BIG Paper Crafting Weekend, people!

Wowee Kazowee!  What a {HOT} weekend! 

I'm teaching tomorrow at The Collins Group Show, a trade show strictly designed for our independent retailers (Read: to the trade, only).

I'll have the pleasure of working with Kellie McGowan, Customer Service Director at Momenta/Little Yellow Bicycle to introduce some of their {NEW} products.  In addition, we'll be exploring innovative ways to expand into mixed media to enhance our paper crafting projects.

Be sure to be on the lookout at the {NEW} Momenta/LYB products coming to an independent retailer near YOU.

** But that's not all . . .  All the greats are coming to Massachusetts for The Collins Group Show.  While they're here in New England, some of our favorites have planned stops to see US along the way:
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Oh, the #PaperTrail, has set the bar high, my friends.  Eileen Hull kicks off her whirlwind tour TODAY.

• She starts in Connecticut to with her friends Marji Kemper and Amy Bowerman at The Great American Stamp Store, Westport, CT.  
• Following that, she's off to The Collins Group Show on Friday.
• On Saturday March 29th, Eileen Hull and her entourage with be at Absolutely Everything in Topsfield, MA.
• On Tuesday, April 1st, the #PaperTrail heads over for her final stop in New England to see our friends at PaperCraft Clubhouse.

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Karen Burniston "Pops Up" again!  She's partnered with our long-time friend and die-cutting enthusiast, Els Van De Burgt of Elizabeth Craft Designs.  What a dynamic combination.  She's at Kept Creations in Whitman, MA, TODAY, from 6-9pm.

**There are other fantastic paper crafting opportunities that are happening this weekend, too:

Joanne Sharpe has a weekend full of classes at Right at Home Scrapbooking. Oh, goodness, have you seen Joanne's {NEW} book, "The Art of Whimsical Lettering?"  Right at Home offers us the perfect opportunity to glean inspiration directly from the acclaimed artist, herself.

• Friday, March 28th - Decorative Doodling
• Saturday, March 29th - Whimsical Drawing
• Saturday, March 29th - Power Pens and Perfect Pages
• Sunday, March 30th - Artful Alphabet Tag Book & Sampler

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And the online paper crafting powerhouse that is Lain Ehmann is hosting her {FREE} online scrapinar TODAY.  "Ribbons & Lace: From Glam to Grunge with Donna Salazar" can be beamed directly into your home.  And don't we all just love Donna?  **Many thanks to our friends at Paper Camellia Scrapbook Kits for sponsoring this free event**

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For those that want to fully immerse themselves into a full weekend retreat, you can join our friends at Scrapbook Summit, being held in Simsbury, MA.

Wowee Kazowee!  What a {HOT} weekend!  Be sure to schedule some #Cre8time for yourself - let us know what you have planned.  We'd love to hear about it.

Craft On, Laurel

Laurel Lee Pollard, Online Publisher, Promoter

New England Paper Crafts
"Ensuring the inspiring world of paper crafts continues to bloom."

www.NewEnglandPaperCrafts.com

Let's connect!  Find me at:

Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / Instagram

Preparing for My "Life"

Tell me, is there any scrapbooker that isn't currently doing some sort of skew on Becky Higgins® Project Life®?  Beck has certainly created a design phenomenon - and no wonder!

I watched her design debut with American Crafts unfold at the Craft & Hobby Association show last year and I was totally hooked.  Having an active family with two young children, she obviously has the scrapbooking answers I am looking for.  Her product line is:

• Quick
• Easy
• Trendy and
• Clean

Quickly, I bought two different sets of the her Core Kit (one for each child) with extra journaling cards, albums, photo pocket pages of all description.  I love, love, love my Project Life products!  Even the packaging is sleek, stylish and best of all, organized.

I have a wonderful way to use her organizational features found on her website to help you get a jump start on your Project Life layouts:

First: From the "Freebies" tab on her homepage, I printed out the two-page "Project Life Photo Pocket Page Design Reference" on card stock.  I wanted to add it to a dedicated 12 X 12 album, so I overlaid Becky's pocket page onto the printout to use it as a template.

I outlined where the holes needed to be punched.

Viewing the Design Reference side-by-side allowed me to see the whole collection in one glance.  I punched the holes out so I could use them as a "book view."

I added all the different Project Life page layouts I had into a dedicated 12 X 12 Project Life album, each under a separate tab, and added the hole-punched Design Reference sheets to the front, and highlighted the type of layouts I had on hand on the Design Reference.

Next, I considered which photos were absolutely necessary to the layout that I wanted to create.

Laying out my "must have photos" with the design options in view, I could easily begin to see which layout would be most appropriate for my "must have" photos.

I flipped to the back of my album to pick the pocket page layouts I wanted to use.

Lastly, I did a quick check of my layout by using the Project Life pocket page as an overlay to my photos.  I began by adding my "must have" photos first, then I plugged in some additional favorite photos where appropriate.

Once I had a dedicated album of:

• my stacks of different Project Life pocket page layout designs organized and tabbed, 
• and the Project Life Design Reference pages printed and highlighted with the pocket pages I had on hand,

it was smoooooth sailing after that!  Treat yourself by making a Project Life Design Reference book of your own - you'll be smooth sailing, too, before you know it!

Tell me, what's the best way you stay organized with Project Life?

Laurel Lee Pollard, Online Publisher, Promoter

New England Paper Crafts
"Ensuring the inspiring world of paper crafts continues to bloom."

www.NewEnglandPaperCrafts.com

Let's connect!  Find me at:

Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / Instagram