Month

November 2009

Showing: 1 - 12 of 12 Articles

Ali Edwards “Studio A” Leaving Creating Keepsakes Magazine

Read about it HERE on Ali’s blog….

This is a sad, sad day in Scrappy Land. After the December issue of CK (currently on newsstands), Ali Edwards and her “Studio A” column will be no more :( As of now, there are no plans for Ali to write any other features for CK, either.

The Peas are talking about it HERE, and the Scrap Sisters HERE

So can you read that great big writing on the wall, folks? Cuz I’m seeing it in big, black, ugly, capital letters: Creating Keepsakes magazine is on the way out.

Here are some of the signs I’m basing my opinion on:

BECKY HIGGINS leaves CK
– Crazy cheap CK subscription deals
LISA BEARNSON no longer does her monthly CK column after January 2010

Sorry, folks. I think CK is “done and done.” And I fear Scrapbooks Etc. is right behind them.

How many scrapbooking magazines will that leave us then? Oh, that’s right! NONE.

I gotta’ be honest here and say we have no one to blame but ourselves. I’ve heard time and time again on the message boards about scrappers dropping their scrap magazine subscriptions because they didn’t like this or that about the magazine. Now with Ali leaving CK, here comes another round of “Well, now for SURE I won’t renew!”

Do you see the parallel with the demise of the LSS? I sure do. “My LSS has the latest and greatest, but they (charge too much), (don’t kiss my butt when I walk in the door), (kiss my butt too hard when I walk in the door), (don’t order the exact brand and model number of product I want), (don’t have sales or coupons like the Big Box Stores),” etc. etc.

And guess what? The LSSs all closed while we scooped up coupons and Killer Deals at the big box stores. Hey, there are fewer choices, only major brands to choose from, and paper stacks galore, but at least it’s cheaper so we’re happy shoppers! Oh, wait, you mean if we don’t support the LSS and the variety of scrapbooking companies whose products they carry, the LSSs AND the scrapbooking manufacturers will go out of business?? Wha???

Well, yeah, that’s how it happens. And the same goes for scrapbooking magazines. We complained. We said, “Screw you. I don’t like exactly how you do your magazine, so I’ll just go get my content online for free from blogs and such!” We quit subscribing and buying from the newsstand. The newsstands stopped carrying scrap magazines, even for those of us who still want to buy them (but can no longer find them without searching). Scrapbooking magazines started folding. Did we stand strongly behind the remaining ones? No, we didn’t.

So now we have no Ali, Lisa, or Becky ~ three of the biggest scrapbooking names in the industry ~ and I think we can see where we’re going from here.

I’m not pointing fingers, believe me. First, because I know the horrible economy played a big hand in a lot of our decisions as scrappers. Second, because I did/do a lot of these same things, all in the name of saving money on scrap supplies. I did do everything I could to patronize my LSSs when they were here, but I live in a rural area and lost mine well before most others did. I did the best I could to support this industry, but I failed it in many ways, too.

I gotta’ say, I never gave up on the magazines, though. I criticized the changes at SB Etc. (because I thought they were making the wrong choice to save a struggling magazine), but I still bought it at full retail every month, as I did with every paper scrapbooking magazine out there. I really, really wanted to save them! I’m a Scrap Mag Ho, remember?

I just want us, as scrappers, to accept some of this responsibility. Ali is a symptom, not the problem or the cure. I will miss dearly the unique perspective she added to CK for years and years. I wish her great success in all she does in the future. I will miss her :(

When CK and SB Etc. disappear soon, I will miss them terribly, too. And I will have no one to blame but myself.

Making Memories “Tinsel” at Target

Word on the street is….which is to say the unsubstantiated rumor is….that Target got a special Christmas line of their own. Instead of carrying Making Memories “MISTLETOE” like everyone else…

They got their own line called “Tinsel.” Of course, I can’t find it officially online anywhere. These were the only tidbits out there so far….Ebay listings by an entrepreneurial scrap chickie, LOL!

GLITTER GEMS ORNAMENTS STICKERS

HOLIDAY BRAD COMBO PACK

Here’s a YouTube “haul” VIDEO showing MM “Tinsel” felt stickers and 8×8 paper pack. I love the ornament shaped papers.

Gotta’ say I’m not a huge fan of the Mistletoe line, but I like what I see so far of Tinsel; it seems more my style. I can’t wait to see it in person. The colors look happy and fun.

Have you seen Tinsel at your Target yet? And didja get any? Oh, do tell!

Edited to add 11/25/09:

LOOKIE! LOOKIE!

A sweet lady named Crystal contacted me via 2peas and e-mailed a picture of all the Tinsel goodies! Thank you so much, Crystal!!!

Yep, me still likey a lot….

Scrapbook Crops, Retreats, and Horror Stories

I went to a crop this past Saturday. It was a monthly crop put on by a friend who gets the use of her complex’s clubhouse for free and there’s room for 6 to 8 of us. Most months there’s about 3 to 6 of us, a really great group of fun and supportive ladies. We can be in there from 9 to 9, and sometimes people come in the morning only, the evening only, or even leave and come back, like if their kids have a soccer game or something. It’s always a lot of fun and I love the chance to catch up with everyone’s lives. We are all varied women with various jobs and lifestyles…we all happen to be moms, and jobs vary from office manager to transcriptionist (me!) to doctor to SAHM, etc.

The cool thing is that there are never “crop horror stories” with these ladies, kwim? Have you heard of or experienced CROP HORROR STORIES? I sure have! Here are some examples of the bad behavior I refer to: talking super loud on your cell phone, smoking in the crop room, table hogging, the obsessive tool borrower, etc. Well, not this group…they’re all wonderful and I’m so lucky to be invited to crop with them all the time.

Speaking of which, this group does a yearly trip usually in February where we rent a double-condo at a nearby lake and crop from Friday night to Sunday afternoon. Everyone provides one meal, we all bring snacks to share, and it only costs $50 per person. This year, it looks like that trip will be in late January instead, which works well for me schedule-wise, so I hope I’m able to go. My mom usually comes down to stay at my house a day or two early, then she joins us on the crop weekend.

One really neat thing is that my mom and one of the ladies in my group developed a good friendship the first time we had this weekend a few years ago. They have some similar health issues and are really supportive of each other. It’s so fun to see them enjoying their time scrapbooking together, and with the rest of us, of course, LOL!

The sweet lady who hosts these monthly crops at her clubhouse is also arranging a weekend retreat for May 2010. It’s about $125 per person for 3 days and the retreat house is all decked out with individual cropping tables with Ott lights, a computer/printer, a big couch and TV for chick flick watching, etc. Again, each person provides a meal. Housekeeping is included in the cost. Whoo to the Hoo!

I told DH about these two fabulous cropping opportunities just to get them on his radar. He basically just grumbles when I tell him these things, but when the time comes, he’s fine if I go. As long as there are no sick kids around our house or anything. You know how it is, right? I’m feeling pretty positive about the January weekend, but the May one, well, we’ll have to see. The expense is the main problem. Maybe I can play the “…but May is my birthday-anniversary-Mother’s Day-month” card. Do you think that will work?

The only problem is I’ve already attempted to play THAT card to justify why I need to buy the camera I reeeeeeellly reeeeeeeellly want on Black Friday, since mine has been out of commission for months and a similar camera is on a great sale that day. And I only jumped ahead and played the “May” card because I had already used the “….don’t get me anything else for Christmas because I reeeeellly reeeeeelllly want this new set of crop bags.”

Sheesh, I’m running out of cards to play, ain’t I?

Hope you had a fabulous weekend and got to play with some paper! :)

Donny Downey’s Scrapbook Studio Makeover

My Scrap Sister ANGIE posted THIS link on the message board today…it’s a detailed look at the recent scrapbook/craft room makeover done by famous scrapper, DONNA DOWNEY.

Donna has been the subject of CONTROVERSY recently, but I’m not even gonna go there…that’s a post for another day. A day filled with lots of chocolate cake washed down with dirty martinis. I just don’t have the strength right now…Go ahead, read that 2peas thread, and then the link within the thread and you’ll see what I mean. I just can’t go there without being quite fortified with chocolate and vodka.

Okay, well!

Let’s just talk about her room makeover, shall we? If you’re not a DD fan ~ or say you’re even an official Hater ~ just pretend I’m talking about, ummmmm, my “friend” Dee Dee’s room, okay? Will that make it possible for you to be objective, to enjoy the room for what it is? Hope so. If not, go have some cake and a ‘tini, come back, and try again. See, doesn’t cake and a ‘tini make everything better? Yeah, Mama knows….

So.

Here is what DD’s scrap room used to look like:

And here is what it looks like now:

Quite a change, yes?

HERE is a whole series of photos of her old room, the makeover process, and the final product. What I would do if I were you (and I know you’re very glad that I’m NOT) is I would page back through all those photos and look at them in order. They will make a lot more sense that way, I promise.

As you can see, DD already had an amazing creative space, one we would all consider ourselves lucky to have. I have written many times of my love of and coveting of the Ikea EXPEDIT, especially those big honkin’ ones she had. I get slap happy just thinking about how organized I could be with all those cubes, wonderful cubes!

So I was already supremely jealous of the girl. I loved the French doors, the green shade on the walls, the large table space in the middle of the room, and all the wonderful organization. Then she goes and becomes a RUNNER, which is so amazing and inspirational to me. I see people like DD make a commitment like this, and it makes me believe I could actually do it, too. THEN she goes and re-does her room into a pretty close replica of my dream scrapbook room.

I am envious of her to say the least. Especially envious of anyone who can spend $4,500 (plus a new computer) on re-doing a perfectly good craft studio right now, at the same time I’m eating Top Ramen for lunch and working three jobs. Jealous, jealous, jealous…I’m not even gonna lie.

Back to her new room…I encourage you to watch the great video she posted to get the scoop straight from Donna….emmmm…I mean “DD.”

Things I love best about the room:

– Cute red Ikea bookshelf…the color, the way it makes great use of the corner, the different style of it
– The eclectic glass knobs on the drawers, keeping all that white furniture from being too industrial
– The color of the walls….that pretty blue is my dream scrapbook room color, so light and fun and inspiring
– All that counter space and closed storage space, under the counters and inside the island
– The accent colors, i.e. the whole color scheme of the room; that’s what I would’ve picked my own self
– All the fun art and deco things that make it her own and a special place she wants to create in every day

I just adore this room and ~ controversies aside ~ wanted to share it with you and see what you think. Are you loving it as much as I am? If not, what would your “dream scrapbook room” look like? Feel free to post links to photos, or just describe it to us :)

I’m just here with my chocolate cake and dirty martinis, and all the time in the world…

Memory Works: My Minds Eye “Tres Jolie” Mega Pack

So, I have your attention now, right? LOL!

You may have missed out on THIS, but here is your second chance to get a great deal on a FEE-YOU-JUS pack of scrapbooking goodies from MY MINDS EYE for only $29.99. Or, like me, you got that first MME kit and loved it, so you want/need another one :)

“That’s right, Bob. Now tell them what they get…”

Well, you get “200 piece paper & accessories pack. This kit includes 39 sheets of 12×12 double-sided cardstock paper plus over 170 mix & match accessory pieces including frames, journaling cards, titles, quotes, rub-ons, and transparencies.”

The MEMORY WORKS SITE says this pack is worth $170, so you’re saving 83%!

If you need some prodding….erm, I mean…inspiration to buy and use this kit, HERE is the Tres Jolie gallery from the My Minds Eye site.

If you’d like more info or to place an order for the fab-O kit, click HERE. Have questions on how to place an order? Check THIS out…

Isn’t this a gorgeous kit? Now that I see this one, I like it even better than the prior one. The colors are brighter and prettier. You likee?

Quick, Easy Christmas Cards from a Michaels Kit

I decided to go the easy route for Christmas cards this year, and buy a kit to make them come together more easily and cheaply. I found this kit at Michaels recently and, with my coupon, it only cost $8.50. You get 18 cards and envies, so only 47 cents per card is pretty dang good, I think.

The kit comes packaged very nicely, in this cute little box. It’s empty here….sorry, I forgot to take photos BEFORE I started..oops.

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You get 6 sets/styles of cards, with 3 in each set. There are samples on the back of the box showing how you can assemble the cards, and everything is packaged to make that very easy to do….NO guesswork whatsover. Then again, you are free to mix and match or put the cards together your own way if you like.

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I think the artwork is cute and unique. The messages are light-hearted and sweet. There are six different sentiments to go inside….here they are laid out on my desk. I added a quick dot of a coordinating color of Stickles glitter glue on the four corners of each one to give it a little pizzazz.

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Okay, is it just me or whenever you say the word “pizzazz,” do you just want to break out some jazz hands right when you say it? Like, “Pizzazz” … jazz hands! I can’t help it. Both of my hands instantly starburst themselves into the air. “Pizzazz!” Wha? Oh, what is that you’re saying? … Oh, crap. You wouldn’t be caught dead doing something so “Glee”-ish, even in the privacy of your own home? And it IS just me? Wow. Major wake-up call, dude. Thanks.

Ah, okay, back to the Christmas cards….

One thing that’s really cool about these is almost every embellishment is pop-dotted already. So the cards have that 3-D look to them, and you didn’t even have to waste your own pop dots to get it. Sweeeeee-tuh!

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I also inked the edges of a few of the elements…for instance…

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and on the back of every card, it’s pre-printed with the “Handmade for you by…” thingee, so I stamped my name in a color-coordinated ink. I have 2 fairly new sets of Cats Eye CHALK INK queues from Michaels (love me some coupons!) so it was fun to use them on this…metallic blues, greens, reds from one set, and gold and copper from another set.

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I got these cards about 90% done on Friday night…it took under 2 hours. I was running on fumes after a long week, so I was glad it was so easy-peasy. No brain cells required.

Here is the finished product, front and back, one of each of the 6 designs.

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Just the fronts…

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Pretty cute, huh? {Why, yes, I CAN say that! I’m not bragging, since I didn’t design them…I merely “assembled” them, much like one of Santa’s elves assembles toys….sheesh, don’t be a hater! I’m like an elf here, just trying to spread some goddamn Christmas joy!}

Since this kit only made 18 cards and I send out 40-50, I’m going to be on the lookout for another kit like this. I also got some “free” clear envelopes to re-use :)

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What are you doing for Christmas cards this year? None, store bought, from a kit, digital/photo cards, or totally handmade? Would love to hear about what you’re doing and feel free to post a link if you’ve started them already :)

Scrap Sisters Studio: First Weekend Crop!

As I explained (in detail!) HERE, our new message board is called Scrap Sisters Studio. It’s time for our monthly crop, and this will be the first one in our new place. Everyone is invited and it will be super fun with lots of challenges and chatting. There is also Saturday night Bingo, which you have to play to believe. If you’re not a member yet but would like to join us, you can register HERE and then join us for the crop starting Friday evening HERE; it continues 24/7 through Sunday evening. Hope to see you!

Michaels, CK December, and Starcrack Strikes Again!

Now that I work from home, um, I’m home … A LOT. Like, I haven’t put gas in my car for two weeks. Like, my sweats get more wear than my favorite jeans. Like, I now know what my dog does all day. Yeah, like I said, I’m home a lot, LOL!

My very DH works “outside the home” so he’s gone all day for the most part. When he came home from work yesterday, the kids and I turned the lights out and yelled “AHHHH!!!” when he opened the door. He didn’t even flinch. He just yelled over us, “Why is the dog barking? Why isn’t someone making the dog stop barking?!?” Hee. NOT the effect we were hoping for. But as I explained to him, the neighbors were working on their fence in the dark and since the barking was only going to bother them, and since it was their fault Landry was barking, I was done yelling at him to stop. After the eleventy-millionth time.

I told DH that the “scaring” him was stress relief for all of us because, although I know he thinks I have a cush job at home and have a blast at home all day, it really IS hard sometimes. I was moody, the kids were moody and tired, I was tired of being nagged at, they were tired of me nagging back, we were ALL tired of the dog barking, yadda yadda.

He said, “Oh, I don’t think you have it easy AT ALL! I know it’s hard to be in the madness all day.” And then he said, “Hey, go shopping or something. Get out of the house.” {Swoon!} See why I love that man? He knows when I clearly need some Mommy Time, you betcha’. I wasn’t able to go out that night (as ordered) because I got a call to do some transcription work, plus I had signed up to work a few hours overtime.

But Thursday night was the night. I went to Michaels first because I had two 50% off coupons and one expired on Thursday. I was also on a mission to find this stamp/punch set….

…. for a friend at SCRAP SISTERS STUDIO (my favorite message board where all my Scrap Homegirls hang out). She said in a post about new stuff at Michaels that she really wanted it, but her Mike’s is 2 hours away (which should be a crime, in my opinion) and didn’t know when she could get there next. So I offered to pick up the punch and ship it to her if I could find it….and I did! It was even on sale for 30% off, so she only paid 9 dollah for it. I also found the December CK finally, which I plan to snuggle down on the couch with as soon as I finish writing this.

Since I had been banished from the house, I knew they certainly didn’t want me back anytime soon so, for once, I was NOT in a rush and just took my time strolling through the aisles. I ran into a friend out front and we chatted. I looked at all the pretty Christmas ornaments and looked for a new tree angel (no luck). And I took the time to flip through each and every one of the new paper stacks they have. So wanna’ guess which one I ended up buying?

BLADOW!

* Picture courtesy of SCRAPBOOK.COM, who I hope some of you will link to and buy stuff (or at least click over there and increase their number of hits). Because the Cosmo Cricket website, which I would’ve PREFERRED to link you to, has some stupid “using our stupid images stupid policy.” Go Scrapbook.com! They know how to do business!

But I digress….Yes, I got the Cosmo Cricket “Earth Love/The Boyfriend” 12×12 double deck stack. You can see both lines HERE. Honestly, there is one pattern in Earth Love that kind of freaks my deak ~ they look like weird space mushrooms to me ~ so if anyone wants them, let me know (I can cut them into 6×6 and ship ’em to you in an envie). It’s the pattern under the birds.

I ADORE the entire Boyfriend line. Some really cute papers in there for school layouts, and they also make me want to find some photos of DH from junior high and high school to scrap. There are cassette tapes, Atari joysticks, banana seat bikes, etc. Totally kewl, dude….

Anyway, got that stack for 1/2 off ($10 instead of $20), and used my other 50% off coupon towards a Christmas card kit for which I paid $8.50 instead of $17. Comes out to about 47 cents per card. As my dear old grampy used to say, “It’s better than a sharp stick in the eye!” Okay, I didn’t really have a grampy… I just made that up. But, yeah, I just outed myself. I’m a scrapbooker who cheats on her Christmas cards. I actually did stamp and make my own cards last year but, man, that is for chumps! Or for people not as lazy and selfish as me. WhatEVER! But it was WAY too much work and at the busiest time of year. What was I thinking???? So this year, I’ll do the traditional boring family Christmas letter, a 2009 photo collage, and *gasp!* cards made from a kit. I hope Scrapbook Santa will forgive me :)

From the clearance section, I got some Martha Stewart “Memory Labels” (18 pack) which are self-adhesive, come in orange, pink, and green, and say “Who, What, Where, When.” They could be used to make some cute invitations but I’m going to use them for journaling, of course (I have a journaling spot fetish). They were $2 instead of $4.

I went on to enjoy some more “me” time shopping at Target. {Nothing new in the scrap aisle…yeah, of course I looked!}. Prescriptions, Christmas shopping, a new Maeve Binchy book, etc. It was a nice, relaxing evening … even if I was doing a mommy job while I was there. You can relate, right?

On my way home, I stopped at the Starbucks drive-thru to get a latte for re-heating in the morning (remember, I work from home….I never. leave. the house) and got a big shock. My venti-sugar free vanilla – quad – breve – latte….now costs SIX BUCKS! Seriously? For shizzle. My ever so charming barista told me that they just raised their shot prices. So I now drink a six dollar coffee. Am I insane?

Um, yeah. Don’t answer that.

Shopping Report: Tuesday Morning, Michaels, and Costco

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Last weekend I did some shopping. Well, mostly window shopping, as it is these days, but it’s always fun to look, right?

First stop was Tuesday Morning….

Lots of crafty storage, scrapbook embellies, and scrapbooks. MM Halloween paints, etc.

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Those green rolling totes up top were cute, and I almost got that shoulder tote on the third shelf to use for a summer purse. It was a black/white print with some yellow and red…very cute.

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They still had some of the HEIDI SWAPP TOTES, small Tote-ally Cool Totes, and lots more scrappy stuff. Even some blank canvases on the bottom shelf.

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Tons of photo albums and scrapbooks…

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Making Memories goodies like ribbon and clear frames…

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These pre-done albums were SO tempting! Both by Making Memories, the red one was Fa La La and 8×8; the blue baby one was 8.5×11. Both were the nicely embellished inside. You could just pop in your photos, write some journaling, and be done.

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I almost got this pack of KI Memories icicles for the little scalloped shapes and the heart. But the other packs that it came with were things I already had, so when it came time to narrow my purchases, these poor babies were cut… :(

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This was interesting…a huge pack of the SAME Tigger cardstock stickers. I guess $2.69 is a great deal but WTH would you do with all those stickers, LOL!

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More cute Icicles and KI Memories test tubes…

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ADORABLE rubber embellishments and chipboard journal spots by KI Memories. Yes, these were in my hand, too, but didn’t make the final cut either….

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So, overall Tuesday Morning was decent. I got a few things (see the end of this post) for great prices. They had a lot of scrapbooking stuff out.

Next I went to Michaels. I didn’t bother taking pictures this time with my stealth iPhone, since I linked to all those photos in my last post. Suffice to say, TONS of new holiday and Christmas stuff, so it’s worth your while to make a trip.

I did take a photo to show you that Martha Stewart peg stamp kit I talked about HERE. It’s normally $18 but everything MS was 30% off so I was tempted but didn’t get them….this time…

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Again, see the end of this post to see what I got at Michaels….Oh, and apparently there is now a Halloween clearance SALE going on now.

Last was Costco, which hasn’t had much in the way of scrapbooking stuff in a while but I always check just in case….you never know….

They did have two scrapbooking kits, I assume because Christmas is coming up.

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$37 and there were two choices….love the cute little holder it comes in.

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That was the end of my scrappy shopping. I was in Costco, the reason for my trip to the Big City in the first place, so it was then down to bidness…It was a good free sample day :)

On my way home, I stopped at Barnes and Noble, planning to pick up the new December Creating Keepsakes magazine (the Peas said HERE that it had been out for a few days). Howevah! B&N did not have it, so I consoled myself with this British scrapping mag. The overseas magazines used to be much more expensive that US ones, but they cost about the same now, so why not? It’s fun to see their style and such across the pond. Plus, I love how they spell “colour”…..much more flair than plain old “color,” don’t you think?

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While at B&N, I grabbed my usual latte and decided to splurge on something sweet from their bakery case since I hadn’t eaten breakfast or lunch. I picked this thing called a Starbucks Peppermint Crunch Bar, which looked like a white cookie with some pink frosting and crushed peppermint on top. I’ve looked all over online for a photo to show you, but it’s not ANYWHERE, which almost makes me think I imagined it. But I have to tell you…. OH. MY. GAH!! That was THE YUMMIEST anything I’ve had in a long time. I shudder to think at the calorie content, but it was such melt-in-you-mouth goodness, it was worth it, whatever the cost :)

Here is what I ended up with from Tuesday Morning:

A pretty sage green structured cloth storage cube for $5 and….

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…2 of these Cropper Hopper photo boxes ($3 each) to help with my scrapbook room MAKEOVER. I’m going to store a bunch of mini-album supplies in the green cube, keep all that stuff in one place, out of the dust, and looking neater. Not sure about the photo boxes but I already have a couple. I just know they won’t be used for photos, because I have another system in place for those.

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This was probably my favorite buy of the day….some KI Memories school embellies. I’ve wanted some of this line since way back HERE. It was a great deal, too….all of this for only $4….WOW!

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{{{{Speaking of them, KI Memories WEBSITE has some great SPECIAL DEALS right now! If you’re a fan, be sure to check them out.}}}}

Here is what I got at Michaels:

Two sheets of this gorgeous paper. The swirls are glittered gold. So pretty and I think they look nice with 2 side by side for the background to a double layout…

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This paper is really pretty also. We’ve taken photos over the years of our kids in front of the oak tree in our yard. I might use this paper with those pictures somehow…

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Here are 2 of the newer papers by Recollections that I mentioned before…finally got me some!

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Gorgeous Rome paper for my Rome scrapbook…I was there at that same Coliseum, LOL!

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ALL of the open stock paper was on sale for 30% off (not just their usual sale of only the 69 cent papers), so it was a great day to get some specialty papers.

It was also one of those days that so much was on sale, it was hard to use my dang 40% off coupon! I ended up being practical and using it on this…

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Near the registers, they had a display of breast cancer awareness stuff, and this caught my eye right away. Aren’t these darling? I love the little winged heart, and the “SURVIVOR” in blue glitter. I’m going to send these to an online buddy who’s dealing with cancer. She is SO going to kick it’s ASS, it’s not even funny! She’s been a real inspiration to me, and to all the girls at SSS….just want to send her a tiny “thanks.”

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So that was my latest shopping adventure! What have you found to buy lately?

30% Off ALL Martha Stewart Crafts

4 days only! { November 8 through 11, 2009 }

Sounds like a good time to get some of those sought after Martha punches….or the cool MS peg stamps that my SSS bud, KELLI, showed us. She made this card with them….isn’t it GORGE!?!?!

Also, a $100 credit if you buy the Gypsy before 11/30/09

If you’re signed up for their coupon and weekly ad e-mails, you can get a 40% off AND a 50% off coupon to be used those 4 days also.

For the love of all that is scrappy….you have got to look at all the Mike’s eye candy HERE! OMG, so glad I saw this. Now I’m REALLY excited because… If all goes as planned, I’m headed to the Big City tomorrow for my monthly Costco run. Which also means Michaels, Tuesday Morning, Barnes and Noble (December CK is out!), and the craft store. For some reason, I LOVE Costco Run days :)

Fiskars Fingertip Craft Knife….Now Retractable!

I became a convert to the Fiskars Fingertip Craft Knife way back HERE in the day. I mean, ALI EDWARDS used it, so it must be cool, right?

And it is. With the fingertip knife, I have much better control when hand cutting things for my scrapbooking. It’s so much more comfortable to use and, being a FISKARS product, it’s great quality. What I use it for a lot is cutting off those little hanga majigger thingee pieces of paper that are left along the edge when you punch something out. I can’t stand those! Yeah, call me anal. Well, don’t really but….

Back when I bought the fingertip craft knife, it only came in one color: orange. So NOT my favorite color. But I was impatient and had to have one, so I bought one right away. Even though I figured, like the CROPADILE, BIG BITE and other tools, that it would first be issued in a fugly color but would eventually come out in cute colors like pink and purple.

Well, that’s what happened with the Fiskars fingertip knife….it eventually came out in cutie patootie pink and I sob a little every time I see that pink one at Target. I can’t justify buying a pink one, when my orange one is still working just fine, right?

Well, now I have found a good justification for buying a new fingertip craft knife…Fiskars has now come out with a version that is….

RETRACTABLE!!

Yep, the blade is now retractable. So if, like me, you suck in your breath a little every time your kids approach you working at your scrap desk, or you can be a bit clumsy and have nicked your fingertip a time or ten while putting the plastic cap on the blade, you are gonna’ be happy! And you now have permission to replace your old orange one. Well, at least I’m giving MYSELF permission. What you do with your life is up to you…

ISN’T SHE BEAUTIFUL???

Yes, black is not pink, purple, or green, I acknowledge that. Black is boring. Black is black. But Erika is impatient. Erika must have NOW. So Erika will have black.

Here’s what it looks like when the blade is retracted:

Here is the description of the FISKARS RETRACTABLE FINGERTIP CRAFT KNIFE, from the Fiskars website:

Features
The blade of this ergonomic fingertip knife retracts for cap-free storage. Insert your finger through the loop and let the natural motion and weight of you hand control your cutting.

• Slightly longer reach than original Fingertip Craft Knife positions hand away from project
• Includes hang clip for storage or to wear on a lanyard, and one standard No. 11 blade.
• Many uses including all crafts, school projects, household repairs and office tasks
• Ideal for cutting paper, cloth, balsa, acetate and other lightweight materials

The retail price according to the Fiskars site is $10.99 plus $6.95 shipping. HOWEVAH….I have a way to get these wholesale and would be happy to sell them for $10 each plus tax and shipping (which I’m pretty sure I can do for less than $6.95)…

If you think you MIGHT want to order one (no commitment necessary), please leave a comment here so I can get an idea how many to order. I’ll place the first order soon, so let me know :)

When I get them in stock, I’ll post something and let you know how to purchase…

Whether you might order from me or not…..you gonna get one of these babies???

Challenged to Scrap

Hi everyone :) Sorry to have been MIA. Everything is fine, just sooper dooper busy in regular life. In scrappy life? Not so much. I haven’t scrapped a lick since a crop I went to in, um, September? Sad but true. My friend Abby challenged me today to complete at least one layout by midnight, so I’m going to, LOL! I’m way behind on the Book of Me challenge she’s hosting, so that’s what I plan to work on :)

The NEW MESSAGE BOARD ~ Scrap Sisters Studio ~ has been going great. I’ve been trying to post a lot over there, especially making sure to welcome all new members when they post an Intro. I’m holding my title as the #3 poster on SSS (just like on AMR), with 195 posts made since October 25 (what’s that, 11 days, eek). When I have extra moments, I’ve been posting “Message Board How To’s”, i.e. instructions on how to do common message board things like putting a photo or image in your post, or create a poll.

Just wanted to let you know that I’m alive and will start posting again more often. Thanks to those ladies who were checking on me…it’s nice to be missed :) Hope all is well in your scrappy world!

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