Memory Bound's AccuCut Center

There are many, many things that make Memory Bound a special place, but one of our most popular areas is our AccuCut die cutting center. If you purchase your paper or cardstock at Memory Bound, you are welcome to use the AccuCut dies and machines while you're at the store. Even if you own a Cricut or a Big Shot die cutting system, you'll find many unique dies in our AccuCut center!

We have a huge variety of shape and letter dies perfect for scrapbooking, card making, bulletin boards, display boards, and much, much more. Did you know that we have dies for treat containers, envelopes, and even a die which cuts tabbed pages for a mini-album? If you're making May Baskets or display boards for graduation, we've got dies that will make those tasks easy and fun!

If you've never looked closely at our die cutting center, be sure to check it out the next time you're in the store. And if you're new to die cutting, we'll be happy to get you started. I'm sure you'll agree that Memory Bound's AccuCut die cutting area is a great resource for paper crafters!

Janet

Memory Bound's Trip to Sweet Binney's

 In mid-February, the Memory Bound staff took a field trip to Sweet Binney's Bakery to take a pastry class! Sweet Binney's is a wonderful bakery owned and operated by Ryan Binney. In addition to baking fabulous creations, Ryan offers monthly pastry classes. Our class topic was making croissants. YUM!

 After arriving at the bakery, we were all issued real aprons. For some of us (not naming any names, of course!), wearing an apron is something we don't do very often...so that in itself was kind of a big deal! :)

This is Chef Ryan, who patiently answered all of our questions and let us photo-document every aspect of the evening! I'm sure he won't soon forget us! :)

 Before Chef Ryan could get started, we of course had to pause for several group photos!

 

 

 Chef Ryan really got our attention when he brought out this huge block of butter. To our amazement, he worked ALL OF IT into the croissant dough by rolling it out flat within the layers. Yep, this is one of the reasons croissants are so good!

Croissants get their flakiness because the dough is rolled out, folded, and chilled several times before baking. Chef Ryan demonstrated all of the steps while we watched carefully and took notes. And a few more pictures. :)

 In addition to being a great baker, Chef Ryan is a great teacher, too. He showed us how to make plain croissants, croissants filled with chocolate and almond paste, and bear claws -- all using the same dough. You simply can't go wrong with all that butter, chocolate, and almond paste!

 Before we started working with our own dough, we each assembled a big box so that we could take home all of the croissants we baked. Husbands waiting at home seemed to be particularly excited about this!

And here's a picture of some of our finished creations. Trust me, they were every bit as yummy as they look!

Click on the collages below to see the Memory Bound staff in action. Notice Maggie feeding Pat some of her class project! And check out the lovely scallops drawn on the parchment. We're a crafty group, you know!

As you can see by the photos, we all had a great time! It was so much fun to try something completely new.

Thanks to Dawn, Kellie, and Chef Ryan for a wonderful evening!

Janet

Party Decor: Maggie's Tulle Balls

The talented ladies at Memory Bound have been busy getting ready for our upcoming Wedding Showcase this Saturday, March 3, 10am-3pm. Click on the newsletter link at the right of this page to read more about this exciting event.

Among many other things, Maggie has been hard at work making tulle balls.These are pretty "puff balls" made from -- you guessed it -- pieces of tulle! She has made tulle balls in several sizes and colors. I love all the pretty bursts of tropical color!

If you're planning an event, you know that ceilings can be notoriously difficult to decorate. These tulle balls would be a great way to disguise any ceiling imperfections and add a bit of color to your party or reception room. In addition to wedding receptions, tulle balls would be perfect for just about any type of event -- birthday parties, graduation open houses, anniversary celebrations, and more. They'd even be a fun way to decorate a little girl's bedroom...or a big girl's craft space! :)

After making so many tulle balls, Maggie has perfected her technique. She starts with a stack of tulle squares (the squares above measure 8"x8") and ties them snugly with a piece of tulle in the center. Then she simply pulls each sheet upward toward the center, giving a little "tug" to ensure it stays in place. Tie a piece of fishing line to the tulle ball, and you've got a wonderful decoration to hang from the ceiling at your big event.

You can make smaller tulle balls with the spools of tulle we carry at Memory Bound. To make large tulle balls like those pictured here, you'll need wider tulle which we would be happy to order for you to match your event colors.

The next time you're at Memory Bound, be sure to look UP to see these Maggie's pretty creations hanging over head!  

Janet

Wedding Showcase - March 3, 10am-3pm

  Wedding Showcase

Saturday, March 3, 10am-3pm

If you're planning a wedding, stop in on Saturday, March 3, 10am-3pm for our first ever showcase of bridal paper crafts! With ideas from Memory Bound, you'll see how you can add a very special personal touch to your big day.

 At our showcase, you'll discover new ideas for making your own invitations, explore options for everything from save-the-dates to escort cards, and preview envelopments, our new invitation line. Our experts will be on hand to answer your questions and offer advice.

 Many of our projects can be adapted for other special occasions such as showers, birthdays, and retirement celebrations. No matter what big event you're planning, you are sure to be inspired by all the beautiful paper crafting ideas we'll have on display! We hope to see you on Saturday for this very special event!

Janet

Make custom bag toppers at Memory Bound!

A big thank you to Holly Springer for leading a wonderful bag topper make-n-take on Saturday, February 3!

If you missed the make-n-take, you can still stop by Memory Bound to see Holly's adorable bag. We also have the bag topper die board, so you can make bag toppers for all of your gift bags -- in any theme!

 Stop in and we'll show you how to put together your own custom gift bags, perfect to have on hand for any special occasion!

A bit of scrapbooking humor!

Happy Friday, everyone!

Here's to enjoying a little scrapbooking time this weekend!

Janet

Got cookie recipes? Make this adorable album!

 Back in December, I got completely carried away making cookies. Date/walnut cookies, sugar cookies, cranberry noels, gingerbread...I was completely out of control! For a few weeks it seemed like the only thing in our freezer was COOKIES! Now don't worry...I didn't plan to eat them all myself -- although of course I had to sample several to be sure they were good before I gave them to family and friends! 

Like me, I'm sure many you have lots of favorite cookie recipes. We have a fun Cookie Recipe Album project which would be perfect for corralling them all in one spot! This project would also be a great Mother's Day or shower gift.

You can make this recipe book in a few hours and customize it any way you choose. The instructions for assembling the album are included, making it very easy to complete! My sample project is at the store to give you one idea of how to decorate your album.

The base of the book is a chipboard binder by Pinecone Press. You can mix and match papers from their "C is for Cookie" line to go with your project.

The album has 24 blank pockets which are sized to hold recipe cards. The pockets are included with the album base -- you simply adhere them together, cover them with paper as you'd like, and adhere them to the spine of the album using Tacky Tape. (Be sure to stock up on Tacky Tape. You will need quite a bit for this project!)

The tab and label sheet includes a huge variety of pieces, giving you plenty of options to customize your project.

You'll find a display at Memory Bound with everything you need to get started on this fun project! Stop in today and pick up your supplies! 

Janet