Novel Approach
607 S. Friendswood Dr., #15
Friendswood, Texas 77546
A quick road-trip to Friendswood on Sat., Feb. 16th, resulted in the most pleasant experience at NOVEL APPROACH, a very customer-friendly scrapbook shop. The staff was friendly and funny!
http://www.novelapproachonline.com/
They listened to what you needed and then went on a “treasure hunt” with you to find just the right paper for your needs. While some of the supply of paper was low, new shipments were being unpacked.
There is a good sized crop room. It is a bright work space and there is dye-cut equipment for your use while cropping.
One room in the shop is dedicated to rubberstamping supplies and you can just go wild with you creative ideas!
The most fantastic find is the store’s best kept secret --- Versa Laser machine.
http://www.ulsinc.com/versalaser/english/index.html
This machine cut-out a custom title design for me in minutes and will look fantastic on the title page of my scrapbook. The machine will cut-out on paper or cloth.
There should be a line out the door with scrapbookers needing custom cuts and designs!
This was well worth the drive to visit this store and staff! Just wished I lived closer!
Monday, February 18, 2008
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Kaitlyn Vallery Memorial Scholarship Crop - The Woodlands, Texas
Kaitlyn Vallery Memorial Scholarship Crop
Saturday, April 12, 2008
St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church
The Woodlands, Texas
In 2007, I attended this event and was amazed by the number of volunteers and the amount of effort put into this benefit. Organized is an understatement! The food, snacks and accommodations were FANTASTIC!!!!
The gym area was set-up into streets and when you checked in, you were given an “address” to go to for your work area. The tables were 10-foot round and there were 2 or 3 croppers to a table, depending on the number of individuals registered and/or in your group who wanted to sit together.
There were freebies at each individual’s spot and I stopped counting after 50 drawing give-away items. There was a raffle of some very nice (expensive) items.
Lighting was good from the overhead sport lights. There was a separate dining area that allowed you to “relax” while you ate and to keep your work area clean.
The cook deserves five gold stars for the quality and quantity of the lunch and dinner!!! Lots and lots of sodas, bottle water and snack items of all kinds were provided.
There were a few make-and-takes and vendors available. However, the vendors closed up shop in the early afternoon and they were gone long before the benefit was over. Lesson learned - Shop early if you plan to get anything from the vendors!
One downside - It is a bit of a trek from the parking lot to the gym. You will definitely need rolling carts!!! The event could use some extra “male and/or younger” volunteers ready and standing in the parking lot when you arrive to assist some of the older ladies getting their crop materials from the car to the crop area and the volunteers should be available to help folks back out to the car again when it is time to leave.
Suggestion - The website for the event could use driving directions from I-45 to the church and a map. Some croppers coming from out-of-town could easily (as I did) get lost.
http://www.kaitlynspromise.com/New%20Site/CropForm.html
The benefit is a very worthy cause as the funds raised go towards one $1,000 scholarship to be awarded to a member of the Class of 2009 attending either The Woodlands College Park, Oak Ridge or The Woodlands High Schools.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church
The Woodlands, Texas
In 2007, I attended this event and was amazed by the number of volunteers and the amount of effort put into this benefit. Organized is an understatement! The food, snacks and accommodations were FANTASTIC!!!!
The gym area was set-up into streets and when you checked in, you were given an “address” to go to for your work area. The tables were 10-foot round and there were 2 or 3 croppers to a table, depending on the number of individuals registered and/or in your group who wanted to sit together.
There were freebies at each individual’s spot and I stopped counting after 50 drawing give-away items. There was a raffle of some very nice (expensive) items.
Lighting was good from the overhead sport lights. There was a separate dining area that allowed you to “relax” while you ate and to keep your work area clean.
The cook deserves five gold stars for the quality and quantity of the lunch and dinner!!! Lots and lots of sodas, bottle water and snack items of all kinds were provided.
There were a few make-and-takes and vendors available. However, the vendors closed up shop in the early afternoon and they were gone long before the benefit was over. Lesson learned - Shop early if you plan to get anything from the vendors!
One downside - It is a bit of a trek from the parking lot to the gym. You will definitely need rolling carts!!! The event could use some extra “male and/or younger” volunteers ready and standing in the parking lot when you arrive to assist some of the older ladies getting their crop materials from the car to the crop area and the volunteers should be available to help folks back out to the car again when it is time to leave.
Suggestion - The website for the event could use driving directions from I-45 to the church and a map. Some croppers coming from out-of-town could easily (as I did) get lost.
http://www.kaitlynspromise.com/New%20Site/CropForm.html
The benefit is a very worthy cause as the funds raised go towards one $1,000 scholarship to be awarded to a member of the Class of 2009 attending either The Woodlands College Park, Oak Ridge or The Woodlands High Schools.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
By Design Scrapbook Boutique - Houston, Texas
By Design Scrapbook Boutique
1131 Clear Lake City Blvd.
Houston, Texas
If you are into pink and black or frilly girly things, this is the store for you!
If you are looking for an all-round good basic stock of scrapbook material, do not expect to find it at this store!
The buyers for the store have a narrow niche of interest and product lines. That is certainly ok! It is a very beautiful store inside and it has a lot of glamour.
However, if you are looking for products to scrap your vacation or child’s school events or something other than a High Tea or society / glamour event, you will need to look elsewhere.
I attended one class at this store - $50 for a 2-hour class.
It was probably the worst scrapbook class I have ever taken in my life. The “nationally known guest” came in and gave quick overview of the 2-pages she designed and then left the room.
Then the store associate stepped in and provided assistance to the attendees to do the project. Some of the ladies were new to scrapbooking and one lady cut the paper wrong. (Haven’t we all done that?) Instead of working with the lady and helping to fix the problem, the girl (staff associated) started laughing at the mistake. Of course the customer turned beet-red and stammered through the embarrassing incident and never opened her mouth again in the class and left before she finished the project.
By Design also suffers from too small personal work area for croppers. They have about 3.5 feet x 3 feet work space.
Some scrapbook stores seem to put a lot into the front showroom and forget, those cropping in the back room pay for the space to work and then go out and buy product as they are working.
Or, it could be stores keep the areas small and crowded because they have a concern of floor space dedicated to crop room vs. rent and how much the room is used.
What makes a great crop room is adequate work space and staff who are helpful!
http://bydesignscrapbookboutique.com/
1131 Clear Lake City Blvd.
Houston, Texas
If you are into pink and black or frilly girly things, this is the store for you!
If you are looking for an all-round good basic stock of scrapbook material, do not expect to find it at this store!
The buyers for the store have a narrow niche of interest and product lines. That is certainly ok! It is a very beautiful store inside and it has a lot of glamour.
However, if you are looking for products to scrap your vacation or child’s school events or something other than a High Tea or society / glamour event, you will need to look elsewhere.
I attended one class at this store - $50 for a 2-hour class.
It was probably the worst scrapbook class I have ever taken in my life. The “nationally known guest” came in and gave quick overview of the 2-pages she designed and then left the room.
Then the store associate stepped in and provided assistance to the attendees to do the project. Some of the ladies were new to scrapbooking and one lady cut the paper wrong. (Haven’t we all done that?) Instead of working with the lady and helping to fix the problem, the girl (staff associated) started laughing at the mistake. Of course the customer turned beet-red and stammered through the embarrassing incident and never opened her mouth again in the class and left before she finished the project.
By Design also suffers from too small personal work area for croppers. They have about 3.5 feet x 3 feet work space.
Some scrapbook stores seem to put a lot into the front showroom and forget, those cropping in the back room pay for the space to work and then go out and buy product as they are working.
Or, it could be stores keep the areas small and crowded because they have a concern of floor space dedicated to crop room vs. rent and how much the room is used.
What makes a great crop room is adequate work space and staff who are helpful!
http://bydesignscrapbookboutique.com/
All About Crafts - Magnolia, Texas
All About Crafts
6011 FM 1488
Magnolia, Texas
I would not waste the gas or time to drive to this store! The staff is rude, curt and insulting to customers. They are not interested in customer comments.
And if you call the store and ask about an updated calendar of events as their website is more than 3-months out-of-date, expect to get BLASTED by the staff.
The one-time I ventured out to the store, the staff associate was too important to do anything but tell you just how creative and wonderful they are in the arts world. GAG ….
I cannot expect this poor quality of customer service will insure anything but a very quick demise of the store. The staff needs to understand, they are there for the customers and the customers are not there to stroke their egos!!!
Archiver's Scrapbooking Store - Katy, Texas
Archiver's Scrapbooking Store
1410 Fry Road
Katy, Texas
If you plan to attend a crop event at this store, you can expect a very small work space area. You will only have a space of about 3.5 feet x 3 feet.
Croppers are crowed together and if the person behind you pushes out in her chair to get up when you are getting up, you will collide.
If you have a rolling cart, there is no floor space to have it in the room with you unless you put it under the table in-between your legs or rest your legs on the top of the cart under the table.
If you like small working area and are not claustrophobic, it is the place for you!
However, if you are like me, you need to spread out; this is NOT the place for you!
There is no space to get organized, have your tools available and not have to worry about bending your paper or items.
The other major consideration is the meal provided with the Friday and Saturday night crops. One time they had cold tough chicken tenders from HEB, cold green beans, cold congealed brown gravy and hot potato salad. The only thing worth eating was the packaged ice cream cones in the freezer.
You pay a good price to crop and for a meal. They really need to work on the meal aspect even if it means going up a few dollars on the price!
The store has a good variety of paper supplies, embellishments, trendy new items, etc. Prices are a bit high when compared to other local scrapbook stores, Hobby Lobby, Michaels, etc.
There is a prima-donna scrapper at the store - The staff really goes out of their way to make her happy and insure the world revolves around her! At one crop event, because of the limited work space, she kept asking those abutting her - “Are you ready to leave yet?” - No kidding - She was making major hints that she was too cramped and needed more space! My answer to her problem - she needed to pay for two crop spaces and stop complaining!
It would be a major improvement to the crop room if they had more individual work space! It is just too cramped and crowded to work comfortably.
Store is nice, but it seems little thought was given to providing adequate work space and the food, is less than desirable!
For the most part - 1) staff is friendly and helpful, 2) store lay-out and design is good, and 3) they have a very well rounded supply of every kind of paper and embellishment for all of your crop projects.
http://www.archiversonline.com/myarchivers/katy.asp
1410 Fry Road
Katy, Texas
If you plan to attend a crop event at this store, you can expect a very small work space area. You will only have a space of about 3.5 feet x 3 feet.
Croppers are crowed together and if the person behind you pushes out in her chair to get up when you are getting up, you will collide.
If you have a rolling cart, there is no floor space to have it in the room with you unless you put it under the table in-between your legs or rest your legs on the top of the cart under the table.
If you like small working area and are not claustrophobic, it is the place for you!
However, if you are like me, you need to spread out; this is NOT the place for you!
There is no space to get organized, have your tools available and not have to worry about bending your paper or items.
The other major consideration is the meal provided with the Friday and Saturday night crops. One time they had cold tough chicken tenders from HEB, cold green beans, cold congealed brown gravy and hot potato salad. The only thing worth eating was the packaged ice cream cones in the freezer.
You pay a good price to crop and for a meal. They really need to work on the meal aspect even if it means going up a few dollars on the price!
The store has a good variety of paper supplies, embellishments, trendy new items, etc. Prices are a bit high when compared to other local scrapbook stores, Hobby Lobby, Michaels, etc.
There is a prima-donna scrapper at the store - The staff really goes out of their way to make her happy and insure the world revolves around her! At one crop event, because of the limited work space, she kept asking those abutting her - “Are you ready to leave yet?” - No kidding - She was making major hints that she was too cramped and needed more space! My answer to her problem - she needed to pay for two crop spaces and stop complaining!
It would be a major improvement to the crop room if they had more individual work space! It is just too cramped and crowded to work comfortably.
Store is nice, but it seems little thought was given to providing adequate work space and the food, is less than desirable!
For the most part - 1) staff is friendly and helpful, 2) store lay-out and design is good, and 3) they have a very well rounded supply of every kind of paper and embellishment for all of your crop projects.
http://www.archiversonline.com/myarchivers/katy.asp
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