Scrapping On Sundays

Hello everyone

Here is your SOS for this Sunday, July 27th, 2008



Yesterday was our last day of our Christmas in July sale and let me tell you...I think that I may speak for my co-workers as I state that I am glad that it is over...Why?
Because we have made room for new items and we do not have to listen to Christmas music anymore...

Just kidding...

Actually...No I am not.



So this week for classes, we have Michealene's Baby Journal class, Sesil will be teaching Basics and Jen will be teaching Tools of the Trade. Just give us a call to reserve your spot in these classes. Our schedule for August should be up by the end of this week for classes and for crops next month.
This Wednesday, is T-shirt day so make sure you wear your t-shirts when you come and see us.
Make sure you check our website for this week's coupon...it is a good one.

So, I am still recovering from CHA that was last weekend and I must show you my favorite photo from the show...



Yes, here we are, Christina, Susan, Sesil, Melissa, and myself on the last day, tired, hungry, with aching feet and eyes crossed from looking at all of the new items and placing orders for new merchandise.


So what was my favorite at the show? One, I would have to say Maya Road




I also liked October Afternoon, Kaiser, Basic Grey (they have some very pretty lines coming in), Teresa Collins, Creative Cafe, Making Memories, LUXE, Scenic Route, Heidi Swapp, Quickutz debuted the LOVE Machine and also their new alpha dies(too cute)...just to name a few
The show was really overwhelming...as always.

Where are all the photos?...well, I will make sure to show you sneak peaks as they start to arrive at Windy City...or maybe I will not so that you may come in to see for yourself. (SMILE)

Here are just a couple of more photos from the show:

Ali and I after she signed my copy of her newest book...we should have it next month

Ali and Tim (Christina's Crush)


This is your SOS for this Sunday
Have a great week
Al

Tuesday Tip *Creative Café Glitter Glue vs. Ranger Stickles*

Tuesday Tip *Creative Café Glitter Glue vs. Ranger Stickles*

I have had some people ask me about the Creative Café Glitter Glue and the Ranger Stickles. So here is my critique. I used Creative Café Lucky Red and Stickles Candy Cane. I tried to use the same colors in both but I ran out of Stickles Christmas Red. But this will still show the differences between the two products.

With the Creative Café Glitter glue you have to remove the stopper in the bottle before using the glue. Remove the applicator tip and this is what you will see.

Remove the top and replace the applicator tip to the bottle.

Next I placed a thick line of Creative Café Glitter Glue on my white sheet of cardstock.
Next I placed a thick line of Ranger Stickles on my white sheet of cardstock.

I wrote the letter “c” for Creative Café and the letter “s” for Ranger Stickles.
Here you see the final of the two close up to see the detail.


My evaluation between the two:
*Creative Café Glitter Glue is a higher concentration of glitter when the product is fully dried.
*Ranger Stickles has a thinner tip for more detail work.
*Creative Café Glitter Glue dries faster.
*Ranger Stickles have more color options.

So different pros and cons with both. I equally like both of the products.

As a bonus I have added a video taken at CHA. enjoy!

Scrapping On Sundays...

Hello everyone,

Here is your SOS for this Sunday, July 20th, 2008...

I will keep it short as I am VERY TIRED from our CHA week...
We had a great time this past week with everyone who visited the store...our current customers, new ones, visiting ones, instructors, fellow store owners, and just anyone who graced us with their presence...Thank you so much for taking the time to come and see us at Windy City.

So much went on this past week where we will have to recap this week and along with recapping this week, we will be previewing this week too and for many weeks to come
Our Christmas in July Sale continues this week and will end on Saturday, July 26th...make sure to check in as we are adding items daily
We also have a few classes available this week along with our crop on Friday, July 25th
Check out our website at http://www.windycityscrapbooking.com for more details about the Christmas in July Sale, our classes and the crop.

TTFN
Al

We have a winner *LUXE Class*

Our winner is *jendera*. Please call the store today-Thursday or Friday to let us know your information. Congrats! Thanks ladies for all the great tips. See ya next week.

Sesil

And the winner is...

Ranelle!
Thanks SO MUCH everyone for posting! It has been fun to see what you are doing. Don't forget to look at Sesil's post as she is giving away a Luxe class for Saturday night!

I will post some pictures today of some fun things that are going to be coming in the future!
We do have I think 1 spot left for MME's if you are interested call the store on Thursday to sign up!

And don't forget our sale! We keep putting more and more out there!
Thanks again,
Susan

Tuesday Tip *Share your tip*

Okay… I have been in a creative rut lately. But I am getting geared up for CHA and hope to bring you some new and great tips from all the demos that are scheduled. My goal is to attend as many as I can while I am there so I can have a bag full of tips for everyone. So in preparation for CHA I have made my list of all the booths I want to visit so here are a few on my list.

Hero Arts – Technique Tuesday – Ranger Crafts – Fiskars – Creative Imaginations – Maya Road – Teresa Collins – Luxe and Prima.

I would love to know if you have a tip to share with everyone. Each comment that is posted with a tip will be entered to win one spot to attend the LUXE class on Saturday, July 19, 2008 at 7 p.m. The deadline to post your tips here is 5:00 p.m. on Thursday and we will randomly pick a winner. Good luck.

Till next week, Create and have fun.

Sesil

Do you remember this night?

So I was wondering if you remember this time last year when these fine looking men came to Windy City Scrapbooking? If you don't--you missed one heck of an evening! I mean someone got Spencer up on the counter and he was giving away Shopping Spree's!

I wanted to make sure you knew that QuicKutz was coming back to Windy City this Friday, July 18 from 6:30-8:30pm! (I can't promise dancing on the counters, but you never know with these guys! :) We love you Spence--and you too Kyle!

We hope to see you Friday(I am going to let you in on a little secret too!)All QuicKutz will be 25% off with a few exclusions of course(ask at the store--the Revolution, Silhouette and exclusive dies are not included!) And the really big deal--all 2x2 Discontinued Alphabets will be Buy one at regular priced and get the second one for 50% off. Good on in stock merchandise only. Again-certain restrictions apply. Please call the store for more info, or better yet come to our QuicKutz event on Friday night! Sorry-no holds will be accepted!

And speaking of fine looking men, we have just a few spots in our My Mind's Eye class and I would love to give a class away! So tell me what your favorite product and line from MME's is and we will put your name in the drawing and pull a name on Wednesday evening. So PLEASE make sure you check the blog to see if you have won!


So post by Wednesday night at 5 and hopefully you will join us in Welcoming the men from My Mind's Eye!

Thanks and have a creative day!

Susan

Scrappin On Sundays...

Hello everyone...

Here is your SOS for this Sunday, July 13th, 2008

The middle of July is an exciting time for us at Windy City Scrapbooking as we prepare for CHA. Not only are we in anticipation of what the manufacturers are releasing for the rest of the year, but we are also in anticipation of making room for the new...hence, our Christmas in July Sidewalk Sale or as Susan referred to our terrain as being Hardwood. I have not been in the store for a couple of days so I am anxious to get into the store to purchase some items from our Christmas in July Sale. I am looking to pick up a few die cuts from My Mind's Eye as they make perfect accent pieces to any page or project and I am also looking to pick up a few sets of acrylic stamps from Luxe Designs...and speaking of My Mind's Eye and Luxe...did you know that they are teaching classes at our store this week? Along with Teresa Collins and Spencer from Quickutz is visiting us this week too...

This week we not only started our Christmas in July sale (check out our website for more details at http://www.windycityscrapbooking.com/ , but we are kicking off our CHA Celebrity Classes.
We started off today with a class taught by Claire Hampton of Hampton Arts and I heard that everyone was very pleased with learning new techniques and meeting her.
Teresa Collins will be at our store this Wednesday and the class and class kits are sold out but we might be able to work our Windy City magic and may be able to get a kit for you...just call at the store and leave your contact info and we will see what we can do.
K.C. and Jody from My Mind's Eye will be teaching a layout/technique class on Thursday night and this class is only limited to 15 people and we only have a few spots left....they will be using new product that will not be available until way after the show...be the first to get your hands on it and learn from "The Guys from My Mind's Eye"
Spencer, from Quickutz, will be at our store on Friday night and will be bringing a couple of his Quickutz buddies to make Susan blush and maybe show a few new releases...let's see who will be dancing on the counter top that night
The Luxe Ladies, Emily and Jennifer, will be teaching a cool mini album class on Saturday night and there will also be a make and take that night with Luxe as well.
Finally...there is a crop this Friday night, July 18th and Sesil and myself will be working the crop.... there are only a few slots left so stop by or call to RSVP your spot.

Last but not least...I leave you with a few fun photos from today's Claire Hampton's class. I hope that everyone that took the class really had a great time, and by the way...way to go Emily for winning the spot to take the class...I enjoyed meeting you in my Basics class and I hope to see you again.

TTFN
Alraynita

Christmas in July Sidewalk Sale...

Lots of people have been wondering why we have so many great deals going on with our Christmas in July Sidewalk Sale-I will tell you why! We are making room for NEW stuff we will be purchasing this week at the CHA show! I thought I would share a few photos of items that are on sale through July 26th, 2008! And just so you know--we are adding new things everyday to the sale items!

Alphaduets are only $0.10 a letter!

All SCRAPBOOKS are 20% off!

All stamps are 40% off!(yes that includes Fancy Pants, 7Gypsies, Pink Paislee, Luxe, Hamton Arts--you name it, they are 40% off!)

All DIECUTS are 70% off! They are throughout the whole store but I am sure you have fun finding them all!

All Ribbon is 30% off including the American Crafts Spools that are only $0.99!

Select papers throughout the store are $0.25 a sheet of paper! I mean it is only a quarter! Plus all the retired section is 60% off! And ALL Idea Books are 50% off

Check out the link below to see everything that is on sale for our Christmas in July Sidewalk store(okay so it not actually sidewalk but hardwood floors--but come on, it is a great sale!)
http://www.windycityscrapbooking.com/specials.htm

And stay tuned for more information on our classes for this week!

TTFN!
-Susan

And the winner is...

EmmieFoo!

Please call the store today at 773-935-0585 to get signed up for your FREE Claire Hampton class! You are going to have a ball! We know it!And you want to know how we choose the winner? I put all the names in a hat and my son got to be the one to pull out the name! I think we still have a few more spots left if you are interested for Claire's class.

Thanks for playing and stay tuned to the blog for more fun things happening this week!Susan

Blog Candy anyone????

Hello everyone!
Hope this beautiful weather is treating you well!

I just wanted to make sure you all read Sesil's
post from Tuesday! We are giving away a spot in Claire Hampton's class
this Sunday! Please post why you would like to take a class with
Claire. We will be drawing a name on thursday evening at 5:00 pm! So check the blog to see if you are a winner.

I also wanted to let you know that the Windy City Meet Up group is going
to meet this Saturday from 11-5. We are really just having an open crop
for you to come in and meet othercrafters and to get some things done! We will be having a Make & Take starting at 12:00 p.m. so hopefully you can make it for that!

And for those of you waiting for new product--BASICGREY is here! The Euphoria line just came in and it is beautiful! The rub on roller is here as well!

Have a great day and watch for some more blog candy soon!
--Susan

Tuesday Tip *finding the time*

If you are like me I am always exhausted by the end of the day and while I am about to fall asleep (or pass out) I think to myself…if I had more time I would scrapbook.

One way to make time is to schedule it like you would an appointment with the doctor. Take out an hour once a week or more and set that time to scrapbook. Even if you get your pictures organized in that time it will help out your progress.

Attend a crop – this will allow you to have 6 hours of uninterrupted time to scrapbook. In July we have a crop scheduled for the 18th and the 25th. Sign up soon because the spaces have been filling up fast.

Attend a class- we have some great classes scheduled for this month. Like I said last week, this is a great way to learn new techniques and brush up on some old skills that you might not have used in a while.

A time saver for me is to jot down my stories or memories while I am downloading my pictures to my computer. I have a file in my computer with the date and just type my thoughts down. This way I have my journaling already done for my pictures I want to scrapbook.

So take 15 minutes or one hour aside this week and get your photos organized or pull papers and embellishments for the pictures you have to scrap and get a layout or two done. I would love to see some of your layouts.

This week I have some BLOG CANDY!!! Leave a comment with why you would want to take a class by Claire Hampton and you could win a FREE SPOT IN HER CLASS. Post your comment by 5:00 p.m. this Thursday and we will pick a winner. Good luck.
Till next week, Create and have fun.
Sesil

Scrapping On Sundays...

Hope you had a great holiday weekend

Sorry I did not post last Sunday, June 29th but if you look, I did finally post about our "Evening with Ali"...great time and lots of inspiration...

To follow up with Sesil about classes, make sure to call in and RSVP you spot
I am really excited about CHA and about all of our guest instructors/designers coming to teach at the store...
In case you would like more information about the instructors and manufacturers that they represent...here is the run down... Click on links to get a feel for the instructor and their style

Sunday, July 13th with Claire Hampton of Hampton Arts (click on link below)
http://www.hamptonart.com/products/claire/claire_gallery.html

Wednesday, July 16th with Teresa Collins (One of my favorites...I took a class with Teresa when she came with Junkitz, so happy that she has started her own product line)
Class is sold out and tomorrow, Monday, July 7th is the final and last day that we are taking orders for kits only that may either be picked up at the store or shipped
(click on link below)
http://teresacollins.typepad.com/

Thursday, July 17th with K.C. and Jody of My Mind's Eye (Another one of my favorites and a great class for those of you who are looking to do more with your pages...class size is only for 15)
http://www.mymindseye.com/layouts.asp

Friday, July 18th with Spencer from Quickutz (and I heard he may be bring along a few of his buddies...maybe they will make Susan blush even more)
http://quickutz.com/qk2/

Saturday, July 19th with the Ladies Living the Luxe Life : Emily, Jennifer, Pam and Cindie
Those of you who have been in our store know that we carry the FULL LINE of LUXE and this will be a great way to come and learn how to use it in your pages and projects. Emily and Jennifer will by teaching a class and Pam and Cindie will be doing Make and Takes...There new release for Summer CHA is really something
http://blog.luxedesigns.com/livingtheluxelife/

WOW...that is it for CHA and our Celebrity Classes...just a week and half away, so do not delay and get your spot today (SMILE)

Okay...so besides the CHA Celebrity Instructors, there are also Windy City "Star Studded" Instructors and we have classes going on this month too.
Grace is introducing a new class for the summer called Memory Boxes and she also has her Card Club this month.
Michealene is doing her Baby Journal class this month
Angie is doing her Paper Dolls class (great Mommy and Me class)
Sesil, Jen, and myself will be teaching Basics this month
I will be teaching a Beyond the Basics class this month and Jen will be doing a Tools of the Trade class this month

There is a Quickutz QT meeting tomorrow evening and we will be resuming our Windy City Meetup group on Saturday, July 12th from 11-5...you may call the store for more details about both events

Also...starting July 12th is our CHRISTMAS IN JULY INSIDE STORE WIDE SIDEWALK SALE

Here are the details:

It's a sidewalk sale inside the store!
You will find great bargains everywhere you look in the store from July 12th through July 26th, 2008 only.
These bargains include:
Sticker Roll stickers - 70% off
Die cuts - 70% off
Retired Section - 60% off
Idea Books - 50% off
Storage - 40% off
Stamps - 40% off
Ribbon - 30% off
Scrapbooks - 20% off
Select papers $.25 per sheet
Select pens $1
Alphaduets $.10
Art Blanche flat monogram letters $2
Art Blanche chunky monogram letters $3

Also, during the Christmas in July Sidewalk Sale, you can enter to win a free massage from Sauganash Wellness Center or a photo session from Angie - you can enter these raffles once a day during the sale!

Make sure to come in for our SALE as we are making room to bring in new items from SUMMER CHA. I have been seeing a few SNEAK PEEKS and they are yummy.


Make sure to look at our coupons for this month too...
For those of you who took advantage of June's coupons, we will be drawing a name this week and will post the winner of June's montly prize
Also, I did pull a name for the "What are you doing for Father's Day" Blog Candy Post and Sylvia won.


Okay...that is alot to digest
If you have any questions make sure to check out our website
http://windycityscrapbooking.com or give us a call 773-935-0585

TTFN
Alraynita

Tuesday Tip *It takes Class to be great.*

Okay... So my Tuesday tip is a few days late. My tip for today is take a class. We a fortunate enough to have the Craft Hobby Association, otherwise known as CHA, here in Chicago in a couple of weeks. CHA is a show where the retailers place orders on the new releases from the vendors. While the vendors are here for CHA we are fortunate enough to have some of them come down and take time out of their already busy schedule and come teach a class at Windy City Scrapbooking.

There are so many tips and techniques you can learn from all these classes. Just think they are coming straight from the vendor, the brain behind the products. Many of the vendors are releasing many new products at CHA and most stores will not be able to get their hands on the product until 3 months later. But I can tell you, most of these classes you will be able the first customers to see some of the new products. And every class that I have ever taken from a vendor I have always gotten more than what I paid for when I walk out of the class.

I am a hard critic when it comes to taking classes. I like to come out of a class at least learning something new I didn't already know or come out of the class with inspiration for my next project. (Trust me when I say I am a hard critic with classes.) So with this said, let me do a quick run down of the classes that will be here for CHA.

On Sunday, July 13th Clair Hampton of Hampton Arts. I am going to take this class for all the different techniques that can be incorporated into my mini albums and layouts. And to meet Clair...I am a fan. So if you are wanting to learn some great techniques and creative ideas come take this class with me.

Wednesday, July 16 Teresa Collins is teaching a class. This class is sold out but kits are available for purchase. So if you are wanting a kit call and reserve yours today while we can get them.

Thursday, July 17 the guys from My Minds Eye will be doing a two page layout with their new products. Love My Minds Eye...only 15 spots for this class, get in while you can. We will not be able to get the product in the store until after the show.

Friday, July 18 will be Quickutz....enough said. Quickutz!!!!! There will be free demos and make & takes. Come see what the cut is all about. :)

Saturday, July 19 will be LUXE. Okay....love the product line and I love the teachers Emily and Jennifer. They are rock stars with all their projects and creative layouts. Come join me and we will have a blast with LUXE. During this time there will be make and takes from LUXE taught by Pam and Cindie. I love these ladies...come out and see why and meet them for yourself.

Oh my, what a busy week we will have at Windy City Scrapbooking. Sign up now and reserve your space. Like I said before this is a great time to get up close and personal with the vendors. Maybe you could be their next inspiration for their next product line.