Scrapbook & Cards Today Blog

Virginia Fynes goes BTS with My Mind's Eye!

When our friend Virginia Fynes was heading down to Salt Lake City for a conference, we made a few phone calls and thought you would enjoy a "behind the scenes" look at few of our favourite companies!  Today she shares her visit with My Mind's Eye and tomorrow, Virginia shares her visit with We R Memory Keepers!

"Hey scrappy friends, Virginia here from Fynes Designs. Recently I visited Utah to attend SNAP conference for creative bloggers (if you’re a creative blogger this is a must attend event, so much fun!).  Salt Lake City has some pretty cool attractions- Olympic Park, Temple Square, but the best part… just about the coolest scrapbooking companies you can imagine, and they were all about 10 minutes from my hotel!!

I couldn’t go home without banging on a few doors, so this scrapbook-lovin’ lady flagged down a cab (a bit of a crazy cabby I might add) and landed at the door of My Mind’s Eye!

I just couldn’t leave all of you hangin’ wondering what I got to see and do, so read on, I’m here to show off share my day with you…

To my surprise 3 dudes- yes dudes, greeted me. I know, can you believe there are men out there that know a good quality sheet of pattern paper when they see it, and can tell the difference between a brad and an enamel dot?!

 

Possibly the nicest folks I’ve ever met, super hospitable. I can’t lie, I kinda felt like a big deal… they even took me out for lunch at one of their favorite spots! 

After I took in the beautiful décor in the main entrance, I got to meet the makers behind MME. The think tank here (again decorated beautifully) was such a cool atmosphere, I think I want to work there along side them. Unfortunately, Jen Alyson sat behind me in one of my sewing classes at SNAP and I didn’t even get to meet her (insert sad face here!!!)

 

As we move down the hall from the design room, to my surprise I stumble upon Hazel & Ruby. This office is home to MME, Teresa Collins, and Hazel & Ruby, fun x 3!  Not only did I get the MME grand tour- Lindsay (another cool dude) gave me a peek inside the Hazel & Ruby looking glass, they have a great range of products perfect for off the page projects.  

 

Down the hall a little further next to some very striking workplace inspiration, is the chicest conference room you’d ever wish to have a meeting in.

 

Next stop on the tour was the warehouse. Mind blown… have you ever seen so many scrapbooking supplies in one area? Nope, not me. I got to peek inside a few of those boxes, and let me tell you you’re going to like what MME has in store for Christmas time!

 

Oh and guess what… more dudes! Giving all your packages some TLC, gently placing them in boxes to arrive safely.  (I should note there are a few females working in the building, but there is a strong male trend- I loved it, but don’t tell my husband!).

 

After the warehouse, I got to do a little shopping, and by shopping I mean long-term borrowing, because they ever so generously gave me some take home treats! Like the new Market Place, and the Necessities collection, I know, I’m a lucky lady!!

 

Thanks a bunch for reading about my adventure at My Mind’s Eye, it was such a pleasure to go behind the scenes! I hope you’ll join me over at Fynes Designs for more craft ideas and inspiration."

~  Virginia Fynes

Only 19 summer kits left!  Get one before they're gone!!!  Order HERE.

 

A spring kit sneak peek and a Chickaniddy Crafts giveaway!

Happy Friday friends! Settle in as we have a few things to share today!  As we look out on a bit warmer weather here in Ontario today, it's clear we are one week closer to spring!  Here at SCT we have spring on the brain as we are putting the finishing touches on the new spring issue (in stores and online on March 21st!) and the new Crop & Create: Delivered "Hello There" spring kit!  Here is a couple sneak peeks of this beautiful kit that designer Lynn Ghahary has created...

The Crop & Create: Delivered spring kit will be on sale on Saturday, March 1st at 9:00 p.m. EST.  They sell out lightening fast so mark your calendars!

Now on to something else exciting!

Have you heard of Chickaniddy Crafts?  We had the pleasure of seeing this beautiful new company display for the first time this past January at CHA.  Owned by designer Heidi Sonboul, Chickaniddy Crafts showcased two fabulous paper and embellishment collections, Date Night and Twirly Girl.  A mix of smart design and fun themes made this new company an instant hit at the show!  We thought you might like to know a little bit more about our friend Heidi Sonboul and Chickaniddy Crafts so we asked her a few questions and of course a "fast five" at the end.

Heidi, you’ve been in the papercraft industry a long time.  Where did your career start?

I have always been a crafter and in high school I always had an A+ in any art class I took, but I really started scrapbooking 10 years ago. I remember the first month that I started because I scrapped almost 40 layouts. I was non-stop thinking about the hobby and it overtook our dining room table. Mr. Sonboul thought I was a little crazed at first, but now 10 years later he is my business partner and helping at CHA.

You’ve now launched your own company Chickaniddy Crafts.  It’s such an interesting name.  Tell us about it!

It took me almost 2 years to pick a name and one day I had a "light bulb turn on" moment. Chickaniddy "bum" was my baby nickname. Knowing that no one wanted to know about my "bum", I dropped it out and added in "Crafts". I knew I didn't want to name the company Heidi Sonboul, because there are a LOT of Heidis in this industry. Chickaniddy is a part of me and I've always loved saying it, so it was the perfect fit and it's fun to say. 

What inspires you when you’re creating?

Everything! If I had to pick just one... it would be COLOR! I LOVE trying to find new fresh colors to work with. For Date Night I used Orange, Mint, Navy, Sea Foam Green and Yellow. For Twirly Girly I used Orange, Pink, Yellow, Gray and a touch of Green. I love looking at home decor magazines and I often follow the trends they set when it comes to color. 

Describe your workspace.

LOL My bedroom! Right now we are trying to keep our overhead small, so I do all of the collection designing at a desk in mine and Mr. Sonboul's bedroom. We also have a small back house that holds all of the products, but we are VERY quickly growing out of it. This might result in a move ;) 

What is a day in the “life of Heidi” look like during the week and on the weekends?

I wake up at 6am and get in all my chores done (because I won't have time later). I drop the boys off at school (sometimes helping in their classrooms) and finally come home, getting right to work and if I'm lucky I'll squeeze in a shower before I start. My work day is always changing, but right now it's getting the new Craft Team in place, working on my next 2 collections, and planning for CHA summer. When it's time to pick the boys up, I wrap up the work and become a mom for the next few hours. Homework, dinner, baths, scriptures and prayers at bedtime... and then Mr. Sonboul and I are right back to work for the next 2-3 hours. It's normally at that time I famously say "Why did we start a company?" lol. Then we try to be in bed at 10:30pm, but realistically end up going to bed at 11:30pm and start it all over again the next day. 

It's funny because when I first had Bradley (my oldest son), Mr. Sonboul told me I could be a stay at home mom. It sounded so HEAVENLY and after about 6 months of it, I GOT SO BORED! The house was clean, Bradley would be napping and I was going crazy. I knew I needed to get a hobby and that's when I found scrapbooking. 

Fast five:

Dog or cat?   

I love them both, so I don't think I could pick just one.

Beach or mountain? 

I live at the beach and I see it every day, so I'll pick mountains. I would love to see the snow right now.

Stripes or florals? 

ooh... again both. I LOVE stripes and florals together. It's a must for me.

Movies or TV? 

lol Am I cheating if I say both again? TV is my nightly "downtime" and movies are our weekend love.

Instagram or Facebook?

Instagram. I love pictures :)

We also asked Heidi to share a layout created with her new lines...

Here is a look at the brand new Chickaniddy Crafts collections, Twirly Girl and Date Night.

 

 

Don't these collections look fabulous?  Would you like to win one?  We are very excited that Heidi has offered to give both of these collections away!  As we like to keep it easy, just leave a comment below by Thursday, February 27th and we will randomly select two lucky winners to each receive one of these collections.  We would also love you to go and say "hello" to Heidi and the team at Chickaniddy Crafts on their Facebook page and let them know SCT sent you!  Let's go give them a whole lot of SCT love and why not "like" them while you're there.  We will be seeing more great things from this company and you'll want to see it first!    

We hope you have a wonderful weekend friends.  Go and spread a little creative joy.  Why not make a quick card and surprise someone!  

~ Catherine 

 

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!