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More Tutorials for EK Success & Fiskars Border Punches

I’ve posted links to border punch tutorials in the past and know how much we all love them, so here’s another one. Check it out HERE. Thanks to ABBY aka ScrapbookFrenzy for pointing this out! It’s from the Studio Calico BLOG, which has lots of other yumminess. I confess to owning 2 of the punches she uses (Threading Water aka eyelet punch, and Leave it to Weaver, with the ribbon slots). Now, of course, I’ll be getting the 3rd one with the waves … if I can find it with a coupon.

I love the idea of threading ribbon through the THREADING WATER punch. That punch is so versatile. You can also put brads in the eyelet holes, or STICKLES, or SKITTLES.

When I saw the card she added the border to…

…I started to feel like there was an online conspiracy against me. I want that new line from Cosmo Cricket called EARLY BIRD soooo bad, and I keep seeing projects all over the place where it’s used but I don’t have mine….yet! I will be ordering it from MEMORY WORKS, like, pronto. I can’t take it anymore.

These border punches by EK Success and Fiskars are so popular. HERE is a thread on 2peas asking, “How many border punches do you have?” I was glad to see I’m not alone in having quite a few.

Confession time: I have …… um, let’s see …… 3 Martha Stewart ……. plus 2 Fiskars ……. plus 2 EK Success ……. equals 7! That’s not TOOO embarrasing, is it? What’s embarrassing is how many more of them I want.

You’re turn to ‘fess up…How many border punches do YOU have?

Thickers and Martha Stewart Wedding at Big Lots

Finally! Some THICKERS showed up at my Big Lots. Not that I was stalking it….because I wasn’t….I mean, not that you can prove….

Here are the ones I bought. I wasn’t thrilled with the selection, especially compared to what I’ve seen others post from their BL. But, hey, 2 bucks for something that normally goes for $4-5? I’ll take it, mama!

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Did you know that Big Lots also has a bunch of MARTHA STEWART wedding stuff right now? There are packages of tiny bling and pearls, cake topper frames, garlands, etc. As one would imagine, Martha’s items are very tasteful and of good quality. I was tempted by some MS 12×12 postbound albums that were marketed as a Wedding Guest Book. I don’t need one of those, but I figured for 2 bucks a piece, I could pull out the guest book pages and insert a bunch of page protectors. Alas, I decided against buying any. Here is what I DID get. These MS heart tins I got the last time I was there. Only $2 for 24 pretty little tins. I’m going to put candies in them and give them away at my crop in July.

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The daisy coasters are stinkin’ adorable. Think I will keep a couple for me, then give the rest out at the crop, too. Don’t you think they make a great embellishment for a Spring layout? The scalloped ones are so much cuter (and less orange) in real life. I flipped one over so you can see that you could just use the white side for a journaling box. In really faint print, it has a tiny logo in the middle but you can easily write over it.

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I’ve been having a really rough week so that was a nice little surprise. I got a screamin’ deal on my favorite shampoo at Big Lots, too. Me likey that store….

Are You Disloyal to the LSS If You Shop Big Box or Discount?

There is an older post on my blog where I told you about some cool items that were new to Michaels. Here is a comment I recently received on that entry:

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A few posts ago you lamented the possible closing of your LSS. Yet it’s posts like this — and all your “look at the mass deals at big box stores and HSN” and “buy from me @ Scrapworks so I can break even” posts — that are helping put the independent LSSs out of business.

I’m not saying that nobody’s entitled to a bargain. But you can’t have it both ways.
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When she said, “A few posts ago you lamented the possible closing of your LSS,” she was referring to THIS post. Her reference to HSN is HERE (well, one of my many, LOL) and “. . . buy from me @ Scrapworks so I can break even,” is referring to, I guess, THIS post about my affiliation with MEMORY WORKS, because I don’t recall ever asking you to buy from me so I can break even (?).

Anyway, I was not surprised or insulted by her comment, as its one that I expected to hear, I guess. But, as I e-mailed to the poster of the comment, I think it brings up a very interesting point. I mean, the state of this industry – the scrapbooking industry – does cause quite a dilemma for those of us who would like to support it and keep it alive. For real. How do we reconcile the endless message board posts and blog entries about the great deals to be found at big box stores, et al? How do we explain our online orders to “peachy cheap” sites and the like? How do we defend our copious use of 40% and 50% off coupons at stores like Michaels, Hobby Lobby, and the like? (The commenter didn’t even call me out on that one….but my conscience forced me to confess it, yeah).

Well, here is my story, and I’m stickin’ to it….

{I’m going to repeat things I’ve said again and again on this blog, so you lovely Regular Readers, please forgive me the repetition. But here goes…}

I live in a rural area. A few years ago, there were 7…count ’em, SEVEN…local scrapbook stores within one hour of me. There were 2 LSSs in the town next to me (15 minutes away), 3 stores that were 30 minutes away, and 2 more that were a good one-hour drive. To many, you wouldn’t even call 5 of those stores an “LSS”…how “local” is it, if you have to drive for 30 minutes to one hour to get there? But I considered them my local stores. I choose to live in the boondocks, so I understand shopping here is not at a premium and though someone in LA might have crazy access to the stores of their choice, I don’t. Just the way it is.

But here’s the point: When there were 7 LSSs within driving distance of me, I shopped ’em, baby! That was back when I worked my high-powered job and made excellent money. Scrapbooking was new to me and I had some serious product collection to do, ya know what I mean? I didn’t limit my spending to LSS’s either….I shopped at Scrapbook Expo twice a year (which is made up of manufacturers, and of scrapbook stores from far and wide). I shopped at CKU. When I traveled for business, I found LSSs in the towns I went to and I shopped them Bad Boys, too. Looking back, it was an unhealthy obsession but my point….my point again was? Oh, that’s right! That no one has been a better Supporter of the LSS than me! Seriously.

To go back even further, I discovered scrapbooking in 2001 by attending a CREATIVE MEMORIES party (yeah, fess up, so did you!). I took one trip to MICHAELS way back then, didn’t really care for what I saw, and stayed away for years. I mean, I might go for the basics like adhesive and such but, for the most part, the LSS owned my heart. They had the helpful people, the latest products that I saw in CREATING KEEPSAKES magazine, and I didn’t know from a discount…I happily paid full retail price. Well, until I filled up my “frequent flyer” card at the LSS and got some free product. Shizzle, I was so happy each time, you wooda’ thought I won the freakin’ lottery!

Fast forward to 2007 and…welcome to my world…my income has shrunk considerably and 6 of the 7 LSSs in my area have closed. Now, to digress for a minute…sure the economy played a part in these store closures, and that is reflected in the mass amount of LSS closures nationwide. But to be fair, I would blame at least 5 of the 7 LSS closures on things OTHER THAN the failing economy/industry. MY dream was to open an LSS so, believe you me, I was paying close attention, I was running the numbers, and I was privy to “insider information” on several of these stores. The last thing I wanted was for these stores to fail. It truly. broke. my heart. I WANTED them to succeed. I rah rah’d them every chance I got. I took out of town visitors there. I had them sponsor my crops. I was a hugely loyal customer. I did not criticize them to anyone (in my out loud voice). I just shopped and supported and cropped. So you can imagine my sadness when, one by one, these local scrapbook stores closed their doors.

Okay, so after the closure of 6 of “my” 7 stores, where did that leave me to shop? You guessed it…Walmart. Target. Michaels. Eventually, Tuesday Morning opened 30 minutes from me where, quite by accident while looking for pillowcases one day, I discovered they carried scrapbooking supplies. And, lucky them, they are close to Costco where I shop once a month. Walmart has the basics. I have probably spent $20 on scrapbook supplies there in the past year. Target has slowly rotating stock, discounted prices that have slowly morphed thisclose to retail prices, and the occasional clearance endcap worth shopping. That leaves Michaels and Tuesday Morning, where I do utilize my coupons (for the few items they’re still allowed on, LOL) and I take advantage of the occasional good deal. My point is that (and there IS a point here, somewhere, I swear!), for those of us in less populated areas with no LSS within 30 minutes, do we have much of a choice? Am I not to shop at all, except for the few times per year I can justify driving 45 minutes to a town I have no other business in? My answer, the one I’m completely comfortable with, would be no.

I’m sure there will be those who disagree, and that’s groovy. What is America if not a place where we can agree to disagree, right? But I think I’m doing more of a service toward keeping the scrapbooking industry alive – even if I can’t personally support LSSs the way that I used to – by shopping at the likes of Michaels and Tuesday Morning, than if I did not shop for scrapbooking supplies at all. Let’s face it…in this horrible economy, scrapbook spending of any kind is a luxury. If I can, in my small bloggy way, entice people to spend ANY money on ANY scrapbooking materials, well then, I call myself a winner, damn it! I blog about items and deals at Michaels because that is my mainline to supplies (yeah, that drug reference was intentional). If I had LSSs to publicize, I would. Damn straight. Before the blog redesign (and you loyal readers will vouch for this), I had about a bazillion links to ALL MOMENTS REMEMBERED, my favorite online store, all over my blog. I linked to STACEY and her store every chance I got. Well, now even the AMR online store has fallen victim to these times and, although Stacey still sells supplies online through her ETSY store, there is no longer an AMR online store to link to. {Happy side note: Stacey opened a brick-and-mortar AMR in her town in Oregon and, at last report, it was doing great!}

Bottom line, what I’m trying to say in my as always verbose way is this: I’m doing the best I can. I shop my 45-minutes-away-LSS as often as I can. I shop at Michaels to the point where they yell “Norm!” when I walk in the door. If I see something I like at Tuesday Morning or Costco, I shop and I share. I sell Memory Works so I can make a little mo’ money to…guess what?…spend on scrapbook supplies. I don’t mind if people question my motives or my method, because I know I’m just doing my thang.

And I know that I do it out of the love I have for this craft and my true, heartfelt desire to play a part in keeping it on life support through these crushing times. I hope in my own small way, I inspire and support you in doing the same. Of course, support your LSS! But don’t feel badly if you show your financial support in other ways, too.

Shop on, Sistas!

PS: I would dearly love to hear your thoughts on this issue, but please, keep it nice. No harshing on the nice lady who left the comment that generated this post, or I will edit/delete posts as necessary. If you would like to harsh on me, that’s fine….

And the winner is…

Thank you so much for leaving comments on THIS post, telling me about your favorite scrapbook message boards and why you like them. They were so fun to read. I’ve already checked out and joined some of the MBs, and will be looking at some more when I get a chance. Anyway – blah, blah, blah – you don’t care, you just wanna’ know who won, right??

According to Random.org, the winner is:

Result:
9

Which means it’s …. KAYLA!!! aka mustangkayla

Yay, congratulations Kayla! I will be sending you a little sumthin’ sumthin’ in the mail. THANKS AGAIN EVERYONE!!

Thuh Blog: New Look and Linkees

I wanted to write about some changes I’ve been making to my blog and kind of ‘splain myself.

The Theme – I was rockin’ that WordPress “Albeo” theme for quite a while and I was really bored with it. I look at the darn thing every day and it just got old, ya know? It’s hard to find a format what will work with my content, mainly the larger photos I like to post…the better to see those scrapbook products with, my dear. I road tested a few new formats and have settled on this one.

The Header – This is my first theme with a customizable header and I finally figured out how to make one, LOL! The photo I have up there now is one I took of the Colosseum when I visited Rome in October 2006. I hope to occasionally change up the header photo.

The Memory Works Stuff – This is the main change I wanted to talk about. I’ve been a Memory Works consultant since February 2007 and I’ve had this blog since January 2007. So for the last 2+ years, I’ve kind of made it a point not to mix the two. My blog is about my scrapbook obsession, period. In almost 470 posts, I haven’t really talked about Memory Works or the products I sell. I’ve mentioned that I host crops, my “customers,” etc. but I think I’ve been pretty good about keeping this an obsessed scrapbooker’s blog vs. a Memory Works blog.

In all honesty, part of the reason I did it at the beginning was that they would’ve kicked me off of CKMB (Creating Keepsakes Message Board) if this was an MW blog. Their rule was that if you linked to your blog in your siggie, the blog’s primary purpose could not be to promote your biz. One time I had a close call when the CK tech people sent me a warning that I would be banned if I didn’t get rid of my blog link in my siggie. I politely explained that, while I was a consultant, the blog was a personal blog not a Memory Works blog. Then my people called their people and – badda bing – we came to an understanding. Nah, but that little episode did make me ultra paranoid about keeping it un-MW because I didn’t want to be sent packing from CKMB.

Well, since then, I’ve chosen to go packing on my own so CKMB has not been the issue for some time. I guess I just always felt weird about self-promoting, or coming off as a salesperson instead of as your scrapbooking friend who just wants to talk about the cute new stuff, ya know? But I guess the time has finally come where I can reconcile it all. This is my damn blog and if I want to talk about Memory Works and share a link or publicize my products, I’m going to! For shizzle. I figure after all the free publicity I’ve given, what, hundreds (?) of other companies over the years, it’s my turn. When I share products with you, I always make a point to provide a link where you can see more (even though some of them make it difficult or impossible to do so, something I just don’t get). My policy was to, if possible, link to the product manufacturer or however I could get you closest to the source of something. For instance, when I wrote about the Share and Tell system, I linked directly to the Pebbles Inc. website, not to an online store who sells it, or to another blogger that wrote about it. I mean, I might do all those other links in addition to, but I have always tried to drive traffic to the manufacturer.

But from now on, you will see me linking to product listings on my Memory Works site. I truly hope that doesn’t offend anyone. Why? Because I love you! I don’t want to ever become a ‘shove it down your throat’ salesperson. Heck, I can’t stand people like that (an example…a school mom I know wears her Pampered Chef polo to every. single. school event. I mean, seriously??). But I figure if I’m taking the time, love, and devotion to write up a product I love, and MW happens to carry said product, I’m going to link to my own site. Maybe you will never, ever, in a million years place an order with me and that is totally fine. But a girl can try, can’t she? {As it happens, the link to my Memory Works site is currently the “top click” on my blog and yet only one online friend has placed an order with me so far.}

This is kind of a side note but one thing that amazes me is that for all the free product endorsements I’ve provided for two years, with linkees to the manufacturer, I can probably count on one hand the number of times they have thanked me for the link. Either they are ungrateful, or they don’t know how to check their stats or run a Google check, which are basics I’d think scrapbook companies would possess. Anyway, I just don’t want you to think that all those manufacturers will be sorry to see my links go, LOL. They never even noticed them in the first place.

And just for the record, I have never received any sort of compensation for writing this dang blog. It has all been on my own time, for no financial gain. The few times I’ve received a free demo product in the mail, I’ve disclosed that in the review (the only ones coming to mind are the Ribbon Ring and the Angel Baby scrapbooking kit). I could have chosen to make some money off my blog with ads or some such, but I never did do that. I hope this MW thang is a happy medium that doesn’t bug you too much.

I guess that’s it. If I get out of hand with the Memory Works stuff, to the point where it’s so overdone that you run from the room screaming…tell me. A good smack upside the head usually works. Then in your best New York accent, say, “Snap out of it!” just like Cher said to Nicolas Cage in Moonstruck. I mean it.

If you have any thoughts on the whole matter, please share. Even if you hate everything I just said. Seriously.

Cosmo Cricket “Early Bird”

Yippie kie YAY! Memory Works now has the new COSMO CRICKET!! I love the color way, the cherries, just the general happy-ness of it.

Here’s what you get with our exclusive THEME SET: Six 12×12 sheets of double-sided patterned cardstock paper and one 12×12 sheet of coordinating cardstock strips. ($6.50)

Here’s the ELEMENTS sheet: One 12×12 sheet of double-sided cardstock cut-apart journaling cards and elements ($1.00).

and here are the STICKERS: One 5 3/4 x 13 sheet of weather-worn cardstock stickers ($2.00)

You know, that’s not bad. You could have all three pieces (well, 9 pieces technically) for under $10. Cosmo has kept their prices really reasonable.

HERE is a Cosmo Cricket blog post from April 2009 showing the “sneak peek” of this line, but it has great, large photos of all the pieces. You’ll notice that the Papers and Elements I show above are actually double-sided…more than meets the eye…I like that!

Here is a layout from the CC blog, by Julie Comstock (HERE’s her Twitter!):

Also from their blog, a recipe box by LISA FALDUTO

…and Early Bird cards by MAREN BENEDICT, from the CC Design Team:

Here is a fun purse covered in an Early Bird pattern…alas, it’s not real, but a mere digital creation…still super cute!

There are more Cosmo Cricket “Early Bird” layouts and projects on their blog HERE, HERE, and HERE. I just love their BLOG….pure and total eye candy, plus those people are wicked funny.

Oh, MEMORY WORKS also has the Cosmo Cricket SPINNER CARD, which I guess has been on backorder (must be popular). 5″ square chipboard card. Bottle spins freely in the card ($1.50).

So if I have you jones-in’ for some CC “Early Bird,” go get some at your LSS or click on ‘I’m a MW Consultant‘ (top left) and we’ll order you some…

Cricut Survey: Mac or PC?

I’m on the mailing list for CRICUT. They send out a newsletter, new cartridge announcements, etc. Here is the one I received today:
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Hi there! In order to better serve you, we wanted to know what type of computer you are using. It is just one question and we will enter you to win the Cricut Sampler cartridge. Thanks for your time!

Thanks,
Denise Rolfe
Market Research Director

============

All I had to do was click the link, choose Mac, PC, or Both, and enter my e-mail addie. Easy peasy.

Being a Mac girl myself, I was very eager to answer this survey. I want retailers to know that there ARE a lot of us out here so they can start making “PC only” products more available to those of us who have chosen the superior product (ahem…did you catch that?). If you’re also a Mac girl, I implore you to take the survey (there’s even a prize drawing….c’mon, you know you want to…). Mac girls, PC girls, “both” girls….if you’re not already on their mailing list, you can join up at the bottom of the HOME PAGE.

Update on Journaling Spot Swap #2

I talked about the journal spot swap I was hosting HERE. Well, it’s done and, boy howdy, was it fun! Everyone came through, sent them in, and did a wonderful job. Some ladies sent more than one set to share….PATTI set the record by sending five sets! Patti also sent a whole book of stamps which helped cover any gaps in postage and I was so grateful (‘cuz you know DH’s first words when I told him I was hosting a swap were, “How much is that going to cost us? LOL). Anyway, all of the journaling spots were rockin’ and it was such a pleasure to host. Here is a semi-sneak of what they all looked like, while in the sorting process and then my own pile when I was done.

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Aren’t you jealous you didn’t join up? LOL! To thank everyone for participating, I sent them each a Mike’s stamp and then some scallop squares I punched with my new favorite punch. And here is a pic of all the cards and little gifties I was sent as the swap hostess…..jeepers, if I knew you got all sorts of pressies for hosting, I would’ve done it ages ago! {Hee, just kidding…}

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Look at what Patti sent! Tons and tons of stamped images from her much-envied stamp collection. These will be so fun to color in and use on scrapbook pages and cards…

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So, I just wanted to share my experience at hosting my first scrapbooking swap. It was totally wonderful the entire way and I highly recommend it to anyone. The AMR Girlz are already posting layouts they’re making with the journaling spots received in this swap. Here is one….lovely, huh?

LAYOUT BY LISA aka LBOREGON, journaling spot by KAY aka kaydrenth

If there are more, I will post them here. To quote my friend RACHEL….Toodles!

Memory Works: Website, Catalogs, and Selling Goals

Well, I took the plunge. I just signed up for my own website with Memory Works again! Whoo hoo, feels good! What didn’t feel good was the $25 set-up fee but, oh well, it’s the price of doing business, right? Then it will cost me $10.95/month to keep it. That is for the “Basic” option, which has all the features I really need. There is also a “Premium” option for $18.95/month (plus the $25 set-up fee, of course). So let’s do the math, shall we? I make 20% profit on everything I sell through Memory Works. So just to break even and pay for my website, I have to sell at least $55 retail of MW goodies each month.

Then, let’s average out my catalog cost: They cost me $3 per catalog, plus shipping costs from MW to me, and me to the customer…we’re talking about $5 cost to me per catalog I give out to customers (that would be an average just for estimating sake…sometimes I hand them right to the customer with zero shipping cost, other times it costs me $4-5 to ship a catalog). Say I give out 5 catalogs per month, that’s about $25 per month in catalog costs. To make that money back, I will need to sell $125 in product to cover my catalog costs.

So, my selling goal will be $55 plus $125 = $180 per month, and that’s just to break even. I like to have goals. Then I know what I’m striving for. Now, to put some other things in motion to make that happen. It’s exciting! I know it will be super tough in this economy, so wish me luck….

Oh! I almost forgot to tell you my website, should you be interested (LOL). It’s https://erika.memory-works.com. Check it out and let me know if you have any questions.

Scrapbook Message Boards: Survey and a RAK

As you might know, I’m a big fan of chatting on scrapbook message boards. The ones I’m most active on TWO PEAS IN A BUCKET and ALL MOMENTS REMEMBERED. I was on the CREATING KEEPSAKES message board for a long time before these, although all their format changes caused me to leave when I had to log on every single time I wanted to post (ya know, that’s quite a lot!) and would never accept an avatar pic, which made me feel like a faceless troll, LOL!

So, I’m just wondering what message boards you all enjoy. Please leave me a comment telling me where you like to hang out. Include linkees please! Tell me what you like and don’t like about message boards (you don’t have to name names on the negative part if ya don’t want to…). What makes a good message board? Why are you a long time member of certain places? Tell me all about it. Don’t forget to leave a link to your blog or check back to see if you’ve won!

For everyone who leaves a comment on THIS here post by midnight PST on June 11, 2009…I will enter your name into random.org and pick the winner of a small RAK.

Layout Using Bo Bunny “Abbey Road”

Is this gorgeous, or what? This layout is by my online buddy, CHRISTINE HERTEL aka Chrispea.

Chris talks about the layout HERE. She used the new Bo Bunny line called “ABBEY ROAD which is SO on my wish list! I mean it was before, but it REALLY is now….because I will be scraplifting this layout in a major way. I love that color combination of green, blue, and brown, especially how she brought out the shades with the Thickers and Doodlebug letters. Those Bo Bunny swirl stickers are to die for!

Thanks for the inspiration, Chris!

Threading Waters Punch: Another Great Tutorial

Back in the Day, I posted THIS tutorial I found that shows you how to “go around the corner” with the famous Fiskars THREADING WATER punch.

Now, thanks to SCRAPSCENE, I found THIS great tutorial for another way to use your Threading Waters punch. It’s on Crystal aka Scrapper Mom’s BLOG. She has some other great tutorials on there…go check it, ladies!

Here is

    CRYSTAL’s LAYOUT

where she used the trim made with her TW punch.

The technique Crystal shares in her tutorial is how she made the red strip. I love how it replicates the yellow sun rays, which look to be made from Doodlebug strips. And, hey! I spy some Fancy Pants SUMMER SOIREE in that layout, don’t I? See, I like this girl. Excellent taste, LOL!

Enjoy Crystal’s gorgeous layout and her cool tutorial. Cheers!

New at Michaels

Part 2 of my Big City Shopping day, and now we proceed to Michaels. It must’ve been ANNA GRIFFIN day, because just like TUESDAY MORNING, Mike’s had some new Anna stuff. The line is called “Darcey” and the colors are bright and look better in person than they do in my blurry iPhone photo.

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I love this scalloped acrylic album! It has 5 pages and 2 binder rings. I didn’t get one because, as you can see from the signage in the first photo, all the “Designer Corner” stuff was on sale for 25% off. I’ll wait for a 50% coupon and get this album for 10 buckeroonies.

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These chipboard letters are cute, too. I use a lot of bright colors AND black, so these may be a future purchase (with coupon, of course…).

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This is a new line by PRIMA. It’s a departure from their usual pretty-pretty stuff. The skulls and guitars – I don’t know if you can tell from the photo – are made from tiny bling. Very cute! I think this line is very cool but I don’t have anything I would use it on.

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Here is the Making Memories “Black Tie” line that I talked about HERE.

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And this was my favorite of the new stuff: The “Vacation” line by Me and My Big Ideas (aka MAMBI). I’m a sucker for bright, tropical colors for all those upcoming summer layouts. We have a swimming pool so I end up doing lots of layouts with turquoise being the main color. This line will be a perfect fit.

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This was interesting…a new line by K&Co…darnit, I can’t remember the name of the designer, maybe someone can help me out or I’ll try to find it online. Anyway, the focus seems to be “green” with those tote bags and recycled packaging, similar to the K&CO/Amy Butler “Lotus” line they recently carried. Not my style, but cute.

ETA 5/21/09: Thanks to a comment left by ALESK…..it’s Carolyn Gavin. Thank you! Love my girls who comment! *U Rawk*

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Closer look at MAMBI travel and summer stuff…

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Cute new EK SUCCESS punches! Flowers and fruit…so summery.

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Here are some photos from after I got home. On top are the MAMBI journal spots and “Vacation” title I got…yum! (Both for 25% off). The Making Memories “Well Worn Tags” were sold as a pack at Tuesday Morning. Normally, they would’ve cost about $12 ($4 each), but I got all three for $4. That’s, like, 66% off, am I right? What a steal…

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This is the coupon (20% off entire purchase from 9 to 1 on Memorial Day), and June coupon book they put in my bag at checkout. Kewl.

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Just an example – the discounts from the first page. Good stuff, yeah?

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My favorite purchase of the day, a scallop square Giga Punch. I used my 50% off coupon and got it for around $9. Schwing!

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So that’s the haps at Michaels these days, and my fun purchases. At Mike’s, what have you gotten lately or what are you planning to buy?

Cropper Hopper Organization at Tuesday Morning

Made my monthly trip to The Big City and here is what I found at Tuesday Morning…

There were a lot of ANNA GRIFFIN packs – huge ones with 12×12 paper and tons of embellies to mini album kits.

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Here were some fun EK SUCCESS punches that were very tempting (but I resisted…can you?). These ones are a pacifier, arrow, and speech bubble. There were a few other shapes, too.

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For me, this is where I hit the motherlode….CROPPER HOPPER STORAGE !!! I had always wanting these when they first came out because I love vertical bookshelf storage for my scrappy stuff. I own stock in CH VERTICAL PAPER HOLDERS, ya know. But these items were out of my budget (because I am super cheap, yeah).

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But I picked up the 2-drawer/4-pocket binder ($8.99) which I plan to use to organize my card-making supplies. I don’t have a ton but right now they’re in some Iris drawers and not very well organized. The 3×3 embellishment drawer ($2.99) will be the perfect way to organize my Mike’s stamps finally! I’m really excited about that one. They’ve also been stacked in an Iris drawer…til now, LOL!

Here you can see the retail prices, and what a great deal Tuesday Morning has on them…

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Here is what the inside of the pocket binder looks like.

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When I get some schtuff inside my new storage, I’ll post pics and see what you think. Have you found any good deals at TM lately?

PS: Stay tuned for the next episode of Shopaholic Obsession….er, I mean….Scrapbook Obsession….when I’ll show you what’s new at Mike’s and what I picked up there….

Making Memories “Black Tie” at Michaels

Thank you to BENITA, such a sweet Pea, who posted the above photo on THIS thread. She pointed out that the black and white flowers are Primas, not Making Memories; however, they were a perfect match so there ya’ go!

On the thread, it was discussed that this looks like the Making Memories line called “Wedding” (which is sold at 2PEAS ONLINE STORE, and HERE is a look at it on the Making Memories site), but it IS a different line, perhaps a Michaels exclusive? HERE is a link to Michaels.com with some Black Tie items, so methinks that’s what is going on in the hizzy.

I love black and white scrapbook lines. They are not only for weddings, anniversaries, proms, etc. but so versatile to use on on other types of layouts. I like to do heritage layouts in these colors. I didn’t really care for Mike’s last black and white line called “Sabrina”.


LAYOUT BY CHRISTY HARRIS TAKEN FROM THE MAKING MEMORIES BLOG

The pink is what threw me off. I mean, it was cute and all, I just couldn’t use it really (no offense meant to Christy’s adorable layout; I love it!). If you like Sabrina, it’s on Michael’s clearance rack now, btw. Peace out.

NSD Crop Challenge @ AMR

Last weekend, the AMR MESSAGE BOARD had a member-hosted online crop. This was the only challenge I had time to participate in, by JULIE aka scrappin{jewlz}. Here is what the challenge was, as posted by Julie:

I have been doing some photography challenges, and have been inspired to look for new and interesting things to photograph. So I thought I would do a photo challenge. For this challenge you need to take (yes, NEW pictures) a photo of something that matches the description. You may post only one photo per section. Players will receive 1 point for each photo. The most creative photo for each description will receive a bonus point. The player with the most points will win a prize. In the event of a tie, the winner will be chosen randomly. To clarify, photos need to be taken since the challenge was posted. You will have until Wednesday at midnight PST to post your photos.

And here was my entry….

1. Something that makes you laugh

My dork dog Landry always makes me LAUGH. He is so happy and crazy with energy.

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2. Something pink

My favorite hoodie, a PINK one that says “Blessed not Lucky.” My mom got it for me because she said she knows that’s how I feel about my life…and she’s right!

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3. Something soft

My favorite blanket that I read my book with at night on the couch. It is the SOFTEST thing I have ever felt.

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4. Favorite activity other than papercrafting (ie no stamping, scrapping, cardmaking, atcs, altered stuff)

I guess you can tell by the fact my bookshelf is so heavy that it’s bowed, that other than scrapbooking, my favorite activity is reading…

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5. Your desk RIGHT NOW.

The usual state of my DESK – multiple projects going at once – 80th birthday mini album, Basic Grey 2009 calendar, and getting ready to do yearbook layout for the Father/Daughter dance

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6. Favorite music

My favorite MUSIC right now is anything that Pandora.com finds for me…I’m discovering so many new artists and the old ones I’ve always loved.

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7. Something outside

The view from my backyard – I love sitting OUTSIDE, looking and daydreaming…

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That was a fun challenge to do and it made me take photos of things I normally wouldn’t have. Some may seem like boring or unremarkable things, but they ARE part of my everyday life at this point and that is worth capturing, don’t you think?

Scrapbooking on “The Locator”

If you’ve read my blog for a bit, you know that ~ being “somewhat” Scrapbook Obsessed ~ I’m always seeking out things in the media or pop culture where scrapbooking is mentioned. For instance, HERE, HERE, and HERE. But this time, scrapbooking being part of a popular television show found me. Oh, do TELL!

Well, one of my favorite shows that I tape and watch constantly is “THE LOCATOR” on WeTV. If you haven’t seen it, there’s this hottie named Troy Dunn who does his P.I. shizzle and reunites people with their long lost friend or family member. There is one rule for watching The Locator: You. Will. Cry. Okay, there is just NO way you are going to watch this show and not cry, so don’t even bother trying, sister. Have some kleenex, a sleeve, an understanding dog…somewhere to wipe your snot because, like Oprah says, you will be a-booin and a-hooin, making that ugly cry face before the show is over.

Okay, so I noticed my trusty DVR had taped a one-hour episode (they are usually 30-minutes long) and I was stoked to watch it. It was Episode 1 of Season 2 so it was special. The first part, where a lady wants to be reunited with her mom, ended badly. Mom wrote daughter a letter…telling her all the reasons she could NOT meet with her. That was the first case I’ve watched where Troy couldn’t bring the people together. It was super sad.

Then started the second part, where 4 sisters are trying to find their 5th sister; they were all from the same mom but 5 different dads and were separated out into foster care and adoption. Here is what the website says about it:

A Daughter’s Dream / The Last Sister
Episode Summary: In 1985, Wendy and Christopher Radcliff’s mother, Jennifer, left them to be raised by their paternal grandparents when they were just 9 and 10 years old. The brother and sister have called on Troy to locate Jennifer, who originally escaped from an abusive relationship with their father. In the next story, you’ll hear about five sisters separated since childhood. Through many years of hard work and research, the second oldest sister, Nycole, 26, made it possible for four of them to be together again, but they are all still searching for their baby sister Sarah.

Searchers: Wendy Radcliff – Wendy and her brother have not seen or heard from their mother, Jennifer, since she made the decision to leave her children in the care of their grandparents. Nycole Kiefer – When Nycole was only eight years old she and her four sisters were put into child protective services. Nycole has spent 10 years searching for her family.

The Searchees: Jennifer – It’s been 20 years since Wendy’s mother left, and she hopes she will be at a point in her life where she is ready to be reunited with her firstborn children. Sarah Martin – It will be the first time Sarah, 23, sees her mom, and the first time her mom sees all of her grown-up daughters together.

Okay, so the scrapbooky part comes in at the end when all 5 of them are getting together for the first time. The four sisters meet up at….a scrapbook store! It’s EVER AFTER in the San Diego area of Cali. They are sitting around the crop table in the back, looking through scrapbooks. Troy shows up (unbeknownst to the sisters, he has their 5th sister waiting outside) and asks if they have any photos of the sister they are looking for, Sarah. They show him one infant photo of her and tell him that’s the only photo they have. Then he whips out 3 or 4 present-day shots of Sarah and says, “Have you seen this one? Or this one?” and their jaws drop, they cry, they see that she has a son…”We have a nephew!” Then Troy says, “Or how about this one?” and turns around showing them Sarah herself is standing behind him. They have their reunion in the scrapbook store. Apparently, two of the sisters scrapbook. When Troy says, “So you guys are scrapbookers?” one sister says something like, “I am. And Nycole is. Actually, Nycole was first and she got me into it. She was the instigator!” Which was so funny because don’t YOU blame the person who got you started scrapbooking? Like, you got all addicted and stuff so fast and needed more like it was scrap-crack and you’re all obsessed and jonesing and you don’t want to take personal responsibility for it, so you grab the person who got you started and you’re, like, “But it’s HER fault that I’m frickin’ addicted!” Am I right? You know I’m right.

Anyway, HERE is a link to the episode description and some video extras that were NOT part of the televised show.

THIS is the link to “Learn more about the searchees,” a 1.5 minute video which shows footage from the show and gives a synopsis of the case.

HERE is “Learn more about the searchers,” a 2-minute video where the 4 sisters mention how their case worker made them Life Books, so they had photos of one another. What an awesome case worker….

THIS is one last video (1+ minute long) called “Learn more about the reunion” where they talk to all the sisters, and there are shots of them being in the scrapbook store.

Just some random scrappy things…

– Shopping report: At my Target, they have the cute summer lines from KI Memories and Making Memories both on sale. They weren’t huge discounts but, like, $3.99 items down to $3.19, etc.

The KI line is called ‘Juicy Summer’ and here is a sample, the chipboard:

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Oh wait, I can’t give you a sample because their website doesn’t let you copy/paste pictures. Oh darn for them. Coulda’ had free advertising from a blog that does some pretty good numbers. Ah well…

The Making Memories line is called, oh I can’t remember, something summery. I looked for it on their blog which is down, and on their website which doesn’t list it. I even posted the question at 2peas ‘cuz I’m sure someone over there knows, but it’s 12:20 am on the West Coast, so I think all the Peas are snug in their beds. When I figure it out, I’ll plug it in here, LOL!

ETA 5/1/09: A nice Pea helped me out. She said it’s MM Spring Fling that’s on sale, and her Target also had MM Just Chillin’ (regular price, I think). I would show you some photos but the MM site doesn’t allow copying either….

At Michaels, I got some shizzlets for my AMR Scrap Pal. I am overdue in sending her any little gifties so she’ll be getting a surprise in the mail soon (don’t worry, I don’t think she reads my blog, LOL). I also got 19 stampalicious surprises for the ladies who are in my JOURNALING SPOT SWAP at AMR. I was so happy my swap filled up quickly, well before the deadline. Just a little way to tell them all thank you for participating. Such nice, fun ladies over there. The last thing I was looking for was some of those $1 packs of cute Thank You cards – now that I work from home, I want to write a little note to each of my “in office” co-workers since I won’t see them every day anymore – but all the $1 bins were gone. Gone, I tell ya! Bunch of clean and clear floor space near the front of the store. Let’s see, what holiday is coming next? Hmmm…. Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, Graduation Day? Anyway, no notecards for me….farkle!

– The June issue of CK is out. My sweet online friend MIchelle aka Shelle’s2girls has a tip published in this issue. I looked for the mag at Target and Mike’s but they didn’t have it yet. Farkle again!

– I finished reading the scrapbooking novel, “A Page Out of LIfe’ about a week ago. I owe you a REVIEW, don’t I? Now I’m reading, actually am almost done with, “Frill Kill” which is a scrapbooking mystery by Laura Childs. Think I’m done with scrappy books for a while, LOL. I’ve already started on “The Pact” by JODI PICOULT; it’s my third time reading it ‘cuz I love her stuff so much. Now if Jodi Picoult would just write a scrapbooking novel, that would be THE perfect book!

– Last and most importantly: Stacey at AMR is organizing an online auction to raise money for one of her message board members who is going through something horrible right now. Please check out Stacey’s BLOG and the MESSAGE BOARD to see if you can help. If you’re more the shopping type, put June 13/14 on your calendar and come BUY an auction item or two towards this wonderful project. Bidding will start at $2 and, given the mad wicked talent I have seen from the ladies on the AMR board, you will find some amazing items to bid on. Please go check it out :) {{Love ya, Miss Destiny!}}

Journaling Spot Swap

Are you familiar with scrapbook/stamping swaps? They happen often on blogs and message boards, where someone offers to host a swap. For instance, 20 people will join a swap – of 8×8 pages, of greeting cards, of ATCs, whatever – and they make 20 of the same item. Everyone sends their items to the host, who divvies everything up into 20 piles, and mails them all back to the swap participants. So each person ends up with 20 different things, all handmade by crafters. Pretty cool, huh?

I’ve only participated in a few swaps over the years. The first one I did was major. It was a 12×12, double layout swap at CKU-San Jose way back in ’05 (spoken like a true, crusty old scrapper, huh?). I think we created 5 of the same 2-page layout, and there were probably 30 or 40 participants. This gal from Australia hosted it; I still remember her name (it was Maureen, LOL). On the first day of CKU, we all met in an empty classroom, put our layouts out on the tables, drew numbers, and took turns picking layouts until every person had 5 to go home with. It was an awesome experience. I adore all the layouts I got that day. It’s so fun to see someone else’s creativity and add your photos or whatever else to make it your own. Since then, I’ve done a couple ATC swaps at the AMR Message Board and it’s been a lot of fun. My favorite was a “Drink ATC” swap where you made ATC’s of your favorite drink (mine of course was a Starbucks venti sugar-free vanilla triple breve latte…try fitting THAT on a 2×3″ card!).

I had to take a break from swaps when I went back to work full-time last year. My time got really crunched, and I didn’t want to commit to something and feel so pressured to meet a deadline or whatever that it ceased to be fun. But I tell you, it’s been really hard to see all those fun swaps posted at AMR and not be able to take part. Since I started working from home full-time as of last week (can I get a woot woot?!?!), I decided I could stick my pinky toe back in the swap water. I wanted to start small, just to make sure I didn’t over-commit myself and then have to kick my own ass. I hate it when I have to do THAT. Then over on 2peas one day, I was reading the daily blogger thread, which led me to joining THIS swap. It couldn’t be easier, just make 20 journaling spots and stick ’em in the US mail. The very day I joined, I went over to my desk and stamped out my journaling spots. I even made some extrees for myself and a few for the hostess with the mostest, BONNIE. I just need to sign the backs and they are ready to go.

The process was so easy and fun, and I am SO looking forward to receiving my 20 journal spots from others, that I got a wild hair and decided to HOST my first swap evah! I posted my idea on the AMR board to see if there was any interest in a journaling spot swap there. There was, so I posted it in the EXCHANGES AND SWAPS forum on Saturday. {Forgive me, Bonnie, but I copied over a lot of your wording because you did such a perfect job of explaining it, LOL!}. As of now, there are 13 ladies signed up and 7 spaces remaining. So it’s going well. I think everyone feels they can always use some journaling spots and why not take advantage of other scrapper’s journal stamps or whatever to get some variety. Doesn’t cost ya much, just time and postage, right?

If you’re interested in this swap, just come on over to AMR and join up, then go to the Exchanges and Swaps forum. Look for me, I’m “journeyfan” over there. And if you’ve never done a swap before, I really recommend trying it. It’s a scrappin’ blast! If you have done swaps, tell me about the kinds of swaps and were you glad you did them?

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