February Key Tag Days......Day #2

Wow! What a busy day we had yesterday. Our friends were piling into our store to take advantage of our Key Tag special.

Unfortunately we ran out of our FREE 3 Bugs in a Rug paper packs at about 7:45 last night.

We have decided to order in more packs and we will issue rainchecks for today's customers so that everyone can take advantage of this amazing deal.

This offer is only valid today. All you have to do is show us your TSF Key Tag and spend $30 (before taxes) and you will receive a FREE paper/sticker/diecut pack from the What a Hoot collection from 3 Bugs in a Rug! See this post for all the details.

Friendzy Friday with Patti!

Someone on the forum asked about painting on layouts. I thought this would be a great opportunity to dig out my Making Memories paints and play "Picasso". There is no right way to painting on your layouts. To be honest, I find just going with the flow gives you the best results.

Products used: Cardstock, paint brushes, paint
(mix it up and use regular and foam style brushes, rags - whatever works)

After applying each colour I dragged a rag through it to not only help with the
drying process but also to give it a rough look.

After achieving the paint look I wanted I grabbed out my pattern paper and began
to scrapbook like I normally to do get a finished layout.

You can paint anything really to change the appearance - cardstock, pattern paper,
chipboard, acrylic embellishments, brads.... anything goes! The best part is that there are no rules! You can cover as much or as little of the
cardstock "canvas" as you want!

Have fun!
p.s. please share your creations in the Two Scrapbook Friends Gallery.

Yipee! It's Friday......Our Key Tag Event Starts Today!

If you love scrapbooking then you can't miss this month's Key Tag Days!

Our store is filled with new products and bursting at the seams with inspiration.

If you have a TSF Key Tag.....purchase $30 in products (before taxes) and you will receive a FREE collection of papers/stickers/diecuts from the What a Hoot line from 3 Bugs in a Rug .

If you don't have a TSF Key Tag.....don't worry. They are only $1 and you can pick one up at the store anytime.

February Key Tag Days run today from 10am - 8pm and tomorrow from 10am - 5pm.


Here is a little inspiration from CHA. These photos were taken at the 3 Bugs booth. It is a beautiful collection that includes 9 double-sided pattern papers along with a 6x12 sticker sheet and a 12x12 diecut sheet.



Purchases do not include class or crop fees.

Hope to see you soon!

Canadian Scrapbooker Has Arrived!

The spring issue of Canadian Scrapbooker arrived today! This upbeat magazine is about Canadians, for Canadians, by Canadians! Meet and learn from others across the country who share your passion for scrapbooking.

The third issue of the Canadian Scrapbooker Basics is also available. This is a series of 5 books that are extremely visual and have easy to follow step-by-steps.

Online Crop...Friday February 27th....TSF Forum!

This Friday night we are holding another online crop on our forum!

What is an online crop? Check it out here!

Join us...it's a lot of fun. Sign up now!

There will be prizes, challenges, games and more! The fun begins at 8pm.

All this, and you don't even have to leave your house.

New Arrivals From Dream Street!

We just received our shipment from Dream Street Papers. We have 5 new collections from them. All papers are double sided and they come with matching rub-ons. All of them are in stock and on the shelves.......just in time for our February Key Tag Days.....starting tomorrow morning at 10am!

Let's Make Woolwich Canada's Hockeyville!

As most of you know, I am a huge hockey fan. It doesn't matter who is playing or where, I will become a fan! I am fortunate to have a husband and son to watch every weekend as well as the Kitchener Rangers (when I can get out of the store). This year, we also have something special going on, right in our backyard!

Woolwich has made the top 5 to become Canada's Hockeyville. Hockeyville is a national competition that is looking for the community that best embodies the spirit of hockey and hometown pride. They want to hear the stories about the best hockey memories, a favourite hockey moment or why you are passionate about hockey and your community.

First prize is $100,000 from Kraft to upgrade the hometown arena, a pre-season NHL game hosted at the community arena and a CBC Hockey Night in Canada broadcast from their community.

The top 5 communities are determined by audience votes. Once the top 5 are revealed, voters are re-invited to vote for the grand prize community!

I know what this would mean to my son and our family if this was happening in our community and how excited we would be. We have our dentists office in Elmira and we were amazed at the community involvement. I wanted to do something to help the Woolwich community win the title of Hockeyville Canada.

I am calling on all of my scrapbook friends, asking you to vote, vote, vote! Click on this link to Woolwich Hockeyville and vote! You can vote as many times as you like. Explore the tabs on the website for helpful tips and interesting facts. Even if you are not a hockey fan, it is great reading. Voting opens at 11pm on February 28th and goes until March 4th at midnight. The residents of Woolwich are looking for 5.5 million votes and they need everyone to help.

This would be an amazing experience for this community........to have their very own arena upgraded, have superstar NHL players play in the arena that you play in every weekend and to have CBC do a broadcast from your hometown for millions of viewers to see! Let's help them out.

New Basic Grey Card Kits

Along with our new lines of paper from Basic Grey, we also received all occasion card kits made by Basic Grey that include all the materials required to make 8 cards......including the envelopes.

The first kit is made using the Porcelain line. Soft pinks, browns and greens with elements like birds, butterfly's and leaves make a stunning set of cards to give to the special people in your life.











This set is put together using the Marrakech line. Bold colours and patterns make these cards stand out and you will love the variety.











If you missed our workshop, we still have kits available from the Bittersweet line. These are perfect for anniversary, birthday and any other occasions that you want to express your love for someone.

New Fiskars Border Punches and Twist & Flip Corner Punches!

Our first shipment of the week arrived and it is out on the shelves. We are very excited to have the new twist and flip corner punches. They combine the 2 most common sizes in one convenient punch. They include 1/2 inch and 1/4 inch rounds and to switch between the two sizes, simply lift....twist.....and flip! They are available in the smooth corner or the scalloped corner. Simply amazing!



These border punches have become a scrapbookers 'must have'. They allow you to create continuous decorative borders on almost any paper. They have an alignment guide for easy use, an oversized punch leaver and they come in 6 different designs. We have all 6 in stock! Once you try one, you will want them all!

Key Tag Days.....coming this Friday & Saturday!

It is that time again......our monthly Key Tag Days! With all the new items coming into the store we really wanted to spice things up a little.

I can't leak any of the details about the event, but I can tell you that it is going to be amazing....and it involves Friday, February 27th and Saturday, February 28th....and you have the opportunity to get something for FREE.....and you have to have a Two Scrapbook Friends Key Tag to participate......and you will want to make sure that you come......and that is enough!

If you don't have a key tag, don't worry. You can pick one up anytime for only $1.

Watch your email for all the details later this week. Save the date, clear the calendar, find a sitter for the kids...........see you this weekend!

Kit of the Week

Everyone has someone in their life that they love. This is the perfect layout to show off their photos.

Stitching, die-cut title and unique beaded ribbon are the accents on this double-page layout.

Get it before it is gone!

Blog Contest!!!

This week sometime we will reach 50,000 hits on our blog! That is simply amazing to us. We are so happy that so many people like to come to our blog and read about all the great things that are going on in our store.

One of our newest suppliers (product has not arrived yet) has a wonderful blog. The company is called Jillibean Soup! They have a great blog and the people that 'stalk'it frequently are called 'Beanstalkers'. I love it! We thought that since we have so many stalkers on our blog, we should have a cute name for them too.

Our contest is simple. Come up with a cute, catchy, friendly name for those that stalk our blog frequently and your name will be entered in a draw for some fantastic products. All you have to do is post your comment, including your name and 'stalker name' idea by the end of February. So get your thinking caps on and come up with the cutest blog stalker name you can. We can't wait to see what you come up with.

Not only will you get the pleasure of knowing that you chose our blog stalker lingo, you will also have a great chance to win this amazing collection pack and chipboard album from Scenic Route! You have nothing to lose.

On your mark, get set........GO!

More New Product....Much More On The Way!

It was another very busy weekend at our store. We had a sold out Pizza Crop on Friday night and we had croppers in visiting us all day on Saturday. The store was full of shoppers all day long, snatching up all the great new products that have been arriving.

We are scheduled to receive many new shipments this week (last count was about 8 or 9). Joanne and I will be busy receiving and finding new homes for all our new goodies. Be sure to stop in often to see what is new. I will do my best to keep you updated on the blog as well.

Kaisercraft arrived on Thursday last week. We have 11 new lines of paper from them. Each collection comes with 4 double-sided designs. There is something for everyone in this collection. Here are some images for you to drool over. We have 3 brand new samples up to inspire you!













We also have a new `wall of bling` for all our scrapbook friends that like to add a little glitz to their pages. Even though it is in the back corner of our store, it has been a very busy spot. It is floor to ceiling......bling, pearls, shapes and icons in every colour you will ever need. Next time you are in, be sure to pick some up to add a little sparkle to your projects.

Friendzy Friday with Karan... Scrapbook Sketches!

I love that feeling of achievement when I finally finish a layout. You know that moment – the moment when you can finally step back, admire your work and show it off to your family and friends! But all too often it has taken hours of experimenting, procrastinating and shuffling things around to get to that point. And once you get there, you’re not always sure that you’re happy with it. Sometimes things just don’t seem to gel like you hoped and you can’t figure out why.

That’s why I enjoy working with sketches.

You may ask yourself, "What is a Sketch?"

• Scrapbook sketches are like a blueprint of sorts. They show you at a glance, how to put a spectacular layout together, including the placement of your photos, title and journaling. They show you what elements you need and how to arrange them.
  
  
• With a sketch, you don't have to waste your time trying to figure out a design. The sketch provides the framework and you know your page is going to look sensational before you’ve even started!
  
  
• Sketches are also great for helping to get your mojo flowing when you find you are in a scrappers "rut".

What I like most is that even though they take away the often hard and frustrating part of trying to plan a layout, they still leave you free to experiment and play with colours, patterns and embellishments to make the page your own. Plus, even if someone else uses the exact same sketch as you, your pages will look completely different as your own personal style and flair shines through.

Here is an example of a layout sketch that I designed. It shows the different page elements, photo placements, and suggested title placement.

This is my take on my sketch. As you can see, I even changed it up a bit! :)

This is Patti's take on my sketch! You will notice that even though the basic design elements stayed the same, we ended up with two completely different looking pages.

If you haven't worked with sketches yet, why not give them a try? You may find that you really like the inspiration they provide!

Bazzill Basics - New Products Arrived!

New paper leaves. Great for nature, fall and outdoor layouts as well as cards and other altered projects.







Brand new colours and a 1 3/4 inch size. These flowers will go with lots of different collections that we have in the store. Also available in white.




Three new stitching templates. Boys Will Be Boys, Glamour Girl and 12-inch flourish borders.







These 12 x 12 cardstock sheets have an 'all over' embossed design and are available in 6 different colours and 6 different designs. Each design is also available in white as well.






Decorative edge 12-inch strips. You receive 2 each of 10 different designs. Delicious citrus colours as well as black and white.

Cosmo Cricket-New Releases

We have received 2 new lines from Cosmo Cricket and they are on the shelves. We had a very busy weekend with our CHA Preview Crops and our customers were scooping up this yummy product. We are almost sold out of a few of the elements that go with this line and it has only been in our store for a few days. Karan has made up some beautiful samples to inspire you, so be sure to stop in and check them out.

This is Girl Friday!

The line comes with a 12 x 12 chipboard die-cut sheet, matching ribbon and cardstock stickers.



It comes with 4 rub-on sheets and these element sheets are double sided!


The 6 papers are all double-sided. They are simply irresistable!

The second collection that we received is the Snokel line. I love this line. It is great for tropical destinations, pool, beach, waterpark and more. The colours a vivid and bright. It is fun from the ribbon to the stickers.



Here are the 12 x 12 chipboard die-cuts, matching ribbons and cardstock stickers.



You get lots of rub-ons to choose from (black and colour). The diecut sheets come in journal cards or 12-inch strips.




I love the names of the papers....beach towel, carbonation, umbrellas and current. They just make you want to head somewhere warm.

Kit of the Week

Good morning! I heard on the radio that we were supposed to get more snow today. I thought to myself......no, we don't need anymore snow. Winter has gone on long enough. Then I realized that our kit this week was called 'Snowy Day'.

Sorry ladies, we jinxed it again. On the bright side, this is a great kit. Rolling hills of snow and an over-sized snowman add to the details. We are nearing the end of this wonderful winter season, so be sure to take advantage of it while it is still here. Stop by, call or email to have your kit set aside. You won't be disappointed.

Family Day!

Monday, February 16th is Family Day. Two Scrapbook Friends will be closed and will re-open again on Tuesday with regular hours. We hope you enjoy your day with your family.

My Little Shoebox is Here!!!

There are 6 collections for this company and they all have 3 double-sided papers, a round die-cut paper, chipboard alphabets, sprinkle alpha stickers, mini alpha stickers, a die-cut sheet and a clear transparency sheet.

This is the Enjoy Life line. These papers are great for everyday things. You will love them. Be sure to stop in to see them in person.

French Flea Market & Bellezo From My Minds Eye!

This is Bellezo from My Minds Eye! It comes with a matching die-cut sheet and a collection pack (for those that have to have it all).














Here is French Flea Market. Both of these lines are amazing. There are classes coming up with both of them. They are going to knock your socks off!!

Penny Lane From My Minds Eye ....Get Yours Today!

My Minds Eye is back in our store. This is the new Penny Lane Collection (well, part of it). We just love it. Each series comes with 2 papers and matching embellishments. Karan has dipped into this one already. Be sure to stop in and check out what she has done.











The What a Hoot collection is so yummy. Watch for a class in March using this. You won't be able to resist!

CHA Preview of Basic Grey!

Yesterday we unpacked our first 2 lines of Basic Grey. Wow! Marrakech and Porcelain are here and Joanne will be busy today finding them a home in our store. Karan has been really busy making up samples and she is in again tomorrow to work on these two lines. We can't wait to see what she does. These lines also come with their famous card kits. My mom has taken these home to make up samples and they will be displayed in the store soon. Each kit makes 8 cards and they come with envelopes. They are available in limited quantities, so don't wait too long!

Below is a booth tour from the show. My favourite line is Lime Rickey and I can hardly wait to receive the new bling rub-ons and other embellishments. Enjoy!

CHA Preview for Pink Paislee & Fancy Pants

Today we are going to highlight Pink Paislee and Fancy Pants!

We were so excited to see the four new mini (well not so mini)collections for Pink Paislee. They really changed things up and I think that they also included some of their best embellishments yet. They have not arrived yet, be it won't be too long!



Fancy Pants released amazing lines. On a Whimsy, Delight, Summer Soiree and Kraft Kuts. They didn't stop there.....mixed media albums, clear stamps, chipboard, display frames, kits and more. I can't wait for this one to arrive.

CHA Preview for My Minds Eye and Cosmo Cricket!

Yesterday we received our shipments for My Minds Eye and Cosmo Cricket! They are still in the boxes and we will be working hard to get them unpacked and into the store. Karan is coming in today and Wednesday and she will be busy creating samples! Be sure to stop by and check them out.

Here is a video from the booth of My Minds Eye from CHA!



Here is a video from the booth of Cosmo Cricket from CHA! Some people have way too much fun.

Now In Stock!

Just arrived yesterday! We are now carrying clear calendar number stickers to help you with your calendar making. If you are purchasing our calendar kits and month titles, these will be the finishing touch you need. The sticker sheet includes stickers for all 12 months as well as many extras to mark special days like birthdays, Valentines Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and more.



Decorative edge tearing rulers! These won't last long.



After our video post from Tim Holtz, our scrapbook friends cleaned us out of all our Distress Inks. We have restocked every colour and the re-inkers for our most popular ones will be in stock again soon.



We are also carrying the acrylic paint dabbers! These make adding paint to chipboard a breeze.
No fuss, no mess......great results. Stock up on your favourite colours today!

Kit of the Week & February Calendar Kit

Here is this weeks Kit of the Week. This is a perfect layout for your album to help your children remember and treasure the valentines that they get from school, friends and loved ones.

Not only are there spaces for photos, but there is a cute little pocket in the shape of an envelope to hold all of their favourite valentines.

You don't have to use it for a child. The possibilities are endless. Don't miss out on this kit. It is going to go fast.



We also have our February calendar kit ready to go as well (we have had it since February 1st, but I am just a little late posting it). The 'February' word is also available for purchase for only $1.75.

CHA Preview for My Little Shoebox!

Welcome to CHA Preview week at Two Scrapbook Friends. This Friday and Saturday we are hosting 2 sold out crops where we will be previewing many new lines of products that we purchased at CHA in January.

We can't possibly show everything (we might need a week for that) so we thought that it would be fun to bring a bit of the show to you. All this week we will be showing special highlights on our blog, so be sure to tune in every day.

We are starting with My Little Shoebox because we are receiving this shipment on Tuesday. Karan is coming in on Wednesday to make up some samples for the store. We are very excited about this line because it is new for us. It comes with lots of yummy elements and amazing papers.

Watch this video to see some of what I saw at the show. Helen is the owner of the company and she is the one that did my order. She was wonderful and I think she likes scrapbooking as much as we do.



Let us know what you think!

Friendzy Friday with Carolyn!

A good customer of ours mentioned an ink applicator that she had seen and wondered if we could order it in. Because I love to shop, I told her that it would be our pleasure. It is called the Inksentials ink blending tool. I love it because you don't end up with ink all over your hands.

It is a solid wood tool which is ideal for precise application of ink and other crafting mediums. It create a smooth transition of ink when applied directly to paper, tags, chipboard, diecuts, canvas and more. No more inky fingers!

It comes with foam pads that are held firmly with Velcro. You can purchase extra pads for all your ink colours.

I have tried it and I love it!



We like to ink everything using the Ranger Distress Inks (made by the same company). Here is a video from Tim Holtz. He shows a lot of techniques with the distress inks and the blending tool.

We also just received a shipment with the non-stick mats from Ranger as well as Mini Misters. Be sure to stop into the store and check these out before they are gone!!!

Contest Winner and New Contest on the Forum

While I was away in California I thought it would be fun to run a little contest to promote our brand new forum! I made a secret post on the forum and if you found it you had to email me and post a comment to be entered in the contest.

It was alot of fun and it kept me in touch with my scrapbook friends while I was away. Tonight I randomly chose a winner and it is.....the 16th person to post a comment on the blog.

Here are your random numbers:

16 

Timestamp: 2009-02-04 02:59:48 UTC

Here is the winning post:

Took a few minutes, but I found it too!! Yahoo!! Hope California is warm. Bring back lots of goodies and some sunshine and warmth!!!!!
Lynne G

January 22, 2009 10:51 PM

Congratulations Lynne! Please email the store to make arrangements to collect your prize from CHA!

Now, on to the next contest......we like to keep things spicy around here.

Patti posted the next contest on the forum today. A $20 gift certificate is up for grabs. The winner will have this in time to use it for new goodies from CHA.

Winner from the Online Crop - January 30th!

Last Friday night we ran an online crop through our forum. Karan, Patti and Joanne each put up some challenges and there were also some games. I didn`t spend too much time on the forum, but it sure seemed like they were having fun.

Remember the lovely scrapbook room that we showed on our blog post for the crop....



well, now it looks like this......



I have a little saying that I have posted in my scrapbook room above my desk......it says that creative minds are rarely tidy! That is the truth.

We did offer some prizes for participating in the online crop and Patti announced the winners today on the forum. Check this out and hopefully you can join us for our next online crop that is scheduled for Friday, February 28th. We are already planning and it is going to be lots of fun with more prizes up for grabs.

February Design Team

Early in January our design team was given their package of materials and they all went to work. In this photo it looks like a beautiful arrangement of wonderful products.......

Once the members of our team get their hands on these materials they magically transform into amazing layouts and projects for us to scraplift. We thank them for that!!!

The February featured line of papers is from My Little Yellow Bicycle`s Love Letter collection. We added a few extras and look what happened.......

This is Karan`s double page layout. It is entitled I Love These Guys. The combination of patterns and all the fine details really make this layout stand out!



Here are a couple of single page layouts by Karan



and a beautiful card!



Laura created this single page layout. The large scalloped heart was white when she started, but after she worked her magic with her ink look what transformed. She even did some machine stitching!




I love the way Laura includes so many photos on her layout and how she scalloped the bottom edge of her paper to coordinate with the scalloped die-cut paper.



Michelle used the bingo card to mark a specific date that was significant for this layout.



This layout is just as cute as the puppy in the photos!



This layout was designed by Patti (out Alberta designer) and I love how she used the brads on this layout.



Here is her card and she told me that she is using it this month on Valentine`s Day!



I really love how Patti balances her designs and adds just the right amount of detail.



Here is Patti`s double page. I really love this design. Those Loopy Lou letters are my very favourite. Thanks for introducing them to us Patti!



Aside from having a real talent for scrapbooking, Cheryl has a flair for writing too. I love reading her journaling



In this layout she really personalized her design by adding a picture that her kids had drawn.



Cheryl had never really done card making in the past, but she says that she is really enjoying using up the scraps from her kit . She sure could have fooled me!



We are very lucky to have all of this talent on our design team. Congratulations again ladies. You have done an amazing job. All these layouts and more are now on display in our store, along with the products that they used to create them. Be sure to stop by and check them out in person. You are going to love what you see.

CHA Preview Crop

As you all know, I am back from another shopping spree at CHA in California. It was a very successful trip and we have lots of new products on their way to the store in the next couple of weeks.

Our customers often tell us they wish they could come with me on the trip. We wish we could take you with us, but that is not possible. However we have planned a very special event to bring a little bit of CHA to you. We are hosting a CHA Preview Crop on Friday, February 13th and Saturday February 14th. You can join us for one, or both days for a wonderful crop and a preview of some of the new products that are coming out, before they even hit the stores. You will also have the chance to win some of these goodies to take home with you.

The event will take place over 2 days. You can join us for one or both. The cost is $12 per day and that includes a fabulous 'trade show' style dinner/lunch. You are also guaranteed to go home with some goodies from the new releases. Friday's event runs from 5:30-11pm and Saturday's event runs from 10am - 5pm. Registration is required and although spaces are limited, we have lots of goodies, eye candy, fun, treats and inspiration for you. Different products will be showcased at each event.

Call the store today to reserve your space. You don't want to miss out on all the fun, and of course, the amazing 'trade show' meals. All this for only $12 (you should see what I had to pay, just for my food).

More on the trip to California

Hello everyone! I have posted more highlights from my trip to California. If you are interested you can check them out on my blog.

Kit of the Week

This week's kit is titled Let it Snow! We don't really want it to snow anymore, but it is a great kit. It comes complete with rolling hills, snow covered trees, snowflakes and room for your favourite photos. Don't let the title scare you. Pop in and pick up your kit before they are gone.