Photo Expressions

Karen Russell Classes

I had a fabulous time at the Karen Russell classes today.  She was charming and funny and real.  She talked about photos and scrapbooking relating to Real life.  The 5 hour photography class flew by and she was great at explaining in real terms what all the terminology meant and had great tips for taking better portraits.  And I loved all the interactive layouts she shared with us.  This is one technique I hadn't done much of and I am hooked.  Here are a couple of photos during the classes (I was enthralled so didn't take many) and a couple from the end of the night with Kah-Mei of Fontwerks. Thanks for coming up Karen!  We had a blast.

New American Crafts, Die Cuts With a View, Fancy Pants

New Creative Imaginations

Bare Elements - customize any way you want.  Great gift ideas also.

Scrapbook and Kids, Computer Tricks for Scrapbooking

Scrapbook + Kids = Fun!
      
It’s fun and easy to craft with your kids! Whether you’re looking for a rainy-day adventure, a last-minute gift idea or a kid-friendly scrapbooking project, you’ll find it here. Scrapbooking with Your Kids is packed with 200 kid-tested ideas for birthdays, holidays and every day!
      
LOOK INSIDE FOR THESE FUN PROJECTS: 

      

Scrapbook favorite family photographs—together!      

      

Make delightful gifts, such as purse notebooks and
mosaic frames.      

      

Play learning games, like alphabet and word bingo.   

      

Fill a rainy day with fun projects, like making a

secret decoder or playing a treasure hunt game.      

      

Create family-friendly projects, such as a gratitude
jar or a homework helper.   

      

And more!

And a reorder of this awesome book
Ready to do more with your computer than just printing out your photos and journaling? Now you can!

Learn how to create inspiring borders, accents, titles, photos and more with easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions from contributing editor Jessica Sprague and her team of creative contributors.

You’ll be creating quick digital elements and artistically altering your photos like a pro in no time!

New Family History, Becky Sketches , And Ali Life Artist

You just inherited a box of family photographs—or you’re interested in working on your family history. But there’s one problem: You’re not quite sure how to get started. This
guided workbook will help you get started, get organized and preserve your favorite family memories in a way that’s fun, easy and meaningful.
      
Inside you'll find:
      

      

72 beautifully designed checklists, worksheets and templates for organizing and recording your favorite family stories. These readyto-use forms can be cut out, photocopied, or even downloaded for printing on your home computer.
       
      

      

Dozens of beautiful scrapbook pages you can easily create tonight!
       
      

      

Hundreds of timeless tips for sharing your family stories in a way that’s classic, inspirational and meaningful.

Finally, all of Becky’s Sketches in one book!
      
Scrapbooking celebrity Becky Higgins is well known for her beautiful page designs, classic and timeless layouts, and her easy-to-follow scrapbook-page sketches.
In this book, you’ll find:

      

All of Becky’s sketches in one easy-to-read format! This sketch compilation includes all of Becky’s sketches from Creating Keepsakes magazine and from Becky’s best-selling books, Creative Sketches for Scrapbooking, Volumes 1 and 2.
      

      

195 never-before-seen scrapbook layouts that illustrate every single sketch included in this book.
      

      

Hundreds of Becky’s favorite scrapbooking tips, including creative ways to use acrylic paint, brads, circle punches and more.
       
Foreword by Becky Higgins
It’s been several years since my first sketch was published in Creating Keepsakes magazine, and my sketches are still being used by scrapbookers all over the world! Why have sketches remained a popular scrapbooking tool? I think it’s because it’s just so much easier to start a layout when you’ve got a great plan in place. It’s easier to complete more layouts when you don’t have to create your own design from scratch. And, it’s easier to be creative with your page accents and color choices when you don’t have to worry about whether or not your design is solid.
       
This is an exciting book for me because it allows me to see all of the sketches I’ve ever drawn for Creating Keepsakes in one place—no more flipping through several years of back issues and books to find my favorite sketch designs! I can’t tell you how much fun it was to revisit my classic sketches and use them to create brand-new layouts for this book. Timeless and classic indeed!
       
Enjoy the scrapbooking journey!

        Watch Becky see her book for the first time.

Coming Soon - Scrapbooking celebrity Ali Edwards is well known for her charming ability to capture the everyday moments of life on beautiful layouts. In her third book, Ali explores scrapbooking as a form of life art.

Follow along with Ali as she teaches you how to scrapbook your life moments and share your stories in a way that’s real, authentic and a true reflection of your personality. This book is a must-have for anyone who wants to take their scrapbooking to the next level!

Features include:

             

Hundreds of new ideas to incorporate into your scrapbooking lifestyle
       
      

      

Ali’s guiding philosophies behind becoming a life artist
       
      

      

A variety of unique projects, including layouts, mini-albums, home décor and more

New Holiday QuicKutz

QuicKutz has some great new releases for Thanksgiving, Halloween and Christmas.  There are some 2x2 shapes for your Squeeze and Revolution and some 4x4 shapes for your Revolution. 


There are also 2 new Cookie Cutter fonts that will be arriving shortly.  Love these!

And for Pe QuicKutz Crew Members don't forget to fill out the Crew Get Together Survey so we can continue to bring you the best program around.

Trust Us With Your Memories,

Michele

Circle of Life

and the circle of life continues as Kerry becomes blessed with a new Grandson, Ethan.
What an adorable little boy.  Congratulations Kerry!

Grace

grace • noun - elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action.

Grace was a long-time employee and member of the Photo Express family.  Recently, she lost her second courageous battle with cancer.  Grace touched us all with her winning smile, her gentle manner and her positive outlook on life.  We will miss you, Grace.

Free Scrapbook and Cards Today Magazine

The Fall issue of Scrapbook and Cards Today is in at PE and as usual is gorgeous.  This FREE magazine is full of gorgeous photography and ideas that are doable.  If you can't get into PE to pick one up, it is also available as a Free download  on the Scrapbook and Cards site (you will also find back issues to download if you missed any.)

As I was flipping through I saw this cute little family album from Wendy Gibson from Mission B.C.  Way to go Wendy!  You can download the template and instructions and make a few of these cute little books.

Have you Seen our Bathroom?

Big Kudos to Tanya (with the help of my friend Tammy from Benjamin Moore in Maple Ridge, I'm telling you if you want to paint go see her!) who has redone the bathroom at PE.  I felt like I was on a home decor show when I walked in.  It looks awesome!  Almost feel like I need to bring in a book to sit and read lol.  You have to check out the bathroom next time you come in to PE.

I Saw What I Saw

I went to check out Natasha's Blog to see how the adventures in Haiti have been going as they are there to bring their daughter home.  Wow, one thing after another.  I love the photos she has posted and her strength through all the trials they have encountered amazes me.  One of the comments had a link to this video by Sara Groves titled I Saw What I Saw  about the children she encountered on a trip to Rwanda.  The music is beautiful and get out your kleenex box.  When I see things like this I feel so helpless sitting in my safe office at my nice desk with a warm safe home with lots of food and a loving family filling it.  These children have so little and have often been through more than any of us will ever go through - and yet their smiles...!!  I think what can I do, how can I help?  We have a foster child in Kenya (he is 16 and wants to come to Canada to become a doctor!) and I have such a strong need to do more.  I have done some fundraising and donated money, but it isn't enough to do.  How do you help the millions of children in the world who need help?  I want to take them all home with me and love and hug them and take care of them. (I'm typing through tears here, I'm such a wimp!).  I sure hope I am paying attention and not too busy when God tells me what I can do to make a difference.

Michele

Home Decor with your supplies

Check out this gorgeous sample that Nancy made for the store.  (click on the photo to see a larger version). This is a ledge frame set we carry which is beautiful on its own.  She added some rubons in white and some crystal gems to the corners and some sheer ribbon across the bottom.  This would make a stunning gift (this one just happens to be baby) or addition to your home.  Go take a look in your scrap supplies, find some rubons and find a frame in your house and have some fun!  Of course, you can always come in and find these items at PE .

Trust Us With Your Memories,

Michele

Free Fixture/Gondola to a good home

Do you have a store or craft room or garage that could use a sturdy 4 sided/slatwalled fixture on wheels?  This has been a very useful gondola for us as it holds lots of product (it has been home to Disney, stamps, papers, frames and more through its life at PE).  We are renovating at PE and this fixture doesn't fit into our new plan, so we would love to give it away FREE to the first person to contact us (604-463-3654) before Monday as it has to leave by then.

Michele

Pe Tradeshow Super Sale Weekend

Yup, tradeshow time brings about the need for room which is always good for you.  Join us this Friday, Saturday and Sunday to enjoy awesome savings on lots of great products.  Visit here for all the details.  You don't want to miss this one.

What do you think Scrapbooking is?

There is a lot of talk going on in the industry right now about the direction that scrapbooking needs to move. There is one camp that feels that the industry should stay the course and keep marketing to crafters only as it is only a craft and there is another camp that feels that in addition to this, scrapbooking should be marketed to anyone who takes a photo because scrapbooking starts with a photo and is about connecting a photo with a memory or moment whether that is done in a regular scrapbook, a photo album, digitally, in a video or many other forms. (guess which camp I'm in :) yup, the craft AND photo camp! ) It is causing retailers and manufacturers to look towards the future and evaluate their business and plans for the future.  Scary stuff for many, but very necessary.  Change is always scary.

I'd love to know what you think scrapbooking is.  Do you think it is just about the craft or that it starts with a photo and needs to become more inclusive to include women who are noncrafters and even men?

Michele