No, not my very own … I didn’t succumb to the temptation. But I posted about the Sassafras Mystery Box HERE and thought you might like to see what was inside.
Vanessa from the Delightfully Bright blog has posted the contents of her box HERE.
I’m glad I didn’t go for it because not enough of it is my style. But WOW there is sure a lot of bang for your buck in that box. {Ahhh, alliteration, how I love thee!}.
I was wondering what scrapbook companies WOULD push me over the edge to purchase a mystery box. I was initially going to say BASIC GREY or OCTOBER AFTERNOON. However, I already have so much of their stuff, I would probably just get duplicates, LOL. Hmmm … maybe ECHO PARK or LILY BEE. I like them both but don’t have much of either.
How about you? Are there any scrapbook companies who, if they put out a mystery box, you wouldn’t be able to resist?
It seems the hot item of Spring 2011 (erm, now “Summer 2011”) is the “Smash Book” by K & Company. What in the heck is a Smash Book, you ask? Check this out:
Already a hit before it has even released (coming this spring!), SMASH is an exciting new program from K&Company that takes scrapbooking back to its roots. Simplistic, on-the-fly, and with no rules and no special crafting ability needed, you can Smash your everyday life between the pages of our contemporary-style Smash Books.
An ultra-convenient combo glue pen/journaling marker comes attached to each book so it’s always at hand when you need it. Now, how cool is that?!
So, what do you Smash? Well, it doesn’t have to be a life event, just the special little moments and mementos of your day—some of that stuff in your junk drawer, for example. A snapshot, a ticket stub from that movie you loved, a newspaper clipping, a magazine snippet, a cardboard coaster from a favorite restaurant, your child’s first crayon doodle…get the idea? Smash it, jot a note or add a caption sticker, and go!
Here is a video of the Smash Book set-up at CHA back in February 2011 from Noell Hyman at PAPERCLIPPING.COM:
{By the way, I’m listening to the latest Paperclipping broadcast while I blog. CHECK IT}.
As you can see, this isn’t your traditional scrapbooking, but a cool twist, a fun new way of keeping your memories … unstructured, unfiltered, unencumbered by convention. For some of us, Smash Books may bring back memories of our childhood or teenage years when we kept books with doodles, ticket stubs, photos, quotes, and random writings.
One of the reasons these books are so eagerly anticipated … is that they were supposed to be available in April 2011, but K & Company had a manufacturing delay. They weren’t sure when the Smash Books would be ready to ship, then came out with projected dates in May … exact date dependent on when each retailer receives them.
On their awesome SMASH STORIES BLOG, they then did two things that somewhat appeased the masses: They did a giveaway of the mini-Smash Books (I was lucky enough to get one, thanks to my friend Abby tipping me off!), and they did weekly giveways of a full-size Smash Book each Monday.
I’ve heard comments on the message boards that, because of the delay, some people are “so over” the Smash Books. They got tired of waiting and lost enthusiasm, wanted them for grad gifts and it’s too late now, etc. I understand the frustration and wish the delay wouldn’t have happened. I do think it cost K & Company some sales … but think in the long run, this will still be a VERY popular product.
I plan to get one … or several. I don’t even know what I’m going to use Smash Books for yet … I just know that I must have them, LOL. The accessories are SO cute. Sure, you could make your own version of a Smash Book but I think this version is super cute and unique … also, I assume, archival safe … which a composition book, etc. you make on your own might not be.
A few ideas I have for my own Smash Books are:
Everyday stuff ~ Quotes, random photos, ticket stubs, grocery lists, sticky notes (I *live* for sticky notes!), observations, etc.
Kids book ~ Funny or interesting things my kids do or say, milestones, photos that won’t be scrapped with another event, etc.
Weight loss ~ I just started a weight loss journal, a plain lined notebook about the same size as a Smash Book. But if I get a Smash Book soon, I may re-start it and include photos, measurements, before/during/after photos, recipes, menus, etc. The cute stickers and add-ons could make a quite boring job a bit more fun. And when (not IF) I reach my weight loss goals, I’ll have a cool little book to look back on. A cool PRIVATE little book. Ahem.
What would you do with a Smash Book?
Here is a sample Smash Book from the Smash Blog:
I am SO happy that Memory Works will be carrying a bunch of the K & Company Smash Books line. You can find it on my website HERE and place an order soon. (As of this blog post, availability is expected on May 20, 2011!!!).
I’ve known for quite some time that Memory Works was going to carry Smash Books and contemplated taking pre-orders for them (like I’ve done for the very popular SIMPLE STORIES lines). But I was too nervous, given the delays they’d already had and unpredictability of when Memory Works would actually have them in stock.
According to our online Product Availability list, Smash Books are due at Memory Works on May 20, 2011 … a mere 2 days away. So *now* I feel comfortable posting about them. I hope you’ll consider ordering your Smash Books and accessories from me! To entice you, I’m going to post photos of the different colors available and a peek inside to some of the pages ~ so you can pick the best style for your project …
Do you have a favorite? I think I’m leaning toward the PINK if I could only choose one.
Okay, I’m going to shut up about the Smash Books now :P
I’m going to pass just because ~ although their stuff is very cute ~ they’re not one of my favorite companies and I’m not sure I would use everything. But that is a screamin’ good deal … Are you gonna’ order?
Apparently, something was installed on the PIN pads themselves that allow your account number and PIN to be collected. This raises some interesting questions: Was it an inside job? If not, how were these machines – which sit right on the counter near the cashier – tampered with? Why were Michaels stores targeted?
I’m also wondering why, if 80 stores in 20 states have been affected, why only 100 customers have reported thefts? You would think that total would be higher. Maybe there are still unreported cases, whether the customer realizes the theft and hasn’t reported it … or the customer isn’t aware yet that they’ve been victimized.
I don’t know what the timeframe is for sure because the May 12, 2011 STATEMENT from Michaels says “February 8 through May 6” but one of the Peas reported it going back as far as December 2010.
Speaking of statements from Michaels … some customers report receiving notification of the debit card problem via e-mail while others, even those who live near the affected stores, did not get any such e-mail. I’m on the e-mail list but didn’t get one … did you?
ETA 5/17/11: I found THIS in an old e-mail account I rarely check. Weird. It was sent there but not to the one where I currently get Michaels e-mails. Oh well.
If you would like more information on this issue, just Google “Michaels debit card” and tons of articles have been written about it. There was even a GMA segment on it but I can’t pull it up right now because my computer is being a total bitch :P
If anyone who’s reading this has been victimized, please leave a comment and tell us your story. And to all scrappers who shop at Michaels, please be careful. Maybe a personal “cash only” policy would be a good thing for the time being. And that’s better anyway since it’s harder for hubby to track your purchases that way HOLLAH!
There’s obviously a lot of custom shelving and tables in there, and that’s what I’m jealous of. I don’t teach classes nor need storage for 20 Cricuts (LOL) but I would love custom-made furniture for what I do have, wouldn’t you?
She is super organized and I love the cute touches like her projects, the rug, and the sock monkeys. What do you think of the room?
It’s time for HSN SCRAPBOOKING again! Although maybe my post title should say dayZ since there are two days of shows!
Friday, May 6th
6am: Martha Stewart
10am: Martha Stewart
3pm: Martha Stewart
4pm: Scrapping & Cricut
Saturday, May 7th
2am: Anna Griffin
6am: Scrapping & Cricut
Noon: Scrapping & Cricut
3pm: Anna Griffin
4pm: Scrapping & Cricut
These times are Eastern; please adjust for your time zone if needed :)
I have my DVR set and ready to record! How about you? Do you watch the HSN scrapbooking shows? And speaking of NSD, are you doing anything to celebrate this year? There’s a local crop but my mom is here visiting so we’re going to just take over the dining room table and scrap this weekend whenever we’re not busy with other fun stuff and enjoying our Mother’s Day Weekend.
Btw, President Obama STILL hasn’t answered my (many, annoying, begging, pleading, stalkerish, fully outlined, and factually supported) letters asking him to make National Scrapbook Day a Federal Holiday. Yeah, I want the banks and post offices closed, the whole schlemeel.
I’m so baffled as to why he won’t enact this no-brainer of a law. And, NO, I *have NOT* been sniffing my Glossy Accents … (sniff) again. Srsly. (sniff) I haven’t!
Can you believe it? My little ol’ Scrapbook Obsession blog has been around for almost 4 1/2 years and, as of 4/30/11, has received over 874,000 hits. I *know*, right? Pretty cool.
Hold up for a second. Do you ever watch the Miley Cyrus skit they do on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE? “Pretty cool.”
Okay, now you see why saying “pretty cool” made me think of Miley, right? But back to the actual topic of this post …
Let’s cut to the chase: I want to hit the 1 Million Views landmark by December 31, 2011. That will be just prior to my five-year blogiversary in January 2012. Do you think we can do it?
I thought I’d look at my stats from the past and see if this is even a do-able goal:
I’ll need to get 126,000 more hits in the next 8 months. I’m thinking it can be done! Here are some topics I predict would help generate enough clicks to put me over the top:
Donna Downey Contro #3
Photos of new items at Michaels, Tuesday Morning, Big Lots, etc.
Anything Martha Stewart
Hee! That’s all tongue-in-cheek. But my blog definitely gets more looks when I post about scrapbook industry controversies, fo’ sho’. Other popular posts are the shopping ones. Yeah, there are a bunch of you scrappers after my own heart. The shopping is a VERY crucial part of scrapbooking, no doubt about it :)
There have been 4,307 comments left and I have 145 active subscribers (THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!). I hope to reach 5,000 comments and 200 subscribers by my deadline of 12/31/11. These goals might be harder to reach but I’m going for it.
What kinds of posts are your favorites or what kinds of things would you like to see here?
Other than this kind of thing, I mean …
Because I don’t post gratuitous beefcake photos. This is a scrapbooking blog, people! Stay focused!
{Wait. Maybe we could get Patrick Dempsey to pose shirtless with a scrapbook. That would work, right? Okay, I’ma have my people call his people and see what we can work out}.
Okay, now let’s get started on this million hits project, shall we? Sheesh.