At the studio today it has been fun unboxing the latest arrival: Helen’s Scrapbooking Studio & More Signature Scrapbook Albums! Cuddy helped Helen take these photos!

HELEN'S Signature Album

These 3-ring loose leaf 12×12 scrapbook albums are custom manufactured by the Dalee Book Company!   The materials used to make these scrapbooks are acid-free and archival.

The Dalee Book Company was chosen because they produce  beautiful custom albums inside and out!  Helen’s carries scrapbook albums (linen, leather, and tapestry) in the studio by Dalee.  So it was logical to have her signature album produced by them.

Helen’s Signature Scrapbook 3-ring loose leaf 12×12 scrapbook album sells for $38.75 each.

Each 3-ring scrapbook includes 10 top loading sheet protectors with 10 sheets of card stock.   The top loading sheet protectors are heavy duty archival polypropylene and have special light sensitive materials to offer UV Protection.   The sheet protectors have an extra hinge, to allow pages to lay flat even after being filled with photos.

Helen’s Signature Scrapbook Album has been added to HELEN’S Online Store.

Read the rest of “HELEN’S Signature Scrapbook Album Debuts!” »

It’s the first week of September and that means Back-to-School!  Even four-legged boys like myself enjoy helping out, afterall I am the Mascot at Helen’s Scrapbooking Studio & More!

The Tonic Shape-Mates Cutting System arrived at the studio this week.  As mascot, one of my jobs is to help inspect new items!   I did a thorough job of inspecting this system, here’s what is in the collection.

Tonic Shape Mates Cutting System

1 Shape Mate Glass Mat 13×13 TN465;

1 Shape Mate Blade Carriage with 2 blades TN700;

1 Shape Mate Spare Blades Package (2 blades) TN715;

1 Shape Mate Shapes – Squares (6 pieces) TN751;

1 Shape Mate Shapes – Rectangles (6 pieces) TN752;

1 Shape Mate Shapes – Circles (6 pieces) TN753;

1 Shape Mate Shapes – Ovals (6 pieces) TN754; and

1 Shape Mate Shapes – Ruler Pack (4 pieces) TN756.

Helen’s Scrapbooking Studio & More is located in North Carolina (both brick-and-mortar and online).  It has been fun investigating new scrapbook tools for the studio use. And  i’m delighted to report this entire collection is being added to our online store too!

Wishing you a Shape-Making day!

best, Cuddy

Today’s blog is about our participating in the Scrap Pink event in September! Read on!Thanks, Cuddy P.S. This will be our first Scrap Pink event! 

Scrap Pink at Helen’s Scrapbooking Studio & More 
September 26, 2009 – Saturday – 9am – 6 pm

HELEN’S  is going to be participating with over 300 independent scrapbooking stores in the U.S. in the Scrap Pink weekend of September 26-27, 2009.

Your registration fee of $30 includes morning snack, box lunch, morning & afternoon door prizes. Click here to register for Scrap Pink at HELEN’s .

Join other scrapbookers and scrapbook stores from across the nation as we come together to make a difference in the fight against breast cancer.   

Proceeds from this Scrap Pink event will benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, which promises to save lives and end breast cancer forever by empowering people, ensuring quality care for all, and energizing science to find the cures.

About Scrap Pink – Scrapbooks etc. magazine is partnering with Susan G. Komen for the Cure® to hold the 3rd Annual “Scrap Pink” fundraising campaign in September 2009 at independent scrapbooking retail stores across North America.

The campaign will culminate in an exciting on-site crop hosted by each participating shop the weekend of September 26-27, 2009.  Scrapbookers are invited to enjoy a fun-filled event at their local scrapbook shop! Scrapbookers all across the nation will come together to make a difference in the fight against breast cancer.

Click to link to Scrap Pink website .

At Helen’s Scrapbooking Studio & More, my dog-Mom Helen is mindful that over half of the women who come into our studio are brand new to scrapbooking!  This is something that is a lot of fun as she loves introducing and helping each person grow in their scrapbooking journey. 

If you are new to my blog, please let me paws and share with you that I’m Cuddy, the Mascot for HELEN’S and Main Blogger.  We have found when it comes to blogging that with the computer keyboard I am all paws so Helen helps me!

HELEN’S focus is on helping you get your albums completed with your stories told.  She is always stressing journaling (in your own handwriting or printing out from your computer and including on your pages, the whole topic of journaling we’ll save for another day!) 

There are many things a new scrapbooker (or seasoned cropper) can do to help keep their costs down and help them be good stewards with their money.  One of these areas is in the topic of basic (non-digital) scrapbooking tools. 

In addition to acquiring your own collection please know that a set of these tools listed below (that we just unboxed) have been added to the studio set of tools kept on hand for studio usage and their use is included as part of your studio experience.

Deja’ Views View-Lers* rulers by C-Thru
 These unique border rulers come in several patterns and each measure 12” x 1.5”. 

Deja View View-LERS at HELEN'S

Deja View Journaling templates at HELEN'S

These tools for creative photo-archiving and scrapbooking are very portable and help you not worry about journaling on a straight line, you can make them curvy if you want! Have Fun! Again, the purpose is to encourage and help you jot down remarks and warm memories to go along with your photos.

They are great tools for laying out, cropping and decorating your treasured photographs to create memorable, hand crafted albums.
Journaling #1 (PA-345)
Journaling #2 (PA-350)

Link to C Thru Ruler select Deja View, and click on DV Templates, scroll down and see two journaling templates.

Fiskars Edgers
With Fiskars think quality decorative scrapbooking scissors.  What Helen likes about these photographed at her scrapbooking studio today is how these fit nicely in your hands and if you are of a certain age your hands know how nice it is to use tools that don’t cause them to ache, something some of us didn’t have to think about when younger!

Photo taken today of Fiskar Edgers at HELEN'S

Fiskars shown in photo (left to right):
soft eggplant color Arabian Paper Edger (9177)
soft purple color Majestic Paper edger (9216)
soft mustard color Scallop Paper edger (9201)
soft rose color Pinking Paper edger  (9200)
soft lilac (almost periwinkle) color Clouds Paper edger (9214)

To see these and more decorative scissors at Fiskars <-click there!

 

 
Each of these items will get added to HELEN’S on-line store.

In conclusion, whether you are new to scrapbooking or a seasoned scrapper you can have fun using some simple, portable, quick & efficient tools to use for your scrapbooking passion without breaking the bank!   

In our next blog we will continue unboxing the new arrivals at the studio that we want to share with each of you. 

Until next time,

Cuddy & Helen 
Cuddy has enjoyed his first year of scrapbooking exposure and is currently working on updating his dog album that Helen created for him.

Helen Rittersporn has over fifteen years scrapbooking experience and has completed over 38 scrapbook albums.  Helen’s Scrapbooking Studio & More opened March 2009.  In addition to being a brick-and-mortar store in North Carolina, her online store is open 24×7.

Note: Guest blogger Cuddy's dog-Mom Helen is writing today's blog,
Cuddy is at her feet snoozing! 

Me & My Bicycle 

Mention certain words and they evoke memories instantly associated with the word.  At the mention of Neil Armstrong you will pause and remember where you were on that July day in 1969.

When I think back to summer memories I immediately recall my high handle bar bicycle and my many rides on it down a big challenging hill over one summer.   This bicycle was of pre-10 speed era, I don’t think it even had three speeds.   I was either 11 or 12 years old at the time and the bicycle had a gorgeous high rise handlebar bicycle – that is still how I would describe it.  We lived on the top of a really big hill and I figured out that if I started my ride at a certain spot I could really get my speed up and then to my delight put my feet up onto the handle bar while seated (and flying down the road) with my arms extended fully out on my sides.  It was as close to flying (better than my supergirl episode at around age seven from the top bunk bed which was more shortly lived I might add!). 

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