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Volume 4 Issue 6

July 30, 2002

In this issue:

Frances Meyer 12x12" Paper Blowout - 4 for a Dollar!

When dMarie Throws a Party

Last month, dMarie and I hosted an engagement party for some young friends of ours. Of course they were young -- if they were our age, it'd be an over-the-hill party, or maybe a golden wedding anniversary! For some strange reason, though, nobody here in California seems to have ever heard of an engagement party, as if it we made the whole thing up.

Frankly, if I were going to make something up, it'd be an occasion where I could get new power tools and not some affair where I have to watch some poor guy smile and thank a bunch of ladies for the nice purple dish towels while all of his friends are in the other room watching the hockey playoffs.

Anyhow, this is what dMarie did to make sure the couple would remember the party for the rest of their lives: Before the party, we bought (ok, we "borrowed" from our warehouse) a 5 x 7" album and a few sets of top-loader refills. She took out the 5 x 7 pieces of white card stock and traced a small wallet-sized photo template on each page.

Each page had the template in a slightly different spot, and she (okay, her friend Cindi) penciled in the words "PHOTO HERE" across the center of each one. She then put out a table filled with supplies (Zig pens, stickers, die-cuts, punches, etc.) As each guest arrived at the party, they were given a page, and instructions to write a personal note on their page and decorate it before leaving the party.

We took digital photos of everyone at the party, with a lot of extra pictures of the bride-to-be, groom-to-be, plus them as a couple, etc. Digital photos were a must for this project so we could later reduce or enlarge the pictures (and then print them on archival quality paper with archival inks.)

After the party, we put all the cropped photos onto the pages, and voila! We have the perfect gift to commemorate the occasion!

We chose to do a 5 x 7 album because it's a perfect page size to be done quickly at a party. Everyone had fun doing a page, and it didn't take too much time away from the fun. Also -- it's not as intimidating as staring at a blank 12 x 12 inch page.

Frances Meyer 12x12" Paper Blowout - 4 for a Dollar

"Mom -- can I have a quarter?" If you have kids, and you've ever passed a gumball machine, you've heard this phrase. Didn't they used to cost a nickel? For that matter, I remember penny candy. Man, I'm old!

Anyhow, if you've ever envied your kids because they can get so much pleasure out of a simple quarter, then it's time for revenge. Frances Meyer is discontinuing nearly all their 12x12 paper. (Ok, so it's not REALLY 12" x 12", it's more like 11 7/8" x 11 7/8", but I like to think of it as 4% less fat. If you can't shave a few calories, how about shaving 1/8" inch off you paper?)

So here's your chance to get back at your kids and spend those quarters on something YOU want (and something that won't rot your teeth, at least as long as you don't do anything TOO strange with it.) 119 styles of Frances Meyer 12 x 12 paper are up at dMarie Direct for 25 cents a sheet. But you'd better hurry, when we run out of a design, it's gone for good.

Incidentally, another 104 styles of 8 1/2 x 11" Frances Meyer paper are being discontinued and are up for just 20 cents each. Now, if only America had a 20 cent coin!

dMarie Newsletter Coming Soon to Video

We're going to try something a little different. Well, a lot different, actually. It may be a huge mistake, but it wouldn't be our first! Very soon, you'll actually be able to see this newsletter on video. Not until I get a hair cut, of course, since I'm long overdue (and I just can't bring myself to sit and wait for an hour-and-a-half at Supercuts.) Doesn't anybody have their mother cut their hair anymore -- that place is getting to be a zoo. And if you've ever seen me get MY hair cut their, you know what I'm talking about.

Personally, I think Supercuts should have a drive through window where you just stick your head out the window and they shave it off right there. That'd suit me just fine.

Anyhow, wish me luck, I'll see you soon. Or, rather, you'll see me soon!

Over 220 New Products at dMarie Direct

Wow, it's only been about 3 weeks, and it's the dog days of summer, but that doesn't stop dMarie. When she's not throwing wacky parties (did I mention we played the Newlywed Game with the engaged couple and their parents?) then she's adding new products to the dMarie Direct lineup.

Now, starting at 3rd base, is
Paper Adventures M2 Originals (12 x 12)

At shortstop, it's
Fiskar's ShapeBoss and all the ShapeBoss Templates

Starting at second base is
12 x 12" Self-Adhesive Vellum (which, incidentally, automatically answers the question -- "How do I stick the vellum on the page without the glue showing?")

And over at first, we have
Page Dazzlers

Starting in left field, we have
Idea Samplers from Border Shotz, Bryce & Madeline, Debbie Mumm, and Mary Engelbreit

In center field, we have
K & Company 12 x 12 Embossed Paper, Flat Paper, Embossed Vellum, and Flat Vellum

Over in right field, there's
Stickers from Hershey's Chocolate, Beatrix Potter, Flavia, Mary Engelbreit, Mrs. Grossman, Sandy Clough, and Susan Branch

Behind the plate, we have
New Books from Paper Adventures, Memory Makers, and Paper Kuts, plus Scrappin' USA 2002 and Designing with Vellum and Designing with Notions

And pitching, there's
New Westrim Albums, Pages, and Kits, and the New Beatrix Potter Albums (that come with 10 pages filled with 20 sheets of colored and printed Beatrix Potter paper -- what a killer combination of pitches, there!)

Plus we have plenty of depth on our bench, including
Fiskars SoftGrip Microtip Scissors
Fiskars Shape Cutter Templates
Die Cut Frames from Beatrix Potter and Flavia
Mat Stacks Border Punch Strips
Susan Branch 12 x 12 Vellum
Emagination Renaissance Punches
Stack Packs
and a whole lot more!

If you haven't checked out our full lineup, head on over to http://dMarieDirect.com. Admission is free, and browsing products in our online store is much more exciting than watching baseball, anyway!