Double treat today!

Karin and I had a double treat today when Bill and Lisa Lyons stopped by SG. It was so nice to see them! I've talked about them here before -- they are missionaries, and were living in Japan when the earthquake hit a few months ago and the nuclear power plants were in serious trouble. They've been back in the states for the wedding of one of their sons, and stopped by to pick up some kits and say hello before heading back to Japan.

They brought us Japanese chocolate! Kit Kats to be exact. And I'll have to say, the USA is seriously behind in the Kit Kat flavor business. How about these flavors: raspberry framboise, anin dofu, custard pudding, koi kianko, sweet potato, strawberry cheescake, wasabi, soy sauce, wheat cookies, cheese, blueberry cheesecake, cafe latte, sparkling strawberry, lemon zest, sakura green tea, bitter almond, okinawa brown sugar, caramel pudding, and fruit juice!

Bill and Lisa had just left when a second set of good friends walked in, so we had a Kit Kat taste test party! Bill and Lisa had numbered the backs of the candy so we would know what we were eating, so we searched for the soy sauce one, opened it, sampled it, looked at each other, and decided it tasted quite fruity. Then we had to laugh when it turned out that we had two sets of numbers and we had just tried blueberry cheesecake, not soy sauce. We did manage to find the soy sauce Kit Kat, and three of the four of us thought it was delicious -- almost had a mocha flavor!

Anyway, a big thanks to Bill and Lisa for the visit and gift. Ever since we've known her through SG, Lisa has traveled through their missionary work, and we've shipped her monthly kits wherever she's gone. Sounds like we'll keep shipping them to Japan for at least another year!

It's here! It's cute!

BoBunny's three latest groups have arrived, and they are just over-the-top cute. Papers, embellishments, mini-albums, and more, just waiting to go to a good home!

Zoology

Barefoot and Bliss

Liberty

Thanks everyone!

We're already having a great response to the Nikki Sivils Scrapbook Drive for Joplin. We're going to have to clear out a larger area to store all the goodies! Your generosity is amazing, and I know the supplies will be much appreciated. Please bring your donations to SG by June 22.

Class changes...

Kristi VanDoren's card class on June 14 will not be held because she is going to be out of town. We can't reschedule for later in the month because of other conflicts. My Timeless Treasures class on June 16 will not be held because I forgot that I would have my grandsons at my house for Vacation Bible School that week. Sorry!

Join us Saturday for a special bargain at the Debbie Sanders sketch sessions...

We'll be making the layout above in the Debbie Sanders free sketch sessions this Saturday. Your cost to make this layout? Usually the price would be about $4, but in honor of the fourth anniversary of our sketch sessions, we have a special deal for those of you who attend our in-store sessions. You'll be getting 20 percent off the price of your sketch papers, so your cost to make this layout will be closer to $3! Can't beat that deal!

Just call us at 417-886-0440 to register for a session at 10 am or 2:30 pm on Saturday, June 11. Bring basic tools, and we'll provide you with a free computer sketch that you can use over and over!

And don't forget, we'll punch your Studio G Reward Card. Don't have one yet? No problem, we'll be happy to get you started on the way to earning some great rewards like free page kits, $20 gift cards, and other goodies!

If you want a kit, the fee is $5, and is due at the time the request is made. (Sorry, above discount does not apply to kits.)

Super Sketch Club members:
Yes, this layout and sketch will be included in your June kit!

Candy Colwell's June class...

"Paper Bag" book class
• Monday, June 27 from noon until approximately 5 pm
Join Candy to transform simple paper bags into a fabulous gatefold album -- once you learn the binding technique, you'll be ready to make similar creations on your own! You'll be stamping and doing other creative things that Candy will guide you through step by step. $35 

Helping Nikki Sivils help Joplin...

Nikki Sivils has launched an extremely worthwhile project to replace scrapbooking supplies lost by people in Joplin affected by the recent tragic tornado. Scrapbook Generation is happy to help her with this project in a couple of ways: by donating our sketch books and other supplies and by serving as a drop-off site for your donations.

"Let's join together and give the ladies affected by the Joplin tornado a new start on their scrapbooking hobby," Nikki said. "These wonderful ladies are scrapbookers, but lost everything -- including all of their scrapbooking supplies -- when their homes were leveled by the tornado. I want to help them get started again with some basic supplies. Let's give them their hobby back!"

In the wake of all this loss, Nikki has decided to host a month long “Nikki Sivils Scrapbook Drive” for her fellow scrapbookers and crafters who live in Joplin. By the end of June, she wants to have a new starter kit for all the scrapbookers who had their homes leveled by the storm.  The first week of July she would like to surprise them with the “basic” supplies that allow them to get their hobby back.

Nikki and crew (including Katrina Hunt, who many of you know from taking mini-classes at our special events) are taking donations from other scrapbooking companies, but individuals are also welcome to help by donating both old and new supplies.

Basic supplies Nikki is suggesting all of us donate include paper trimmers, rulers, cutting mats, ribbon, pens, scissors, craft knives, inks, cardstock, adhesive, paper, punches, and stamps. She plans to make at least 50 starter kits to be distributed in Joplin.

Scrapbook Generation is serving as the drop-off site for local donations to the Nikki Sivils Scrapbook Drive. Please bring your donations to SG by June 22.

We've donated a volume of Sketches For Scrapbooking for each of the 50 starter kits, and we'll also be sending papers and other products for the 50 packages.

You can also send your donations directly to Nikki.
Please send product or checks to this address by June 22. 

Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker LLC

Attn: Joplin Scrapbook Supplies

2263 S Oakbrook Ave

Springfield, MO 65809

We know the generosity of our customers and friends, and know that many of us have already donated cash, supplies, and our time to help the people of Joplin. We've all watched the news, heard the stories, and shed more than a few tears. Now, we can join together and show our generosity in a different way to the people we've thought about for weeks. The immediate needs of food and shelter have largely been met. I'm thinking it will be nice to also meet other needs... we can lift the spirits of those who lost everything except their lives.

I'm also sending out a big "what a great idea" to Nikki Sivils and her crew. This project has taken a lot of work to plan, organize, and publicize. Great job!

68...and I'm done!

Unless I've counted wrong, ordered wrong, or done something else wrong, we will debut a whopping 68 pristine new paper collections by 29 companies at the June 25 Scrap-a-Palooza at Remington's.

Here's a sneak peek at the final list of new collections!

My Little Shoebox 

Oasis; Farmers Market; Home Tweet Home; Garden Party
Best Creations 

Let’s Party; Robot; Baseball; Gone Camping; I Love America
Moxxie
 Busy Boy; VIP
Three Bugs in a Rug
 Lazy Summer; Chloe
K & Company
 Abrianna; Watercolor Bouquet; Botanical Garden
Girls Paperie
 Jubilee; Vintage Whimsy
Bella Blvd
 Mr. Boy; Tail Waggers and Cat Naps
7Gypsies
 Camden
Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker 

Beatrice; It's Your Day; It’s Summer
Little Yellow Bicycle
 Babysaursus; Tiny Princess; Twig; Cupcake Love
Pebbles
 Ever After; Happy Go Lucky
American Crafts
 Margarita; Confetti
Imaginisce
 Little Cutie; Happy Camper
Doodlebug
 Cake and Ice Cream ; Nifty Notions; Birthday Celebrations; Ladybug Garden
KaiserCraft
 Chapter One; Party Animals; Velvet Ensemble; Pink Gelato
SEI
 Sunny Day
Melissa Frances
 Kitschy Kitchen
Echo Park
 Splash
Crate Paper
 Toy Box; Emma’s Shoppe; Neighborhood; Portrait
BasicGrey
 Sweet Threads
Cosmo Cricket
 Odds and Ends
Fancy Pants
 Baby Mine
Simple Stories
 Life Documented; Destination; Days of Summer
Karen Foster
 Family; Girls’ Night; Tropical Vacation
October Afternoon 

Rocket Age; 5 & Dime; Boarding Pass
Glitz
 Love Games
Jillibean Soup
 Blossom Soup; Chilled Strawberry; Dutch Mustard; Spotted Owl
GCD Studios
 Material Girls

Graphic 45

The Magic of Oz

And it wouldn't be Palooza if we didn't re-order some collections that were super-popular at SG. We'll have a totally new stock of these groups on June 25!

My Mind’s Eye
Stella and Rose
Lime Twist
Hip-Hooray
American Made
BoBunny
Zoology
Barefoot and Bliss
Liberty
Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker
We Are Family
K & Company
Americana

Scrap-a-Palooza update...

Just checked with Chris Louzader at Midwest Family Broadcasting, and Scrap-a-Palooza registration is going crazy the last few days! Last time I gave you a report on numbers, we were about one-third full, and now, we're getting very close to being two-thirds full! If you want one of those last 100 spots, don't wait too much longer. We don't want any of our Palooza "regulars" to miss out.

There are going to be lots of new faces at the June 25 Palooza, largely because the event is getting lots of national publicity on message boards! Other states that will represented besides Missouri include Arkansas, Illinois, Oklahoma, Texas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Kentucky, Georgia, and Kansas.

One really nice addition to the Scrap-a-Palooza fun is the event page on Facebook, compliments of Chris and the radio station. Click here to let us know if you'll be attending or not, and also to leave comments about Palooza.

'Regular' June kits...

The Generation Page Kit, Generation Card Kit, Allison Davis Hall of Fame Page Kit, Girl Crazy Page Kit, and Boy Crazy Page Kit clubs for June all shipped today.

Super-Sketch Kit Club...

This is our club with the most rapid growth. We're trying to stay ahead of the numbers when we order materials, but the additions on a daily basis are truly astonishing! You can join the club online on our website, or by calling us at 417-886-0440. If you do decide to join in the next couple of days, you may still be able to get the May kit...we have a few still available before we move on to the June packets!

Tammy Roberts' classes...

We've had several people ask why there are no Tammy Roberts' classes on our June and July schedule, so I thought I would let you know why. When I checked with Tammy about June and July classes a few weeks ago, she told me that she wanted to have more time for her family, and who can blame her. If memory serves, she used the word "hectic!" And as far as I'm concerned, the summer months are way too short to be doing anything that resembles work if you don't have to, especially when you have children at home!

Anyway, we remain huge fans of Tammy's shabby chic creations. Really, I can't imagine anyone doing it better than she does. Not everyone can take dozens of tiny items and make the kinds of layouts and mini-albums she designs.

When summer is over, we'll check back with her about classes this fall, and cross our fingers that she says "yes." In the meantime, I suggest you check out her beautiful blog (there's a link at right) for weekly inspiration, and we'll keep displaying her projects here in the store for you to ooh and aah over.

Fall retreat reminder...
Doesn't seem as if it should be time yet, but we start taking retreat deposits tomorrow -- Wednesday, June 1! The weekend choices are October 21-23 and October 28-30 in Branson. Complete prices are based on the number of people in a sleeping room. For answers to most questions you may have, and to see photos of past retreats, click here. To register, pay a $50 non-refundable deposit in person or by phone. If you have any additional questions, we'll be happy to answer them.

Another June class...

BasicGrey "Cappella" Cards "Playdate" class
• Thursday, June 2; Monday, June 6; Friday, June 10
Use a kit to make eight cards using chipboard, rub-ons, and more (envelopes are included); pick your own start time, work at your own pace; models of the cards will be on display; the class has no teacher, but assistance is readily available; start at 10 am or later, class time is over at regular store closing time; $15 (to-go kits available!)