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Greetings!
Whew. Another month down and just one more to go before we return for our September crop!
As we enter August and summer winding down, there are still vacations and photo opportunities for scrapping to be had. You'll need something to work on at the September crop, right? :)
For those that have been able to make it to the crops, you know that I work hard and do everything in my power to provide the best possible experience. Here at Crops Plus, it has been a very busy time (as you will see below) and I hope that the changes will be something that you will look forward to!
Thanks so much for your support and see you soon!
The Crops Plus Team
PO Box 2041
Arlington, VA 22202
703-260-6105
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August Scrapbooking Tip
What is Project Life? Many of you may have heard of Project Life before. It's a scrapbooking system that I LOVE and use daily. But as much as I love it, I often meet people who have never heard of it or have heard bits and pieces but are really unfamiliar with the concept. (As a primer, you can view this video here or continue reading.) Project Life is a solution-based approach to scrapbooking that was created to simplify the process in order to allow you more time to enjoy life! It requires no glue, no scissors, no tools, and no skills of any kind. The photo pocket pages (page protectors) are divided into 4x6, 3x4 and 4x4 (great for those Instagram photos!) slots. There are lots of different configurations of the pocket pages, so there is plenty of variety. The Core Kit comes with adorable designed cards and journaling blocks in 3x4 and 4x6 sizes. (616 double sided cards, so you can use tons in an album and not use the same card over and over). The very basics that you need to complete an ENTIRE album are: - 12x12 Binder (any three ring 12x12 binder will work)
- Project Life Core Kit
- Big Pack of Photo Pocket Pages
- Your photos
- A journaling pen
Slip in the photos. Slip in the cards. DONE.
 
Use it to document your life in the following ways:
a. A week in the life
b. Photo a day
c. A month at a glance
d. Catch up on lots of older photos
You don't need to haul out the totes full of stencils, rulers, die cuts, stickers, fancy scissors, paper trimmers, punches, glue, tape, etc. It won't take you an hour to pull it all out, an hour to sort through paper, and an hour to do one page only to have to neatly pile it all back in the totes so the kids won't mess with it in the morning. Still don't want to give up traditional scrapbooking? Make traditional pages and stick them in with your Project Life albums! Lots of people also personalize their Project Life pages by adding their own embellishments, but it's not required.
Personally, I am using the albums to quickly put together hundreds and hundreds of photos from birth through high school. I am also doing a separate Project Life album to take a photo every day and document my daily life that way.
The amazing news is that Project Life by Becky Higgins is not the only manufacturer of this kind of system. You don't have to be attached to a single Core Kit. You can find divided page protectors and 4x6 and 3x4 cards from most manufacturers nowadays. Lines from My Minds Eye, We R Memory Keepers, Me and My Big Ideas and Simple Stories; all the way to direct sellers like Close To My Heart and Stampin' Up! You can even find specialized monthly kits, like those at Studio Calico, to vary up your pages. You have probably noticed that a lot of lines are now carrying paper that have 12 3x4 cards on a sheet of paper that you can cut out. Those are geared for the "Project Life" scrapbooker. The possibilities are limitless! But most importantly, it simplifies your scrapbooking into a system where you can knock out dozens of pages in an afternoon. Take a look at what Project Life has to offer and see if it changes your life, too!
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New Product at CHA
See the newest and greatest before it hits the stores!
The Craft and Hobby Association held it's annual Create-N-Connect event last week. This event is one where manufacturers preview their newest product and retailers can purchase them so you can have the most current products at your fingertips in your local retail stores. So what products were the buzz that everyone was talking about? Take a look at this article. Makes me want to go shopping right now! CHA recently released a study that said that crafting is on the rise! Survey results indicate that at least 62.5 million people participated in one or more crafting activities during the last year, with scrapbooking being the largest group at 23 million people. Keep sharing the love of the hobby! |
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Creating Keepsakes Convention Review
Scrapbook heaven in Lancaster, PA!
I spent the July 25-27 at the Creating Keepsakes convention in Lancaster, PA. It was a great time and I saw many of you there (which was lovely since its been so long in between crops!) I took some really good classes which will hopefully translate into some new classes for you at the crop in September!
And I picked up a bunch of new product FOR YOU! Door prizes and contest prizes! Always looking for ways to provide the best experience for you at Crops Plus!
It was a great weekend. While the Vendor Fair seemed smaller than I would have thought, the classes were great and the enthusiasm of the attendees was high!
I was especially impressed at the number of classes that were teaching new techniques. When you have been scrapbooking for going on 20 years, you might think that there is nothing left to learn. But this industry keeps coming up with new and exciting things. I hope that Crops Plus can continue to be one of the things that keeps you excited about scrapbooking!
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2014 Venue Change and Dates
Check out the brand new dates!
As I have mentioned a few times here in the newsletter, Facebook and Twitter that I have been trying to work with the Hyatt to secure 2014 dates, which were to be delayed until September. However, as I have been working towards this goal, it has become clear that staying at the Hyatt after January 2014 is no longer an option. It has not been the experience we had been hoping for.
So with that in mind, we will be returning to the Holiday Inn Dulles for the April, September and November 2014 crops. I had not anticipated a change of venue again and recognize the inconvenience. I thank you for your patience.
It is important to me to provide the best experience I can. I have heard from many of you and feel this change is for the best. The Holiday Inn is now offering a program that I think you will enjoy. The great food you know (and LOVE!) that includes coffee during the evening breaks and a more extensive breakfast on Saturday mornings. You will get the larger 6x3 tables with cloth covers, a dedicated classroom (which was not offered before), $74/night room rates, privacy afforded in a venue with one ballroom and all at a lower price point than what was being offered at the Hyatt. I look forward to finishing out 2013 and January 2014 with Hyatt as our hosts. I hope that you can all look forward to the return to the Holiday Inn Dulles as something that is familiar and known.
More good news is that we can, with this change, announce ALL of our 2014 dates ahead of schedule! The rate for 2014 will only be $235/weekend which includes all meals and a gift of product worth $20-$25 just for coming. Not to mention the great vendors and massage therapist, the door prizes and grand prize!
- January 24-26, 2014 at the Hyatt Dulles
- April 4-6, 2014 at the Holiday Inn Dulles
- September 19-21, 2014 at the Holiday Inn Dulles
- November 7-9, 2014 at the Holiday Inn Dulles
Registration for January will open on September 2nd, so keep your eyes trained here on the newsletter, on Facebook and on Twitter. This event WILL sell out. So be ready! All other events will open 4 months before the date. And, as always, croppers attending each crop will be able to sign up for any and all future dates as a 'thank you' for your support.
As always, feel free to contact me with questions or concerns. cropsplus@ourcropsplus.com or 703-260-6105.
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September Grand Prize
Back by popular demand!
 In addition to our table gifts (which are very exciting!!), we have prizes for our bingo games and treasure hunt, door prizes AND our grand prize!
The grand prize for September is a Canon Selphy Compact 4x6 Photo Printer. We gave this one away in about a year and a half ago and it was so popular, we decided to give another one away. Small enough to be taken with you to crops, it prints directly from camera memory cards AND your smart phone over wifi! You'll never have to be without that perfect photo ever again! Also included is 108 sheets of photo paper and three ink packs! A $140 value!
We do everything we can to send you home happy!
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July Contest Winner!
Congratulations!
 Congratulations to the winner of our July Sketch contest: Laurie McDougall! She wins $15 at the vendor of her choice. Thank you everyone for voting.
We had two great entries and hope to get even more for our August contest. Thanks for participating!
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August Sketch Contest!
Keep an eye out on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more contests this month!
For every month this summer, we will be holding contests on Facebook and here in the newsletter to win fabulous prizes. This is all just to hold you over until the September crop! We will hold a monthly sketch layout contest (details below) as well as one other contest (will vary) sometime during the month.
Every month in the newsletter, on Facebook, and Instagram, we will publish a sketch. Any scrapper who feels inspired by the sketch (above) should create a layout based on the sketch and post it on our Facebook page or Instagram (use hash tags #CropsPlus and #CropsPlusLayoutContest). You can also email it to us and we can post it for you if you do not have access to Facebook or Instagram cropsplus@ourcropsplus.comPlease remember your settings must be public in order for you to be entered via Instagram - we've got to be able to see your photo! Layouts should be posted by the 21st of every month and voting will start via poll on the 22nd until the end of the month. The monthly winner will receive $15 in brand spanking new product or a gift certificate! Good luck! Get creating!
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