It's here ... the Hero Arts Debut!!!

The new Hero Arts Wood collection is in the house!  Secreted away for now, this fabulous new collection of stamps will be unveiled at our Hero Arts Debut play time on Saturday, September 10th, at 10:00am! 

Woo Hoo!!!  We are opening the workshop for some play time with the new stamps!  Be the first to see the new wood collection and take a peek at the full catalog.  Stop in the workroom, grab a cup of Joe, make a card and stamp to your hearts content!  Fun, fun, fun!

Remember, you can order anything out of the catalog and have it a full month before anyone else.  Oh, how we love getting the new stuff first!

The Debut Play Party runs from 10:00am until 4:00pm on Saturday, December 10th.  We send out a HUGE apology to those receiving my newsletter with the wrong date.  The party is on Saturday, December 10th!

For adults and supervised children.  Cost .... priceless!

Until Saturday,

Beth

2nd Annual Holiday Boutique

We are so excited to be hosting the 2nd annual Holiday Boutique, an emporium of fabulous handmade items from local artisans and artists!  Mark your calendars:

Dec 2nd, 6pm-9pm Opening reception
Dec 3rd, 10am-4pm
Dec 4th, 12pm-5pm

Sip some mulled cider and snack on goodies as you stroll through the winter wonderland of gorgeous creative items!

The show features art, cards, dolls, bags and tech covers, jewelry, ornaments, knit and crocheted goods, dolls, and so much more!

This year, we are featuring work by Maria Papale (Marigold), Niki Siebert, Sima Brason, Asha Chaudhuri (Maya), Lauren Lehman, Stefanie Silverman, PriaVanda Patel, Wendy Reo (Freestyle Crochet), Keira Boertzel-Smith, Marissa Hedstrom, and Amy Rehbein (The Little Beansprout). 
This is the perfect time to shop for all those holiday gifts!  There is something for everyone.  Don't head to the malls this year - SHOP LOCAL, SHOP HANDMADE AND SHOP FABULOUS!!!!

See you soon!

Beth

SUPER SALE, NOVEMBER 17TH-19TH!!

Just what is a Super Sale?? 

Well, it is a fabulous way to stock up on all of your favorite crafting supplies - including fabric, paper and more!  It is the perfect way to buy all the supplies you need for those holiday gifts to make!  It is just a super way for you to stock the stashes with goodness from your favorite designers and manufactureres, including Amy Butler, Joel Dewberry, Dena Designs, Art Gallery, Robert Kaufman, Cosmo Cricket, Pink Paislaee, Crate Paper and more!!

You will find savings of 20%-50%!!!!

Stop in this weekend, Friday, November 17th through Sunday, November 19th, and stroll through the aisles to find all the delicious crafty goodness at our Super Sale!  Stop in while supplies last!

2nd Annual Craft Spooktacular!

We are once again donning costumes and having a crafty, spooky, Rock Paper Scissors Halloween fest!

Join us on Saturday, October 29th, from 10:00am-4:00pm, for refreshments, costumes, and crafty fun!  The workshop will be open for some fun kid crafting.  And, if the kids come in costume, they will be entered to win a crafty raffle basket full of fun goodies from the store!

The staff will once again be outfitted in fabulous costumes - this time with the Wizard of Oz as our theme!  Lions and tigers and bears, OH MY!  So, come to see the Wizard behind the curtain!

We will have lots of fabric and paper and crafty goodness on sale, too!

So, join us for some tricks and some treats, tasty goodies, rocking costumes and all-around good crafting fun!

Admission and crafting is free, of course!  No registration needed!

Just What is "Christmas in July"?????

When the time flies too fast and all the seasons just run together, why would we want to have Christmas in July?  No, it is not to remind us of cooler weather after the record breaking heat wave we just survived!  Here at Rock Paper Scissors, we are celebrating Christmas in July to help the creative juices flow and get started on all of those crafty projects you will want to do for the holidays!

We have holiday paper and embellishments to get you started on the perfect holiday cards and tags.  Is sewing more your thing?  We have holiday fabric to start those stocking and little gifts made with love.  A stitcher?  We have great patterns and floss and books to spark your ideas.  And, of course, the Rock section is always full of cool new and vintage beads for the perfect gift - or jewelry for yourself!  For this week (July 25th - 31st), all holiday themed fabric, paper, embellishments, stamps, punches,  and lots of other stuff is on sale - 20%, 30%, even 50% off!

Don't know where to start?  Well, we have lots of cool classes this week on stocking and tags and cards and countdown calendars.  Or join us on Friday for our "Cool Down and Craft" workshop - the Christmas in July edition.  This week, we will be making cute little embroidery and applique "hooped" art.  The class is free!  Supply bags are available or bring your own from home.  Sign up soon as we are almost full!

Need some ideas, you know we are always here and willing to help!

So, join us for a little early holiday fun.  Oh, and it helps that we have the air on!

Hope to see you soon,

Beth

Rock Paper Scissors Turns One!!!

Amazing as it may seem, Rock Paper Scissors is about to celebrate it's first birthday!  It has been a roller coaster year full of fun and crafting and new friends.  And we are throwing ourselves a party!

Please join us on Saturday, June 18th, from 10:00am-6:00pm as we celebrate this milestone.  We will have goodie bags for the first 25 customers, open crafting for the kids from 12-4pm, cupcakes and singing at 2pm, and birthday games all day long.  Every purchase qualifies you for a ticket for our raffle basket full of all sorts of crafty goodies!  The drawing will be at 4:00pm.

Amy Butler has graciously sent us another trunk show to help us fill the store with gorgeous samples in both her Love and the new Soul Blossom lines.  Check out the new patterns, too!  We are all stocked up in both fabrics and patterns.  Amy's creations helped us to shepard in our infancy and now she is back as we get legs and enter toddler land.  All patterns and fabrics by Amy Butler will be 20% off all day long!

Don't miss the fun!!

Beth

Join the Stitching Revolution!

Rock Paper Scissors is all about the sublime .... Sublime Stitching, that is! 

We have expanded our embroidery section and loaded up on the patterns, books, threads and fabrics of Jenny Hart, a.k.a Sublime Stitching.  If you are not familiar with Jenny and her fabulous patterns, check out her blog and website.  I think she can be credited with turning the embroidery world upside down.  Her creative and contemporary patterns have made stitching so much more attractive to the crafting world.  They are hip and fun and quick to stitch up.

So, grab those jeans or onesies and stitch a little pattern on them.  Make tea towels for the perfect gift for the newlyweds.  Stitch pillows and pillowcases and jackets and shirts ... you get the picture!  Once you start, you will see a potential stitch spot on everything.

I love to stitch and I stitch on anything.  Cotton, towels, runners, aprons, jeans, silk, wool, paper.  If I can poke a hole in it, I will stitch on it.  

Stitching has always been a part of my crafting life.  It has the most marvelous zen-like quality to it.  It travels well, anyone can do it, it is extremely inexpensive to get started and keep going, and it has the added benefit of instant gratification.  Have ten minutes? You can stitch and see instant results!

Yes, folks, there is a stitching revolution going on!  If you want to be a part of it but don't know how, why don't you join us for "Needle & Hoop", a stitching group that gets together at the store once a month.  Our next meetup is on Saturday, June 11th, at 10:00am-12:00pm.  There is no formal instruction but we all help each other and chat and share and just have a great time.  We have extra hoops and lots of vintage patterns to trace from.  I will even teach you how to create and transfer your own pattern.

So, join this revolution and be sure to include Sublime Stitching in your plans!

Till next time,

Beth

The Fortune Girls Rocked the House!

Last Friday evening, Rock Paper Scissors was full of an amazing group of young ladies - the Fortune Girls.  They came together to embroider hankies for our troops deployed overseas and they rocked the house!!

Everywhere you walked, there were girls, girls and more girls.  They stitched and chatted and ate pizza and laughed and made new friends.  And, all the time, they were embroidering these beautiful hearts and other messages on oversized camouflage hankies for the troops.  They also attached short notes to each hankie with a message of support and encouragement.  It was a beautiful sight indeed.

We were honored to have some service members join us, including two young women who have recently returned from deploymet in the Middle East.  MASN Chelsea Kepenis and BU3 Penny Zack, joined by Lt. Cmdr Michael Fourte, shared with the girls how much care packages from home meant to them when they were deployed.  They also fielded questions from the girls, helped them to stitch and took some time to read the notes.

The hankies will be sent to the troops in care packages that are shipped by Operation Gratitude, a California-based volunteer organization that ships 100,000 care packages to service people every year.  Please check out their website when you have a minute.  They are an amazing organization that epitomizes the word "volunteer". 

It is not too late to contribute to these care packages.  Through Memorial Day weekend, we are still collecting toothpaste, toothbrushes, beanie babies, and notes of support and encouragement for Operation Gratitude to include in care packages.

Fortune Girls is a lifestyle brand started by local Glen Ridge residents Madison Ruiz and her mom, Barbara.  It is dedicated to the empowerment of girls ages 7-12, helping them to see all they can be in their lives.  We were honored to host the first Fortune Girls Operation Hanky evening!!  Sponsors included PNC Bank, Super Scoop, and Notions Marketing.

We thank all of the girls who stitched, the service people who took the time to help us understand the importance of what we did, and especially to the service people (including my own son) who put their lives on the line every day for us without regard to personal gain.  They are the true heroes.

Till next time,

Beth

The New-Bees

Need some time off to just create?  Ever thought about learning to quilt?  Well, we have started a new quilters group at Rock Paper Scissors - and it's not your grandmother's quilting bee!  We are the New-Bees!

This group meets just once a month.  We are a group of fellow crafters who either want to learn to quilt or want to sew with friends, socialize and learn some new tricks.  There is no formal instruction, just a sharing of tips and ideas .... and fun!

We all follow the same quilting pattern but bring our own sense of style to the project through our choice of fabrics.  The first pattern is "Juice Boxes" from Cluck Cluck Sew.  If you have never seen Allison's quilts, do check it out.  She brings such a clean, fresh, contemporary flair to quilting.  She has been wonderfully supportive and helpful to us and we LOVE working with this pattern.

I am personally so excited about the fun fabrics that I am using for my quilt!

If you are interested in joining us, just contact the store.  We have started this quilt but you can catch up and jump in at any time.  Or join us when we start our next project.  The group is a no-pressure atmosphere - come when you can, catch up when you can.  It is just a load of fun to be sewing with other fellow crafters!  And, no reason to lug a sewing machine - you have full access to the machines and tools in the workroom.

For more info, call us at 973.337.6759.

Beth

Operation Hanky

Rock Paper Scissors is honored to be hosting Fortune Girls Operation Hanky, a special event to support our military troops, on Friday, May 20th, from 7-10pm. At the gathering, a joint effort with Fortune Girls, Inc., girls between the ages of 7 and 18 will embroider large camouflage hankies with hearts as a message of gratitude to the service of our troops overseas.


The event will be held at the store on Friday evening, May 20th, from 7:00-10:00pm. We will serve the girls pizza, teach them to embroider and have loads of fun!


We are expanding the store's partnership with Operation Gratitude, a California-based charitable organization that sends care packages to troops overseas. They ensure that the hankies and their heartfelt messages will arrive safely to their destination.

Helping to host the festivities will be two local service women who have recently returned from deployment.  We hope you can stop in and say a personal thank you to these brave women and their Lieutenant Commander.

To sign up, just call the store at 973.337.6759!  There are just a few places left so call soon!

Adults can participate by donating toothbrushes, toothpaste, small stuffed animals (such as beanie babies), or writing a note to the troops. All items can be dropped off at the store.

Read more about our efforts in the Montclair Times and Montclair Patch.

Fortune Girls, Inc. is a multi-cultural lifestyle brand created by Glen Ridge residents Madison Ruiz and her Mom, Barbara. The brand is dedicated to the empowerment of tween girls between the ages of 7-12, encouraging them to discover their own unique gifts.

We hope you will consider joining us in this amazing event!!!

Sale! Sale! Sale!

Oh, don't you just love that word?  Sale.  So simple, so sweet.

Rock Paper Scissors is hosting its first ever storewide sale starting May 7th.  There are items for sale in the jewelry section (the Rock), the paper section (the Paper), and fabric, sewing and embroidery (you guessed it, the Scissors).  Sale items range from 20-50% off.  And when they are gone, they're gone!

For a little surprise, we will be having some Facebook fan sales.  In addition to the sale items in the store, we will announce other special sales of many other items throughout the week, ending May 15th.  These sales will only be good on the day of the announcement so check back often.

So join us, browse all the goodies and get your crafty on!

And Happy Mother's Day to all of you moms out there!  I personally will be putting my tired feet up on Sunday and taking the day off but I hope to see all of you on Saturday or next week!

And, ladies, don't forget to sign up for our first ever Ladies Night next week.  We will be making this FABulous fabric necklace and pins.  Grab some friends and join us.  Registration is through the store.

Beth

Quilt Donations to Japan

Both Lecien and Kokka, two Japanese fabric companies that we work with, are collecting quilts to distribute to the victims of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan.  If you would like to contribute a quilt to this effort, please drop them off at Rock Paper Scissors and we will take care of shipping them to California.  Lecien and Kokka are then shipping them to Japan where they will be distributed to the earthquake survivors.

Here are the details from the two specific companies:

Kokka:  any size quilt; needs to be dropped off at the store by 4/30.

Lecien:  can be new or very gently used;  any type of fabrics can be used for the quilts, but they are requesting general sizes of approximately 40” by 45” for children and 50” by 60” for adults.  Please pre-wash all quilts.

In addition, the "Teenies" crafting class for tweens and teens that is held here at the store every Wednesday from 4:00-5:30pm will be embellishing squares to be made into a quilt from Rock Paper Scissors.  If you know a tween or teen that is interested in participating, the class is free this week and the group is loads of fun.  Just call the store to sign up.  Have a great afternoon and help someone on the other side of the world.

Thanks,

Beth

Spring Classes Start This Week!

We are excited to be starting classes again on Tuesday, April 19th!  We have had our brief time off and are ready to go with a collection of new and old favorite workshops!

Kicking off the week, we have the Pillow Whisper class running on Tuesday morning and Thursday evening.  Join us in making these ever versatile envelope style pillows - with the Rock Paper Scissors twist!

Jen will be starting up the Big Kids program again making these oh-so-cool paper beads!  Kids ages 6-9 can twirl paper and come up with uber cool jewelry!

Tuesday evening brings our always popular Sew Basics class where you can learn sewing machine basics, a a bit about tools and fabric, and be ready to tackle all those great sewing workshops we have on the schedule.  This is a great foundation class.

Wednesday morning kicks off the 2-day Twirly Skirt workshop.  Is this skirt too stinkin' cute or what?  We love it - easy to make and the perfect amount of twirl.  Make one for your favorite girl sizes 2-6.  If you need another size, just call the store and we will figure out if we can do it.

What is the Beading answer????  At Rock Paper Scissors, the answer to our beading questions is ... Anne Sailer!!  We are so happy to have Anne back again to teach You Rock the Basics - a perfect intro course to beading, design, stringing, crimping and all sorts of great stuff.  Grab your beads and a clasp, we supply wire and crimps.  Walk out with a necklace or bracelet and the knowledge to make so much more!

Thursday bring the Laminated Apron class.  Ever wonder how to work with the great laminated cottons in the store?  Try this fabulous apron and take the mystery of the laminates away! 

Rounding out the week is our always popular Mini Books series with Aubrey, who has just returned from a fabulous vacation.  This week, learn to make these super cute little photo stream boxes.  Perfect for gifts or that great series of little photos!

Call the store to sign up today.  Class size is limited for all classes.  Descriptions, costs and exact times for all classes are on our website (link to the left).

See you at class this week!

Beth

We Rocked The MarthaStewart Show Today!!!!

Well, really, Martha and the guests rocked the Martha Stewart Show but some crafty gals of Rock Paper Scissors were in the studio today to watch!  Trains, planes and automobiles brought us to the city to participate in the audience for her live show.  It aired today at 10:00am but will repeat tomorrow, 4/15, at 1:00pm on the Hallmark channel.

We had a blast!  It was great just being together on a little adult "field trip" - how often do we all get to do that?  There was no craftiness on the show today but we learned how to make engagement chicken, laughed at the front man, and got an inside look at how one of these shows is made.

The gals were ready ...








... the sets were beautiful ......

... and the show was wonderful.  It was all great fun and pretty amazing to watch Martha in action.

And the Craft Maven herself ....

... chatting with the audience at the end.

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and thank Martha, Anne Marie, Joey and the rest of the MS gang for a great morning!

Stop by the store this weekend as we immerse ourselves in the TV world once again as HGTV might be stopping by to film small portions of a design show.  Smile for the camera!

'Til we meet again,

Beth

Organics Rock!

We just love Cloud 9 fabrics - and not just because they are Jersey girls.  The hand of their fabric, coupled with fabulous designs and their mission for an environmentally better world, just makes them tops in our book. 

We are so very happy to be carrying their new price-sensitive line, Nature's Walk.  With rich, saturated colors and a grown-up feel to the design, these are sure to find their way into our top lists of favorites.  Aren't these colors gorgeous!

You have to check out their blog for loads of projects and inspiration, from beautiful pillows and quilts, to an Ikea lamp cover and the too-stinkin' cute Mr. Fox.  And keep scrolling until you find the heart shaped pillow.  My "Boy Toy" received one for Valentine's Day and absolutely loves it.  Who said the cobbler's husband has no shoes?  This would make a great gift card holder all year long.  It was perfect to run up in a short time!

Keep an eye out for their new fabric line, Cut Out and Keep, featuring the same great price-sensitive organic cotton and low impact dyes - this time with the gorgeous designs of South African artist and illustrator Heather Moore.  It will be shipping mid-April and we hope to have it soon after!

Chat soon,

Beth

Art Gallery Trunk Show

Gracing the center of the store is a beautiful trunk show with all sorts of samples from the Paradise collection from Art Gallery! 

Art Gallery's byline is "Feel the Hand" and you really should.  They have one of the most beautiful hands in regular weight cotton.  Their fabric is perfect for clothing, crafting, light home dec and quilting.  With their rich, sumptuous colors, you will be sure to find a design for anything you want to do.

The trunk show showcases the Paradise collection and includes quilts, bags, pillows and the sassiest apron we have seen!  Many of the patterns in the trunk show are available free (including the apron) from Pat Bravo's website.  Be sure to check out this collection!  I especially love the Firenze bag, perfect for spring wardrobes.

We also carry the Filligree collection and just a little bit left of the Sugar collection.  We have lovely little fat quarter packs from Sugar that are a perfect add to your stash or for those little projects. Arriving last week was the brand new Bazaar Style with their Moroccan influence - and that fab peacock color that is a favorite of ours.  We are anxiously anticipating the arrival of the Bohemian collection in April, with rich purples and deep mustards, paisleys, bold florals and a few pretty floral sprig patterns.  Lastly, we also carry a wonderful selection of Pat's patterns.

Stop in soon before the trunk show sadly returns for home!

Till next time,

Beth

Check Out These Dolls!

Deniboo Dolls are gorgeously handcrafted by local artisan and author, Denise Lewis Patrick.  They are simply amazing!  I am afraid that my pictures and my words can never do them justice.  You have to see them for yourself! 

Each doll's character comes alive in all the little details.  Denise has handmade every bit from the hair to the clothing, the jewelry and the shoes, right down to the undies each wears! 

When I first met Denise in the store, she told me about the doll she was making - a Nora Zeale Hurston inspired doll for a relative.  Not only was I fascinated by Denise's doll making process and inspiration, but I became entranced with the way each doll developed a character as she was making it.  By the time the doll was complete, the story was woven - from what the doll liked to do in their spare time to their likes and dislikes.  When Denise brought the final product in for me to see, I was hooked!

On display in the store are a series of eight dolls, including the 60's-centric rad couple, Rashidah and Huey, sisters Sophronia and Caldonia, sassy Lavender Lewis dressed head to toe in shades of purple, Lil' Katrina who loves her polka dots, Violet Sockwell - the only one made from a sock - and, my personal favorite, Johnny Ray "Cool Daddy" Randolph replete in his snakeskin shoes.

Denise's work is currently on display at Rock Paper Scissors for just a little while longer.  Stop in and check them out.  They are truly works of art.  Don't miss a detail!

Our newest paper obsessions...I mean, lines...

We are super excited to have two great new lines coming in the next few weeks!

The first is one is one of the new lines from Cosmo Cricket called Social Club.

I just want to surround myself with and wrap myself up in all the beautiful teal, gold and peacock feathers! I can't wait to start creating!



The second is from one of our favorite companies, Graphic 45, called Le Cirque. Their colors are always beautiful, the images always so wonderful. Just imagine a paper bag album using these great papers.
We can hardly stand the waiting! Can't wait to create with you soon!

-Aubrey

Beat the Winter Blues!

We have taken a pounding here in the Northeast this winter and we are all pretty tired of it!  Snow, ice, rain, wind, repeat.  Will it ever end?

Here are Rock Paper Scissors, we have decided to beat those winter blues by running some new workshops.  They are fun and free and all blue!

We will start with our little girl Effie.  Is she too stinkin' cute or what?  Join Beth as we stitch along to Heather Bailey's Effie & Ollie Pattern and create this adorable elephant.  It is a perfect little pattern, so cleanly done.  For our little sample in the store, pictured here, we blew the pattern up to 150%.  You can choose to make the "Ollie" version if you want.  He has a star or heart appliqued on his side where Effie has the little flowers in her hair.  What a perfect little gift for a pregnant friend or your kids.  Or you can save her for yourself!

We will run two sessions of this workshop, one on March 1st at 6:30pm and the second on March 2nd at 11:00am.  Previous sewing experience required.

Our second workshop in the Beat the Winter Blues series is making this gorgeous dish of paper flowers and spheres.  Join Aubrey to learn how to fold and wrap and magically create these gorgeous flowers pictured above and below.  Wouldn't these look perfect in the middle of your table or on your mantle?  Chase Old Man Winter away when you transform simple paper into fabulous creations!

We will run this workshop on March 11th at 11:00am.  Beginner and experienced paper crafters are welcome!

We can give you a supply list for the workshops or you can purchase one of our supply bags.  Our bags will contain all you need to make one elephant or a bunch of flowers and spheres.  And you guessed it - everything will be in delectable shades of blue!  And the supply bags will be 15% off. 

Class sizes are limited so call the store to register today!  And, did we mention that the workshops are free?  Just let us know if you will be purchasing a supply bag from us.

So join us as we Beat those Winter Blues!  Yup, chase them right back up to the North Pole because we are so done!

See you soon!

Beth & Aubrey