So Cal Shop Hop

The Photo Ops
My first scrappy activity upon returning home was to attend the 7th annual So Cal Shop Hop. It is a time to visit some of the scrapbooking stores in Southern California and support small businesses. This year's theme is "What's Cookin'? Each store had a different recipe and decorated accordingly. Some went all out and had huge photo ops with props for the visitors. Scrapbooking Forever in Thousand Oaks which had a pumpkin bread theme.

I went to Custom Impressions in Bellflower for the first time, and that was the largest store I visited with a private crop building you could rent. They featured a funnel cake recipe so they decorated with a carnival theme. 

The Mini-Album

Each store also had 6 x 6" make and takes which matched their theme. You could get one free with a $10 purchase or just purchase them directly.  This is the strawberry salad make and take with matching photo op from Scrap 'n Yap in Monrovia. 

The make and takes can be collected and turned into a recipe book or mini-album. I took a picture in every store to make the mini-album which would look like this red and white one from Stamp Your Heart Out in Claremont. There are also matching pins you can qualify for or purchase, like the cute milk bottle with the red heart on it. 

The Hop

The Shop Hop runs for two weeks and will end this Sunday. I went to a few stores at a time with different friends and family members and ended up visiting 13 stores over 5 separate days. There are 41 stores total and I know some scrappers who visited them all! The range is pretty huge, running from Bakersfield to San Diego. At the end of the hop, there will be numerous drawings with different levels of prizes depending on the number of stores you visited. There are also various contests you can enter, so the hop is quite elaborate. 

I ended up at my home store, Pages from the Heart,where the customers are nicknamed Peeps, so they had a Peeps theme. The photo op was a giant woven Easter basket with a baby chick costume. 

 

One of my favorite stores to visit is Scrapbooking Made Simple in Santa Clarita even though they aren't part of Shop Hop. The owner and employees all dress up to match their theme which is a Snow White inspired poisoned apple. They even made a talking magic mirror. 

All in all, it is a great way to see what's out there and a fun way to spend time together with friends and family. 

Thank so much for hoppin' by,