from American Crafts. It has a similar color scheme with dark browns & magenta but features a more modern geometric print.

Sonja


PS - I'm starting to get sneak peaks of the new products being released at CHA at the end of the month & they're fabulous! Can't wait to go and bring back lots of goodies for you!