WIN your way to Crop&Create Burnaby!!

You have until Sunday night to enter to win a weekend package worth over $200!!

Plus, everyone who enters and attends the event will be entered in the draw to win a kit from The Memory Workshop.


Visit our Facebook page for all the details.

Facebook Giveaway happening now!

Hey there scrappers,

head on over to our Facebook Page and enter to win a kit!  We're giving a May 2012 kit to one lucky Facebook follower.  Maybe it will be YOU!  Entries will be accepted until 7pm PST March 28. We'll announce the winner after that!

 
(includes shipping anywhere in Canada)

Junior scrapbookers

Do you have a junior scrapbooker?

My 13 year old picks up a tape runner once in a while but has never been a diehard scrapbooker. I don't know why she doesn't do it more often...she's pretty good!

These are some pages she made for her BFF's birthday.

My 9 year old is about to start his first album. That should be interesting!!

Crops & Retreats in February and March 2013

Check out our latest newsletter about upcoming events in the Vancouver / Lower Mainland / Fraser Valley.  The Memory Workshop store will be on location with everything you need to complete your projects.  Because scrapbookers like to shop where they crop!

Thank you to Eleah for inviting The Memory Workshop to vend at the Maple Ridge Elementary fundraiser crop on February 2.

Next crop on the calendar is Ranch Park Elementary in Coquitlam.  You can download the registration form here.

Looking for a retreat experience like no other? Check out the Ultimate Scrapbook Retreats.  As long as space is available, Heather will take registrations right up to the last minute.  The most popular dates book up early (sometimes a year in advance) so get your names on the waiting list in case of a cancellation.

When is a Valentine's inspired kit NOT a Valentine's kit?

As you know, here in the Workshop, we like to make kits for you that are versatile, non-themed, and gender-neutral most of the time. In general, some Spring kits are more spring-y and some winter kits are winter-y...you get the picture.  But as a general rule a monthly kit can be used for countless layout ideas, and personalizing a kit project is as simple as changing the title.  And if the Main Kit for a particular month leans toward a specific gender, or references a certain season or holiday, the Bonus Kit will be of a different theme or gender. 

A little industry tidbit that you may or may not know...most of the manufacturers release seasonal themes at the same time.  July is heavy on Halloween and Christmas. January is very summery. And last fall we were inundated with Valentine's, Spring, and Easter inspired collections. And not much else.  It makes it challenging to plan monthly kits with wide appeal (several months in advance), when the choices are so specific!

Which brings us to February 2013. At first glance, the Main Kit paper colour scheme makes you think "Valentine's!!!!" But on closer inspection, you'll see there's barely a heart or cupid in sight. 

Club Members should have received their Sneak Peek emails last night, with a full reveal of the kit and all the stunning addons available.

And in January, we took a kit with a 'snowy' theme and gave you project ideas using spring and summer photos:

We challenge you to "scrap outside the box" and use your kits in ways that aren't obvious! We want you to see the possibilities in paper, not the limitations.

Send us photos of your layouts using kits in a non-traditional way.

Happy Scrapping!

January 2013 Guest Designer

A big thanks to Jennifer Edwardson for her fantastic work as Guest Designer for January!

She squeezed in the Memory Workshop projects in between her design team work for Bella Blvd, American Crafts and Coredinations, just before jetting off to CHA in Anaheim.  Creative, professional and tireless...that's Jenn!

If you're from Vancouver Island or the Lower Mainland, you might have met Jennifer at BC Scrapbooking Crop for Kids or at one of her famous "Use Your Own Products" 20-layout workshops.  Jennifer's store in Parksville, Scrapbookin' Adventures, has been a major sponsor of BC Crop for Kids over the past few years.

Here are some of her designs.  You can see more on her blog, and the complete set of projects on our Facebook Page.

Happy Scrapping!

More than "just scrapbooking"...

I know for some people "its just scrapbooking," and there stretches of  "just a job" time when my days are filled with bookkeeping and paperwork.

But then I get one of Bertha's lovely emails and I'm reminded that for some, scrapbooking is so much more than paper and stickers. If I can delight, educate, comfort, inspire, or amaze just one person at a time, then The Memory Workshop will continue to be my Best Job Ever.


In a recent email Bertha said:

"PS: I was in Italy for one short horrible week: had to come home early because Mom was rushed to hospital: a blessing in disguise as my blood pressure could NOT handle the truly ghastly heat. BUT…..I took some great pictures and have been comforting myself since my return doing a few layouts with your “July” kit. My mom was better almost as soon as I got back: a truly providential “emergency” as my blood pressure is now back to normal. Thanks for being part of my life!"

Summer Kit Club Promo -- Join the fun and save!

It's time for a new Kit Club Membership Promotion!  Our last subscription promotion was so popular, we're doing it again...and this time the deal is even hotter. 

We're calling it the

FANTASTIC FOUR CLUB!

4 months for just $120* (that's a mere $30/kit) and a different freebie or deal each month, August through November.

Click the link for all the info. You won't be disappointed!!

*plus applicable shipping and GST/HST.

Gosh, I love Lain...

Lain Ehman, Voice of Reason in this crazy, complicated, diverse and overwhelming scrapbooking world.

Thank you thank you thank you for bringing us back to scrapping reality, giving us permission to NOT participate in every challenge, program, concept and new gimmick on the market.

Lain will reaffirm that you have permission to do your own thing! And you can adapt any scrapbooking concept to suit your needs and style.  You know how I'm always telling you to "stick it down and move on"? Well Lain does the same thing, but she says it sooooo much better.

Photos + Story + Personal style + Fun.  That's it. Simple.

I'll let her tell you all about it.  Take a few minutes to listen to one of Lain's BEST PODCASTS, from her Layout A Day (LOAD) Challenge Series. I think my blood pressure and scrap-guilt-o-meter both dropped a few points just hearing the sound of her encouraging voice. I'm not joking!

Crop & Create Burnaby June 2&3

The Memory Workshop is so excited to be a part of Crop & Create!  We have Scrapbook & Cards Today Magazine to thank for bringing such a high calibre event to BC.

Want to find out how you can receive a personalized Gift Certificate to use at the event? We included the details in a recent email newsletter, which you can see here.

Come crop & create with some of the best teachers in paper crafting. Join industry experts Vicki Boutin, Kimber McGray, Kelly Goree, Becky Fleck, Caroline Lau from Maya Road, and our own local workshop sensation Jennifer Edwardson for fabulous classes that are full of tips, tricks and techniques for every level.

Are you a Happy Camper?

Hey happy campers!  The latest release from Bo Bunny is called Camp-A-Lot. It's adorable!   I'm building a kit around it right now and wanted to give you a sneak peek of the sneak peek.

If you love getting back to nature, and have the pictures to prove it, then this is the kit for you. 

The full reveal will come out soon, and the kit will be available later this summer. In the meantime, let me know if a camping kit is your thing.  And dont forget to take lots of pictures, so you'll be able to dig into the kit right away!

Introducing "Mini Theme" Kits from Echo Park

Its been a while since a company has released appealing themed kits, so thank you Echo Park!  These kits are priced right too...just $8.50 for 6 sheets of double-sided patterned paper and a sticker sheet. (that would retail for over $10 individually). NICE patterns and themes too. Here are just a few of the 16 themes availble. We just received all of them (except 4th of July) and they're available to order by email before they're added to the website. Club Members, you can request to have yours shipped with your next kit at no extra charge. Check them out in detail on the Echo Park website!