Thursday, June 30, 2011

Adding a crop in July...
Because of a scheduling conflict, Tammy Tutterow will not be teaching at SG on Friday and Saturday, July 29-30. Never fear, she'll be back with us the weekend of October 7-8!

Since this leaves us with a free Saturday, we're adding a "no-frills" crop on Saturday, July 30. The fee is $5, and you are responsible for your own snacks and drinks. You are welcome to bring a lunch, go out for lunch, or have something delivered to SG. People attending the crop receive 10% off their purchases. To register for this crop, just call us at 417-886-0440.
New products!
Even with the larger store, it's still impossible to put out all the 70 new paper collections from Scrap-a-Palooza at the same time. This week, we're trying to find spots for about a third of the new groups. We have the seasonal wall all fixed! I'll post more photos as other areas are revamped.

The seasonal wall.
Sweet Summertime by Little Yellow Bicycle (this collection was not at Scrap-a-Palooza)
Splash by Echo Park

Margarita by American Crafts

Happy Camper by Imaginisce and Watercolor Bouquet by K & Company
Check out one of SG's July classes...
BasicGrey "Wander" Layouts "Playdate" class
• Wednesday, July 6; Tuesday, July 12; Friday, July 22
Use a kit to make one 2-page layout and two 1-page layouts; pick your own start time, work at your own pace; models of the layouts 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; $20 (to-go kits available!)



Wednesday, June 29, 2011

'Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker' Day is rapidly approaching...
Now that all the craziness of Scrap-a-Palooza has passed, we're ready to turn our attention to the next fun activity here at SG. Twice a year, we're honored to host Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker World Premiere Day.

The real person behind this fun company is as sweet and adorable as the papers she designs, so it's a pleasure to showcase two of her latest collections here at SG before the rest of the world gets to see them at the Summer CHA in Chicago later in July! We have a full day of activities planned in honor of this Springfield-based company.

We're designing a mini-version of our Super-Saver activities for Saturday, July 9. We'll be using her new "School is Cool" collection to create two double-page layouts, and the bright colors will work for boys or girls. (We'll post photos of the layouts as soon as possible.)

We'll also have several of Nikki's other collections available, and all of her products will be 20% off!

The fee for the mini-Super-Saver activity is $6. Call 417-886-0440 to register and pre-pay for sessions at 10, 12:30, or 2:30. As an added bonus, you'll get two punches on your Studio G Reward Card instead of the regular one punch. (If you would like a kit, the fee is $7.)

Nikki's team will teach several free mini-classes all day long, and we'll have drawings for some great door prizes donated by Nikki Sivils and by Scrapbook Generation. And of course, it wouldn't be a festive day without one of SG's famous snack buffets and our delicious gourmet mini-cupcakes!

Sketch books will be here at SG on Friday!
Don't forget that we are still taking pre-orders for volume 8 of Sketches for Scrapbooking and volume 1 of Sketches for Scrapbooking: One-Page Sketches. If you are local, you can pick your books up starting on Friday, July 1. If we are shipping to you, the books will go out on Tuesday, July 5.




Click here to pre-order both sketch books!

Closed on Fourth of July...
Please don't forget that we have decided to be closed on Monday, July 4. We're going to enjoy the day with our family, and hope you do the same! See you on Tuesday.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Check out the layouts for the July Super-Saver sessions...




Where did June go? It's already time to show you the July Super-Savers!

Here's a look at the three layouts we'll be making Saturday, July 2 in the Super-Saver Scrapbooking sessions at Scrapbook Generation. As always, your cost to make these three layouts at SG is an amazing $9. Give us a call to register and pre-pay. Sessions are held at 10, 12:30 and 2:30. And don't forget that you'll get one punch on your Studio G Reward Card. Don't have a card yet? No problem...we'll make sure you get one!

If you can't attend and would like us to make you a kit, the fee is $10 and is due at the time you request the kit.

Note to Super-Sketch Club members: Yes, materials for these three layouts will be included in your July kit!

Monday, June 27, 2011

Yes, it's true...
Chris, our Palooza partner at Midwest Family Broadcasting, just sent me an email...people are already signing up for the September 10 Scrap-a-Palooza! I'll have to admit that it's my favorite one as far as ordering paper collections. We'll have all the new Halloween, fall, and Christmas groups!

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Scrap-a-Palooza #8: The True Story

Act One:
Many of you know about the Palooza Curse. It began with Scrap-a-Palooza #4 (January 2010) when Stacey and I both had the flu during set-up day and the actual event. Bad timing! Following set-up for Palooza #5, on the way back to SG I was involved in a minor car accident. Paloozas #6 and #7 had been curse-free, but with #8, it was Allison's turn. On Friday, we were about an hour into set-up at Remington's when she got a call that Jackson had a high fever. She immediately went home to take care of him, so luckily Don was able to pitch in and help us get the store set up.

Act Two:
From 5-7 pm Friday evening, we hosted a reception for a group of about 40 members of the Two Peas in a Bucket message board. A few were local and Missouri ladies, but most were from other states, including Texas, Nebraska, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Illinois, Georgia, Minnesota, and Arkansas. Most of what I've dubbed the Traveling Peas had never met each other or even seen photos of each other. Some came in small groups and others were by themselves, ready to make some new friends. Some arrived earlier in the day and cropped in our classroom, and others just rolled into town in time for the reception (after having started on the road at 4 am!). We had some snacks and drinks, and were happy to give these ladies goodie bags, which even included a generous donation from Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker.

Some of the Traveling Peas check out Scrapbook Generation during what we called the Pea-ception.

The Traveling Peas pretty much filled the store. We also had some local shoppers stop by, and they asked if we were always this busy on Friday evenings. We had to laugh and say "we wish!"

When they weren't shopping, the Traveling Peas were able to use the classroom area to get better acquainted with each other.

The largest group came from the Kansas City area. I sat with them at Palooza the next day and had a wonderful time.
Act Three:
Scrap-a-Palooza #8 was another successful collaboration of Chris Louzader and Midwest Family Broadcasting with Scrapbook Generation. Chris and MFB take care of the seating, building, food and the other vendors (there were a record 19 at this event!). We focus on the SG store, big-screen demos, goodie bags, and classes. I'm happy to say that Palooza #8 broke all previous records for us. You shopped, shopped, and then shopped some more. We're so appreciative! Hope you enjoy this photo essay of the day.

When I arrived about 7:15, the line had already started to form...

...and by 8:30 when it was time to open the doors, the line was substantial.

Nikki Sivils and Katrina Hunt teach the first free mini-class to about 50 scrapbookers. Katrina had designed an adorable chipboard crown using Nikki's "We Are Family" collection. The past few Paloozas, Nikki and her team had been responsible for the free classes, and it really helps us out because the day stretches us pretty thin at times!

During a break in the action in the morning, we gathered as many Traveling Peas as we could and took a group photo. We weren't surprised, but these ladies turned out to be equally as nice as their message board posts. It was so nice to meet them and thank them for the complimentary things they say about Allison and SG.


Texas gal Penny Grisham, at left between Stacey and Allison, gets the title of Ringleader of the Traveling Peas! Back in March, she started a "thread" inquiring if any other Peas wanted to make a road trip to Springfield for Scrap-a-Palooza and to visit SG. The thread has continued to be on the front burner for three months (it has over 6,000 views), and eventually about 40 Peas made the trip. It's been so much fun to read about how excited they all were to be heading our way! Made us nervous about living up to their expectations!

Allison did three big-screen demos during the day, plus taught a free layout class on the big-screen. During the first demo, for the first time ever, there were some technical problems which would probably have sent me running, but Ali kept right on going. We have her day pretty much booked solid, but she was able to run home a couple of times and check on Jackson, who still had a fever. As a mom, I know it was a difficult day for her to have to be away from him when he was sick.


Following the demos, Allison is happy to help with any questions people have.

Packed house is the best way to describe Allison's paid Palooza classes. (Several people have inquired about kits for the three classes, and we are going to be able to sell them as kits. I'll tell more about that in another post.)



This is just a small portion of the nearly 70 new paper collections that we had available for shoppers at Scrap-a-Palooza.

The Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker free classes were popular places to be. The second project was just as cute as the first!



One of the most popular sellers at Palooza #8 was the Sew Easy assortment of tools by We R Memory Keepers. Since we sold out so quickly at Palooza #7 and I had a terrible time getting them back in stock, we now have a huge amount that will be out at SG as soon as possible: the basic tool, all the original rollers, the new wider design rollers, the needles, and all the new threads. We quickly sold out of the cute new cases, but I'll order more!

The third of the free classes continued to be a crowd pleaser!

I have tremendous admiration for what Stacey does at Palooza. She is on her feet at the register for about 14 hours straight, rarely takes a break, and manages to keep the whole store area running smoothly, despite the huge amount of shoppers.

Karin takes a photo for a group of Palooza gals. Karin gets double-duty on Palooza day, because someone has to run SG all day, and she gets elected. After the store closes at 5, she comes back to Remingtons and helps out where she can.

Karin and I at Scrap-a-Palooza #8.

Verna Burge, Kimberly Knapton, Emily Stovall, and Christa Allgood get my Most Stylishly Dressed At Palooza Award! Love their matching aprons! Emily drives up from Georgia from time to time to visit Christa. Verna, Kimberly, and Christa are local gals who have become fast friends after attending the same Saturday sketch sessions with each other at SG. It's been heartwarming to see them go from being total strangers to being good friends. (The other member of this newly formed group is Janus Hicklin, a Saturday morning regular!)

Locals Jana, Karin, Katrina, Debbie, and Allison join some of the Traveling Peas, including the gals at the table, trip organizer Penny and Lynette, who traveled all the way from Minnesota to meet up with the other Peas and attend Palooza.

Natalie's first place winning layout in the single-page layout category.

Cherrie's first place winning layout in the double-page layout category.

Amy's first place layout in the sketch layout category.

The SG team: Allison, Stacey, Karin, me, Jeremy, and Don. This has become such a big event that we just can't handle it without Jeremy and Don. There are so many boxes to load and unload, so many racks to assemble, and so many customers to tease and harass! It's scary that they have become so knowledgeable about scrapbooking supplies, and we love them for it!
Act Four:
We need to thank two groups: our local, loyal customers, and the Traveling Peas! The local and area scrapbookers are with us on a daily basis, shopping at our store, participating in our activities, and recommending us to their friends.

The Traveling Peas (and other Peas who didn't live close enough to travel to Springfield) are also our customers. They subscribe to our kits, buy our sketch books, and sing our praises to anyone who ventures onto their message board.

In today's economy, it's a challenge to be a retail business, especially one that doesn't sell necessities. We are so fortunate to have both groups supporting our products and activities. We can never say "thank you" enough. So "thank you" from the SG team...give us a week or two, and we'll be ready to start on Scrap-a-Palooza #9!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Super Sketch Club
After an unavoidable delay that involved switching to another carrier, then switching back to the original carrier for a variety of reasons, the Super Sketch Club shipped today. Apologies for getting your hopes up that it was going to be earlier this week!
Scrap-a-Palooza classes update
I thought I should let you know that Allison's three classes are filling more quickly than usual. Two of the classes only have about five spots left and the other has less than 10. If you definitely want to take one of them, I'd advise not waiting to sign up at the event this time. Just give us a call at 417-886-0440 to sign up.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Scrap-a-Palooza update...
If you haven't signed up yet, there's still time! We have about 30 spots left, and hope you can join us. To register with STAR 92.9, just click here.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

"Catch a Wave" class at Scrap-a-Palooza...


"Fourth of July Celebration" class at Scrap-a-Palooza


The layouts above are both classes that will be taught by Allison Davis at Scrap-a-Palooza on Saturday, June 25. Fee for each class is $15. Spots are limited, so please call 417-886-0440 to register. Any remaining spots will be available for purchase at the event, where the actual layouts will be on display first thing in the morning.

Monday, June 20, 2011

'Fun for All' Scrap-a-Palooza class with Allison Davis...


This is the "Fun for All" layout that Allison will be teaching at Scrap-a-Palooza on Saturday, June 25. To register, call us at 417-886-0440. If there are any remaining spots, you can also sign up at the event. The fee is $15.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Info about upcoming activities and more...
Scrap-a-Palooza paid classes:
Each of the three paid classes by Allison Davis is priced at $15. The classes are "Fourth of July Celebration" using the BoBunny "Liberty" collection, "Catch a Wave" using the BoBunny "Barefoot and Bliss" collection, and "Fun for All" using the KaiserCraft "Party Animals" collection. Each class is limited to 25 people, and you can sign up now by calling 417-886-0440. The layouts will be on display first thing in the morning at Scrap-a-Palooza, and sign-up for any remaining spots will take place then.

Allison Davis sketch layout sessions on Saturday, June 18:
We still have room in the 10 am and 2:30 pm sessions to make the layout shown in an earlier post. Your cost to make the layout here at SG will only be about $3 after the 20% discount you receive in honor of the anniversary of our sketch classes.

Pre-Palooza 'Pea-ception' Friday, June 24:
Don't forget our first-ever Friday evening reception with light snacks and goodie bags for members of the Two Peas in a Bucket message board who are attending Scrap-a-Palooza on Saturday, June 25. Join us from 5-7 here at SG. You must pre-register with debbie@scrapbookgeneration.com or by calling 417-886-0440 so that we know how many goodie bags to prepare. Please provide your  name and location. The five "Peas" who have traveled the longest distance to attend Scrap-a-Palooza will each get gift baskets valued at $50!

Scrap-a-Palooza, Saturday, June 25:
Don't forget that the most fun, most price-friendly (only $49) mega-crop on the planet will be held Saturday, June 25 at Remington's. Registration is still open, and we hope you can join us! Register with Midwest Family Broadcasting by clicking here.

Fall retreats:
Registration continues for Scrapbook Generation's two fall retreats, the weekends of October 21-23 and October 28-30. Both are already over half-full, so make plans to join us while there is still time to choose the weekend you prefer. Just call 417-886-0440 to register and pay your $50 non-refundable deposit.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

New! 
Pre-order our two latest sketch books now!
SG has two new sketch books for you, and they can be pre-ordered starting today.

• Sketches for Scrapbooking, volume 8
Thirty new double-page layout sketches by Debbie Sanders and Allison Davis

• Sketches for Scrapbooking, One-Page Layouts, volume 1
Thirty new single-page layout sketches by Allison Davis

Each book is priced at $15.99. If you pre-order now, your order will ship on July 5.
(Shipping is only $2.99 regardless of how many sketch books you order!)

Click here to pre-order the two newest Sketches for Scrapbooking books!
Allison Davis sketch layout for Saturday...


We'll be making the layout above in the Allison Davis 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 18. 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!

Monday, June 13, 2011

June 25 Scrap-a-Palooza schedule
8:30 am
Doors officially open! 
10:30 am
• Free Mini-Class: “We Are Family” crown chipboard accent/cover by the Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker team of Nikki Sivils and Katrina Hunt 
11 am
Scrapbook Generation treasure chest drawing #1
Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker door prize
11:30 am
• Free Big-Screen Demo: “Sew Easy Stitching” with Allison Davis

Noon -- Lunch

1 pm
• Free Big-Screen Layout Class for Everyone: “Fanciful Flowers”
with Allison Davis (Materials donated by American Crafts!)
Scrapbook Generation treasure chest drawing #2
 1:30 pm
• Paid Class: “Fourth of July Celebration” layout with Allison Davis
3:30 pm
• Free Big-Screen Demo: “Banner-mania” with Allison Davis
Scrapbook Generation treasure chest drawing #3
4 pm
• Free Mini-Class: “It’s Raining, It’s Pouring” card by Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker team
4:30 pm
Paid Class: “Catch a Wave” layout with Allison Davis

6 pm -- Dinner

7 pm
• Free Big-Screen Demo: “Super Sketches” with Allison Davis
Scrapbook Generation treasure chest drawing #4
7:30 pm
• Paid Class: “Fun for All” layout with Allison Davis
8 pm
• Free Mini-Class: “Summer Fun” journaling/noteholder by the Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker team  
8:30 pm
• Deadline to turn in entries for Scrapbook Generation sketch layout contest and page layout contest
9 pm
• Layout contest winners announced, prizes awarded

Please join us for all the fun! To register, click here.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

We promised confetti!


Time to celebrate! The Two Peas in a Bucket message board thread started in March about Scrapbook Generation's Super Sketch Club kit has reached 1,000 comments, and an unbelievable 25,680 views. While the thread started off talking about the SSC, the Peas have also had fun chatting about our Sketches For Scrapbooking books, Karin's phone skills, SG's customer service, Scrap-a-Palooza, and all things Allison Davis!

Because of this thread (and other similar ones on the Willow Traders forum and on the Creating Keepsakes forum), the SSC has had almost unbelievable growth the past few months. We can't thank everyone enough for the business they have sent our way because of the heartfelt comments about our products and our customer service. (I guess now is not the time to reveal that I somehow shipped an empty box to a new club member while Stacey and Ali were on vacation last week!)

We've always thought we were so fortunate to have the most awesome, friendly, and caring customers here in Springfield and the surrounding area. Now we're happy to add many, many new long-distance friends to that mix. Thanks so much to all of you, both near and far, for supporting the SG gals, our products, and our activities!

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Starting to feel like home...



It's only taken six months, but we've finally got the rest of the exterior signage in place. Who knew it would take that long to do a simple red strip! Although we've changed our logo and colors since the move to the larger building, we wanted to be a little nostalgic and re-install the identical red strips as a nod to our beginnings in 2004. It's starting to feel like home!

Next project? All of our interior wall graphics!
 
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