Product Preview Evening: Bisous. A great night!

Hello friends!
What a great night we had at last nights Bisous Product Preview Evening. With a full turnout, the store was buzzing with activity. I think the evening is best recapped with pics!

(((insert pic of me welcoming and doing the product demo)))
hehehe ok, so I TOOK the rest of these pics. I know someone was flashing a camera at me but not sure who! Weeeeendy??!

We then took our prize draw, Congratulations to Barbara Lowe who one our album of Bisous Papers and complimentary embellishments!

After my wee speel we went straight into the first round of participants making the class page while the second group was able to browse the new product and enjoy some light supper.

Bartender/resident coffee girl Mum (Linda!) and Annemarie

One of the completed pages. This layout was by Michelle, and yes that is her young man in the white fairy dress.
Not forgetting the fab product!

Later today I will post another blog post with the product demo pages and class page for those who weren't able to attend. Thank you to all who attended and made this evening such a great success!

~Kathleen

Special Product Preview Evening - Bisous

You’re invited to our special Product Preview Evening – Bisous!

We have a very special Product Preview evening THIS Wednesday 27th February at 7pm where we launch the stunning and modern Bisous (B-zoo) range here at NZ Scrapbook before general store release on Thursday 28th. You are welcome to join us!

At this fun and relaxed evening event you will receive a glass of bubbly or juice on arrival, enjoy light nibbles, be automatically entered into the draw for our wonderful Bisous door prize, view our product demonstration, EVERY person will receive a FREE Bisous Scrapbook Page Project Kit valued at $29.90 which you can create during the evening, have opportunity for on-the-night only purchase specials, and finally coffee and cake to complete this great evening. ALL for just $10.

There are strictly limited numbers available for this event so phone the store on (09) 912 0665 to reserve your ticket.

Bisous is a very beautiful and modern range of double sided printed cardstock papers and chipboard products that allow you to assemble scrapbook pages very simply and quickly by just adding photos or act as a springboard for more complex pages by cutting and assembling in new and creative ways. The style is fresh, arty and at this Product Preview evening we will demonstrate just how versatile and easy to use this range is.

Hope to see you Wednesday!
Kathleen, Linda and the team at NZ Scrapbook.

The sneak peaks shown in this post are from two of the ranges being released in our store this week. We have FIVE complete ranges (and a few other goodies) available and all of them are as beautiful as these! If you can't make it Wednesday be sure to check out the range when it is available in store Thursday 28th February. :)

Magazine Spotlight: UP2Scrap Summer 08!

Tonight I found myself browsing the latest UP2Scrap Magazine and I thought to myself, I must bring this to your attention! New Zealand's only Scrapbook Magazine really has gone from strength to strength.

Initially it caught my attention more so this month as it features a layout of my young man Oliver scrapped by NZ Scrapbook Design Team Leader and UP2 Scrap Elite Team member Jo Kneller. She really captured his activity - the boy is a boy for sure!

But as I browsed through it really is apparent to the great quality of pages New Zealand scrappers (that's you!) are producing. Not only artistically but also in telling the story and capturing your lives and those of your friends and families on pages so that they are honored and remembered for times to come in a heartfelt and genuine way. What an inspiration!

If you havent checked out this magazine I would well recommend it. We have copies in store and we also have an ordering system so you will never miss a future issue.

Byes for now!
Kathleen

PS: Congrats to Design Team members Jo Kneller and Sarah Groen and noted customers and friends Megan Renfree and Sharon Topliss (I'm sure there were others but I kept getting distracted by the great pages!) for having layouts and artwork published in this issue.

Email Update for 21st Feb - New Product on its way!

Here is the expanded edition of our weekly email, with pics!

Hope you are well! Perhaps you have noticed no email from me during the last two weeks? Well that is because Linda and I have been away sourcing fantastic NEW SEASON product for 2008! Without giving too much away we can tell you that over the next few months there will be more than 35 product release RANGES and of that 17 will be from cutting edge companies BRAND NEW to New Zealand Scrapbook! We can't wait to share with you some of the fun goodies on their way. (oooh blog only sneaky whisper - Bisous, pronounced bee-zoo VERY fun and funky range that can be as simple or as creative as you like will be here soon. We have an awesome product launch evening planned. Will let you know times and dates asap!)

While away expanding our range of products we also attended …

Scrapbooking and paper craft classes on product usage and techniques from our favourite brands including Daisy D’s, Prima (oops did I just let the cat out of the bag about one of new brands coming?!) Provocraft, EK Success and Making Memories. We want to pass on these awesome new techniques to you! Stay tuned for some fab new classes!

Business seminars including a very informative presentation by Beth Mauro, Editor of Scrapbook Retailer Magazine. We aim to consistently improve our systems behind the scenes so we can astound you with pleasant shopping experiences, exciting instore activities and events as well as diverse and extensive product selection.

Motivational success presentations from industry leaders. Personal favourites were Suze Orman who is an Emmy Award-winning television host, six-time New York Times bestselling author, financial columnist to O magazine and America's most recognised expert on personal finance. What an amazing lady! (ok, so not my best photo but hey no biggie - I'm hanging with Suze!)

And Jack Canfield, founder and co-creator of The New York Times number one best-selling Chicken Soup for the Soul book series, success coach and motivational speaker featured in the movie The Secret. (seriously, check out his latest book The Success Principles - it's a great read. Very practical and inspiring)

We feel it is important to us to build all areas of our store, including us gals who work here. From a strong foundation in this family business we can serve you better every day!

What all this means for you, is that you can know and trust NZ Scrapbook is committed to serving you with excellence, providing you with the best selection, the best classes, the best shopping environment – in short, being New Zealand’s number one, one stop, scrapbook and paper crafts retailer and educational provider!



Store news in brief:

Brand new CUTTLEBUG embossing folders and dies are in stock now. There are some absolute beauties, be sure to check them out.

New release CRAFTERS WORKSHOP DOODLING TEMPLATES, including the 12”x12”and 6”x 6” sizes. The littlies are super cute!

(Such a fantastic page - you will be learning from a truly talented scrapbook artist!)
Jo’s Fresh Technique workshop is running this Saturday 23rd February at 11am. She has some seats available so if you are wanting to learn some fun and modern scrapbooking effects then this is a perfect class to come to. This workshop features the gorgeous Basic Grey Two Scoops range and the fussy cutting technique. Workshop fee is $30 including materials. Phone the store on 09 912 0655 for more info and to book your seat.

American Crafts Spring ribbon collection has arrived. Yes I know, all the seasons are backwards for us - in any case these crisp coloured spools at just $3.50 each are a must for every crafter's collection.


Until next time, have a great week and be sure to check our Blog over the coming days. We have BE Competion entries to share, more new product news and other general chit chat! The link is: http://nzscrapbook.blogspot.com/ (hey that's here!)

Bye for now
Kathleen, Linda and the Team at NZ Scrapbook.

Cya!! and check back again soon! ~Kathleen

Quilting Arts & Cloth Paper Scissors - Inspiration!

This little article came through today from Quilting Arts Magazine. For those of us into Paper crafts, insert the word paper instead of fabric and you have some great ideas for getting inspiration for your scrapbooking and paper craft hobbies.

By the way Quilting Arts & Cloth Papers Scissors (both by the same publisher) are awesome sources of inspiration. We have a magazine ordering service so you will never miss a copy. Also we will be stocking the special Studios issue mentioned at the end of the article. Can't wait for that!

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Five Ways to Get Inspired

Have the winter doldrums set in or are you just in a creative rut? Try these techniques for finding inspiration:

Take a class. Check out your local community college, art center, craft store, or adult learning center. Many have one-day workshops where you can learn a new technique or work with a new material, or multi-week classes where you can explore a new medium more fully.

Try a new product. Ever work with Crystalina fibers, Abaca tissue, or garnet gel? Pick one and try it out.

Take a walk. It's not only good for your body, it's good for your creativity. Many people say they get their best ideas while walking or running. While you're out there, pay close attention to the details around you: the line of sand collected at the edge of the sidewalk, the blackened seed pods sticking up through the snow, the pattern of the crisscrossing tree branches, the color of the sky.

Mess up your stash. Even experienced artists get into color or pattern habits. To shake things up, take a sampling of fabrics at random from your stash and toss them on the floor, your bed, or your work table. You may see appealing pattern or color combinations you never would have chosen otherwise.

Get organized. If your creative space is cluttered, make a date to get organized. While you sort through found objects, fabrics, fibers, trims, and buttons, you'll find things you forgot you had and get new inspiration.

For many more tips on making and organizing your creative space, be sure to pre-order our Studios edition now. Available on newsstands April 1*.

*New Zealand date will be later

Art by Leilani Pierson.

Cuttlebug Storage Binder and inserts IN STORE NOW

The much awaited Cuttlebug Storage Binders and inserts are now in store. These storage binders are very stylish as well as being a durable, portable and convenient way to store your dies and embossing folders.

Check them out in store today or on our website at this link

For those of you on pre-order your phone calls and web orders will go out today. And yes, you can pick them up Waitangi Day, Wednesday 6th February 2008 – we are open 9am – 9pm!

Happy die cutting and embossing!
Kathleen

Altered Book Meeting - a hive of activity

Altered arts is something we do a lot at NZ Scrapbook - this covers altered books, stamping, collage, mini books, art quilts, atc's, canvas's - ALL SORTS! For the past 4-5years (I forget!) we have been running an Altered Book Meeting where we get together and share our creative endevours of the last month, any techniques we have been experimenting with and then busy ourselves on our current projects - usually for me that means TALKING! lol. Actually I DID do some art this meeting - some packing tape image transfers. I was too busy taking photos of everyone else and their lovely art I forgot to take some photographic proof of my own!

This is Liz and a collection of her lovely decorated boxes. Note the heart one on lower left - she is ready for Valentines Day.

Lorraine, Adrienne and Cheryl

Paula pretending not to be in the photo. See the lovely compartment box she's working on? Plans for that involve vintage sewing supplies and notions - I can't wait to see how that turns out.

Wendy getting creative with a growth chart and serviettes. Given that it is going to be a horizontal folding book by the time she's finished we joked she will need to eat more pies to get growth width ways!

Diane pictured here is a school teacher. Part of her requirements is to keep a record of the years activities with her students. Not being one to keep an ordinary binder of events, Diane creates her own journals and then creatively cuts photos, images and handwritten notes and scans throughout. By the times she's finished the book is virtually exploding with content. We think that if she ever gets a teacher audit she should fill it with loose sequins, glitter and expanda foam!

The Garden Book above was created by Diane Brewer (another Diane). A few of our members have created or are currently working on one. By the end of our meeting Diane's book had a rope pull closure and plans for some further shading. This one below is being worked on by Cheryl. You can see how she is cutting and gluing piece by piece to create windows into the next page.

They are quite a delight to browse and create with each page feeling like a path through a garden. Somewhat addictive in our meeting I have a feeling we will end up with a whole garden tour!

Donna spent her evening working on a mini-book created from a children's board book. Donna also creates amazing wall mounted torsos among other things!

The books above are by Andrea. Its hard to see in the photo but each letter is made from chipboard and beads have been filled in the recess. A very pretty and creative way to use scrapbook paper to cover notebooks and diaries.

Look at all this wonderful purple! Adrienne's current project is, you guess it - a purple book! She thinks by the end of it she may well be OVER purple.... I dunno, its coming together great. check out the tiny purple jandals on that purple page on the left. So cute!


So thats, our Altered Book meeting for the month. Not forgetting to mention Paulas Daughter and Anne who had super secret B.E entries under wraps, Linda busying downstairs oh and me - I did art I promise! I have witnesses!

Next Altered Book Meeting is March 1st 2008 at 5pm. All welcome, and its FREE!
Just bring something to potter on... or not... we'd love to see you!

Kathleen