True Hero Event 12/11/10!

Hero Arts will debut their new line of stamps for 2011 and we are hosting a debut party! Stop by the store to check out the new line of wood stamps, as well as the entire new catalog. We are not sure what stamps we will be receiving but if it is Hero Arts, we know they will be cool, creative, and the highest quality! Order your stamps now before the catalog is released everywhere on January 5th.

We will have lots of fun things going on that day but the nearest and dearest to my heart is the "True Hero" part of the event. As the mom, aunt and daughter of past and present servicemen, I know how hard it is to be away from home for such long stretches. Just this Christmas alone, I have one son and three nephews, either in the military or working for the military overseas, that will not be home for the holidays. And this happens all year long - through holidays and birthdays and births and major family events.

Starting this Saturday, we are kicking off a year-round "True Hero" card making effort. Stop by the store and make a card or note for a service man or woman who is serving anywhere in the world. It can be short or long, simple or not. You can also just make a card that will be shipped to bases overseas where cards are not accessible. We plan on keeping this effort going year round, not just at the holidays.

We have hooked up with Amillionthanks.org and Operation Gratitude to help us deliver these cards through mail and care packages to service men and women stationed all over the world. It is easy and can be done by kids and adults alike. Take a minute and let them know that we care and we remember.

In addition to "True Hero", we have raffles and make-n-takes and stamps to play with and "ugly Christmas sweater" day - all to celebrate Hero Arts' debut!!! Any Hero Arts purchase comes with a raffle ticket for fabulous free prizes! Anyone who wears an "ugly" Christmas sweater (any Christmas sweater, really) gets a raffle ticket. Winners will be drawn at 2:30. Winners need not be present to win. Stop in to try out the new stamps on a note to a "True Hero". Join us for refreshments, prizes and stampin' good fun!

Handmade & Handwritten Event

As a part of Montclair Independent Retailer Week, we are hosting a card making party - "Handmade & Handwritten" - on Saturday, October 9th, from 10:00am-1:00pm. Come join us for a fun morning of card making! There is no charge for the event and no signing up. Just stop in any time between 10am and 1pm for the fun!

The workshop will be busy with card making stations for both children and adults. Enjoy some coffee and refreshments while you learn to create wonderful little notes and postcards. In addition, as a part of our ongoing mission to promote the handmade and handwritten notes, we will supply the pens to write the notes, the envelopes and stamps to ready them for the mail - and we will even have a mailbox for you to drop them in! Send a little personalized note to let someone know you are thinking of them!

Learn more about the "Handmade & Handwritten" mission! The idea started from my card making fun and has blossomed into a little mission. It's so very easy and very special - I pledged to make or buy one handmade card each week and write a personalized note to someone I care about. A handwritten note speaks volumes about how much you care and carries your personalized voice to family and friends. Join the mission and pledge to write one handmade and handwritten note each week from now until the end of the year.

Don't have time to make all of those cards? We have a beautiful selection of handmade notes from local artists - Aubreeze, Happenstance Creations, Stefanie Silverman, and Keira Boertzel-Smith. Check out their beautiful creations and snag a pack for yourself.

Remember, in ten years, someone you love will be able to open up your handmade and handwritten note and once again hear your "voice" sending your love. Somehow, emails and test messages just don't feel the same!

See you on Saturday,

Beth

The Joy of Writing

I am one of those people who still go through the mail each day hoping for a little note. Just a quick word from a friend or loved one. It was a joy to receive mail as a kid and still is to this day. I grew up before cell phones and free long distance. When I flew to the other side of the country for college, letters were how we kept in touch. I couldn't afford long distance phone calls so, instead, we all wrote. I still have every one of the letters that my dad sent me, some of the only physical reminders I have of him.

In addition to receiving mail, I also love to make cards. They are so much fun. With a piece of beautiful paper and some trim and stamps and - my favorite - some vintage images, you can quickly put together something that speaks exactly to the recipient. Though I still love cards with goofy songs and those hilarious Shoebox cards, I would much rather put together something fun or sentimental that comes from my heart.

So, I am embarking on a mission. I will send at least one handmade and handwritten card every week from now until the end of the year. They can be handmade by me or from another talented card and paper maker but they must be handwritten by me. With a stamp. Sent through the regular old postal service.

My inspiration for this idea came from my dear friend, Susan. She is the creative power behind Happenstance Creations, a lovely stationery company dedicated to the written word. Susan believes so strongly in writing to others. She creates beautiful illustrations and makes the loveliest cards and notes from them, printed on gorgeous high quality paper. The beautiful note above is from her line. But Susan doesn't stop there. She writes the loveliest notes to all of us. Short and sweet and always from her heart. I just love it when I see her handwriting on an envelope in my mail box. Check out her creations in her Etsy shop, HappenstancePaper.

So Susan has inspired me to take all of these fun cards that I so love to make or buy and send them, with my corny sayings and loads of love, to all of those people who are so important to me. I hope maybe some of you will consider joining me. Just one note a week. Maybe someone will tie a lovely ribbon around the notes they receive from me and keep them just like I did my dad's letters.

Have to run ... I know just who I will be sending that first note to!

Beth

Starting School at RPS

I always loved the fall. It always feels like the season of possibilities. New grade, new books, new teachers, new clothes. Anything is possible! We have had a wonderful summer at Rock Paper Scissors - meeting fantastic people and being surrounded by creativity. Who could ask for more? Well, it is the season of possibilities so we are doing more!

The kids are heading back to school and you can, too! Rock Paper Scissors offers a slew of fantastic workshops and, we promise, no homework! Come in and try your hand at something new or refresh those dusty skills. Learn to sew or make your own cards or stamp metal jewelry. Make a quick costume for the kids' Halloween or decorate your table this holiday season or find out what that steampunk jewelry is all about. Or, maybe, just grab a cup of coffee and join our embroidery group. Whatever you want to try, we guarantee it will be creative and informal and fun! Check the website for class schedules and stop in or call to register.

Speaking of new possibilities, wait until you see what's coming in! We have luscious new fabrics from a new company called Anthology fabrics. The colors are gorgeous and the quality is perfect. Great grown-up prints in fabulous fall colors. Nest from Valorie Wells is here - in cottons and cords. Beautiful whimsical prints in many colors. And we have Laurie Wisbrun's Tufts & Tweets in a deep orchid that is to die for, as well as her new kids' line called Urban Circus - graphic giraffes and elephants and stripes, oh my! We have flannels and cords in a bunch of cool colors and prints, perfect for cozy apparel for the upcoming winter months.

We have added a new stamp company to our inventory, starting with these fantastic Alice stamps fashioned after the classic Tenniel illustrations. Love them!!! Soon to come in will be paper from Pink Paislee and Basic Gray and Graphic45 and Teresa Collins, just to name a few. We have expanded the paper area and can't wait to get the new orders in! We should also have more Hero Arts stamps and fabric ink and all sorts of embellishments really soon. Check back often!

We keep refilling our little treasure dishes with new Rock stuff all the time. We are working hard to expand our selection of both beading basics and findings, as well as vintage goodies all the time. We have lots of fun new ideas floating around from metal stamping to steampunk, as well as goodies coming in for the sparkly holiday season events.

Welcome back, everyone, from your summer vacations. We all hope they were wonderful and relaxing. Stop in and see us soon! We love chatting and sharing ideas!

Until next time,

Beth

More Summer Classes!

We have been having a blast in the Rock Paper Scissors workroom, affectionately nicknamed "Santa's Workshop" by some of the staff! We have been sewing and embroidering and making books and finger puppets. Too much summer fun!

So many people have asked us to extend the kid's program through to the end of the summer that we decided to repeat some of our Big Kids (ages 6-10) and Tweens & Teens (ages 11-16) classes through September 1st. Check out the website calendar for class descriptions and schedules. As always, stop in or call us to sign up for a class.

Be on the lookout for our fall class schedule to be posted shortly. We are introducing after school programs as well as Saturday classes for kids and expanding our offerings for adults, during the day, evenings and weekends. Watch for the listings and come and get your crafty on!

Remember the smiling faces in the last blog - the one where the girls had made those fantastic pillows? Well, the moms loved the pillows their daughters had made so much, they joined us for an adult pillow making class! Those houses must be looking beautiful! A great job was done by all!

Till next time,

Beth

Beat the Heat with a Cool Crafty Class!

Our classroom has been so busy with classes and we are having a blast! Join us in our wonderfully air-conditioned workroom (affectionately coined "Santa's Workshop") for a crafty class or two. Run workshop style, all classes are project based so you sign up for the classes you want, when you want.

We still have a few openings this week. The younger set can try their hand at making tiara's and wands in the Big Person & Me class (ages 3-5). The Big Kids (ages 6-10) can join us making these nifty needle cases and pincushions. Tweens & Teens (11-16) can create awesome cloth banners, stitched and appliqued and embroidered with their own designs. And, last but certainly not least, adults (ages 16 & up) can learn to use wire in their jewelry designs, sew a cool summer apron or carve their own stamps!

Crafty classes are loads of fun and a sure way to put a smile back on your face in this heat! Call us at the store (973.337.6759) for more info on classes. Hurry as many classes are filling up fast!!

Stay cool ... and crafty!

Beth

July 4th Parade News

The float we decorated for Baristanet came in second place in the local Montclair, NJ parade!!! Yay for all those creative talents at Rock Paper Scissors ... and all of those hours we spent making fabulous flowers and tomatoes and corn and pea pods! The "float" looked fantastic, the kids were adorable in their flower and farmer hats, and we had so much fun with the Baristanet gang putting it all together.

Thanks to Debbie and all the folks at Baristanet for having confidence in us to pull it all off! And thanks for feeding us, too!

Do these kids look adorable or what! I heard rumor that they helped get the garden "watered" by the squirt gun gang.

Special thanks to Khristina who sewed her little fingers off and then braved the 98 degree heat to help me decorate the truck! Special thanks, too, to all the gang at Rock Paper Scissors who put aside regular duties this week to make such lovely homegrown specialties for the float. You continue to be an amazing staff and I love working with you every day!

Hope everyone had a wonderful 4th!

Beth