Sneak Preview of this week's sale

Because you actually read my blog you are getting an advanced notice of this week's sale!

Hero Arts Clearance Sale
25% off ALL in stock Hero Arts Stamps

Yep, you read that right ALL in stock Hero Arts stamps - even the new ones! We saw so many great new stamps at the trade show this past weekend that we really need to "refresh" our stamp selection; and we really have a LOT of Hero Arts stamps. So from now until April 8th you can save 25% on all of them. Get in early for best selection.

Our annual Tim picture

We now have a standing tradition of getting our picture taken with Tim Holtz every year when he teaches in Framingham. Donna hates it because she doesn't like how she looks in the picture; but she never reads my blog so HA! She'll never know I posted it!

And we're off...

After a painful start to the day ( I really should NOT have attempted roller skating last night)- I am driving up to the Boston area for a bunch of classes with some industry greats. Donna will be joining me later this afternoon.

My schedule for today includes classes with Cat's Pajamas, Melissa Frances, & Cheryl Mezzetti. Donna will have a class with Melissa Frances and a 3 hour workshop with Claudine Helmuth.

Tomorrow Donna has two classes with Tim Holtz and one with Cat's Pajamas and I will be in with Graphic 45, October Afternoon and Fiskars. Busy, busy, busy. Have a great weekend (go in to the store and visit Michelle and Terry!)

More Monkey Fun

Yeah, It's Wednesday. My only day to play. Here are 2 more monkey cards.

April classes SOLD OUT

Just a quick note to let you know that both Cricut classes in April (16th and 19th) are Sold Out as well as the AM Card Club on April 13th. We did add an additional AM Card Club on Thursday, April 9th for those who were unable to get in.

Neenah Paper has arrived

I had to make a road trip to get it but I was able to finally get my hands on the elusive "Copic Marker Paper". No, it's not actually from Copic, their marker paper is too thin for cardmakers; but the Neenah Classic Crest in Solar White is the most recommended paper for using with the Copic Markers. We will sell it in packs of 10 sheets. So now everyone who took the Copic 101 class can finally start playing!

FREE DEMO TODAY!

Don't forget that today is our FREE Demo from 2pm-4pm! Sally Lynn MacDonald will be here to show off the Spellbinder's Dies, Glimmer Mist, Copic Markers and lots of other stuff! Don't miss it!

Back from Copic class

On Thursday, Donna & I drove down to Mystic for a Copic Certification class with Marianne Walker. If you haven't checked out her blog, please do. She could keep you busy reading for days (maybe weeks!) Marianne is a Graphic Artist who started out in the comic/illustration industry and she does amazing things with Copic Markers.

Now I realize that most scrapbookers and card makers will not get so involved in coloring as Marianne, but the techniques that she teaches on her blog can be applied to many projects, especially for rubber stampers, and that was the focus of our class.

One of the important things that I learned about Copic markers is that the Colorless Blender is not really a "blender" at all; it's more of an eraser. It is used to push colors from one spot to another whereas a traditional blender tends to pull color. We learned four color blending techniques without ever taking the colorless blender out!

The other very important thing we learned is that the paper makes a HUGE difference in how the markers blend. They don't work well on glossy paper, they just soak into watercolor paper, and they really need a smooth (but not coated) surface to be able to move on.

Sally Lynn MacDonald has two Copic 101 classes at The Inspiration Station tomorrow, the morning class is full but there are a couple of seats at night if you'd like to learn more about these awesome markers.

Just a quick card

Thought I'd share a card I made today; I thought it would be a great Father's Day Card. It uses a new Changito Monkey stamp and Basic Grey Marrakech papers.

Another successful bus tour!

Thank you to everyone who participated in our 2009 Bus Tour! We have an awesome day and hope you did as well.

As promised, here are the page layouts that I did using the paper kit we gave to everyone who attended. Feel free to scraplift them or use them as inspiration for your own projects!

This is the weekend

Sunday is our 2009 Scrapbook Store Bus Tour. If you are going with us please keep the following in mind:

• Arrive at The Inspiration Station at 8:00am for breakfast and check in.
• Please park in the large lot up the road.
• Dress in layers as New England weather can be unpredicable and everyone on the bus has a different definition of warm!
• Large tote bags cannot be brought into the stores, please leave them on the bus.
• Wiggles & Giggles does not accept personal checks so please prepare accordingly.
• If you see an item that you would like at another store but cannot purchase it now, let us know and we will try to order it in for you.
• Please listen to Donna's instructions about departure times so we can keep on schedule.
• If you have any problems or questions during the day, please speak to Donna so she can help you.
• Let us know how you liked the trip. We appreciate all feedback! Just send me an email.

Thanks

I just wanted to send a shout out to Sally Lynn for the awesome job she did at
The Inspiration Station on Saturday! She taught 3 classes: Copic 101, Prima
Card Buffet, and Snow Angel Transparency layout and they were all awesome. We
had lots of fun, all the ladies came out INSPIRED and many asked when she will
be back for more!

She will be teaching the Copic 101 class 2 more times on Saturday March 21-
10am-noon and 5pm-7pm. In between classes she will be dazzling all of us with
her FREE demonstrations of Spellbinders, Prima, Tattered Angels, Copic and
whatever else catches her eye! I hope you are all able to join us.

Looking for the sun?

Most people I know (myself included) are totally over winter.

That said, I have to tell you about some of the fun new summer time lines that have been arriving at The Inspiration Station. First, Imaginisce has the cutest Ice Cream, Popsicle, Flip Flop theme going on.
Then, Flair Designs came out with a more subtle looking Ocean theme which we all absolutely LOVE...

New Tim Holtz videos

Have you seen them? Tim Holtz just updated his website with a whole bunch of new videos that showcase his products with Ranger and Ideology. You can see them here.

Remember we carry a full line of Tim Holtz products at The Inspiration Station and if we don't have it in stock, we can get it. The new Alcohol ink colors and refillable pens should be shipping to us this week and the new Stamper's Anonymous stamps are on order. Just let us know what you want and we will hold it for you.