Well, if you can’t wait until then to see this SS goodness in person, check THIS out! Free printables from the “I {Heart} Summer” line! Yep, just click on the link, open up the .pdf file, and print ‘em out on white cardstock for use in your layouts and Project Life albums.

Here are some of them – sorry they’re HUGE:

It don’t get much better than that.

Word.

PS: You can find a bunch of other Simple Stories free printables HERE.

Thank you Simple Stories!

Here’s a layout **from the Simple Stories blog** to tease you:

Isn’t it lovely?

And did you know that Simple Stories has a new marketing director? It’s a name you may recognize from the scrapbooking industry: LAYLE KONCAR. {Pronounced like “Gail” with an “L”}

And she is ~ to quote the name of another SS line ~ AWESOME! I’ve seen her doing great outreach around the scrapbooking interwebs and I’m sure she’s doing more amazing things behind the scenes as well. For instance, check out THIS THREAD on the Two Peas message board. Isn’t that cool?

Speaking of how cool Layle is, look at what she sent me ~ a pre-release box of the new line, “I {Heart} Summer” !!!

THANKS LAYLE and SIMPLE STORIES!!! You rawk. Srsly.

Isn’t that amazing!?!? I was so excited to see this line in person. Believe you me, I unwrapped and fondled every stinkin’ piece, LOL. Let’s just say there was a lot of paper sniffing goin’ on in the hizzy ;)

Recently, I was fittin’ to scrapbook some photos from a weekend we spent at the beach. I wanted to get the photos and journaling in an album while the amazing weekend was still fresh in my mind.

But once I heard this pretty box was on it’s way to me, I put that project on hold sista’! I didn’t think on the surface that this line would be perfect for beach photos. It brought to mind more summer, picnic, BBQ, fishing, and swimming pool pages like these:

***LAYOUTS COURTESY OF SIMPLE STORIES BLOG***

But when I took a closer look at it, I realized how perfect it is for my beach weekend photos. There are images of surfboards, beach umbrella, “Beach” sign, sailboat, anchor, flip flops, clouds, fishies, and lots of distressed, beachy-looking wood. I can’t wait to start scrapping!

So do you {heart} this new Simple Stories line as much as I do? What are your favorite pieces? Do you have any photos in mind to use it with? I would love to hear your project ideas :)

PS: This line ships to vendors the week of 05-20-13. Of course, I would be really honored if you’d order through my MEMORY WORKS SITE. Once it’s in stock, you can find it HERE. Thank *U*

HERE IT IS!

Click on the link and it will take you to a gorgeous color .pdf version of the Spring/Summer 2013 catalog. {Because of all the graphics, it can take a while to load}.

So grab your beverage of choice, get comfy, take your time, and savor all the scrapbooking goodness . . . ahhhhhh . . .

If nothing else, you have to click over and see the the cover – could it BE any cuter? I don’t think so.

In case you’re not familiar with Memory Works, we carry all the popular scrapbooking brands including:

Simple Stories and Sn@p!
In fact, the owners of Memory Works own these two lines as well ;)

If you’re a project lifer or pocket page scrapper like me, you can see the new line of Sn@p 6×8 and 12×12 leather albums and divided protectors with tons of options. Those items are brand new, due for release in late April/early May 2013.

Other brands are Basic Grey, My Minds Eye, Studio Calico, American Crafts/Dear Lizzy and Amy Tan, Lily Bee, Echo Park, and lots more.

MW also carries products like flowers, mists and masks, a washi tape dispenser, the popular WRMK envelope maker, bling, shadow boxes, adhesives, cardstock, and YES wood veneers! {<- my most recent obsession}

My shopping cart already holds the Sn@p 6×8 calendar pages, Carta Bella ‘So Noted’ line, and Echo Park ‘Perfect Summer’.

{I would have said Simple Stories ‘Urban Traveler’ and ‘Vintage Bliss’ but I already own much of those lines, lol!}

I hope you enjoy the new catalog! Please tell me what your favorite items are :) Most of these items are in stock HERE if you’re ready to shop or would like to see bigger photos.

PS: Pssst! If you look at the catalog and see pages 14 and 15, you’re going to get some VERY GOOD NEWS!! Check it, chica!

Nope. No sirreee Bob! Memory Works is awesome in that they add the new products to our websites as soon as they arrive in the warehouse. As of now, there is 1 vendor who is PROMPT sistah! I’m talking about My Minds Eye.

These first lines from CHA-Winter 2013 are now available on my MEMORY WORKS WEBSITE.

There are 6 new lines by MY MINDS EYE – Noteable, Memorable, Remarkable, Unforgettable, Boy Crazy, and My Girl. Here’s just a little taste of each one:

You can see all the new My Minds Eye items HERE. I’m so happy to see we have the ever-popular MME Enamel Dots, like these from “My Girl” and “Boy Crazy.” One of each, please!

Wanna’ see these babies in action? BLADOW!

*LAYOUT IMAGE COURTESY OF JANA EUBANKS ON THE MY MINDS EYE BLOG

These little dots are just perfect for adding accents to layouts. And I’m thinking their both going to look great in my PROJECT LIFE album using the SN@P! line. For Project Life, I’m always on the lookout for embellishments that will add a little texture without too much bulk, and visual interest without being too distracting. These are perfect!

Clee over on Two Peas posted a photo of this amazing mini album she made for a friend using the Simple Stories SN@P! LINE. It wasn’t until she completed it that she noticed the typo on a journaling card:

Man, oh man. That’s not even something you can cover with an embellie or add another letter to fix, can you? I feel so bad for her. She says she’s contacted Simple Stories on their Facebook page to point out the error. It will be interesting to see if they compensate her in any way {hope so}.

Well, even though Simple Stories is my favorite line in the world, and as a MEMORY WORKS consultant, I sell bunches of it … in all fairness, this latest scrapbooking product typo must go into the HALL OF SHAME :( It’s like sending one of my own kids to the principal, LOL.

Have you found any other scrapbooking product typos (not already listed in my other post)? I’m thinking with all the new products coming out from CHA, there might be some fresh stuff, LOL.

I was especially excited (but somewhat apprehensive, honestly) to take this class: “THE ART OF LAYERING” by Nichol Magouirk (scroll down til you find it). I’m a pretty simple scrapper and layering? Yeah, not a talent I naturally posses. When I’ve tried to do layering before, my layout ends up looking like a red hot mess.

I’ve never taken a class by Nichol but I’ve always heard great things about her classes offered at Two Peas. I figured if anyone could teach me layering, Nichol could, LOL! So here is what’s included in the class, along with my random thoughts about it:

- A 38-minute video, which is on the longer side for a True Scrap class.

- Beautiful, long, and detailed handout with color photos, instructions, and supply lists.

- Great techniques Nichol uses to make her amazing layered layouts.

- I learned a great new way to computer journal on stickers (super happy about that one), a cool new way to use border stickers, and about the art of “tucking.”

- She made me want to buy a TINY ATTACHER by Tim Holtz.

- Nichol uses a lot of the embellishments I already have, adding them on to the page in ways I wouldn’t think of on my own – but I’ll be coming back to this video again and again to remind myself how to use what I have.

- As a bonus – because it’s a video – I finally learned how to properly say “Magouirk” . . . hee hee.

I have to say that one technique/layout was a bit too much for me. One attendee in Chat called it Extreme Diecutting. But if you’re into Silhouette, shadows, etc., you will LOVE it.

You know how scrapbook classes are so different, and different things appeal to different scrappers? This is not a class I would normally have taken. I’m a simple scrapper for a reason {well, other than the fact that I have as much design talent in my whole body as people like Nichol have in the tip of her pinky finger} . . . it’s because FOR ME it’s about the photos and journaling.

For others, it’s about making each page a work of art that stretches your talents and gives you a massive creative outlet. I’ll be honest and say that this class would be more geared toward the latter, if you intend to copy Nichol’s layouts or style very closely.

That said, I think it’s worth taking even for simple scrappers like me. I can take her overall concepts and pieces of her ideas to improve my own layouts, relax a little, and have more fun. Oh, and use product! ‘Cuz I’m a scrapbook product hoarder and lawdy knows I need to use up some product (so I can . . . . erm . . . shop some more).

I have mad respect for people who can scrapbook with layers and make layouts that are so gorgeous, I would want to frame them. It’s like a scrapbook isn’t good enough :) So overall, I do recommend you take Nichol’s class, “The Art of Layering.” She is an amazingly talented gal and now I see what all the fuss was about.

As much as I love Nichol now, and her amazing scrapbooking advice and techniques, even she is not going to get me machine stitching on my pages . . . not even with the cutest teal-colored Hello Kitty sewing machine ever! {There is a link to where you can buy one for yourself}.

Gosh, I look back at her layouts on the class handout and I’m just amazed at her talent. What an inspiring scrapbooker! Color me a Nichol Magouirk fan from now on :)

So if I’ve convinced you to take Nichol’s class, you can buy “TRUE SCRAP 4″ individual classes here.

If you have taken or do take Nichol’s class,please leave a comment and let me know what YOU thought about it! I’m sure readers would love all perspectives as they decide whether or not to take this class.

Don’t forget: Buy True Scrap 4 individual classes by 12/25/12 and save $3 per class {$9.95 instead of $12.95}.

Simple Stories: 6×8 Binder – 6 colors
Sn@p! Binder includes:
{8} Sn@p! Pages
{3} Kraft chipboard dividers
{2} 6×8 pocket pages
{2} 4×6 divided pocket pages
{2} 3×4 divided pocket pages
{2} 3×4/4×6 divided pocket pages
{2} 2×8/4×4 divided pocket pages.

Price: $17.00

All the colors are below and with each one, I’ve included a project using that color from the SIMPLE STORIES BLOG “Sn@p!” section. Swoon!

RED Sn@p! binder

. . . and a Couponing book by Liz Qualman.

ORANGE Sn@p! album

. . . and a 2012 album by Kim Holmes

TEAL Sn@p album

. . . and an Instagram album by Rebecca Koppel

PINK Sn@p! album

. . . and a Vacation album by Jill Cornell

BROWN Sn@p! album

GREEN Sn@p! album

I couldn’t find sample projects using the Brown or Green albums so I’ll close with this photo from CHA when the Simple Stories “Sn@p!” line was introduced AKA the day I found the new love of my life <3

I bet you’re in love too. Am I right? If you’d like to see the rest of the FUE-JUS “Sn@p!” line, pics of it all are posted HERE and you can order it HERE.

These albums are going to be hugely popular, especially because of December Daily and Project Life. So if you’re thinking about buying one (or several), I wouldn’t wait. I won’t be surprised if they sell out.

I just ordered RED and TEAL “Sn@p!” albums for myself. The red one I’ll use for my first attempt at December Daily. The teal one I’m not sure yet but the color is so pretty, I’m going to come up with something. I’ll probably scrapbook a trip with it, also using the rest of the Sn@p! line. Those happy colors will be so fun to work with.

Please let me know if you have any questions about “Sn@p!” . . . scrapbookobsession(at)gmail(dot)com!

Not only did my SIMPLE STORIES SN@P ORDER arrive, but tonight the True Scrap 4 event kicks off with an online Pajama Party. TS4 attendees will gather in the web classroom to chat, get to know each other, ask questions, and make sure all the technical stuff works before class starts.

Lain {our fearless leader} also promises a BIG PRIZE tonight! She just sent out a list of all the prizes to be offered throughout the True Scrap 4 event and it’s amazing. Hope I win something!

If you haven’t signed up yet to join us and would like more info on True Scrap 4 – please CLICK HERE. Or if you’re ready to sign up, you can just click on that cute red superhero icon in my right sidebar … over there —>

Hope to see you in class! I’ll be posting class and event reviews here as much as I can. They will mostly be next week though as I have a busy weekend with family stuff. Every spare moment, I’ll either be taking TS4 classes . . . or fondling my Sn@p goodies ;)

One awesome thing about True Scrap 4 is that I’ll have “forever access” to the classes and can easily watch them whenever I have time . . . as many times as I want.

Another cool thing is that, if I’m not totally happy with the event, I can get a full refund if I notify Lain before the last class is over on Saturday. That makes me feel better – that I can get my $$ back if needed.

Except I’m pretty dang sure I’m gonna’ love it <3 Yay!!! Happy Scrappy Weekend!!!

Here’s what I saw when I opened up my lovely box from MEMORY WORKS:

And here is everything spread out on my desk:

I know the photo is so big it’s probably hanging over into the right sidebar. But I don’t care, LOL! I wanted to share a big photo of all this Snap goodness.

If you’d like to see a closer look at anything, please let me know :)

I’m going to use all of this for my Project Life in 2013. Seeing the colors in person has convinced me that it’s perfect and I made the right choice. It’s vibrant but not overly bright, a great mix of everyday colors that I know will look great with all my random photos, receipts, memorabilia, and journaling.

I’ve got a busy day working and full weekend. I can’t wait until I have some “me” time to just sit down and go through every stinkin’ sheet of this. Yummmmmmm!

Yesterday I inquired with Memory Works home office about when we could expect to get the Sn@p 6×8 albums in stock. Since Friday, I’ve had everything from the Sn@p! line EXCEPT the albums available on MY SITE. Here is the response I got, which they passed on from Simple Stories:

{SN@P! BINDER UPDATE}
From Simple Stories –

We wanted to inform our valued customers and retailers that unfortunately, upon our initial shipments we have found some quality issues in a batch of our albums and we are currently working on resolving the issue as soon as possible.

Please know that quality products are our highest priority, as we want only the best product represented for our stores, customers and Simple Stories. We are conducting quality checks on all our albums and once this is done we will resume shipping albums to our retailers.

We know you’re anticipating these new beautiful, colorful binders and we apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause. We appreciate your support for our Simple Stories and SN@P! products – it gives us great pride to help play a role in documenting your important memories. A role we take very seriously – we thank you for your understanding and patience in this matter.

Thank you,
The Simple Stories Team

So it’s disappointing to have to wait longer but I’d rather wait and have a good quality product. It seems like these quality issues are happening in our industry lately – I wonder why?

Well, bummer!

Last Friday when all the other Sn@p! items appeared on my MW site, I went ahead and ordered most of it . . . except the albums and protectors. I have a big box of Sn@p goodness due to arrive today or tomorrow. I’ll post photos when it gets here!!

As for the Sn@p! albums, I don’t mind waiting a bit but I really hope I have at least 1 red one in time to start my first attempt at a DECEMBER DAILY. {{{Fingers crossed!}}} I’m using the Simple Stories “Sn@p!” line (with a WRMK 12×12 album and protectors) for my first recent attempt at Project Life/Project 365. At least I’ll have that stuff well in advance so I can get organized.

To my customers, I’m very sorry for the delay. I hope you’ll come back and order the albums through me when they become available :) Make sure you’re subscribed to my blog for updates. As soon as I have any news on the arrival of the Sn@p albums, I’ll post about it and you’ll get the news right away in your e-mail!

In the meantime . . . get some other Sn@p goodies to tide you over ;)

*Image courtesy of Simple Stories Blog