Thanks for the memories!

As many of you know, Bloomin' Scrapbooks will be closing at the end of March.  Our remaining merchandise is being discounted so plan to stop in soon to get the best selection. If you're interested in any of our store fixtures including paper racks and slat board, please contact us. 

The staff, design team, customers and friends of Bloomin' Scrapbooks would like to thank Sharon for all her work over the years to make Bloomin' Scrapbooks the wonderful place we've grown to love.  It is a rare treat when a store becomes more than just a place to shop.  It's been a place where we've made new friendships, shared our cherished photos and memories, laughed (a lot!!), raised money for breast cancer and enjoyed a hobby that is truly more than paper and glue.  We wish Sharon much happiness in her well-deserved retirement! 

Love is in the air

Love is in the air, and it's making its way into our scrapbook pages!  Here are a couple of sneak peeks we want to share with you.  First, here's a look at the February page of the month kit, available soon.  It features beautiful Basic Grey papers and as an added bonus, you'll receive an entire booklet of alphabet rub-ons!

Mark your calendar to join us this Thursday, February 4 for our Vintage Valentine layout class featuring vintage look papers from Fancy Pants.

In this class, we'll show you how to take this (coffee filters):

And add some of this (glimmer mist):

To make this unique page embellishment:

Congratulations!

Congratulations to design team member Lisa Dorsey!  One of Lisa's amazing layouts is featured in this month's issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine.  Be sure to check out Lisa's blog for more of her inspiring layouts and projects!

Also, be sure to mark your calendar for the upcoming Mega Crop and Garage Sale on Saturday, January 23.  If you'd like to participate in the crop or sell goodies at the garage sale, please call us soon to assure your spot.

Out with the old and in with the new!

First, how about "out with the old"?  Mark your calendar for January 23, when we will be hosting the annual used supplies garage sale.  Clean out your used supplies and make money from it to purchase new... what could be better?  Or plan to shop the garage sale to get great deals on slightly used supplies from the scraprooms of your fellow scrappin' friends.  This year's event will be held at St. Mark's United Methodist Church in conjuction with our annual Mega Crop.  If you'd like to sell off some of your goodies, please contact us for further information.

Now, "in with the new"!  We just couldn't wait to show you some of the new goodies we've just received.  The manufacturers are releasing their winter/spring product lines and we are so excited to bring them to you!  Take a look at this "Printer's Tray" from 7 Gypsies.  Each pane is the size of an ATC card.  Use it to display your ATCs or make a lovely scrapbook/photo collage for your wall.  We only have a few left... can't wait to see how you use this!

If you love the canvas albums from Prima, have a look at the new ones that have just arrived from Chatterbox! These cute albums are smaller than the ones from Prima and each comes with it's own canvas bag.

Of course, we're always excited to offer new lines from Basic Grey. Stop in to check out their newest line

"Origins".  Featuring beautiful greens, browns and yellows, it gives layouts an earthy feel.  Check it out:

And finally, here's a sneak peek at our soon-to-be-released January page kit:

Christmas photo tips

Hope your holiday shopping is "wrapping up" and you're getting settled in for a weekend of family, friends and unforgettable memories!  Just wanted to take a few minutes to give you some quick holiday photo tips and ideas.

Take photos in similar locations each year.  Looking through some heritage photos, I realized just how many family photos were taken in front of Christmas trees over the years.  Imagine a themed page or album titled "O Christmas Tree."  Other ideas might be photos each year with Santa, or photos with the cousins all in front of the fireplace.   Maybe start your own tradition or look for common themes in your current holiday photos and continue them this year!

Mom's family in front of the tree 1955:

Dad in front of the tree 1967:

Our family in front of the tree 1971:

One week old, in front of the tree 1992:

Coordinate your family's outfits. It sounds almost "silly" but a great idea for getting good photos of your kids together at Christmas is to dress them in clothes that match.  The photo of my son and nephew below is visually pleasing since their shirts match! Imagine the same photo with one wearing light green and the other wearing bright purple and yellow...not nearly the same effect as when they coordinate.

For portrait type shots, get in closer.  Although you defnitely want to capture the action, decor and sights of the holiday gathering, take a few portrait type photos of groups or individuals.  For those friends and family you don't see often, these photos become treasured keepsakes as well as great photos to use for non-holiday layouts.  Since typically everyone is in a festive mood, it's also a great opportunity to capture personalities.  The photos below are all ones taken at family holiday gatherings---just remember to get in CLOSE!  :-)

Santa's wish list

Don't forget to send your Santa in to shop for all the favorite scrapbookers on his list!  We've got lots of great gift ideas and if you'd like us to point him in a certain direction for you, just let us know!!  For the extra good crafters, Santa might want to consider giving the gift of an entire weekend of scrapbooking with us from January 15-17 at the beautiful French Lick Resort.  If you've never been, the resort is a treat in itself.  Built in the early 1900s, this hotel has a rich history and retains all of its glorious heritage.  Online registration begins December 10.  Check out their website here.  Hope you can join us!

We also wanted to share this Prima canvas album we created to house this year's Christmas photos.  Because it comes with both canvas and transparent page protector pages, it provides a great background to try new techniques as well as utilize lots of different textures.  The best part--sewing in the book is completely optional!

Here's a closer look at the cover detail.  To create the Santa embellishment, use a punch out circle from a Graphic 45 Christmas die cut sheet.  Adhere it to a button, then cover it with a clear page pebble.

For the title page, use letter masks to spell a holiday greeting, then spray with Glimmer Mist.  Adding buttons to dot the "I" and adhering ribbon gives it a homespun feel.

Create this cute snowman page by spraying a canvas page with Glimmer Mist.  Paint two chipboard circles with Ranger crackle paint.  Add ribbon scarf, button eyes, pearl smile and a cardstock carrot nose to make your snowman come to life!

On this page, paint the background with acrylic paint and add a cut out from Graphic 45 Christmas paper.  Use your Crop-a-dile tool to punch holes down the entire side of the canvas page.  Tie in ribbons and jingle bells to give your book a true Christmas feel.

Here's another technique to try.  Place a crocheted doily or lace over a canvas page and spray with Glimmer Mist.  The lace acts as a mask and once removed, can also be used as a lovely accent on another page.

Use buttons to create a one-of-a-kind Christmas tree:

A few more photos of the outside:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! 

If you're out doing your Christmas shopping this weekend, don't forget to stop in and see us!  We have lots of great sale items and Christmas inspiration ideas on display.  If your plans are to avoid the stores this weekend, here's a great weekend project for you to create.  It uses the fantastic Christmas papers from Basic Grey, along with a small album we painted pink.  This would make a great gift album, or keep it for yourself to house this year's holiday photos.