New Thanksgiving kit

Gosh, I've been so busy the last few weeks working on new kits that I don't even know where to start with posting about them. Guess it makes sense to start with the Thanksgiving one since that holiday just passed.

The Turkey Day kit was actually a lot of fun to design. It features Creative Imaginations paper that has nothing but turkeys so of course, I had to put turkeys in the kit! The one peeking around the title is my favorite but the pilgrim turkey is also pretty cute. I also included double-mats for all your pictures. The colors in this kit are perfect for the season -- lots of orange and brown. Not enough pictures to fill all the mats? Not a problem. Use some of the mats for your journaling! At $12.50, this kit is a steal...especially since the turkeys come pre-assembled!

Enjoy!

I'm baaaaaack!

Finally, after almost two years, life has settled down enough for me to actually focus on the business again and you know what that means...NEW DESIGNS! Yep, I actually have TEN new page kits designed and lots more that are just waiting on the holidays to be over so I can clear off the counter and get back to work. I've also added new titles to the store including Graduation and more.

One of my favorite new kits is the "All Boy" kit that features Doodlebug paper (one of my absolute favorites to work with!!) and some really adorable die cuts. I've had the paper sitting on my paper rack for quite a while and just couldn't find time to work with it but I am extremely happy with the result. There is also a "matching" kit that is called "All Girl" and features lots of fun flowers on Doodlebug paper. Be sure to check out the "Child of God", "Florida" (with an awesome pink glitter flamingo!), and the new "Genuine Boy" kits.

Gotta run for now but be sure to check out the store!!

Scrapbook crop in the Ohio area

Woohoo!! I'm so excited -- there is a Scrapper's Dream Vacation event practically in my backyard! If you live within a few hours of the Cincinnati airport (which we all know is in KY), you should check this out! It's the 9th Annual Heartland SDV and will be held at the Holiday Inn Cincinnati Airport in Erlanger, KY. You pick a package based on how many days you want to crop and whether you want to stay at the hotel or not. This is a fantastic opportunity to enjoy one of these crops relatively close to home. Plus, you have until May 27, 2009 to pay for it. Using their website, you can even make payments so it isn't one big payment. How's that for convenience? We all know how hard it can be to come up with the money for one of these events but Nancy and her crew make it easy for you!

If you are further south, you should look into the 11th Annual Eastern Tennessee SDV. This one is held at the MeadowView Conference Resort & Convention Center. Last year it was absolutelybeautiful driving down through the mountains -- all the trees were in bloom and the weather was absolutely perfect! If you are interested in this one, you had better hurry -- final balances are due by March 2, 2009.

Okay, I'm going back to work restocking for the upcoming SDVs... ;) Hope to see you there!

Ronda

Magazine layouts

Okay, normally I don't post much in the way of opinions but I gotta confess...I'm really thinking about stopping my subscriptions to scrapbook magazines! The last one I received (and I'm not mentioning the name) was really a disappointment. I looked through the entire thing and I think 80% of the pages only had one picture on the page!! Now, I don't know about you, but I have a LOT of photos and if I only put one picture on a page, I would have hundreds of albums. I also have a problem with the amount of embellishments on the page. Last time I checked, scrapbooks were for preserving memories and that included photos. Some of the pages I barely noticed the picture -- there was too much "stuff" on the page that drew my eye away from the real reason for the page.

How about you? What do you think about the layouts that you see in the magazines? Do you think they are a little over the top or do you like a lot of embellishment on your pages? Let me know by leaving a comment! Who knows? Maybe you can convince me that there is a reason for all of the extra stuff.

Ronda

More new kits

Gosh, seems like this past weekend just flew by! My sister and I went to a "Crop Till You Drop" in West Lafayette, IN and had a blast! There were lots of wonderful people there and I managed to snag some new stamps on clearance from one of the other vendors which is always a bonus. Plus, we stayed with my friend Melissa and her family which was a lot of fun. I gotta tell you, if you are in that area and have a chance, you should definitely try to make it to one of these crops -- Melissa and her crew do a fantastic job. There was TONS of food and drink and best of all, you could crop as long as you wanted! Rumor has it, some die hards didn't leave until around 5am. ;) For only $30, it's a real bargain!

While I was at the crop, I managed to whip up three new layouts! Woohoo!! The Dad kit is one that I started many months ago and just couldn't seem to finish. I don't know about you, but I think it turned out great! I have to thank my friend Shannon for standing by me and helping me with this one, though. Although Shannon is only 9, she is already an accomplished scrapbooker with a great eye for color and layouts. Thank you, Shannon!

I also managed to finish up the Birthday Boy and Birthday Girl kits. These are a lot of fun to do -- no custom die cuts but they do have lots of bright colors. One of the fun elements in these layouts is the use of 3-D Dots to elevate the letters and some of the other stickers. This gives the layout dimension and keeps it from looking so flat. These kits include two different Doodlebug patterned papers and very bright colors of cardstock.

Got an idea for another new kit? Be sure to post it here and I'll see what I can do! Until the next time, happy scrapbooking!

Ronda

They're back...

Who's back? Why, the SBI Chef Kidz! And the What's Cookin' kit is now available again in the store! Woohoo!! For those who have never seen it, you had better run...not WALK...to the store and check it out. Last time we released it, it sold out in 2 days. :O This time I think we have enough to last for a few days but if not, I can cut more and ship them off to Teresa at Scrapbooker's Buzz to get more ready for kits. Not only that, but I am also getting ready to re-design the Chef Kidz Recipe Book kit and that will be available again as well.

Are you ready for more news about the Kidz? Well, Teresa and I are working on releasing a whole line of kits featuring the SBI Kidz! They aren't ready yet but they are on the cutting table and almost ready to be shipped to her for her magical finishing touch. Don't forget -- if the paper piecing Kidz aren't your style, check out her stamps when you visit her site. You can even pick up the Chef Kid stamp if that's more your style!

Until the next time...

Ronda

New Kits

Yeah! New year, new kits in the store!!

In case you haven't stopped in the store lately, we have a few new kits waiting for you. First is the Dinosaurs kit. This one is perfect for trips to the museum or just pictures of your little one playing with the dinosaurs or even reading about them in his or her favorite book. Or how about the Halloween pictures where they were dressed up as their favorite dinosaur?

Next up is the only pre-made page kit that I currently offer...the Woodland page kit. This is one of the first kits that I did and I recently found a stash of them so I decided to put them back up on the website. Featuring lots of mats for photos, it also has a journaling block and a small title block where you can write your own. Probably the best part is the rub-ons that are already applied to the page so no tools or know-how is required! All the photo mats are pre-cut to 4x6 so just add your photos and go!

School Days, school days...yep, we have a new School Days kit! This one has lots of primary colors but it also includes a pre-assembled apple with an adorable little bookworm popping out of it! It also has a large pre-assembled pencil paper piecing, lots of mats, and even a space for your favorite school child's 5x7 picture. Be sure to order yours today!


Our last new page kit, License 2 Drive, is for all of you who have a new driver in your household. It has large street signs, plenty of mats for pictures and even a transparency that is a black and white checkered pattern. With all of the street signs pre-assembled, it only leave adding the pictures and putting all the elements on the page for you to do. And as most of you know, all of the kits include full color pictures and easy to follow assembly directions.

Whew! Okay, that's it for all of the new kits so far but rest assured -- I have lots of new ones in store for you in the upcoming weeks so be watching!

Ronda

Poems For a Page

Most people know that there is a cancer walk called the Relay For Life and of course there is the Susan G. Komen Walk For the Cure for breast cancer but there are many other walks for cancer. Our family started participating in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light the Night walk each year after we lost our mom to Lymphoma last year. Regardless of which walk you participate in, It Takes Two has a Poem For a Page that is perfect for those pictures from cancer walks. It's called I Believe in a Cure and it really touched my heart when I read it. Here are a few lines from it...

I walk because I care.
I walk to honor those who no longer can.
I run because it's one small thing I can do
to make a difference.
I can give someone the courage to go on.

This is just one of the poems that I recently added to the store so be sure to stop in and check it out. I will also be adding a new kit using their Cancer Awareness paper so be watching for it!

That's it for now...time to go work on some new kits! Happy scrapbooking!

Ronda

Create Your Own Scrapbook Paper

Okay, I have two REALLY cool ideas for you and they sort of go together. First, I have to tell you about a new paper company called Craft Sassy. Craft Sassy is the first printing company to print your own custom-designed scrapbook paper by the individual sheet. If you can upload a digital file, you can create your own exclusive scrapbook paper design. Traditional paper sizes (including 12” by 12”) and a variety of paper stocks including vellum and double sided printing are available. They even print to environmentally-friendly inks. Your design options are unlimited! Print scrapbook paper of your children’s artwork, a scenic landscape or a hard-to-find sport or activity. When you are looking for the exactly right piece of paper, look to Craft Sassy. Now you can print your own darn scrapbook paper!

Now, for the second thing...how about a background generator that you can use for the paper??! Visit BgPatterns and try this out. Oh my gosh...this was a BLAST!! I made some teal background paper covered with white palm tree outlines for a kit that I'm working on -- now I just need to import it into PSP and create a whole sheet of this stuff. You can pick your own background color and texture and then add repeating patterns all over it. It is a blast, whether you create paper with it or not.

That's it for now...enjoy!!

Ronda

Scrapbooker's Buzz Kids!

Okay, most of you have seen the Happy Birthday Girl Scrapbook page kit (the Boy is sold out) in my page kit section, but did you know that Scrapbooker's Buzz now has their own line of stamps with these adorable little tykes?? Well, they do and they are soooo cute!! Teresa of Scrapbooker's Buzz has done a wonderful job of putting together lots of ideas for using them, too. Just check out their gallery for tons of ideas for using the kids. They have lots of cards and scrapbook page layouts posted for you to use for inspiration.

Why am I mentioning this? Well, Teresa and I have been working together on some new projects and one of them will be out in the next few weeks. No, I'm not telling what it is but I think you are going to love it! And that's not all...we will be working together on a whole new line of page kits! Woohoo!! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. We have talked about doing this for quite a while but now it's actually going to happen. For now, you will have to wait but trust me, you are going to want to watch for these new scrapbook page kits. Plus, we may even pass along a few new ideas for cards and other mini projects.

Till the next time!!

Ronda

New Products!

As promised, I'm loading the store with new products this weekend! For those who have stopped by my booth at a crop, you may already be familiar with the Poem For a Page line from It Takes Two, but if you haven't seen these yet, you need to! I have added lots of the favorites featuring verse for baby boys and girls, Mom, Dad, and the Grandparents, but there is lots more. One of the most popular verses is a tribute to a loved one who has passed. The Remembrance Poem sells out at practically every show so if you haven't gotten it yet, now is your chance -- I just got in a new supply.

A new addition to the Poems line are the Cancer Walk Poem and the Cancer Survivor Poem. No matter whether you do the Relay For Life, the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, the Light the Night walk for Leukemia & Lymphoma, or any other walk to raise money for a cancer cure, you need this poem.

Okay, that's it for this morning but I'm still restocking the store so watch the shelves closely!

Ronda

It's December already...

...and I suddenly realized how long it has been since I posted on the blog! Sure, there were plenty of reasons...travel, work, grandkids, dogs...the list goes on and on but none of them are a good reason to neglect my blog so I'm making a promise to myself to try to make time at least weekly to post.

Not much to start with but keep watching...I'll be posting the first of my new kits this weekend and if you love Flamingoes, you'll love the new Florida page kit!

Until tomorrow!
Ronda

Another Scrapbookers Dream Vacation!!

Woohoo!! Nancy from Dream Events emailed me this morning and asked if I would be interested in setting up as a vendor at the upcoming Camp Hill, PA. Am I interested? Of course!! These scrapbooking weekends are a blast! Imagine this...you are "forced" to sit in a HUGE room with 300+ other people for up to four days and all you have on your agenda is scrapbooking. There is music playing and massage therapists available into the wee hours of the morning to ease those tired neck muscles. Now, imagine all the wonderful vendors who bring in every scrapbooking supply you can imagine and you can walk up and browse whenever you want. No driving to the local scrapbook store...no waiting in line (unless it's Sunday morning and you are paying your tab)...and no family to distract you with demands to be driven here or there. Sound like heaven? I can vouch for it -- it is wonderful! You pick how many days you want to attend and you can even share a room with another scrapbooker to save on expenses. This truly is a Dream Vacation for scrapbookers! I have to admit, though...one of my favorite parts of the weekend is Saturday night when they crank up the music and play "YMCA" by the Village People. Those scrapbookers are up dancing in the aisles!!

The Camp Hill SDV is Thursday, July 31st through Sunday, August 3 and is being held at the Radisson Penn Harris Hotel & Convention Center. Hope to see you there!!

Until the next time...happy scrapping!

Ronda

Has anyone seen my Kidz?

Okay, I know I'm not the only one who has done this...I had several of the Chef Kidz from Scrapbooker's Buzz for one of my new kits and I've managed to "misplace" them. Now normally that wouldn't be a problem, but this time it has created quite a catastrophe. See, I posted the new "What's Cookin'?" kit last week and it was so popular that I sold out of all of the kits that I had within 4 days. That wasn't a problem until I realized that I had put the rest of the Chef Kidz someplace safe. Right now they are so safe that even I can't find them!! :*( Don't panic if you just have to have this kit, though...I've already sent Teresa an email begging her to make more Kidz for us. There may be a slight delay but hopefully this kit will be available again within the next week or two. In the meantime, be sure to check out the other new kits on the site.

If you have never seen the Special Delivery kit in person, you are missing out! It features an adorable stork and lots of mats to load up with pictures of that new baby plus some adorable baby themed ribbon sliders from Pebbles. As always, assembly is simple. We even assembled the stork for you so that you can focus on the rest of the layout.

We have also added a re-designed Florida kit and a Fish Tales kit, so be sure to check them out. If you are looking for overlays, be sure to check back often. I've added several new ones -- they are just waiting on me to scan them so I can add them to the website.

Until the next time...


Ronda

Layout from a customer

I know, you aren't going to believe this but I'm actually posting yet again. ;) I'm hoping to starting posting on a regular basis so be sure to check back often or subscribe to our blog to be notified of updates.


Today's post is about a layout that one of my customers sent me. When I was at the Scrapper's Dream Event in Kingsport, Angie stopped in and shopped for kits. She mentioned that she already owned some of my kits and was telling me how much she liked them so I asked her if she would mind sharing one of them with me to post in the gallery. Once I get the gallery up on the site, I will include it there but for now, I wanted to display it in my blog. The kit is the Mom kit and features lots of cardstock and patterned paper along with the title "Moms are like Quilts". It also includes a quote about moms and why they are like quilts. I think Angie did a wonderful job!


The Mom kit is very special one to me...it was created in honor of my mother who passed away last June from complications of lymphoma. Because of this, 10% of the sales from this kit are donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society every year when we do the Light the Night Walk. Last year, our family raised $1700 for the cause. In memory of Mom, I will be doing a special offer on the website in August so be watching...you will save money while helping me raise money for a good cause.

Until next time...

Ronda

Catching Up (yet again!)

Okay, okay, I know I have been a terrible blogger lately but actually I have had a semi-good excuse. I was busy getting ready for the Scrapper's Dream Vacation in Raleigh-Durham, NC. Wow! What an awesome time!! I met lots of new people and had a wonderful time. Well, until Sunday that is. That's when I finally ventured out to my car and discovered that my back window was shattered from the heat. :O I finally got it covered with plastic and taped up and got everything loaded up and on the road. I made it home at around 3am. Oh, and did I forget to mention I got stopped for speeding on the way home, too?? Gosh, what a trip but I'm home, safe and sound and ready to go again. The next one that I will be attending will be...are you ready for this???...DISNEY! Woohoo!! I am SO excited!!

More later...

Ronda

It's May Day!

Gosh, where does time go? It seems like just last week there was snow on the ground and today it was in the 70's! Lots has happened since you last heard from me. First I did my first Dream Event and man was it amazing!! I had a blast! The people there were wonderful and sales were great. I took the cutter and spent most of the weekend cutting some new graduation overlays. Wait till you see them! I'll try to get photos up in the next couple of days. I did manage to get some pictures of the crowd, though, while they were doing the Village People's "YMCA" song. Talk about hilarious -- these folks were great. Teresa (Scrapbooker's Buzz) and I had a terrific time and look forward to next year's event. If you are still waiting for the Easter kit, watch the website in the next few days -- it's done and it's going live. ;)


Now that it's spring, how many of you are out taking pictures of the flowers and things? If you are like me, you are tired of taking snow pictures and you are more than ready to start on blooming things like trees and flowers. Since May is National Photography month, I thought I would offer a few photography suggestions for you. First, although I'm sure you want to take pictures of everything, try to focus your attention on the details. Let me demonstrate... the first picture here is a pear tree in my backyard. I love the blooms and I think the tree is beautiful but the first photo just doesn't do it justice. The second picture is much more beautiful to me than the whole tree. It shows a cluster of flowers with the greenery of the tree in the background. Same tree, same flowers, but looks at the difference! If I were looking at a scrapbook with the first picture, I would probably glance at it and go on but the second one would definitely catch my attention. How about you? Look at your photos and see if you are missing the details.

Okay, it's off to bed to rest up before the 3rd Annual MOPS Crop this weekend. I talked to the organizers and they have TWICE as many people this year as they did last year! WOOHOO!! Should be a fantastic time! If you signed up, I'll see you there. If not, there's always next year.

Until the next time, happy scrappin'!

Ronda

Springtime in Tennessee

Gosh, it seems like forever since I've posted on here and so much has happened since then!

First, I got accepted at my first Scrapbooker's Dream Vacation (SDV)! Woohoo!! That means I get to go to Kingsport, TN next week and spend a few days with lots of dedicated scrapbookers. This is a new venue for me so cross your fingers for me. I'm really looking forward to meeting everyone. As usual, I will be taking the cutter with me and doing custom titles, overlays, and die cuts PLUS some custom word books. I will be introducing a couple of new kits so I'm hoping they do well. The crop is April 10-13th and from what I hear, it is "local" packages only. That doesn't mean you can't still travel down there -- you will just have to stay somewhere else. :) For more information, visit the SDV website.

Next, I'm vending at what I call "Kristy's Crop". Actually it isn't just hers, but it's easier to say. That will be the weekend of April 18-19. This group of ladies is always a lot of fun and there is always some very yummy food. The crop is in West Milton at the Community Grace Brethren Church. To sign up, email Kristy at bwombold@msn.com.

Just a few weeks later is the 3rd Annual MOPS Crop here in glorious Miamisburg, OH! This year's event is even bigger than ever -- it is now TWO days of scrapbook fun! It will be May 2 and 3rd at the First Church of God in Miamisburg. For more information, visit our Town Hall. This year you can even pay by credit card in the Beyond Scrapbooks store! Don't wait -- you won't want to miss out on this one. There will be lots of food, fun, and prizes.

Whew! I'm tired just thinking about all this scrapbooking! No time to rest, though...it's back to the kit re-stocking for me. Hope to see you at one of the upcoming events.

Until next time, happy scrapbooking!

Ronda

Out with the old and in with the new!

Everytime I turn around, I hear about another local scrapbook store closing which really saddens me. A common theme is that they aren't making enough money to stay open or they are just burned out on the business. Running a scrapbook store isn't an easy task - -there is a constant demand for all the latest and greatest products which owners can't afford to order in unless there is space and money. There is also the competition of the chains with their 40% off coupons. Even the Dollar Tree stores are getting into the scrapbook business -- just look at the Miss Elizabeth's scrapbooking line! How can a "regular" store compete? They can but sometimes I think it is just too hard to do. Personally, I love my local scrapbook stores! I shop there at full retail for paper that I plan to use in kits to make sure that I actually like it enough to order it in bulk. How about you...do you support your local scrapbook store? If not, who's fault will it be when they close the doors?

As an online business, I don't have as much of an overhead but I still have to sell the old in order to make space for the new products. Because so many of the stores around me are closing, I want to make an extra effort to give you a new source for all the latest and greatest items in the scrapbook world. In order to do that, I need to sell off some older items which means I will be adding lots of items to the website and some of those items will be on sale! Once it's gone, the shelves will be restocked with fresh merchandise, some of which is already on order. I will also be listing some limited edition kits so be sure to check back often -- once they are gone, they won't be offered again! ;)

Once the store is fully stocked, I will also go back to adding tutorials to the website to demonstrate how to use your existing products such as the Crop-a-dile, eyelet setters, and other tools that you may have purchased but never used. I'm going to be adding lots more projects to the site, too, so be watching!

Until the next time, happy scrapping!

Ronda

Scrapbooking "bargains"

A couple of years ago, I talked to a lady at the Orlando Memories Expo about the Crop-a-dile. This is a tool that I love because it simplifies using eyelets...simply punch the hole, insert the eyelet, and squeeze. I was doing a demo of how to use it and I found it very interesting when this lady told me that she had already bought one but no one had ever showed her how to use it! She got frustrated with it and stuck in a drawer in her scrapbook room. Sound familiar? Believe it or not, I hear this more and more...stories about tools and the latest gadgets that people purchased but never used because the local craft store didn't have anyone to show them how to use it. Sure, she got it with a discount coupon but did she really get her money's worth?

First of all, the price was marked up above "recommended retail". I've shopped in this store lots of times and since I know what the price is supposed to be, I'm always surprised to see things marked way above that price in the stores. Why are they marked up? So that you can use your 40% off coupon without it costing them as much! Is this legal? Sure, it is! The manufacturer gives a recommended price -- stores can charge more than that if they want but they are not supposed to charge less.

Secondly, there was no one to show this lady how to use the tool. To the store, it was just another sale. A good scrapbook store would have not only shown the customer how to use the tool but would have also explained how to use all the features of the tool. Another consideration is the strength and hand size required to use the Crop-a-dile. It's not for everyone -- people with small hands tend to have a harder time using it so before I sell one, I have the person try it so that I can make sure they will be able to use it.

So my question is...was her purchase really a bargain? She bought the tool for around $20 with her coupon and took it home and shoved it into a drawer. That's an expensive paper weight in MY book! How about you? Do you have a tool that you bought and aren't sure how to use? Let me know what YOUR "bargain" buy was and maybe I can show you how to use it to get your money's worth.

Until the next time!
Ronda

Ronda