About Us
How it All Started
The Memory Workshop began in 2004 with the plan to offer a kind of scrapbooking experience that you can't find in a retail store or at a home party. I began by teaching scrapbooking and paper craft classes to private groups in homes and at local crops, and bringing a small, yet diverse, store along with me. Over time the store grew and so did the demand for retreats and crops around town. I teach fewer classes now, but I'm busier than ever attending 2-3 events per month.
The Store
Scrapbookers love to shop where they crop, so I bring the store to you! The Memory Workshop specializes in the big events ... all day crops, crop nights, fundraiser events, and weekend retreats. When you attend an event with The Memory Workshop, you'll enjoy a fully stocked on-site store with ever-changing variety. You'll receive personal attention and plenty of inspiration customized to your skill level. Beginners aren't just welcome - they're encouraged!
Unlike a traditional "home shopping party" everything on display is available for purchase on the spot. There are no catalog orders an no unnecessary shipping charges. And we take multiple forms of payment, including credit cards.
See our Online Calendar for a list of upcoming events.
The Kit Club
The Memory Workshop also offers one of Canada's most popular monthly kit clubs.
What are the benefits of kits, you ask? Inspiration, coordination, creativity, convenience, excitement and value! Imagine just the right amount of everything you need, perfectly coordinated, with instructions included -- delivered to your mailbox every month.
The Memory Workshop Kit Club began in October 2005, and since then membership has increased by over 1000% (yes, that's one thousand percent!!). As a testament to the popularity of the club, over 75% of members join because of referrals and word of mouth. There are now 2 kits each month, plus add-ons to stretch the value of your kits even farther.
Read more about our Monthly Kit program.
About Me
I discovered scrapbooking after the birth of my daughter in 2000. My sister-in-law gave me a beautiful album (thank you Lorna) and she'd already started the first few pages. I began reluctantly, but after just a few instructions and sharing some tools, I was hooked! I took every opportunity to learn more about scrapbooking, and never hesitated to share what I'd learned with everyone around me. Finding a job that would allow me to be surrounded by all the gorgeous products and talk about scrapbooking non-stop was my dream come true.
I credit my friend Janice for where I am today! Janice introduced me to a friend who was opening a scrapbooking store near me (hi Pam!), and I had the incredible opportunity to work there for over 2 years. With that experience, and with the support and encouragement of my friends and family, I took the giant step of creating my own scrapbooking business. Sharing my enthusiasm for scrapbooking in small groups and seeing newcomers discover the excitement for themselves is extremely satisfying!
"Stick it down and move on."
That's my motto. I don't make myself crazy matching the perfect colours. I don't care if I match what people are wearing or not. I handwrite on my pages. I am not a chronological scrapper. I scrap what inspires me, not what's next on the calendar. This allows me to be productive AND have fun. My albums are organized by theme, not date. I create an equal number of 1-page and 2-page layouts. I'm a firm believer in "scraplifting" and enjoy being inspired by the work of others. I almost always journal on every page, even if its just a few quick sentences. I figure if it's worth scrapping, then it's worth taking the time to say why I scrapped it! I never worry about being caught up. We were all behind the day we started scrapping. What matters most is preserving the memories. I am my family's historian.
Happy Scrapping!
Sandra Brindley
memoryworkshop@shaw.ca
