KINDRED SPIRIT

Enough Creative Escape and back to work!! Had lots of fun with you all up in the USA and loved the weather. But now its back to reality as we begin to finalise our lines for CHA 2010.

Don't you love this layout from Rebecca Keppel - I love the colour and the mix of product she has used with our Kindred Spirit line. Thanks so much for sending this in Rebecca - this is gorgeous.

We've had a few requests over the last week as to how stores can go about ordering from us. We warehouse in Chicago and hope to have our website up and running in the next month. Until then please email us at info@fynmark.com.au so we can give you access to our Australian website for ordering. Note all orders of our Vintage Beauty and Kindred Spirit lines ship from Chicago so there is no international cost for shipping. Also note if you are in Southern California we'd love you to contact our rep Diane Price on 714 692 2678, in Arizona Janna 602 741 2124, and in the New York area Brenda Moore 603 679 2726. Otherwise give us a shout - we'd love to hear from you. Happy Scrapping!

THE GALS FROM OZ

Finally the reveal - the project Ruby Rock-it worked on with Delish Designs for Creative Escape. Lynette Carroll (at the back in the CE apron) designed this great wall art hanging and Ruby Rock-it supplied the black book board base and decorative pearls used on the hanging. What a great class - we completed it in an hour and a half and I can't wait to get it home to put my own photos on it. The example above is Lynette's class sample. Here we all are at the end of the class after everyone else had left. Contact Scrapbooks Etc in Arizona for project kits if you would like to make this project - there were some left over but not many. This is an exclusive item for Creative Escape. And back to those lamps - guess how much Tim Holtz's lamp sold for at the charity auction last night - US$30,000 - no there are not too many zeroes - a great boost to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Foundation and a fab home decor addition to one scrapper's home. It was gorgeous and Tim was totally overwhelmed at the amount - we love you Tim!

FROM CREATIVE ESCAPE 09

Today I had to check out the stunning lamp display in between classes. All of the teachers plus a few fab others took a simple Ikea lamp and turned them into works of art. Here I am with Susan (from Atlanta) checking out Tim and Heidi's lamps -just goes to show where a little imagination can take you. All of the lamps are raffled tomorrow night with the proceeds going to charity.

I was lucky enough today to do classes with Carol Wingert, 7 Gypsies, Heather Bailey and the master of inky fingers Tim Holtz. Everyone is having a great time but I'm really looking forward to the class tomorrow with Lynette Carroll where we have some Ruby Rock-it product featured. It's been great to meet with so many women who just love this craft. Heidi Swapp said tonight we just gotta scrap otherwise we risk missing out on those memories that make our lives so unique. Make a little time today to do something even if its just a sketch in a notebook of the your next layout and then make an appointment in your diary to scrap that page! More tomorrow or check out Heather Bailey at www.fynmark.com.au

CREATIVE ESCAPE 09

So have been in the US for about a week and have met some amazingly creative people in Arizona. What a "hot" spot for creativity - not only the "celebrity" scrappers but the stores have some fabulous classes and projects for the locals. Last night I visited Scrapbook Barn in AZ and Jennifer, the owner of the store there, has the best page of the month kits I've seen in ages - check out her website at http://www.scrapbookbarn.com/ or http://www.scrapbookbarn.typepad.com/ and you'll see what I mean. Here I am with Marah Johnson at Creative Escape - I love her stuff and can't wait for her class. Also check out her trunk show table seen this afternoon - just gorgeous don't you think? Will be showcasing some of the local talent up here over the next few days so check back for some more fab photos of the most beautiful work around. See also our other Aussie blog: http://www.fynmark.com.au/ for photos with Tim and his CE project. More tomorrow ........

SEE YOU AT CREATIVE ESCAPE

Only 3 more sleeps and I'm winging my way to Arizona - yippee. Meeting with some of the local stores in Arizona and then we're off to CE. Cannot wait for this. Have heard so much about it and we have some RR products included in the Delish Designs class with Lynette. Looking forward to some warmer weather as we're still in winter downunder.

If any of you are at CE come up and say Hello. I'll be the gal with the Aussie accent!

In the meantime keep up the great work and keep in touch - we love to see how creative you all are - drop us an email and a shot of your layout at info@fynmark.com.au - we'll get some of you up on the blog in the next few weeks.

KINDRED SPIRIT - GREAT FOR KIDS

This week we're showcasing our Kindred Spirit line. It has been so popular downunder - we've sold out of it twice and stocked it for a third time. Our US stores are telling us you guys are enjoying it just as much. The colour palette is so bright and cheery that you can scrap pretty much anything with it and it's one of those ranges for girls and boys - yay! This week's layout uses a black and white photo and our cute chipboard butterflies (seen in the summer edition of Creating Keepsakes). Our round stitched cardstock has been used to create a bit of a visual feature around the photo - gotta love the photo though - how cute is she!

We're getting ready for our trip to Arizona for Creative Escape and we're counting down the sleeps! If any of our followers are attending come and say hello - we're working alongside Delish Designs and Lynette Carroll with some of our products in the class. Looking forward to some warmer weather that's for sure - it's freezing downunder right now.

In the meantime again if you're a store and you'd like to stock our ranges Vintage Beauty and Kindred Spirit please give us a shout at info@fynmark.com.au. Our stock ships out of Chicago so its easy peasy - until next week - have a great week scrapping!

THANK YOU ...

This week a card using up some of the scraps we had left over from our Vintage Beauty layouts. This thank you card is particularly pertinent as I want to say a big thank you to all of you who have sent us emails and comments about our lines - we love that you love what we're doing -it inspires us to do even more for our next CHA Winter release.

On a more personal note this card is for my grandfather. It will be the last card I ever make for him. He is really ill and in palliative care. Before it's too late I want to thank him for all the lovely things he has done for me, the things he has given up to be such a great Dad and Poppa. I want to thank him for caring and for showing me that it's not about where we end up but the journey we take to get there in our lives and that the most important thing is to laugh long and hard along the way.

And that's why I think scrapbooking reasonates so much with me - it's not about showcasing the "achievements" in our life but more the things that happen along the way. It's about how our family gets from one stage to another and being thankful that we were able to be there when it was "all happening". Scrapbooks give us an opportunity to laugh again at those special moments that make up a life - for that I am thankful - especially this week.

Have a great week scrapping!

A LITTLE BIT OF INSPIRATION ...

The layout this week showcases our Vintage Beauty line and in particular the Splendour patterned paper. We've torn it and inked it and used it as a mat underneath our photos. It works beautifully with a cream cardstock base which has also been inked. Also used is our matching ric rac and a couple of ATC elements. You can see one of the ATC cards under the left-hand corner of the large photo. These are silver foiled and look stunning. We love to doodle at Ruby Rock-it so always have a black journaling pen handy. Sometimes a layout just doesn't seem finished without a little doodle.

The stores that ordered at CHA 09 are already re-ordering after having stock for just under a fortnight. Our stocks in the US for this first release are limited so if you're thinking about placing an order with us drop us an line quickly at admin2@fynmark.com.au - we ship out of Chicago. All going well we'll have our trade website up and running in the next month so you can place orders online.

More inspiration next week but for another layout using the Vintage Beauty line check out www.fynmark.blogspot.com - have a great week scrapping!

RUBY - MY ALTER EGO

Stock has begun to be despatched out to the market and you should begin to see our great lines Vintage Beauty and Kindred Spirit in stores in the next few weeks. We've had such an overwhelming responseto the ranges and we're just thrilled you like what we have done with Ruby.

Ruby is the little sister of our BELLA! brand which is in stores nationally in Australia. I'm the Creative Director of both and live in Sydney with my DH (dear husband) and two teenage children. I am constantly in awe at the amount of product available in the USA and as a "tragic" scrapbooking addict just love visiting the USA to stock up on supplies.

For those of you who are looking for something new for your stores give us a shout and we'll get you organised with an order form - email us at admin2@fynmark.com.au. All stock is being despatched from Chicago to make it really affordable.

In the meantime we'll be sending out a newsletter later this week to show you some of the things we've been doing with the ranges downunder. Let us know if you'd like to go on the mailing list for this. It will keep you updated with what we're up to in the USA. Also check out our Australian blog for inspiration www.fynmark.blogspot.com.au - this also showcases what Ruby and BELLA! are releasing on a weekly basis.

Looking forward to talking to more of you in coming weeks. In the meantime - Happy Scrapping!

ALMOST THERE ........

We had a great time meeting many of you at CHA Anaheim in January 2009 and must admit things have not slowed down much since our return. We've been busy putting the finishing touches on projects we want to showcase to you all over the next few months and finalising production for product to head out into stores in the next few weeks. We've had a lot of stores contact us in Southern California and on the East Coast so check out your local stores for our lines early June.

(If you're a store that would like to stock some of products drop Nicole an email at admin2@fynmark.com.au and we'll get you some info on how to get some of our lines in store).

We're looking forward to meeting some of you at Creative Escape in August where Sally from Delish Designs and myself from Ruby Rock-it are collaborating on a Delish workshop with Lynette Carroll over the three days. We can't wait!

In the meantime check out the Bazzill Matchmaker site www.bazzillbasics.com/matchmaker for cardstock to match our Kindred Spirit and Vintage Beauty lines.

We'll keep this blog updated from here on in to let you know how, where and when you can get your hands on our new lines - we think you'll agree it's been worth the wait.

Have a great week scrapping!

CHA SNEAK PEAK 2009

Only 3 more sleeps until I see you all at CHA09 for the very first time. We are sooo excited to be exhibiting at our very first show in the USA. Check us out at Booth #2585 where my friends at Fynmark USA will walk you through who we are and what we do.

So who am I? I am based in Sydney, Australia and have a big sister called BELLA! My big sister BELLA designs some fab product for Australian consumers. I'm the new kid on the block for distributors FYNMARK and I design especially for you all in the USA.

I hope you'll come and visit me to check out some of the great things we're doing for you at the Show. Visit us on 26 January and celebrate Australia Day with us - see you all soon!