So long....for now....

As I woke up in my hotel room yesterday morning at 6am, my last day to open up the room at our Just Scrappin Weekend had finally arrived.  I had mixed feelings about this day - both excited and happy for a new beginning and sad and nostalgic about the end of an era. 

I am happy to be entering this next chapter of my life without the scrapbooking business and being able to attend events as a scrapbooker myself! 

So, this is not goodbye, but so long for now....you never know what might happen in the future, but for now, concentrating on my day job, my family, and my health an wellness are my priorities and I'm looking forward to it! 

Thank you for all of your love and support over the years.....so long....for now....

Final Classes - Spring 2019

I am excited to share my last 2 page layout class for the upcoming events - Cool Crops -Warwick, Scrapbook New England - Seacrest/Falmouth, Ready Set Crop - Fitchburg, and Just Scrappin - Rocky Hill.  We use Carta Bella's Our House paper line and Distress Oxides.  Cost is $15 per person.

I will also be continuing to teach the Mixed Media 101 class as well at these same events.  Cost is $25 per person and the pictures below are SAMPLES only.  You will make your own; I teach you the techniques!

Hope you will join me at one or both of these classes!

Announcement - The Crop Shop Retirement - June 2019

When I started my scrapbooking business back in 2005, I had just started a new position at my day job that I didn't choose or particularly like.  I needed a creative outlet and something fun to distract me from the not fun job.  That was the year I signed up with I Remember When (IRW).  My time with IRW was magical; I made top sales a few times and was selected as one of twelve of the the 2nd and final year of Founders Keys (lead consultants).  I made some new friends and fun memories.  IRW taught me how to become a scrapbooking vendor and to run my business.  Four years later, Xyron closed IRW's doors, but I had commitments to vend at events on the weekends through year end, so I kept them and decided to see where things went....

Ten years later, I have a fantastic, challenging, but fun day job; I have an amazing craft room and lots of scrapbooking, mixed media, and art journaling friends.  I have a solid steady business.  I also have an almost 2 year old grandson that I want to spend as much time with as possible as well as wanting to spend more time outdoors with my husband as we used to do.  I have the beginnings of a doTERRA essential oil business that I'd like to grow and want to explore my yoga and mediation practices more deeply.  I want to see how I can leverage the connection of mind, body, and spirit in my personal life to help others in my day job.  So, all the reasons I started my scrapbooking business 14 years ago no longer apply.

So, I am announcing here today, that I will be closing The Crop Shop immediately following Just Scrappin's June 2019 weekend in Rocky Hill, CT.  This has not been an easy decision for me to make as this business has been a part of my life for 13+ years, but I feel in my heart that it is the right decision for me right now.  I know some of you will be happy for me for following my priorities and desires and dreams and others may be sad, or even angry and I'm sorry for that.  At the end of the day, I have to do and go where my heart tells me I need to go next.  It has been a fun ride and I am grateful for all the people I have met along the way, some of whom I would call dear friends.

So what does this mean for you?  In the short term, nothing.  I will be vending at all the events on my calendar as planned, however, I will not be ordering any of the new products coming out of the January Creativation trade conference.  All the crop coordinators have been notified, including my Just Scrappin biz partner, Siewleng Hiraldo.  While I am retiring in 2019, she will continue with Just Scrappin into 2020 and beyond.  More to come on that from her down the road.

I still love scrapbooking, art journaling, and mixed media, so you will likely still see me at events (just fewer of them), but as an attendee rather than a vendor.  It has been a pleasure to serve you and I'm looking forward to seeing you at a future event!

Let It Snow! New Winter Layout!

Happy New Year everyone!  Hope 2019 is treating you will so far.

Below are pictures of my latest 2 page layout scrapbooking class!  This, again, is a back to basics class with use of different coordinating patterned papers and chipboard stickers.  The class is $15 per person and I will be teaching it at Scrappetizer, Just Scrappin, and Cool Crops through the end of February.  Hope you will join me!

Birthday Art

I was fortunate enough today to have some time in my craft room to create some art. They are in various stages of completion but I wanted to share anyway.  I hope to spend regular time in it going forward and creating more art to share.

New Fall 2018 Classes!

Summers always go by too fast for me and, this one in particular, has gone by in a flash.  Four business trips for my day job in 8 weeks - 2 to Nashville, 1 to San Diego, and 1 to Philadelphia - it has been a whirlwind!  And, as you might guess, I did manage to pick up a sinus infection from all the travel and, just this week, am on the mend.  I did manage to make it to the San Diego Zoo, one of my bucket list items, which I will be scrapbooking hopefully sometime soon!

But enough about my summer!  Despite all that, I have managed to design and create my new fall classes! 

First up is my new Photoplay Fall Breeze 2 page scrapbooking layout which also uses the Distress Oxides from Tim Holtz!  The class is $15 per person. 

Left page

Right page

I'm also offering a new Mixed Media canvas class on a 9x12 canvas board.  We'll use a mix of tissue, collage, and book paper, distress oxidesinks, embossing powders, paint, stencils, stamps, and a variety of other items to create canvas.  The attached pictures are only examples of what you might create; it's free form, so use your own imagination (with help from me) to create your own!  You'll learn all the techniques and get a chance to play!  Cost is $25 per person, all levels welcome!

EXAMPLE ONLY:  12x12 California Dreamin on stretch canvas

EXAMPLE ONLY:  8x10 Deep Sea Adventures on wood

EXAMPLE ONLY:  6x6 Postal on canvas board

I'll be teaching both classes at Just Scrappin, Cool Crops Glastonbury and Hyannis, Scrappetizer Never Ending Summer Fun and Holiday Madness Crops, Celebrate Memories, Scrapbook New England's Scraptoberfest, and Pugapalooza. 

Hope you can join me for one or both of these classes!

Simple Stories Travel Notes 2 Page Layout

Somehow it seems that Spring will never come, but being on the Cape this weekend, scrapbooking for myself, me and my friend Siewleng Hiraldo had a chance to go down to the beach and enjoy the bright sunshine (even though we were still wearing our winter coats)! 

This weekend has been great to get away to scrapbook for myself and to create this awesome new class for my upcoming crops!

I used Simple Stories Travel Notes line in addition to Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxides, and Distress Glaze!  It's a technique class and 2 page layout wrapped up together in one!

Class fee is $15 per person and I'll be teaching it at Scrapbook New England in Laconia NH, Creative Escape in Peabody MA, our Just Scrappin weekends in June and September, and both Cool Crops Glastonbury weekends in September.  Hope you can join me for one of these classes!