Thursday, February 28, 2008

More and more new stuff...

Let's see... what came today?
Hmm, looks like a bunch of sports theme stuff from CreativeImaginations, Tons of new Sticko stickers. Oooh, look at these Jolee's...This waterpark one is cool, and the aquarium, the museum, science fair.

What's in this box? Oh, Memory Box Stamps and blank cards. Look at the cute new papers from Studio 8 and Finished in a Flash page kits from HOTP. Yikes! is that another box? Yay!!! Stacy Julian's book Photo Freedom is here!

Sorry I don't have time to take any pictures, too much to unpack- you'll just have to get in here to see it all!!

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

More new arrivals

Clear acrylic albums are the HOT trend right now and we just got a bunch in. The new designs from Clear Scraps include a cute flower shaped album and a dog bone. If you like the dog bone idea but the clear album isn't your thing, we also got in chipboard dog bone albums from Boxer Scrapbooks.

A new Easter line from Creative Imaginations arrived today along with some very cute new papers from Quick Quotes. We have restocked the Stickles and added in the larger bottles of Ice Stickles for those who want a bit more shine.

Don't forget to check out our clearance section - we have added a bunch of stuff to it over the past week!

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Important news about the Bus Tour

This week we received the news that Magical Memories in Old Saybrook will be going out of business by the end of March. We will miss working with them and wish Debbie and all of her staff the very best. Since they were scheduled to be included as a stop on our bus tour in April we have had to make changes to our plans for the day.

The tour will include 4 stores in Connecticut:
New England Scrapbook Co., Canton
Scrapbook Clubhouse, Westbrook
The Inspiration Station, Stafford Springs
Wiggles & Giggles, Wethersfield

The good news is, due to the revised itinerary, our day will be shortened and you will now be home in time for dinner. As a result, the price for the bus trip will be reduced to only $65 per person.
Everything else you love about the tour will remain the same.

Your ticket will include:
Round trip transportation to all four stores on the tour
Breakfast, lunch, and snacks
Exclusive page kits at each store
Discounted shopping at each store

A limited number of seats are available at each location.
Tickets must be purchased in advance from your host store and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets are non-refundable. This will be the only tour of 2008.

Registration begins: March 1st at 10am
To register call or visit your host store.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Tons of new product arrived on Thursday

These photos are of projects on the Reminisce web site




Both Fed Ex and the UPS man made stops here at The Inspiration Station on Thursday and buried us in new products. We are still trying to find space for all of it, while knowing that so much more is on the way.




Our Customer Appreciation Sale is still on through the end of February, so you can save big on some of this new merchandise and some old favorites.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Free Fiskars Tool Class - this Sunday

We have room for approximately 10 people to attend a very special Fiskars Tool Class, this Sunday, Feb 24 at 12:00 noon.

Fiskars is sending one of their Certified Craft Demonstrators, Fiskateer Kelly Jo M. and a friend to our store this weekend with loads of tools just so you can learn all about them and try them out. If you've been looking for a new trimmer or are interested in how some of the cool border punches or the shape cutter works, this is your chance to try them out for FREE.

If you want to come just call the store (860) 684-2641 - The first 10 people get the spots.









Isn't this a beautiful layout? you can recreate it if you attend Adine's Focus Challenge Class next Wednesday Feb. 27th. You do some stamping and learn to paint with perfect pearls. It will be loads of fun.

Monday, February 18, 2008

Saturday, February 16, 2008

New Cricut Catridges

Provocraft introduced a bunch of new Cricut cartridges at CHA and while I don't know when they will be shipping yet; I am ordering a few. If there is one you want, let me know.

Also this week I added two new cartridges to our crop room. The Mickey & Friends and Disney Princesses. You are welcome to use them anytime you attend a crop at the Inspiration Station.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Terry's Layout Class


Terry gave me hell for not including her class sample in the last email so here is one of the pages in her Monthly layout class she has scheduled for next Wednesday, Feb. 20th

Sunday, February 10, 2008

CHA Winter 2008

The biggest trade show in the crafts industry begins today in Anaheim, CA. If you are a regular to any of the scrapbook or stamping message boards you have undoubtably seen lots of "sneek peeks" of some of the new products coming down the line.

This is always a very exciting time as manufacturers show off the designs they have had in the works for months. On thing that consumers do not always realize is that just because a manufacturer is showing the new designs, that does not mean the merchandise is available for sale - YET.

In many cases, what is being shown is still in the prototype stage. Often times, manufacturers put out a sample at the show to judge the interest in that product - before they invest in production. If a product is well-received, they order a lot; if not, sometimes they do not produce it at all. It is actually a very wise business decision from a financial standpoint. The problem is that the internet, being what it is, has pictures of these "products" up as new releases long before they are ready to go to market. People get very excited when they see something new and immediately start calling the stores asking, "Do you have the new ABC from company XYZ?"; not realizing that the product they want, in many cases, has not even been made and may not be available for purchase for several months. So they turn to the internet to pre-order. By the time the actual product shows up in the stores, they have lost interest and moved on to somethng else or they are finally receiving their order from the internet vendor and paying more because of shipping. In some cases, the internet store do receive the product faster than the LSS because of the volume they order, however, it is usually only a matter of days or at the most a week or two earlier.

So as you are enjoying all of these sneek peeks and planning your wish list, please keep these things in mind. We do our best to get the products you want in as quickly as possible so you can enjoy them. If there is a product you are crazy for and know that you must have it - ask us if we have ordered it! We'll tell you when it is expected to ship and even give you a call when it comes in if you ask us to. That way you can really see the product in person to be sure it is exactly what you want before you buy it and don't have to go through the hassle of returning something that looked "different" in person.

With all that said - what can you look forward to seeing at The Inspiration Station in the coming weeks and months? One thing for sure - LOTS of Basic Grey!
BG is releasing 5 new collections at CHA. They are scheduled to ship in March. I have ordered all of the papers from "Sugared" and "Boxer" and several styles from "Archaic" and "Cupcake". I did not order anything from the Sultry line; we felt it was too similar to other lines they already have. In addition to the papers, I have also ordered the matching buttons, brads and glazed brads. BG has also introduced a number of gorgeous clear stamp sets - I have ordered them all except the dinosaurs and the clowns (the clown were just too scary looking!).
I have also ordered 7 complete them collections from Reminisce: Jungle Safari, Coastal, Tropical, Dance (as in jazz & hip hop), Prom, Graduation and Family. These are expected to arrive in the next week or so. We have samples of the entire line in the store is you would like to preview it.
Other orders already in place are Prima Flowers, Reminisce Easter, Creative Imaginations Easter, Imaginisce Shore Thing, Memory Box Stamps, Hot of the Press Page Kits, and Kaisercraft rub-ons, pearls and rhinestones.
Don't worry, there will be more! I am meeting with all the reps from the major manufacturer when they return from the show next week. If you see something that you are interested in send me a comment or email. I can't promise I will order everything, but I will tell you if I plan to bring it in or not. Now, go out and enjoy all of the previews!

Thursday, February 07, 2008

New products arrived today.

Our UPS man dropped off several packages today and among them were several types of Prima Flowers, some very cute Easter and Mother's Day stamps from Inkadinkado, and some of the new embossing folders for the Cuttlebug. Unfortuantely almost all of the Cuttlebug folders were spoken for so they are already wiped out. I have more on order though, so keep checking.

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Saturday, February 02, 2008

Scrapbook Workshop

BEGINNERS SCRAPBOOKING WORKSHOP

Date: Saturday - March 15, 2008 Time: 2-4:30pm Cost: $28 Instructor: Adine

Calling all beginning scrapbookers!!! In this workshop style class, we will explore almost every product and tool available to you. We will compare them, try them out, and discuss the pros and cons of each of them, but most of all we will USE THEM.You will learn about the following in this class:


  • Albums
    Page protectors
    Papers
    Cardstock
    Adhesives
    Paper cutters
    Vellum
    Scissors
    Exacto knife
    Self-healing & Glass cutting mats
    Rulers
    White plastic eraser
    Glue removers
    Lettering & Fonts
    Black pens

The atmosphere for this class is meant to be one of a forum type setting, this will allow us to all learn from each other based on each individual's specific questions, needs and goals. During the first hour and a half, the class will be conducted in this manner as we learn about the products you encounter in a scrapbook store.
For the last hour of the class, we will turn our attention to completing a two-page layout spread. Please bring with you any of the tools you currently own from the list below, i.e. scissors, ruler, paper trimmer, and pencil. There are tools in the classroom that are available for students to use during class time, however, you will need an adhesive of your own. The materials required to complete the layout are provided by the instructor and are included in the class fee.
At the completion of the class you will have an opportunity to shop in the store (with help if needed) and receive 10% off your entire purchase.

Store Calendar

Class sample slideshow