watching and waiting...

i lived out one of dreams on Saturday. i opened Urban at 10am by teaching. then closed it around 6pm still teaching. on paper and in my head 2 three hour scrapbooking classes would be a piece of cake. looking at the faces of 3 of my students who joined me in the scrapbook class marathon...we lived to tell the tale! talk about brain mush. ha! i would much rather achieve that level of exhaustion scrapbooking than in some other crazy means of using your mind. thankfully all of us have today to rest a bit before we return to work and need those brains of ours.

after a good supper, indulgent desert and a hot bath i was ready to hear any news related to the scrapbook world. surprised? me neither.

and tough to find the new news. where are the photos and videos we had like the past shows?! so far the only thing i've been able to find is from Making Memories. no sneak peaks, just a big ol' reveal! i'm not sure what to think about it. i had heard about a secret product that was related to gift marketing. this was not at all what i expected.

you can read the details here.

basically it is an entirely new paper/gift category. kind of reminds me of their jewelry line without the jewelry. pick your pieces, put them together and create something unique. something simple that would make everyone happy. with this product you pick the "sentiment" package, then choose your ribbon or rosette package, add a streamer and voila! i am curious. you?

along with the rest of the scrapbooking planet, i read the blogs and oooh and aaaah over new products and collections. sadly i nearly forget when i see the next new post. i wish my memory weren't so selective and short.

this year i decided to try something different. i'm checking out a few of my regular company blogs to make a list for myself. you can share in my list. it is definitely not complete. it is a fraction of the companies out there right now. but i figure it is a start. something for me to refer back to? i can only hope. sometimes products look better in person, so i am prepared to find new favourites in the next few months.

as of today.....here is my little list that i will share with you. **warning...i do believe that this is the longest post i have ever had! read on if you want to see photos you've seen already. ha!**

7GYPSIES
funny story. when i first started scrapbooking albums my friend, Stacey, came back from a vacation in Arizona with some gifts. among the stash was a package of "trinket pins". i recall having no clue how to use them. but i did. now, years later, i am thinking of how awesome they are. i now realize that they were designed to clip things like charms off of them. which is something i do whenever i think of it. they are another classic company. always interesting. 

i picked up these cards so that i can make this. next year. sad isn't it?!

 here is something new. sets of 4 apothecary jars. you purchase the labels separately. how awesome will this be for the trendy shadow boxes?!!

 yes. this is on my list. i saw a cool project using it on the wall as a shadow box.

and more neat little cards. cute for a mini album. journaling on a page. in a shadow box.

these are adorable. totally fun!

and more little cards. but look closely at the tiny photo....

i cannot wait to hear how this looked in person! it is double sided. they call it a vintage ticket holder. probably won't be in stores for a few months yet.

they also have trims for their shadow boxes. neat book knobs.

printed tissue paper is part of their catalogue too. seriously cool. more neat stamps.

TIM HOLTZ

i often get confused between 7Gypsies and Tim Holtz designs. sometimes. 

now i understand why! which will end up in my stash. 7G or TH hanger clips? only time will tell.

how cool for hidden journaling!

designed for the trendy and popular shadow boxes. love the little pocket watches. sweet!!

the Tattered Florals die is top of my list from last year. as are a few others. just making sure i stick to my budget and not buy them all in the same month. {my budget seems to have a bulge these days. and desires to grow when i see what is coming soon!}

these are mini dies. how cute!

 LOVE the butterflies!

i lost track of the number of BIGZ dies. these are at the top of my list. for now.

 i saw a peak {i think it was a picture tweet Mario shared?} of this dress form, with the birdcage added to the bottom. i can only imagine what plans Tim had in mind when he designed these. all of us Tim Holtz fans lost it completely when he demonstrated the range of uses of his dies on his 12 Tags of Christmas. the tree branches on the tree becoming antlers for the deer?! the blank spaces on his embossing folders?!! or the words fitting perfectly into his ornaments. he is brilliant!! we can all only imagine what he will show us soon with these soon to be available products.

 one type i didn't share is a set of 6 photo words. i suppose i'll want them once i see how they are used? they really look cool. i think if i created more mini-albums they would be at the top of the list? see them here.

a few of the stamps on my list.

i thought this was also amazing. look closely at the words. can you read them?

they're backwards! he said he designed this with his embossing folders in mind. a few of his 12 Christmas tags involved stamping on the embossing folder. i think he needs to add a music note stamp now. how could he forget? or did he?

 i think this would be awesome on a photo.

 and these too.

hmmm....these intrigue me. on a ticket stub?


 CRATE PAPER

i first used their paper in an album for Kiara. i remember knowing this striped paper was so adorable and would work perfect for my pregnancy highlight page in her baby album. then i bought more of their boyish paper. i think it was called "things that go"? one of the papers i've been hoarding! on the upside, not all hoarded papers get used. BUT i have used the paper not just once. but actually in several projects.   i LOVE the heavy weighted paper, texture and colours. also the papers sand easily for another great look. i am very excited to see these papers in person!!



 emma's shoppe and toy box....

neighborhood ......

portrait ....

 COSMO CRICKET

another company on my favourites list. i think they stuck more to their true identity in this latest release. but there is evidence of following the current "vintage" trend too.

social club....
kind of screams "Mad Men".

 upcycle....
honestly the papers don't "wow" me yet. the colours are nice and i could see myself loving the embellishments. although each line has pretty much the same embellishments....just in a coordinating colour.

salt air....

 glubers....
congrats to the team for coming up with this one! no longer do we have to cut out circles, heat up our heat tools or layer on the adhesive. this product is basically one GIANT glue dot!! they creatively packaged several sizes too.

here is the video so you can see how they work exactly:

(from their company blog)

PINK PAISLEE

i've been a fan since day one of this company! i would say they are the most interesting company to follow too. always innovative and creative. you never know what to expect from them. last release they teamed up with House of Three {a new digital design company with Rhonna Farrer, Heidi Swapp and Janet Hopkins} and added Parisian Anthology to their collection. a lot of worry and speculation about paper crafting losing out to digital scrapbooking was challenged by this. the papers were printed with a shiny embossed images - different for each paper. allowed the scrapbooker to use it as it was, or customize the colour with ink. yes, that is my opinion! so far the "National Scrapbooking News" has failed to prove my claim. laugh! gets you thinking though.... this release, they teamed up again!

soiree.....
very bright. my guess is it will be in stores closer to summer. just a guess. i'd be very happy to be proven wrong! this little picture does not do the line justice. there are embellishments like crazy for this one. think cupcake toppers, banners, cards, etc. as well as coordinated pages to share the story of the big event!

they teamed up with Collage Press now Collage Press Studio {which has not had a new release since 2009} and are selling:
hometown summer.....
seriously cute. the embellishments are different from the other lines. definitely go along the vintage-summer-memory theme. heehee....on the shelves closer to summer?! i can only guess.

butterfly garden....
teamed up with the gypsy chick again. wait for it....a digital design company.... does the line "Father Christmas" ring a bell? yes, one of their previous combined collections. it was unique and so popular. i am already anxious to add this one to my collection. the embellishments are also amazing. amazing. amazing.

MY MIND'S EYE

another one of my longtime favourites. high quality papers. great designs. once in awhile they have some papers that just don't give me that "wow" factor. once in awhile. {anyone remember Wild Asparagus, Tres Jolie, Bohemia?} i LOVED LOVED LOVED Lost and Found and Holly Jolly. they have had so many different products over the years. easy to have favourites and non-favourties.


they came out with new colours in there LUSH collection. but it didn't give me that "wow", so i'm not watching for it. i heard that it did well. must have done well if they are bringing it back again. proof that my opinion really matters! haha!!{see it here}they have a children's collection too that looks adorable. it is too young for me now. however the colours are great and will make some kids' albums even more amazing. {here is the link} 


once again i am anxiously awaiting one of their lines in particular...

stella and rose.... {here and here}

stamps, brads, ribbons....all coordinating as usual!

BO BUNNY

to be truthful they have not been on my favourites list for long. their recent designs are different and amazing. i think they managed to snag me as a fan with their Mamarazzi collection. i have hoarded nearly that entire collection and have done nothing with it. that needs to change!!

this year they also added to their cardstock. i predict a very fast seller. no longer just dots! now you can get journal, flourish or stripe backgrounds. yes, they too coordinate with the colours in their other collections.

here are their new collections that i will be waiting for:

blast off....
has my son's name written all over it!

timepiece....
what is not to love?!!

gabrielle.....
oh. wow.

 LITTLE YELLOW BICYCLE

another new company. by this time i think i must choose my paper partially by touch! ha! yes it also has great texture. but the designs are great too. i loved using their Fresh Print Clothesline collection. they caught my attention when i found a great stamp set created by them. i still use it alot! Sharon Ann's Delight*ful. 


no single photo to show...just have to check out the links i'm sharing! i'll pick a sample to give you an idea of why i like it.

twig.....

elizabeth park.....

they have a few more. including 2 baby lines that will make you melt. they are a good reason for not making your baby album just yet. adorable. totally.

STUDIO CALICO

check out their catalog here.

i'm watching for a few favourites. i love studio calico....sadly not all of it loves me back equally.

SEI

always creative. i have had a few collections from this company that caught  my eye. 

{go here to see the photos larger}

a fair day....

i'm an athlete.....

corinne....

couture.....

white elegance....

{meant for weddings....but what would it look like with colour added....hmmmm.....}

GLITZ

they totally caught me by surprise. at first glance their papers didn't catch my eye. neither did anything else. however i was happy shocked to see how perfect they worked for me! love their stamps. their paper is so versatile. they are innovative with their embellishments. keep your eye on them. 

MAYA ROAD

i always love the little embellishments and trims they sell. 

PRIMA

it might just be me, but it seems like they have a HUGE amount of new products this year. i could have picked more, but these are unique.

neat new twist on the ribbon trim!

printed canvas. designed for misting. they even have some with floral shapes. i'm interested.

always lovely flowers. i like the unique and different styles.

just a sample of their trinkets. i couldn't find a good picture of the selection. this is new for them. isn't it?

misting masks. LOTS of variety in this too.

lovely colours.

 they always have some of the prettiest trims.

curious if these attach like buttons, or brads? or just with a glue dot?

not a fan of these colours, but love the design.


JENNI BOWLIN STUDIO

i'm a fan of her embellishments. and her decorating! she is so inspiring. 

 i wonder if these are as cool in real life?!

 as soon as i saw these mini albums i was wanting one for me. but great little gifts too...once they're assembled! there are at least 5 choices, all unique.

 i'm thinking fabulous shadowbox material. or even something cute to dress up for home decor.

cute!

i guess her booth at CHA (craft and hobby show) was set up like an old mercantile. i'm still amazed at how creative the designers can be. definitely not a gift of mine! to dream this up from a completely blank canvas. wow.

here is another cool picture i found:

Die Cuts With a View sell their paper collections in a pack. they had some pretty amazing displays apparently. check out their blog for other photos. there are more dresses. as well as other surprises. like dinner with a vampire and birthday party. 

it was a very cold day today. we all felt lazy. until we realized the ridiculous temperature (-36 Celsius with the wind chill this morning) we had thought about spending the afternoon skating with the kids!! which would have been a blast. instead Kris had to work (thankfully from home) and the kids played wii games. while i hopped aboard the internet. this was a fun way to spend part of my afternoon! now i'm all inspired to do some more scrapbooking again. feeling energized after my scrapbook marathon yesterday.

but hoping for more sunshine and temperatures closer to zero Celsius this week.