Staff Project: Diane's Christmas Journal

Last fall, I posted about the December Journals being made by many of our talented staff members. (If you missed the post, you can check it out here.) In a nutshell, a December Journal is a small album created to capture daily memories throughout the month of December. You prepare the album pages ahead of time, then add photos, memorabilia, and journaling throughout the month. At the end of December, you have a special holiday keepsake.

Our store manager Diane just finished her Christmas Journal for 2011. (Yes, you read that right. Diane has already finished her album, and I haven't even put away all of my Christmas decorations yet! LOL) Diane is one of the most productive scrapbookers I've ever met. She enjoys making projects like this with a vintage, eclectic style. Her album is amazing!

Diane used a Fancy Pants journal as the foundation of her album. She made the album back in October so that it was all ready to go for the holiday season.

Diane inked, stamped, and sewed on her album pages. This type of project is a great way to use up little bits of this and that!

I really like the small photos she added to her album pages. Printing small images allowed her to fit many on each page.

Diane added photo sleeves between a few of the pages. This is a great way to incorporate 4x6 photos into her framework. Notice how she wrote on the photos with a white pen!

I love the little bits of tinsel and bling! On this page, she created a diagonal pocket.

Here's another pocket to hold special cards received.

Throughout the month, she kept track of wish lists, invitations, and more...everything that made the holiday season special for her family.

She even kept her shopping lists!

I'm so impressed with all that Diane packed into a small journal. What a treasure this will be in years to come! If you have any questions about creating a December Journal, please ask us at Memory Bound. We would love to help you get started! It's not too early to create your journal for next Christmas!

Thanks, Diane, for inspiring us with your amazing project!
Janet

Next Up: Valentine's Day!

 May this Valentine’s Day be filled with love, understanding, and contentment as you journey through life with those you hold dear.

 I love the sentiment expressed by this quote. Life is enriched by those who travel with us on life's journey. What better time than Valentine's Day to tell them how much they mean to us!


At Memory Bound, we love Valentine's Day and everything it represents. And we have everything you need to share the holiday with those you love.

The store is filled with all kinds of products for your Valentine's Day projects. I've never seen so many wonderful products for this holiday! Take a look at just a few of the goodies I saw at Memory Bound a couple of days ago -- too many to share in a single blog post!

This display includes a variety of papers, embellishments, punches, and stamps which will make your holiday crafting a breeze.

And on this end cap you'll find the latest lines by Echo Park and We R Memory Keepers: Yours Truly and Love Struck. I'm using the adorable Love Struck line for my February mini-album class.

We also have all kinds of card samples to inspire your Valentine's Day crafting.

In addition to all the products you'll find at Memory Bound, we have several Valentine-themed events and activities over the next few weeks:

* January 9 -- Diana's Scrappin' Kidz class features an adorable Valentine Portfolio project just for kids!

* January 26 and 31 -- Katie will be teaching a fabulous Valentine Copic Card class.

* February 3 -- I'll be teaching a mini-album class featuring the new WRMK Love Struck line.

* Wednesday Make-N-Takes in January -- We'll be making adorable Valentines each week featuring a new technique.

 * February 4 -- We'll have a special Valentine Bag Topper Make-N-Take.

See the calendar for more details on all of these events and watch for more details throughout the month on our blog!

Happy Valentine's Day crafting!
Janet

Our Scrapping Resolutions for 2012

Happy New Year to all of our Memory Bound friends! We hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable celebration. We're looking forward to all that 2012 has to bring!

A new year gives us all the opportunity to set new goals. With that in mind, I asked our Memory Bound staff to share a few of their scrapping resolutions for 2012. There is something about publicly stating your goals that makes you more likely to achieve them -- so now we'll have to hold each other accountable and make sure that all of these great goals turn into reality!

Diana:

* My daughter and I need to get my granddaughter's books done for graduation! 

* I want to once again purge and reorganize my SB room. (I noticed my cardstock is all out of color order!)  

* I want to do some serious scrapbooking of all things.

* I also want to come up with some really fun kids' class ideas and maybe some other class ideas, too.  

(Diana recently retired from her nursing job, so we know she'll have plenty of time to accomplish these goals and MORE!) 

Maggie:

* I will finish my granddaughter's 1st year album in time for her birthday in July. 

* I will organize a card/tag making station that will allow me to sit down and create beautiful cards and tags without spending time looking for everything.

Janet:

 * I will finish organizing and decorating my crafting space. (Special note: Janet will be teaching a Get Organized class on January 28. See the newsletter for details!)

* I will edit and print my backlog of digital photos.

* I will schedule scrapbooking time for myself each week to "catch up" on pages and big projects.

* I will finish the Disney/Harry Potter album I started last summer.  

Tess:

* I want to scrap our Disney trip from two years ago... before I forget more than I already have... and so we can enjoy the pictures more readily than on the computer! 

Dawn: 

* I plan to make a junk binder of fun things our family does throughout the year.

Katie: 

* I will use what I already have...I have so much that I forget what I have!! 

* I am going to get organized and the items at I am not using or plan on using will go the the Memory Bound garage sale. I need more space!
* My "big" resolution is to participate in Becky Higgins' Project Life. This will help me to scrap my favorite moments through the year, while keeping track of the of other things going on in our lives.

Mindy: 

* My Scrapping Resolution is to get back to scrapping and try to become a paper user instead of just a paper collector.  My kids are 5 and 1 in real life but in their albums they are 3 and just born so I have some catching up to do! 

Amanda:

* I plan to get Brady's first album done by his first birthday. 

* I will finish 2 pages a week.

* I try not to be so hung up on one page!

Kellie: 

* My 2012 goal is to keep a monthly junk binder album of things that happen through the year.  I did this in 2010 and love looking back at the movies & restaurants we went to, what we did for holidays, news stories, trips, etc.  It’s a great way to journal a year in your life.  

* I would also like to finish some of the projects I have started.

Pat:

* My goal is to get all my old photos filed and organized and then organize all my digital photos stored on my computer so I'm not always looking through hundreds of photos to find what I want. 

* * * * * 

What are your Scrapping Resolutions for 2012? Whatever they are -- be it organizing your space or making a vacation album -- we can help you meet your goals. We look forward helping you be successful in the new year! 

Janet

Memory Bound Treat Kits

We are excited to introduce you to our latest set of critter treat boxes for Valentine's Day and Easter: Bunny, Owl, and Fox! Our treat kits include all the supplies you need to make several boxes, perfect for giving to everyone on your gift list. Just add candy!

The Bunny Treat Box holds a small bag which can be filled with jelly beans, M&Ms, or any small candy. Bunny would be suitable for Valentine's Day or (of course!) Easter.

Given how much I love owls, I was only too happy to design an owl treat container! Our Owl Treat Box can be filled with small candies and would be perfect for Valentine's Day -- or any other special occasion!

I had so much fun creating this little fox! Our Fox Treat Box will hold a single Reese's Peanut Butter cup for your special Valentine.

All three treat boxes are available now at Memory Bound. They'll be lots of fun to make -- and even more fun to give!

Janet

Valentine Make-N-Take: Wednesday, January 4

We've got some great stuff planned in the new year at Memory Bound! We're starting things off with a series of Valentine Card Make-N-Takes beginning on Wednesday, January 4. Stop in anytime from 1 to 6pm and make an adorable card for someone special in your life. You'll love this Valentine designed by Katie using her favorite kraft paper and (of course!) a bit of twine! 

Our Valentine Card Make-N-Takes will be held each Wednesday in January, 1-6pm. We'll post a photo of each week's card on our blog a few days in advance. Hope to see you there!  Materials fee: $1-2

Janet

A bit of scrapbooking humor!

Somehow I don't think most of us will EVER run out of things to scrapbook!  LOL

Janet

Maggie's Tags of Christmas!

I stopped by Memory Bound recently and while there, I checked out the fantastic sample Christmas tags from Tim Holtz' 12 Tags of Christmas. You really MUST see them in person to appreciate the details! The tags are each works of art.

Then, on the same display, three additional tags caught my eye, but they weren't from Tim's series. Watch out, Tim! These are MAGGIE'S TAGS of CHRISTMAS! They are simple, understated, and beautiful!

Maggie used Tim's latest Seasonal Distress Inks to create her tags. She also incorporated ideas she picked up on Tammy Tutterow's blog (click here to visit Tammy's inspirational blog). Tammy is an instructor and has been a designer for many companies, including Ranger. Her work is beautiful and her blog has many wonderful instructional videos. Check it out!

Maggie used "de-bossing" on her tags -- she put the "bumpy" side of the embossing on the back of the tag. It creates an interesting effect! She also made great use of Tim's seasonal dies. You will love the pinecone die!

Thank you, Maggie, for sharing your beautiful samples and inspiring us all!

Janet