Learn about Copic Markers in January!

 Hello, Memory Bound friends! 
Plan to learn something NEW in the New Year at our Copic Marker Make-N-Takes! On Wednesdays in January (starting January 9), stop in to make one of Katie's adorable cards created with Copic Markers. You'll learn fun Copic techniques each week -- for only $1 each time! If you've never used Copics, or if you're a big Copic fan, you'll love the projects we have planned for you.

 

** On Wednesday, January 9, 1-6pm, you'll make a SNOWMAN BANNER card while you learn how to color snow!

** On Wednesday, January 16, stop in to make a HELLO card and learn to use the colorless blending tool.

** On Wednesday, January 23, 1-6pm, you'll make Katie's CUP OF THANKS card while you learn to color with Copic Markers.

** On Wednesday, January 30, 1-6pm, Katie has a fun GIFT CARD HOLDER planned for you. You'll love the design!


Be sure to put these dates on your 2013 calendar and plan to learn something NEW in the New Year!
Janet 

Crop Frenzy in the New Year!

Hello, Memory Bound friends! 

It's hard to believe, but we're just about ready to close the books on 2012 and begin a brand new year. I love the start of a new year because it's the perfect opportunity to get focused and energized for the future. How about you?  Would you like to get more paper crafting done in the new year? FINALLY finish that vacation album you started way back when? I know that the biggest barrier to accomplishing our paper crafting goals is finding the time to work on them.

Let's resolve to make 2013 the year that we get our projects DONE! Memory Bound can help you do just that. Make plans NOW to our come to our Crop Frenzy weekends in January and February. You'll make big strides on your projects by setting aside dedicated time to work on them!

We've scheduled THREE Crop Frenzy weekends in January and February. You can join us on Fridays, Saturdays, or both days -- for just $10 per day!

 

Fridays – Jan 4, Jan 25, Feb 8, 9am-11pm / Fee: $10

Saturdays – Jan 5, Jan 26, Feb 9, 9am-5pm / Fee: $10

 Crop 9am-11pm on Friday and 9am-5pm on Saturday for 22 hours of cropping fun! No need to haul your supplies home each day – just leave it at Memory Bound and be ready to go the next day! AND you’ll receive snacks, drinks, and door prizes! Round up your crafting friends then give us a call to register right away!

Let's make 2013 a year of fun and productivity! We hope to see you at our Crop Frenzy weekends in January and February!

Janet

A Bit of Crafting Humor!

Hello, Memory Bound friends! 

Are you feeling a little tired and run-down today? In a creative slump? Perhaps this is your problem:

If you're suffering from the TWINE FLU, there's only one known cure: More TWINE, of course! Lucky for you, the cure is readily available at Memory Bound! Stop in and replenish your twine supply with our adorable custom spools or purchase a variety pack with every color you'll need for a New Year of paper crafting!

With a fresh supply of twine in hand, you're sure to start feeling crafty immediately! :)

Janet

Don't Miss Our Year-End Clearance Sale!

Hello, Memory Bound friends! 
  If you're like me, you've got a long list of things to check off before Santa comes in just a couple of days -- clean the house, shop for groceries, wrap presents, finish up last-minute gifts, etc. Today I'd like to add one more important task to your list: Shop the Memory Bound Year-End Clearance Sale! You've got plenty of time to complete this one, too. If you can't make it before Christmas, our sale continues through Saturday, December 29! 

I stopped by Memory Bound yesterday and was amazed at the racks of wonderful paper crafting goodies filling our classroom space! But in case I haven't yet convinced you :), here are ten great reasons you must not miss our big sale! 

1) Spend less & get more! We've got awesome deals on all kinds of products. You'll find many of your favorites as well as products you may have missed!

2) Who doesn't love to find a great bargain? Maybe it's the "thrill of the hunt" but admit it -- it's super fun to find an awesome product you've always wanted at a bargain price! 


3) Great selection! Take a look at the amazing assortment of products in these photos. As of yesterday, we even had a few Tim Holtz bags left -- a wonderful last-minute gift for someone on your list!

   

4) Treat yourself to holiday cheer! Santa is REALLY busy and could use some assistance this year. Give him a hand and pick up a set of clear stamps, a new border punch, or a Tim Holtz bag! 

 5) Happy staff! You won't find sweeter staff members ANYWHERE than at Memory Bound! You'll find plenty of smiles to brighten your day when you stop in to shop our big sale! 

6) Affordable inspiration! As you take a look at all the great products in our sale area -- from ribbon to stickers, to paper, and much more -- you're sure to get the crafting bug! Let yourself be inspired to create something wonderful!

7) Stock up for the New Year! Many of us are already looking ahead to the New Year, thinking about our scrapbooking and paper crafting goals. Our sale gives you the perfect opportunity to stock up for those projects you'd like to start this winter!

8) Buy local! Just this week, I had to return a pair of shoes I purchased online because they weren't quite what I'd expected. It was a good reminder that there's nothing like being able to touch and feel a product before you purchase it. And shopping local supports our area businesses!



9) Expert advice! Are you a new paper crafter, not quite sure where to start? Or are you an experienced crafter with a technical question about a home decor project? Our staff can handle all types of questions! We are all passionate about paper crafting and are ready to help you from the minute you walk in the door. Crafters of all experience levels will find wonderful products at our sale.

10) Buy ahead for gifts and projects! You'll find products in our sale area which would make perfect gifts for birthdays, Mother's Day, graduation, and even NEXT Christmas! Wouldn't it be great to get some of your shopping done early? At these great prices, you can't afford NOT to!

So best of luck with your last-minute holiday preparations! As you're making your list and checking it twice, make time to stop by Memory Bound. Our big sale is well worth the drive from anywhere! 

Janet

Project Idea: Christmas Card Collage

 Hello, Memory Bound friends!  

Here's a fun and easy project to make good use of the beautiful Christmas cards you receive this year -- a Christmas Card Collage. This idea came from Ali Edwards many years ago, and I've enjoyed making collages ever since then. You could display your collage in a frame as a home decor piece during the holidays or place it in your scrapbook, as I've done each year. This would be a fun project to do with the kids during winter break!

After Christmas is over, gather the cards which you'd like to use for your collage. (If you're like me, you'll want to keep some very special cards and letters intact, so don't include them in this project.) Use a 2" square punch to punch an image from the front of the cards. I punch 22 squares for my collage design. 

Then the fun begins! Start with a 12x12 sheet of red cardstock to match your collage. Adhere a slightly smaller sheet of tan or kraft cardstock. Arrange the punched squares on the page, moving them around until you have a pleasing design. When you're happy with your collage, begin adhering them, starting with the upper left-hand square.

I use skinny die cut letters in the lower right corner to spell out "Christmas", but sticker letters would work just as well. Of course, you may need to adjust your design to accommodate the letters you choose.

Die cut or punch a tab for the top of your page (the WRMK Tab Punch would be perfect for this!) and stamp or print the year.

 

 This is a fun way to preserve some of the images of the season and create a great home decor piece or scrapbook page! 
Happy holiday crafting!
Janet

Memory-Keeping Challenge: Holiday Traditions

 Hello, Memory Bound friends! 

I hope this weekend finds you enjoying a happy and healthy holiday season! 

Maybe it's the time of year, but lately I've been thinking a lot about traditions. The word "tradition" is defined as a custom or belief which is transmitted from generation to generation. With our daughter just home from college for the holiday break, I'm particularly mindful of our traditions: The treasured decorations we place around the house, as well as the things things we do year after year that make the holiday season special. As she enters adulthood and moves toward having a home of her own, it's important for me to "transmit" our customs to her. What better way to do that than through the pages of a scrapbook?

Here are some examples of traditions I've documented in my scrapbooks. Although I still have much more to do, I'm really glad I took the time to take photos and tell the "back story" of the important components of our holiday celebration. 

 1) My Christmas Village: Over 20 years ago, my parents gave me a few pieces from the Department 56 Dickens Village. I now have over 30 buildings, a crowd of tiny people, and a forest of trees. A couple of years ago, I took time to write the story of my village and include it in my scrapbooks.

 

  

 

 2) Holiday Baking: I'm not very handy in the kitchen, but there are a few recipes which I absolutely must make each holiday season. One of them is Gingerbread Cookies. I always try to take pictures of the baking process to include in my scrapbooks. Awhile back, I wrote up the story of my holiday cooking adventures, including my first (and likely ONLY) attempt at making Figgy Pudding. This year, it will be time for an update with new photos and stories!

 

     
Here's one of many pages I've made about holiday baking:

3) Decorating: I'm fortunate to have received all of my Grandma's Shiny Bright ornaments. As a child, I always enjoyed seeing them on her Christmas tree, and now they bring back fond memories of her. 
 

 
  
Here's one of a few pages about the Shiny Bright ornaments, this one featuring our kitty's fascination with them. The story of the ornaments is on the back.

4) A new holiday decoration: Traditions are not all old and dusty! From time to time, it's fun to start a new tradition. A recent favorite is my little set of four reindeer from Starbucks. I found them in the clearance bin and initially bought only one, but then I felt badly about leaving the other deer behind so I went back and bought the remaining three! When I got them home, our cat Lily repeatedly tipped them over, much like "cow tipping". This was a story for the scrapbooks! 

 

  This season, my challenge to all of us (myself included!) is to take the time to document at least one important holiday tradition. What are some of the things that your family does year after year each holiday season? What's the history behind a particular set of ornaments you eagerly hang on the tree and carefully pack up after Christmas is over? What kinds of foods do you make each holiday season and why? Take photos of your traditions during the holiday season, and talk about them with your family members. When January comes, you'll be ready to scrapbook your holiday traditions and pass them on to future generations!

Happy holiday crafting!
Janet

December Girls' Night Out Meeting-Part 2

Hello, Memory Bound friends!

 Our Girls' Night Out group met recently for another evening of fun! This is the second of two posts about the evening, this one featuring the Recipe Circle Albums the ladies have been creating. If you missed Part 1, you can find it here.

But first, here are several of the ladies from this group (a few were missing that evening). Pictured in the front row (left to right): Janet (that's me!), Diane (our store manager and fearless leader!), Jennifer, LeAnn, and Janis. Back row: RaNae, Jill, Janice, Diana (another Memory Bound staff member!), Fonda, and Karen.

 Recipe Circle Albums
The ladies started the recipe project back in October. Each person who chose to participate created an album with some guidelines about the recipes she wanted to collect. Each month, the albums are each passed to another member of the group who has the remainder of the month to provide a recipe and a photo (when possible), along with any other information requested by the album's owner. The following month, the albums are passed on to someone different, in "circle" fashion. By the time they eventually make their way back to the owner, they'll be filled with all kinds of yummy recipes!

Here's the adorable cover of Jennifer's album.

Diane had Jennifer's book this month, and she provided a recipe for Christmas Slush.

Janice had Diane's book, and she provided an old family recipe for Yummy Drops.



Janice made a batch of Yummy Drops and brought them for our potluck. They are, indeed, VERY yummy!

 
Janis had RaNae's book this month and shared her wonderful recipe for Cheesy Potatoes, a dish which she also brought to the potluck.

 Here is Janis showing the fun cover of RaNae's album!

 

Diana had Karen's book this month and provided a delicious recipe for Christmas Caramel Bars. (Sorry about the glare on this photo!) Diana provided pictures of the bars...

...as well as a pan of them for us to try!

RaNae had Jill's book this month and shared several great recipes, including a family recipe for waffles with only four ingredients, one being club soda. It makes the waffles very fluffy!

Here's RaNae showing us the very cute cover of Jill's book.

 RaNae also shared a recipe for a wonderful chocolate dessert. Don't let Janis and Janice fool you -- they did NOT eat all of this dessert! We helped! :) 

Jennifer provided a wonderful recipe for Sweet Corn Casserole...

...and she brought it for us to sample. As you can see, it was also very popular!

 

 Karen had Fonda's book this month and provided a quick and easy recipe for Angel Chicken.

 

 Peggy provided a tried and true family favorite recipe for Chicken Divan in this adorable album.

 

In addition to making a page and providing a recipe, the ladies always bring along copies of each recipe to share with the entire group. As you can see, this project has been a lot of fun -- in the craft room AND in the kitchen!

If you'd like to join our Girls' Night Out group, newbies are always welcome...and it's FREE! Our next meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 14, 6-7:30pm. Bring a project you've been working on to share with the group, or just come and check it out! You'll be inspired and have a great time. Give us a call at (515) 965-1102 to sign up!
Janet

December Girls' Night Out Meeting-Part 1

Hello, Memory Bound friends! 
Today's post is the first of two highlighting our latest Girls' Night Out meeting. At our December meeting, members enjoyed a potluck, shared projects, decorated holiday cookies, and had a gift exchange. It was a fun-filled evening!

You already know that these ladies can CRAFT, but let me assure you...they can also COOK! As you can see, there was no shortage of desserts, along with many other tasty dishes!

After enjoying a delicious dinner, we shared a few projects. Karen brought this beautiful snowflake made from only 1.5 sheets of 12x12 paper!

 

She also shared another one of her recent creations: A Black Friday shopping book! She filled it with lists, ads for things she wanted to buy, and more. Too cute!

RaNae made a beautiful Advent calendar using the wooden boxes we carried earlier this season. Her grand-kids have been enjoying the candy she tucked in the little boxes!
 

RaNae also made a family calendar using Graphic 45 paper. On each month's page, she included photos of family members with birthdays that month.What a great gift idea!

 

 

Next, we set to work decorating cookies. Janis planned to deliver them to staff at a local care facility.

 

 Next up was "Reindeer Robbery". Those participating drew numbers, then the first person selected a gift. The next person could choose a gift or steal the first person's gift. It was a fun game, and everyone went home with some great Christmas embellishments!

 

 

 In part two of this post, I'll share photos of the recipe books the ladies are creating!

If you would like to join us, new members are always welcome! Girls' Night Out members share projects, inspiration, and encouragement at each meeting. It's free! You can read more about the group in this post. 

Come join in on the fun! Our next meeting is Monday, January 14, 6-7:30pm. Give us a call at (515) 965-1102 if you'd like more information!
Janet