Today...is a great day!

Today...I read about two congresswomen who will be scrapping up a storm on their upcoming fact-finding tour of the Iraqi region. According to a press release from the office of Congresswoman Sherri Davis, R-CA:

Also along on the fact-finding trip, according to Davis, will be Democratic Rep.
Louise Slaughter of Buffalo. 'She is a neat lady and a major, major scrapbooker
-- and so I wouldn't be surprised if the two of us, with the aid of U.S.
military transport, set a land-sea scrapbooking record of some kind," predicts
Davis with her trademark grin. "Scrap-booking and fact-finding, fact-finding and
scrapbooking. It's a very good mix, and I expect to get several complete books
out of this trip. Arthur Schlesinger recently sold his scrapbooks to Penguin for
a cool 1.5, and so it is actually a very good investment of my time, as well as
being super fun and super educational."

Well, how about that!

I ask both Davis and Slaughter to let our soldiers know we scrapbookers support our troops and hope they enjoy the Christmas trees that are on their way to them!

ETP!

Labels: About the ING, Expanding the Passion, Harvesting Memories

Today...CK Media posted more information about the new and enhanced CKU formats that we've been hearing about. Brooke, the CKU coordinator, told me at CKU-Houston about the changes planned (listen to my Diva on the Road report, Sept. 13, 2006).

Promoted as a "hybrid of everything you have loved over the years," technique classes will combine with two album tracks to provide a three-day event focused on education and fun. Four locations for 2007 include Detroit, Anaheim, Nashville and Orlando, and each event is $345. Look for a new web site to support the new format.

ETP!

Labels: consumer magazines, Diva Craft Lounge, industry insights

Today...I learned that Basic Grey (a trend-maker) is retiring the Sublime, Motifica, Lollipop Shoppe and Lucky paper lines, along with a selection of Wholy Cow rubons. Say good-bye to these lines, two of which (Sublime & Motifica) debuted with Basic Grey at CHA Summer 2004 (Lollipop Shoppe and Lucky were released February and July 2005, respectively).

This bit of news is helpful to retailers and customers alike. It also can open a discussion about the life of a line. Please post your thoughts. I'd love to hear what you think.

ETP!

Labels: industry insights

Today...I gave my December report on the Diva Craft Lounge. The news this month included preparations for CHA, the 2007 Event Calendar, and the NSA retail program. I discussed the benefits for NSA retailers, mainly the built-in customer appreciation program through the NSA membership card. Every member of the NSA can download and print their membership card (so it's accessible to them at any time by Internet access...no more punch cards to keep track of!). Consumers then present their NSA card to participating retailers. Retailers offer any point-of-sale discount or special offer they wish. Most NSA retailers offer a 5-10% discount on immediate purchases, and the program can be customized by the retailer. For example, retailers can offer a higher discount to NSA card holders on special days, like National Scrapbooking Day.

Other benefits for the retailer include: no cards to print and distribute, customers are drawn to stores that offer discounts, customers are happy just to be in the store and shop knowing they are getting a small discount for being there, plus retailers can sell NSA memberships to their existing customers for added revenue without inventory.

This is not a new concept; the NSA has offered this program since launching in September 2004, and it's the only program of it's magnitude available to the scrapbooking industry. And it's just in time. As reported in CLN Online, a leading craft industry newsletter:

The Society of Decorative Painters and Jo-Ann's have partnered to provide an extra perk for 2007 SDP members. With each new or renewed membership, members will receive a 10%-off discount card for purchases made at Jo-Ann's stores or at joann.com. A tear-out card will be included in issue #1 of the 2007 THE Decorative Painter magazine. In addition, 25+ other SDP business members have offered a discount on products and services.

The NSA is dedicated to helping the independent scrapbooking retailer thrive. The NSA Discount Card Program is just one service members can take advantage of.

The NSA, like all associations, find strength in numbers...the more the merrier. So make sure your LSS accepts your NSA card!

ETP!

Today...I was checking the NSA web site stats, and I noticed a peak in the page views for instructions for the Christmas card I made in 2002. OK, so I have some explaining to do....

Last year the NSA was contacted by Readers Digest for ideas to make a memorable Christmas. I shared a card design in which I formatted the text of my "year in review" as a Christmas tree. I agreed to provide the instructions on the NSA web site, and Readers Digest published the link in their December 2005 issue. I guess some readers saved the link for this year, hence the added traffic!

So if you're in need of a Christmas card idea, check it out here!

ETP!

Today...I learned about a scrapbooking store in San Antonio, Texas, helping a nearby store in a desperate time of need. In October, a fire hit the shopping center where the Memory Bucket is located. While the Memory Bucket didn't suffer actual fire damage, most of the store inventory was lost due to water damage.

Fellow scrapbook retailer, Scrapbook Obsession, has been collecting donations to help the Memory Bucket rebuild. When I called Scrapbook Obsession to confirm this story, I was told that they continue to "pass the bucket" around to collect donations. If you are in the San Antonio area any time soon, I encourage you to stop by Scrapbook Obsession to make a donation and to express your thanks for their efforts.

Kudos to Scrapbook Obsession for reaching out to help a fellow retailer. Most importantly, thanks to Scrapbook Obsession for recognizing and promoting the fact that scrapbookers are part of a larger community that relies on one another for strength. I am humbled by their acts of compassion, and I wish the Memory Bucket a speedy recovery.

ETP!

Today...I got a call from Beth Hess at Craftrends magazine. She also wants to mention Harvesting Memories in an upcoming issue. Look for it in January 2007!

ETP!