Do you ever wish you had a personal scrapbooking coach who sat on your shoulder, reminding you to jot down the cute thing your kiddo just said, to keep track of the inspiring color combo you saw at the paint store, or to just give you a good, swift kick in the heinie to get you started scrapbooking again?

Well, it may not be possible to hire someone to carry your cropping bag and take notes, but you can have your own personal carry-with-you reminder... it's the Scrapbooker's All-in-One Memory Log Book from Kristin Rutten at Log Your Memory.

From worksheets documenting the prices of common items, to weekly challenges, to oodles of space to record your thoughts and memories on a daily basis, the Log Book is the answer to a busy scrapper's prayers! As soon as I opened the package and started leafing through the 392 pages, my heart started a'pitta patting!

Admittedly, I'm addicted to calendars and journals, so this feeds right into my addiction... but even if you don't own six at a time and switch them out, you'll still love the versatility of the Log Book. You can use as much or as little as you like -- leave it on the kitchen counter to record thoughts during the day, or stash it in your nightstand for end-of-the-day downloading.

Her website also includes workshops and classes, a community board, and fun blog!

Now, you're probably wondering why I'm getting you all excited about this book... and here's why: Kristin has generously offered three prizes to Ella readers:

1. One copy of the 2010 Log Book in your choice of perfect or spiral bound
2. One copy of "List My Life" (which you know I adore... I'm all about lists!)
3. A free download of any existing downloadable book in their on-site store

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling us your favorite memory of 2009 (don't have one? Make one up!). Hurry, though - contest ends at Midnight 12/31!

Just a quick update this holiday week...

Image from here.

The winner of the Elizabeth Dillow class is Paula Gilarde:

The winner of the Fiskars punches is Lisa Hausmann:

Email me at comments at ellapublishing dot com to claim your goodies!

We are so excited to announce our latest eBook, A Year in the Life: Scrapbook your year in 24 simple layouts from the Write.Click.Scrapbook. collective! Tons of two-page spreads, digi and paper-based layouts, and multi-photo designs galore!

In celebration of this amazing eBook (can you say 23 designers, 24 layouts, 174 photos???), we've got not one but TWO giveaways this week. And we all know that the only thing better than ONE giveaway is TWO (or more, but let's not get carried away, folks...).

First off, the darling Ms. Elizabeth Dillow is teaching an abfab four-week workshop, Inspiration Defined, over at Big Picture Scrapbooking. If you don't know EDillow, you should! She's the co-founder of Write.Click.Scrapbook., the author of the Scrapbooker's Almanac, a former contributing editor at Simple Scrapbooks magazine, and the mom of three adorable girls (and wife of one adorable guy). She is simply inspiring all on her little lonesome, and I think it would be worth the class fee to just be able to bask in her reflected glory and perhaps touch the hem of her raiment. But knowing Elizabeth, she's got all sorts of amazing stuff planned for her students! And if you want to be one of them... we're offering one seat in this upcoming workshop for a lucky Ella reader.
 
To enter: Leave us a comment on this blog post, telling us what website(s) you go to for inspiration. Giveaway closes Friday at midnight-ish.

What could make for a happier day than a giveaway? Feast your eyes on these lil' cuties:

These, my friends, are the limited edition holiday squeeze punches from Fiskars! Fiskars' director of education, Stephenie Hamen, has graciously been hiding a small stash of these in-demand punches for, oh, three or four months for us. How did we rate? Well, Stephenie thinks Ella is cool (she's got good taste!). Also, it doesn't hurt that Stephenie is the absolute fave cuz of our own Jodie McNally. We're connected, baby! 

An assortment of punches will go to one lucky Ella reader. All you have to do is tell us, what topic(s) would you like to read about on this blog? Behind-the-scenes stuff? Day-to-day hijinks? Design ideas? Hmmm???

Contest closes Sunday at midnight-ish.

Well, not EVERYWHERE, but we've been spotted in some pretty cool places around the web the past week or so. Not only are we getting some great buzz, many of these blog posts include a coupon for Margie Romney Aslett's Vintage Hip Christmas Crafts. Haven't scooped up a copy yet? Grab it now!

• A Matter of Memories
• I'm Just a Girl
• Craft Gossip
• Craftig
• Kiss and Tell Scrapbooking
• Craftblips
• Paper Passion Pixels
• Confessions of a Cropaholic
• Fiskateers
• Craftypod
• ...and more to come!

(pssst... several of these sites are also offering a drawing for a free copy of the eBook! Check 'em out before it's too late!)

 Image from HowStuffWorks.com

Howdy, folks! Rumor has it that Ella just might be having its first (and ONLY) sale of 2009!

Check your email for the latest!

What, you say you're not on our email list?? Well, then mosy over here and sign up. Pronto, pardner.

P.S. EDITED 11/27: The winner of our trivia contest with 8 correct answers was KristiG! Email us at comments@ellapublishing.com to claim your prize. We'll post answers later this week!

I'm feeling a bit mischievous today... so let's do a little quiz. Submit your best answers to the following 10 questions in the comments below. All correct responses will be entered to win a little something from your favorite Ella co-founders!

1. How did we come up with the name, "Ella?"
2. In which Ella eBook will you find a list of Stacy Julian's favorite songs?
3. What was the subject of our first Scrapbook Ellaments cover layout?
4. Which Ella co-founder used to be a hand model?
5. Where can you get a free blog button/badge featuring Ella?
6. Which Ella Friend lives the farthest north?
7. Which Ella Friend had layouts featured in November AND December issues of Creating Keepsakes?
8. And speaking of CK, which Ella co-author was recently named to the CK Dream Team?
9. Which Ella Friend has the youngest child? (I don't even know the answer to this!)
10. Which Ella Friend doesn't (gasp!) have a blog?

Now it's your turn! Contest closes at 12 midnight, Pacific Time.

Okay, firstly, sorry about the delay on announcing the winner of the album from Board Book Albums! Without further delay, please put your hands together for....

AmberT: "That is such a great little album! I especially love the tone on tone approach by Monica and I would probably do something similar as a coffee book table of family photos. Great work!"

Now, how about a nice round of applause for the winners of the Girl's Loft goodie packs?

Vickstersg: "I make Christmas cards every few years. In between I like to sew up a storm for Christmas. Or do Swedish Weave. Crafting gifts for Christmas sure helps me feel the true spirit of the season."

Nanabeth: "I buy lots (and I mean lots) of miniature trees after Christmas at 90% off and the next year we decorate them to take to local nursing homes. Record was 98 trees and other crafty goodies-enough for each resident!"

Who knew we had such crafty (and generous!) peeps?? Well, we knew. We know we have the most creative—and nicest!—readers out there!

Y'all know the drill: Email us at comments@ellapublishing.com with your mailing addresses, and we'll get your goodies on their way!

We are thrilled to be a co-sponsor of the Charity Extravaganza in support of charity:water. Pop on over and see what's going on, Tons of fun and excitement this weekend as we raise money for clean drinking water. Do something nice for someone else, and check it out! Prizes, fun, AND good karma -- what more could you ask for?

Because it's just "that time of year," I thought I'd share a few tips on quick card-making. (Note: this is more for one-off cards than for mass-produced holiday cards. If you want some helpful hints on creating your holiday cards, please read Celeste Smith's awesome article, Quick Christmas Cards.)

Stick with me here... follow along, step by step, and you too can amaze your friends and wow your enemies with four hand-crafted cards in twenty minutes!

Step One: 3 Minutes: Gather Your Supplies

(2) sheets 12x12 cardstock
(1) sheet coordinating patterned paper (scraps are fine... you'll see two sheets in the photo because I wasn't sure which I was going to use yet)
Assorted embellishments
Basics: trimmer, adhesive, glue dots, etc.

Step Two: 1 Minute: Trim

Cut each sheet of 12x12 cardstock to 8.5 x 11, and then in half to 5.5 x 4.25 (this is standard card size). SAVE THE SCRAPS.

Step Three: 2 Minutes: Choose a Format
I like to peruse online galleries and sites like Card Positioning Systems to find a good template. This is also a great time to leaf through any magazines or idea books you've created or purchased. Warning: DO NOT GET SIDETRACKED! Find the first "do-able" design and go with it. The point here is speed, not perfection. :) Also, remember that these cards are not all going to the same person, so you can repeat the card design.

Here is the one I chose (from CPS):

This was designed by Tami Mayberry.

Step Four: 1 Minute: Fold Cards.

I like to vary the edging a little, trimming some with my pinking shears, rounding the corners on others. But you could easily leave them all the same (and save yourself, oh, 30 seconds!)

Step Five: 3 Minutes: Trim Elements.
This is where it's really easy to get lost in the possibilities. DON'T SUCCUMB TO TEMPTATION! Stay the course. For instance, I decided to do three horizontal orientation cards and one vertical, so I trimmed three scraps of patterned paper (or cardstock) to 5.5", and one to 4.25" (actually a tad less because I trimmed the edge).

Then I cut four coordinating squares, at 1.5 x 1.5". Don't worry -- you'll have time to embellish in a later step.

Step Six: 2 Minute: Adhere Basic Elements.

Go to it. Don't measure unless you'll freak if I tell you that you can't. See how I varied the placement of the elements a tad? You can mix it up or stay true to the original design.

Step Seven: 10 Minutes: Embellish!

Now you've got a full ten minutes to play! Pull out that stash of odds and ends you have lying around your scrap space, get your inks and stamps, whatever. But remember: You have an average of 2.5 minutes per card, that's it! (Note: My cards are purposely blank for the Scrappers Give Thanks challenge. This is where you'd add sentiments with stamps, stickers, or rub-ons.) I could go absolutely nuts at this stage, but I specifically kept it simple. I would say I spent maybe five minutes digging through my stash and adding a few rub-ons and some really cute Details dimensional stickers from American Crafts.

Step Eight: With Any Leftover Time: Admire Your Handiwork!
Aren't you proud of yourself? I'm proud of you!

Do you have any card-making tips? Do tell!