Are you feeling lucky? Here's a chance to win one of our "Sketches for Scrapbooking" books! Leave your comment by July 8!

"Sketches for Scrapbooking," volume four is here! Starting Wednesday, you can stop by Scrapbook Generation (or order online at scrapbookgeneration.com) to purchase your copy of the latest in our series of sketch books containing 30 two-page layouts by the talented Allison Davis and her crazy mom!

And just to make things a little more interesting, we're going to give away two copies of Sketches for Scrapbooking volume four next Wednesday, July 8. You have until then to leave a comment on this blog, telling why you like using Scrapbook Generation sketches when you scrapbook. We'll choose two winners -- one, the person who writes the most eloquent, persuasive response (the English/journalism teacher in me has to come out every once in a while!), and two, the lucky person whose name is drawn at random. (If you've already stopped by and purchased a copy, we'll just give you a gift card for the same amount as the book!)

Good luck!

I'm always glad when we get all the monthly club kits packed and ready to distribute and ship! My whole life, I've never managed to escape the night-before-the-research-paper rush to get things done! Anyway, all of the Scrapbook Generation July kits are ready for you on Wednesday, and here's a sneak peek...

From the top...

-- Girl Crazy page kit club (using beautiful summery papers and extras by My Mind's Eye);

-- Boy Crazy page kit club (using glitter and shimmer papers and chipboard buttons by KI Memories);

-- Allison Davis Hall of Fame page kit club (using the My Sweet Cherry Pie collection by Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker -- check out the stitching around the trees!);

-- Generation page kit club (using shimmer papers by Reminisce);

-- Generation card kit club (using papers by Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker, Scenic Route, Fancy Pants, and some of that great new non-shedding glitter paper by Best Creations -- an extra this month is a complete set of rubons for the "because of you" card).

Thanks so much for your continued support of all our clubs, including Remember Me and Remember Them!

Karin brought in this cute and colorful layout of our Fourth of July family fun last year. I love the overall design (I may have to copy it for one of my sketches!), and the touches of glitter in the title. I also really like the papers and border stickers by Reminisce.

The 2009 celebration is just around the corner, and I'll remind everyone that we'll be open regular Saturday hours this weekend. On Saturday, the first 50 shoppers who spend at least $25 will get a special edition patriotic page kit, a $12.99 value, free! We'll also start our annual model and sample sale of layouts, cards, and other items we've sold as classes or as clubs or as kits.

-- Arriving later this week: the Snorkel collection by Cosmo Cricket!

-- Arriving soon: several collections from Melissa Frances (I've forgotten everything I ordered, but I do remember general themes of patriotic, baby boy and baby girl, and several cute mini-albums!)

Just arrived at Scrapbook Generation...new Piggy Tales! We have the Row, Row, Row Your Boat and the Yankee Doodle Dandy collections, just in time for summer splashes and Fourth of July fireworks.

Also new today, the mini-album idea book by Scrapbook Trends, 130 pages of pure inspiration. We only have 12 copies of the mini-album book. The Cards magazine and the Scrapbook Trends magazine arrived a few days ago, and we still have some of both July issues.

Saying goodbye to a dear friend...

We announced at the first of the year that Scrapbook Generation's "Remember Me" Club would be retired at the end of 2009. Now, it looks as if that's going to happen sooner than expected. We're down to our last eight memberships, and when those are spoken for, the club will be retired.

"Remember Me" has been one of the most rewarding things I've done since we opened Scrapbook Generation. Since the club started in January of 2007, we've helped literally hundreds of women across the country, and even in Canada, leave their families a lasting legacy of cherished photos, thoughts, experiences, and dreams. I've seen some of the completed books at events we've held here at the store, and they are truly keepsakes! I'm so honored to have been a small part of nudging some of you to make sure that the person usually behind the camera steps into the spotlight herself.

Many of you have asked what will come next, and I have the answer, at least partially. For several months, I've been working on the concept of "Remember Me" volume two. Over the next few months, I'll be fine-tuning the page topics and the design. We'll start publicizing volume two in the October-November newsletter, and have full details here in the store at that time as well. Although I can't tell you much right now, volume two will have totally new page topics, a more contemporary design, and more product in each kit.

Just as I was excited when I started working on the first "Remember Me" Club, I'm thrilled to be starting this new project. We may all make lots of scrapbook pages in our lives, but I'll bet that the family members we leave behind will cherish the ones we've created about ourselves more than any others.

I wanted to share this layout with you! Allison Davis just brought it in, and it uses the new My Sweet Cherry Pie collection by Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker, the new company based here in Springfield that we've been talking about lately. The colorful circle paper and the deeply textured corduroy brads combine for a great look.

Just arriving at Scrapbook Generation today, the En Route collection by SEI! This group features double-sided papers with foil and varnish accents. The matching embellishments include travel tickets, rub-ons, ribbon, chipboard shapes.

Later this week, we'll be receiving two cute collections by Piggy Tales, called Row, Row, Row Your Boat, and Yankee Doodle Dandy. Both have a huge assortment of matching goodies.

I've been spending my time lately working on volume four of "Sketches for Scrapbooking." This new volume, like the three before it, will contain 30 sketches that Allison and I have designed. It will be available for sale on Wednesday, July 1. If you want to reserve a copy, just call us!

We're also gearing up for our next major project, creating a booth and getting everything ready for our first-ever appearance as a vendor at the Creating Keepsakes Convention in Tulsa this August. Allison will be teaching several classes and making some appearances, but the rest of the time she'll be hanging out at the Scrapbook Generation booth with Stacey and I! We'll be selling page kits, sketch books, and club memberships.

September Scrap-a-Palooza registration open
It's official...registration is now open for the third Scrap-a-Palooza of 2009! Just click on the photo link in the sidebar at the right, and you'll be directed to the Scrapbook Generation website, which has a link to the Midwest Family Broadcasting sign-up page. Both of the previous events for 200 scrapbookers have sold-out, and the popularity is growing, so I'd advise registering early!

The basics?
-- Held at Remington's event center on Republic Road in Springfield from 9 am to 10 pm on Saturday, September 12.
-- Includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and drinks, and more food surprises.
-- Scrapbook Generation will provide $25 goodie bags for everyone attending.
-- We'll also have three free mini-classes.
-- Allison Davis will do several demonstrations via the huge big-screen.
-- Allison will also teach three paid classes (we'll have the models in the store soon, and have the pics on the website as quickly as possible so you can sign up in advance.)
-- Scrapbook Generation will have a fully-stocked store on-site.
-- We're working with another top-of-the-line scrapbook company to provide a free layout class for everyone attending, taught via the big-screen. I'll announce the name of the company as soon as all the details are worked out!
-- We'll be giving out other prizes, and hosting a layout contest.

Cost for all this? Only $43. I overheard one scrapbooker at the June Scrap-a-Palooza say "With all these cute free classes, and all the great food, why wouldn't you come?"

Scrapbook Generation has tons of new goodies. The next six photos are of new KI Memories papers and embellishments. Each group has frosted papers and glitter papers, and there are many sets of alphabet letters, borders, and flowers that are glittered to the hilt.

If you love vintage, you'll love the three new collections we have from Graphic 45. They are absolutely gorgeous! And since Allison demonstrated how to use the Tim Holtz alcohol inks at Scrap-a-Palooza, we have an assortment of this fun product, and all the tools you need for blending and applying.

Bo-Bunny has some great new chipboard embellishment sets. On the back side of each of the sets on the top two rows are other shapes, like circles.

The new glitter papers by Best Creations are awesome. We have kites, baby boy, baby girl, Fourth of July, baseball, Easter, and more.



There is a cute new animal group by Sassafras Lass!

Prima is in the house! We have new flower assortments, and lots of flourish embellishments in pearls, crystals, and nail-heads.

This is the new glitter paper by Best Creations that I had mentioned before. It does NOT shed, at all, and it works in Cricut machines!

We've added a product called Liquid Pearls, that works great as an accent, kind of like Stickles, but without the glitter. Instead, you get a pearlized, dimensional accent.

We have a huge supply of our favorite new tools, the "Edger" border punches by EK Success!

We have several new styles of the 12x12 templates by Crafter's Workshop, including several that are flower shaped.

Once again, Scrap-a-Palooza was a huge success! Held at Remington's event center, the mega-crop was filled with fun, friends, food, and scrapbook pages. The event is a collaboration of Chris Louzader and Midwest Family Broadcasting (we love Star 105.1 -- it's the station we play here at SG every day!), and Scrapbook Generation. Check out the photos from Saturday's event! We'll have info soon about how and when you can sign up for the September 12 Scrap-a-Palooza. Same great event, same great location, same great hosts!

There were three free classes by Stacey Atchley and Debbie Sanders, (a mini-explosion book, a purse-shaped birthday card, and a bookmark), and Allison Davis also taught three paid layout classes that were sell-out events!

There were lots of fun features at Scrap-a-Palooza, including a chocolate fountain, massages, and layout contests!

My Mind's Eye generously donated the materials for a free layout class for all 200 people attending. Creating Keepsakes Dream Team member Allison Davis taught the class, which featured distressing and hand-stitching, via the huge big-screen. Allison also did four big-screen demos during the day, showing interesting and detailed techniques for paints, inks, circles, and flowers.

From the gang at Scrapbook Generation (plus Stacey's husband Jeremy), a huge thanks to all of you who attended the second Scrap-a-Palooza, held this past Saturday at Remington's! We're so fortunate to be part of such an awesome event, and we're so appreciative of your business. Like last time, we sold out the event, filling every single table available at Remington's!

Chris Louzader and the team from Midwest Family Broadcasting did a great job of organizing and hosting and emceeing the event, and we're ready to team up again on September 12, same great event, same great place!

There are too many great comments to list here, so I've selected a few so that you can get an idea of the response to this mega-fun mega-crop for 200 wild and crazy scrapbookers!

-- "This was such a fun day! Thanks for all the free classes and the wonderful products and delicious food!"
-- "This was my first time and I really enjoyed myself. You always go up and over what I expect. Thanks!"
-- "Loved it! Price, location, store, chocolate fountain, great! Everyone was so nice, and I can't wait for the next one. Classes and demos were awesome."
-- "Don't change a thing. It was great fun."
-- "I came from Fayetteville to this Scrap-a-Palooza and I really enjoyed the day. I saw a lot of new ideas to work on and do my pages."
-- "Loved the free class (with Allison Davis). Food was yummy. You guys are awesome. Thank you for hosting the event."
-- "I've been to a lot of crops and this was by far the best one! (And not just because my papers were being sold here.) The food was great, the demos fun and informative, too! I'll be back in September."
-- "My first Scrap-a-Palooza and I WILL be back in September. Had a wonderful time!"
-- "Well organized, runs smoothly. Dinner was super!"
-- "I really enjoyed the day. This was my first time. I thought the food and snacks were great and the prizes were awesome."
-- "Love what you are doing! Hard to improve on a good thing."
-- "Everything was very nice. The food, shopping, and demos were great. I loved the free class. I hope to come back in the fall."
-- "Everything was very enjoyable and so much fun. The food was awesome and services provided were great. Thank you very much for a fantastic day! Also thank you for the morning unloading service."
-- "Excellent. The food was fabulous. The store had an incredible selection of items. Allison's mini-classes were well done and informative. The Scrapbook Generation staff was friendly as always as were the 105.1 staff. Enjoyed it all -- see you in September."
-- "Food was great! The space to crop was awesome."
-- "This was my first Palooza. I had a great time, got a lot done and learned new techniques. The mini free classes were great, too. I can't wait for the next one!"
-- "My first experience! What a wonderfully good time. Food was wonderful, timing of classes and demos was perfect."
-- "It was marvelous again! I loved the free classes, overhead demos and class! The store was great! And the food was wonderful!"
-- "You guys do a great job!"
-- "The store was great, the free demos were good, and the lighting/atmosphere was perfect."
-- "I think the event is near perfect!"
-- "It was a great event! Thanks to Allison for bringing layouts that showed the big screen demos!"
-- "Love the big-screen things. Especially love the location. Thanks for a good one!"
-- "Wonderful! Love it! Thank you so much for all the work you all put in for us!"

This has been such a fun, and special, day at Scrapbook Generation! We have the privilege and the pleasure of being the "world premiere" for a new company called Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker. Two things we love about the company (besides the beautiful products) are that the business is based right here in Springfield, and that Nikki is one of our longtime customers!

Getting to this point has been a two-year journey for Nikki and her husband. Nikki is an artist, and has created all the designs. For a new company, the product assortment is awesome, and I was glad to learn that virtually all of her products are manufactured here in the United States. There are double-sided papers, die-cut papers, cut-out sheets which include designs that can be used to make cards, 6x6 paper pads, corduroy brad sets, tiny "flags" to decorate, and sets of clear stamps that compliment the papers. Later, there will be chipboard albums in shapes that coordinate with the collections.

Right now, we have two of Nikki's six collections, Victoria's Street (the one we're holding parts of in the top photo), and My Sweet Cherry Pie. The other four collections are holiday or season oriented, and won't be available until after the company exhibits its products at CHA this summer.

It was interesting to take some time this morning to get to know part of the story behind Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker, and to place the company's very first order. Getting the delivery just a few hours later may spoil us! We wish Nikki and her company the very best, and know that Springfield area scrapbookers, and the rest of the country as well, will love her products.