NEW from the American Crafts Family – Part 3 of 3

Today is the third installment of our look into the newest lines from the American Crafts family. All of the following Studio Calico releases have been shown in their entirety on the Studio Calico blog so you’ll want to pop over there to check them out. But before you leave us, take a look at the sneak peek below from American Crafts entitled “Pumpkin Patch” and be sure to visit their blog in the near future for the full reveal.

“Classic Calico Vol. 3″ by Studio Calico (shipping to retailers late-Aug.)

“Classic Calico Vol. 3″ by Studio Calico (ships to retailers late-Aug.)

“Yearbook” by Studio Calico (shipping to retailers in late-Aug.)

“Yearbook” Embellishments by Studio Calico (ships to retailers in late-Aug.)

“Wonderland” by Studio Calico (shipping to retailers in early-Oct.)

“Wonderland” Embellishments by Studio Calico (ships to retailers in early-Oct.)

“Pumpkin Patch” by American Crafts (shipping to retailers late-Aug.)

“Pumpkin Patch” by American Crafts (ships to retailers late-Aug.)

Dance in the glowing autumn afternoons and crisp starry nights of the lively new collection, Pumpkin Patch. Cute critters come out to play with pumpkins, pinecones and foliage amidst the warm textures and colors of Fall — from oranges and yellows to creams and greens.

Kick up autumn memories with Pumpkin Patch’s 12 patterned papers that are perfect for everything from Halloween to raking up those Fall leaves. Plus, find spooky-adorable embellishments that’ll make your heart stop, like Thickers and Remarks Stickers.

NEW from the American Crafts Family – Part 2 of 3

Welcome to the second round of new product sneak peeks from the American Crafts family. They include the “Soho Garden” line by American Crafts, “Acorn Avenue” by Crate Paper and “Seen & Noted” by Pebbles Inc. As mentioned yesterday, please visit the respective manufacturer’s websites and blogs over the next few days for the full reveals.

“Soho Garden” by American Crafts (shipping to retailers in late-Sept.)

“Soho Garden” Embellishments by American Crafts (ships to retailers in late-Sept.)

Urban café meets country flowerbeds in the cheerful new collection by American Crafts, “SoHo Garden.” Teaming with bold, rich colors, “SoHo Garden” is abounding with hand-drawn teacups, florals, feathers, coupled with clean geometric and typeface patterns, combining all the magic of city and country life. “SoHo Garden” features 12 beautiful patterned papers, plus Thickers, die-cut shapes, layered tags, ribbon and more. Joining the fun is a handful of Flower Shoppe blossoms that add unique color and dimension to this joyful collection.

“Acorn Avenue” by Crate Paper (shipping to retailers in late-Sept.)

“Acorn Avenue” Embellishments by Crate Paper (ships to retailers in late-Sept.)

It’s time to dance through fall leaves and head back to school with Crate Paper’s “Acorn Avenue.” Warm, natural tones of greens, browns, oranges, pinks and reds get the kites flying and foliage falling in the crisp autumn sunshine. “Acorn Avenue” includes 12 patterned papers and is brimming with adorable embellishments, including colorful chipboard, alpha stickers, Stand Outs, tape stickers and more.

“Seen & Noted” by Pebbles (shipping to retailers in late-Sept.)

“Seen & Noted” Embellishments by Pebbles (ships to retailers in late-Sept.)

Record the adventures of everyday life in stylish simplicity with “Seen & Noted” by Pebbles. A warm color palette of red, yellow, green, turquoise and gray flourishes with beautifully versatile designs — from polka dots and stripes to speech bubbles and flowers. Uniquely designed paper and embellishments coordinate with new Memorology page protectors to provide a fun and easy way to document the details of your days. The collection includes 12 patterned papers, stickers, envelopes, a date stamp and more. Darling journaling and phrase cards fit in 3×4” and 4×6” slots of the new Memorology page protectors, and a unique mini-album, O Flip!, provides yet another option for recording memories big and small.

Like what you see? Be sure to share with us your thoughts to be entered in the random drawing on Monday, July 16 to receive a sampling of some of the August releases!

NEW from the American Crafts Family – Part 1 of 3

The Craft & Hobby Association trade show begins in Chicago next week and many of the scrapbooking manufacturers have begun their sneak peeks and full reveals of their new lines for Summer 2012.  Over the next week we will be sharing with you some, if not all, of the fourteen new collections the American Crafts family will be offering at the show.  The AC family includes Crate Paper, Pebbles Inc., Studio Calico and of course, American Crafts.  Below are the first two lines of five by American Crafts “Ready Set Go” and “5th and Frolic,” and “Walnut Grove” is the first of three new lines by Pebbles Inc.  To view the full reveals, please visit the respective manufacturer’s websites and blogs over the next few days.

“Ready Set Go” by American Crafts (shipping to retailers in late-Aug.)

“Ready Set Go” Embellishments by American Crafts (ships to retailers in late-Aug.)

Here is a sneak peek of Amy Tan’s newest line, Amy Tangerine “Ready Set Go.” A wide array of warm autumn colors including navy blue, pink, and woodgrain to create a base for unique travel, home, and school icons: from cameras, cars, and houses, to globes, speech bubbles, and an adorable hand-drawn elephant. Along with 24 patterned papers, Amy Tangerine “Ready Set Go” has favorites like Thickers, die-cut shapes, and spriral-bound Daybooks. New to the scene are puffy mini stickers, woodgrain albums and a one-of-a-kind crafting travel kit.

“5th and Frolic” by American Crafts (shipping to retailers in late-Sept.)

“5th and Frolic” Embellishments by American Crafts (ships to retailers in late-Sept.)

Dear Lizzy’s “5th & Frolic” is a charming line that invites you to enjoy the pleasures of home. Crisp blues, pinks, greens, yellows and airy neutrals are accented with hints of gold, creating an irresistible sophisticated sweetness. You will love the unique designs, ranging from houses, keys and clipboards, to birds, trees and foxes. There are 24 papers in this line, plus Daybooks, Thickers and lots of other embellishments.

“Walnut Grove” by Pebbles (shipping to retailers in late-Aug.)

“Walnut Grove” Embellishments by Pebbles (ships to retailers in late-Aug.)

Stroll through fields of prairie flowers and wrap up in the textures of the homestead with “Walnut Grove.” Teal, blue, yellow and pinks, ranging from blush to cranberry, are accented beautifully with black, making the perfect palette for patterns inspired by textiles and nature. “Walnut Grove” features 12 papers, including a wood grain pattern, and perfectly paired embellishments, like corrugated alphas, layered tags, stickers and clothespins.

As a reminder, we will be sharing more sneak peeks from the American Crafts family over the next few days and week. During that time we ask that you share with us your thoughts on these fun new releases and we’ll pick one winner at random on Monday, July 16 to receive a sampling of some of the August releases!

Scrapping Sports Photos

As a mom of three boys, I have no shortage of sports photos to scrapbook.  Unfortunately, scrapping sports photos is my biggest challenge. I’m not sure if it’s because there is a shortage of good sports-related patterned paper and embellishments or if it’s just a tougher subject for me to work with.

Typically I use bright colors when I’m creating sports layouts.  Below is an example of a layout I created using a January 2012 Pagemaps sketch by Becky Fleck and some bright green and white cardstock.  Additionally, I used and older line of patterned paper from American Crafts (Junior) and some embellishment odds and ends from the same line. It’s amazing what you can do with alphabets to accent a layout!  I found just the perfect ones from my stash to finish off this layout.

The next layout is one I created using another sports line by Teresa Collins called Sports Edition II.  I didn’t have any embellishments to match this line so I used a few die cuts and did some fussy cutting of the patterned paper to create my own embellishments.  It’s quite simple for my usual scrapbooking style but I really wanted to accent the photo on this one.

Thanks for letting me share some of my sports layouts with you.  Remember, although there aren’t many sports lines out there, you can still use what you have in your stash to create some fabulous sports layouts to document those special occasions!

Happy Independence Day

On July 4, 1776, the thirteen United States of America made a unaminous declaration of independence.  The second paragraph of this declaration states:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

On this independence day as you pursue happiness with family and friends, please enjoy the life you have and all of the liberty afforded you here in the United States.

Best wishes for a safe and happy holiday.