I wanted to let you know that 19 new sets of acrylic clear stamps will be arriving just in time for Scrapbook Generation's free Saturday Seminars on July 7. Sessions are available at 10, 11, 12, 1, 2, and 3, and we'll be making a 6x6 double-page layout using stamps by Autumn Leaves and Sassafras Lass.

I can't wait to see the stamp sets, which include alphabets, lots of swirls and scrolls, flower shapes, journaling blocks and more. Many of the sets are Rhonna Farrer designs, and she's one of my favorites! If you aren't already signed up, just call us at 886-0440!

For all you travelers visiting tropical paradises this summer, Scrapbook Generation just received four albums perfect for you by Pioneer. The four covers include palm trees, hibiscus flowers, tropical drinks, and a collage of pineapples, palm trees, and orchids.

I haven't written much this week because I've been at home the past two days working in the SG "kit factory." As we continue to add members to each of the kit clubs each month, that means more for us to cut and assemble! However, we've taken a deep breath and decided to "go big." The kit clubs and the album clubs have been so popular with Springfield area residents and also with travelers, that we're taking a new step toward reaching a broader audience.

In the August/September issue of "Simple Scrapbooks," out sometime the end of July, you'll find a Scrapbook Generation ad! The magazine regularly has a kit club section, and we'll be part of it! Stacey designed the ad, and is hard at work redesigning our website to present our kit clubs in the best way possible. We have no idea what kind of response to expect. Could be nothing, or could be something crazy like you see in TV commercials where some obscure business finally gets ready to sell online and then gets so many orders they are impossible to fill! We're hoping for something inbetween!

I mentioned our new page kit club in the last post, and I think it's going to be very popular. CK Hall of Famer Allison Davis is going to design the kit each month, and it will not only feature her unique style, but it will also often include additional items like rub-ons or stickers or chipboard. The first kit will be available August 1, and we're ready to start signing people up! We've titled the new creation Allison's Hall of Fame Page Kit Club. The price will be $14.99 per month, and combination plans are available for the Generation Page Kit Club, Generation Card Kit Club, and Allison's Hall of Fame Page Kit Club. We're offering special money-saving prices for any combination of two clubs, and also for all three clubs.

Individual Prices:
-- Generation Page Kit Club: $12.99 plus tax
-- Generation Card Kit Club: $12.99 plus tax
-- Allison's Hall of Fame Page Kit Club: $14.99 plus tax

Combination Prices:
-- Generation Page Kit Club and Generation Card Kit Club: $22.99 plus tax
-- Generation Page Kit Club and Allison's Hall of Fame Page Kit Club: $24.99 plus tax
-- Generation Card Kit Club and Allison's Hall of Fame Page Kit Club: $24.99 plus tax
-- All three clubs: $35.99 plus tax

To enroll in Allison's new page kit club, stop by Scrapbook Generation, email us at scrapbookgen@sbcglobal.net, or give us a call at 417-886-0440.

Here is a photo of the Prima flowers that came in yesterday, and I'm also posting a picture of our kit wall, so that you can see how busy I've been the past couple of weeks trying to get it full again!

Also, early next week we'll have an announcement about an exciting addition to our monthly kit clubs. We're planning to offer a new page kit choice, and Allison Davis, our resident Hall of Famer, will be the designer. We're talking through the details right now, and I think her page kits will be a great compliment to what we already have available. The rough plan is for me to continue with the current kits which are season, holiday, or theme oriented, and for Ali's kits to be general in nature, suitable for multiple occasions or themes. Her kits will feature her own signature style, and will be available beginning August 1, if all goes according to plan.

Also new on Friday, Scrapbook Generation now has the 12x12 "Perfect Scrapbook" by Colorbok in nine colors, including willowware, whipped blueberry, raspberry sorbet, denim, plum, dark chocolate, juneberry, green apple, and lavender.

And from Prima, 12 new flower assortments, all with patterned flowers, like dots, gingham, and more. Some of the packages have the huge flowers most of us love! I'll post a picture as soon as I can.

A new supply of Timeless Touches stitching templates just arrived at Scrapbook Generation! Templates include Fiber Friend, Corners, Elegance Borders, Classic Alphabet Uppercase, Classic Alphabet Lowercase, Script Alphabet Lowercase, Flourishes, Hearts, Stars, Daisies, 12x12 Circles, and the new Script Alphabet Uppercase.

Yesterday, Scrapbook Generation received a shipment of 17 sports papers from Scrappin' Sports. There are new styles for basketball, softball, baseball, football, volleyball, soccer, and golf!

We did it! It took us just over five hours to get everything sorted, computerized, priced, and displayed, but then we just stood back and said "Wow!"

The largest single order we've received since opening arrived at Scrapbook Generation today, and we have close to every single new item that K & Company came out with this spring. The pictures won't do the products justice, but at least you'll be able to see the magnitude of the assortments.

Here's what is now available:

-- Bailey collection

-- McKenna collection
-- Wedding collection

-- Small Wonders baby girl and baby boy collections

-- School and graduation and sports collection (includes a metal locker album!)

-- Hopscotch Girl collection

-- Hopscotch Boy collection

-- Sparkly Sweet collection

-- Roam travel collection

-- Happy Trails travel collection

-- Girl Scouts collection

Allison had a great turnout for her first Hall of Fame layout series at Scrapbook Generation tonight, with 11 people signed up. The class project is typical Ali-style, with stitching and swirls, yet the focus still remains on the story told by the photos.

I had fun last night taking a class taught by Marti Blattert. We made red, white, and blue star banners to decorate our homes for the Fourth of July. That's always been one of my favorite color combinations. (Don't laugh, but in the early 70s my bedroom in my first home had red, white, and blue shag carpet, and my bedroom furniture was purchased for $75 at an auction and "antiqued" red! I thought I had achieved the ultimate in home decor!)

Anyway, you might consider joining us for a class sometime. We learn new skills, new techniques, and just generally have a good time creating something beautiful.

K & Company is here! Stacey and Karin and I are unloading the 10 boxes as quickly as we can, and we should have the 12 new collections out in a few hours! You won't believe how many beautiful albums, papers, chipboard sets, rub-ons, stickers, and other goodies unless you see them for yourself!

We're in the middle of four sketch sessions today at Scrapbook Generation, and "sketch session Saturday" has quickly become my favorite day of the month. I've got everyone fooled into thinking that I'm creating these sketches for them, but I'm actually doing them for myself! As time goes by, I find myself leaning more and more toward creating my pages using a sketch, and I've never been happier with my scrapbooking -- no stress, just fun. I know that I'm going to have a great-looking page when I finish, and the only "work" is what most of us consider the fun part -- picking out the papers and other goodies.

Today's four sessions are full, with over 40 ladies signed up. The papers I chose to use in my model have been popular today -- every single person so far has used them. The background cardstock is a soft harvest gold, and the three patterned papers are from the rustic-looking Halfway Cafe collection by Cosmo Cricket.

We'll continue to offer a sketch Saturday once a month, and by popular demand, the June and July sketch sessions will be repeated on Thursdays in August and September.