Tuesday, March 31, 2009

New project kits now available in the K2R online store; New events announced

Ready for April Fools Day?

While you are plotting how to fool your favorite fool today, I'd like to invite you to browse the Kits2Remember online store! We have five new project kits that will be ready to ship next week.



Three of them, featuring Teresa Collins' new paper lines, Family Matters and Documented, were sold out at the Bay Area Scrapbook Expo last month, but will be back in stock and ready to ship next week, so if you missed out, order now!


Plus, we have some leftover project kits from two recent classes: The Great Times, Good Memories 8 x 8 album class featured at the Scrapbook Expos earlier this year are now available in the store, as well as the "Double-sided Spring Message Board" home decor kit.

We also have some upcoming events you might be interested in: Kits2Remember will be featured at two events in Pensacola, Florida, in April, and then at the San Diego Scrapbook Expo May 1 and 2. You can check out the details on these on the K2R Calendar.

If you ordered a We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper last month, they will be shipping out between April 1 and April 8, so keep an eye out for those in your mailbox!

The new K2R Design Krew will also be announced soon, so be sure to check out this blog for that news, too!

As always, thank you for your business and support!

Monday, March 30, 2009

If you haven't checked out the Krew blog lately ...

... you are seriously missing out! Log on: www.k2rkrew.blogspot.com and check out what amazing projects they have been working on. The new Krew will be introduced later this week, so be sure to thank the current Krew for their inspiration!

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Copic markers ...


Well, I got home from California yesterday about three hours late, at 11:30 p.m., thanks to a bad thunderstorm in the Dallas area that backed up the airport pretty badly. So I am a little tired today, and plan to take the next three days "off" to recoup and spend time with my family, but I did want to get up this photo of Kits2Remember acrylic and metal scribbled on with Copic markers. These permanent, colorful markers seem to be the latest and greatest, there are tons of uTube videos and such on the Internet, showing how to use them and projects created with them. I tested some out here that I bought at the Bay Area Scrapbook Expo and noticed that the jewel tones seemed to be more vivid on the metal and acrylic, while the lighter colors had more of a water color effect. Most of the pens have two tips, a chisel and a brush, so I can't wait to play with them "for real." Of course, I'll post the projects when I do!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

New video, instructions now available ...


... K2R Design Krew Member Andrea has been hard at work heat embossing on Kits2Remember acrylic. Have you seen the video yet? You don't want to miss this cool (or should I say hot?) technique! Log on to the Krew blog (www.k2rkrew.blogspot.com) and check it out!


Also, if you were one of the lucky ones to have gotten on of the NEW (but currently sold out) Kits2Remember project kits featuring Teresa Collins' new lines, the instructions are now available online. Thank you for your patience... I just ran out of time before the Bay Area Scrapbook Expo to get them posted. The web site address for the kit instructions is on the label on the front of your kit package. It starts "www.kits2remember.com/..." . Just type that web address into your web browser and the photos and instructions should come up. Email me if you have any trouble: jessica @kits2remember.com. Although the kits are sold out, I do plan to order more supplies, so the kits will be available in the K2R online store in a week or two. I will send out a newsletter when they are available, so be sure to join the email newsletter. Next up on the Expo circuit: San Diego in May!

Friday, March 20, 2009

Pleasanton Scrapbook Expo Day 1 ...

... We had a lot of fun today. Bay Area Scrapbook Expo goers seemed to be in good spirits and the Kits2Remember booth was busy more often than not. A huge thanks goes out to my Krew: Kathi, Jenn, Kathryn, Gina, Erline and, my faithful cashier and Mom, Nancy. I couldn't have done it without you guys! You rock!

Here are some photos from today:


The Krew in our YuDu'ed shirts


The new line of Kits2Remember stamps.


Kathi got some shots of me teaching the Imaginative Magnetic Metal class.


My Mom at her post.


Kathi bagging up the merchandise.


And, last, but not least, Jenn mesmerizing the crowd with her knowledge of acrylic, rubber stamps and the Bind-it-All.

Looking forward to the replay tomorrow!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

In the hotel room this evening...

... We spent eight hours today setting up the Kits2Remember booth for the Bay Area Expo and then came back to the hotel in Pleasanton - with some work still to do. Kathi spent most of her day kitting projects, but still had a little bit left.



Jenn, who helped my Mom, Nancy, and I set up the booth at the Alameda Fairgrounds all day, came back and created a cute acrylic wall hanging with some of the Petaloo Flower Charms (those of you attending the Expo can see the final project in person tomorrow at the booth!).


Mom cleaned up and made sure the credit card machine was charged up.



As for me, I kicked back with a margarita and "supervised." Just kidding... the Krew made me write that... SOMEBODY had to update the blog and check email! Looking forward to seeing you at the Expo tomorrow!

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Relaxing in Pleasanton ...

... we made it to Pleasanton about 4 p.m. and have spent the evening relaxing in the hotel room - the calm before the storm of the Bay Area Scrapbook Expo. "We" being my Mom and cashier, Nancy, and Krew members and friends Jenn and Kathi. Jenn and Kathi arrived bearing gifts. Kathi has fallen in love with the bareMinerals makeup line, so she brought me a sample of the foundation. I'll have to give that a shot - it's supposedly really good for your skin.

And then Jenn brought me a double-sided magnetic gameboard for me to share with my boys. She used Glossy Accents to create picture magnets of each of us to use as checkers or tic tac toe markers - way too cute. The checker board and tic tac toe stripes were cut from Cricut vinyl, placed on the 12 x 12 Kits2Remember metal and then Jenn glossed over it with Mod Podge. Jenn warns to allow the magnets and board to dry thoroughly before you stick them together or you will have permanently placed gameboard pieces. If you are at the Expo, the board will be on display there. If not, here are some photos:



Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Minis, new kits, expo coupons and more!


I spent much of my evening pricing fun stuff for the Pleasanton (Bay Area) Scrapbook Expo this weekend. Some of the goodies were these Clear Scraps Minis ... this is the heart mini, which I made in to a little brag book for my Mom, Nancy, for her birthday earlier this month. My Mom, two members of my Krew, Kathi and Jen, and I will hit the road tomorrow morning, taking Interstate 5 north for about 7 hours. Can't wait for the show to start! I'm excited about the new K2R stamps, and the kits below, which will be available on the K2R web site by April 1. And don't forget to get the coupon for the K2R booth of you plan to go!


Friday, March 13, 2009

Projects created with the new K2R stamps...

I haven't blogged much this week... I have been busy scrappin' away! I've been using the new K2R rubber stamps and I am just falling in love with them. Here are a few things I've done with them:


This is a sample of the Bay Area Scrapbook Expo make and take for next week. We'll not only play with acrylic, but we will also play with the new stamps. A couple different ones will be available, this one is the corner flourish stamp Item #1-07. Planning to go to the Expo? Here's a link to a coupon good at the K2R booth. Just print it off and bring it with you. And I am no card maker, so forgive my attempt at a birthday card using the same stamp below. I embellished with some Petaloo flowers, too.


I have also worked on an Easter album featuring Heidi Swapp ghost frames. I used the flourish stamp #1-06 throughout the album, adding Petaloo Floradoodles to make them spring-y.



I've been working on some more album kits featuring Teresa Collins' new lines. I am not ready to debut them yet (those of you who have enjoyed the past 8 x 8 album kits are going to LOVE these new 6 x 12 and 4 x 8 kits!), but I did want to show off how nice the stamps look on acrylic with black StazOn ink and Black Diamond Stickles. The tiny corner stamp was created from just part of the #1-07 stamp and the border was created with the #1-09 stamp .


A new product I forgot to mention earlier was our new acrylic purse album. It's just too cute! It's about 6 inches tall and wide, includes 6 pages and can easily be bound together with a Crop-a-dile and o-rings or the Bind-it-All. I used stamp #1-01 to create the floral flourishes in blue Opaque StazOn ink.


Aside from the stamps, I have also been playing with some other "clear" stuff. Here is a 12 x 12 K2R metal panel with one of the Heidi Swapp chandelier overlays and Petaloo flower magnets. This took about 10 minutes to make - really!

One of the products K2R has has is an 8-inch "&" sign. I love oversized monograms and shapes and just had to use this one:


Most of these samples will be on display at the Bay Area Expo next week. In a few days I'll post the new project kits, so check back soon!

Monday, March 09, 2009

So much to blog about...


... I have been busy getting ready for the Scrapbook Expo in Pleasanton, Calif., (Bay Area) next week and have been a little behind in my blogging. However, I will make up for it now! I've got lots to report...

New K2R Rubber Stamps!

I am proud to annouce that we will be launching Kits2Remember rubber stamps next week. They are now available in the K2R online store, and will ship out by the end of March. We have 11 different flourish designs, all cling-mounted for use with an acrylic block or panel, ranging in price from $8-$3 each, so they are quite affordable. They are sold individually and have been designed to be used beautifully on non-porous surfaces such as acrylic and metal, although they work quite nicely on traditional media such as paper and cardstock. My sister-in-law, Gina, is a graphic designer and helped me to put into reality what my mind wanted made. I am using stamps more and more in my projects and love this collection of flourishes. There are whimsical ones, corner shapes, border-ish shapes and more. Stay tuned in the next few days and I will post some of the projects I have created using them. Plus, if you do get some of the stamps, please visit the Kits2Remember Tips and Tricks page for some helpful hints when stamping. Here are a few more of the designs. The entire collection can be found here.





We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper!


I love this tool! And since you can punch two different sizes of corners (1/4-inch and 1/2-inch) with the same squeeze of the handle, it's a great value at $25! Not only can you corner round individual pieces of paper and cardstock, but the Corner Chomper is also strong enough to corner round acrylic, chipboard, leather, thin metal and more! This tool was just released at the Craft and Hobby Association's winter show in January, but won't ship until April. If you are interested in getting this tool, you can preorder it in the Kits2Remember online store and we'll ship it right to you when it comes in! We R Memory Keepers was kind enough to ship me a demo tool, so my husband, Rodney, and I spent some time playing with it (you know men and their tools!).


We found that the sizes were true 1/4-inch and 1/2-inch corners, not the closest metric measurement, which is nice when you are trying to match the rounded corners of other products. The "chomped" corners were smooth and clean, whether it was used on paper or acrylic.


And the handy-dandy compartment in the center held the "chomped" corners until you cleaned it out - no mess on your work space. I love that!


The Chomper also simple to use. Just gently pop open the "wings" which form guides for your corner, and then squeeze the handle. If you have used the Crop-a-dile before, the Chomper is very much like it as far as feel and strength. I also haven't had a problem with it jamming.



If you happen to be attending the Bay Area Scrapbook Expo, we'll have the test Chomper there, so give it a whirl and you can pre-order at the show!

March Classes!

I will be teaching three different projects this month, in Southern California, Northern California and Pensacola, Fla. Please check out the Kits2Remember calendar for dates and places. There is a cute double-sided (spring butterflies on one side, Easter egg on the other!) 12 x 12 acrylic and metal magnetic message board project, an 8 x 8 acrylic album and a two-panel magnetic message board project. Not only will you walk out of the classroom with a great, completed project, but you will also leave having learned new skills and techniques!

Yahoo! Contacts

Recently, my Yahoo! email contacts were completed erased. If we email each other upon occasion, or have contacted me recently about volunteering at upcoming Expos, would you please send an emaik to jessica@ kits2remember.com so that I may add you to my contact list again. I would truly appreciate it!

Promo shirts for the upcoming Expo ...

Some of you may have seen my earlier posts where I used the new ProvoCraft YuDu silk screen system to create personalized shirts and canvas. I worked with the machine a third time to create some promotional shirts for my Krew to wear at the Bay Area (Pleasanton) Scrapbook Expo next week.

Kits2Remember has come out with some new flourish rubber stamps and I wanted to promote this new product, so I made matching shirts for my Mom, Nancy, who runs the cash register at the booth, Kathi and Jen, two friends and volunteers traveling with me up to the Expo from Southern California (if you took a class from me last month at the Orange County Expo, you may have met them), my sister-in-law, Gina, the graphic designer who helped me to create the stamp designs, and myself.

I used two different colors on these shirts, teal blue and brown, and used a total of two screens. I spun the screens and adjusted the shirts on the platens to create whimsical designs with the flourishes, which worked most of the time. Sometimes the flourishes were a little off from where I wanted them aesthetically, but that's what you get when you "eyeball" the design, instead of using the recommended, and provided, grids for proper spacing with the YuDu. The shirts are still legible, so I am fine with it. But, if you are a perfectionist, be sure to follow the YuDu instructions for multiple designs!

Here are some photos of my steps:


Here I taped down my transparencies so I could burn the emulsion on the second screen I used. I used my friend and fellow YuDu guru Lori's advice and used a spray bottle instead of the sink sprayer and I got a good emulsion on the first try. Thanks Lori!


I then silk-screened the shirts, making sure the first design dried before I started in on the next. I also learned to be careful not to over-flood the screen. This makes designs that smudge outwards and fill in thickly. Not good.

And then, last but not least, one of the completed shirts, front and back:




I am looking forward to wearing it next weekend!