Cosmo Cricket Early Bird Collection

"If we were meant to pop out of bed, we'd all sleep in toasters."

This funny quote is just the type of humor you see in Cosmo Cricket's products. I love that they design innovative products that make scrapbooking fun! Their newest collection, "Early Bird" is no exception! Here are a few layout ideas:

Lightly trace some chipboard brackets onto the top and bottom of your layout with a pencil. Then poke holes around each one, erase the pencil lines, and hand-stitch with red floss. It can be a little time-consuming, but it is an inexpensive way to add an embellishment. Try it with flowers, hearts, circles, or any other shape!

Trace a shape onto your background paper with a pencil. (I used a die cut paper I had on hand). Then paint around it with acrylic paint and a flat brush. After it has dried, draw a line around it with a black journaling pen to define the edge. It's another inexpensive way to make your page pop!

I love the bright colors of this collection and how everything coordinates so well. Use little bits and pieces and cut them with decorative scissors to create eye-catching borders.

For more great product ideas, visit the Cosmo Cricket blog. They have cards, layouts, and home decor ideas. You are sure to find something you love!

4th Saturday Open Crop

This coming Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. is an open crop at our Rexburg store.

From 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Candi will be on hand to help you learn how to use the Revolution and Cuttlebug Die Cutting Machines. These are fun little tools that are friendly to small cropping spaces. There are many dies available to choose from. Not only will you be able to try out these machines, but you will also be able to take home a free project you will make using the Revolution or Cuttlebug Machines.

If you already know how to use these die cutting machines, come in and see the new location of Porter's great library of dies. They are amazingly organized and easy to locate. Additional work space is available as well.

Hope to see you there!

Scrapbook Class Tomorrow!

Take a look at what we're making in scrapbooking class Thursday night, June 25th. Join us in the Rexburg store from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Whether you are advanced or just beginning, we have something for everyone!

Designed by Kathy Davis

Once a month, Kathy teaches an "All About Me" class. This cheerful page can highlight little-known details about you or document all the many jobs you perform each day. If you're not interested in creating an "All About Me" album right now, then adapt it for another family member. It could be a great page for school portraits or summer fun!

Designed by Stephanie Frisby

The layout for this month's heritage class is a great way to document a branch of your family tree. Learn how to use Glimmer Mist and a mask to create a beautiful silhouette.

Hope to see you there!

Fancy Pants Kraft Kuts Collection is here!!!

We just received this new Kraft Kuts collection by Fancy Pants and it's already flying off the shelf! With lines devoted to boys and girls, there's sure to be something for everyone.

From small boys to big boys, we've got you covered!

Shaped layouts are all the rage, and these die cut papers make that easy to accomplish. Use them alone or attach them to a background paper. They are so fun to work with!

I loved this paper with the numbers printed all over! I sewed in a circle around the #7 to highlight the theme of 7th Grade.

Just because this collection is labeled "Girls", doesn't mean you can't use it for other ideas.

We added some cute punch-out pages to our inventory that complement these collections as well. Place these darling embellishments on pop dots for dimension that really draws your eye.

Don't be afraid to cut some of the busy background papers (such as the owls) into strips. Used sparingly, they add a whimsical look and a splash of color.

These papers make it so easy to complete a layout quickly. Just add a few embellishments and you're done!

For more fabulous design ideas, go the the Fancy Pants Gallery. You are sure to be inspired!

Wedding Collection from Making Memories

June is often thought of as the traditional month to say "I Do." Making Memories recently released this beautiful wedding collection to document that special day. From glittered papers and embellishments to the smallest details (such as decorative pins and brads), these products are not only perfect for the bride, but also prom and family history projects. There's not a lot of color, which makes is so easy to personalize. Click here to view all the goodies!


Here's some layout ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

This layout is very simple, yet elegant. Add a splash of color with your embellishments and let your photo say the rest.

Don't be afraid to alter the die cut papers. Just use part of it or cut it up and re-arrange it.

This lace paper is embossed and absolutely gorgeous! You can also punch out parts of it with a circle punch to use as flower centers or other small embellishments.

Use metallic thread to add a special touch to your layout.

With this elegant product line, you can create beautiful projects that will be classics for years to come!

Card Class Thursday

Card Class
Thursday, June 25th
6:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Rexburg Store

June is the month for weddings, so why not stock up on a few handmade cards for those special occasions? We have used the new "I Do" collection from Making Memories. From the pretty glittered papers to a stamp set says it all, these elegant cards are sure to be treasured.

2nd Saturday Recap

What fun figuring out ways to use non-traditional items on our scrapbooking pages! This was our theme for 2nd Saturday for June. We can learn to be adventurous in our life and on our pages. The one thing to be most careful of when scrapping with non-traditional items is to make sure they are archival safe. If you are unsure if an item is acid-free or not, go ahead and spray it with Archival Mist.

On the above page, little plastic pebbles called Skittles were used in the center of the flowers and in the top left hand corner as accents. Skittles are typically used as a filler in flower vases, but we found they also work great on a layout!

Here micro beads were glued with Tacky Tape to the green strips of paper at the bottom of the page. The beads were placed in a tray. Then the paper was turned upside down and pressed on the beads until all the tape was covered.

This gift bag is so cute! Rather than throwing it away or passing it on, it was cut in half and used as a background paper. Also, the beads spelling "Baby" were on the bag and reused in a different location as part of the title.

A wooden apple was painted and applied to this page as a fun embellishment . It was clipped into place with a large paper clip. It also helped to add dimension to the layout.



Although acrylic paint is often used to stamp with, try using it other ways. On this layout, a white patch was painted to make the alphabet stickers show up better on the busy background.

Look in out-dated dictionaries, encyclopedias, or other old books for your next embellishment. Here, some clip art flowers were printed onto an old phone book page and colored with a chalk ink pad.

A piece of corrugated cardboard makes an interesting photo corner on this layout.

Look around the house for objects that emphasize the theme of your layout. We all get junk mail...there's lots of interesting things there that could be used on a page, like this CD.

Don't have that perfect photo for your layout? Look to clipart or coloring books for an image that could become a cute and unusual focal point.



SHOW & TELL

by MaryAnne Nelson

Here MaryAnne applied the "Think Big" theme from May by using big die-cut letters and journaling about how fast her baby is growing.

We can't wait to see what you share with us next month!

Glue Glider Pro

We just received a shipment of the new Glue Glider Pro adhesive and wanted to share a review of this great product. Whether you are a lover of adhesive dispensers or not, you have to give this one a try!



The Glue Glider Pro is much smaller than a traditional ATG gun, therefore making it more convenient to store or pack it for a crop. It's not heavy or awkward to use. The adhesive glides on smoothly and holds really well, even on chipboard. The adhesive is cut into small segments (1/16") so you can apply a little or a lot. It also rolls around curves easily. When you want to stop rolling, just lift up and it's done...no icky, stringy messes.




Another part we love is how easy it is to refill. There's no need to have an engineering degree to figure out which wheel to thread it onto next. Just slide the entire refill cartridge in and you're ready to go! With 40' of adhesive, you can do lots of scrapping before having to refill again.

The Glue Glider Pro is a great value at only $14.99 for the dispenser + adhesive. We have both permanent and repositionable refills for $8.99.

After trying out the Glue Glider Pro, you just might have a new favorite adhesive!

More New Collections from We R Memory Keepers

As promised, here is a spotlight on more new products from We R Memory Keepers. We absolutely love these collections!

Madame Royale has beautiful soft colors that would be great for any number of projects. This collection includes shaped papers, double-sided patterned papers, flocked lace, dimensional glittered chipboard accents, rub-ons, and darling $1 stamps. Here's a peek to give you a taste of this lovely line:





Kathy Davis designed these beautiful layouts. Don't be afraid to use pieces of the die cut papers as accents on your layout. The elements from the flocked lace can also be cut apart to use individually. (Notice the single flower used to anchor the photo?)




Tiffany's is a vibrant collection with a touch of class. It also has lots of coordinating elements, taking the guesswork out of designing.

Kathy designed this layout using various patterned papers, rub-ons, designer snaps, and a matching journaling block.

Here are a few more ideas we found by browsing on the internet. Enjoy!

Designed by Chris Millar

Designed by Jaimie Emmerton

Designed by Carole Janson