Noteworthy | 3.2.2012

2012 is a leap year, and with that extra February day behind us it’s time to look ahead, and scope out what’s happening this week. It’s March, also known as National Craft Month, so I advise be keeping an eye out for manufacturers and bloggers to get extra inspiring, and perhaps we’ll see an increase in contests and giveaways as well. I look forward to it. Getting the month off to a strong start, here are this week’s stories:

Ali Edwards released a new self-paced online class on her website this week. “Five” is based off of her workshop from Creative Escape last year and is now formatted as an online self-paced classs.

The cool thing about this workshop is that you can really make your album any theme you want: favorite photos from a specific year, photos of a loved one who has passed on, favorite photos from a travel adventure, a collection of photos that celebrate your life right now, etc.

The class is $14, and available for purchase on Ali’s website.

Claudine Hellmuth released a video on her blog this week, showing a detailed look at a new card kit as well as a video for a new dimensional sticker kit that will be coming to HSN on March 6th. The colors, designs, and useful embellishments look like a lot of fun. She has been creating exclusive paper crafting kits with HSN for awhile, and she is scheduled to be on-air on March 6 with three new kits. She will be updating her Twitter and Facebook with exact times as the date approaches if the times change. If you don’t want to wait - the kits are available (as well as the previously released kits) at www.hsn.com.

It is noteworthy that March 6th is going to be scrapbooking day on HSN, so if interested you may want to check their website for schedules and deals coming for that.

The Jenni Bowlin inspiration blog has a beautiful spring inspired bird project posted this week. Team member Leah Farguharsen shares the how-to as well as images of the finished project.

With March approaching, most people’s thoughts in the United States turn to spring. Wouldn’t it be fun to chase away a friend’s winter blues with these sweet spring wishes?

It’s also worth noting here that Jenni Bowlin’s new products have begun hitting store shelves- I’ve spotted a number of items now at 2peas and other retailers.

Ella Publishing has a new ebook out titled Stamping Secrets: 7 Sensational Stamp Sets Used 21 Ways. This ebook features seven stampers and is offered at an introductory sale price of $8.79 until March 7.

In 28 packed pages, you’ll enjoy 21 gorgeous projects, 35 expert stamping tips, 6 step-by-step written tutorials, and 20 minutes of exclusive video instruction—all for just $10.99.

To learn more about this book or purchase it, visit Ella’s site here.

New product is hitting the shelves, and with so many manufacturers anticipating March release dates for CHA products shown, I can only imagine that soon stores will be flooded. Some much anticipated product lines that have been hitting store shelves lately include Jenni Bowlin, Lawn Fawn’s paper line, Echo Park, Tim Holtz distress markers, and Bazzill’s Wayfarer and Vintage Marketplace lines. Check in often to your favorite scrapbook stores – I’m told most places are getting new things daily!

Finally this week, I’d like to point out some excellent blog posts this week.

Stephanie Howell posted a moving entry about being ok with being herself as a crafter, and giving herself permission to do her own thing.

I am not the worlds most complicated scrapbooker. I am not the world’s most inspirational scrapooker-technique wise.   But I put my heart on every page. And i LOVE this hobby.   And I am more than okay with that.

Julie Balzer did a post titled “So you don’t have a Silhouette” that is a great detailed look at using a craft knife to hand-cut designs. Her photos and tips are fantastic.

What’s a girl to do without a Silhouette?  Well, grab her craft knife and get busy, that’s what!

Davinie Fiero posted about how she adds confetti (a super hot trend at the moment) to her projects.

Confetti is running rampant on the crafty front, so I wanted to take a moment and share some tips/tricks and techniques for adding confetti to your scrapbook pages.

Tim Holtz is back with a new “12 tags of 2012″ installment on his blog. As you would expect, it’s a brilliant idea that has a lot of applications, and puts scraps to use too.

 I’ve been inspired by spring, and i think this mini paper mosaic technique will be useful throughout the year on everything from cards & tags to journal covers and more.

Noteworthy is a weekly column here at Scrapbook Update. Have something new & noteworthy to share? If you have something you would like considered for next week’s column, email may@scrapbookupdate.com with a link or press release.

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