The Lowdown from the Show...down. Brought to you by Sam.

Welcome, welcome! Here is the first scrapblog for Purdy's Scrapbook Place. I'm tickled pink to be able to bring you our first post. Please check back often and read what's up. We'll try to bring you news about our store, reviews of our favorite products, and occasionally some juicy details from our own personal lives... if you're lucky.

First off, let me fill you in on the MemoryTrends trade show in Las Vegas. It's a week long event full of awesome seminars and a classes, and finished off with three exhilarating days shopping on in the show room. This event gave us a bunch of neat ideas for promotions in our store... so look forward to fun sales and make-n-takes in the near future. Want a sneak peek of what may be coming? I suppose I can indulge you, and can give you a few... but don't tell the boss. How do you feel about card swaps and discounts for scrappers who attend classes and crops? I know I'm excited!

The floor show was jammed-packed with awesome new lines, along with some oldies (but goodies). One of my favorite gems we came across was a company called Mermaid Tears (http://mermaidtears.net/). I was instantly impressed with their name (for proof of my affinity for mermaids... check this out). Besides that, their product blew me away. Expect to see a few of the sets pictured below, and some variations of that theme coming into the store. These brass embellishments easily attach in your scrapbooks with a glue dot. The corresponding gem attaches just as easily - though it could be used as a separate embellishment completely! In addition we'll be carrying their paper flowers - blinged out with authentic Swarovski crystals - and tassel tubes. What's a tassel tube, you ask? The easiest, most fabulous way to keep a bunch of ribbon together, I say!

You couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting a scrapbooking celebrity! (Please pardon my use of such a gross idiom.) Besides bumping into such big leaguers as Heidi Swapp, Rob and Bob, and my personal fav Mrs. Grossman, we were able to meet with Karen Foster. By this time of the day I think everyone was falling a sleep and aching at every joint - but she was very polite, friendly, and smiling. And for those out there waiting to hear what kind of goodies you may be getting you hands on in the near future, I just might say that word of the street is that Madame Foster just may have autographed and donated some gear. But you didn't hear that from me!

Another star we met was the Scrapbook Diva herself, Danielle Forsgren! She, most definitely, falls in to the category of Completely Fabulous (falling in to the ranks with such favorites as Maggie Smith, Bernadette Peters, and Bea Arthur)! My first encounter with her was a class I took (appropriately called Diva Las Vegas) where she coupled with Mermaid Tears' Melisa Sanchez. Here I was able to use a patterned paper named Thanksgiving Leopard. Upon further discovery, I learned that she in fact marketed Leopard print paper for each month of the year in two different styles! That's hardcore right there, bring the total up to 24! In addition she creates all sorts of remarkable scrapper bling. Please note the fabulous tiara-style headband that I purchased for my mother. That's right, I'm not only handsome and humble, but extremely thoughtful and generous.

Danielle gets even more fabulous, though. She has a weekly radio show focusing on scrapbooking and the industries finest. You want more? She also became a little bit of a personal idol when a bit of research revealed a list of Theatre roles under her belt - musicals no less! And these are not just little community shows, these are the real deal! She rounds out her resume with being a great spokesperson for self-esteem with her motto - Be bold, different, and always kind!

All in all we jhad a wonderful time, and ordered fabulous product from these companies: Stampin' Station, SRM, Karen Foster, Creative Impressions, Crate Paper, Wube Prints, Croppin Glue, Paper Patch, We R Memory Keepers, My Sentiments Exactly, Mermaid Tears, American Crafts, Fiskars... and MORE!

Now I would be doing my Mother SLASH Boss an injustice if I represented her without taking into account her seemingly obsessive, but compartatively normal, love of her grand-bebe. Little Marissa is now 14 months, and is reminiscent of Cindy Lou Who. So, I'm honored to be presenting, for her first ever showing, on the Purdy's Scrapbook Place scrapblog, my favorite little baked potato and yours! Marissa Purdy!


Thank you so much for spending your time reading this, and we hope to see you in our store soon! As always, we love to hear from you and see what projects you have been up to!

Much Love,
Sam