{Darn economy! Stupid Pinterest! Lame-o digital scrapbooking! LOL}

So I was very happy to discover a new online scrapbook magazine called “LIFE. PAPER. SCRAPBOOK.” It’s from those fab Aussies but features scrapbookers from all over the world.

HERE is their first issue.

HERE is their website.

I know, I know. You can thank me later. {I love Starbucks gift cards, Pashmina scarves, and turkey jerkey, in that order}.

Here is what they’re about, from the LPS website:

Life. Paper. Scrapbook is an Australian quarterly, online publication that is dedicated to showcasing designers from all around the world to inspire each other, explore current trends and techniques and most importantly to celebrate our love of scrapbooking and paper crafts. This is a place to share our style, designs and creations with like minded crafters from around the world.

“Life.Paper.Scrapbook” has it all, including:

New products
Mini albums
Traditional layouts
Info about featured scrappers
Project Life layouts (yeah!)
Just a few ads
and a simple yet lovely layout

What’s not to love? The first issue was 100 pages of pure yumminess. Next issue is scheduled for June 2013, with project submissions due by 05-31-13. Tick tock, get on that, would ya’? I expect to see some of my own peeps in there next time, mmm kay?

So go sit in the bath with your iPad and get all wrinkly while you check out this great new addition to your life.

Cheers!

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!

As you know, I love me some SKETCHES FOR SCRAPBOOKING books.

I have “Sketches for Scrapbooking”, volumes 1-7 and one of the cardmaking ones. The 2 that I currently want are Volume 8 and the Travel one. I couldn’t find the travel one at JOANN.COM, though :)

Before I pulled the trigger, I did a little bit of price comparing because I had seen recently on a 2Peas post that these books were found for a good price on OVERSTOCK.COM. However, the 2 volumes I want were listed for almost full price there.

Then I looked on Scrapbook Generations’ own site to see what it would cost to get Volume 8 from them.

Scrapbook Generation: $16 plus $2 for shipping (if added to my monthly kit shipment) = $18

Joann.com: $16 at 50% off = $8 plus $6 shipping = $14

So I went with the Joann.com deal. Plus I got some scissors I’ve been needing to replace (because my lovely husband used them for something outside and never brought them back … love that man!)

I’ve had these scissors since I started scrapbooking 11 years ago and love them. They are the BEST for fussy cutting. The Fiskars scissors were $16 on sale for $11 and added $1 to the shipping.

So I got both items for $27 total.

Me = Happy Camper

What is your favorite scrapbook-related purchase or best deal lately?

As you may have heard me complain about before {ahem}, I live near very little scrapbook shopping. Within 1 hour of me, there is a MICHAELS and then whatever I can find once in a while at TUESDAY MORNING, TARGET, WALMART, and ROSS. The best scrapbook shopping I have is a BEVERLY’s CRAFTS 40 minutes away so I get there about once a month if I’m lucky. I did recently find a new little LSS about an hour away so that’s cool at least but, again, only a once-in-a-while thing.

What I’m tryin’ to tell ya’ is that I’m scrappy shopping deprived, people!! {Which is one of the reasons I become a MEMORY WORKS consultant several years ago, when we went from 7 LSS’s within an hour down to one and then NONE}.

So when I was recently out of town ~ a town with a Joann’s ~ pardon me for being a bit twitterpated about it ;) On the scrapbook message boards and from friends in other states, I hear about Joann’s this and Joann’s that. I’ve been to a Joann’s on various other trips and always found that a decent amount of scrapbook papers and embellishments had jumped into my cart and forced me to buy them.

I’m also familiar with JOANN.COM and occasionally shop online in that huge-amous store. They have coupons!!! Yeah, I like me some Joann.com + coupons. I have snapped up some OCTOBER AFTERNOON collection packs for 40% off and plenty o’ WRMK 12×12 D-ring albums for 1/2 off and free shipping. I mean, it just don’t get much better than that.

But I have to say my recent trip to the brick-and-mortar Joann’s was quite, quite disappointing :(

There were 4 kinda’ short aisles of scrapbooking stuff. Most of it I’ve already seen at Michaels. Or it’s already been in my stash. For years. Okay, maybe not YEARS but, like, for a WHILE. Jeez.

All the open stock 12×12 papers were boring and/or old. The paper pads were meh, nothing from any of the popular brands I like, nothing stark-raving new. It was all so boring, I can’t even really remember what there was.

The only thing I was even tempted to buy was an issue of ARTFUL BLOGGING because it had a feature on scrapbooker REBECCA COOPER, who I’ve always liked.

But I didn’t because at that point I was in “man, I’m so disappointed in this store so you can bite me” mode. {Sorry, I get that way sometimes … when you get me all built up and then dash my hopes}. Joann, can we talk?!?! If your scrapbooking section is going to be THAT lame, why even have one? Just let it go and get some more BEADS or something, mmm kay??? I might as well have been at Walmart 15 minutes and one less tank of gas from my house.

So I left Joann’s empty-frickin’-handed. Totally harshed my mellow, dude.

HERE is a link. Here is the story:

A Fond Farewell
by Michelle Rubin
May 9, 2012 at 10:00 a.m.

Meredith Corporation has made the difficult decision to close Scrapbooks etc. effective with the August 2012 issue. Scrapbooks etc. has been the longtime brand leader within the scrapbooking industry, but due to the longer term business forecast for the franchise and the industry, the corporation has chosen to cease publishing within this marketplace.

The August 2012 issue, with an on-sale date of June 19, will be released on schedule to our 350,000 subscribers and newsstand buyers through the scheduled off-sale date of August 14, 2012. The ScrapbooksEtc.com website will support the print issue throughout this time period as well.

Meredith Corporation continues our strong support of the crafts industry with our Holiday Crafts titles and our newest addition, Make it Yourself, launching in October 2012. And of course we will continue to serve the growing quilting industry with our multiple quilting titles and website, allpeoplequilt.com.
For questions regarding your subscription, please e-mail sbecustserv@cdsfulfillment.com. If you’d like to purchase past issues for use on a mobile device, go to www.zinio.com/sbe.

On a personal note from the editorial staff, we are grateful for your support through the years. We could not have asked for better readers, and we have loved seeing your scrapbook pages and craft projects in our inboxes, on our website, and on our Facebook page. You inspired us in our mission to give you the ideas and information you wanted to preserve your memories and express yourselves creatively, and we hope that we in turn inspired you to create great pages and projects.

We’ll be posting here on the blog for a few more weeks as the August issue hits newsstands. And look for a post celebrating some of our favorite projects through the years.

THANK YOU!

Well, wow.

I can say that I’ve seen this coming for quite a while but that doesn’t make the news any easier to take, does it? It’s just sad :(

I’m sad for them and I’m sad for us. I’m sad that a scrapbooking magazine can no longer make it in today’s market. Remember when there were, what, 5 of them going strong? Man, those were the days.

I wasn’t happy when Scrapbooks Etc. started focusing more on the “Etc.” part of their title by including other papercrafting and craft projects. It didn’t stop me from buying it but I stopped enjoying it as much. But I guess it was an effort to stay alive, huh?

I have heard much criticism of the magazine since they made that change. I wonder if they had stayed focused on just scrapbooking, if the end result would’ve been any different? I guess we’ll never know.

The last issue will be August 2012 (on sale 06-19-12) so keep an eye out for that. For those of us who’ve subscribed, I wonder what will happen to our unfulfilled issues?

HERE is where the Peas are talking about it. What are your thoughts on the end of Scrapbooks Etc. magazine? Is this all because of the bad economy, the surge in social media like Pinterest and blogs, a bad magazine, or what? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Check out THIS THREAD on 2peas. Apparently, posters who had subscribed to Scrapbooks, Etc. through DiscountMags.com* recently got this e-mail.

Dear (Subscriber),

Your order for Scrapbooks ETC has been canceled (Order #——- on 02/15/2012).

Cancellation reason: The magazine has ceased publication.

Refund Amount: $10.00
Please allow 5 business days for refund to return to your account.

We’re sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reply to this e-mail.

Sincerely,
Customer Care
Disc0unt Mags.c0m

* No, I’m not going to give them the privilege of a link because that is a reeeeeeealy bonehead move. Do *NOT* mess around about a scrapbooking magazine being shut down. We don’t take too kindly to that kind of thing. And we bear scissors. And cutters, trimmers, piercers, and punches. Yeah, I said PUNCHES. Be skerred. Be very skerred.

K, so … it turns out the e-mail was incorrect. If you scroll down on page 1 of the thread, you’ll see this:

Hey, Peas! Michelle Rubin from Scrapbooks etc. here. We are still in publication! In fact we’re busy working away on our June issue. We’re checking into this e-mail, though. So it’s business as usual. Please feel free to renew your subscription!

Michelle Rubin
Editor
Scrapbooks etc.

First of all, that’s what I love about 2peas message board. You have a scrapbooking question or concern, you post about it, and you get answers – often right from the source.

Secondly, SO glad SCRAPBOOKS ETC. isn’t ceasing publication, and that Michelle took the time to come and squelch the rumors. It sounds like she had a little convo with the discount maggers because further down in the thread, a Pea posted this:

I just received a follow up email with an apology for saying that Scrapbooks, Etc. was ceasing publication. It just said that they were not offering the publication through their service.

Duh. That’s a pretty major difference, Discount Magazine People. I mean, really??? So now my scrappy heart can start beating again. Since the beginning, I’ve gotten Scrapbooks Etc. {because I’m a SB magazine ho, and I don’t mind their change in format as much AS I THOUGHT I WOULD}.

Until recently, I bought it off the newsstand but then a cute kid with a magazine fundraiser wouldn’t leave me alone and I subscribed. {“Who are these little people and why do they keep calling me ‘mom’?”}.

Just today I was considering whether to re-up even though my subscription goes through August. But honestly (and kinda’ related to this), I decided not to because of all the scrapbook magazines that have stopped publishing … and I don’t want to be left holding the bag. Yeah, I have *that* much confidence in today’s scrapbook magazine industry. Color me jaded.

Anyway, glad to hear SBE is planning to continue. They and CREATING KEEPSAKES are the only scrapbook magazines I still buy. Isn’t it crazy how many there used to be and now there’s TWO? Times have sure changed :(

Oh! Gotta’ go! Someone is knocking at the door. Better not be one of those cute magazine fundraiser kids. I. will. not. cave. Wish me luck!

ETA later the same night: Well, shukes! I can’t even be righteously indignant toward the Discount Maggers that sent out the erroneous info. Check out this contrite e-mail they’re now sending their customers:

We are writing to you today, to apologize for incorrectly stating in a previous e-mail that Scrapbooks ETC will be ceasing publication. We are unable to fulfill your subscription because this magazine is no longer available through our website. A full refund back to your original payment method has already been promptly processed. In offering this deal, it was certainly our intention to complete all orders.

Clearly, we did not meet your, or our own, expectations for the excellent service you deserve from us. Please be assured that we will take this opportunity to conduct a comprehensive review of our entire process in offering this deal, so this situation does not happen again. We have enclosed a code for $5 off your next DiscountMags.com purchase, in the hopes you will shop with us again and see that we are committed to doing better.

Gift Certificate: (a big long number)

Again, please accept our most sincere apology.

Sincerely,

DiscountMags.com Customer Service Team

It’s not even fun to be mad when someone apologizes like that, huh? Good on ya’, Disc0untMags.c0m!

I AM GOING TO ORGANIZE MY SCRAPBOOK ROOM-SLASH-HOME OFFICE.

Can I get a witness!?!?!

HOLLAH!

This is a WAY long time coming. OMG, just WAIT until you see the before photos! You’re going to fuh-reak when you see what a pigsty I’ve been working in. And by “work” I mean do bills, play on the computer, and do my home transcription biz.

I do NOT, however, mean scrapbooking. Because that particular activity hasn’t taken place here in quite a damn while. {When you see the BEFORE pictures, you’ll see why}.

Did you know it’s impossible to scrap on top of piles? Yeppers, I’m a “piler.” That means that instead of putting things away right when I get them, I just pile them on my desk, the floor, the couch, whatever blank spot I can find. It’s like I think the Pile Clearing Fairies are going to come when I’m sleeping and put it all away for me. {Hey, if there’s a Scrap Santa, I don’t see why there can’t be Pile Clearing Fairies!}.

Here are the things that tend to end up on piles in my scrapbook room/home office:

New scrapbook supplies – because who am I kidding? that goes at the top of the list
Memorabilia – because apparently I have to save every. stinkin. thing.
School and work papers – “until I have time to go through them” … um, yeah, right …
Scrapbook magazines and catalogs
Receipts – because you *know* as soon as I trash a receipt, I’ll need to return one of the items on it

Like I said, I’ve wanted/planned to do this for a long time but HERE is the 2peas thread that’s motivating me to finally do it. Well, that thread plus the fact that I’m tired of stubbing my toes in my scrap room and I’m REALLY tired of not being able to scrapbook at home (crops are the only things that have kept me sane).

According to the scrapbook-organizing Peas, you can either attack your room’s “hot spots” or you can “go for broke.” Going for broke means emptying most everything out of your scrap space, getting it sorted and purged, and only putting back what you’ll use. I’ve been doing the Hot Spot deal for years and, honey pie, it ain’t workin’. Time to Go For Broke, I say.

I have three days off from work starting today ~ although I have some transcription work to do, plus all the “mom” stuff like entertaining kids on summer break, making meals, laundry, etc. Oh, I have a question: How many frozen pizzas do you think a family can (be forced to) eat before they stop speaking to you? Hmmm … then again, if it’s quiet around here, I can get this done faster ;)

So wish me luck, I’M GOIN’ IN!

The things that come to those that wait … may be the things left by those that got there first.

If you watch AMERICAN IDOL religiously like I do, I’ll bet you can give a guess who said that friggin’ doozy. Yep, Mr. STEVEN TYLER! The man is full of these funny comments and sayings that have me wondering if he’s drunk or just plain cray-cray. Which I really don’t care, since his voice absolutely rocks and he’s a doll to all the contestants.

I mean, what’s wrong with a little crazy/drunk on national television, right? Never hurt nobody. Welllll, I take that back. There was the little matter of Chris Brown and the BROKEN WINDOW … but I digress.

STEVEN!

But back to my initial point: THE NEW MEMORY WORKS CATALOG IS AVAILABLE!

You’ll find the entire Memory Works product line inside, which features a sampling of the latest-and-greatest supplies in the industry showcased in this striking, full-color, 48-page catalog! Customers will appreciate it as an invaluable scrapbook resource.

New Simple Stories
New 7 Gypsies
New BasicGrey
New BoBunny
New Cosmo Cricket
New Crate Paper
New Creative Imaginations
New Echo Park
New Fancy Pants
New Jillibean Soup
New K & Company
New Lily Bee Designs
New My Minds Eye
New October Afternoon
New Pink Paislee
New Teresa Collins
New Three Bugs
New Tim Holtz
New Stamp Essentials
New Design Essentials
New Ink & Mist Essentials
New Adhesives
New Crop Tools
New Cardstock

It’s taking all the strength I have not to place my order right now for a pack or two of these catalogs (or as we oh-so-professional consultants like to call them, “catties” :). As much as I love to look at all our new items ONLINE, I’m an old-fashioned girl who likes to hold a paper catalog in my scrappy little hands.

However, I’m restraining myself from placing my catalog order because if I can wait a mere 5 more days (until April 25), I can order THIS at the same time … HOLLAH!

It’s the new SIMPLE STORIES “100 Days of Summer” line that I’ve been waiting for since BACK HERE.

i want it i want it i want it i want it NOW!

I can see on my MW website that not only will we carry the “100 Days of Summer” Collection Pack, Designer Cardstock Pack, Signature Elements, Flash Cards, Fundamentals Stickers, and Expression Stickers (click on BACK HERE above to see pics/prices for all of these items) …

… but we will also carry …

AMERICAN CRAFTS “100 DAYS OF SUMMER” COORDINATING CARDSTOCK PACK
$3.75

and “100 DAYS OF SUMMER” RIBBON BUNDLE
$4.00

As always, feel free to leave comments here or e-mail about anything Memory Works – the new catalog, 100 Days of Summer, or any of our other FABU products … scrapbookobsession(at)gmail(dot)com.

I leave you today with another Steven Tyler bon mot:

Well hellfire, save matches, (bleep!) a duck, and see what hatches.

(Oh man, I am SO going to lose customers by posting that, aren’t I? …. )

***

CHECK IT, GIRLFRIEND.

OH, AND HERE, TOO!

Okay, so that wasn’t a magazine you were expecting, huh? Whoever would’ve thought I’d be mentioned in an article in “Hobby Farm Home” magazine, right? Not me. But here is how they describe the HFH mag on Hobby Farms website:

Hobby Farm Home
The editors of Hobby Farms also produce Hobby Farm Home, the home magazine for those truly living in the country. Hobby Farm Home highlights farmhouse activities such as cooking, crafting, collecting, pet care and home arts and skills.

See? Crafting. That’s us. Scrappers are crafters!

I answered some questions for the writer back in September 2010 and never heard anything more of it. I was just going to contact MONETTE to ask if her article was accepted. Then I was in Walmart one day looking for the latest CREATING KEEPSAKES and SCRAPBOOKS ETC and there was Hobby Farm Home magazine! I flipped through it to see if the article might be in there and had the most surreal experience … there was my name at the top of page 66. Holy mother of … WTH?

I called my mom right from the magazine aisle. I bought all three copies they had, which made the checkout lady wonder, LOL. I told her I was mentioned in an article and she was giddy with me :) Even though she had NO idea what I was talking about … Scrapbooking your farm? Mmmm-kay …

There was one little bit of confusion printed but that’s okay. Just for fun … whoever spots it first and leaves a comment here, I’ll send you a $5 Starbucks card (or Target card? if you don’t like coffee, tea, sweets, or smoothies … hee).

I hope I don’t sound like I’m bragging. I actually found this out 2 or 3 weeks ago but was too bashful to say anything. But I’m still excited and can’t contain myself. This is NOT the kind of thing that happens to me! So it was extra-special and fun. Thanks for letting me share.

I have to say, when I go to read something about scrapbooking by a non-scrapbooker, I prepare myself to cringe. On time, there was an article similar to this memory book one in our local paper. They talked about things like using newspaper clippings, paper trimmings, and other random craft supplies on your pages with no mention of Archival Mist, acid-free, or the like. ACK! Scrapper Alert! Must. Say. Something.

Yes, I was so “upset” about it that I wrote a letter to the editor explaining the oh-so-propuh way to scrapbook items like that so that they don’t yellow with age, infect your pages/photos with acid, etc. Yeah, I’m a scrap geek like that. And proud of it! LOL

Anyway, I was fully prepared to cringe at an interior designer’s take on scrapbooking, much as I’ve been shocked at some of the things MARTHA STEWART has suggested in the scrapbook segments on her show. I’m glad to report there was no need to worry … Nate “Cutie Pie” Berkus got it right, as far as I can see.

He talks about scanning your photos and items (although I missed any mention of scanning them onto acid free paper or acid-free in general, right?), and recommends a binder ring over a spiral bound scrapbook, which I also agree with … and he (or whoever wrote the article) articulates the reasons very well. I’m a postbound/SNAPLOAD scrapper for the most part, so I’m not sure why those weren’t mentioned but, hey, it was a concise article with the major points covered, not a doctoral presentation on the matter, so that’s forgiven.

Anyhoo, it was nice as always to see any mention of scrapbooking in the wider media and to have Cutie Pie Berkus – who is one hot tamale right now, if you didn’t know – is a special bonus. Great job, Nate!