Just arrived today, a combination of Disney and Mickey items, some we've had before, and some new! We've also replenished the travel/cruise section with lots of beachy stuff, as well as the Reminisce "Jet-Setters" destination embellishments which have been so popular. The western/pet/zoo area has tons of new embellishments, and several new papers including a turquoise and brown western group by Adorn It by Carolee's.

All of us at Scrapbook Generation are running around like crazy today, trying to get the September kits finished on time, but I wanted to let you know as much as I know right now about approaching shipments. I know everyone is anxious for the Halloween, fall and Christmas stuff to get here...because I'm anxious, too!

-- Friday (tomorrow), a huge shipment of Disney stuff, including foil and glitter papers and embellishments, plus some really cute new 8x8 chipboard embellished albums;
-- a Creative Imaginations shipment is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 3, and will include several school groups, plus a cowgirl group, a cowboy group, some fall groups, and anniversary papers;
-- the total mega-shipment (dozens of general themes, plus a Halloween group, a Christmas group, and a winter group) from My Mind's Eye is set to start on its way to us tomorrow, which means it should arrive sometime the week of Sept. 1, probably toward the end of the week, if I had to guess;
-- some great new folding-type card templates from Hot Off the Press will arrive Tuesday;
-- also on Tuesday, a restocking of almost every stitching template Bazzill makes, plus several new ones we haven't had before, plus floss and needle sets, piercing pads, and more;
-- Little Yellow Bicycle and Rusty Pickle, I don't know exact ship dates, but both will be soon!

If you are attending the second Scrapbook Generation retreat in Branson (Oct. 24-26), the above photo shows the sixth class offered (the other five classes are shown in an earlier post).

Retreat class #6 (offered Oct. 24-26 only)

Snowflake Mini-Album

Ready for Christmas? This project is a surefire way to get in the holiday spirit. Start with a snowflake-shaped chipboard album bound with a 7Gypsies cream-colored ring, and embellish with glittered papers, a wooden snowflake, a felt snowman, even a few jingle bells. Stamping inside in pale blue ink adds even more snowflakes!

Teacher, Marti Blattert

Fee -- $15

A reminder that final payments for the Oct. 3-5 retreat are due by Wednesday, Sept. 3, and final payments for the Oct. 24-26 retreat are due by Wednesday, Sept. 24.

Updates...

-- The Scrap Pink crop on September 26 is full, and we've started a waiting list.

-- Enrollment in the Scrap Pink sketch sessions is growing every day! The 10 am session is full, and several others just have a few spots available. I'd advise calling as quickly as possible to get the time you want.

-- Scrapbook Generation will be open 10-5 on Labor Day, and all page kits (excluding clubs) will be 10 percent off!

Just got a phone call from Allison to tell us how things are going at the Creating Keepsakes Convention in Tulsa. She's already seen several ladies she knows from here at the store, and has already taught a couple of her 12 classes for the weekend. Last night, some of the ladies she knows told her that one of the stores in Tulsa has her photo posted in their window, so she had to go check that out!

She said that it's really a weird feeling for people to recognize her and point her out to others when she's walking through the convention areas. She's posed for pictures and signed autographs! Her classes this morning each had about 60 people in them, and she thinks she did pretty well -- definitely different than the size of our classes!

School is officially in session, at least by Reminisce! Yesterday, Scrapbook Generation received a great supply of papers and embellishments for students of all ages. Best of all, the papers are double-sided, and the back side is just as cute as the front!

Updates on the next couple of weeks...

-- Rusty Pickle chipboard sets and Halloween group should arrive any time in the next few days;

-- ditto for Creative Imaginations school stuff;

-- My Mind's Eye total CHA offering of beautiful papers, die cuts and more, including their typical themes, plus Halloween, Christmas, and winter -- we've been told the last of August;

-- Little Yellow Bicycle Halloween collection -- also been told the last of August.

Products scheduled to arrive in September...

-- more collections from Creative Imaginations, including cute western groups for both cowboys and cowgirls;

-- chipboard and acrylic mini-albums by Clear Scraps;

-- super flower assortments by Petaloo;

-- albums from Colorbok;

-- the Christmas collection by Little Yellow Bicycle;

-- papers by Pink Paislee;

-- flowers and chipboard from Prima;

-- an awesome assortment of mini-albums, papers, and matching embellishments in jewel-tone groups by Chatterbox;

-- the Ambrosia collection by BasicGrey;

-- the Christmas collection by Rusty Pickle;

-- and many more surprises!

New at Scrapbook Generation...a glittery-shimmery-wintery collection by Reminsce, for those of you who are ready for a change of season!

On the way...a huge shipment of school goodies by Reminisce, including papers for each grade, stickers for each grade, and three-dimensional embellishments for each grade. It might arrive today, but chances are it will be Friday or even Monday.

Here are photos of Scenic Route's new Sonoma collection and new Surprise birthday collection. They arrived today! We also have more of the very popular Salem group by SR, and also have more of a lively-colored blue and orange group that sold out quickly twice!

In addition, we have the new autumn and Christmas colors of Glimmer Mist, including auburn, cinnamon, sage, winter night, simply khaki, dewberry, snow angel (it's pink!), wild currant, and more!

If you are attending Scrapbook Generation's October 3-5 retreat in Branson, you can find the photos and descriptions of classes below. As you may know, our website "died" and must be totally rebuilt. That may take several days, so I wanted to post the photos here for those of you who need to see them before enrolling in classes.

Just so there is no confusion, I'll post the October 24-26 retreat classes later. There is an additional mini-album class being offered by Marti Blattert, but everything else is the same. The letters for the second retreat will go out sometime next week.

Update on product arrivals:
The Sonoma and Surprise collections by Scenic Route are scheduled for delivery Monday! Also arriving Monday, the 12 new fall and Christmas colors of Glimmer Mist.

Other info:
We're in the middle of our first day of card sketch sessions, modeled after our popular layout sketch sessions. The general consensus seems to be that we should add the card sketches as a permanent part of our calendar! I'll try to take care of that!

October 3-5 retreat class #5

Just in Case...mini-album

This project is sure to tug at your heartstrings. Transform a 7Gypsies mini-album that has envelopes instead of pages. Use the envelopes to hold letters to loved ones "just in case" something happes to you...an opportunity to say to someone what you might never say in person. You'll use Doodlebug alphabet stickers, and papers by Crate Paper.

Teacher, Allison Davis

Fee -- $20

October 3-5 retreat class #4

All Boy Layout

Know a little (or big) boy whose name spells trouble? Then this is the perfect layout for him! Combine brown, tan, green and blue papers by Pebbles with tons of circles and a cute set of "all boy" glittery stickers by Sticko, and you have a great page. Hand stitching is an optional part of the layout.

Teacher, Allison Davis

Fee -- $18

October 3-5 retreat class #3

All Glittered Up Layout

Crate Paper's Katlin collection papers in pink, lime, and lavender are combined with "Stick With It" adhesive shapes by Doodlebug in this two-page layout. Flourishes and other shapes will be used to add the drama of glitter to this bright layout perfect for glamour gals of any age. (You'll have lots of adhesive shapes and words left over to use on other pages!)

Teacher, Debbie Sanders

Fee -- $15

October 3-5 Retreat Class #2
Quick and Classy Layouts
Start with the Blue Awning collection by K & Company which includes gorgeous papers in deep blues, olive greens, and creamy tans, and a matching set of glittered chipboard titles, flourishes, and shapes. We add the ideas! With the help of two computer sketches, use these papers and embellishments to make TWO coordinating layouts in about an hour. Beautiful, stylish, classy, and best of all, fast!
Teacher, Debbie Sanders
Fee -- $20

October 3-5 retreat class #1

Autumn Splendor Layout

Two page layout features the warm golds, rusts, and browns of Bo-Bunny's autumn papers and a memorable quote about this colorful season. Three tags are embellished with oversized cardstock leaves and sheer polka-dot ribbon. Gold, bronze, and rust glitters add a touch of sparkle to the fall leaves.

Teacher, Debbie Sanders

Fee - $12

I have some good news, and some bad news. I'll start with the good!

Good news...
-- The school collection by KI Memories arrived today. Super cute, bright, and fun!
-- A huge shipment from Paper Loft arrived today. I lost count, but there are seven or eight groups of papers and matching goodies. Beautiful, beautiful stuff.

Bad news...
-- The website problem that we've been experiencing with scrapbookgeneration.com is "terminal," according to about the millionth person Stacey has talked to/corresponded with in the last four days. Long story short, she's going to have to rebuild the website from the ground up, and that's a massive, stomach-upsetting task that will take her days. Please be understanding of the situation, and she will have it operational as soon as humanly possible. For the time being, I'm going to post the retreat classes for the Oct. 3-5 retreat on this blog later this evening (the Oct. 24-26 classes are slightly different.)

Judging by the photos from today and the ones from yesterday, it's safe to say that gals of all ages love to play with paper and scrapbooking supplies! Today at Scrapbook Generation, Stacey hosted a birthday party for a group of extremely well-behaved sixth graders!

When one of the moms contacted us a few weeks ago about the idea, Stacey created a chipboard album as a sample for the party-goers to use. Today, she turned them loose with some fun supplies like flowers, ribbons, glitter stickers, glitter brads, and more, and they created some really cute books to take home as keepsakes.

Updates:

-- SugarTree papers arrived today, and we have papers for pretty much every type of deer, turkey, fish, and other creature hunted or fished.

-- We've only sent out letters for those attending the first retreat. Next week, the letters for the second retreat will be mailed.

It's been pretty lively here at Scrapbook Generation, at least for the last hour or so! Stacey had a great turnout for her afternoon card class, and they seemed to have a fun time turning plain jane paper bags into greeting cards in three distinct styles. We're so lucky to have teachers who come up with such cute projects!

Updates:
-- The Scrap Pink crop on September 26 only has one spot left, but we will also start a waiting list in case someone has to cancel.
-- Both October retreats are full, but again, we have started waiting lists for the same reason.
-- The website is still giving Stacey difficulties posting new information. If she doesn't get the problem resolved today, I'll post the retreat classes here on the blog on Thursday.

New stuff:
-- Today, we received several new sets of clear stamps by Autumn Leaves. These are half the size of the original stamp sets, and are about half the price. Very cute!
-- Arriving Friday or Monday (almost for sure), the six new fall and six new Christmas colors of Glimmer Mist. Remember that these colors are limited edition colors, and won't be around forever.
-- Arriving in the next few days: The new Sonoma collection and birthday collection by Scenic Route; an absolutely huge and absolutely gorgeous shipment of almost everything Paper Loft has to offer (papers, stickers, mini-albums, monogram letters, journaling blocks, and more); hunting and fishing and camping papers by SugarTree; a school group by KI Memories; and the entire school collection by Reminisce.
-- Arriving near the end of the month or the first of September: school groups by Creative Imaginations; the entire summer release by My Mind's Eye (huge and awesome); Halloween collection and chipboard sets by Rusty Pickle; and Halloween (tons of it) by Little Yellow Bicycle.

Update on retreat classes:
Stacey put the class photos on the website yesterday, but because of some "technical difficulty" with the server, they are not showing just yet. She's been in contact with our website hosts or whatever the correct terminology is, and they're trying to fix the problem. In the meantime, if you are in the Springfield area and need to see the class projects, feel free to stop by and see the real thing!

Today, Scrapbook Generation received what has to be the hugest chipboard set in the world! It's 26 sheets of chipboard letters, one 12x12 sheet for EACH letter, with dozens of letters (including one that is almost 12 inches tall) on each page. It's an awesome set!

As I said in an earlier post, it's been a crazy week here at Scrapbook Generation! The highlight of my week -- and only those of you with a sister can appreciate the finer points of this experience -- was when Karin managed to lock herself in the office bathroom and we couldn't get her out for about 45 minutes! Stacey and I tried everything we knew to do, and ended up having to call Stacey's husband Jeremy to drop by with a crowbar! One of the funniest parts of the whole event was that when he finally crashed the door open, after telling Karin to stand back, she neglected to grab the door, so it shut and locked again! Jeremy did his crowbar thing again and she was finally able to escape. I'm probably going to you-know-where, but I laughed so hard that I cried!

Update on things that actually have something to do with scrapbooking...
-- Only three spots left in the super-fun Scrap Pink crop we are sponsoring on Friday, Sept. 26. If you want to attend, be quick!
-- We have four super-cute classes coming up the week of August 11. Check them out on the website...great variety.
-- Our first-ever free sketch sessions for cardmaking will debut Saturday, August 16. We'd love to have you join us.
-- I can't ever say this too often. Karin and Stacey and Allison and I are so fortunate to work in a business that has allowed us to meet and grow fond of so many of you. Thanks so much for shopping with us, and for your friendship!

My crazy life has intruded into my blogging time this week, but that doesn't mean that the steady stream of new goodies arriving at Scrapbook Generation has slowed down any!

-- Black Market Paper Society: all six collections of papers, die-cuts, and paper pads -- this paper has a unique texture that I think you'll love!

-- Cosmo Cricket: another cute group, perfect for lively summer photos;

-- Deja Views: the Sharon Ann Timeless collection of papers, stickers, chipboard, and much more;

--over 40 styles of American Crafts "Thickers" letter sets and Making Memories letter sets, including glitters, chipboard, felt, foam, and more;

-- K & Company: several nice 12x12 baby and wedding album kits;

-- Tattered Angels: "glimmer screens," a set of stencils/masks designed to work perfectly with Glimmer Mist.

Arriving Thursday from Bazzill: 3" wide tulle in a rainbow of colors, plus new edged border sets, plus new stitching templates!

New idea books by Creating Keepsakes arrived at Scrapbook Generation yesterday... titles include the following.

-- Photo Freedom by Stacy Julian;
-- Fabric Scrapbooking by Donna Downey;
-- Superfast Pages with 4x6 Photos;
-- and my personal favorite -- 50 Moments: Scrapbook the Pages that Matter Most by Lisa Bearnson (Allison has two layouts in Lisa's book, one about her dad, and one about me!)