This is the moment you've all been waiting for!!!

It's time for Scrap-Mart to begin the search for our 2010 Design Team!!! This is bittersweet for us because finding a new team means saying goodbye to our FIRST team. Veronica, Tammy and Jenn have done an outstanding job and we are thankful to have had them represent Scrap-Mart with their creative spirit.

We are looking for FIVE new Design Team members to work alongside me in the year 2010 to bring our customers and readers a whole new level of inspiration! With the holidays upon us we want to make it as easy as possible for you to apply for the DT so here's what you need to do:

Send me an email with 2010 SMDT Search in the subject line. In that email we need the following information:

- Name
- Address
- Phone number
- email (if different)
- personal blog
- and a list of any forums you hang out on (ie Paperee, Splitcoast, Two Peas etc) and please be sure to give us your forum names for each
- we also want to see your favorite card and your favorite layout that you created this year; it's OK if they've been posted elsewhere!!! They do NOT have to be made just for your DT entry, however, if you would like to make something extra special we welcome that too!
- take a moment to tell us a little about yourself; your favorite tool, are you a stamper or a scrapper or both, etc.

The Deets:

Our DT will be responsible for a minimum of 3 projects per month which could include projects, layouts, cards, tutorials and more. Each will be assigned to you in advance so you know what your goals for the month are. You may also be asked to send in physical projects for our convention booth samples. At Scrap-Mart, we believe that papercrafting should be fun and if it's not fun, let's not do it! So, with that our goal is to bring outstanding customer service and top notch inspiration to our customers while having as much fun as possible!

Our product line is diverse and we are looking for that in our DT as well. We carry some of the most popular lines such as Spellbinders, Slice, Copics, Unity Stamps and more! We are looking for a power-packed team of stampers, scrappers, die cutters and general papercrafters!

You do not have to have served on a previous design team or be an avid blogger! ANYONE is welcome to apply! Please note that we reserve the right to share your DT submissions on our blog even if you are not chosen for the DT. Make sure if you are sending projects to us that they are projects we can share! Also, we will accept International submissions.

As for compensation, each member will receive a select amount of free product every month to use to complete their assignments. Monthly product will vary in cost and by manufacturer and will be assigned by me. In addition, each member will be able to shop as much as they like at a great discount!

The DEADLINE for entries is midnight December 15th CST. After we have all entries we will put our heads together and choose the new crew! The 2010 SMDT members will be notified by December 30st and will be announced on the blog Friday, January 1st!

Okay, so that's it! What are you waiting for? Send in your information and your projects! If you have any questions please feel free to email me! And don't forget to tell your friends!!!

Katie

By the time you read this...

you have probably all returned home with loads of Black Friday goodies! I hope you all had a safe, fun and fullfilling shopping day!

Some of you may have noticed we now have the Xyron Creatopia in stock! This is truly one machine that can do it all! The Creatopia can cut, emboss, apply adhesive and more! Here are a few short videos from the Xyron studio that show you a bit of what this machine can do.

This video shows you how the Border Patternz work:



This video shows you how the use the Refillz (adhesive/laminate) works:



This video shows you how the Shapez component works. This may be the most exciting because this is the die cutting component that makes this machine compatible with most of the dies available in the industry!



This is just a preview of what this machine can do. If you have any questions regarding the Creatopia leave us a comment or email me at katie@scrap-mart.com and we'll find the answer for you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Scrap-Mart would like say Happy Thanksgiving, from our family to yours! We want to thank you all for your continued support! We are truly grateful for each and every one of you!

May your turkey pe plump and juicy...and happy! hehehe

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Only one day left...

'til Thanksgiving! At the last minute my hubby decided we WOULD cook so off I went to the grocery store last night. Now, my mind is in overdrive thinking of all I need to get ready for tomorrow. How 'bout you? Are you ready? Who's cooking? Who's not? Whatever your plans we hope you have a fabulous day!

Tammy has already put her Letterpress to work. Using the Holiday Printing Plate set Tammy created her family's Christmas card.

You could make these as the card front or take it one step further and put magnet on the back and slip it inside the card. Then, after your family receives it they can just stick it right on the fridge! Tammy is lovin' her Letterpress and has already ordered more accessories so I'm sure she'll have more goodies for us very soon!

I taught a Christmas card class last week. That's always my favorite class to teach because it puts me in the holiday mood. Now, I have my Christmas cards DONE and after I get through this weekend I'll start mailing them. Yeah! Here's one of the cards I taught...

I used Unity's Joy and Wonder stamp set for the tree and the sentiment. The label was one that came in the Santa's Workshop Gift Set. Inspiration for this card came from a sketch from Valerie Salmon's Got Sketch? blog.

We'll have a short and sweet holiday post tomorrow then we'll be back Friday with a new product preview. I am skipping the sketch this week so everyone can have time to SHOP and spend time with their family!!! Then on Monday, we'll be back with a SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT that you won't want to miss!!! See you then!

Katie

Are you guys ready for...

Thanksgiving? I can hardly believe that it is already that time! Thanksgiving was always my favorite holiday as a kid. I would spend the day in the kitchen helping my dad cook and my job was always the cornbread dressing. Yum! What's your favorite part of Thanksgiving?

The Letterpress has arrived in stock and our friend PJ has sent some photos for me to share with you. Here's a picture of the box for the Combo Kit...

This picture shows the templates as you will see them when you put them on the grid...

After you place and ink your templates then you put your cardstock down and close it up. This is what you should see...

Once you have it placed, inked and closed it, you run it through your Epic and when you open it you will see this...

PJ noted that her favorite part is you can do two cards at one time. Take a look at the completed cards...

These two cards were made using the black paint that comes with the combo kit.

For these two cards, PJ used a red ink pad instead of the paint. Notice how it gives a softer look? So pretty! Tammy has received her Letterpress and working on some more projects I can share with you.

The new November Sizzix release has also arrived. It is the Build-a-Bear dies! They are soooo stinkin' cute! I bought a stack for myself and couldn't wait to play with them. My son has a good friend who's birthday is coming up so I knew just what I would use to make her card!

I used the Girl Bear and the Bearthday Impressions set. With the newer Sizzix dies, the extra pieces like the hat and present are separate from the bear so you have more options for layering or moving them around or not using them at all! After I had all my pieces in place I went over the hat and the embossed words with my clear Copic Spica Glitter pen to mimic the shimmer from the patterned paper. The finished size of the card is 5x5. (Note: you can click on the photo to enlarge it for detail)

Thanks for stoppin' by today! If you have any questions about the Letterpress leave us a comment or email it to me and I will get with PJ and Tammy to get you an answer. We will have our regular posts this week with some fun added in for good measure. And be sure you stay tuned because I have a special announcement coming very soon! Have a great Monday and we'll see you right back here soon!

Katie

It's a chilly Friday morning...

here in the Tulsa area. I bought a new coffee pot last night...one with a timer so by the time I got out of bed this morning by coffee was done brewing. Love it! So, how was your week? Good, I hope.

Let's take a look at last week's sketch...

This sketch was found on Scrapbooks Etc.

Jannie had a scrappin' extravaganza this last weekend. She completed 20 pages and scrapped 75 photos! That's amazing! Here's Jannie's take on last week's sketch.

Jannie chose just a few of the elements from the sketch she liked and worked those into her layout. She used the font from Santa's Workshop for her title. Such a cute photo!

Shar also got in on last week's sketch. Check out her layout...

Shar used the sketch to scrap her daughter's 14th birthday. She used the number candles, Quickutz Nesting Stars, and the QK Club Arrow die. I love all the Dymo Label journaling.

This week's sketch also comes to us from Scrapbooks Etc.

This sketch has lots of elements to it!

Our friend Michelle Granger played along with us again this week! Here's Michelle's take on the sketch...

Michelle started with some delicious Pink Paislee papers and stickers she found in our booth! Then she took some American Crafts chipboard and heat embossed it with American Crafts embossing powder! Michelle used the pocket element of the sketch to hold her journaling cards. She used Copic Glitter Pens for her journaling.

And here's my take on this week's sketch...

I too used some Pink Paislee goodies on my layout. I grabbed some papers, rubons, brads and canvas tags from their Mistletoe and Co. collection earlier this week when I was visiting the store. Like Michelle, I chose to keep the pocket element on my page. I used the Spellbinders Polka Dot Frame to create my pocket. I cut one of the tags from the Pink Paislee paper and tucked it behind the opening in the frame the added a few rubons around it. This pocket is being used to house more photos from our Christmas celebration. I couldn't resist adding one of those glittery brads to the top of the tree on my canvas tag. The tag behind my chipboard title was also cut from one of the tags from the paper. After I cut it I lightly sanded the edges before adding the title. To finish off the layout I sprinkled some Kaiser half pearls around the page. I really had fun with this sketch!

Before I leave you today I wanted to show you some storage ideas from Jenn. The Quickutz Library Storage Binders are back in stock. If you're like me you have tons of 4x4 dies that need a home. Jenn has found a great solution for her dies. When she purchases a 4x4 die she keeps the insert with the picture on it. She punches a hole in the upper left-hand corner and adds it to a binder ring. She organizes these rings by groups like animals, food, etc. so she knows just where to look.

Then she puts the dies in the Library Storage Binders and labels them with the groups that coordinate with the cards. Then, she tucks them into the drawers of her JetMax cubes she bought at Target. Jenn has also found that these drawers also work well for housing her Sizzix dies...

This is a great way to stay organized and save on space! Thanks for sharing Jenn!

Do you have any great storage solutions? If so, we'd love to see them! You can email them to me at katie@scrap-mart.com.

Thanks for stoppin' by today! I can't wait to see what you all do with this week's sketch! Have a wonderful weekend and we'll see you back here Monday with some more fun projects!

Katie

I bet you guys were wondering....

where the blog was this morning. Well, the bloggER slept in and as she was crawling out of bed she was informed her coffee pot broke while she was away the night before!!! GASP! So, she had to go to town for a large banana and chocolate infused cup of Joe before she could get movin'. My apologies!

So, now that I'm caffeinated how 'bout some projects?! Our friend Michelle Granger, who most of you know as the amazing instructor for Quick Quotes, sent me this adorable little holiday mini book project she made.

Michelle is using this book to categorize her family's Christmas wishes this holiday season. She used the holiday gift set for the 'Christmas', the retired Chopsticks alpha for 'lists' and this year's Santa's Workshop font for the year. This is a great way to knock out two birds with one stone, so to speak. You can use a book like this to keep track of your holiday events, lists, etc. then after the holiday you simply add your photos to the book and you have a complete album! Love it!

Mary Sinfield and her friend Kim created this adorable book for Howard and Laura. Mary and Kim are long-time friends of Scrap-Mart. Here's a peek at the cover...

I love how she added the gems to the snowflake! And this photo shows the little tag they added to the inside...

Look at how they embossed the top with the Snowflake Embossing Folder. Too cute! And here's a look at one of the page spreads (please excuse the blurriness; not sure what my problem was! LOL!)...

This book is nice and sturdy and has plenty of room for all of Howard and Laura's holiday pics!

Well, my apologies again for being late today but a girl's gotta have her coffee; or this girl does anyway! I hope you're all having a great week! It's rather chilly here in Northeastern Oklahoma which really helps to put me into the holiday spirit! If you're working on any wonderful holiday projects we'd love to see them! You can email them to me at katie@scrap-mart.com. We always love to see what our friends are up to! Don't forget to stop back by Friday for our weekly sketch challenge. See you then!

Katie