A Sad, Sad State of Affairs

This will more than likely not affect most of you out there, but for the select few that it does, I am the bearer of sad news. Our beloved scrapbooking shop in Grafton, Massachusetts, "A Time For Memories", is closing its doors forever. After eleven years of serving the scrapbooking & papercrafting community, a poor economy has forced the demise of this warm, welcoming & wonderful store. Here is the bulk of the email I received from Lucy & Michelle this week:

"After careful consideration, we have decided that it is time to move on to life's next adventure. What does this mean for you? * If you've dreamed of opening a scrapbooking store, speak with Lucy or Michelle about purchasing our inventory (lock, stock and barrel, as they say). Call before June 28 if you're interested. (508)839-9111 * We still have a busy schedule of classes and crops for you to enjoy...and new goodies are still arriving! Our weekly email updates will continue so you don't miss out on any of the fun...classes weekly through July 26, including two classes with guest teacher Maggie White. We also have another Pizza Crop in June and two in July! If you have a class or crop credit, now is the time to use it! * If you have a Gift Card (or Gift Certificate), use it up! If you gave one as a gift, let the recipient know about our plans. * Beginning June 28, take advantage of a storewide 30% discount off all regularly priced merchandise. Stock up on your "staple" products, treat yourself to items you've been considering... * If you have requested a special order, those items are still coming in unless you are notified otherwise. * We officially close at 5 PM on Sunday, July 31. *  Store fixtures are also for sale. You can purchase them now and pick them up as they empty. Our paper racks, etc are wonderful for organizing your home craft room. Watch your email for more information as we move through this process. We're not big fans of Ebay; and everything must go!

Think of this as "bon voyage" rather than as "goodbye" * This will be an emotional time for us, as well as for our wonderful staff. Our goal is to have fun right up through July 31! Come in for a visit; and join us for Croppin' Drop-in, classes and Pizza Crops (remember to keep reading those weekly email updates for complete information). * We encourage you to continue scrapbooking, making cards, creating collages and decorating your home with wall art, coffee table books, etc. * And we ask that, whenever possible, you purchase your supplies at independent stores rather than online or at chain stores. In all retail realms, independent stores offer variety and character that you just can't get at the chains - whether it's a local grocery, hairdresser, gift shop, restaurant or scrapbooking store - they provide the spice that makes life extra nice! Fondly, Lucy & Michelle"

There you have it. Another casualty of this economy. Those of us who know Lucy & Michelle wish them all the best and will miss them terribly. Thank you for eleven wonderful years, Ladies! "Bon Voyage!"

Tried Something New Lately?

I have! A friend of mine recently showed me a bunch of jewelry she had made. All of it was gorgeous, but a couple of the bracelets really caught me eye. She said they were chain maille. Oooo - right then & there I was determined to learn how to do that! So I took a class, then I looked in books, now I am sharing with you just one of the types of designs you can create with chain maille (jump rings) - it's the Byzantine Knot. You can use this to make a bracelet or necklace, depending on how many jump rings you have and how much time you want to spend! I don't know exactly how many jump rings it took to create the bracelet that I made, but you need a good amount - I think 100 would be a good place to start. So, without further ado, here is how you, too, can make a Byzantine Knot bracelet (or necklace):

1. Start by opening 2 jump rings. Holding both open jump rings together, place four closed jump rings onto the open ones. Close the open jump rings. Your six-ring “chain” should look like this:

2. Wrap a piece of wire or clip a lobster clasp onto one end of your chain (through two rings). This will help keep them out of your way for step three.

 

3. Grasping the chain by the secured end, let the last two rings fall to either side of the middle rings as shown:

4. Next, spread the rings that are now on top to either side. When you do that, the first two rings that you let fall to either side will “pop up” slightly in the middle of the two rings you just spread apart.

5. Use a headpin or a thick needle to go through the two rings in the center of the spread-out ones (this is just so you can keep them together and accessible).

 

6. Your next step will be to thread two more jump rings through both of these now exposed rings.

You’ve completed your first knot! 

Next, attach two more jump rings to the ones you just attached in Step 6.

Repeat steps 3-7 until you’ve reached the length you want.

I found that it feels a lot like sewing – but there’s a lot of opening and closing of jump rings! I hope the instructions & photos are clear enough for you to do this on your own. It really is a beautiful pattern, and you can achieve different looks from different metals and different sized jump rings (I am attempting a bracelet with 4mm jump rings – very difficult!! Yikes!) Please feel free to comment or email me if you have any questions! Have fun with your new project!

It's FREE - Really!

Have you gotten your FREE JPGs from Close To My Heart yet? If not - WHY NOT?!? I just got mine today - I sat down, signed on, uploaded 7 photos of my adorable kitty cat, chose a paper pack, chose a pattern, changed my background paper, added a title and subtitle, chose a color for my pre-placed embellishments, and submitted my order. Fifteen minutes from start to finish. Three minutes after my order was submitted, I received the email letting me know that my JPGs were ready to download. And here it is:

How adorable! Just think how caught up you could get on your scrapbooking at FIFTEEN minutes per layout! As a Studio J Member, you can order just JPGs for $3 a piece (if you'd like), or save 50% on your printed order (with free shipping & Memory Protectors*!)

DON'T MISS this opportunity to try Studio J FOR FREE!! See for yourself just how fast & easy creating layouts can be! Once you have your JPGs, you can print them yourself, or take/send the files to a photo processor. Either way, they are yours forever...FREE! Jump on the Studio J NOW by clicking on this link: "Take Me Away, Studio J!" and enjoy!

(* - Some restrictions may apply.)

Round and Round We Go!

There's just something about circles that's pleasing to the eye. Maybe it's because they are never-ending. Maybe it's because they are more whimsical and energetic that squares or rectangles. Maybe they just remind us of fun things like beach balls and bubbles. Whatever the reason, circles are fun, which is why I chose to make all circle cards at my workshop this month. Each & every design came from Close To My Heart's Card Confidence Program, Wishes. At this point, I will share them with you!

This was the first card we did. We stamped an image from the "Miracle" stamp set in order to create the mini pinwheels. The patterned paper is from the "Miracle" paper pack. ("Way To Go" came from a stamp set that is no longer available.)

This card used the "Mayberry" paper pack along with the "You & Me" stamp set (available THIS MONTH for a very limited time! "Happy Father's Day" came from a stamp set that is no longer available).

I just love the colors in the "Magnifique" paper pack! We used that along with the "Salutation Seals" stamp set to create this cute card. (There is a "Window Charm" over the sentiment circle, making it look glass-like. CTMH no longer sells the Window Charms, but they are readily available at craft stores & scrapbooking stores.)

How pretty is this card?! The background was stamped using the "Universal Backgrounds" stamp set (love it!), the main sentiment square was stamped using the "Thank You" stamp set, and the small circle image is from the "Circle Together" stamp set. The paper is from the "Sweetheart" paper pack.

We had such fun creating our circle cards! Next time you sit down to create a card of your own, think outside the "box", and go round!