Month

April 2013

Showing: 1 - 7 of 7 Articles

Archiver’s Scrapbook Chain Files for Chapter 11

On the heels of Creative Memories FILING CHAPTER 11 earlier this month … for the SECOND TIME … now Archiver’s has declared they will do the same. This e-mail was sent out today:






{LINK to e-mail}

I’m very sad to hear this news, as I am whenever any part of the scrapbooking industry suffers a setback. I’ve never been to an ARCHIVER’S but it’s on my bucket list fo’ sho! Archivers is like The Mecca of All That Is Scrapbooking. Like Bass Pro Shops is for a fisherman. Like Dick’s Sporting Goods is for an athlete. Or a teenaged boy Nike ho’. Whatevs.

I think the e-mail does a good job of explaining their position, how they got there, and what they plan to do now. I’m happy to hear them say “we are not going out of business” because, I swear, that’s the first thing people jump on when they hear “Chapter 11.” Which is just a legal way of saying you’re having problems and need to reorganize. Yes, it’s a drastic move but it does NOT mean a company is immediately ending … although I have heard of individual stores closing lately. I wonder if that will continue?

So take heart, Dear Scrappers. Archivers may just take this opportunity to survive and thrive. Here’s hoping! ‘Cuz if they ruin my Bucket List by going out of bidness, I’m gonna’ be hotter than two hamsters fartin’ in a wool sock!!

Okay, now just TRY to get the hamster image out of your head and answer this please:

As an Archivers customer/potential customer, what should they do to remain viable? Would you change or add anything to the way they do business?

Memory Works: Spring/Summer 2013 Catalog is HERE!

As a scrapbook consultant for the best company on earth ~ MEMORY WORKS ~ this is one of my favorite times of year . . . when a new catalog comes out. Without further ado . . .

HERE IT IS!

Click on the link and it will take you to a gorgeous color .pdf version of the Spring/Summer 2013 catalog. {Because of all the graphics, it can take a while to load}.

So grab your beverage of choice, get comfy, take your time, and savor all the scrapbooking goodness . . . ahhhhhh . . .

If nothing else, you have to click over and see the the cover – could it BE any cuter? I don’t think so.

In case you’re not familiar with Memory Works, we carry all the popular scrapbooking brands including:

Simple Stories and Sn@p!
In fact, the owners of Memory Works own these two lines as well ;)

If you’re a project lifer or pocket page scrapper like me, you can see the new line of Sn@p 6×8 and 12×12 leather albums and divided protectors with tons of options. Those items are brand new, due for release in late April/early May 2013.

Other brands are Basic Grey, My Minds Eye, Studio Calico, American Crafts/Dear Lizzy and Amy Tan, Lily Bee, Echo Park, and lots more.

MW also carries products like flowers, mists and masks, a washi tape dispenser, the popular WRMK envelope maker, bling, shadow boxes, adhesives, cardstock, and YES wood veneers! {<- my most recent obsession} My shopping cart already holds the Sn@p 6×8 calendar pages, Carta Bella ‘So Noted’ line, and Echo Park ‘Perfect Summer’.

{I would have said Simple Stories ‘Urban Traveler’ and ‘Vintage Bliss’ but I already own much of those lines, lol!}

I hope you enjoy the new catalog! Please tell me what your favorite items are :) Most of these items are in stock HERE if you’re ready to shop or would like to see bigger photos.

PS: Pssst! If you look at the catalog and see pages 14 and 15, you’re going to get some VERY GOOD NEWS!! Check it, chica!

New MAMBI Products at Michaels – Perfect for Project Life or Everyday Pages

Here’s peek from the MAMBI site that gives a preview of what I’m talking about . . .

Yes, they are joining the ever popular trend of having a divided page protector, Project Life-type line and it’s called “Pocket Pages”. As a divided page protector scrapper and Project Lifer, I am very happy about this new development. I’ve always loved MAMBI’s happy, colorful, simple designs and have a bit of MAMBI (that’s short for Me and My Big Ideas) in my stash.

To make this development even better, the MAMBI “Pocket Pages” line will be carried @ Michaels! And as someone who has no Hobby Lobby, Archivers, Joann’s, or LSS, I mainly shop at Michaels. With COUPONS . . . hollah!

You can see the entire line of 3×4 and 4×6 cards HERE!!

I took the liberty of going to Michaels and taking some photos for you ;)

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And on your behalf, I also bought {2} packs of the cards to start us off. There was a 50% off coupon that I used for us, too. All in the name of shopping research … hee! Here are the sets we got – they don’t have names that I could find so I made up my own:

SUMMER

We have a pool and live near the ocean so I have scads of photos to use these with. Happy!

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SPORTS

Every kid I know plays sports and I love to take sports photos. Not to mention my love of MLB games and Spring Training. There are cards for soccer, baseball, and football. Another perfect match.

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I love how on the back of the package they show each of the cards so you can see what you’re getting before you buy them :)

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So the card packs retail for $4.99. You get {12} 4×6 cards with no repeats and {60} 3×4 cards with some repeats but not a lot. Some of the 3×4 cards are pattern-only like polka dots, grass, etc. No solids that I can remember. All of the cards have a reverse side of white with a light grey grid or swiss dots – so if you don’t have a use for the design, you can use the reverse side for journaling. The cardstock is of lighter weight – which I personally like because it makes for more pages within an album.

I’m pretty much in love with these cards and plan to buy just about every set over time with coupons. There are also the pocket pages (I already use WRMK and Becky Higgins Design A; not sure I want to introduce yet another style) and matching greeting card blanks. You just fold them in 1/2 and pop a 3×4 card on the front for a cute and quick card.

There are more at the link above – these are just 2 samples.

So there is my MAMBI @ Mike’s news and a review of their new product! Have you seen them at your Michaels yet? What sets have you bought or do you plan to buy?

LOAD513: “Layout a Day May 2013” … What If I’m Too Busy in May?

As I’ve been posting and talking about signing up for LOAD 513 – aka Layout a Day May 2013 – I get this comment/question a lot:

“I want to do LOAD in May but that’s a reeeeaaallllyyyy busy month for me. What if I can’t join in much during the month but still want to be part of the fun?”

Well, the great news is you can still do this!

I took LOAD213 (this past February) and, as always seems to happen with me and online scrapbooking classes, after a week or so real life took over and I wasn’t able to complete all of the daily layouts (I got about half of them done and only because I had a retreat in February).

However, I still have access to a list of the daily prompts – with live links to the daily videos and transcripts. I can still look through the LOAD 213 gallery and be hugely inspired by all the layouts done by other 213 LOADees. And I can still read through the forums to see what challenges, questions, and insights came up for others.

It’s now April and I’m still using the LOAD 213 materials whenever I have time to sit down and scrap. Or even just dream about scrapping, like on the iPad at a sports practice, lol.

I wasn’t 100% sure I’d heard whether or not LOAD attendees have “forever access” to class content so I e-mailed to get a concrete answer, and here it is:

YES! They [attendees] have “forever access”. In fact, we send out a link to a master list with all the prompts, so it’s even one stop shopping when they are ready to tackle the challenges!

So there you go.

If the only thing holding you back from LOAD 513 is the fear that you can’t stay on top of it all month, please don’t let that be a worry. For any LOAD event you join, you have “forever access” to the content.

Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns about LOAD and I’ll address them. Hope to see you in May … even if just for a bit :)

Here is where to sign up for LOAD 513!

Free Scrapinar! “Signed, Sealed, and Delivered” on 04/23/13

Scrapinar (noun) defined: On online event where scrapbookers gather at the same time and location on the web to interact, learn, and have lots of fun. I love to attend scrapinars put on by Lain Ehmann because they are top rate. I always learn valuable things and laugh a lot while doing it.

Lain’s scrapinar for April 2013 takes place soon and I hope you’ll sign up to join me :)

Click here to view more details

We’re excited to have Windy Robinson, Paper Crafts Magazine’s Go-To Gal joining us on April 23rd. Windy will show us how to create gorgeous hand-crafted and hand-embellished envelopes and mail art that will make even the postman smile!

The scrapinar is FREE. These events typically attract 1000 other scrapbookers and papercrafters from around the world.

All you have to do is sign up here :)

Upon sign-up, you’ll receive e-mails with further instructions and then a reminder as the event gets closer. And did I mention it’s FREE?!?!? Nothing to lose there, chica!

Coupon Code / Discount Code for LOAD 513 aka Layout a Day May 2013

In my LAST ENTRY, I talked about a $10 off discount for LOAD 513 – Layout a Day May 2013.

I could’ve sworn I put the code at the bottom but when I checked this morning it wasn’t there – so sorry! It’s now been added to yesterday’s post and here ya’ go:

*** $10 off LOAD513 registration with code “FNF” at checkout. Discount expires 4/10 at midnight ***

Here is where to sign up for LOAD 513!

Hope to see you there!

Last Chance to Sign Up for LOAD 513 … Layout a Day for May 2013

After attending my first LOAD event in February 2013 – see my post HERE – I’m a true believer. It’s the BEST online scrapbooking event I’ve ever attended. Well, okay, it’s tied for 1st place with TRUE SCRAP :P

I wasn’t able to keep up with blogging about LOAD 213 (Feb ’13) but I did get tons of layouts done that month. They are some of my favorite layouts I’ve ever done. I think it’s a combination of the prompts received from Lain and the supportive community who makes you feel like your ideas are valid and appreciated.

The gallery is EXTREMELY active so even if you’re like me and not able to physically do a layout every day, you can at least collapse on the couch at the end of every day and marvel at the layouts posted by other LOADers. Inspiration station, baby! And the message board was LOADs of fun, too (har har).

It’s time for LOAD again in May 2013 – so this one is called LOAD 513.

It runs during the entire month of May and here is what you get if you join:

31 days of brand-new video prompts and lessons, guaranteed to bust you out of any scrapbooking rut, bring a smile to your face, and make your hair shine!

Exclusive message board for LOAD members only where you can connect and chat with the coolest scrappers on the Web!

Private gallery for our members where you share your daily creations, win prizes, and strut your stuff!

31 never-before-seen sample layouts!

Random surPRIZES, Hugh* sightings, and fun for all!

*Lain may or may not have a serious thang for Hugh Jackman … See why?

Here is where to sign up for LOAD 513! Look at the bottom of this blog entry for a code you can enter to get $10 off the registration fee ;)

Participation is capped for all LOADs and there are only 50 spots left for this one – it’s a very popular event. The most awesome thing is that I have a special deal for you: $10 off the $50 price. Do the math: That’s only $1.29 a day for all the goodness listed above.

And after 31 days, how would it feel to have 31 layouts?!?!? I mean, that’s an entire album. A satisfying stack. A titling tower of layouts!

I’m a ScrapHappy.org member so I get all LOADs for free – I will be there! If I were you, I’d just go sign up for LOAD 513 right now. Because if you don’t, the end of April and them May 1st is going to be here, everyone will be talking about LOAD, you’ll get really jazzed about joining in … and it will be full.

Every LOAD has a theme. For the February session, it was ScrapHappy. This time it’s “Get a Clue! Investigating the Mysteries of Your Life.” Sounds like fun. I can’t wait to get started!

Speaking of which, there is no special prep you have to do for LOAD – no specific products to buy or pre-work to do. It would help to start May 1 with a clean desk and join the message board and gallery as soon as you sign up for LOAD. The message board actually gets hopping before the event starts. But that’s it! So if you need to make a big dent in your stash, LOAD is perfect for you. {Or if you need an excuse to scrapbook shop, we’ll encourage you there as well … bwahahahaha!}

Click here to sign up for LOAD 513!

*** $10 off LOAD513 registration with code “FNF” at checkout. Discount expires 04-10-13 at midnight ***

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