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,

XOXO - Sending you some Hugs and Kisses

Shop Hop 2012

How is your summer going thus far? I've visited some of my local scrapbooking stores as part of the SoCal Shop Hop. This year's theme is Wacky Holidays where each store decorates or has a photo op for their chosen holiday. I took my nephew to my home store, Pages from the Heart, where the holiday is Teddy Bear Picnic. I was assured that all the holidays are really on the calendar. 

Literally around the corner, also in Monrovia, is Scrap 'N Yap which featured National Bird Day. My hubby was thrilled to accompany me to a few of the stores.

I also traveled with a more experienced Shop Hopper, my friend and fellow Pages DT member, Becky, to a few stores. This was One Hit Wonder Day at Alhambra Camera. I think the store use to be 100% related to camera sales and repairs, but now the scrapbooking portion has taken over, and it looks to be only 20% camera related. 

While traveling around with Becky, I saw for the first time my first published project in a magazine in one of the stores! It is a framed wallhanging in Create: Embellish Idea Book, August 2012.

I was really impressed by the amount of effort some stores applied to their theme, like Scrapbooking Made Simple in Santa Clarita which celebrated Marry Poppins' birthday. All the employees dressed like chimney sweeps, the owner dressed like Mary Poppins, and they made a sugar garland using over 1,600 packets of sugar along with spoons dipped in glitter. You could also reach into Mary Poppin's carpet bag to pull out a free prize or a hat rack. 

There are 41 stores participating, stemming from San Diego to Bakersfield, but I'll be lucky to visit 10 within the two week window. 

The Reveal

I made this card for CutCardStock.com as a guest designer this month. Since they sell cardstock, I wanted to make something that featured cardstock. I eliminated the use of patterned papers and embellishments so the cardstock would be the star. I used their brown paper bag set for the base and envelope, and I used their metallic cardstock for the squares. There is a beautiful shimmer in the cardstock when you look at it in person. 

I cut out a square window from the center of the card and strung three strands of twine across the card. 

I cut out eighteen .75" squares with my paper cutter and punched out nine X's and nine O's with a hand punch. If you don't have a punch, you can use alphabet stickers. I adhered the X's and O's to the squares and adhered two squares back to back onto the twine. 

The finished squares are actually double sided on the card and can flip around when touched. I wanted to cover up the ends of the twine inside the card, so I adhered some white cardstock strips around the edges of the card. 

I wrote my sentiment using Kraft colored alphabet stickers so it would blend into the Kraft colored cardstock, and not compete with the tic tac toe design in the center. My hubby thought it looked like a Toss Across. You can see this card at Pages from the Heart. 

The Supplies

Cardstock: CutCardStock

Envelope: CutCardStock

Punch: Martha Stewart

Twine: The Twinery

Ink: Prima Chalk Edger

Sticker Alphabet: Jillibean Soup

I hope you are having a great summer. 

Thanks so much for stoppin' by,

Michelle