Update | 4.15.2014 - Project Life Stampin' Up!, Scraptime, Studio Calico, Simon Says Stamp, Bella Blvd
There's lots of news today from the industry's biggest & brightest names...let's dive right into it!
Becky Higgins has just announced on her blog that she is partnering with Stampin' Up! to create exclusive Project Life products for the direct sales market. The announcement promises card collections, accessory packs, albums, pocket pages, tools, other accessories, and stamps (in keeping of course with the mission of Stampin' Up!). The card packs will be somewhat different than the ones sold in retail stores in two major ways, however. First, they will have square corners - unlike the signature rounded corners of the current Project Life products. Second, the Project Life Stampin' Up! cards will come in packs of 100 double-sided designs, with no duplicates in a pack.
Project Life products will be available for order through Stampin' Up! representatives on May 1st, and more product preview information will be available soon. In the announcement, Higgins also promised a future digital release of the Stampin' Up! exclusive products.
The Project Life announcement puts the direct sales market squarely on the front lines of the pocket scrapbooking product wars. Close To My Heart recently started selling a pocket scrapbooking line it calls "Picture My Life". Now with Project Life aligned with Stampin' Up!, the lines are clearly drawn for the expansion of what until now has largely been a battle of the stamps between the two companies.
Canadian podcast Scraptime, hosted by Christine Urias, is spreading the word that they will no longer be available for subscription on iTunes. Good news for fans though - the show is still in production, they are just changing the method of bringing it to you! To see their new episodes twice a week, visit the Scraptime blog or subscribe to their YouTube channel! (And if you aren't already a Scraptime fan, be sure to check it out. Each episode Christine shows off a new product or technique in a way that you'll be sure to learn something!)
Studio Calico has announced a new line called "South of Market". It's a spring/summer line, full of fresh color and produce, and containing some of the industry's hottest current trends: chalkboard, mason jars, and text fill.
South-of-Market
Online retailer Simon Says Stamp has announced an event for next month called Simon Says Create. The event will take place May 30-31st in Columbus, Ohio, and will feature classes by Tim Holtz, Shari Carroll, Jennifer McGuire, Lawn Fawn's Kelly Marie Alvarez, Sandy Allnock of Operation Write Home, and Stephanie Klauck of Simon Says Stamp.
Tickets for the event, which cost $495 for a six class bundle, have entirely sold out. However, the company will be running an onsite store, including a clearance rack, at the event's location (Northpointe Hotel and Conference Center) which will be open to the public from 9am-6pm on the days of the event.
Bella Blvd has announced several new collections that will be shipping in May! Summer Breeze, Sprinkles, and Classic Calendar are exactly what you'd expect from their names - a bright fun summer line, a line perfect for celebrations of any kind, and 12x12 calendar pages.
764 COLL KIT SCATTERED SPRINKLES
