Noteworthy | 5.18.2012
Welcome to another week of Noteworthy! It was a relatively quiet week this week in the scrapbook world compared to the flood of releases and big news the past few weeks, but we still have lots of fun stuff to talk about! So let's get started...
The biggest announcement this week arguably came from Becky Higgins, and it was about Project Life, of course. Details of the announcement are a bit sketchy because Becky's announcement video is currently unavailable for viewing. However, the brief summary points that she posted underneath the video indicate the following big changes are coming soon to the Project Life core kits:
Project Life core kit production is being shifted to the U.S. from overseas. This will cut down on out of stock time as production is much faster, and the print and paper quality will be much better.
Packaging is changing to a large flat package that includes a plastic tray in which all of the cards will lay flat. All of the new packaging is 100% recyclable.
Kit contents will be changing: There will now be 500 journaling cards in each kit, with "filler" designs on the back, plus 40 bi-fold cards (up from 24). The title cards will be horizontal designs on the front and vertical on the back (the same designs, just shifted in orientation).
Another change that is coming to the kit contents: stickers are being eliminated, for now. Becky says it is too expensive to produce them here in the U.S., so they are eliminating them from the core kits, and looking at options to produce them as a separate item that can be purchased as an add-on for Project Life in the future.
The original Project Life kit is coming back! As part of the new U.S. production, all of the Project Life core kits are being reprinted: Clementine, Cobalt, Amber, and Turquoise - and the original kit is coming back as well! It will be called the "Cherry" edition.
No precise word from Becky on when we'll see these changes in action in the product shipping to customers.
Looking for great ideas on how to use Tim Holtz Distress Markers from Ranger? Here's two tutorials that will help!
The first is from the blog of Ranger Senior Educator Wendy Vecchi, and shows a great technique for coloring her cream colored Blossom Bucket Trinkets with the pens. The results are amazing, and the possibilities for creating custom embellishments are endless!
Next up, how about a video from Jennifer McGuire? Jen shows a great technique for using an embossed stamp with Distress Markers and Perfect Pearls to create a very colorful card in a short amount of time.
(Also, I want to say a big congratulations to Jennifer McGuire on her adorable new production! Baby Lila Grace made her debut on, of course, Mother's Day. She is absolutely beautiful! Head on over to Jen's blog to get a peek at the little cutie and share your congratulations with the family!)
Maya Road has announced their early summer 2012 releases. There's a selection of chipboard, including elements, an album and some 3D items, but the most notable is perhaps Maya Road's joining the ever-growing hexagon trend sweeping the industry:
Another notable piece from their new slate of introductions is the Limited Edition Antique Treasure Buttons, which will be available in Onyx and Diamond. The diamond are pictured here:
There's new twine cording, embellishments, and stamps, too!
Here's a treat for digital & hybrid scrapbookers - the Designer Digitals Quarterly sale is going on now! Every item in the Designer Digitals store is 30% through Tuesday, May 22nd.
Anyone who is a fan of 6x6 paper pads (like me!) should check out the American Crafts blog this week. They've been doing a whole series on things you can do with 6x6 paper pads! My favorite is the tutorial about how to create this gorgeous layout by Michelle Clement:
There's lots of cards and layouts - and even a canvas - to get inspiration from in the series. So check it out and then be prepared to head to your favorite store to load up on pads to play with!
If the new art journaling trend intrigues you and you want to learn more, there's some really great education to be had on Jule Fei-Fan Balzer's blog this week! On Thursday she showed about a dozen different things you can do with a single wood parquet stencil design. In her "The Things You Want To Learn" piece on Wednesday, she provides an encyclopedia of resources to learn the basics all about various Mixed Media techniques (and even explains the definition of mixed media).
