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Scrapbook Shopping 2 Days Before Christmas

It’s been a while since I did my shopping rounds down in the Big City, but I had to hit Costco yesterday so there was my excuse, LOL!

First we drove the 45 minutes to my nearest LSS, which I was SO looking forward to. I hadn’t been in months and was going to treat myself to a tiny shopping spree. I also wanted to see what their latest and greatest, most popular items are because ~ other than Cricuts ~ I haven’t been hearing much chatter on the MB’s these days on what the hot item is that everyone wants. However, we were greeted with a note on the door saying they were closed through 12/27 due to a family emergency. Shizzle! Major disappointment. I was so pathetic, I stood there with my nose pressed to the window trying to see the What’s New section right up front, and it looked like mostly the K&Co. Christmas stuff that I had already seen most of at Michaels. The Bazzill racks were so close, I could almost reach out and touch all that yumminess…except for that darn locked door in the way! To get things back in perspective, I took the kids to a park in that town I’d been wanting to check out. The family of an old friend of mine that passed away last year put a beautiful memorial to him there, with a stone bench, a tree, and a plaque that told of his life. He was an amazing man and I’m glad I got to be there, sit on the bench, and say a little prayer to him. The kids had a blast playing and got out some energy to prepare for our long shopping adventures ahead, LOL!

Next, we went to the Big City Michaels which is better than the one I usually go to. Yes, they were packed (did you see this POST about how the craft industry is actually doing better during the recession?). As I had heard on 2peas, they had a ton of their PP on clearance but I didn’t see anything I wanted, but doesn’t “major clearance on patterned paper” = “new patterned paper is coming”?? Yeah! I ended up with a white Staz On ink pad to get with my 50% off coupon (score!), and a paper doll kit for one of my nieces for 25% off. I was disappointed again…I figured this Mike’s would have the BG Sugared and Archaic that my regular Mike’s hasn’t carried, but no luck. I kept grabbing the Bazzill Christmas pack to use my coupon on but then put it back…You know how much I {heart} Bazzill but my 3 vertical paper holders just got full to the brim with Bazzill and Prism, so I really need to use some up before I buy more (did I just say that?). I don’t have a ton of money right now anyway, so it was best to just get the ink pad for less money. I hate being responsible and, as you will see, that was nothing compared to the willpower challenge I would face later. PS: They give you a 50% off coupon with your receipt.

Next, I checked the Dollar Store but they had nada. Back in the Day, they would often have something good ~ remember the fake Thickers, and the fake MME Soft Spokens? Lately, nothing, but I can’t seem to give up checking every so often. Next door to them is Tuesday Morning, which is so hit and miss, sometimes I feel like, “Why bother?” But this time was definitely a hit. They had tons of 12×12 postbound albums; I can’t remember the brand name but they all had themes on the front like a Santa, sports, or whatevs. There were letter sticker packs and metal photo corner packs. Then the light shone down from the heavens and illuminated not just a huge pack of KI Memories 12×12 papers, but a huge-r pack of Heidi Swapp 12×12 papers. The KI Memories pack, similar to the way American Crafts packages their paper packs, had the bottom right corner open so you could flip through and glimpse all of the papers. There was a nice mixture of patterns and even some with rounded corners. But I had to pass on it, because some of the papers I already have from the LAST KI Memories stack I bought. But if you love KI, the price was great so go check it out. Now, resisting the HS stack was much harder because I hardly have any of her papers. Samples of all the papers were shown on the back – there were stripes, solids, plaids, stars, and some of those cool travel/map papers she does. I carried that thing around like a newborn baby for quite a while but, alas, left the store without it. I need more PP like I need a hole in the head. My resolution for 2009, now that I have my scrap area (mostly) organized, is to START SCRAPPING more! Use up some of what I have so I can stop passing up sweet Heidi Swapp paper deals. Anwhizzle, there were also chipboard alpha sets and some cute ribbon, but those weren’t worth standing in the long lines for so I put them back. I’m sorry I don’t remember the exact prices on the KI and HS pack but I want to say $8.99 and $9.99 and it was a ton of paper.

Finally, to Costco where I saw the famous huge paper pack they’ve been talking about at 2peas. It comes in it’s own accordian holder and the papers are thick, good quality. There’s even an instant rebate right now, so you should definitely go check it out if you have a chance. If I remember right, it’s normally $29 with a $10 rebate making it only $19.

They had another one of those huge “no name brand” kits with all kinds of paper, embellies, and an 8×8 album. You could do a cool album project with that with your eyes closed. No choices or shopping, it’s all right there for ya’. They had the 2-pack of 12×12 albums but they were, like, ribbed silk (?) texture which I don’t care for. With my kids, they’d get dirty and ripped. I like the faux leather ones better and hope they come back soon. I also wish my Costco would sell the page protectors that go with these albums (brand is Memory Stor). They’re great quality and I’ve ordered them a couple times but I prefer instant gratification. Besides, if I buy it in a store I can sneak it inside whereas anything that is shipped, I have to explain/justify to DH and who wants to waste time doing that? (TOTALLY kidding, Honey! I show you EVerything I buy…yep, I do). And remember those cute gift tags at Costco that were all the rage last year? (CKMB girls, say heyyyyyyy…) They had a new set; still perfect for embellishing Christmas cards. Again, I left empty handed.

So, an anticlimactic day for me, as the thing I was looking most forward to was the LSS shopping. And even though I couldn’t afford to buy much, I sure enjoy the scrapbook window shopping, don’t you?

Speaking of Mike’s, my Partner in Shopping Crime, Abby, told me this today:

“Mike’s has all the Basic Grey Sugared and Archaic (except the 12×12 Archaic paper) for 40% off on clearance! Oh, and the Falala MM line is on sale, well, most of it is. I got the rubon roller, some BG sugared fibers and some falala canvas letters.” My stupid Mike’s (both of them) don’t have any of this stuff but yours might, so get sum summa’ that clearance goodness now! You have a 50% off coupon you need to use anyway, so go!

Is the Recession GOOD for Scrapbooking?

Check out THIS article called, “For Craft Sales, Recession is a Help” from the New York Times. It talks about how, despite the horrible economy and slumping sales in other retail areas, that spending at craft stores, Etsy, and the like has actually gone up. I was so happy to read this because I thought I was crazy to think the same thing; every time I go into Michaels in the past couple months, it’s packed! I always leave there shaking my head, saying, “So much for the recession.” Now, this article explains it. Their theory is that, 1. With less to spend, people are making Christmas gifts this year that are more cost effective, 2., People enjoy the stress release of making handmade things, and appreciate receiving them over “big box” items as well, and 3. That we are starting to prefer good old ‘Made in the USA’ products after all the recent problems with items imported from China. Needless to say, I loved this article! It’s all about some of my favorite things: crafts/scrapbooking, supporting American small and large business owners, and the value of handcrafted items.

HERE is a link to the discussion on 2peas….

What are your thoughts on the article?

QVC Scrapbooking 12-31-08

I’m very happy to correct my statement in THIS post where I said there didn’t seem to be any more QVC Scrapbooking shows scheduled for 2008. Yay, I was wrong-o! As I browsed the January CK, I saw a cardstock insert advertising their show on 12-31-08 at midnight EST. So, see, I was almost right, LOL! The ad shows some Shutterfly goodies and a free calendar that I’m personally not interested in, but here’s the LINK if ya are.

While I was over nosing around at QVC.com, I found THIS link to a message board discussion about whether David Venable will be co-hosting with LISA BEARNSON on the 12/31 show. HERE is a link to the QVC program schedule for December 31, including the following times for “Creating Keepsakes Paper Crafting”:

12am to 1am
3am to 4am
3pm to 4pm

*These times are EST; please adjust for your time zone. They give a pretty generic description but all these slots say they are Lisa Bearnson, so coolio. The only mention I could find on LIsa’s blog was from her 12/9/08 entry: “P.S.S. I’m getting ready for a big QVC day on December 31st. Shutterfly and Creating Keepsakes have teamed up for some amazing projects. Stay tuned again for more information on these products.” By the way, if you want a handy reminder of these shows, you can go to their Program Guide and follow the instructions to have reminders sent to your e-mail. Yeah, they got our back.

This is from the “Look Who’s Scrapbooking” QVC blog:

“Scrapbooking in 2009
Dec 22, 2008
Hello Scrappers!

We know you’re getting ready for the holidays and looking forward to the New Year. It’s the perfect time to get organized…and buy more scrapbook supplies! So be sure to tune in on December 31 for three hours of Creating Keepsakes and an exciting Today’s Special Value® item. There’s plenty more to come in 2009 — new trends, brands, and one-hour designer shows. We’ll have some new exciting launches, too, so make sure you check our program guides and the website for more details. And be sure to share your thoughts on our message boards as well! Tell us what new finds you’re loving in the market so we can scope it out at the upcoming CHA tradeshow in February 2009.

Sincerely,
QVC Buyers”

Since I’m on the West Coast, I’ll probably watch all the shows live but I’m gonna’ set up my Tivo now just in case. I hope they have some good stuff and not just all the Shutterfly biz. I’m sorry, but to me, “photobooking” is not “scrapbooking” and I think it’s bad for the industry. But that’s just me, LOL!…Do you plan to watch?

HSN Scrapbooking 12/22/08

Just a heads up…set your Tivo! There are only 2 shows but the word “clearance” is mentioned. Ah, not a more beautiful word in the English language…

If you were wondering about upcoming QVC Scrapbooking shows, I did a search on my satellite guide and got no results. Gah! As I recall, they weren’t going to have any more scrapbooking shows in 2008. If anyone has more info, please let me know :)

45% Off Everything @ Frugalities.com thru 12-19-08

I just got this e-mail from Frugalities.com. I somewhat hesitate to post it because 1. I’ve never ordered from them so I can’t vouch for their service, and 2. Back when this was a “frenzy” on CKMB, I seem to remember some negative reviews. So, get down with that 45% discount at your own risk…but it sounds like a great deal, doesn’t it???
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

SAVE 45% ON EVERYTHING! WE ARE ENDING 2008 IN A HUGE WAY!!
YOU ASKED FOR A BIG SALE, AND WE ARE RESPONDING!!

SPECIAL PURCHASE! We’ve just made a special purchase of 12,500 different items and we’re offering you exceptional savings: SAVE 45% OFF EVERYTHING.

Sometimes our buyers have the ability to make special purchases. A manufacturer may be overstocked. Or a store may be overstocked. Either way, this means our costs are reduced and we can pass along exceptional savings.

We’ve cleared the shelves once again to get ready for the New Year! We have loaded up 12,500 SKUs which we have made a special purchase on. And, we’re offering a very special no-frills discount of 45% off all retail prices of the entire selection.

Everything in this sale is brand new, first quality, and factory packaged. You just can’t ask for a better way to wrap the year up!!

It isn’t often that we can offer discounts this deep, so hurry as we cannot reorder many of these items and when they are sold out they may be gone forever.

US POSTAL RATES FOR SHIPPING:
As always, everything has been precisely weighed and we only charge US Postal Service rates (to the penny). This means there is no hidden profit built into our shipping. But do remember that at 45% off, a $50 purchase from us weighs twice as much as a $50 purchase from the other stores because you get twice as much for your money from us!

Share us with a friend and you can both save. By the way, if you order together you will save on postage, too! The reason is simple: The post office has a base charge for the delivery and then a per-pound charge, so you only have to pay one base charge if several people place a combined order at the same time. (Please order on a single order as we cannot combine them after they are finalized.)

SORRY, ONLY VISA AND MASTER CARD ACCEPTED FOR THIS SALE: During this sale we only can accept Visa and Master Card (Sorry, no Discover Card or American Express because of the higher processing costs). We thank you for your understanding.

SALE ENDS December 19, 2008: Happy bargain hunting and happy 45% savings through December 19th.(Selection changes on the 20th and prices will go up.)

The Frugalities.com team
www.Frugalities.com

Michaels Coupons and Sales for Black Friday and Beyond

HERE is 20% off your entire purchase and sale items for Thanksgiving night, 6 to 9pm…

and… BLADOW!

HERE is all kinda coupons for Thursday, Friday and Saturday, including 50% off one item. Read the fine print; there’s lots of it.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all. I am grateful every single day…for living in the most awesome country in the world, having my family’s well being, and for scrapbook shopping at a discount. Not sure if I’ll be posting until Monday, as we are headed over the river and through the woods to spend some time with my family. Let’s just say I went wine shopping today…

Have a wonderful holiday, ya’ll. Mwuah, mwuah, will miss you, lovies!

2009 Calendar by Basic Grey

Just a quick post about this, because it’s a HOT TOPIC over at 2peas. It’s what I used my 40% COUPON on the other night.

I think it’s so cool that KELLY GOREE (from Basic Grey) is a Pea, and I admire how she handles herself over there. HERE’s a blog post where she talks about how important PEA-ing has been to her. You’re a talented designer and a class act, Miss Kelly…

DYMO Caption Maker for Scrapbooking…and a Contest!

A nice lady named Beth contacted me recently. She wanted to share information with me and my readers about a new product, and a CONTEST. {Guess she could tell we’re a little Scrapbook Obsessed ’round here…}. I copied this from the link she provided:

“Your scrapbook could be featured in our next ad!
To help introduce the NEW DYMO® Caption Maker, we’re giving one lucky scrapbooker a chance to have their artwork featured in a future DYMO® Caption Maker magazine ad. Use unique and inspiring personalized captions, borders, and fonts on your next scrapbook, submit it and you could WIN! Winning has never been more fun! Get started today and you could be the talk of the town when your scrapbook is featured in your favorite scrapbooking magazine. Be sure to check back and vote among the 5 scrapbook finalists.”

Here is some 4-1-1 about the DYMO Caption Maker that Beth shared in her e-mail:

“The new DYMO Caption Maker is an easy to use embossing tool that enables creative captioning, journaling and bordering through a variety of symbols, letters and fonts. It includes three interchangeable wheels – one for lowercase, one for uppercase and one with a script font.”

And here is a photo of this new scrapbooking/cardmaking tool…I’m digging the pink!

THE DEADLINE IS 12/31/08 SO GET ON IT, GIRLFRIEND!!

All the details are HERE. Good luck and let me know if you win! Would be pretty stylin’ to see your layout in a magazine ad….

Creative Memories and Chapter 11

Maybe you never thought those two things would be in the same sentence! But, yes, you can read about HERE, HERE, and HERE. I’ll copy one of the shorter articles so you get the gist of it:

“Creative Memories parent company files for bankruptcy protection
BY BRITT JOHNSEN • BLJOHNSEN@STCLOUDTIMES.COM • NOVEMBER 13, 2008

The owner of Creative Memories has filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy and has reached an agreement with its lenders to restructure its debt, according to a company statement. The Antioch Co. and six of its subsidiaries today filed voluntary petitions for Chapter 11 protection with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of Ohio. Chapter 11 allows a company to stay in business while it reorganizes its finances.

The company said it will continue operating and doesn’t anticipate “any reduction in employee headcount or changes in operating facility locations,” according to a statement released through a New York-based public relations agency. Calls made to Creative Memories today were not immediately returned.”

And here’s just a portion of one article I’d like to share with you:

“After completing a comprehensive strategic review of the business, The Antioch Company, with the guidance of industry experts and turnaround specialists, determined that a pre-packaged filing was in the best interest of the future of Creative Memories,” said Asha Morgan Moran, global president of Creative Memories.

Can I just get a little “tee hee” about her name?

And another side track: THIS link has nothing to do with their current situation, but I came across this book preview when I was searching for info for this post. Just some interesting reading, if ya have the time…As someone who has been in the scrapbooking business here and there, I would enjoy reading about how those ladies built such a successful company. Think I’ll put this book on my Christmas list…

After I wrote this post, I saw that THE PEAS are already talking about it, too. Nothing escapes those gals!

I assume this development doesn’t surprise anyone? Creative Memories has had it’s share of ups and downs lately, and this devastating economy is being kind to no one. For the sake of their remaining employees, dedicated consultants, and loyal customers, I hope the restructuring plan is approved and goes well for all involved. Good luck, CM!

And your thoughts?

Basic Grey ‘Mistletoe and Pears’ at Michaels Only

Here is a better photo of it, than the blurry one in my LAST POST

And Kelly Goree with Basic Grey just posted this over at 2peas:

“Mistletoe and Pear is an exclusive line to M’s. It will only be available in a paper pack and there will be no embellishments (chipboard, buttons, brads, stickers, etc.) available for this line. From what I understood, this line wasn’t to be displayed at M’s until their Thanksgiving sale. That might explain why some of you are finding it and some are not. Technically, no one should have it just yet.”

So I guess, technically, I was very lucky my Mike’s doesn’t read their corporate memos very closely, LOL. {Actually, the manager there is a MAN and we know they don’t cotton much to reading directions}. But I wanted you to know that if you aren’t finding it in your store, that’s why. Hang in there for their Thanksgiving sale…see the amazing ad HERE and HERE. Supposedly, Michaels will be open from 6-9pm on Thanksgiving night. In the meantime, maybe THIS coupon will make you feel better?

Christmas, Basic Grey, and Scrap Calendars at Michaels

I’m notorious for complaining about the lack of “new stuff” at Michaels, right? Yeah, I know, whine and complain, it’s what I do. Mama always told me, “If you’re good at something, stick with it.” But blow me down, I have to actually give Mike some props for all the new shizzle they got goin’ on these days. It was to the point where I wasn’t even !GASP! spending my coupons there every week because there just. wasn’t. anything. But my fine friends over at 2peas started posting about spying new stuff at Mike’s HERE.

So Friday night after work, I went by the Mike’s in my town to see what I could see. I was Stealth Girl for ya again and took some pix with my iPhone {sorry for the poor quality…it was the best I could do}.

In that Designer Scrapbooking section in the front of the scrapbook area, here is what I found….buncha new K&Co. and MAMBI Christmas stuff. This is 2 sides of the carousel; the other end and opposite side had all the Christmas stuff by Martha Stewart. I don’t like her stuff, so I’m not showing you, nanner nanner. If you must, you can see some of it HERE.

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Sorry, those hugamic glitter snowflakes do absolutely nothing for me. But the rest of it was pretty dang cool. I restrained myself from buying yet another pack of shaped/die cut papers, tho’ the K&Co. Christmas ones were mighty tempting. I was so very well-behaved…I used my 40% coupon on one of these:

And I got the K&Co. rub-ons with the Christmas tree in the top left of the top photo. Also, the MAMBI green word JOLLY in the third photo.

Yep, that was all. Even though I had just sold my Clip It Up and all my non-Bazzill cardstock on Craigslist, and had a buttload of cash in my pocket. No, don’t be too proud of me. I knew I was doing more shopping on Sunday, so I wanted to save some of it. My friend, ABBY aka ScrapbookFrenzy, told me about some bargains she found at TUESDAY MORNING which just happens to be in The Big City where I do my Costco shopping, and right next door to another Michaels, the one that usually has all the new stuff when my Mike’s has just a taste of it. So today I hit those two mamma jammas. At Tuesday Morning, they had as promised a bunch of Making Memories stuff. All I got were two 12×12 K&Co. albums for $7 each (I get two of any albums I will use for our yearly family album, as I feel the need to scrap every single photo ever taken, and therefore need two albums per year). Again, I didn’t SPEND $14, I SAVED over $25 {stick with me, kid, I’ll show you how it’s done…}. They are really pretty, with embossed covers, subtle colors, the raised frame window on the cover, and a space where you can spell out your family name or whatever you want. If anyone wants to see a photo, leave me a comment and I’ll get one posted. But it’s almost 1am and I have to get up at 6 o’clock. Who invented mornings and jobs anyway?

At The Big City Michaels, here is what I found…

The American Crafts cardstock I’ve been hearing so much about. It comes in the cool cardboard vertical holders, so you don’t even have to unpack it when you get home, just throw on the shelf. But be careful and pick one from the bottom of the pile…I noticed the ones on top had had their corners rifled through so many times, they were looking a bit shabby.

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Here is a crappy, blurry picture of the Basic Grey Christmas paper pad (got me summa that) and a gorgeous Christmas pad by My Minds Eye. I already have several of those papers from page kits I bought last year, so I passed. But it was very pretty. If you’re looking for something classy and subtle to make your Christmas cards with, I would recommend the MME stack.

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Here are the calendar kits by MAMBI (left) and Basic Grey (right). I so wanted both of them. I literally picked up and put down the BG kit THREE times. It is so freakin’ adorable. Oh, I {heart} Basic Grey! I liked the smaller size too. The MAMBI one was cool because it’s 12×12 spiral bound so it could be kept on your shelf kind of like an album when the year is over. The colors are bright and cheerful, a calendar project I’m sure your kids would enjoy doing with you or making for Gramma and Grampa..

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There was a Bazzill cardstock pack in Christmas colors that I also had in my hot little hands, but when I compared the price to the AC cardstock, it was much more expensive (if I’m remembering right, it was the same price but you got half as much??). The quality of the AC seemed comparable, so I got it instead. If you’ve tried both AC and Bazzill cardstock, let me know how you think they compare, okay? I used my 50% off newspaper coupon and my 50% receipt coupon, so I didn’t spend $20, I SAVED $20. That’s what I told DH anyways…

And of course, while in The Big City, I went to Barnes and Noble…got my December CK and a cool mag about making scrapbook photo albums. I skimmed through it tonight while watching Kung Fu Panda with the fam, and I really liked it. Read more about it HERE {psst…but don’t order it from CK; their customer service *sux*…}.

So those were my shopping adventures. If you’ve been avoiding Mike’s lately like I have, you should go check it out…you’ll be pleasantly surprised :)

Rock-a-Block Acrylic Blocks by Crafter’s Companion

I first heard about this new item when I saw it demonstrated on HSN a week or two ago. Here is a photo of them, and the LINK from the HSN presentation:

As you can see on the HSN link, the HSN price is $19.95 and the Event Price was $17.95 for all 4 blocks. You can also see that they SOLD OUT. Which is kind of rude, since I was thinking of buying some…but whatevs…

Anywizzle, I decided to do some research and see if I truly need these thangs. I’ve become quite an avid acrylic stamper, using them both in my scrapbooks and to make cards. Lawd knows I can’t afford a Slice right now, but maybe this new goody could tide me over til I can open a secret credit card and sneak a Slice into the house without hubby noticing.

So based on the HSN demonstration, I was really impressed. They made it look so easy to just “Rock….Your Block!” The male, un-scrapper host even tried it and, wowzers, if he didn’t make the perfect stamped image on his first try! But I wasn’t born yesterday, or even the day before. I know they have a way of making those TV demos look like it’s so super dooper easy to use something, then you buy it, get it home, and can’t repeat their success. I mean, how do you think EK Success sold so many Blade Runners and those stupid plastic templates?

Shee-ite! You ever try to actually work one of those things? They made it cut like butta’ on TV, but you try it at home and all you have is a bunch if ripped, fuzzy, crumpled paper. And a Blade Runner sticking out of your scrap room wall after you hurled it across the room. You understand why I’m skeptical, no?

Off to do some research. First stop, the home of the British company who manufactures the Rock-a-Block, the Crafter’s Companion WEBSITE. Here’s their pic of the RaB:

And here is kinda how you use them (photo also taken from the Crafter’s Companion website):

Here is their blurb about the product (yep, again from the CC website):

“Brand new from Crafter’s Companion – an innovative and unique stamp mounting system designed to make stamping easy and to ensure you get perfect results every time.

The new Rock-a-blocks are designed to work using a combination of the rocking action, coupled with the innovative depth gauge (the ‘runners’) to give even pressure to the application of ink to the surface to give you perfect stamped impressions every time.

The new Rock-a-blocks come packaged in a set of four including 6”x4”, 6” x 1½” , 4”x3” and 1”x1” so they will work with all of your different stamp sizes.”

The price shown on the Crafter’s Companion website for the same 4 blocks is £14.99. Color me Not British (except I like to say “Mum” and “water closet” and “pram” just to piss off my friends; they say, “Who’re you, Madonna?” and we all have a bit of a laugh….ahem, I digress…). Color me Not British, but I don’t know what the hell that price translates to. Anybody??

In search of reviews and discussions, I found THIS, THIS, THIS, and THIS. Oh yeah, and THIS and THIS too. I went to my trusty source for craft product reviews, CRAFT CRITIQUE, but couldn’t find a review of the Rock-a-Block. They say you can e-mail them with review requests, so I e-mailed them of course, cuz I’m a pest that way. If you would also like them to review this system, feel free to drop them a line (psstt! maybe if they hear from more than one person, and from someone other than a blogger with “obsession” in her name, they will take the request more seriously…thanks!).

And you’re going to be so happy with me, you’ll put me on your Christmas card list, ‘cuz I found a demo video for ya’! It’s from HSN (a different presentation than the one I saw), with that cutie Todd Newton who used to be on E! channel. Here is the LINK.

So, whadya think? You likee?

My Clip It Up is FOR SALE **SOLD!**

** YAHOO!! I sold it on Craigslist this past Friday!! Thanks everyone :) **

Here are pix of my Clip It Up by Simply Rene, along with instructions and accessories (scrapbook supplies not included, of course):

The black tabs and white sticker labels are so you can divide your categories up. I never had time to put them together, but it would be cool to sort by category (rub ons, letters, stamps, etc) or subject (outdoor, Christmas, kids, etc).

I paid retail for it at a local craft store:
Base Unit $60
Cover $24
TOTAL $84

Will sell both items for $70 including shipping (US only; will ship elsewhere if you pay the difference).

Here’s the story: I used to sell scrapbook products at crops, but I’m no longer doing that. The Clip It Up was used to display items at 2 crops; the rest of the time, it sat untouched and covered on my scrap table. I love it, actually, but I have such good storage systems already going for my scrap stuff that I really don’t need it any longer. But I highly recommend the CIU as a way to store any kind of embellie. I’ve heard of people using it to store anything from stickers to rub-ons to their entire acrylic stamp collection. It’s wonderful for putting your things out where you really see and will use them, instead of hiding away in some kind of storage container.

The black cover is great and keeps the dust off your stuff. I have just the Base Unit, so I tuck the excess cover length under the base and it REALLY keeps the dust and light out. But if you want to add the Upper Tier later, the cover will ‘cover’ the entire thing.

First right of refusal goes to a friend at AMR who was looking for a good price on a Clip It Up, which is what finally prompted me to list mine for sale. If she doesn’t want it, it’s up for grabs! You can leave a comment here or e-mail me (addie is in my About Me page).

Scrapbook Shopping on Columbus Day

I was lucky enough to have the day off due to a State holiday…Columbus Day. Since I now work M-F 8 to 5, it was nice to have a weekday for errands. Went to get some labs done, met with our financial guy, met with the school principal, etc. Of course, I needed some retail therapy after all that! Got my 2 new scrap mags at Barnes & Noble…

I heard the November issue of Scrapbooks Etc is out but I haven’t been able to find it yet. Anyway, I’ve skimmed through the CK so far and it looks REALLY good! I’m so happy to see that BRENDA ARNALL is back with some EASY PATTERNS. This time, she incorporates some of those fun journaling stamps…of which I have more than plenty, and other great journaling ideas. HERE are the free downloads from the article (as of 10-13-08, they aren’t working but it says to keep trying back). LIZZY K talks about where you can turn your blog into a book, which is something I’d already planned to do, so I was happy to find a $10 discount code for CK readers! My girl NOEL is featured in an article on kids Thanksgiving projects. And there’s a fun scrap space featured that is geared towards having your friends in to scrap with you. I’m such a sucker for those Scrap Space features. I could read an entire book with nothing but ‘real people’ scrap spaces, couldn’t you?

After B&N was the craft store I sometimes call my LSS…cuz they are pretty cool and get some recent stuff, unlike Mike’s. I got a few sheets of Bazzill, and this paper from Little Yellow Bicycle’s ‘Frightful’ collection. It’s meant to be Halloween paper, but I’m just going to use it on some boy pages. I think it’ll look great with a bright shade of blue or teal.

I only have around 25 sets of acrylic stamps and obviously need more, so I also got these (They were $25, but only $15 with my coupon):

Won’t they be fun to color in with marker or colored pencil?? I swear, half of the appeal of scrapbooking is that I can play and doodle and be artsy-craftsy like when I was a kid. So please don’t pee in my Wheaties and tell me I didn’t need these stamps, k? They are part of my regression therapy, part of my ‘live like there’s no tomorrow’, part of my ‘recapturing my youth.’ You support that, don’t you?

Lastly, I went to Mike’s and used a 50% off coupon to get another Jetmax 3-drawer cube (remember, I’m STOCKING UP). I threw in 2 sheets of Bazzill ‘cuz I’ve heard at some stores they’re including Bazzill in the 4 for $1 sale (which applies to 59 cent sheets and Bazzill is 69 cents, but some are doing it anyway). Well, the butthuggers at the Mike’s I went to charged me full price for them so I’m glad I only grabbed two.

Okay, fess up, what scrappy goods have you bought lately? And whatya think of the latest CK?

Some Updates….

It’s Sunday night, and I just got done watching Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters. That Sally and Calista, they had me a-booin’ and a-hooin’ again tonight. When Nora is telling Kitty how she thought she finally saw her as more than just the mom who drove her to ballet lessons, and Kitty shows her the book dedication…all to Nora, who she couldn’t have written the book without. {Sniff, sniff}. Mother/daughter relationships are so complex and deep…that show really knows how to capture it all.

Okay, well, just wanted to give an update on some of my past posts….

The RUMMAGE SALE: It was Saturday morning and, wouldn’t you know it, not a drop of rain here in months but when does it decide to rain???? Saturday morning, and only Saturday morning. Not a drop of rain except during those rummage sale hours. But it went okay anyway, I guess. It was a community rummage sale, where you pay for your space and that money goes as a fundraiser. I was stationed next to a friend of mine, so we gabbed all day between making sales. I’d say I sold about 1/3 to 1/2 of what I took out there, even some of the scrapbooking stuff. One gal came back three times, LOL! The biggest sale from SB stuff was an SEI 8×8 album in a box, it was from a CKU class, and was all pre-done, just pop in your photos and add the journaling. I sold it for $12, although just the materials were worth more than that. But the color scheme was something I was never going to use so why not? It went to a happy home, a young high school or college age scrapper who said she would scrap more if she had time. I hope the purchase helps her get a quick album done :)

Another success story {follow me on this, I promise, it will make sense}: So, on the other side of my space was a lady selling homemade chicken taquitos and pork and chicken tamales. OMG. That was just cruel to make me smell that yumminess all day! {Mexican food is my ATF, All Time Fave}. About half way through the morning, I ate my little Tillamoo cheese and non-fat Yoplait yogurt. Fighting like a real warrior against giving in to that Mexican food. Then DH says, “I’m taking off, there’s a game on so I’m heading home. Please bring a mess of those taquitos home for me.” At first, I’m like “WTF??”….then I realized hey, there’s my excuse to buy ME some taquitos, too, LOL! So I ask the lady, “Are you going to be here til the end, because I want to buy some taquitos to take home?” and she says, “Yes.” So at the end of the day, I still had about 2/3 of the clothing I had put out for sale and was dreading bagging it all up and taking it to AmVets. The lady from the taquito place comes over and is looking through all the clothes (they were kids clothes) and I can tell she’d like to have many of them but is only setting aside a few. So I said, “You know, you can just have all those clothes if you want them,” and her face totally lights up. Then she says, “I’ll give you food in exchange.” I mean, was that the Deal of the Century or what? Too funny….

So, all in all, it was a good day. The kids ran around and played with their friends, I got to chat with a friend, offload some things I didn’t need, and I got to eat taquitos! And we were blessed by God’s rain which, even if you’re trying to hold a rummage sale, is a beautiful, blessed thing.

Now, to update my SCRAPBOOK STORAGE post: Gosh, this is me at my most indecisive. I measured my room and figured out how many more Store In Style cubes, doors, shelves, etc. I would need to make the perfect set-up. Let’s just say the number of cubes was in the double digits, but still cheaper than buying an Ikea Expedit and having it shipped (since I don’t live anywhere near an Ikea), or any other scrap storage options I could find. I found a great online site to order them from since Mike’s no longer carries them. And there they’ve sat in my Shopping Cart for over a week. I finally got over the price tag, but then started imagining the day 4 jillion boxes were dropped by UPS on my doorstep. I truly think DH would bust a gut, maybe even an aneurysm, over that one. I know this from experience, that he doesn’t care about the what’s and why’s and ‘but honey, I got such a great deal on it!’. All he knows is his wife went mad buying scrap stuff and he would be none too happy. So then I thought, what if I just buy a few at a time? But, no, it’s still UPS dropping packages here, still busting guts, still aneurysms, still not good. So my latest idea hit me when I was at Mike’s last week trying to spend my 40% coupon on something I actually needed. Duh, storage cubes, nimrod! I bought one of the cubes that they now carry, I think the brand name is Jetmax. I got the 3-drawer one like in this picture:

They are regularly $30, only $18 with the coupon. Now I’m going to see if I can make it work with collecting a bunch of these babies to create my Scrap Storage Nirvana. They are slightly smaller than the SIS cubes and since I have an odd number…well, it’s hard to explain without drawing a diagram, but I’d still need to buy a few SIS cubes. Then hopefully I can fill in the rest of my wall with the Mike’s ones. I’ll just buy one a week with my coupon, and spend actually less money than buying the SIS cubes online. I have a little windfall cash set aside just for this project and I need to get going on this before the vacuum cleaner or washing machine breaks (that would be SO my luck). Just remember, my well-made decisions can spin on a dime, but that’s the plan…for now!

Finally, to update my QVC post, I did watch most of the QVC scrapbooking shows and no, I didn’t buy a single thing. Not because I didn’t want anything, merely because….no money, no shop-ee. Times like this, I wish I were Katie Holmes…{wink}.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend. Did you do anything scrappy?

Scrapbooking Items in a Rummage Sale?

I don’t know how well this will go over, but we’re having a neighborhood rummage sale this weekend and I’m going to try and sell some scrappy stuff. Just tools I bought and never used, paper and embellies I don’t need, and all that non-Bazzill cardstock LOL! {I’ve told you I’m a Bazzill Snob now, right?}.

I’m going to sell other items too, so I’m roaming the entire house and cleaning out closets – clothes, toys, books, home deco, that kind of stuff. Out of one bedroom alone, I got 1 garbage sack of clothes to toss and 3 sacks of clothes to try and sell. No big items to sell except we have a set of French doors we bought and never installed (then we got a new slider to match the other new slider, and well, you know…). Um, we’re just going to print out a flyer and take it to the rummage sale…I ain’t lugging those thangs all the way there, LOL!

If I have time, I’d like to batch up my scrapbook stuff into larger ‘kits’ or ‘lots,’ price it really well, and just get rid of it all. Whatever of the household stuff/clothing that doesn’t sell, I will load it back into the car and take it straight to AmVets for donation. But the scrappy stuff, I just can’t do that, LOL. Will have to find a way to work it back into my stash (NNNNNOOOOOOOOO!!!), or find a worthy local cause to donate it to.

Have you ever tried to sell scrapbook stuff at a regular ol’ rummage sale? How’d it go?

Katie Holmes, A Scrapbooker?

Read all about it HERE. I heard this first from A POST on 2peas, then I posted it at AMR.


*Photo and story are from www.CELEBITCHY.com…cool gossip site…

If it’s true, I think it’s pretty cool. I would really envy her. She doesn’t seem to be working much these days so time is plentiful. She has unlimited money and, apparently, a fancy scrapbook room. She has a gorgeous family and fabulous trips and famous friends to scrapbook about. I’d say she has the ideal life for a scrapper! You GO, Katie!

Basic Grey ‘Granola’ and ‘Urban Prairie’

You’ve probably heard me say a million or so times how much I love BASIC GREY. And I recently did THIS POST about their Granola and Urban Prairie paper pads being carried exclusively at Michaels. Well, after reading THIS post at 2peas and other MB posts, I caved and bought them both. I’ve actually been scrapping a lot lately (vs. my usual ‘scrapbook supply collecting,’ an activity I’ve perfected), so I didn’t feel too awful guilty about buying yet more patterned paper. Yeah, that’s me, the PAPER SLUT

So, I bought the BG paper pads the other day and love them both; one has such a pretty color combo (pink, black, white, yellow and teal) and the other will be great for men/boy layouts (blues and browns). They retail for $20; I used my 50% off coupon for one and paid full price for the other (gawd, when was the last time I paid full price for a big ticket item….nopers, can’t remember! but there were only 3 of each and I couldn’t bear to miss out). Of course, this week all Mike’s paper pads went on sale for 40% off. I heard through the scrapvine that you could take your receipt in and get reimbursed for the difference. That’s like, what?, 8 bucks. Yep, worth it. I went in to Mike’s tonight with THIS WEEK’s 50% off coupon, browsed the store, and ended up with some Archival Mist. You know, one of those “you need it and it’s very expensive, so a coupon is great, but you’d rather spend it on something more sexy” kind of item. I also got some ‘sexy’ ceramic glue to repair my little green ceramic cross that broke (that’s some kinda really bad sign, right?). I looked at the Cricut cartridges that are on such a great sale this week, but didn’t want any of them badly enough to justify the bucks.

At the register, I asked about the refund and the manager told me, yes, they would refund the difference but I needed to bring the item in with me. Which I hadn’t. She was very apologetic and said she was sorry I had to come all the way back, and I’m like, “Oh yeah, I really hate coming here, it’s my least favorite store in the whole world. Oh…No….Please don’t make me come back again!” and she and checker boy (yes, a boy!) laughed at me. Just another positive customer service exchange for me…or turning lemons into lemonade, however you wanna look at it.

One last story before I go….I delivered a couple orders tonight after work (I’m a consultant for MEMORY WORKS). One delivery entailed dropping something at the office of my friend *J*, who happens to be a doctor. She had ordered a Basic Grey MAGNETIC MAT.

Her office was just closing as I arrived…I assume it was one of her nurses that was putting down the window blinds, etc. So I start handing her this kinda large, black item with a metal ruler, all encased in hard plastic and she kind of backs up and is hesitant to grab it. Then she slowly reached for it, turned it all around and studying it like I had just handed her an instrument of medieval torture or something. I said, “This is for *J*. She ordered it from me,” and she goes, “Uhhhhh…..okaaayyyy.” Gosh I wish I knew what verbage was running through her mind! Suffice to say, she couldn’t have been a scrapbooker and I’m sure she thought I was some crazy lady. It all made me wonder if *J* has not come out of he closet and told her employees that she’s a {GASP!} scrapbooker? I just thought that was a funny little moment. I live in this scrapper vacuum and think everyone ‘gets’ it, because I spend most of my online and IRL time with friends who are scrappers (um, yeah, sad but true). Sometimes I need to be reminded that the entire cotton pickin’ world is not inhabited with scrapbookers; instead, most have no idea what in the heck we are doing…

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