Cord Scrapbook Studio

Friday Favorite: Jillibean Soup

Sometimes I think I have the best job in the world, having the privilege of posting to this blog every day sharing a wee bit of the excitement I feel about scrapbooking with you. And if you've followed this blog for a while, you know that there's very little I don't get particularly excited about... I love scrapbooking and every bit and piece of the industry that comes with the territory! ... So after all of the postings these past couple of weeks where I've been ranting and raving over the new stuff headed our way, I hope you'll forgive one more blog article full of pure, unadulterated swooning...

I'm not quite sure how I missed posting a sneak-y peek with all of the new Jillibean Soup last week, but as her new paper lines begin hitting stores this weekend I figure there's no time like the present to share with you how great this company is and how awesome these products are!

 
For starters, Jillibean Soup released four new collections at the show: Apple Cheddar Soup (shown above), Homemade 6 Bean Soup, Sweet & Sour Soup and Christmas Eve Chowder. Each collection features the "finest of ingredients" Jillibean Soup has come to be known for--rich, warm colors, exquisite design and high quality materials.

   
But my love for Jillibean Soup extends beyond the patterned paper designs that hooked me in the first place. Working with them is a special treat as they're incredibly supportive of their local independent retailers and their comfortable, down-to-earth approach to the biz is both warm and welcoming.

 
 
And I have to tell ya... when it comes to using their products, there's never any want for inspiration for putting those products into action. Their Design Team is constantly at work cranking out cards, layouts and crafty projects of all kinds which are then posted on their "Bean Talk" blog. You'll find ideas for using die-cuts in innovative ways, how to mix papers from different collections, and ways to make the most of your corrugated alphabets and trinkets like stick pins, buttons and chipboard!

 
 
Jillibean Soup's CHA Summer release was also voted as one of Scrapbook Update's "Top Ten Hot Picks" out of all of the new products on display last week in Chicago--which of course comes as no surprise to those of us who've been fans of theirs from the get-go!

   
One of the new items introduced this year was the "Soup Labels" cardstock stickers. There's a coordinating set for each of the four new collections above and then four "bonus" sets of stickers that feature birthday greetings, card sentiments, days of the week and assorted journaling prompts.

    
Also released at the show were some new layered felt "Bean Blossoms", buttons (pictured above), new Baker's Twine colors, new chipboard alphabets, new corrugated Alphabeans in a new font (shown below) and then plain corrugated sheets in coordinating colors that we can die-cut to our heart's content!

   
So as you can see, there's lots of exciting stuff coming from Jillibean Soup--some of it arriving this weekend and some of it still on its way! And if you love Jillibean Soup half as much as I do, you just might be excited to hear that there just might be another Jillibean Soup event coming to Cord Scrapbook Studio this Fall! But alas... that 'tis a post for another day. 

Happy Friday!

#CHAShow Sneak Peek #3 & a Friday Favorite

A couple of months ago we brought in a new collection from a new [to us at the time] company called Simple Stories. And I think from that point on they pretty much had me--hook, line and sinker.

Their designs are cute, the concept is amazing and to make a long blog post short[er], they're the answer to my "I have so many pictures & memories to document but zero time to do it" woes. And that's about it in a nutshell.

 
See, you start off with a killer library of albums. Personally, I like the 12x12 ring-bound Linen & Leather albums from We R Memory Keepers.  They're sturdy, fashionable and I just love 'em to pieces. Then you choose a variety of different photo sleeves to mix in with your usual 12x12 pages. I choose the ones I need based on the photos & materials I have that I'm looking to scrapbook. From there it's just picking out page elements from Simple Stories, printing your photos in the desired sizes (4x6, 4x4, 6x8, 6x12, etc) and then you just start filling in the different pockets to your heart's content. The end result... simple stories. Get it?

Scrapbook as much or as little as you want to. And being that variety is the spice of life, the mixture of 12x12 pages with all of the different pocket page styles adds a whole lotta somethin'-somethin' to your albums. And if you're like me, you might just discover that you scrapbook more than you thought you could given the time and circumstance restraints otherwise known as life. Keeping up with this kind of memory keeping is totally do-able. And I love that. It doesn't mean I like the traditional pages any less--this is just a quick & easy way to scrapbook a ton of photos & memories without sacrificing good design. Who wouldn't love that?

So ok, ok... enough with my yammering on and on about my new "Friday Favorite" product line. I think you catch my drift. :-) Anyway... the title of this post indicates yet another CHA sneak peek and I intend to deliver--swooning and all. So, here goes...

 
Four brand new collections--two of them (Happy Day and Baby Steps) arriving in stores at the beginning of August and two of them (25 Days of Christmas and Generations) arriving the first of September. And wouldn't you guess... I can hardly wait! Let's take a closer look at these new lines in action--shall we?

  
  
In my experience, this style of scrapbooking really caters to those events that generate a lot of photos year after year. Case in point--birthdays.  Lots of pictures. Lots of birthdays. Lots to scrapbook doesn't always mean you have lots to journal about, though... so with the Simple Stories papers, you're telling the story through photos and patterns and then fitting in those journaling elements when/where you can.

  
  
Babies... talk about having a lot to scrapbook with a little one around, am I right? Between capturing every adorable expression to documenting each significant milestone, there's lots of stories to tell. With the coordinating set of papers and embellishments from "Baby Steps" you could have a complete "year one" album that's uniform from start to finish and you could pass it along to your little one when they've grown older--and maybe someday they'll pass it to their children! (Perish the thought! I, for one, refuse to believe my little one will EVER grow up to be old enough to have kids of her own! Ahhh! They grow up soooo fast, don't they?!)

  
  
Speaking of having albums you can pass down to future generations, how about albums you can make to document years past? The colors & themes of the "Generations" collection are perfect for telling the stories of your family--past and present!

  
  
Well, I don't know about you, but my stack of Christmas photos towers over all the others. Pictures of different holiday traditions, Christmas card photo shoot outtakes, gift-wrapping (and un-wrapping), Christmas parties... Oh--and wouldn't this be the perfect line to outfit your 2011 December Daily album?

Now tell me... don't these collections make you want to just grab those piles of photos sitting at home in shoeboxes and get to work telling the stories of your life?! Check out the Simple Stories blog for daily inspiration and when you have a moment, head over to their Facebook page and hit that nifty little "like" button at the top. You can tell them Stephanne from Scrapbook Studio sent you and they should be so warned--I might be the closest thing to having their very first scrapbook stalker. :-)

Lots more CHA peeks and new product announcements to come next week! Stay tuned!
And hey... have a GREAT weekend. 

Friday Favorite: CHA Season

There are basically two times a year that you'll see scrapbookers (and their favorite scrapbook companies) go completely ga-ga over new products being released. And if you'd like to see said scrapbookers doing their version of the happy dance, well then CHA would be the place to be.

For me, it's not so much the actual trip to CHA that's exciting, but the weeks leading up to it and the anticipation of what's to come. With sneak peeks and previews being posted almost daily on vendor blogs and Facebook pages it's a fun (albeit hectic) game to play just trying to keep up! I enjoy it though...from the image & catalog downloads to the pre-orders, the follow-ups and of course--the blog posts, keeping you informed of which products you can expect to see in Cord stores and when.

CHA is in a little less than two weeks which gives us plenty of time to take advantage of the teasers some of our favorite companies are offering between now and the open of the show. To help you stay in the loop on what products & trends are popping up here and there, check out the CHA Summer Discussion topic on our Facebook Page. We're trying to post as many sneak peeks as we can for practically anything and everything--however, it's almost impossible to report them all! If you see anything out there that hasn't already been posted, feel free to add a description and a link! 

Stay tuned to the blog all next week (and beyond) as we continue to feature the products & collections we'll be carrying in stores and online. Don't see your favorites posted? Let us know! Your feedback is both welcomed and encouraged--we're here to provide you with the best of the best!

All that being said... it's time I get back to work! With my favorite season underway, I've got a stack of catalog pages and some pre-orders to submit before the day is up! Looking forward to hearing from you... have a great weekend!

CORDially yours,
Stephanne   

Friday Favorite: Me and My SP

When I head to my scrap space to "cook up" something creative, I want the most essential ingredients on hand and the very best tools ready and waiting. And while this particular "tool" may not slice, dice or even julienne fries, it's my go-to gadget for all things papercrafting.

It's the Multiliner SPby Copic, otherwise known as (in my humble opinion), the very best black pen on the planet. Hands down. I've been using it for a long while now and refuse to use anything less. (Well, I take that back... the Copic "regular" multiliners are really good too, and I have those in a variety of different sizes at my disposal as well.)

But why the SP? Well... it's waterproof and pigment-based so it's permanent but won't bleed (big bonus). Plus, the color is a true black--not the dark gray tones you usually find with some competing pens on the market. And the biggest advantage of the SP over the other Multiliners is the fact that it's refillable and its nibs are replaceable which gives it a good, long life. Plus, I love using a good, sturdy pen... it makes me feel like I'm using the best of the best when it comes to handwritten journaling on my pages or adding faux stitching on layouts or cards.

At Cord, we carry the .35 Black Multiner SP pens. They're regularly $8.99, but you save 25% every day. Want a different size? No problem... we can get those in along with nib replacements, ink refills or pens in 12 different colors (other than black). So if you, too, want the best of the best when it comes to your basic journaling pen, well... there ya go.

Friday Favorites: Cupcakes a la Mode!

If you'd told me a couple of years ago when cupcakes became "all the rage" in scrapbooking that they'd still be going strong in the industry today, I'd probably have thought you were suffering from a sugar high. And if I'd ever dreamed back then that there'd someday be die-cut papers designed to look like the top of a sprinkled cupcake, I'd have thought I was the one with the sugar high.

But alas, it's true... The sweet, glittered confections of patterned papers and self-adhesive chipboard accents in the Birthday Bliss collection by Creative Imaginations has me convinced that I have surely died and gone to cupcake heaven.

  But it's not just the cupcakes that inspired me to feature this fun & festive collection as part of our "Friday Favorite" series this week...Ok, ok... so maybe it is. But to kick off the return of the series where I have the privilege of boasting about my favorite products, tools and techniques--I wanted to start off with something "fun".

And seriously... what could be more fun than birthdays and birthday parties?! The balloons tied to the mailbox, the cars lining the street, little girls in their party dresses carrying pretty paper packages up the sidewalk... the birthday breakfast, the birthday party food, the candles, the cake... the cupcakes...(Again with the cupcakes!)
  
 
But at the end of the day, even my obsessive sweet tooth will admit that it's not just the party, the presents or--gasp--the cupcakes that make birthdays fun. Anytime family is gathered together--especially during a time of celebration--there are smiles to capture and memories to be made.

For all of you out there in blog-land with July birthdays, I wish you the very happiest of celebrations! And as we head into the weekend celebrating the birth of our nation, I wish everyone a very pleasant, family-filled fourth of July!

Cordially Yours (with sprinkles on top...)
Stephanne

*New* Bella Blvd - Designed to Inspire

I'm going to go out on a limb here and do something a little out of the ordinary--posting a "Friday Favorite" on a Tuesday. I know--*GASP*--right?
But I've never been a patient person so I hope you'll forgive the minor break in routine when you see what I've got to show you this afternoon!

These three new collections from Bella Blvd arrived in stores yesterday and today. Three collections with eye-catching color schemes, fun themes, and some pretty incredible (yet simple) patterns. That means twelve new double-sided patterned papers, 6 new Billboard and Bits a Bella papers, coordinating cardstock stickers, journaling "blurbs" and countless possibilities.

It's all incredibly exciting--new stuff, keepin' it fresh and all that. I just couldn't wait until Friday to share them with you! But while three hot & trendy collections may give cause for one to jump up and down with excitement, the reason I'm posting a Friday Favorite on a Tuesday is simply because I LOVE Bella Blvd.  Just had to tell you that.

I love them because when I visited the Bella booth at CHA back in January, Robin told me "We're all about the inspiration, here. We just want to inspire you." And looking around the booth, that's all I saw. Inspiration, corner to corner--layout after layout, cards all around, home decor projects scattered throughout...you name it. It was beautiful. And I was inspired.

You can go to their blog and watch throughout the week as the "Bella Artistas" deliver more and more fresh inspirational layouts and projects with every post. And what's really cool is... a lot of those projects are then stored in a gallery for quick reference. Sometimes you see the full layout and you start thinking "I've got the perfect pictures for that same layout" or "I could totally scraplift that design, even with the papers I already have!". Or you see a close-up like this one and you tell yourself "I never thought of doing it that way" or "what a simple technique!" 

And that's what I love about the photo galleries some of our scrapbook vendors put together using their products--what inspires me may not necessarily grab you and vice versa, but there is so much out there that just the sheer quantity of different styles and techniques, titles, themes, overall design and color selection can't help but inspire in some way, shape or form.

The other cool thing about Bella Blvd is that a lot of their papers are designed so that they coordinate across collections. For example, the aquas and blues in one collection are the same ones used in another. So you can mix and match with absolute ease! Nothing says you can only use Man of the House papers with each other and not with anything else! Freedom. I love it!

So anyway... there's my Tuesday-Friday schpiel on Bella Blvd. I encourage you to not only check out their latest releases (I especially love All Inclusive), but to visit their blog, their design team member blogs, etc. This company proves over and over that they design to inspire and I already can't wait to see what they come up with next!

Friday Favorite: Cardstock

I grew up in a very meat-and-potatoes type of family. And I married a very meat-and-potatoes kinda guy. So as you can imagine, well... we live a relatively meat-and-potatoes kind of life.

It's about keepin' it simple, really. Sticking to the basics of life that sustain us. And in the scrapbooking world, for me, the meat-and-potatoes would probably be cardstock (well, next to my photos of course!) You just can't get more basic than cardstock.

So let's talk cardstock, shall we?!

I was perusing through some of our favorite pages on Facebook yesterday morning, looking for CHA updates, contests, new product announcements, sketches & inspiration, you know... the whole bit. And I found a cardstock comparison/review by Taylor Usry for Craft Critique. I found the article interesting and thought I'd share the link with you!  I don't think I'd realized before reading how many different brands of cardstock were out there, let alone the many different colors and textures! It was neat to see how each one reviewed stood up to tests using distress ink, punches, and Copic markers!

When it comes to cardstock I think we all have our favorites or at the very least, something we're used to. Comfortable with. A favorite texture (or lack there of!), a favorite color, or a favorite brand that we turn to page after page after page. At Cord, we carry the Bazzill Basics brand of textured cardstock in a wide variety of yummy colors, so I often find myself stickin' to that brand, reaching for the Orange Peel and the Dotted Swiss colors. (It kinda helps when you see it day in and day out, you know? It feeds the addiction!)

One thing I particularly love about Bazzill is their Matchmaker program which allows you to find out which Bazzill colors coordinate with your favorite collections! In fact, I was able to put it to good use last night as I was at home planning out a future class using Cosmo Cricket's Early Bird collection! In case you're curious, here's the colors that match: Watermelon, African Daisy, Green Tea, Parakeet, Bluegrass, Sugar Cookie and Mud Pie!

Bazzill announced on their blog Wednesday that they're excited to be celebrating ten years in the biz! Hard to believe, you know? What would life be like without Bazzill? I mean, after the addition of the Prismatics family of cardstocks, Bazzill will have THIRTEEN families of cardstock: Bling, Burlap, Classics, Criss Cross, Dotted Swiss, Embossed, Fourz, Glazed, Monochromatic, Metallics, Orange Peel, Prismatics, and Smoothies! Whoa! Talk about choices! Possibilities! That's a whole lotta potatoes, if you ask me. :-)

So I ask you... what are your favorite colors and textures? And if it's not Bazzill that you reach for, what brands/styles do you prefer? Inquiring meat-and-potato-type minds wanna know... :-)

Friday Favorite: Organization

If there's one scrapbooking-related topic out there that continually inspires me, it's that of organizing your scrap space. There are so many different ways to organize your stuff that the end result is almost always a reflection of personal style, method and taste. I go back and forth between scrapbooking on my living room floor and actually using my designated scrap space. (Partly because the living room is so convenient and houses the TV--as entertainment is a MUST--and partly because my scrap space isn't quite "me" yet so it's not the comfortable, creativity-inspiring environment I need to scrapbook).

So while I'm still searching for the "right" color combo, the best way to arrange the furniture and the "right" way to organize my embellishments, papers, tools, etc., I find myself drawn to the rooms others have created for the inspiration I need to create a space of my own!

I had the privilege of reading through the virtual tour of Karen Russell's office (pictured at left) that she posted on her blog this past Monday and was completely and utterly wowed. (Is wowed even a word? Hmm...) Using her traditional photographic flair for documenting life, she gives you an up close and personal view of each component in her new scrap space so when you finish reading through it, you're ready to move in! (Or at the very least, "borrow" a few of the ideas...)

Melissa Kaiserman posted a few snapshots of several different workspaces on write.click.scrapbook's website several weeks ago that I saved under my "favorites" because it's a great resource for finding unique ways to store different categories of product in your workspace. The best part about her series of posts about organization was all of the tips and tricks to designing a personalized workspace, the close-up analysis of how she pared down her supplies with suggestions as to how (and why) we can (and should) do that too, and finally her tips for actually using and enjoying our scrap space.

And if that's not enough inspiration for you, scrapbooksetc.com has a whole section of their website dedicated to organization, including an article on low-cost, creative scrapbook storage solutions! (And who's not looking for budget-friendly options these days!)

CHA Summer 2009 - Jillibean Soup

I have been a huge, huge, huge fan of Jillibean Soup for a while now but in case you haven't heard or seen about this local company's products just yet, please allow me to introduce them to you now as a "Friday Favorite" of mine!

Above, you'll see little snippets of two new collections Jillibean is introducing this week at CHA--Alphabet Soup and Grandma's Christmas Crab Soup.  After browsing through their website you'll start to notice that Jillibean's really got it goin' on... their papers & embellishments are very unique, very fun, and very basic so they're incredibly versatile to use.

Lentil Soup and Talk Soup are two more collections they've introduced (pictured above) along with their "soup staples" (photo below). The staples are probably my most favorite because they demonstrate the innovative versatility of jillibean with the trendy colors and classic patterns you can combine with other patterned papers, cardstocks, ribbons, accents, and more! 
 

Jillibean started out with a product line printed on 100% recycled Kraft paper last year and that's actually what drew me to them at first--it's what made them really stand out from the rest, you know? And while a lot of people might find it plain, I find it full of potential because you can add pretty much anything to Kraft to create the look you want. I like to combine bright papers with my Kraft patterns to mix a little "spunk" with the crafty, homemade look and left just as-is the kraft papers are great for heritage pages, weddings, geneology, school, etc! Jillibean has since expanded their product line, brought in a bunch of different colors and patterns and then... then there's the "goods".

Acrylic stamps, wooden buttons and twill, Number "Sprouts" and Calendar "Sprouts"... just to name a few!So you know how popular journaling spots have become in this world (naturally, as journaling is the most important part of scrapbooking, next to the photos of course)... well, Jillibean makes journaling "sprouts" in both white or kraft so you can use them for pretty much anything and everything. (Have I mentioned how versatile these products are?)

  
Anyway... if you haven't already, I hope you'll look into Jillibean Soup and check out their blog--it's so full of ideas and inspiration from their designers that you'll quickly add it to your blog "favorites". Plus, they're giving away some mystery packs of some of their new products--all you have to do is leave a comment on their blog to earn a chance to win!

Speaking of chances to win... stay tuned later today as we announce our Facebook Fan contest winner!

Friday Favorite: The Christmas Tree

My absolute favorite thing about Christmas is the tree--the soft glow of twinkle lights at night, the way it looks in the front window as you're driving by the houses on your street, the ribbons, the glass bulbs, the angel on top. And I get my appreciation for this holiday tradition from my mother, who every year painstakingly poured her heart and soul into having the absolute perfect tree. As I got to be old enough to help her decorate, the Christmas tree became a source of yuletide pride for her and I and the time we spent together deciding the color scheme, the ribbon patterns, and which ornament would go on which branch, was incredibly memorable. To this day, that's what I think of each time I dig my own tree up out of its box.

I've had so much fun this week pulling together sneak peek images of new products that fall into the Christmas category. There is so much great holiday product out there this year and I'm incredibly excited about each and every one of the different collections! I hope that you, too, have enjoyed our time celebrating "Christmas in July"!

As we wrap things up for the week (one more sneak peek still to come tomorrow), I wanted to show you this particular collection by Crate Paper--North Pole. This one's the first (among the many) that actually sparked a memory--a warm and fuzzy feeling in regards to Christmas--that made my heart swell specifically with Christmas Tree pride.

  It's all about the ornaments. For me anyway. I mean, each one tells its own story or has its own memory associated with it. They're what make each and every Christmas tree unique, year to year or house to house! On my tree there's this hoaky, vintage doll thing that's faded and falling apart but it was my great-grandmother's and it reminds me of all of the porcelain dolls she had lined up on her windowsill that we were to "admire, but not touch" as kids. I've got a little homemade ornament that smells like my grandma's apple pie and a little crystal stroller that I was given when I had my first child. And then there's all of the ornaments my mom gave me. See, she gave my brother and I a special ornament to hang on the tree each year that signified a special event, accomplishment or characteristic of ours. When we married and left home, she wrapped them up and gave them to us as a wedding gift--a tradition I hope to carry on for my daughter. The ornament papers in this collection made me think of all of the fancy glass balls and ornate globes I stow away along with my personal collection of keepsake ornaments and how everything comes together on my tree into one big collection of the pretty and the priceless. The ornaments are what make Christmas trees so magical, so personal. And that's why they're my favorite part of the holidays!

As we pack up our Christmas sentiments until November, keep in mind which memories you want to capture this year as you watch new products make their way into stores this fall. Is it the activities? The traditions? Should you take a moment to scrapbook your ornament collection or jot down a few favorite holiday recipes?

As the next few months roll in, watch our Facebook and Twitter pages for new product arrival announcements, upcoming holiday classes, and more! (Besides, signing up to "Become a Fan" gets you an entry into a drawing to win an entire collection of Imaginisce Polar Expressions goodies! Exciting, no?)