Gifts for the co-workers

I'm always a little nervous when I plan to make something for my co-workers for Christmas.  The pace inevitably picks up during the holidays, so I worry that I won't be able to follow through on my idea.  This year, I planned a very doable craft - a mini clipboard with a personalized post it pad.  I did my shopping early for the supplies and even spent Thanksgiving cutting and decorating the "clipboards." After unsuccessfully trying to design a post it from scratch, I selected one of the templates from Vistaprint... When all the components came together, I was quite pleased with the end result!

I snapped this shot of the clipboard on my co-worker's desk, ready to be used. Yay!

Because packaging always matters...
I also included a mechanical pencil as part of the gift.

 Yup, this is how many I made...

This is a custom order for my mom.  She'll be using it as a favor
when she has a Christmas brunch with her friends.

Ahni & Zoe Preview Day

I was so excited to receive my new Ahni & Zoe kit, just in the nick of time before our preview party on December 15.  Loved the new branding on the box, and I couldn't wait to dive into its contents...

 

We had a small group join us to check out the new products, but they were just as enthusiastic about the new line!  We were able to show off the new Fast to Fabulous and Slide-In Albums... We quickly realized that finishing albums would now be a stress free and simple process. Yay!

 

 

I'm looking forward to starting my new journey with Creative Memories in 2014.  My goal is to finish up all my pending projects and complete some new albums.  What will your goal be in 2014 to share your photos and all your beautiful memories?

2014 CD Case Calendars

The calendars are back!  This year's edition comes in two designs: Joy and Sunshine.  Perfect for any office desk or workstation.

calendars are $7 each

Introducing... Ahni & Zoe by Creative Memories

 

The new company is here! Ahni & Zoe ("Beautiful Life") by Creative Memories launched last month, and I'm excited to finally share the details about the fresh, re-branding of my beloved Creative Memories.  The heart of Ahni & Zoe remains celebrating life through sharing photos.  Although streamlined, the new product line provides us with the tools to complete albums - fast and simple. 

inawink | Ahni & Zoe's first app!  Coming soon... This app for iPhone is the first program that will take your pictures from "snap to finish." Inawink allows you to snap, edit, tag, and enhance your photos.  With print plans starting at $8, flagged photos will be printed and shipped to you automatically!  No more uploading and driving to the store to pick up your photos.

Fast2Fab Albums | Available in 11 themes, these 12x12 albums are predesigned, ready to showcase your beautiful photos!  One album can hold 70-75 photos (or more with refills).

Slide-In Albums | Similar to the retired PicFolio line, these 12x12 albums come with either vertical or horizontal pocket pages and can hold up to 144 photos.  Add a slide-in pack to journal and enhance your page.

Magnetic Displays | A 16x16 inch frame provides an elegant base for you to display your photos and memorabilia.  Change the display as often as you like to keep the look of any room fresh and cheerful.

Hope that gives you a peek inside Ahni & Zoe! Pens, tape runner, and photo storage boxes are also available.  Check out the full product line here.  I look forward to sharing more updates with you in 2014 and completing my first Fast2Fab or Slide-In album! 

 

Insta-Instructions

With the popularity of smartphones, Instagram, and collage/picture apps, I thought I would try to incorporate these digital tools into my November workshop instruction sheet.  We always try to prepare a guide for our cards, as many people will pick up kits to complete on their own time.  For each card, I created a "mini collage," which included a picture of the card and a key pointer or two.  I had so much fun creating collages in the "PicCollage," "PicFrame," and "A Beautiful Mess" apps (thanks, Rae!).  Here are my creations... I hope they were helpful for our workshop participants!

 

November Workshop: Pocketful of Fun

"Pocketful of Fun"

Sunday, November 17

Nishida residence in Aiea

Kit Cost: $15

RSVP by Friday, November 15

bring your tape runner

 

Do you feel the Christmas season quickly approaching? I sure do!  But before we switch gears to Christmas, we'll be creating a new set of cards perfect for sharing a thankful sentiment this month.  The theme for this batch is "pockets," as all of the cards incorporate a pocket or an envelope into their design (some even have secret pockets!). Papers used are from the Vintage Chic paper pack.  Here's a sneak peak at some of the cards... Don't worry, I still have some finishing touches to make on a few!

 

 

We'll also be making a "magic envelope card" - it's a card and an envelope all in one!  Hope you see you on Sunday.

Happy Halloween!

Last month, one of our most loyal workshop attendees, Brenda, shared with us this amazing haunted house paper project! She created it at a Ben Franklin workshop, and it took her hours to complete.  I love all the details incorporated into this 3D house, from the chalking around the doorstep/porch to the windows/shutters! And yes, you can remove the top piece, lending itself to a surprise box.  The back of the house also opens up, so you can insert a light source to illuminate it.  So cool!  I love that our monthly workshops can be a time of sharing and a source for new inspriation.  Thank you, Brenda!

 

 

 

Personalized iPhone Cases

One of my last projects that I completed under the "old" Creative Memories was redeeming my iPhone product credits.  I had two available, so I created personalized cases for both me and my mom.  My latest favorite artwork is the Nancy O'Dell "Joy" digital kit, so I was excited to incorporate it on something that I use every day.

I love my new phone case... Thank you, Creative Memories! Well, tomorrow is the big reveal day, as the "new" Creative Memories will launch.  Stay tuned for updates!

October Workshop: Holiday Potpourri

"Holiday Potpourri"

Sunday, October 20

Nishida residence in Aiea

Kit Cost: $15
RSVP by October 15

bring your tape runner

Bliss has once again created another adorable set of cards for us!  Come have some fun creating cards to put you into the holiday spirit.  We'll be working on two sets of four different types of cards.  One set will be an assortment for Christmas while the other is a variety set including Halloween, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, and Mother's Day greetings.  Here's a sneak peak...

Christmas Set

Assorted Set

 

September Workshop: 2014 Calendar

Another month has whizzed by!  This month we did our annual PicFolio calendar refill inserts.  Here are my quick designs for 2014... I didn't have to do much as the Peacock Power Palette (one of CM's last designer papers) was already beautifully designed.  I decided enhance each month with a simple flower theme, and I loved how all the colors came together!

Stay tuned for a version two of the 2014 calendar, as I had to use up all my papers for our workshop attendees, but I will need to make a new set for my mom's PicFolio... Looking forward to tweaking these designs!

Baby Shower Favors

One of my favorite crafting challenges is to create favors to match themed parties or showers.  Last weekend, we celebrated my friend's second child with a baby shower at The Veranda.  Since her baby boy's room has a jungle/animal theme, I tried to capture the same idea in the favors.  I knew I wanted to fill a plastic container with animal crackers and decorate it with ribbon/paper and a cutout using the Cricut.  I decided to keep things simple and go with an "it's a boy" tag...

The previous week I was shopping at Celebrations for the perfect favor container.  Although they didn't have my first choice in stock, they were so extremely helpful in finding an alternate solution for me. I also stopped by Ben Franklin to look for ribbon to match, and I was so delighted to find the perfect design.  Here is the finished result...

 

 

August Workshop: Fancy Folds!

"Fancy Folds"

Sunday, August 18

Nishida residence in Aiea

Kit Cost: $15
RSVP ASAP

bring your tape runner

 

Another hectic month has gone by, so I'm ready for a crafting break!  Bliss has created a unique set of cards that incorporate different folding techniques.  There are five different folds, which we will repeat twice.  One set will use the playful colors of the Enchanted paper pack, while the second set will incorporate the elegant designs of the new Vintage Chic paper pack.  As usual, Bliss' samples look amazing... Hope you can join us!

 

 

 

June Workshop Update

Bliss did such an amazing job on her set of June cards... Thanks to the brilliant colors of the Candy Shop Power Palette, these birthday cards turned out so cute!  It was a fun process to put the layers of the Cricut images together... it's a great way to unwind after a long day at work!

2012 Album Completed

There's nothing like the crunch of a deadline to motivate you sometimes... Earlier this month, I had an impending product credit deadline, as I had to create and order an 8x8 hardcover Storybook by July 6. I worked on my "2012  Year in Review" album for two straight days in order to submit it in time.  To expedite the process, I used the 2012 Click and Fill Predesigned Pages kit.  I selected this kit because it had a calendar incorporated into the layouts.  Here are few highlights from my book...

Cover page - just keep it simple!

 

Using the calendar layout.

I love mixing digital content/kits within an album...
It keeps the pages fresh!

The "click and fill" layouts were so easy to design around.

The last page! 

Although I didn't get to spend as much time as I would like to on an album, I'm just happy that another album project is complete. It was also nice to reminisce about last year's best moments... My year was definitely blessed!

Upcoming Changes for Creative Memories

Here is an excerpt from an email that I sent out last week in regards to upcoming changes for Creative Memories...

It's been an interesting summer for Creative Memories... Some of you may be aware that they recently announced that they have filed for Chapter 11 and propose to redirect the company's focus. The message is that there is a smaller market for traditional scrapbook supplies because people have less time to spend on album making and the market is already quite saturated. CM will revamp their offerings to include products that will encourage quick album completion. We expect to see a completely new product line in the Fall. While I'm excited about this new direction (which I believe will include an "app" of some sort related to photo sharing), there are some implications for the current product line...

Supplies that are currently offered will be sold until the inventory is depleted; many popular items are being sold "while supplies last." If you have albums that you need to finish, please be sure to see if there's anything you'll need to order in July since it won't be available after that. Check your inventories of pages, page protectors, tape runner, etc. to be sure that you have enough to finish any incomplete projects. July 8-31 is the last chance order period for these items. If you are in need of anything, please let me know by next week Monday, July 15 as I'll be placing an order then. Please note that your items may take several weeks to come in as CM is getting swamped with orders right now.

Heads up for digital customers: CM is working hard to find a way for Storybook Creator to be supported in their new world. According to a recent Facebook post, "The new company simply can’t bring digital forward in its current condition. The new company will include digital; it will just be starting with a new foundation." This makes me quite nervous, as I rely heavily on SBC, but I am patiently waiting to see what is revealed in the Fall first. On another note, all purchased product credits must be redeemed by August 21, regardless if you have a later expiration date. Don't waste your credit!

Change is hard, but I look forward to what will be unveiled this fall... Stay tuned for updates.  Thank you for your continued support!

Tribute Album: Celebrating 20 Years of Service

I was honored when Kaimuki Christian Church asked me to consult on an album project for their Senior Pastor. This album would be presented to Pastor Ron and his wife Dee during a surprise program/event to celebrate their 20 years of service at KCC.  To get the congregation involved, each member was given a card to express his/her appreciation for Pastor Ron and Dee.  I designed four different appreciation cards in SBC 4.0.

Although I wasn't in charge of compiling these notes and pictures into the album, I was able to visit with the ladies that were laboring in love to design and assemble the pages. The result was amazing, and I was in awe of how meaningful these finished pages would be for Pastor Ron and Dee...

I was so proud of how the album was progressing...

Pages ready to be assembled.

Yup, there were a lot of cards to sort through.
I was so glad that people responded to this project!

Scrapping in community is always better!

The words written on these cards are the most priceless
part of the album!

 

Although I wasn't present to see Pastor Ron and Dee's face when the album was given to them, watching the album get assembled was rewarding in itself.  I was so happy that I could contribute to such an important gift... This is why I love the world of album making!



June Workshop Kit Preview

Whew!  Where in the world did the month of June go?! You may have noticed that I didn't advertise a workshop day for our June kits.  We actually cancelled the workshop day and decided just to distribute take-home kits.  Here's a peak at the designs that Bliss has been working on for our birthday themed cards...

She did an amazing job blending the bright, vibrant colors of the Candy Shop designer cardstock for these iconic birthday images (created on the Cricut)!  I can't wait to put these cards together...

A Unique Gift

For my Aunty and Uncle's 25th wedding anniversary, my mom wanted to purchase them a bottle of wine and personalize the label around it.  This was another good challenge for Storybook Creator 4.0! We measured the dimensions of the old label on the bottle and set up a customized page in SBC.  After searching around online for some inspiration, we designed this unique "vintage" label, incorporating their name and the year they were married...

We printed it on some cream colored paper and taped it over the old wine label.  Everything blended together so well - it was meant to be! We presented the gift to them last weekend and they loved it.  May this inspire you to create unique gifts for your loved ones!