'All your school memories in ONE simple album...'

As we gear up for back to school season, don't forget to stock up on amazing school products for your school related scrapbooking layouts. Check out Memory Work's latest Simple Stories line, "Elem.en.tary."

Not into hybrid scrapbooking? No worries. You can purchase 12x12 Elem.en.tary patterned paper packs and coordinating embellishments and cardstock individually.

'CLICK HERE'

Contact me with your order today or visit:
http://jcamacho.memory-works.com

One last ride

I've been on a non-stop carousel ride lately. Up and down, round and round, the wind blowing through my hair. And during the ride, I manage to catch a quick glimpse of all the things I'd like to do:
1. plan new classes
2. visit my dear friend and her delicious little newborn
3. complete projects
4. organize my studio
5. finish planting my garden
6. plan our summer vacation

I have to admit, I have been struggling lately with organizing myself and getting it all done. I've been on the hunt for some extra energy but by the end of each night, I just find myself nodding off in my new comfy couch and reassuring myself, "Tomorrow."

A lot of my "to do" list has taken a back seat to Talia. My little lady is even more on my mind these days. These are the last few months we have together before she boards the big yellow bus and starts Kindergarten in September. It is such a bitter sweet time, and one that I have been warned about by so many mothers before me...

"It goes so fast."
"They grow up so quickly."

It's all true.

And, so I have decided to jump on the carousel with my little girl and enjoy this last ride together. I'm soaking it all in and chreshing every last second, all the while feeling so blessed for all the time we have had together.

So, if you haven't heard from me in awhile or you're still waiting for me to announce my next class (thanks for all the inquiries!), please bear with me...I've been a little busy swirling and whirling around with my favorite little girl!

July 2006:

July 2007:

July 2008:

June 2009:

May 2010:

Annual Scrapbooking Weekend

For the past three years, my girlfriends and I pack up our cars with every scrapbooking tool, accessory and piece of patterned paper in our possession and head upstate into the Catskill mountains for a weekend of creativity, relaxation and fun!

This year was an extra special weekend for us, as we celebrated with our friends Tracey & Karina, as they hosted their first weekend crop! All their hard work paid off, it was an incredible weekend. I hope some more of you will join us next year.

We spent the weekend at Soyuzivka, a year round Ukranian resort nestled in the Catskill mountains in Kerhonkson, NY.
Tracey & Karina were gracious enough to allow me to set up shop at the crop. I was thrilled to spread the word about Memory Works and share all of my newfound favorite products. Here are a few photos of my first ever vending display:







During the crop, I held a raffle where Danielle won $106 in Memory Works products. And I was delighted to see Tracey's mom walk away with my Door Prize Gift Basket filled with a scrapbook, cardstock, paper theme set & other Memory Works accessories and tools!



In between scrapping, we had the most delcious family style meals. It was heaven having 20+ moms in the room and not one of us had to slave away in the kitchen or wash a dirty dish! We loved having our own bartender, which I am fairly confident, helped fuel our midnight dance party. :0) We love you Ga Ga!

CROPPERS BY DAY:

Here is the reason why Michaels stays in business!

Our Scrapbooking Diva, dodging the Paparazzi!

I have always felt completely at ease in the mountains... I am sure it stems from the years spent at our family's cabin(that my father built with his own hands) just before I was born. I always loved walking in the woods... the gurgling streams, the padded paths of fallen leaves, majestc trees that protected a vast, tranquil playground. It didn't take me long before I decided to take a hike on the grounds. I grabbed Allison and Michele and off we went. Here is what we found:











CROPPERS BY NIGHT


Me & the girls finding our inspiration... at the BAR! ;0)


You haven't lived until you've tried a Thin Mint S'more (and spent a weekend with Stefano!)


Uh, get your Cricut on! LMAO

And yes, just in case you were wondering...I did manage to get a little scrapbooking done! Here are some of my favorite layouts:









I'm counting down until next year!!!!

Click on the following links to stay up to date with Tracey & Karina's classes & crops. I'll see you there!

An afternoon with the Girl Scouts

I don't remember wearing the classic green Girl Scout uniform, but I do vividly remember being a Brownie. My mom was one of the troop leaders and I really enjoyed spending time with my friends and working together. I vividly remember those little brown beanies, earning patches for my sash, Girl Scout cookies piled high in my orange living room and oh, that song! That infamous song. I wonder if they still sing it?

Make new friends
But Keep the Old
One is silver
And the other's Gold

I was flooded with these memories after recently being asked to teach a local Girl Scout Troop how to scrapbook. I opted to design a Brown Paper Bag Scrapbook for them. I chose this design to help them understand the basics of scrapbooking and walk away with a complete book of their own. Ahead of time, they decided on a Dog & Friendship combination theme. Can it get any better than that??? :0)

It was really fun designing a girly scrapbook with lots of little unique accents... like dogbone shaped journaling tags and best friend paper charms, inspired by a best friend necklace I once wore when I was close to their age. The girls learned about matting, stamping, journaling, embellishing and paper piecing... and they were pros! I was genuinely impressed with their level of creativity and willingness to try something new. When they were worried about "messing up" or something didn't quite turn out they way they thought, I asked them to see this as a "happy accident." (An idea someone once shared with me). I showed them one of my own layouts, where I accidentally ripped my cardstock and explained how this one tear wound up inspiring a complete distressed transformation to my original layout idea. To this day, it is one of my favorite layouts!

So here is a photo of their finsihed projects:

My sample is in the center, with the Poodle on the cover. Take a look at how the girls made thier books their own! Not one of them copied my design entirely... I was pleasantly surprised. I remember being ten and how important it felt to fit in. Yet these girls were confident enough to be different from each other, and from me! It made my heart full.

I am lucky to be part of an amazing circle of friends who share scrapbooking as a hobby. Scrapbooking has been a way for us to break away for our busy lives and reconnect with each other and reflect on all of our special moments in between carpools and cooking dinner. And while these young girls were scrapbooking, I was transported back in time for a moment. I could see myself sitting around with my girlfriends. And while I didn't know any of them at age ten, I could easily envision us gathered around a table just like theirs...talking about things just like them. I was struck by how, even at the age of ten, this process of gathering and being creative together seemed to provide a forum for them to talk about things that were on their minds... a recent Health test, family life, someone who bothered them at school, and who they hoped would win American Idol.

My afternoon spent with the Girl Scouts was wonderful, and an experience that I will never forget...scout's honor! :0)

If you, or someone you know, is interested in having me lead a scrapbooking group event or birthday party, please feel free to contact me at jennifer@creativecornerdesigns.com or 718-614-4864.

Memory Works Spring/Summer Catalog is HERE!

I cannot even explain how excited I am about the release of the new Spring/Summer Memory Works catalog! Seriously, everything is GORGEOUS! Take a sneak peek by clicking on the links below:

Simple Stories

Collection Essentials 1

Collection Essentials 2

Basic Essentials

If you would like a printed copy of the catalog, just let me know. They are $5.00 each or you can have yours FREE if you place an order of $30 or more (offer good until April 15th).

More and more new merchandise is arriving daily at MW Headquarters!
Click here to see what products have arrived and are already available for purchase!

I am currently accepting orders, so feel free to email me at jennifer@creativecornerdesigns.com if you want to grab your goodies now. Share this news with friends and place an order together to save on shipping.

And, don't forget that you can score some really great deals on our Fall/Winter Catalog...almost every line is discounted 10 -- 20% off! Click here to shop by collection. Gotta love a bargain!

Happy Shopping!!!

Simple Stories Blog Hop!

A few other Memory Works Consultants and I have decided to have a blog hop to showcase the Simple Stories line that Memory Works has just released. Above is a photo of my first page using the Simple Stories Kit. I plan on using the Simple Stories' Life Documented kit to help me capture our family's 2010 highlights.

Find more videos like this on MW Studio

Don't forget to take a peek at my fellow consultants Simple Stories creations.Seriously, these are some of the most talented scrapbookers I know! They are so inspiring! Can't wait to try a few of their ideas out!

Memory Works
Christina
Lacey
Sue F
Melissa
Rhonda
Luisa
Liz
Wendy
Danielle

Interested in ordering your own Simple Stories kit?
Additional ordering & pricing info can be found here.
Write up your shopping list and email me at jennifer@creativecornerdesigns.com
and I will place your order for you. (Sorry my Memory Works site is temporarily down and will be up shortly)

Happy Valentine's Day!

I used to love Valentine's Day when I was a little girl. It was always so exciting to get little valentine cards from my classmates. Talia's teachers are wonderful and continue traditions like this. Each child is asked to bring in Valentine cards for each of their classmates and then they insert them into an adorable classroom mailbox. So cute!

This year, I decided to make a simple card with a little extra special touch. Thank God for my Cricut! Talia loved them and I hope her classmates do too. It is such a simple card to make. Just cut out the hearts and punch two holes to slip your pencil through. Talia and I added a special Valentine's message on the back of each heart.

Hope you add a little creative touch to your Valentine's Day this year!

Trick or Treat

So, I am a few months behind in my own scrapbooking. But, here is a look at what I came up with. I designed this layout for a Memory Works challenge using all Memory Works products. I love how it came out. I didn't win the challenge but I had a lot of fun trying something new. Enjoy!


Behind each door, I hid more photos and journaling spaces.

I love how Talia is peeking out from behind this door. My little brown eyed girl!

Love is in the air!

Tonight was another creative night in the studio. This time, Lisa and Allie joined me for my "Be Mine" Valentine's themed class. I knew it was going to be a great night when my brownies turned out perfect and the girls showed up with a bottle of wine in hand. (Thanks girls!!! Sipping as I blog right now...)


In between all the laughing and storytelling and sipping ;0) we managed to whip up some adorable projects... altered tin mailboxes, conversation heart candy bags and a handful of love notes. Here are Lisa and Allie proudly sharing their creations...great job girls!



It's hard not to fall in love with Memoy Work's products! I think Allison's face below says it all. :0) Memory Works has just released some brand new merchandise...this stuff is GORGEOUS!

Visit my website, jcamacho.memory-works.com to view these items in the new Spring 2010 Catalog.

The BEST Saturday I have had in a long time!

I am still giddy about this past Saturday... it was filled with new experineces and new friends and lots of creativity! I just had to share...

Pete and I enjoyed a wonderful day in Manhattan. He surprised me with tickets to see West Side Story on Broadway. Gotta love him! He really is amazing. I am super spoiled. We drove in early to take advantage of our child-free day. We explored the Guggenheim Musem for the first time together. It was amazing to be inches away from Picasso's masterpieces and surrounded by so much creative energy. My two favorite pieces were "Helene with Colored Turban" by Alexej von Jawlensky and "Woman Ironing" by Picasso.

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We hopped in a cab and headed back to Times Square for a bite to eat at a great Irish Pub. Then, it was off to see
The show was amazing! The music was phenomenal, and oh... the dancing! I fell in love with this classic love story all over again. Karen Olivo, starring in her role as Anita, was a show stopper. She was so fiery and passionate...my favorite, by far.

When Pete purchased our tickets, he had no idea that I had already registered for an all-day crop in New Jersey. He was such a good sport... he drove me all the way to the crop in East Rutherford, NJ after our show so I could still have some fun. I did mention how spoiled I am, right?
I am soooo happy that I was able to make it. The Cropper's Delight Scrapbooking Crop was so amazing. The crop was actually for the entire weekend, but I opted to go for the day with my friend, Allison. The hosts, Meryle and Susie (seen below) were so welcoming and funny.

The theme of the crop was "Under the Big Top" and they had carnival games set up for people to win raffle tickets for prizes. They had a DJ during the entire crop playing my favorites (Ga Ga, anyone?) and provided cotton candy, fried oreos, homemade zeppolis and popcorn, in addition to the fully catered meals! The people there were fantastic...sooo friendly, outgoing and creative. Everyone was upbeat and having a ball... it was infectious! There were a slew of scrapbooking and non-scrapbooking vendors there, including my all time favorite, Scentsy!

I even loved the little touches...waterbottle gifts for everyone, garbage bags taped to the tables at every seat, getting everyone together for a group photo. It was a great time with great people! Here are a few of my favorite pics:




One of the highlights of the crop were the endless prizes being given away. Everyone was entered into the raffles and you had the chance to earn extra raffle tickets throughout the weekend. They even raffled off a GYPSY (retails for over $300!) And guess who won??? You got it, ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I am thrilled to be a Gypsy owner. I always dreamed about owning one and I can't wait to see where this takes me and my business! I will be back for some more Cropper's Delight fun! Hope some of you will join me at an upcoming crop! You'l have the best time... I'd be willing to bet my Gypsy on it! LOL