The Button Farm

Hey Button Farm friends!  I have not posted in a while so I thought I would send out a quick quick hello!  I have been working really hard getting my product ready to ship to Chantilly Virginia for the Great American Scrapbook Convention hosted by Memory Makers Magazine.  I am almost ready (thanks to the help from my mom, aunt and Claudette!).  It will be a relief when the truck comes and gets the pallet tomorrow.  I am then off to teach 3 classes at Absolutely Everything in Topsfield Mass this weekend.  I cannot wait to see everyone there!  I also cannot wait to see Kate’s store, I hear that it really has ‘absolutely everything’!  I send my big boy off to summer camp for a week on Sunday and then fly to Chantilly Virginia on Wednesday!  Phew! 

I had to drop a quick note though because I am quite excited about a couple of new creations!  I just snapped a photo of these on my messy coffee table this morning, so the pictures are not that great, but I hope that you like what you see!  These albums are not finished yet, but I thought that I could share the covers with you!  The Great Escape features products from Making Memories and is created on a Chatterbox Canvas Album.  This album also comes with a canvas bag that we will decorate to either hold the album, or to add memorabilia from the trip.  I am also excited about the long awaited wedding album.  This album also features products from Making Memories and is created in a Heidi Swapp album. 

I will be in touch again soon!

Hugs

Angela

The other day I got a fun email from 7 Gypsies.  (you know I cannot resist this company).  They are having a fun promotion.  They challenged customers and retailers to decorate their Binderie Punch.  What is the Binderie Punch?  It is a fun punch that easily punches through multiple cardstock pages, chipboard, and more!

Take the time to go visit the site and view all of the cool decorated punches at the site and learn more about this fun tool.  Many awesome designers decorated Binderie Punches including, Heidi Swapp, Donna Downey, Cosmo Cricket, Prima, all of the hot 7 Gypsy designers, even the founders of 7 Gypsys.  You really should go check out the fun and even consider decorating your own Binderie Punch.  Please visit the site by visiting here:

http://www.sevengypsies.com/

This is for sure the most interesting thing that I have ever altered!  When I got this email, I thought ‘what?!’, this punch is bright red and is a very strange shape.  This is what it looks like:

Well, I love a challenge and as I kept wondering how I could decorate it, I got more excited.  I really have not had much time to ‘play’ lately, so I spent a couple hours in the workshop last night and boy, did I have fun!  I had to get rid of the bright red right away so I painted it to match 7 Gypsies papers that I chose to work with.  Check out my finished punch below!

I even got so excited about the project that I decorated a canvas bag for my Binderie to ‘hang out in’ between use.

Join in on the fun today and get decorating your punch too!

ttfn!

Angela

I got an email from a customer tonight showing me some of the pages that she created in the Great Outdoors Album and I just have to share them with you!

Debi K. sent me these pictures of her complete Outdoors album-not only is her grandson adorable as can be, but I was so excited to see the photos in the album!  Check it out:

I love how Debi cut out a little of the circle on the lower left hand side of one of her pages so that the cute little beaver embellishment was highlighted.

notice how Debi used some duplicate photos and cut out cute little blocks highlighting her grandsons adorable features.  Thanks for sharing with us Debi!

May was a busy month for me.  I was a vendor at The Creating Keepsake Convention in Manchester and Buffalo this last month, so that has kept me quite busy.  I could not ingnore the fact that this is the 3rd year that I have attended these two shows and it was really a very exciting landmark for me!  I look back 3 years ago and realize how much I have learned.  CKC Manchester was my first big show and I laugh when I think of that first CK show.  I really had no idea what to expect, and had no idea if people would like my kits or take my classes!  I was so unprepared and remember that I was in my room most of the weekend creating and printing instruction sheets for the kits.  People we so amazing though and patiently came back to the booth or allowed me to send instructions to them.  (yeah, I know that this is STILL happening 3 years later ;0) I remember that I did not have a credit card machine either and we all handwrote credit card information that show.  It was inevitable that while we were writing in the information, one of us would either forget an expiration date or not write numbers clearly.  Jason and I spent a week calling people for clarification.  ug-not such fond memories!   Here are some fun photos from the old days, you will notice that the booth has not changed much!

It was also so exciting to have people purchase my kits and even sell out of some items!

Stacy Julien from Simple Scrapbooks stopped by the booth in Buffalo that first year!

  Although the growing pains have been painful at times, I am now seeing the benefit of sticking it out for three years.  Building a business can be really hard, but feels right to me.  I really feel a sense of fulfillment ‘farming’.  The creative process gives me joy and I love sharing it with you!  Please know that I will always remember and appreciate ‘you’ the customer as the most important component along the way.   It has been the icing on the cake to fall in love with my customers.   I am certain that I have the BEST customers a girl could ask for!

Hugs to all

Angela

i slept in until 11 am yesterday and went back to bed at noon!  While I was sleeping, i was dreaming about scrapbook shows.  My booth was in a dark barn and another booth was on the lawn of some hotel.  I was obviously worried about lighting in the barn and rain out of doors.  I guess I  am ‘really really’ need a little rest and relaxation because I am even dreaming about the shows!

Jason and I drove home from Manchester CKC Saturday night, this was my 3rd time as a vendor in Manchester!  It was such an exciting show.  I really enjoyed seeing everyone - Manchester is my ‘home base’, and I love seeing all of my local customers.  Sadly I was unprepared and in the back of the room working on kits most of the time.  So if you dropped by to say hello,  and I missed seeing you - I am so sorry, what a bummer.  I had a ton of people drop by and help me this weekend.  I used to call these people customers, but they are dear friends.  I never thought my business would bless me with such friends along the way.  I dont know how to thank you all!  I am not even going to mention names, because I fear leaving one out, but when I close my eyes, I see you there and send you a big hug!

Today, I spent the evening packing up boxes that needed shipping and tomorrow will spend the day getting my pallet ready for Buffalo.  The truck needs to come get that Thursday, so I have another couple of busy days this week.  Once my shipment leaves I hope to spend some time creating.  I have participated in some major retail therapy this last month and hope to play during the long weekend.  One of the most exciting things that I purchased was the ‘Bind it All’.  I cannot wait to  play with this tool and create my own bound books.  When I was in Mesa, I purchased some Grand Canyon postcards and hope to make a little book with the Bind it All.  I will keep you updated! 

I also hope to have a few new kits up on the site this weekend, thank you all for being so patient with me.  Check out these fun new kits:

Enjoy the Journey is a fun album created with the 7 Gypsies Envelope Album.  I used Collage Press’s brand new line, Knave of Hearts for this treasure.  Tuck 7 Gypsy journal cards in all of the pockets through this album.  This project would be perfect for travel or for a family themed album.  You get an entire sheet of stickers in this kit, so you can be creative with your title.  This album retails for $39

This fun album, Days of Summer is made with a Maya Road album and decorated with papers and embellishments from Fancy Pants.   This album retails for $36

Another fun album created with a new line from Collage Press.  This album is created with a Bo-Bunny mixed media album including chipboard, clear and felt pages.  You will love this bright fun paper line, with coordinating sticker letters, and embellishments.  This album retails for $38.

Dont forget the ‘Happy Family’ album pictured below.  I will be adding that to the site as well!  I hope to have these up by Friday at the latest, (just in time for pay day!).

Ok, I am heading for bed!  I will be in touch again soon!  Thanks for checking in with me friend!

Angela

It is frightening to think that I will be leaving in a mere 7 days to vend at CKC Manchester!  Yikes, the time does fly by quickly for me these days.  I am so excited to see my ‘local friends’ and have many fun new projects lined up for this show.  It was also such an exciting trip to Arizona last month to visit scrapbookers in Mesa.  I met so many new friends and my husband and I were able to venture the state and visit the Grand Canyon.  I have to admit that The Grand Canyon was not a big priority on Angela’s ‘to do checklist’, but boy, am I glad that I did.  When I walked to the edge of this amazing site, the tears just started streaming down my face.  It was breathtaking.  Now, I recommend to everyone that it should be added to YOUR bucket list!  here is a couple of great shots I got on the trip:

I am excited to have 3 new kits in Manchester (maybe 4) and I hope to have these kits up on the site within the week for online ordering.  The ‘Happy Family’ kit is a ’spinoff’ of a kit that I had last year featuring 7 Gypsies Nottinghill collection.  I was able to obtain more of this beautiful product and recreated it with some new elements as well.  Here are some pictures of this fun new album.

I am also excited to announce that I will be visiting ‘Absolutely Everything’ in Topsfield Mass on June 19th and 20th.  This is quite possibly one of the projects being taught there as well as ‘The Story’.  I would love to have you join us!

Check out the store for more information, class projects and times are still being pinned down, but I will get you the details as soon as possible.

Absolutely Everything
30 Main St
Topsfield, MA 01983
978-887-6397
www.absolutelyeverything.com

That is it for tonight! I will try to update you tomorrow with more pictures of new kits!

Hugs

Angela

Well it took me a while, but I finally got the chance to pull names for the winners of ESE remote!  I know, it took me long enough!  Here is what I have for winners-please expect your package in about two weeks!

Congratulations to:

Amy Hogge (Newport News, VA) is the winner of a $50 gift certificate.

Caryn Ross (Norman OK) is the winner of a Making Memories Spinning Organizer

Amy Hart (Maynard MA) is the winner of a Making Memories Ribbon Organizer

Christine Welty ( Belleville IL) is the winner of a 7 Gypsies Prize Pack-Including new Binderie Punch!

Lisa Weismore (Derby NY) is the winner of a 7 Gypsies Prize Pack - including new Binderie Punch!

Congrats Ladies!