{we are} storytellers

{ct call}

I know I promised to be back last night; baseball game ran a little later than expected (what a shocker - lol!), and then I was at the field much longer than I planned due to the fact that I was waiting for my darling dh (aka Patrick, Mr. Customer Service...yep - that may surprise many of you, especially the ones that send the kindest emails that say "you GIRLS are doing a great job" - it makes him smile, and heck, who doesn't like to hear nice words, no matter what your gender! lol) Anyway, back to my excuse...I know that Patrick told me that he was going to the car, for some reason I didn't process that he was LEAVING (since we drove separate), well, after 20 mins. or so, I was looking around and finally said to one of the other 3 people left on the field by that time..."Hey, have you seen Patrick?" Immediately they look at me and said, "Ah, yes, driving out of the parking lot 20 mins ago!" As you can tell, the evening got a little away from me...so, with out further ado, or my ramblings...our first ever {storytellers} call!

In other news, have you seen the adorable new items in the store?!?! Two of our amazing artists, Emily and Emily, have each teamed up with two brand new designers, Nikki Beaudreau and Holly Griego, and creating two must have kits. (All of a sudden I'm sounding like Chuck Woolery with all those "two" - all I need to say now is "I'll be back in 2 and 2" - which for me usually ends up being 2 hours or 2 days, not the 2 minutes he use to refer to - and for those amongst us who many not be familiar with Chuck, here ya go.)

Did you notice that BOTH those kits have BONUS gifts included: Emily created a QP Layout AND a QP Album that fits the Maya Road Bird Chipboard and Emily has created a QP Album to go on the Maya Road Mini Heart Chipboard. Each kit is only $8.99 - quite an offering, I'd say.

Laundry and house cleaning are calling, I've tried to tell them they have the wrong number and to place me on their "do not call" list - but some how it just isn't working! You go check out the goodies in the shoppe, and think about our creative team call, I'm going to ...ugh, i can't say it...go clean.

Take Care!
{storyteller} deann

{page turner tuesday}

One might say, "Hey, it's almost the end of the day and you are just now posting about PTT!?!" And I will reply with a simple answer; an answer even better than, "better late than never" - how 'bout this...at midnight tonight, the beautiful coach does NOT turn back into a pumpkin, but rather remains available for you to use or (peruse, in this case) for days. This week's PTT...

So take your time, look around, see what's new new in the boutique. Enjoy yourself.

I'm gonna run off to my son's baseball game, when I get back I want to share some other exciting news. I know, I know, I shouldn't leave ya hangin', but if I don't get to that game, I'll have heck to pay - and if any of you know my 3rd son Willem, you know exactly what I mean. I promise, I'll be back.

Take Care!
{storyteller} deann

{a page out of life}

a few weeks ago, someone in the publicity department of penguin group, contacted me and asked if i would be interested in reviewing a page out of life on my blog. of course, i said, "absolutely!"

here's a little teaser for you:

"in a page out of life, frazzled mother of four ashley lets her best friend drag her to a meeting of the local scrapbook club, she’s amazed at the way old photos and mementos can bring vivid color to sepia-toned memories. among the surprisingly diverse group is tara, a single grad student whose search for love, like her relationship with her absentee father, has only brought her heartache—and some funny dating stories. then there’s libby, a semi-retired teacher who thought she’d spend her golden years taking cooking and photography classes—not as a town pariah after her son is charged in a corporate scandal.

as ashley copes with a husband whose love for her fluctuates with her weight, she comes to depend more and more on her scrapbooking sisters. for only together can they face earth-shattering revelations and emotionally unavailable men—and figure out their futures while artfully commemorating their pasts."

i'll be honest, when i read the snippet above, i wasn't super intrigued with the novel. i'm sort of a choosey bibliophile; i want to be moved by what i read. i want the story to overwhelm me, to take me somewhere. i want to connect with well-developed characters and i want the descriptive language and dialogue to be smart and arouse emotion. i thought kathleen reid's novel sounded a bit...well, cheesy.

i was delighted that the old adage "don't judge a book by its cover" rang true. while this novel, won't win a national book award for its literary merit, it is very entertaining. i sat down one evening with the intention of reading a couple of chapters and i ended up reading the entire book in a four-hour sitting.

kathleen reid's novel is fast-paced and engaging. an unlikely group of women are united by a common passion--telling their stories through the art of scrapbooking. you are drawn into their lives because they are every woman. they face the same struggles we do and yet they rise above and learn to live in the midst of circumstances they didn't create and can't control. it is in their sisterhood that they find community, redemption and healing. it is through connecting with one another, that they find their true selves.

if you're looking for a dessert read--guilt-free, fun and winning--put a page out of life on your summer reading list!

penguin sent me four copies to giveaway to my blog readers so if you'd like to win, comment HERE. i'll choose the winners on friday!!!

*****

aggie, you are the winner of my eclectic story starters contest! i will email you your gift card to me{em} designs!

cheers.

storyteller{emily}

{beautiful relationships}

One of the best things about scrapbooking is being able to create a record of the everyday moments in life, and have a beautiful way to keep those special memories about the special events and people in our worlds.  I love the way that a simple theme and some classic colors and elements, alongside a beautiful family photo, can really capture the essence and joy of the relationships that surround us and make our lives what they are.  The new {arts and crafts} kit, Sisterhood, that we've just released at {we are} storytellers, was the perfect kit for me to show off some beautiful moments we captured recently between my brand new niece and her grandmother - it is full of elements that are classic and beautiful, but still fresh and modern, and colors that will go well with anything.   That, and a strong theme was very inspiring for this layout :)

I loved being able to use fun linear elements like the stitching, rhinestones and floral trims to add a funky touch to the page without giving up on the fairly linear classic style of the page.  And the color scheme of the kit allowed me to put in a nice dash of pink for our brand new baby girl, but set it off against gorgeous neutrals for a soft look.  I love adding little details like the date to my pages, so elements like the tree in the Sisterhood kit with spaces for journalling are great.

Have fun scrapping - and remember to try and capture all of the different relationships in your world - parent/child, grandparent/grandchild, husband/wife, friends, brothers, and of course - sisters.

{storyteller} kathryn

{sisterhood}

3 Days Only - Save 15%

Introducing this month's {Arts and Crafts} Project - {Sisterhood}. An amazing mega kit created with love by your favorite {we are} storytellers artists...

When you purchase {Sisterhood}, you'll also receive a gift from all of us to you - Sisterhood {Mini} kit (a $5.99 value). You'll see it in the boutique as Sisterhood {Mini}, but we fondly have been referring to this sweet kit as, Little Sis!

And to show our appreciate for your continued support by being part of our {storytelling} community, for a limited time, you can take 15% off the purchase of {Sisterhood} mega. Use this coupon code: BIGsis15% and receive the Mega and the Mini kits for only $12.74. Hurry, this coupon expires on Sunday, May 18 @ 11:59 PM EST.

Also, please check out this adorable Envelope Album created by the incredibly crafty Tiff Brady. For only $4.66 (33% off marketprice) you can create the sweetest album in a jiffy! That Tiff is so cleaver!

Don't forget, 15% off coupon expires on Sunday, May 18 @ 11:59 est.

Take Care!
{storyteller} deann

New Address Postcard

Good Morning!
We recently moved and I am just getting around to sending out our new address to family and friends. The mountains of boxes everywhere are not helping me get anything else done!!  Needless to say, I wanted to create some thing simple and quick, but still fun.  Tiff's Crafty Birdhouse Frames were the perfect solution!  I created a new document the size of a postcard (5.825" x 4.125").  Then I added the frames, a few embellishments, our photos and new information.  We have relatives we don't see very often, so being able to send recent photos of the kids at the same time was a huge bonus for me!

{credits}

I printed these on heavy cardstock, cut them out and mailed them!! Super easy and cute!

{storyteller} jennifer

{storytime}

It truly is so amazing to see all the layouts flooding the public library at WST. Each one is unique, and creative, and just downright gorgeous. But this week, I want to feature two that just really caught my eye.

this first one is by Valoriew...and I just keep going back to look at it. Paper strips are such an awesome trend in scrapbooking right now, and she did a fabulous job of using them! I love how she placed the two photos on top and bottom and the title work. The chipboard circle and the glitter letter is an understated but eyecatching look. Gorgeous work, Vaoriew!

and this one is by the fabulous Keela. I don't want to gush and go on and on (cause i so could!) so I'm just gonna say I LOVE THIS! The little scene Keela created with the trees, the sun, and the grass is just plain creative. This layout just pops in the gallery. Gorgeous work, Keela!!!!

{page turner tuesday}

There's some really fun new products in the boutique as well. Also, check back on the 15th as we debut this month's {arts & crafts} kits - yep, I said kitS, as in more than one...it's a double whammy you'll not want to miss.

Take Care!
{storyteller} deann

{shutterfly)

the {we are} storytellers designers will be guests over at the shutterfly blog for the next couple of weeks. learn a little more about us and download a piece of our collaborative kit, momtourage, each day!

today, you can download a quick page and a paper pack as a free gift from me .

here is how i used the quick page and the paper pack:

aunts

sometimes

**REMINDER** you have one more week to enter my mix it up! contest. details here. next monday, one lucky scrapper will win a $15 gift card to me{em} designs.

i hope your week is off to a great start!

cheers.

{storyteller} emily

{storytime}

I'll start out by saying I have a love affair with chipboard....specifically chipboard backgrounds. So its no surprise that every time I see a layout with one I sigh in contentment. Colors pop on them. Shadow work pops. Photos pop. This past week in the WST gallery there has been an amazing amount of those "sigh" layouts. Here are just a couple that I found to be incredible.

 
This layout by Karrina simply rocks!  Awesome design! I love the white journaling on the chipboard and the pops of color from the frame and the little pot/snail cluster. The twirly string and buttons adds a cute playfulness to the layout that perfectly matches the photo. Gorgeous work, Karrina!

and I just saw WOW to this layout by Brittany. I just totally love the rounded edge with the journal strips hanging off. I also love how she placed the little ribbon strips to frame her photos. Such a fun and creative layout, Brittany!

{storyteller} kelly