Almost Open House Time!

It's almost time for our Open House (This Saturday from 10:00-5:30, in case you forgot!) so don't forget to mark it on your calendar and be there! Here's one last sneak peek for you!! Want to know what all of these cards have in common that makes them such a great class?? Stop by on Saturday and you'll see. Here's a hint: {it's not the flowers}

Fall Colors...

Reds and Browns and Oranges and Yellows...

These are the colors of Fall and we love them.

That's why you're going to LOVE our selection of Fall papers and embellishments for layouts and cards. They encompass a rich palate of Autumn colors that will have you reaching for hot cider in no time.

Joy, joy, joy!!

Looking to spread a little JOY this Christmas season? We've got classes for that, too!! From cards to gifts, there's something for everyone, so stop by and take a look!!

Spice it up with new techniques!!

Looking for something to spice up your scrapbooking style? How about a new technique? Classes are always a good way to learn new techniques and use new products in the safety of a classroom! Whether you want to take your paper tearing skills to the next level (we've got a class for that!) or just want to try a new product without investing in it first, we're sure to have a class that's a good fit for you! Stop by on September 8th and see for yourself!

Flowers Galore!

Here's a class you won't want to miss! It's all about flowers, and this is just ONE of the beautiful cards you'll take home. Stop by the Open House on September 8th to see the whole class - you won't believe the glorious cards included in this one!!

Sneak Peek!!

Want to know what common thread binds these three projects together into one fabulous class? Stop by Keepsakes on September 8th to find out!

Sneak Peek... Fall Projects!!!

the crinkle of fallen leaves,

the softness of corduroy,

the smoothness of mulled cider...

We all love the textures of Autumn and there's no shortage of them here! Stop by the store on September 8th and see what projects hold the feel of Fall!

Fall will come...

And you can be sure there will be plenty of fun Fall projects to get you going as the cooler weather (finally!) sets in... In the meantime, stop by the store and ask Sheila to show you the new lines that will soon be hitting the shelves! The catalogs don't do the products justice, I'm sure, but they certainly get your mind thinking of a million ways to use them once they come in!

Open House!

Mark your calendars, because our Fall Open House is just around the corner! Come see the amazing new class offerings, sign up, and meet the designers and teachers! So go ahead, pull out your calendars (be sure to bring them with you, too, so you can sign up for classes!) and save the date!

Saturday, September 8th
10:00 am - 5:30 pm

You won't want to miss it! The Fall class projects will be displayed for the first time, so come be one of the first to get a look! Check back here in the next couple weeks for some sneak peeks - they'll whet your appetite for the projects to come!

Product Review: EK Success Curvy Cutter

EK Success Curvy Cutter
reviewed by Elizabeth Wickland

This is the first circle cutter I have owned, but not the first I have used. I love it! It cuts clean lines and you can easily make 1/4 inch thick rings. It works great with paper, cardstock, vellum, and acetate. You can get oval, circle, or rounded corner square templates. The oval template comes with the ergonomic cutting handle/blade, or you can buy the handle separately, as I did. I don't use ovals often (ever?), so I just got the circle template and handle separately. By the way, if you flip the handle around so it's on the outside of the template, you can do even BIGGER circles than the manufacturers claim.

Pros:

• easy to use
• measures precisely in 1/4" increments
  
• cuts large (>12") and small (2 1/4") circles
• cuts thin rings (down to 1/4" thick)
• cutting blade cuts in either direction (counter- or clock-wise)
  

Cons:

• doesn't cut through chipboard (do any circle cutters?)
• requires a glass mat (sold separately - I used a sheet of glass from an old picture frame)

If you're looking for a circle cutter, I wholeheartedly recommend this one. I've used it for a year now and I still love it as much as the day I bought it.

Book Review: Designing with Details

DESIGNING WITH DETAILS: How the little things make all the difference in your pages

Reviewed by Susan Beth Breuner

Designing With Details published by Autumn Leaves is one of the newest books to hit the shelves of Keepsakes By Design. That “Designing With” team has done it again! This DESIGNING WITH DETAILS book is another must have for your library. It will provide you with hours of eye candy entertainment and years of idea references. Ideas for pages, cards, gifts and home decor! They range from home made embellishments to making the most of your store bought stash. Only two drawbacks to this book: 1. Once you start to look through it you will abandon all other activities – no cooking, no cleaning, no bill paying, no work…Oh, that sounds like vacation, not a drawback; 2. It’s pricy at just under $20, - but definitely a good value considering all the ideas. Pick up this book and you are sure to have fun and improve your repertoire of paper crafting delights.

It's almost time for school again!

It's hard to believe that school is just around the corner again! For some of you, this is a new thing with little ones heading to school for the first time, and for others of you it is old hat. Whether new or old, though, we all want to take those "first day" photos. Have you considered what to do with them? Do you have a box full of them now that your kids are grown? Are those first few weeks of school just too busy to do anything with the photos, so they get forgotten?

If so, here's a tip:
Make a premade album or page that's all ready for your back-to-school photos once they're taken. Do one page for all your kids, or one for each. Make a mini-album with room for a photo of your child and his teacher, the school building or classroom, and some of his friends. By leaving space for a 4x6 photo, all you have to do is print them and stick them onto the project. Stop by Keepsakes and check out the "back-to-school" section for supplies and inspiration and get your project done now so it's ready to go once school starts!

If you've already planned so many activities for the next few weeks that there's no hope for getting a premade page done, no worries! Rumor has it there will be a school-themed mini album class coming this fall! You can bring your photos and make the album in the company of your friends without interruptions!

Be on the lookout for the Fall Newsletter and more information about the Open House and class sign up!

School themed papers, stickers, embellishments, and more!

Tres Jolie

Have you seen the Tres Jolie papers by My Mind's Eye? If not, stop by and give them a peek. With coordinating double sided papers, headers, acetate frames, buttons, ribbons, and alphabets, they make beautiful scrapbook pages simple! Here are a couple pages by Susan Beth using the Tres Jolie line:

.... and we're BACK!

After a long break for the summer, the Keepsakes by Design blog is back!! We're hoping to bring you some new features this fall, as well as keep you up to date on the newest products to hit the store!

We hope you'll check back often for updates and inspiration as we post schedules and projects to get your creative juices flowing. If there's something specific you'd like to see on the blog, let us know! Post a comment and let us know what you think.

In the next few weeks the Design Team projects will be coming into the store, as will new products from the summer CHA releases, so stop by and keep an eye out for new displays and class projects. There will be some awesome Autumn classes you won't want to miss! To see them all and sign up, stay tuned for information on our Open House in early September. You won't want to miss it!