Scrapbook Memories - Series 1600

Welcome to the studios! There used to be a driveway around here somewhere.......

Julie and Beth with our new, artist to artist segment host, Julie Fei Fan Balzer.

First stop is to see Karen in the make-up room, then we're ready to tape the "Opens".

Beth is responsible for answering viewers questions, so she keeps track of all the different products we show during the "Open" to each show.

This is the "Green Room" where we lay out projects, set out product and prep for segments. It's also the dressing room where change and keep track of what we wear on each show and snack!

Nikki Sivils was one of our guests for this series and Lisa Singer joined us again together with

Julianna Hudgins, who showed us all the great features of the ECLIPS
as well as some old favorites.



We have the best lunch room! It's a the top of the building, so we always have a great view of the weather....... the roof is glass too, so it was covered in snow that week!



Beth and I prep for a segment and Jewels pops in for a quick "Three Julie's" photo before she and I head for the airport. Julie Fei Fan Balzer stayed for the weekend, which was probably a good thing since all flights to New York were cancelled. Jewels and I made it home okay.



There are obviously a whole bunch of folks behind the scenes who play a BIG part in bringing Scrapbook Memories to you. This is Mike, the director.

The show is produced by Kathie Stull, KS Productions. Kathie has been in the Arts & Crafts Industry for over 20 years producing videos and TV Shows for PBS. Her other shows include:
Quilting Arts - Beads, Baubles & Jewels - Hands On Crafts for Kids - Bake, Decorate, Celebrate (Beth hosts this show too) - America Sews with Sue Hausman and Knitting Daily.

This new series won't start to air until late Spring, but you'll notice it's quite a bit different from past series. You'll see segments we taped on location at the CHA trade show and we've added some different types of projects. The Arts & Crafts industry is changing as new products are developed and designers discover new, creative things to do; plus, there's a whole, new generation of crafters out there who are just itching to dive into something creative. Mixed Media is the trend "du jour" and this was evident at the trade show in January. You know something's afoot, when a scrapbook company - Making Memories - features jewelry products in their booth. No we didn't have anything like that on the show, but it's an indication of change. We do talk about mixed media though and are looking for your feedback, so please stay tuned then let us know what YOU think. Viewer feedback is, and always has been very important to us.

Check out our group page on Facebook - you can leave comments there for us too! Enjoy!

Yours truly,
Julie :)

Chivalry isn't Dead Yet

Jewels (Julianna Hudgins) and I were leaving the hotel to head to the studio. It was 7:30 am and blizzard conditions. We left our luggage by the hotel door instead of dragging suitcases thru the snow and went to get the car. A gentleman had the same idea and pulled up under the hotel awning to load his own bags just ahead of us. There was only room for one car, so when he saw us pull up behind, he jumped back into his car and pulled forward out into the snow again so we could stop under the awning. Wow! I have to say it made our whole day, just knowing that the "Age of Chivalry" is not dead. A gentleman indeed.

Yours truly,
Julie :)

The "Craft Room"

I've seen some wonderful "Scrapbooking" rooms in books, magazines, etc and I'm often asked what mine looks like. Well this is my "Craft" room. It used to be a corner of our family room until we moved in 2003. The "ping pong" table was ideal for laying out designs and I could store lots and lots of boxes underneath, but now I have a whole room just for me and I love it! It's upstairs, so I can be as messy as I want, which is usually the case. It may not look like it, but I did clean up just for these photos - had to find my camera!



It's very practical, as you can see, with industrial shelving and the countertop under the windows is a formica kitchen countertop from Home Depot which I placed across two drawer units from the Container store. There's also another shelving unit full of boxes in a closet at the end of the landing just outside the french doors. My computer, printers, scanner, etc are all on the L-shaped corner unit, another industrial piece which has served me well since 1996. Nothing glamorous for me I'm afraid, but it fits my needs to a "T" - speaking of which, I could do with a cuppa right now. BTW - there's a balcony outside so I can watch the seasons go by while I work. Check out my snow photo from Feb.12th.



I must admit that I still commandeer the large dining room table downstairs for some of my more long and "involved" projects and I have even more boxes stacked along one wall of the garage. Most of them are full of projects that have appeared in books and magazines and on T.V. I've given a lot of them away to charity gift shops over the years, but there's still a lot left. Time to spring clean again........

Have a happy Monday and a great week!

Yours truly,
Julie :)

On the Inside Looking Out!

It snowed here last week. In fact it was a record snowfall for our area. I had a few minutes in the wee hours of this morning, so I downloaded my photos so I can share the beauty of the day. It was absolutely magnificent outside - outside being the operative word with me being on the inside....... On the other hand, it wreaked havoc in the area. Power lines were knocked down by tree branches that gave way under the weight of the 8"-9" of snow. And, being in Texas, we were definitely not prepared for something like this. The temperatures weren't too low though, so the main roads remained passable for the most part.

Here are the "Views from My Window". Enjoy!

Have a happy day!

Yours truly,
Julie :)

Where Does the Time Go?

I catch up with Beth thru her blog and it struck me the other day that her daughter and my grandson are the same age! In fact their birthdays are within a few days of each other. Is that a happy thought for a Monday morning, or what.........

I also follow Julie Fei Fan Balzer's blog and am always impressed at how she finds time for so much creativity and even more time to journal about it on her blog! So, what have I been doing these past few days? Well, most importantly getting ready to leave next week to tape Scrapbook Memories at the studio in Cleveland. I've also been working on projects for a manufacturer client and just sent a 32 page book to the printer. Unfortunately these projects are for clients, so I'm not at liberty to share even what they are, but I'VE BEEN VERY BUSY!

I've been dealing with the repercussions from the record snowfall too. My satellite connection was down (no TV either) and power was sporadic at best... I'm not sure that total dependency on the internet is a good thing. Which reminds me....... I actually received a hand written note last week from the girls at CHA to thank me for my support at the consumer show. Did you see that I said HAND WRITTEN.....wow! I continue to be impressed and absolutely delighted! I miss the "good ol days" - some of them anyway. These new days are wonderful in a whole new different way. I'm a Nana and my son is getting married in about 8 weeks! I have SO much to do to get ready for that........ I'll definitely have to get started as soon as I get back.

Have a happy day!

Yours truly,
Julie :)

I'm the Adult - I think.....

It's snowing - again!!!! There's such a beautiful snowfall outside. Big ol' flakes that look like chunks of cotton candy. It's the kind of snow that makes you want to run outside, look up at the sky and let the flakes tickle your eyelashes. Truth is, I'm just not that kid any more and I'm more than happy to watch it through the window. I'm a Nana for goodness sake, though I must admit I still jump waves at the beach, wear a swimsuit and build crazy sandcastles with the kids.

I took my grandchildren to school yesterday morning. Dylan went to his classroom first then Jovie and I walked down the hallway to her room. We hung up her coat, put her lunchbag in the cubby then I gave her a big hug. She marched into her classroom, then turned and blew me a kiss as she started to pull her "work" off the shelf. I lingered in the doorway as tears welled up in my eyes, thinking "hey you, you're the adult, YOU aren't supposed to be the one to cry when you leave!" Maybe I do need to go play in the snow.

This is what I see from Craft Studio window:

Yours truly,
Julie :)