Thank you, thank you, thank you! With your help, Scrapbook Generation raised almost $800 for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer foundation this past weekend!

We had a full house of 22 scrapbookers at the Friday night crop, and over 80 people attended the sketch sessions on Saturday! Dozens of you also stopped by and participated in the silent auction, and purchased our pink page kits to help us get close to our fundraising goal.

We'll be contacting the winners in the silent auction in the next few days, and you can pay for any items won in the next couple of weeks. Our deadline for submitting our fundraising check to Scrap Pink is Nov. 1.

Again, thank you so much. We all joined together to do something extremely worthwhile, and we had a great time in the process.

BasicGrey's Ambrosia collection arrived at Scrapbook Generation yesterday, complete with papers, rub-ons, letter stickers, brads, and more. It's an interesting color combination: gray, black, red, and orange -- very different!

Hope to see all of you either today or Saturday for our Scrap Pink activities: crop, silent auction, sketch sessions, page kit freebies, button freebies, and more! Remember, our goal is to raise $1,000 for breast cancer research through the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation.

The My Mind's Eye Halloween collections have arrived at Scrapbook Generation, and they are both awesome! Great papers, cute die-cut sheets, and glitter letters and shapes! And those items aren't the only things that have been pouring in here day after day. Tuesday, our UPS guy joked that if we didn't slow down, he was cutting us off -- the 10-15 boxes a day are taking a toll!

I'll quickly mention some of the other items -- new sets of Prima flowers in cans, embossed chipboard letter sets by Prima, all the Timeless Touches stitching templates and tools and books, over 50 styles of Thickers letter sets, 12 colors of Tim Holtz crackle paint, over 50 colors of Glimmer Mist, and much more!

These are probably the busiest two weeks of our lives, with two days of Scrap Pink hoopla quickly approaching, the monthly club kits that have to be ready by Wednesday, and then the first of our two Branson retreats starting next Friday. We have so much stuff piled in the office that we're about to look like those shows you see of people who hoard things in their homes.

Yesterday, we finished the page kit we're giving away on Saturday to everyone who spends at least $25. The kit uses paper by Crate Paper, and it's one of Allison's designs, so it's absolutely gorgeous. We've also been working on the eight pink page kits that will be on sale to benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer foundation. There is every combination of pink you can think of (with purple, brown, green, red, and more) and $5 from the sale of each kit will go directly to cancer research!

We still can take a few more people in the free Saturday sketch sessions (just call to register) and the pages you'll make in those are both very cute and colorful. If you've never tried these, this would be a great day to start. We have a great group of people who enjoy making scrapbook pages on Saturdays with us, and there's always room for a few more!

And don't forget our silent auction on Saturday. We have about a dozen beautiful layouts and mini-books that are looking for a good home! We're working hard to raise at least $1,000 for the Susan G. Komen fund and hope you can join us as we have a great time and benefit an extremely worthwhile cause.

The buttons have arrived for Scrapbook Generation's Scrap Pink hoopla next weekend (Sept. 26-27)! Everyone who makes a purchase gets to pick 10 free pink buttons. Karin thinks I got a little carried away when I did the ordering!

We have so many other things going on that weekend, and we hope you will join us in trying to raise $1,000 for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer foundation. There are over 600 scrapbook stores across the country participating in Scrap Pink, and just imagine how much money for research we can raise if we all work together!

If you haven't signed up for the special Scrap Pink sketch sessions on Saturday, Sept. 27, please do so as soon as possible. We're down to the last 20 of our 100 available spots!

To find out about our other activities, just scroll down the page and read my earlier post about our Scrap Pink weekend.

Wow! We're approaching capacity, and there's still more stuff coming in at Scrapbook Generation! Today's goodies include the following...

-- Making Memories calendar kits in an interesting size: 15x7;
-- Karen Foster 12x12 blank wall calendars;
-- 2009 month stickers for calendars;
-- Making Memories white table-top supply carousels (love mine!);
-- new colors of Crop-o-diles (purple and green) in plastic carry cases with assorted eyelets;
-- "Remake" chipboard alphabet sets by K & Company in several color groups, each pack has five full alphabets in harmonizing tones of the same color, and at a great price;
-- Colorbox chalk ink sets of five coordinating colors and an application stylus;
-- Soccer, basketball, and football double-sided papers and die-cuts;
-- Glimmer screens by Tattered Angels (smaller sets in specific themes than the ones we had earlier);
-- BoBunny "Big Fat Word" albums in dad, mom, and dog;
-- BoBunny's Splendor collection of papers, stickers, and die-cuts (I love the colors -- black, red, and yellow);
-- bright and playful autumn papers by Reminisce;
-- traditional fall papers by The Paper Company;
-- a 2009 "sticker-a-day" desk calendar.

On the way...
-- new chipboard sets by Maya Road (cute houses and trees, among others);
-- Timeless Touches stitching templates, cork boards, idea books;
-- My Minds Eye Halloween collections;
-- Prima flower sets and chipboard;
-- 50 colors of Glimmer Mist;
-- 50 sets of "Thickers" letter sets by American Crafts;
-- Tim Holtz distress crackle paint in about a dozen colors;
-- EZ Pull ribbon purses in four colors;
-- jewel-tone embossed mini-albums and everything to match, by Chatterbox (you'll love these, and they'll make great gifts for others, or for yourself!)

We've had a cancellation in Scrapbook Generation's October 24 weekend retreat in Branson, and have an opening for one person, or for a group of two. If you would like to take advantage of this, please call us at 417-886-0440 as quickly as possible.

New at Scrapbook Generation...these great groups arrived yesterday!

-- Piggy Tales: a group that features cute tricycles and is perfect for boys or girls;
-- K & Company: both the Halloween collection and the Fall Harvest collection -- plenty of foil and glitter and flocking on the papers, and more of the same fun stuff on the embellishments;
-- Fancy Pants: the All Fall collection of double-sided papers, rubons, and chipboard embellishment sets.

I wanted to share with you some of the items that will be for sale at Scrapbook Generation's Scrap Pink silent auction Saturday, Sept. 27. We plan to have about 15 items, ranging from layouts to cards to mini-albums!

Allison Davis has already donated five layouts, all with hand-stitching, for the auction, and one of hers is shown in the top picture. Karin Vacha has done a really cute black and pink "diva" page with plenty of glitter and jewels. Laura Parks has made a beautiful pink and black "sassy" mini-album with lots of stitching, and Marti Blattert has made a pink chipboard album that has dozens of intricately decorated pages!

Stacey Atchley has already completed an 8x8 pink album, and I'm still working on my layouts and mini-album.

I also wanted to remind you that we're counting on you to help us raise at least $1,000 for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer foundation. How can you help?

1 -- Many of you have already signed up for the Scrap Pink crop on Sept. 26. It is full! Ten dollars of your fee will be sent directly to the Scrap Pink sponsor.

2 -- Please attend one of our special Scrap Pink sketch sessions on Saturday, Sept. 27. The 10 and 11:30 am sessions are full, but there is still room in the 1, 2:30, and 4 pm sessions. A portion of the paper sales goes to Scrap Pink. In exchange for your participation, we have several special additions to our regular sketch sessions, including getting to create two double-page layouts for the price of one, pink favors, and the chance to win several larger prizes during each session! Creating Keepsakes Dream Team member Allison Davis will be at Scrapbook Generation all day, and this would also be a good chance to meet her! She is designing one of the pages you'll be making at the sketch sessions, and I'm doing the other layout.

3 -- Stop by and place a bid in the Scrap Pink silent auction on Saturday, Sept. 27. Bidding starts at 10 am and ends at 6 pm. Every penny raised goes to Scrap Pink and the Susan G. Komen fund!

4 -- We've also hoping that you'll get into the fun of the events and join us in wearing pink in support of the efforts to find a cure for an affliction that has separated us from far too many wonderful women over the years.

And I almost forgot...EVERYONE who spends at least $25 on Saturday, Sept. 27 will get a special edition pink page kit designed by Allison Davis. Regular cost is $12.99! We're also giving everyone who makes a purchase of any amount the chance to pick out 10 pink buttons -- free! (Both offers are for adults only, one per family, please.)

I love this time of year...there's something new and cute arriving at Scrapbook Generation almost every day! Today it was Pink Paislee, and we have two cute paper collections with matching letter stickers. (In October, we'll be getting their new "pixie stick" tubes of glitter!)

Several new things arrived at Scrapbook Generation today...
-- Making Memories: shimmer (their term for glitter) letter stickers and chipboard letters in several sizes, two color groups of six-color glitter sets, adhesive shapes for glitter; baby boy and baby girl 8x8 calendar kits;
-- Bazzill: more stitching templates, Bazzill paper piercers, more piercing pads, plus volume two of the In Stitchz idea book; three-color teeny-tiny (my terminology) brad sets that coordinate with Bazzill cardstock;
-- Karen Foster: rippin' ruler, a celebration group of stickers and matching license plates; new papers for grandparents, theater, and music.

On the way...
-- Pink Paislee: cute papers and matching letter stickers from this relatively new Missouri company;
-- K & Company: Halloween collection and Fall Harvest collection; colorful "Remake" chipboard letters made from recycled materials;
-- Piggy Tales: a cute group for little boys;
-- Timeless Touches: all the stitching templates, cork boards, multi-tools, plus some of the new stamp and stitch sets;
-- Fancy Pants: the All Fall and Daily Grind collections.

Soon...
-- Rusty Pickle: Halloween group;
-- Petaloo: tons of flower embellishment sets;
-- BasicGrey: milk chocolate and dark chocolate chipboard mini-albums and chipboard letter sets.

Updates from calls I made today...
-- Little Yellow Bicycle: Christmas Magic collection is running later than expected and will ship around the first of October;
-- BasicGrey: Ambrosia collection will ship close to the end of September; the new Wassail Christmas collection will ship mid-October.

Update on My Mind's Eye stuff...the box with the two Halloween groups never made it to us. FedEx returned it (all the way to Utah) because of damage in shipping, and we'll have to wait until MME sends us a new shipment. Sounds like it will be at least a week before it's back to us.

In all the excitement over My Mind's Eye, I forgot to let you know that we received several new calendars, for those of you who like to make them as Christmas gifts. They are Heidi Swapp 12x12 album-calendars in your choice of colors -- black, pink, or gold. Once their use as a calendar is over, they still live on as an album!

We also have about 10 new styles of 12x12 chipboard sets by Rusty Pickle!

My Mind's Eye is here! One of the fun new features is buckets filled with glitter chipboard letters!

-- Laundry Line has four general color schemes, with five themes for each of the color groups -- a total of 20 themes! All 40 papers have glitter accents! Accessories include chipboard die cuts and borders, rub-ons, regular and glitter die-cut journaling cards and titles, ribbons and trims, crochet flowers, single clear stamps, and sets of ink that match each paper group.

-- Just Dreamy features bright double-sided papers, titles, journaling cards, quotes, transparencies, and more.

-- There are also beautiful Christmas and winter groups of papers and die-cuts.

-- The two Halloween groups got separated during shipment, but should arrive Thursday.

After several phone calls, I've discovered that the info we were given about the My Mind's Eye shipment was incorrect. That will not arrive until Wednesday. My apologies, and please don't ask Stacey if she had taken down everything in the front of the store so that we could get the stuff out quickly! Now it has to all go back!

Also just in, six cute chipboard Art Blanche mini-albums, by EK Success! There are three fall and Halloween styles, and three winter and Christmas styles. These albums are already bound, and just ready to be altered. In addition, I forgot to mention yesterday that we received a shipment from Clear Scraps, and we now have several styles of acrylic albums. They look a little rough in the package, but we discovered that there is a protective film that has to be peeled off. Once that's done, all is clear!

Halloween has officially arrived at Scrapbook Generation! The box from Little Yellow Bicycle arrived a couple of hours ago, and everything is out and ready for purchase. As cute as this stuff is, I don't expect it to linger on the shelves. There are 15 papers, including ones with glitter accents and foil accents, and others that are die-cut. The embellishments cover the range of all the things we love right now -- acetate transparencies, glitter, chipboard, foil, felt, and more!

For those of you who tend to overindulge (and we love you!), we already have a new Halloween group from Creative Imaginations, and there are also Halloween groups on the way from My Mind's Eye (arriving Monday), Rusty Pickle, Doodlebug, and K & Company, to name a few!

New arrivals at Scrapbook Generation...several great collections by Creative Imaginations! School papers and matching items (including die-cut papers) that get an A+, and a couple of western groups that are just perfect for a pink and pretty cowgirl or a rough and tumble cowboy! There's also a beautiful Halloween/autumn group for those who are ready for a seasonal change.

We also received a huge amount of folding-type card templates (to make cards in flower and star shapes) including several that are 12x12 templates. We have pretty much a complete supply of all the Bazzill stitching templates, both the four-packs, borders, and two new 8x8 circle and flower templates. We have piercing pads and paper piercers back in stock! We also received colorful matching cutting pads and "exacto" knives by Doodlebug in hot pink, lime green, and black.

Updates on approaching shipments...Little Yellow Bicycle could be today or tomorrow...My Mind's Eye could be Friday or Monday.

I'm excited that it's finally September and I can tell you a little more about Scrapbook Generation's plan for Scrap Pink, a Susan G. Komen breast cancer foundation benefit sponsored by Scrapbooks Etc. magazine. At last count, over 600 independent scrapbook stores across the nation were committed to participate in this program, which is in its second year! I'm hoping that between all of the activities we have planned, we'll be able to raise at least $1,000 for this worthy and important cause.

We have two full days of fun planned for Scrap Pink...

Friday, September 26 -- Scrap Pink Crop
Our regular Midnight Madness crop is going to be transformed into a Scrap Pink crop. Plans include pink decorations, pink snacks, Scrap Pink mugs, and pink prizes. Ten dollars of each person's fee goes to the Komen foundation. We're already full with a waiting list!

Saturday, September 27 -- Scrap Pink Silent Auction
Scrapbook Generation staff and teachers Debbie, Karin, Stacey, Allison, Marti, and Laura have each created and donated a pink layout, set of pink cards, or pink mini-album for a silent auction. Bidding starts Saturday morning at 10 and ends when we close at 6 pm. Several items for the auction are already completed, and they are so cute! Every penny raised will go to the Komen foundation.

Saturday, September 27 -- Scrap Pink Sketch Sessions
Our popular Saturday sketch sessions have been expanded, with Allison and I teaming up to each create a two-page pink layout for the event. Both double-page layouts can be created from one set of papers, which will cost less than $5 (and a portion of the paper price will be donated to the Susan G. Komen foundation)! As always, the computer sketches are free. In the five sessions, we have room for 100 people. The 10 am session is already full, and several others are nearing capacity. Please call as soon as possible to make your reservation. We have several surprises for those who attend, including pink favors for everyone and some pink prizes for some lucky ones!

Saturday, September 27 -- Scrap Pink Freebies
Everyone who spends at least $25 that day will receive a special edition Allison Davis pink page kit, a $12.99 value. Everyone who spends any amount at all can choose 10 pink buttons, our appreciation gift for you. (Both offers are for adults only, one per family, please.)

Saturday, September 27 -- Scrap Pink Fundraising
We plan to have about 10 additional pink page kits for sale, and $5 of the price will go to the Komen breast cancer foundation. I'm using just about every combination you can imagine -- pink and pink, pink and black, pink and brown, pink and green, pink and purple, pink and white, and more!

We're urging everyone to wear at least a little pink when they attend any of these activities, just for the fun of it. And please don't tell Karin that I found a couple of hot pink extension wig-type-things on clearance in the toy section at Wal-Mart the other day. I'll spring that on her at the last minute! She'll look great in it!