Scrapbook & Cards Today Blog

Come meet Margie from Bazzill Basics...and Crop & Create teacher!

Hello scrapping, papercrafting  friends! Blogging from my studio this morning in Utah where I live with my adorable husband! We just celebrated our 27^th Wedding Anniversary this past weekend! I am so excited to be coming back to Canada to teach at Crop & Create Burnaby!  Catherine thought it would be fun for you to get to know a little bit about me!  

I am a Wife and a Mother to 4 beautiful children, 2 daughters, Meg 26, Brooke 22, and two sons. Max 21 and Griffin 20! My husband and I are empty nesters, and we LOVE it!

I have been working in the Scrapbooking industry for almost 15 years. I started at the store, Scrapbooks Etc. in Mesa Arizona working and teaching. I am a scrapbooker at heart. I love it. I started scrapbooking the year I had my oldest daughter Megan 26 years ago. I have worked for some amazing companies and have gotten to teach all over the world! I have taught all over the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and South Africa! It blows my mind to think of the amazing places I have been and the wonderful, creative women I have met!

I have been working with Bazzill Basics Paper for almost 2 years as their Art Director! I love my team and working with Bazzill Basics Paper is a dream. They are located in Arizona so I get to work from my home studio.  A typical day for me is working or creating in my studio, lunch with my husband Grant who has a home office too.  On Tuesdays I meet with the Bazzill Basics Paper design team where we discus new product, look at art for new lines, share new ideas and approve product that is coming out.  Dream job right?  I am blogging now on the Bazzill Basics Paper Blog on Fridays so please join me there as I love sharing ideas and inspiration!

As the Art Director for Bazzill Basics Paper it’s my job to stay current with style, design and industry trends. I spend hours on-line looking at design blogs, home décor and fashion blogs! Pintrest keeps me inspired for hours! I love seeing what everyday scrapbookers are creating and what products they are using!

Some of my very favorite things that inspire me are color, anything old, and textures. That’s what I love about the lines that I have created for Bazzill Basics Paper. I have always LOVED the textured cardstocks and can honestly say has been the only cardstock I have ever used! I love that at Bazzill we have put a texture onto our latest Printed lines. I love designing paper, working with talented graphic designers that take my ideas and help me create my lines! I love Vintage! All of my lines have something old to them. Old papers, images, or even old quotes that I have collected.

 

I try to do something creative every day. It’s not just my job. It’s a lifestyle. I love creating scrapbooks, mini books, this year I am doing Project Life, I smash, and am constantly creating something for my home and the on-line classes that I teach.

Most of my friends are creative too, they either work in the creative field or are bloggers etc. I love getting together with them to “play.” I love that I can teach all over the world and meet new women who have a love for Scrapbooking like me! My circle of friends grows because we have a shared love!

Catherine gave me a list of the Fast Five, I think are fun questions to help you get to know more about me!

Fast five:

Dogs or cats: Dogs!

Yellow or pink: Pink!

Pool or lake: Pool!

Patterned paper or embellishments: Both!

Frills and lace or tailor made? Frills for sure!

 

This has been fun and I so look forward to meeting some amazing Canadian scrapbookers at Crop & Create Burnaby in B.C!  Here are a few sneak peeks of my classes...

Summer Fun Banner and Card Class:

She Created a Life She Loved album class:

  

In this class you will complete a full 20 page album!  No joke!  

I'm looking forward to joining my Canadian friends!  

~  Margie Romney-Aslett

 

We interviewed Stacey, owner of Spellbinders! ...and a giveaway!

We recently had the pleasure of interviewing Stacey Caron, owner and founders of Spellbinders Paper Arts, LLC...or more affectionately known as Stacey from Spellbinders!  As a leader in the industry with many innovation awards under her belt, she can best be described as a ball of energy that enjoys the product that results from collaborative efforts both within her team but also with many industry partners.  Having met Stacey way back in 2007 as she was demontrating the original Wizard machine and some new dies, I knew there would be a great future for Spellbinders.  Stacey is uplifiting, proud and full of enthusiasm for the crafting market.  So let's get to know a bit more about Stacey...

What colour best represents your personality and why?
Black because it is timeless, classic and dresses up any color.  For complementing black, I like earth tones, gold, copper and burgundy.
  
If you could go back in history and have lunch with anyone, who would it be and why?
Coco Chanel for her iconic style, grace, elegance and innovation.

What did you want to be when you were a kid?
A dentist.  I was always fascinated with the tooth fairy and wanted to see where she built her tooth castle.

As a woman, what are some of the challenges being the president of such a successful company in our industry?
Balancing building a business, travel requirements and family.  Always put your children first and be in the present.

What do you feel makes Spellbinders so successful?
Innovation, quality and the determination to be the best in the industry.

We love the Spellbinders videos that you create with Kim. How do you decide what dies to feature when there are so many to choose from?
The newest releases and innovations so our fans can fully understand and be educated in the use of our products.

What are the first three things you do when you get to the office in the morning?
Put my make-up on in the Director of Marketing’s office, have my morning chat with her and then visit with and check with everyone to see what the day may hold (especially product development).

Fast 5:
Big Mac or Whopper?  Big Mac
Buttons or brads?  Buttons
Dogs or cats?  Both
Ribbon or twine?  Ribbon
Decaf or regular?  Regular 

We loved having a chance to get an inside view from Stacey.  Of course we asked the final question "what is your favourite product right now?" and she shared this with us...

Don't you love this die set from the Majestic Elements collection?  Stacey knew you would and of course has offered to give it away to one lucky SCT reader!  AMAZING!  Just leave a comment below by Thursday, December 6th for your chance to win it!  Good luck!

Have you heard about the biggest giveaway in the history of Spellbinders?  In their Explore Beyond: Craft to Win contest you can win a $5,000 prize package!  Check out all the details here.  We would also love it if you would send Stacey a note of thanks for offering the above great prize on the Spellbinders Facebook page here.  I know Stacey would appreciate hearing from our fabulous SCT readers!  They are a generous company and have been a great supporter of Scrapbook & Cards Today for years and I think everyone has loved the prizes they have offered our Crop & Create events too.   I just saw the prize they are giving away during our "12 days of holiday giving" starting December 10th and you don't want to miss it!

Thank you again to Stacey for taking the time to answer some questions during an incredibly busy time.  I will look forward to seeing her again at our CHA trade show in January!  One can only imagine the new and innovative products they will launch.

~ Catherine

Meet the Man behind We R Memory Keepers (and a giveaway)!

We recently had the pleasure of interviewing Andrew Hiller, the President of We R Memory Keepers!  Be sure to read all the way to the end to find out about his love of Twilight and today's giveaway!

WeR Memory Keepers turned 90 this year.  Can you share some of WeR’s history?

We started out as a premier bookbinding and preservation resources in the United States. A few years later, we began manufacturing one of the first albums intended for keeping memories stored safely and securely. You can see how easily that business turned into the emergence of scrapbooking and paper crafting products, which is where we are at today. Our entire business, for 90 years, has focused on preserving memories, and let me tell you, we’ve had a lot of fun ones over the years. Here are a few of my personal favorites.

When I was 12 I began working in the bookbinding business for my dad. I worked in a line putting books in boxes and hauling those 40 pound boxes of books here and there. My upper body can thank me for that. Unfortunately, to this day, my back is not so grateful.

I hate to admit this, but I was kind of a sassy kid (when I say kind of I mean really sassy). One day the assembly department became fed up with me. So they took me and stretch wrapped me to a pallet. Then, they used the forklift to put me up on the highest rack in the warehouse. They thought it was hilarious. My grandmother – who later found me – didn’t think it was that funny. Looking back, maybe I deserved it.

Where do you see WeR in 10 years?

That’s a great question. I see We R Memory Keepers continuing to grow and adapt to a changing market. For the past 90 years we’ve formulated our business around the idea that only thing you can count on is change. I don’t know what specific products we will have in the future, but I do know that as we continue to adapt, we will make the highest quality products (whatever they may be) because that’s what we do. And on a side note, we want to be the very best at that.

What has been the most popular product for We R?  Why do you think that is?

Our most popular product has been the Crop-A-Dile. Before the Crop-A-Dile was introduced, We R was only creating albums and paper. I remember going to a scrapbooking crop one night. I was absolutely floored at how noisy it was. All I could hear was hammering and pounding. It didn’t take me long to realize that there had to be a better solution. We combined the expertise that we already had with creating albums and setting eyelets in those albums and engineered a quieter solution. At that point we became problem solvers and that’s the part I most like about what I do.

WeR Memory Keepers is a true innovator of tools.  Was this always the vision of the company?

No. We just recognized the “problems” that scrapbookers were having and we decided to create a solution. In essence, we decided to make it easier for scrapbookers to build projects and we made the tools to make it easier for them to do so.

What does a day in the WeR office look like?

The best way to describe a typical day is organized chaos. Most of the day is spent in my office tied to my computer (well maybe not completely tied to my computer). As a company, we spend a lot of time in meetings as we plan and execute on those plans. We have a lot of dreams and visions that we are trying to fulfill. However, as a company we try hard to eat lunch together every day. Because we spend most of the day together, it’s important to me that we relate on a personal level also.

What were your dreams of future when you were a kid?

That’s a funny question. When I was a kid, I was convinced that I would be a super awesome movie star in an action movie. My mom, though supportive, helped me realize that maybe I needed to hit the books instead, so I did and ended up in finance. My dream then changed. I wanted to work on Wall Street and be a number cruncher, but that wasn’t in my plans either. I wish I could say that I had always dreamed of being part of my family’s business since I was a child, but it wasn’t until I had graduated from college and was working that my parents came to me and asked me to help run the business. My mom wrote me and told me that she needed help and the rest is history.

What do you do in your free time?

(Insert laugh). What’s free time? The hard part about owning a business is that you are on-call 24/7 so it is really hard to have “free” time. I’m a pretty casual guy so what I enjoy best is hanging out with my wife and kids. Sounds boring hu? But honestly, it’s what I love to do.  I can make a killer root beer float, I’m getting pretty good at duck-duck-goose (I can almost win), and I can sing (word for word) more Disney cartoon songs than most. When it’s just me and my wife, we love to find cool new restaurants to try. I guess you can call me a little bit of a foodie. We love hanging out with our friends and enjoying good food and good company. Oh and my all-time favorite food – chocolate cake made by my wife. It is to die for.

Rumour has it you are a bit of a Twilight fan?  Do tell!

Oh man! Here is the story. I’m a huge fan of making my wife happy and sometimes that involves Twilight movies. When the movies come out we rent a theater and invite all of our friends to join in the fun. We have prizes and food and it’s an awesome time. Do I like the movie? Maybe.

Fast five:

Burger or steak?

This should be such an easy question for me to answer and yet it’s not. The answer is yes. I LOVE both.

Car or truck?

A car. And if the sky is the limit An Aston Martin would be the exact one because who wouldn’t want to be James Bond?

Beach or Disneyland?

I love both. Every time I am near Disneyland, I make it a point to hang out on the beach. They are both so close so I love to experience them both.

Theatre or TV?

I am a movie guy so you will almost always find me in a theater or watching movies instead of watching TV.

Cats or dogs?

Dogs for sure. That’s an easy one for me.

 

Thank you Andrew for taking the time to share a bit of yourself and We R Memory Keepers with us. 

Are you ready for a giveaway SCT fans?

Here is your chance to win a classic tool from We R Memory Keepers – the Crop-A-Dile – along with the brand new Mini 8 Punch! Stop by We R’s FB page and become a fan. For your chance to win these amazing tools, leave a comment below, before Nov. 22 at 10PM EST, telling us which We R tool you love best.

Good luck and have a fabulous weekend!

Brandin from Webster's Pages joins us today!

Good morning and happy Thursday!  Not only are we very excited to welcome Webster's Pages as a new partner with SCT (love them!), we were thrilled to have an opportunity to chat with Brandin, the owner of Webster's Pages, and ask her some fun questions! She is beyond delightful, very funny and we could have spent all day with Brandin and Courtney Walsh in the Webster's booth at CHA!  Here's a little of what Brandin had to say... 

Describe your style—both in scrapbooking and in your day-to-day life.
Brandin: My personal style in scrapbooking & in life has been determined for me through my 3 young children & husband. Apparently, the only type of child I create is ½ wild animal ½ human…and that’s being generous on the human percentage {smirk}. Therefore, my life begs me to create a neutral, clean & simple, zone for me to stay balanced. Although I am noticing a slow shift in my style. I have always chosen one style  & tried to match everything to that. For instance, I went through a shabby chic stage…but not so much anymore. But the older I get I am finding myself hand selecting inspiration, objects, paper & home design elements to be a mixture of styles of all things pretty. I am finding that if I continue to select the items that I love, that inspire me, that are beautiful and surround myself with that, my entire life begins to be filled with a room filled with beauty. Even if they weren’t designed to “match” each other. Slightly eclectic yet classic, simple & beautiful. Is that a style? I guess it is for me (ha!) and that is how I am seeing my style heading in scrapbooking & in my day-to-day life.
 
How was Webster’s Pages created?
Brandin: Many people do not know that we have been around for a long time. 28 years long. But we started as a Fine Art Publishing Company designing art for wall art. Webster Fine Art Ltd. is our legal business name. We continue to support that part of our company but my business partner/brother, Tim Myers, and I decided in 2005 to grow our art publishing to the craft & hobby industry. That was the birth of Webster’s Pages. We LOVE this industry & we have never looked back.

What has been your all-time favourite product from Webster’s Pages?
Brandin: Ooooo! Good question. I think it might have been our paper collection titled “Postcards from Paris”. That was our best selling paper collection of all time. I loved it so much that we may just do an special edition, anniversary version of that at some point {shhhh! – wink}. That line was created with dress forms, beautiful colors, rich golds, chandeliers & hot air balloons…all before they made it into today’s trends. We were proud to be one of the first to bring the trend into the market. After over 3 years of it being out of print, we still get requests for it, Digital downloads are available for it at www.websterspages.com but the papers sold out in record time. It was & still is a beauty.

Where do you go for inspiration when you are creating?
Brandin: With a warm beverage in my hand & my design boards close by, I usually go to my home design studio to create most of my art. There’s something about that space that brings an overwhelming peace to me. And that’s when I find I do the best work. I love to surround myself with beautiful things, colors, flowers, instrumental music (you know, just listening to a piano playing…ahhh…) is when I do my best work. Prepping for that moment is important though. I have weekly brainstorm & design development meetings with my staff & we go over what the customer is asking for, what the market is needing & what is personally inspiring us as a company…we place all the clippings of inspiration & colors on a design board & I take that to my studio to begin the designing. It’s the building block that allows me to create with a clear mind & allows me to stay focused and do the best I can do for my customers.

If you could invite anyone to dinner, past or present, who would it be?
Brandin: It would have to be someone who loves to eat Italian & likes desserts. I am a foodie. It’s not my fault. I blame it on my Italian Grandparents {smile}. Funny that you ask about inviting someone to dinner though. Dinner is a big part of our lives, growing up, when I was a child & still today. The doors to our home, wherever we lived, remained open for friends, neighbors, newly introduced friends & family to eat a meal with us. It’s hard to give one person that I would invite to dinner because we have always invited the neighborhood. And they have been known to all show up! With that said, I would invite all the incredible Webster’s Pages customers & friends to our Sunday Pasta dinner, but that would be a lot of meatballs. We have an expression in our family that “when you’re with family you are family”…and we mean that in our company as well.
 
Fast five:
Summer or winter?
Brandin: Winter 100%. I love oversized sweatshirts, cozy socks & snuggling up in blankets to stay warm
Coffee or tea?
Brandin: Coffee. I pretty much support ¼ of the world’s harvest.
TV or movies?
Brandin: Movies, only brainless ones though. Movies are my release with no thinking required!
Flip flops or wedges?
Brandin: Flip Flops. What are wedges? Hehe.
Daisies or roses?
Brandin: Roses. I always have fresh cut flowers in my house & love fragrant, pink, orange & white roses.

A special thank you to Brandin for spending some time with us and sharing a little bit about herself and Webster's Pages.  Be sure to check out the Webster's Pages blog too.   Brandin also shares a little more tomorrow, so be sure to stop by!  Tomorrow is Friday after all on the SCT blog and you know what that means right?  (hint, hint!)

Have a great day! 

Interview with Becky Fleck!

 

Without a doubt we are super excited to be working with sketch artist Becky Fleck in 2010!!  If you don't know Becky, she is an extraordinarily talented graphic designer and author of the best-selling book, Scrapbook PageMaps: Sketches for Creative Layouts...an absolute must in your scrap space!  I have had the opportunity to work with Becky these last few months, including working with her and Davinie on Project 12, and thought you might like to know a little about her too....

You’re a graphic designer by trade. How did you get started in scrapbooking?

About seven years ago, I decided to create an album to commemorate my in-law’s 60th wedding anniversary. Looking back, I think it was nuts to create a 60-page album that spanned their entire life together when I’d never scrapped a day in my life, but I had so much fun experimenting with different papers, embellishments and techniques. I’m a “jump in with both feet” kind of gal and I was officially hooked on the hobby after that.

Your page maps are so versatile and offer lots of room for design flexibility. In what ways can someone adapt a page map to fit their own style?

First and foremost, I would suggest not following the page map exactly as it is drawn. By shifting around the elements of a page, altering photo and title positions, and changing up embellishments, your own personal style will come through. Flipping and rotating page maps to fit your photos and theme is another way to mix in your own style. Most importantly, just relax and have fun with the design process.

How would you describe your personal scrapbooking style?

I lean towards a pretty linear style with a fair amount of dimension, but often I get myself out of a scrapbooking rut by trying something new that departs from my typical style. It’s fun to get out of my comfort zone from time to time.

What are your greatest inspirations and how do you translate them onto your scrapbook pages?

My two greatest sources of inspiration are the stories behind my photos and the magazine Anthem. I am a huge proponent of journaling because as scrapbookers, we are the authors of our lives. One hundred years from now, I want my family to know the true and authentic story of me, not just the who/what/where/when.  Anthem magazine is a really edgy, urban culture magazine that is put together with a fascinating and captivating design, along with killer ads from the most well-know to the most obscure companies. An issue of Anthem never fails to inspire me on some level.

What other hobbies/interests are you involved in outside of scrapbooking?

I am hopelessly obsessed with football and fly fishing. From April to September, you’ll find me standing in numerous rivers and streams throughout Montana, Wyoming and Canada. From September to February, I’m permanently planted in our family room on Saturdays and Sundays watching NCAA football and the Minnesota Vikings. Seriously, I tell all my family and friends, “Do not call me on a Sunday unless you are on fire or in the ICU!”

What is something someone might not know about you? I know the Canadian anthem by heart. :)  (note...very impressive!!)

In case you missed our recent Project 12 post and Becky's fabulous January and February sketches, here they are...

January's sketch

 

February's sketch

Thank you Becky for sharing some of YOU with our readers!  Look for Becky's article in our upcoming Spring issue releasing in stores and online on March 26th and be sure to visit www.pagemaps.com for many hours of inspiration.  Have a great Tuesday!

~ Catherine
 

Interview with Stacy Julian!

“Be colourful, spontaneous, and authentic. Be yourself!” is what Stacy Julian said when asked to describe her style as we sat down to chat a few weeks ago. I was introduced to Stacy at a retailer event and was immediately drawn to her warmth, passion for scrapbooking, and for “telling the story.” As the Founding Editor of Simple Scrapbooks magazine and the author of several books, Stacy has amassed an incredible following as the founding partner of Big Picture Scrapbooking.  She also has a blog www.stacysbigpicture.typepad.com which, as a loyal follower, truly represents the wonderful person she is. 

I engaged Stacy in a little Q & A, including some of the questions our readers wanted answered, and here are her answers:

Q:  Tell us a little bit about yourself.

A:  I am the mother of 5 incredible children who I know will have far more influence on this world than I will. Although I was raised in Seattle, I now live in Spokane, Washington. I went to school and earned a degree in exercise physiology.

Q:  Describe your style—both in scrapbooking and in your day-to-day life.

A:  Intentional imperfection. It is not worth the time or effort to get hung up on details that do not matter. There is so much fun we can have in scrapbooking and life when it does not have to be perfect. Be colourful, spontaneous, and authentic! Be yourself.

Q:  What is a priority for you when scrapbooking?
 
A:  It is the freedom to make connections between pictures. The story is first.

Q:  Share your top tips for organizing photos—both on the computer and for printed photos.

A:   Digital:

• Sort and purge regularly in 15 minute chunks—set a timer!
• Separate highlights or favourites into folders (i.e. seasonal, event), focus on those, and then upload onto Shutterfly or some other photo processing company.
• Print photos—even digital scrapbookers should be printing 10% of photos

Printed photos:

• Slip photos into viewable storage albums in quasi-chronological order
• Organize aging photos thematically

Q:  Tell us a bit more about Big Picture Scrapbooking and your vision for it over the next while.

A:  Scrapbooking can make you a happier person. It helps you to live a more satisfying life.  It is about the creative process—not the end result. 

Big Picture Scrapbooking is about connecting people and their memories through online scrapbooking education. We are forming some fabulous partnerships and are about to launch to people outside of scrapbooking. There will be more transparency—doing the “social medium” in a positive way so that people can talk about what they are learning. 

Q:  What changes do you see in the industry over the next year or two?

A:  I see more people scrapbooking. I see a broader definition of scrapbooking and see people being less narrow-minded about the perfection and the outcome, and also being open to new ideas. I see more people telling stories with pictures. I also see a return to basic, core practices.

Q:  If you could share a message with a new scrapbooker what would it be?

A:  Tell me a story and keep taking pictures.

Q:  Other than scrapbooking and photography, do you have additional hobbies?

A:  I love to be outside, to jog, and to make brownies (all brownies)! I love interior design and planning. [Stacy is also a list maker—one of the reasons she loves Mondays!]

Our Reader’s Questions:

Q:  Stacy, do you ever find yourself wanting to put things aside for awhile...maybe doing a craft you haven't tried, or haven't done for a long time? Do you experience burn out?

A:  I have not burned out because I have maintained a good rhythm. I continually step back and release expectations. Give yourself permission to let go.

Q:  What got you started into scrapbooking?

A:  Cards! I attended a dots (formerly CTMH) party in Chicago and I still remember the physical response from that moment. As far as scrapbooking goes, I started by visiting a stamping and scrapbooking store and signed up for scrapbooking 101. I was immediately hooked!

Q:  Do you make your own greeting cards?

A:  You can laugh at this, but I make only one in ten cards!

There was so much more I wanted to ask Stacy, but we were both limited for time. I did however have the chance to hear Stacy address the retailers that evening and if ever you have a chance to meet Stacy, ask her about the “sprinkles” story. 

Finally, here is a little excerpt from Stacy’s blog that I love.

“It was 1997. I was living in Salt Lake City, Utah. I telephoned a neighbor, who I was just getting to know. Her husband answered, I said "Hello, is so-and-so there?" He replied with the expected "Just a moment please" followed by an unexpected comment to his wife "Honey, it's that woman who's altogether too happy!"

Thank you Stacy!

Catherine