Our News...

Hello Everyone,

 

You may or may not have heard some whispers about what is happening at Seriously Scrapbooking. This post is to let you all know what we have planned for the next 6 months!

First up—our lease will run out at Goodwood Rd at the end of August. I have decided not to renew, I would have had to sign up for another three years. I am at the stage in my life where Grandchildren are arriving, my father passed away after a short illness and my Mother is needing me more. With my Dads illness, he needed home care then palliative care before he passed away. I struggled balancing everything I had to do for him and work at the shop. It impressed upon me the need to get the work and family balance better and with my family being the priority, I am wanting to spend more time with them. I average about 60 hours a week at the shop + what I do at home. For the past 11 years I have worked 6 days a week + a couple of late nights as well. So it’s time to change how I do things. To make this happen, we (husband and I) will be closing the shop at Goodwood Rd towards the end of August. Although we are closing the shop, we aren’t going away or disappearing. Our last day of trading at our shop will be 26th August. Join us for cake and coffee as we say goodbye to our shop.

 

 

 So what stays the same:

• Our phone number—you will still be able to ring us, book into classes and events, place special orders,

• check what we have in stock, get great advice and arrange for private functions or group bookings.

• Our website– which by Christmas will be greatly expanded. Kate is working on it everyday, putting more of all the beautiful products we have in store—online. If you are a local, you will be able to order online and tick the pick up box, then collect it at one of our monthly classes. For our interstate customers, you will be able to order from our expanded product ranges and we will post.

• Our Amazing Classes—we have worked out our best classes and will be continuing to hold them on a monthly basis at a couple of different venues. All my teachers are very keen to keep teaching and are happy to teach at the new venues

• Work Room Free Days– We will be offering workroom free days on all the days we hold classes including Saturdays at one of our locations.

•  Late night Scraps– we will still be holding late night scraps, just once a month rather than twice a month.

• Monthly Kits– this is one area we are working on expanding. We have so many friends living interstate and overseas or due to work commitments unable to attend classes. Having a store has kept me very busy and I keep running out of time to write the instructions for all the projects I create. This is one of the things I am excited about. More time to create, design then do instructions and kits. 

• Special Events—All Day Scrap will be a yearly event along with our first retreat to be held in 2018. We are taking expressions of interest for the retreat (it’s not a commitment). We just are wanting to create a list of ladies who will be wanting more information.

• We are still on the same bus route but a couple of stops closer to town. The stop will be number 10.

•  I will have a bit more time for teaching interstate, so some of you may see me nearer to where you live.

 

What Changes:

• Our Bricks and Mortar store. We plan to have a pop up shop at most of our events. So you will need to plan when and where you will be catching up with us rather than just popping in. Ring and check as we will not be able to fit the whole shop into my house!

• Late Night Scraps will be held once a month rather than fortnightly.

• Our Best classes at two locations.

• Some of our staff will be working behind the scenes and helping out at our events.

 

Depending on what works for you all and us, then the days we hold classes may be expanded. At this stage we plan to hold classes until Christmas.

By then we will have a better idea of where and what we will be doing in 2018.

So the venues—We (Seriously Scrapbooking) will be holding classes on the second Friday/Saturday and following Monday of each month, then the fourth Saturday of the same month as well. We will be holding our classes in the Cumberland Park Community Centre on Goodwood Rd, near Woolworths/Big W. The centre is on the same side of the road as Woolworths but just south . There is plenty of parking and with a bakery quite close, along with Woolworths + Macdonalds the food side is covered.

Nat will be teaching for us on the second Saturday at our venue. She will be using Clovelly Park Memorial Community Centre for all her other classes. Her venue has plenty of parking and the food side is covered with a great petrol station just across the road selling a wide range of takeaway food.

The newsletter includes more information on our classes and Nat’s classes and what you need to do to book for both venues.

I would like to take this time to thank you all for your support over the past 11 years. It has been a wonderful journey, how many people are fortunate enough to come to work every day doing what they love like me.

Working with an amazing team of girls as I call them in the shop, the lovely Meg, the impressive Julie, the patient Kate, along with super cook Sam has been heaps of fun and laughs and I will miss that. Although we all able to stay in touch through our church.

My teachers are the best in the industry and it has been a privilege to have them creating for me and inspiring you all. Nat is truly amazing and really is taking Australia by storm. Louise continues to delight me with the sensitivity of her work, she is an inspirational person for me. Belinda’s work is what I want to do when I grow up (it’s something we girls say from time to time about other designers we admire). Her work is fresh and uncluttered, but with so many layers, she truly is a genius. Denise goes from strength to strength, I love the delicateness of her work. She is really going places with her own paper designs being manufactured and sold by the biggest wholesaler in Australia, what an amazing journey she is on and who knows where it will take her. Karyn is one of the most genuine people I have had the pleasure to meet and her inner loveliness shines through. I love her work and style which is a perfect mix of scrapbooking and mixed media. Last but not least is Kathy, who has been with me for the whole 11 years and who helped me with my first purchase of scrapbooking products to make my first page. She was my rock in the early days and I value our friendship very much. To my past teachers and past guest teachers, there has been quite a few of you over the years—thank you for being part of our scrapbooking family. We still remember you and keep an eye on what you are doing and where you are going with your own personal journeys.

To you my customers– the reason I come to work everyday is you. Lots of you have become good friends and I have shared my ups and downs with you over the years. Lots of you have honoured me with the same. It has been 11 wonderful years and I will miss you all very much. Please keep in touch with us at our new venues.

So as of the end of August I take that “fork” in the road and head down another path in my journey. You are the reason we are continuing in the different venues, offering classes, late night scrap and workroom free days and our pop up shop. We (royal we –which includes everyone working and teaching for me) don’t want to say goodbye to every one of you just yet. We hope you will continue to support us in our new venture. I hope this is not too much of a shock for you all and we can all keep working together into the future. Remember you can still ring me, catch up or ask advice as our phone number will not be changing. Between now and Saturday August 26th at 5pm (our last day trading at our Goodwood Rd shop), things will stay the same. Our classes will continue as with our trading hours. A lot of our products will be going on line on our expanded website , but we will be having to clear out quite a bit of our stock. So stay in touch on facebook, via email and our blog for some really great savings.

We will also be selling some of our fixtures and paper racks, so if there is something you would like or a paper rack or two then contact us.

So Moving on—we have our All Day Scrap being held on August 5th. Nat, Karyn and myself are teaching and plans are well underway. The girls – Meg and Julie are planning all the food, which we the teachers know is the only reason you all come!

Karyn is planning a mini booklet and I have a lovely layout for you all. Nat is working on another of her amazing projects. You will need to book in quickly as it is over half full already. Kate has set up a deposit payment on our website or a pay in full if you want to do it that way. I have put more information in the newsletter in regards to the all day scrap.

The next two months are going to be very busy with one thing or another. I am teaching at Echuca and Swan Hill if you would like to join me then contact Hillbilly Scrappin 0419 432 437. I am also doing another book retreat at Brookfield-Brisbane, you can contact me or visit the event page on facebook at Alison's craft events for more information. I was also asked by three people to do a cruise next year, when I know which one and when and where I am going, I will let you all know.

 

Thanks again for your support, we couldn’t do it without you all and hope you will continue to support us into the future.

 

 

Jane Tregenza. On behalf of—Kathy, Natalie, Meg, Julie, Kate, Span, John and our teachers, Denise, Belinda, Karyn and Louise.

Please join us on August 26th for our last day of trading at Shop 4, Goodwood Rd Colonel Light Gardens for Coffee and Cake.