DIY Business Tools

Have you ever gone to an office supply store to find a tool you needed and they just don't seem to have it? As a small business owner, I collect email addresses from my customers and I need a place to store them. No store sells email sign up books!

Years ago I used my Bind-it-All to create my own email signup book! I created the "pages" in a word processing program, completely personalized with info for my unique business. Then I printed the pages, cut them apart, and then bound them with my Bind-it-All. After I took the email book with me to a few events, other business owners wanted one of their own! Here are some of the books I have made over the years for other business owners:

It's been super fun to make these books for some of my fellow vendors at Crafted as well as friends in the past. The book above was created for Rain Hannah of Honey & Ollie, a fabulous jewelry shop at Crafted. 

Here is another book I created for Laura Miller of Dove Chocolate Discoveries:

If you have brick and mortar shop, are a direct sales consultant (like Close to My Heart or Miche Bags), or just an independent business owner, email lists are essential to growing your business!

Guess what? Whenever you need a slick and classy business tool, look to your Bind-it-All for a solution. Think of your Bind-it-All outside of the craft room!

Happy Creating :)

Visit my blog at:

http://hydrangeahippo.com

Old Book Covers? Yes Please!

Jennifer Priest here with a fun Halloween mini I created using actual old book covers! Using book pages for decoupage and other projects, like wreaths, is so popular but what do you do with the leftover book coves? Many vintage books, like the reader's Digest Condensed book here, have old covers with a great patina and fabulous designs. They are great to repurpose as mini album covers like this:

Tie all kinds of lace and trim to the binding to give the book a spooky feel for Halloween!

  

The pages can be bigger than the covers, like this 5x7 Chipboard Covers and Glassine Bags I used here:

Consider wrapping pages with trim and tying it in a knot after the pages are bound--this eliminates the risk of accidentally punching through and cutting a trim.

Hope you enjoyed this book! And next time, before you throw those old book covers away,think about giving them new life with your Bind-it-All!

Visit my blog at:

http://hydrangeahippo.com

Go Beyond the Book!!

Spring Online Classes   with Zutter & My Creative Classroom! Whether you are new to the Bind-it-All, or a seasoned pro, we've got a class for you!    Bind-it-All: Beyond the Book You've either already taken the Bind-it-All 101 course or you're familiar with using the Bind-it-All. In this course, we'll take binding to the next level, creating several projects using the Bind-It-All tool and accessories, like the Round-It-All, OWires, and Cover-Alls. It's not about the basics anymore - we'll learn techniques for addressing challenging binding situations such as binding irregular shaped pages, binding on the edges of a project, binding pages of various sizes, creating projects besides books, tips for fixing mistakes, and more. Lesson One: Binding Pages of Varying Sizes Lesson Two: Binding On the Edge Lesson Three: Creating Projects  Lesson Four: Alternative Binding Options  Enroll Now Class Begins: May 9 4 Weeks - $25 Instructor: Jennifer Priest

Celebrating Mixed Media in a Mini

Join Jennifer Priest to create a mixed media album featuring Zutter Acrylic, Clipboard Wood, and more as well as papers from Authentique Paper!

 

Celebrate Mixed Media Mini Album

March 5, 2011
2-5pm
Pages From the Heart

Monrovia, CA

Ph:  626-358-5334 

Create a mixed media album featuring Authentique Paper's newest line - Celebrate!! Jennifer Priest will walk you through adding decoupage and othr mixed media elements to your scrapbooking in this class that she taught at the CHA Trade Show in January this year. Plus, the kit is packed with Jennifer's signature buttons, trims, and other ephemera finds! Embellishments may vary from the sample. Please bring a Bind It All if you have one, foam paint brush, strong liquid adhesive (scrappy glue), 3foam dots, scissors, and glue dots.

Here's a peek at the inner pages:

Simply contact the store to sign up for the class.

Zutter Zister Jennifer Priest

An Apron-Shaped Mini

Join Jennifer Priest for an apron shaped mini book created with the Bind-It-All!

Farmhouse Recipe Album Class

February 25, 2012

Time- contact the shop

Cool Scrapbook Stuff, Poway, CA

Create a handmade, apron-shaped mini album with Crate Paper's adorable Farmhouse paper collection and the Bind-It-All machine. Select a chipboard letter in class to customize the cover. We'll layer stickers, use vintage ephemera, and adorable buttons to set the warm, country tone in this album. Use it as a scrapbook or to hold recipes--the cover flips to the back to create an easel to stand the book up.

Please bring: Bind-It-All  if you have one, assorted dry adhesive or pva (no Zip Dry or water based glues please - they make the chipboard swell), scissors, paper trimmer, glue dots or hot glue.

Zutter Zister Jennifer Priest

It's All About Me!

Join Zutter Zister Jennifer Priest to learn how to create this mini album completely from scratch using your Bind-It-All. If you don't own a Bind-It-All yet, Jennifer will have machines on hand that you can use in class. Beginners welcome!

It's My Life Mini Album Class

February 26, 2011
1pm-4pm
Scrapbooking Made Simple
Ph: 661-298-1112

Santa Clarita, CA

It's YOUR life so create a 16 page mini book about whatever you want! We'll create a custom mini book featuring lovely papers and embellishments from American Crafts   including rimmed tags, brads, and a full pack of Thickers alphabet stickers (will vary). Jennifer will include her signature overload of ribbon and buttons in class plus we'll use the Epiphany Crafts Shape Studio to make custom embellies. We'll focus on creating lots of handmade flowers as we craft this mini from scratch. This class is perfect for beginners and kids as well.

Supplies: Please bring glue dots, redline tape or other strong tape style adhesive, 3D foam adhesive, strong liquid adhesive or hot glue gun, scissors, paper trimmer, Bind-It-All if you have one.

Zutter Zister Jennifer Priest

Joyful Seasons Mini Album Class with Jennifer Priest

Fall and Christmas are my favorite times of year. I love the chilly weather, the baking, the decorations, the many reasons and occasions for the family to come together....it is a joyful time!

"Joyful Seasons" is my Christmas mini album this year. We will be creating this book 100% from scratch using chipboard, paper,the Bind It All, and book binding tape. We'll also be machine sewing vintage book diecuts, gilding everything in Metallic Kim Gold (my fave paint color) and layering lots of embellies, diecuts, and goodies. If you have a favorite book or holiday sheet music you would like to use, bring it to class. I will also have on hand some pages from vintage books you can use as well. 

"Joyful Seasons"

A mini album class

December 4, 2011 * 1-4pm

Scrapbooking Made Simple, Santa Clarita, CA

Ph: 661-298-1112

December 10, 2011 * 10am-1pm

Cool Scrapbook Stuff, Poway, CA

Ph: 858-679-9100

December 17, 2011 *  1-4pm

Pages From the Heart, Monrovia, CA

Ph: 626-358-5334

Create a festive Christmas mini album using the latest papers and embellishments from Authentique Paper. Warm greens and rich reds are complimented by miniature ornaments, vintage style trims, and unique ink applications. We'll use the Bind It All to bring it all together into a fabulous handmade album.

Please bring the following to class: Bind It All if you have one, scissors, trimmer, 3D Foam Dots, Glue Dots, Scrappy Glue or strong liquid glue, Foam Paint Brush, Vintage Book Pages or Sheet Music to use in the book (optional).

To sign up for the class, just contact the store nearest you using the phone numbers listed above.