Scrapbooking Ideas From The Memory Zone Scrapbook Store

Recap of Scrapper’s Anonymous Crop #2

Reporting the day’s activities after cropping for 15 hours straight at The Memory Zone Scrapbook Store’s Scrappers Anonymous Crop #2, it’s Kelly C. your Challenge Hostess and addicted scrapbooker.

Let me begin by thanking our wonderful crop hostesses, Rhonda, Amy, Barb C. and Kelly S.! These girls make it so easy to relax, get away from all of your day to day duties, and focus on your scrapping and having fun.  I don’t know of anyone who attended who didn’t love the meals, the atmosphere, the friendships or the whole day of scrap-booking bliss!

So as many of you know, I posted a Crop Challenge for the day. The whole concept is all who wanted to participate bring in $5.00 worth of unused scrapping goodies to place into a big gift bag to be used as the prize at the end of the crop. When you do that, it enters you into the challenge. This crop’s challenge was based on a scraplift from Scrapbooks, Etc. magazine with an added  “must include” twist. When the layouts are completed and verified to meet the list, it enters the scrapbooker’s name into the drawing at the end of the day! Each player can enter as many layouts as they wish. At the end of the day  we had around 24 +/- layouts in many various themes from Beach Babes/Dudes, Christmas, Heritage, Pool, Four-Wheeling, Baby Girl/Boy, Fourth of July, Frogs, I could go on & on! The winner  was drawn by Rhonda herself…it was Judy B.! She took home a bag of goodies any scrapbooker would have loved to get their scrappy little paws on!

Many of us made store runs to The Memory Zone to take advantage of the great discounts & coupons Rhonda included in our surprise Page Planner with all of the supplies for a beautiful & colorful layout. Some made trips to Dairy Queen or Starbucks to get a little something sweet for a sugar buzz or a bit of a caffeine jolt! We enjoyed the air conditioning and the huge cropping area even more after our little trips out. We had a first time cropper there too, Beth had never attended an all day crop before…can you believe it? Needless to say, I think we’ve got her hooked now!

“Scrappy the Bunny” ended up being a fun way for busy scrapbookers to win fun little prizes throughout the day. I was not a lucky winner, but I’m thinking I saw about half of the women there, picking out some extra goodies from the prize table! I didn’t get a tally on how many total pages were finished that day, but I am sure it was a BUNCH!

Overall, the Scrapper’s Anonymous Crop #2 was a BLAST! I would highly recommend attending one (or like me, ALL OF THEM!). There is a spirit of sharing, friendship, laughter, camaraderie that you feel immediately. Scrapbooking women have a special gift I believe, it’s the ability to see, appreciate and express things others may not. It is a creative environment that you can freely observe while attending one of these events. Without sounding to mushy here, it’s refreshing and inspiring to be in the same space as others who understand and “get it.”

Your recap of the day’s activities is complete, I hope you enjoyed it. I don’t know if I’m suppose to let the “cat out of the bag” but, I’ve heard some chatter about another crop coming up in September…? I truly hope to see more of you signing up to attend future scrapping events like this hosted by the best scrapbook store around, THE MEMORY ZONE SCRAPBOOK STORE!

You’ll be glad you did!

xoxo
Kelly C.

More Peeks Anyone? How about Pebbles Inc.

Don’t forget to swing on by the messageboard

to see the list our very own DT member Beth has put together for your viewing pleasure.

You will find just about every one of your favorite scrapbook companies listed in this sneak peek thread….
I can’t think of one she’s missed yet. But it’s very exciting to see all of the new goodies that could be coming our way in the very near future.

For example: Pebbles Inc.!

It’s being put on the shelves as we speak.
They’ve created a really fun boy line, “Little Buddy.”
It’s perfect for those baby photos or, as I used it, for your teens.
You won’t want to miss this line!

See you soon!
Charity

The counting is done…..Thank You!

Many of you are very aware that I am a night owl, spending many late night hours working on the computer, at the store or cleaning the house…but counting and entering data for 5 days straight with 3 - 4 hours of sleep each night…I am beat!

As many of you feared, this was no small task!  We are however, up and running.  Things are not pretty in our work shop class room, but the floor is all counted and back in business.  I want to personally THANK many of our family, friends and loyal customers for all there help (Bonnie Smith, Bonnie Hoeppner, Eva Rice, Flora Tibbetts, Joanne Trevino, Molly Walsh, Nancy Carmichael, Mary Niles, Donna Wagers, Nina McCoy,Jamie Jardine, Phyllis Neidlinger, Max Neidlinger, Blake Hurford, Jami Hurford, Mia Shively, Maddison Shively, Jeff Hurford, Greg Collins, Samantha Dickeson, and Kelly Crowl) with out your help who knows were we would be.  Also, Thank you Very Much to all my staff for their on and off shift dedication to completing this project.  You are the BEST STAFF I could ever ask for!

For all those who were in today, we THANK YOU for your patience as we hen peck through the screens trying to make sure all is well.   Please understand that with every NEW and EXCITING experience there is a learning curve, but know that the changes with our new system are for everyone!  We want to make sure we are offering you the best service we can and we feel strongly that this change will allow us to do that!

I want to be sure to say THANK YOU to the men who are behind the ladies….Jeff and Matt, we know that being single fathers with us away for a week is not easy, but know that we love you both so very much and do appreciate your support!  Thank you!

I am slowly learning to key and receive NEW products.   Be sure to stop in this week to see what’s new….like Bo Bunny Press, Reminisce, Doodlebug and more!

See you soon…Rhonda

National Scrapbook Day…COMING SOON!

National Scrapbook Day is approaching quickly and we have some GREAT things in store for you!

Saturday, May 2, 2009 is National Scrapbook Day!  But we want to start our celebration early…on Saturday, April 25th we are hosting an offsite NSD Kick off Crop from 2pm until 2am.  This crop will be held at the Plymouth Knights of Columbus.  The cost of the event is $40 and includes dinner, snacks, a special gift or two for you from us and door prizes!  We still have seats available…call to reserve yours today.

But you all know us better than that….our celebration don’t stop there! We are anxiously awaiting a delivery full of fun things to put on sale for you!  But that shipment was delayed in the warehouse, and won’t arrive until NEXT week.  So, we have decided to pull some of your favorites and run them on sale starting Saturda, April 25, as soon as our other order arrives will add these items too our NSD SALE WALLS!

But wait…that’s not all on Saturday, May 2nd we will add a BONUS SALE, to be announced in our next Friday Newsletter.  Oh and I almost forgot, the hugely anticipated Quickutz Gift Sets will be here that day too!

So, be sure to stop in all week long as we continue to add sale items on a regular bases…you never know what you might miss!

Retreat Summary

WOW!  What a weekend.  I don’t know if I can totally sum it up the way the girls did on the message board…but I will try and then you can go there to check out what they had to say.  Yes, I know we are a bit behind with the summary, but we were BEAT!  Not only were we tierd but most of us or our families came down with the BUG the Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday….well you get the picture….following.  I think as of today, all are well and back to work…full steam ahead!

So the weekend started with the early opening of The Memory Zone Scrapbook Store and many took advantage of this, getting their first fix of some NEW products.  After a quick shopping spree they were rewarded with a pack of money to head to “Vegas” with.  When they arrived at the Knights of Columbus Hall…VEGAS is what they got…Marlene greated them, all DECKED OUT, with a Dice Necklace, some more ”casino cash” and directions down the strip to their assigned hotel for check in.  Each table was assigned a Vegas Hotel Name, making locating your seat or group easier.   Quickly they all unloaded the cars, with many trips, and set up shop.  All were delighted to be at an 8 foot table, which is quite a bit of space until you see what all they bring in…the funny thing is, many brought extra tables to set up.

All of our meals were catered by Christo’s and the food was fabulous, which is what I hear from folks everytime they visit Vegas… This proved to be a GREAT set up…Barb didn’t have to do dishes and I got to mingle this year, we were not trapped in the kitchen!

Saturday we filled the day with demonstrations and make & takes.  We featured several new product lines…3 Bugs in a Rug new products - Snips & Snails, Happy Bird-day, Butterfly Kisses, & Home Grown.  We also rolled out BoBunny’s New Class Kits - Life is Good Beach Word Book, Paw-sitively Word Book, I Love My Dog Word Book, Heart & Home Word Book, Friends To The End, Boys Will Be Boys, and Play Hard Layouts. We introduced many to the Bazzill In Stitch’z Line, Fiskars Border Punches, Crafter’s Workshop Templates, Glimmer Mist and MORE!  I have to say, it was GREAT walking around after a demo or make & take and see folks using the technique or products that they had just learned about!

Saturday Night we brought in some FUN Entertainment….3 black jack dealers and tables for folks to take a chance at their luck.  Many were hesitant….ok ALL were hesitant, but easily persuaded when more PLAY MONEY is dangled in their faces, the hesitance stemmed from fear…no one knew how to play Black Jack, but no worries, Mike, T.Jay and Michelle our special guest dealers were gracious at teaching and before long they were all placing bets like they had been gambling for years!

All weekend the girls were collecting PLAY money….to be able to buy auction items…I am NO AUCTIONIER!  But we had a great time!  The reviews were wonderful and I appreciate all the feedback.  We did vote on the Theme for a next retreat and DISNEY wins.  Be sure to watch for us to make an announcement about future retreat opportunities.

On a more serious note….

Many of you are aware that each year we have a FUND RAISING event at our retreat.  We have been known to raise money and donate to many different organizations including National MS Society, Pediatrics Chrones Research as well as specific individuals that are facing tragedy or life threatening situations.  This year we chose the Twellman Family as our benefit recipient.   Nick Twellman is a 16 year old boy who is facing MANY MANY challenges right now. You can read about Nick and his family by visiting www.caringbridge.org (enter nicktwellman) in the search, no spaces, …Michelle, Nicks mom is a customer of ours, she loves scrapbooking her family, but right now, she is just praying that she will have years with her son to continue to take pictures that she will someday be able to sit down and scrapbook again.   Please pray for the Twellman family as you pray for all those special people in your life today.

In summary…every year, we do our best to put on what we think is the BEST DARN Scrapbooking event around and based on the feedback, I think we nailed it!  Thank you!

High Rollers Retreat

You don’t have to travel all the way to Vegas to have a good time!  Several of you have chosen to join us for a weekend of fun!  We are getting things “rolled” up and ready.  I am finishing my email to send out to everyone, hope to get it out in the next day or so.  I have included details on 2 challenges that attendees are invited to participate in.  The menu is set, Christo’s will be catering for us…MMMMMM!  PTMC has confirmed massage appointment times.  Door Prizes are being packed. Things are starting to come together.

It is hard to believe this is our 7th annual retreat…we have had some great themes, including, Contruction, Jungle, Hollywood, 50’s, Cowboy, Hawaii and this years VEGAS!  I can’t wait to see what Paual and Sue come up with for this one….they NEVER cease to amaze me…LOL.

Be sure to check back for details on all the fun we have following the event!

The Memory Zone will be hosting the High Rollers Retreat on the weekend of March 6, 7 & 8. 2009.  If you wish you had registered…I have 2 seats open!  Give us a call.

Rhonda

USED ITEM SALE - A Success for YOU?

We had so much fun this past Saturday, the lines started forming about an hour before we opened and I think we can safely say it was a steady stream for the duration of the day.  What a blessing to see and hear the joy in everyone as they had so much fun.

It all started Monday…they came in one right after another, women carrying boxes, bags, totes, and anything they can shove supplies into.  We had carts of “Used Items” EVERYWHERE!

The set up takes us several hours, over about 4 days time.  First we SORT, then we MOVE, then we SORT, then we MOVE, then we SORT….well you get the picture…each day as someone brings more in we rearrange…and then…at 5:00 pm on Friday night, as you look around and decide it is just right…ONE MORE person shows up with her things for the sale!  So….we SORT and REARRANGE!  AND THEN…we are ready!

Saturday morning…I so wanted to stay in bed!  BUT, instead Marlene picked me up early and we headed in.  As we drove by the parking lot, we look to see who is waiting…(1.5 hours early)…NO ONE?  It didn’t take long and they were lining up.  I have often wondered what goes through the men that work at Turn One’s minds when they see all these CRAZY woman standing outside waiting for us to open.

We NEVER open early!  How could we?  Do you have ANY Idea just how many phone calls we get the day before to see EXACTLY what time we will open for this sale?  The girls are going over things, one last time to make sure everything is where it is supposed to be and everyone knows where they are supposed to be and what their job is for the day.

Right at 10am I opened the door and let them in….making sure to remind everyone…NO CARTS in the back!  LOL not that they would have even been able to get them there with all those bodies.  It didn’t take long before all the baskets were in use, but the line still kept coming.  With in minutes….all I could hear was the rummaging of intense buyers….looking for those things they just can’t live without….and….they found them!

We all had a GREAT time!  And we hope you did too.  Be sure to watch our newsletter for our NEXT Used Item Sale, as well as other upcoming FUN events!

Glimmer Mist Screens~ february demo

Did you realize The Memory Zone Scrapbook Store holds a demo every 3rd Saturday of the month?

Yes, it’s true!

And February 21st TMZ will demo Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist and those lovely Screens they’ve created to use along with their product.

Design Team Member, Kelly Crowl, has shown you how to use Glimmer Mist on previous posts. But wouldn’t you love to come in and see it up close and personal? We’ll be showing you how  Glimmer Mist Screens work, and how you can even use other masks along with Glimmer Mist to add a little spice to your projects. Come in to see this finished layout and see this technique in person February 21, 2009.
Hope to see you there!
Charity

Cancer Awareness…a must read for everyone!

If someone asked you to define cancer, could you do it? We all have heard the word “cancer” many times, however very few people understand the disease and how it develops. http://cancer.about.com/od/newlydiagnosed/a/whatcancer.htm

I remember being a young girl and hearing someone had passed away from cancer.  I didn’t know what it meant, and as I think back now, I don’t think my mother, grandmother or grandfather really under stood it either.  At that time, cancer was a new word to most of us.  Today, cancer is a well known term.

In 1989, my family got to find out first hand what cancer was.  My grandfather was diagnosed with Lung Cancer.  He was a smoker at a very young age, even in his last days he would call cigarettes his death sticks, but would recognize that that was what they did, everyone, as kids even.  He had also been exposed to asbestos in his days of work.  Given these things he wasn’t surprised to be diagnosed with cancer, just caught off guard. 

He had surgery and they took his right lung, 3 of the 5 lobes he was given from his Maker.   It wasn’t that his left lung was in much better shape, he also had a condition called infezema.  After the surgery, he would still need to have chemo, and well, I remember thinking it wouldn’t be the cancer that would kill him.  He would be so sick after a treatment.  But he held on, like a trooper.  He beat it!  Then he would get sick again, and pull through, and sick again….it went on for years, precious years that I would not give back for anything.

One morning in February 2002, I stopped by my Grandfathers on my way to work, dropping off my daughter.  Grandma and Grandpa watched the kids for us.  They so enjoyed them.  I remember Grandpa looking back at me from his chair…he said, “I am so tired.  I can’t sleep” He looked exhausted.  I gave him a kiss and told him to take it easy.  That night we took my Grand father to the emergency room.  I watched him draw his final breath.  I remember as he sat there in that bed, couldn’t speak, just gasping for every breath…I told him, “It’s time to sleep Grandpa!  I love you and it is ok!”  I was blessed, my Grandfather is a saved man and I did not want him to ever suffer again, and though a part of me would die with him, I needed him to know that I loved him and he didn’t need to keep this up.

I know I am really out on a limb here, not my usual cheerful self.  So you might ask, where I am going with this.  Well, the nation uses October to recognize Breast Cancer Awareness which is GREAT!  But we want to remind folks that cancer comes in so many different shapes and faces.  I am sure that like me, many of you have your own stories.  We have decided to donate to our local Hospital, Foundation of St. Joseph Regional Medical Center Plymouth Cancer Institute. We invite you to participate in this donation by stopping by The Memory Zone Scrapbook Store, LLC and purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win one of the following prizes:

• (1) 2008 Large Horizon of Hope White Washed Basket, Liner, Protector & Lid
• (1) 2008 Small Horizon of Hope White Washed Basket, Liner, Protector, & Lid
• (2) 2008 Woven Traditions Pink Travel Mug from Longaberger
• (1) Pink AMM Tote filled with Scrapbooking Supplies

Tickets are on sale at The Memory Zone Scrapbook Store for $2.00 each or 3 for $5.00.

All that being said,…there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about my Grandfather, he was a very special man in my life.  Today, I can tell you I am grateful for my Scrapbooking and being able to look back and remember the times I spent with him!  So keep scrapping, scrap all those precious moments and special people in your life, because you just never know when you might want to be able to take a peak into the past.

God bless each and everyone of you who have ever been touched or will be touched by cancer in any way shape or form! 

Rhonda

“In memory of my Grandpa Herman.”

CHA Review~Call It “Creative Overload!”

Written By Beth Marohn
Being a scrapper, hearing those 3 letters ~ C-H-A & your mind goes into a tizzy anticipating all the new & innovative products that await you in the coming 6 months! BUT, even MORE fortunate to be on The Memory Zone Design Team & going to actually SEE what is going to be coming to your favorite scrapbook store (TMZ, of course!) is a dream come true, at least it was for me! Needless to say, I was not disappointed!

First of all, the Design Team members would like to especially thank Rhonda & Marlene for the invitation to attend this wonderful event. We truly appreciated the opportunity!

Next, let me say that the drive there was so much fun with Kelly, Jennifer & Rebecca, that it didn’t seem like it took very long at all & we were there. We had a blast just getting there & back home!

After arriving there & meeting with Rhonda & Marlene & the rest of the store staff, we got to hang a bit with the cutest little ol’ Cricut bug you’ve ever seen! He’s the hottest thing going right now & he knows it too!
Cricut is coming out with some truly cute stuff that’s gonna be on every Cricut owner’s “must have” list! They had some amazing make & takes, ideas & give aways. Each of us four ladies was lucky enough to get one of their exclusive bags that are so cool & trendy looking! There was a contest involving these bags, like Kelly mentioned in her article, & only 12 people were given these bags each hour. Rebecca was the lucky one of the bunch with her prizes – YAY Rebecca!

I definitely got my exercise that day because I signed up for a very cool make & take at the Kaiser Craft booth. It was so popular, that they had to pass out numbers to the participants & you had to keep going back to see if they had called your number yet. It was about 90 minutes before I actually got to work on it.

Kaiser Craft is a 3 yr. old company based out of Australia, but they are also located in Chicago to help keep the cost down to the consumer. They have lots of cool products for the scrapper & they are also highly involved with the general paper crafter, as well. They offer cool wooden projects & wooden embellishments for a truly artistic look to any project. They were a fun group of people & very generous with their projects & goodies they gave out.

Here was what all the fuss & excitement was over; it’s a wooden book that I altered. Notice they had a CHA rub on specially made for the event:

Chatterbox is not a new name to most of us scrappers, but they have been essentially renewed as a company. They offered a beautiful Make & Take wall hanging & their new stuff offers elegantly beautiful tastes in papers & embellishments. They’re also offering some stunning patterned chipboard frames & accents now. I was impressed with their new lines & their color schemes are the more muted colors that are all the rage right now.

I noticed the newest trend to really hit the scene from several companies, like Making Memories, Little Yellow Bicycle, Queen & Co. & We R Memory Keepers ~ just to name a few, was all the specialty die cutting that has been done to everything from papers, to felt, to flocked ribbon – you name it, they have created amazing patterns for every taste!

There were some new companies there that were real eye openers for us too. A company by the name of Zva (pronounced zee-vah) is going to be giving Prima’s “Say It In Crystals” & Flower lines a run for their money! Literally! This should be a company to watch for in the future. They’re pitch was that they are a cost effective company with great product at a more reasonable price to the consumer. We were impressed with their lines of flowers & jewels! The proof will be in the pocketbook & quality.

3L has come out with some black pop dots for those that want to keep them a little less noticeable in their darker colored projects. These are great for those.

Some of the companies realize that with the state of the economy, their going to have to do something innovative & cost effective to keep the paper crafting consumer able to buy their products. Queen & Co. & Zva are a couple that immediately come to mind.

There was so much to see & do there that you can’t possibly get it all done in one day. It’s like an amusement park for paper crafters. I loved quite a bit of the new products that this community has come out with this year; it proves to be an exciting & creative time ahead of us. I could go on & on about all the ideas & products we seen, but I’m sure you have some scrapping to do to clear out what you have & make room for all the cool new stuff you’re gonna have to have soon!

**If you have any other questions or comments on CHA, go to The Memory Zone’s Messageboard & post them there. We’d love to answer any questions you have that we didn’t get to touch on here in the blog!

~ Beth