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Check Out My Scrapbook Mini-Haul @ 70% Off!

Okay, before I get all giddy about my awesome purchase, I need to be serious for a moment. Come ON! It’s just a MOMENT. That’s all I ask. You can do it.

Sooooo…..

I hate it when online or brick-and-mortar scrapbook stores close, don’t you? I mean, if the person is happily moving on to something else, that’s great. But if the reason is because business isn’t good, then it makes me sad :(

I’m not sure what the case was here, but a friend mentioned that an online store she had DT’d for in the past was closing … and the ENTIRE STORE was 70% off!! Oh, and that day she mentioned it was the LAST day to order. {Otherwise, I would’ve told you about it, I swear!}

Well, you KNOW I hauled my virtual butt right over there and started shopping! I hate that scrapbook store owners have to let their remaining products go for such a huge discount but I guess we can feel good about “taking it off their hands”, right? If we didn’t shop there, they’d be stuck with the merch when all they probably want to do is move on.

Anyway, as usual, I have digressed. You just want to see what goodies I got, don’t you?!?! You cheeky monkeys!

The store was Serendipity Scrapbooks, which I guess there is no reason to link :( I ended up getting $33 worth of scrapbook supplies for $15 INCLUDING shipping, which was about $6 of that.

Ah, I love scrappy mail, don’t you!?!?! Here is the package, my invoice, and a nice note from owner Kristen.


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(3) 12×12 pages of BASIC GREY letter stickers – Euphoria, Phoebe, and Scarlet’s letter


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One sheet each of some “Cogsmo” (COSMO CRICKET) and “Tiffany’s Collection” (WRMK) paper. Love the Cogsmo vibrant colors and cool design, and the leaves that were cut-outs from the Tiffany’s paper (see where the black is showing through? Cool, huh?)


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2 sheets of “Splendid” paper from FANCY PANTS (these are the front and back sides)

This is SO pretty and classy-looking in person. The colors are rich and gorgeous.


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2 sheets of “Fakie Green” paper from the now-closed SCENIC ROUTE (these are the front and back sides)

SR has always been a favorite company. I love their simple, fresh designs. I’m scrapping our Phoenix trip with mostly Scenic Route that I’ve hoarded over the years, and this will be added to the collection.


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Speaking of Scenic Route, here’s some green twill. It’s thinner/narrower than I thought it was going to be but it’s still nice :) Also, my first-ever purchase of anything CHERRY ARTE – some cute summer rub-ons. I like their style.


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Here was my favorite deal of the day: A ton of chipboard shapes called “All Fall” by Fancy Pants. They retailed for $12.99 which, while totally worth that price, I probably wouldn’t have ever spent. Gah, I’m such a cheapwad that I have a really hard time spending that much on a scrapbooking embellishment. Tool? Yeah, sure, but not on a consumable like chipboard.

But yee-haw! With the 70% discount, I could totally justify spending $3.90!

Isn’t it neat how it comes in this cute window box with the slide-out drawer?


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Now check out ALL the pieces that come with! Yowzers. I have School Days albums for my kids but the pages so far have been pretty basic, made mostly of patterned paper, cardstock, and some basic accents. I’m going to go through the albums and add some of these cute accents to liven up the pages. Can’t wait!


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Isn’t that paperclip cute? Just to put it in perspective, the chipboard totally covers one of my Basic Grey MAGNETIC MATS, which are about 15″x15″. You get a LOT.


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Also love the grad cap, and all the sayings and titles. What a great package. So happy I purchased this :)

So that’s my scrapbook mini-haul! Not bad for $15, huh?

Stay tuned … I just got a box today from MEMORY WORKS with some amazing stuff to show you!

Memory Works: Free Cosmo Cricket, and Discounts on Simple Stories and Patriotic Products!

I got this e-mail from MEMORY WORKS today, who I’m a consultant for. We’re always having cool promotions and I don’t want to flood my blog with them, but there are so many great things going on right now, I had to share. Just in case you want to do some shopping to celebrate July {wink} …

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We’re blasting off the Independence Day holiday with 3 firecracker promotions:

1 ~ 10% off select Patriotic Themed Products
2 ~ Free Snorkel Collection with $150 purchase
3 ~ 15% off Simple Stories Life Documented Kit

NOTE: Click on anything shown in bold and it will take you to a photo of the item :)

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PROMOTION #1

Show your patriotic pride…Save 10%

To show our pride for all things patriotic, we’re offering an additional 10% off our best selling patriotic themed collections and embellishments, including Creative Imaginations “Liberty” THEME SET, Pink Paislee’s “Starlight” THEME SETand STICKERS, and Bo Bunny’s complete “Block Party” COLLECTION! Shop now for best selection – sale ends July 5th!

“Freedom” 12×12 Layout by Sue Kendall featuring “Liberty” Theme Set from Creative Imaginations

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PROMOTION #2

When you spend $150 or more you’ll receive a 50-piece Cosmo Cricket Snorkel COLLECTION PACK (a $14.99 value)….absolutely FREE!

We’re continuing our 100 days of summer celebration. Now through July 31st 2010 (while supplies last, so hurry!), we will be offering this fabulous Snorkel papercrafting pack from COSMO CRICKET. Anyone – yes we mean anyone – placing an order of $150.00 or more will recieve this popular, best-selling kit that includes over 50 pieces of summer scrapping goodness. So whether it’s a party order, customer order or even consultant order…if it’s over $150 you qualify for the FREE* kit! But remember this kit will be available only while supplies last so swim on over and get yours today!

*FREE kit includes: 12 double-sided design paper, 18 cardstock stickers, 18 double-sided cut apart element cards, and 18 double-sided cut apart borders. Offer good only while supplies last. One free kit per order. Offer is not retroactive. Offer good on all party, customer or consultant orders of $150 net retail or more (excludes tax and shipping).

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PROMOTION #3

Sale Extended through July 5th!
Simple Stories Kit – 15% Off

If you haven’t treated your self to the goodness of our first Simple Stories release – now’s you’re chance. We’re extending our sale for just a few more days, offering an additional 15% discount off our popular “Life Documented” kit – grab yours before the low price melts away…

Life Documented Kit
Regular Price – $16.99
NOW 15% Off
Customer Sale Price – $14.44

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While you’re shopping, check out our SUMMER SAVINGS SALE with various items at great discounts – Maya mist, Xyron adhesive products, American Crafts including THICKERS, 7 Gypsies, Basic Grey, Bo Bunny, Crate Paper, Fancy Pants, Pink Paislee, and more.

Please let me know if you have ANY questions. You can leave a comment on this post, or e-mail me at scrapbookobsession(at)gmail(dot)com. Happy shopping!

Ribbon Ruffles and a Challenge Layout

I’ve been so busy, I don’t think I ever posted this, but my friend ABBY (a supa-talented scrapper) sent me some sweet PRESSIES a while back. Not only is she an amazing scrapbook talent but the girl can sew, too!

In addition to the gorgeous, ribbon-trimmed tote she sent me, she also made some ribbon and crepe paper ruffles for me to use on layouts. Well, today was the perfect day to use one! A scrapbook message board I belong to has a challenge posted to use “journaling spot clusters” a la STEPHANIE HOWELL and since mine ended up being a girly-girl layout, I was able to use one of Abby’s ribbon ruffles.

Anyway, here is one of STEPHANIE’S LAYOUTS to show what is meant by journaling cluster … in other words, break out all those journaling stickers and die cuts and use them to tell your story, girlfriend!

Wow, okay! It’s going to be pretty embarrassing to put my layout right after Stephanie’s, who is one of my favorite scrappers and is so talented. What am I, a glutton for punishment?? Huh. I guess so. ‘Cuz this is where I post the layout that I did for the journaling spot cluster challenge – HA!


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Here’s a close-up of the journaling …
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A close-up of the ribbon ruffle … made by Abby :) Because I’m not allowed near a sewing machine.
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The layout is very bling-y and glittery in person, although my photo doesn’t show it that well. Here you can see the Stickles I added to the title, and some glitter brads.
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Almost all of the supplies are from the My Minds Eye “Home” line – the paper, die cuts, chipboard journaling spots, and the title. The font stamp is American Crafts “Ginger,” and the paper “XOXO” ribbon at the bottom is by Brenda Walton for K&Company. I also used “Icicle” Stickles, brown Cats Eye chalk ink, and Sugar Coated brads by Doodlebug. Oh, and border punches by Fiskars and Martha Stewart.

It felt so good to scrapbook again. I have to admit it’s been quite a while … since the last crop I went to over a month ago, ack! I hope you’ve been better about scrapping than I have. Well, now that my desk is cleared off, maybe I’ll get back into scrapping mode.

How about you … you been scrapping lately?

Scrapbook Mystery Novel Giveaway!

Hey, mah favorite scrapbook peeps, I have some exciting news … I have FIVE copies of a new scrapbooking mystery novel to give away!!! It’s a hardcover version of “Cut, Paste, Kill” by Marshall Karp (retails for $26.99).

Here’s a description of the book from the publisher:

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In CUT, PASTE, KILL, Mike Lomax and Terry Biggs are two hip LAPD detectives who discover socialite Eleanor Bellingham-Crump dead on the floor of a hotel bathroom. Next to Eleanor’s lifeless body, the killer has left an intricate scrapbook documenting a motive of vengeance in lurid detail. As more bodies are found, each one connected to a scrapbook left at the scene, Lomax and Biggs must decode the meaning behind the scrapbooks before the avenger has time to cut and paste the story for another kill.

CUT, PASTE, KILL is laugh-out-loud funny, with perfect dialogue and zinging last lines. Joseph Finder, bestselling thriller writer, describes Marshall Karp as the “Woody Allen of the murder mystery—smart, fast-paced, clever, and really, really funny.”

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For some early reviews (three 5-star customer reviews as of when I posted this!), you can check out AMAZON.COM. By the by, you can purchase the book from Amazon if you don’t win a copy … hint, hint. Right now, the hardcover is selling for $17.15 new and a Kindle edition for $12.99.

I think this portion of a review posted to Amazon sums it up perfectly:

The bottom line is that this is perfect summer reading — ideal for a lazy Sunday afternoon or a holiday beach read. If you want a great “entertain me!” murder mystery, I don’t think you can do better than Cut, Paste, Kill. Highly recommended… at least for people who like to giggle.

This book was just released June 8, 2010 so you’ll be the first on your block to own it, LOL! I’ve been reading my copy and absolutely enjoying it. It’s laugh-out-loud funny, full of one-liners and fun relationships between the main characters. Yeah, it’s a murder mystery, but a lighthearted one :)

I’ve read scrapbooking mystery novels in the past (those by LAURA CHILDS and JOANNA CAMPBELL SLAN) and this one is a bit different. Instead of it reading as a mystery written by a scrapbooker, it’s more like a “regular” mystery novel that has scrapbooking as a plot device. It’s told through the eyes of two LAPD detectives, not through the lens of a scrapbooker. So, even if you’re not big into scrapbooking but just like reading mystery novels, you’ll enjoy this.

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment on this post telling me why you want the book. I’m paying for the postage out of my own pocket, so PLEASE only enter if you’ll really read the book or know someone who will. If you have any friends who would be interested, please have them come enter!

Deadline is Friday, June 25, 2010* at midnight PST. Open to US residents only. One entry per person. FIVE winners will be chosen via Random.org.

* Deadline changed as of 6/22/10

Good luck and happy reading!

FTC Disclosure. ST MARTINS PRESS provided me with 6 free books. I received no monetary compensation. They are providing the books to the winners of this giveaway.

The Cricut “Circle”

Either PROVO CRAFT has no idea what they’re doing, or they know EXACTLY what they’re doing. You be the judge.

As they tend to do with new products, Provo Craft got the hype going with their new “product,” the Cricut Circle, some time back.

I didn’t even bother trying to guess what in the hell it was, but you can bet the CRICUT MESSAGE BOARD was a-chirping with anticipation. I heard some DISCUSSION about it on the scrapbook message boards but, honestly, I think they’ve alienated so many customers with the CRICUT CAKE ISSUE, the SCAL/Design Studio issue, and others … that less people bother to get excited than before.

Another recent PC faux pas may have been the release of the CRICUT GYPSY, which is an awesome gadget (I talk about wanting one HERE) but the retail price … $300 … was a bit steep for most everyone I spoke to about it. With the economy what it is, I’m not sure it was the right time to release such a high ticket item. It will be interesting to see what the long-term success of the Gypsy is.

Anyway, you know and I know that everyone (okay, MOST everyone) is broke right now. We’re pickin’ quarters out of the couch cushions and rubbing them together with our 40% coupons from Michaels and Hobby Lobby to get some new scrap goodies once in a while. Now, into that climate, I introduce to you … the much-anticipated (erm… or not ….) CRICUT CIRCLE!!!!

This is the information that went out in an e-mail to prospective customers yesterday:
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What Exactly is the Cricut Circle?

The CRICUT CIRCLE by Provo Craft is a select community of Cricut® enthusiasts. Cricut owners are the most creative, passionate, social, and fun-loving people on the planet. The Cricut Circle is our way to celebrate your enthusiasm (and ours!) for Cricut! The shape of the circle signifies inclusion, unity, kinship (think King Arthur and the round table). The goal of The Cricut Circle from Provo Craft is designed to bring this community of amazing people together to learn, share, and grow The Circle love!

What does life look like inside the Cricut Circle?

Four exclusive cartridges a year, one each quarter, (starting with French Manor) ONLY available to The Cricut Circle members.

Special buying privileges like rebates, monthly coupons, and opportunities to buy other exclusive products for your Cricut, from friends and partners of Provo Craft.

Extra reward points and special cricut.com discounts.

A members-only bracelet with an exclusive Cricut Circle charm (get ready to be the envy of your friends).

A special Cricut Circle Community will come together through an exclusive Cricut Circle forum on cricut.com.

Inspiration and education from exclusive Cricut Circle webinars, swarms, meet-ups, and events.

A fun Cricut Circle blog and a monthly project-inspired online magazine to fill your mind with ideas galore.

Charter members will have access to information and opportunities to become a part of the decision making process of future Cricut products by participating on research panels.

Officially, the Cricut Circle Charter Membership launches June 2010, and YOU have been chosen to become a charter member of The Circle. We are extending this offer to the top 3% of our Cricut fans on Cricut Rewards and those who have registered their Provo Craft products.

The invitation to become a Charter Member of The Circle expires June 30, 2010 and is non-transferable.

To solidify a premier Charter Member number and receive 800 Cricut Reward Points, take advantage of invitations to galas, swarms and events, JOIN NOW!
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And what does all this Cricut craziness cost, you ask? A mere $275 a year or $80 per quarter, folks! You can afford that, right??? Your dresser drawers are lined with money just waitin’ to be spent, huh?!?!?!

{Interestingly, the price for the fantabulous deal wasn’t mentioned in the e-mail. You gotta go elsewhere to find it.}

So what I love most about the Peas is that they tell it like it is … and it don’t appear to be pretty at this point. HERE is a thread with some early reaction, and HERE is another (this thread is called “Who else got the ridiculous invite to the Cricut Circle?”). THIS ONE is called, “Who is excited about the Cricut Circle!!!!!” and as of press time, it had 2 responses, both of which weren’t “excited!”

The major problem appears to be the high price, first and foremost. Also, paying that high price and not knowing ahead of time which-all cartridges you’ll get. And the idea of cartridge exclusivity turns a lot of people off anyway.

I don’t have a dog in this fight because, while I have a Baby Bug, I’m not a rabid Cricut fan nor do I harbor the hatred for Provo Craft that many do these days. I’m just sharing what I’m hearing and letting you be the judge.

My conclusion is that Provo Craft is either extremely out of touch with what their customers and consumers in general want … or they know something we don’t know and they’re still making lots of bank off of products and “exclusive memberships” like the Cricut Circle. Either way, they seem to keep coming up with new products and they are always “in the press.” You gotta’ give ’em that …

Scrapbook Shopping: Michaels and Tuesday Morning

Here are some pics from recent trips to Michaels …

This is the new “Traveler” line by Me and My Big Ideas (MAMBI). I love the color combo of ocean-y blues and greens, peaches/yellows/oranges, and black/white. It has a vintage feel but modern at the same time, which made me think of my friend ABBY and the Seattle album she’s working on … Wonder if she’ll like this line?

I think I’ve shown you the Recollections and Prima on the left side of this photo, but the gorgeous butterflies and pretty flower packs on the right are new ….

All kinda’ bling bling … Please ignore any SALE signs, as these sales are no longer going.

This was a whole endcap of new Making Memories embellishments called “Design Shop” which reminded me so much of Jolee’s, I had to wonder if they’re owned and/or made by the same company.

Some cute things here … these were 2 of my favorites. It’s hard to tell, but many of them are 3-D

Here are some recent purchases of mine from Michaels. Aren’t the Recollections trims cute? The red hearts are felt, then the 2 ribbons, and the turquoise dingle balls … so fun! The Super Mom stuff from MAMBI is chipboard and really pretty shades of pink and green. That color combo always makes me happy :) The school stickers by MAMBI on the right are epoxy, and I love the circle shape where you can cluster 3 together, or use 1 on a card for your favorite teacher. I bought them to use on yearbook pages and teacher “thank you” cards.

The Making Memories “Passport” metal clips on the bottom are from Target. I just thought they were purdy.

That’s it for Mike’s.

Now you’re asking, “What in the heck do throw pillows have to do with scrapbooking?” Well, I found these at Costco for a great price and they’re for the couch in my scrapbook room. It doesn’t show up great in the photo, but the color is really pretty … it’s like a lighter or muted robin’s egg blue. It’ll go nicely with all the other blues and greens, pale yellow, and white in my space. Another great thing is that they are durable – made from a thick, linen-textured fabric that will hold up well to my kids piling on them and many years of me lying back on them to read my scrapbook magazines and idea books. So glad I found these …

Lastly, here are some recent finds from TUESDAY MORNING

These are all from Making Memories, the little flower jars and a metal tin of flowers. The jars are plastic and I’ll reuse them when I’m done for storage on my stamp shelf. I love that you get a length of green and white ribbon, too. The tin is deceiving so be careful if you buy them. I haven’t opened the tin yet, but I noticed in the store when I was deciding whether to buy them that – no – the tin is not FILLED with flowers. There is one layer of them pressed against the little window, then it’s all padding underneath. So be aware that you’re not getting very many flowers in this package. To me, it was worth it because I’m going to re-use the tin and because of the discounted price.

As you can see here, the jars and the tin cost $1.99 each.

My best find was this set of paper ribbons by K&Co.!! You get 4 packages in a variety of colors and styles for only $3.99. I believe these retail for $3.99 PER PACK, so to get 4 packs for that price is amazing. They are so pretty in person, especially the one on the far right with the distressed colors. But they’re all very nice.

So those are my latest shopping adventures! Did you see anything you like?

Why Do You Blog?

A fellow blogger posted this question over on the 2peas message board (thread is HERE). I thought I’d share my answer, well, on my blog! Here is what my answer was:
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I started my scrapbook blog over 3 years ago because I am truly obsessed with scrapbooking and I wanted someone to “talk to” who would understand. I have IRL friends who scrapbook but I only see them at crops every few months, and we talk about scrapbooking for hours while we scrap. But I got tired of holding all my good info for crops, LOL! DH calls it “crap-booking,” so you can see I get no support at home, lol …

So I started my blog as a place where I could write down all the thoughts I was having on the industry (which was much more hoppin’ and not quite so depressing at the time). I also wanted to share the deals I found, talk about SB events I went to, what was going on at my LSS’s (used to have 7, now have none), drool over new products, tell scrappers what TV shows and movies featured scrapping, etc.

About a year ago, I started incorporating my thoughts and experiences about being a scrapbook consultant, in the hopes that I can save others from making any mistakes I did, share what’s been successful for me, and again … drool over all the new products Also, I’m often asked questions about becoming a consultant and it’s nice to have one place I can refer people to for information.

Due to the economy, I’ve had to work a lot more hours and I don’t get to blog as much as I used to, and I REALLY REALLY miss it. I so enjoy the comments people leave … even just looking at my blog stats and seeing that people do read what I’m sharing. It makes me feel really good inside. I truly enjoy the exchanges I have there about scrapbooking and I think I’ll keep doing my blog forevah!
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So, why do YOU blog?

New Basic Grey Coming in June 2010!

Basic Grey recently announced they will have some mid-releases due out in June 2010. As a big BG fan, I was excited to hear this and even more excited when I took a peek and fell in love with these two new lines … let’s start with some pretty good teasers …

OLIVER

and OLIVIA

Check this out, from the Basic Grey WEBSITE:

And here are links to the entire OLIVER and OLIVIA lines on the Basic Grey website ~ yahoo! {To get a closer look at each item, hover over it with your pointer and the photo will enlarge}.

As you can see, each line has a TON of items in it, including some new kinds of embellishments like Cozy Posies, Decorative Clips, Gummies, and my personal favorites, CANVAS TAGS and PIECES.

I’ll admit I’m not totally crazy about the little animal guys, and would probably only use them on baby pages, but there are so many papers and embellishments that don’t contain them, I’m sure these collections will be joining my own personal collection :)

And as if Oliver and Olivia weren’t enough summer excitement, Basic Grey is also going to add elements to their BASICS line in June 2010! Talk about a hot seller! I notice that Memory Works has already sold out of some of this line (although the owner assures us the stock will be replenished soon). I also noticed on the Basic Grey website that a lot of the current Basics items show “out of stock.” Hmmm … just letting you know so when the new Basics items come out in June, don’t hesitate or you might not be able to get any right away.

To get the whole scoop, read Kelly Goree’s blog HERE. Please go and see the gorgeous layouts she’s already making with “Oliver” and “Olivia.”

Go HERE to see what the Peas have to say, and if you’re a member of Scrapbook Sisters Studio, you can see our chat about it HERE.

On the MEMORY WORKS consultant message board, I posted my excitement over all the new BG goods and the owner confirmed that we WILL be carrying all of these new Basic Grey items. Made my day, it did. So when June rolls around and you decide you need this new Basic Grey, give me a HOLLAH!

What do you think of Oliver, Olivia, and the new Basics items? Is it a “hit” or a “miss” for Basic Grey this time around?

Creating Keepsakes Special Issue: Fast and Fresh Scrapbooks

Available May 11, 2010, there’s a new special issue by Creating Keepsakes called “Fast and Fresh Scrapbooks”.

HERE is where you can buy it online, and get a sneak peek inside. HERE is a free shipping code offer that ends MAY 16, 2010. You can also go to Lisa Bearnson’s BLOG and enter a comment to win a free copy (do this by THURSDAY, May 13, 2010). She also has a shipping code to get 20% OFF (must use by May 31, 2010)!

I took the peek inside and I spy some work by one of my favorite scrappers, ELIZABETH KARTCHNER. Did you know she’s pregnant with BEBE #3? And in other happy news, so is EMILIE! She told her family in the most FUN WAY. Congrats to both of these beautiful moms. It would be totally typical of me to say something like, “Yeah! More scrapbooking material!” so I totally won’t say that. I don’t like to be typical :)

Anyway … back to my original topic: The new CK special issue. If you get it, you MUST come back and give us a review. I’m sure I’ll be buying it as soon as I see it in the store. Yeah, I can’t seem to resist even though I have every scrapbooking magazine and idea book known to man. “Wait, you say that like it’s a BAD thing?” {I could have worse vices …}

Winners from National Scrapbook Day!

On May 1st, I had some CONTESTS on my blog for prizes. I picked the winners Monday morning (with the gracious help of RANDOM.ORG) and notified them by e-mail. I heard back from all the winners so without further adieu, here are the lucky girlz:

Contest #1 – Scavenger Hunt
Winner: Karen!

She won her choice of a Simple Stories LIFE DOCUMENTED KIT or a package of 25 pocket page protectors by WE R MEMORY KEEPERS; she went with the page protectors. Great choice. They are so flexible, easy to work with, and can make for some quick projects :)

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Contest #2 – Your Favorite Products
Winner: Julie!

She won up to $25 worth of scrapbooking products from my Memory Works WEBSITE! Here is what she chose:

Girls Paperie: Theme Set – On Holiday $7
Pink Paislee: Theme Set – 365 Degrees $5.50
BasicGrey: Theme Set – Basics Kraft $5.50

I have the PP “365 Degrees” theme set and the BG “Basics Kraft” theme set, and know she’s going to love them. I’ve been wanting the Girls Paperie “On Holiday,” so Julie, you’ll have to let me know how you like it when your goodies come in the mail.

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Contest #3 – Inspire Us
Winner: Gloria!

She had her choice of any scrapbooking or card sketches book from SCRAPBOOK GENERATION. Gloria chose “Sketches for Scrapbooking, Volume 5.” Good choice … you can’t go wrong with these books.

Here are the 4 entries received for the Inspire Us contest and what supplies they used that are also sold by MEMORY WORKS.

A sweet layout with some really cute kids by ERICA. She used Jenni Bowlin BUTTERFLIES.
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A gorgeous layout by JULIE (winner of game #3!), using QUEEN BEE papers from Pink Paislee and a great sketch from the MY LITTLE SKETCH BOOK blog.

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A lovely butterfly card made by JINGLE using STICKLES and RANGER INK:
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And Gloria used American Crafts THICKERS on her creative and pretty layout:

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Thank you so much to everyone who participated in my contests for National Scrapbook Day. Let’s do it again next year!

More Photos of the New Stuff and Set-Up at Michaels

I hope you had a wonderful National Scrapbooking Day! I know a lot of you made a weekend of it, which is awesome. If you haven’t already, please go HERE and play my NSD games. There are 3 games with 3 nice prizes. You can enter all 3, and you have until this Friday at midnight PST! Go play now, then come back and read about Michaels. This post ain’t going anywhere :)

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In THIS POST from last week, I showed some photos that my friend had taken at HER Michaels. Well, I have since been to MY Michaels and have more photos to share. I was surprised to find that some of the changes to products and the way they’re displayed have actually reached my Mike’s.

Here are the spinny racks that I was so sure I would never see at my store. But there they were!

Personally, I don’t care for the Recollections paper line on this side ….


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… but both of these lines are very pretty. I especially love that 2nd paper on the left with the Eiffel Tower.


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So now to the whole “sorting by theme” thing. My Michaels has had two of these sections for a while now: Baby and Travel. Here is the Baby section; it’s in the same place as before but it looked like they had added some new things.


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Obviously, here is the Travel section. More on this later …


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These were new: “Fresh Glitter” and “Fresh Flocking” by STUDIO G. That’s the same company who makes the MIKE’s $1 STAMPS. These monochromatic packs are only $1 each, too. I’m not a huge glitter fan but I would like to try flock one of these days. I wonder if this stuff is good quality.


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These plastic storage items were new, at least to my store.


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As you can see, we’re still in transition, LOL! This will be the rack of new Jolee’s that I posted a pic of in that last entry I linked to.


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Now that I’ve seen them closer, I can’t say as I like them a huge lot. For instance, these are super glittery which is not my fave.


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There were also some new alphas including these puffy and glittery alphas by ATD. I really like the size, font, and colors of these letters. At $4.99, they qualify for future coupon usage, lol.


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More on themes … Sorry the photos are blurry but I noticed that all the military, police, and fire embellies had been gathered here, regardless of manufacturer.


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Same thing with Family stuff. Yes, we already had a few sections of family-related items before, but now ANYTHING that has to do with family is in one spot.

They had also divided everything else up into themes, like Christmas, Halloween, Fall, Sports, etc. I still don’t think I like it. For one thing, with all the different size and style of packages in one place, it looks messy. Also, it’s going to be hard to find when they’ve added something new and it’ll be impossible to search by manufacturer. Two of my favorite sections before were where they put all of the SOFT SPOKEN and the K&Co. embellishments. Now those will be all parceled out and displayed by theme instead. Again, how are we to tell if something new is added? That’s going to be a big ol’ PITA.
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All of these 12×12 open stock papers were new to me.


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Isn’t that white lace doily paper pretty?


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Finally, just wanted to share these new Recollections for Kids stickers. I’m sure kids will love them. They are bright, colorful, and fun!

Love the pear, the lollipop, and the gum ball machine.

Don’t forget … go play my NSD games! Now, before you forget, LOL :)

HAPPY NATIONAL SCRAPBOOKING DAY!

I’m so glad we have a special day just for us, aren’t you? LOL I hope you’re turning this into National Scrapbook WEEKEND and having a blast gettin’ your craft on!
Thank you for stopping by. In celebration of this wonderful day, I’d like to invite you to play 2 games and enter a contest for some pretty nice prizes.

Now, I’ll admit that a set of 3 “somethings” that a vendor was going to send me ~ and I was going to RAK to you as prizes today ~ did not arrive as yet. But I’ve happily supplied some other prizes and we’ll just have to have another special giveaway day later, won’t we??? It’s a win/win for you, my sweet scrap buddy :)

So here we go … And please note these are open to US players only (rules at very bottom) …

GAME #1: SCAVENGER HUNT

1. Go to the SIMPLE STORIES ONLINE CATALOG (this is a .pdf that may take a bit to load).
a. Page 1 (after the title page) – If your party has $250-299 in total sales, how much does the Hostess get in free product?
b. Page 9 – How much do the We R Memory Keepers 12×12 D-Ring Linen Albums cost?

2. Go to the Memory Works SPRING 2010 CATALOG, Basic Essentials (again, it’s a .pdf file) and answer these questions:
a. What is the first product you see?
b. Page 46 – What is your favorite color of Stickles on this page? (There is no wrong answer, as long as the color you like is shown on this page)
c. Page 50 – How much does a Glue Glider Pro cost?

3. Go to MY MEMORY WORKS WEBSITE, and click on Shop Our Products:
a. Click Clearance Sale, then American Crafts. Two types of AC items are on Clearance … Thickers and ___________?
b. Click on New Art Tools and Metal Stamps. What is the brand name sold in this section?
c. Click on Fancy Pants. What color is the “My Family” alphabet?
d. Click on New Cardstock. Memory Works used to carry Prism cardstock. They now carry which brand?

E-mail your answers to scrapbookobsession(at)gmail(dot)com by the deadline down below. Each entry that is 100% correct will be entered to win …. (drumroll please!) …

Your choice of a Simple Stories “LIFE DOCUMENTED” KIT ($16.99 value) or We R Memory Keepers PAGE PROTECTORS, 25-pack of 4×6 horizontal ($11.50 value)!!!

GAME #2: YOUR FAVORITE PRODUCTS

This game is SOOOOOO easy … and fun! Just go browse around MY MEMORY WORKS WEBSITE. Click on Shop Our Products and then click on each brand or category as you wish. Then come back and tell me in Comments (by the deadline below) what you would buy if you had $25 to spend @ Memory Works. The retail value MUST be $25.00 or less total. You know why? Because the prize for the lucky winner is … $25 worth* of Memory Works products! And I want you to receive exactly what you want. Just think of me as The Scrapbook Fairy … I want nothing but scrap happiness for you :)

*Retail value, not counting tax or shipping and handling (total prize worth upwards of $35!)

Please choose items that are in stock right now. If the item(s) you’ve chosen become unavailable by the time I place the order, I’ll contact the winner to negotiate another selection they are happy with :)

“INSPIRE US” CONTEST

Make a layout or card using ANY product shown on my MEMORY WORKS WEBSITE. Seriously, anything. There are tons and tons of products shown. Find a sheet of paper, a flower, a Stickles color, or use a tool that Memory Works currently sells and you happen to have in your stash. If you don’t have any products in your stash that qualify, use a product that’s similar and explain what you did (“I used black Thickers that are similar to the puffy ones that Memory Works carries.”)

Post your layout or card on your blog, to your Flicker, your Facebook, whatever. Then come here and leave a link in Comments. If you have nowhere to post it, e-mail it to me and I’ll post it on my blog; my e-mail: scrapbookobsession(at)gmail(dot)com. All entries posted by the deadline below will be placed in a drawing for the prize of … a SKETCHES FOR SCRAPBOOKING or CARDMAKING book by SCRAPBOOK GENERATION ~ your choice! That’s a $12.99 value, my friend … {If for some crazy reason, you don’t want one of these fabulous sketch books, we can chat and I’ll send you something of equal value from Memory Works, K?}

I reserve the right to show off ALL entries on my blog. I hope you will inspire us!

PLEASE NOTE: For all games and contests, the deadline to enter is ****Friday, May 7 at 12 midnight PST****. One entry PER GAME per person (you can enter all 3). Open to scrappers with a United States mailing address only. If you win, you’ll need to provide a mailing address to me via e-mail. If you don’t leave a way to contact you, I will not enter you in the drawing(s).

When you leave entries via Comments, make sure it links back to you or I won’t be able to contact you if you win! If you don’t have a blog or website to link, e-mail me, K?

GOOD LUCK!!!!

Memory Works: New BASIC GREY “Cappella”

We’ve had GREEN AT HEART and KIOSHI for a while, and I showed you HERE the new line in stock called “BASICS.” Well, we also now have in stock “CAPPELLA” and “MAX & WHISKERS.” Yes! I’ve been waiting for these as I know many of you have. Today I’ll post about Cappella and next time will be about Max & Whiskers.

Without further adieu, let’s take a look at what you can order:

“Cappella” by Basic Grey













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Okay, I’m going to make an embarrassing confession: When this line hit the Memory Works website yesterday, I quickly proceeded to order 2 of the theme sets and 1 of just about every other item in the line (I didn’t get the buttons, the rub-ons, or the card kit). Wanna’ know why I went so crazy? Because I’ve been looking for years ~ YEARS, I tell ya! ~ to find a line that is worthy of scrapbooking my wedding photos with. And I have found it … Basic Grey “Cappella.” I should’ve known it would be Basic Grey {swoon!}.

So I had to search no further for inspiration than the amazing blog of KELLY GOREE. Here is a wedding layout she did using “Cappella” which I just adore.

LAYOUT BY KELLY GOREE for BASIC GREY

Gosh, that’s so dang pretty! I think it’ll be perfect for my wedding photos. A few months ago, I got some of Basic Grey’s old line “BLACK TIE.” I wonder if these two lines will coordinate? Hmmm…

Anyway …. If you’d like to order any of the new Basic Grey lines, my Memory Works website is HERE. Instructions for how to order are HERE. My contact information is HERE if you have ANY questions or would like me to place your order for you.

I take Paypal or check/money order. The shipping is very quick and great customer service. (US residents only)

I’ve Got Photos of the New Scrapbooking Stuff at Michaels!

I have one of the best scrappy friends in the world. She lives in another part of the country and we’ve never met in person, but she always has my back. To that end, when she was at her Michaels today and saw all the new stuff and the new store layout … she KNEW I’d want to see pictures, and she knew I’d want to share them with you.

So, here are photos provided by “mah gurrrll” Abby …

This is new Jolee’s. Can you believe it?!?! Totally different packaging from their usual. I’ve never really been a Jolee’s girl, but there are some really cute things here. I might just become a convert …

Some pretty and unique Jolee’s border strips …

Finally! Some new THICKERS!! Suh-WEET! And those look like some pretty textured papers in nice colors.

Here’s one of the new “themed” sections: Christmas.

A wider view … This looks SO different from how my Michaels is set up. Mine has the really tall racks with shelves on top where they store extra stock. This store has lower racks and pretty little signs.

Here’s a new kit called “The Merry Days of Christmas” by MY MINDS EYE

… and a new 8.5″ x 8.5″ paper pad called “Sleepy Tree” (I think) by K&COMPANY. I can’t read it perfectly in the photo, and there’s nothing called “Sleepy Tree” K&Co’s website … but that isn’t saying much. Sometimes the stores have things that aren’t on the manufacturer’s website.

Looks like some new kits and stacks, and down in the bottom left corner, did you see? BASIC GREY “Ambrosia” and “Eva” paper stacks! My Michaels has had these as open stock papers but not as a stack.

New Recollections single papers. I see some really pretty colors and designs there. Does your Mike’s have tall racks sitting out in the middle of the floor like this? Mine doesn’t. Gasp! That almost resembles and LSS!

Here’s the new MARTHA STEWART Scoring Board. Apparently, this is the hot new item to have. I’m plugging my ears and singing “la la la” because I don’t NEED another expensive tool in my life. I don’t, I don’t, I DON’T! {But it does look cool!}

Remember when I posted HERE and HERE about the themed sections that were “coming soon.” Well, they’re finally here, LOL! In THIS discussion at 2peas, there seems to be a general dissatisfaction with the whole “sorted by theme” idea. Some scrappers feel it’s being done to cater only to the beginning scrapbooker who wanders in to solely do a baby, wedding, Christmas, or travel scrapbook. The feeling is that more seasoned scrapbookers (get it? seasoned? Christmas? huh? huh?) like us shop not by theme but by brand name and/or by item type.

Now I know this is a selfish perspective but, wth, this is my blog and my opinion: I want Michaels sorted the way my scrapbook room is organized, which is to say, by brand name for the most popular brands, then by item type and color beyond that. But, no, Michaels Corporate did not ask ME, did they? Boy, they’d better not ever ask me stuff … ‘cuz I will tell them! Huh. They would rue the day, baby.

Okay, say Michaels corporate ever did ask me. Here are the top 5 things I would tell them:

1. Less Jolee’s, more Thickers.

2. Bring back coupons on books and magazines. At least on books, come ON!

3. Do NOT. Under any circumstances. Organize by theme. And keep all the alphas in one place.

4. Make “knowledge of scrapbooking” a condition of hire.

4a. Better yet, hire me. Make me Director of Scrapbook Buying, Merchandising, Publicity, and Employee Training.
I will make you millions and jillions of dollahs.

5. Anything that has been on your racks for more than 6 months … CLEARANCE. Then get new stuff.

I swear to G, they still have things in Michaels that were there when I first discovered it back in two-thousand-ought-two. Hello? Take the loss already and move on, Mike’s.

Okay, this was not meant to turn into a MIke’s Rant Post, so very sorry. This is actually a Happy Mike’s post. Yay! We are so happy they got some new stuff! We are happy we have new things to bust out our coupons on! We are so happy they are getting OCTOBER AFTERNOON! Rah rah, Mike’s!

Okay, now tell me about your Mike’s. Got all this new stuff yet? What have you bought recently? What new items are you most looking forward to if, like me, you still have the same old stuff?

Oh, and tell me your feelings on the whole “sort by theme” debate. Don’t be shy … yea or nay?

Memory Works: Basic Grey “Basics” Now in Stock!

Basic Grey “Basics” in WHITE


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Basic Grey “Basics” in MANILA

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Basic Grey “Basics” in KRAFT


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Basic Grey “Basics” STAMPS


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Order all Basic Grey “Basics” HERE or e-mail me and I’ll get them ordered for you: scrapbookobsession(at)gmail(dot)com!

PS: We also have Basic Grey “Max & Whiskers” and “Capella” that we’ve all been waiting for! I’ll blog about those tomorrow but you can order them as of NOW :)

Memory Works: National Scrapbook Day Promotion by My Minds Eye

The company I’m a consultant for, MEMORY WORKS, now has 4 very special promotional items in stock to celebrate the upcoming National Scrapbook Day.

Here, I’ll give you a hint:

We have 4 kits, all from the My Minds Eye “Laundry Line” collection and each one is only $18.75!
Considering they’re a $50 value, that’s an amazing price. It’s a savings of 63% …

Each kit includes:

18 glittered 12×12 papers
an assortment of rub-ons
adhesive chipboard borders
adhesive chipboard accessories
cardstock die cuts
chipboard die cuts
journaling cards
titles

Below are the 4 kits by My Minds Eye (MME).

~ The first photo of each kit is what actually comes in the MME kit sold by Memory Works for $18.75; this photo is from the Memory Works website.
~ Below that, I have added photos of each ENTIRE line from the MY MINDS EYE website, so you can have a closer look at the items.

*** TO CLARIFY:

    The first photo shows what actually comes in the kit.

The additional photos are merely to show what some of the items you’re getting look like. (Disclaimer? DONE!) For example, the MME-website photos might show “trims” and “stamps,” but the kit from Memory Works does NOT include those. The MW kit DOES include a lot of the papers, titles, die cuts, borders, etc. shown in the additional photos.

The MME-website photos are SO kewl, with their glittery, moving pictures, that I had to share them. I think they also give a better view of the products.

Okay, let’s go peep some awesome My Minds Eye, shall we?

My Minds Eye – Laundry Line – SUNDRESS KIT
ORDER HERE

Admire

Bloom

Heirloom

Life

Sweetness

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My Minds Eye – Laundry Line – COASTAL KIT

ORDER HERE

Authentic

Celebrate

Comfort

Curious

Lucky

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My Minds Eye – Laundry Line – FLIRTY KIT

ORDER HERE

Embrace

Fun Lovin’

Lil Girl

Play

Pure Joy

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My Minds Eye – Laundry Line – NATURAL KIT

ORDER HERE

Aspire

Embark

Encourage

My Boy

Strength

Similar kits are being sold on Amazon.com for $29.99. Go ahead, click HERE if you don’t believe me!

I put one of each in my shopping cart for now, so they don’t sell out before I have a chance to look at each kit more closely and decide which one(s) I want :) If you’re interested in a kit or two, I’d do the same thing. Something tells me these kits ~ for this price ~ will go fast.

Yes, these scrapbook kits are in honor of National Scrapbook Day, which is May 1st, 2010, but they are available NOW! If you have any questions, or I can help you place your order, please contact me: scrapbookobsession(at)gmail(dot)com.

Are you tempted in the least?

Changes to the Scrapbook Obsession Blog

Yep, it’s Spring, time for a new beginning! I’m going to try out this new theme, just released by WordPress, called “Under the Influence.” Love it. The name is so cool.

So far, there are several things I like about it – the wider columns, ability to control column and photo width, the font, and the cleaner look. The only thing I don’t like so far is that my coolio Scrapbook Obsession header (graciously designed and provided by my homegirl CHRISPEA) won’t fit. I need to figure out how to resize it and get it back up there. In the meantime, I do enjoy being able to have a tagline … yeah, I’m sarcastic and I OWN it, sista!

Please forgive me while I work on things around here. I figured out how to add the widgets I wanted to the right margin but now I can’t figure out how to delete the duplicate ones down at the bottom/footer. They’re waaaaayyyy down there … just pretend you don’t see them, K? Yeah, yeah, just keep your eyes up here, buddy! No need to look down. {Now watch me use my “V” fingers to point at my eyes, then your eyes, then my eyes}. Are we clear?

Regarding my Blog Roll, it was pure nostalgia trying to update it just now. If you were on the Creating Keepsakes Message Board (CKMB) back in the day, you might remember that I compiled and housed a list of CKMB members’ blogs here in my Blog Roll. CKMB’ers would come over here and click away, reading the blogs of all their buds. Can you believe I had almost 200 … yes, 200 … CKMB blog links? Amazing, huh? CKMB no longer exists, per se, but there is the new Club CK board where I occasionally see some old familiar faces, and meet new ones too. Alas, I deleted most of the CKMB Blog Roll tonight and it was bittersweet.

You know how on Survivor when it’s down to the final players, they take a walk, stopping at a torch to represent each of the eliminated players, and they pause to say some kind words and remember that player? That’s how I felt while going through the list of CKMB bloggers … I kept stopping to say, “Aw, I remember her blog. It’s where I got the peppermint bark recipe I still use every Christmas,” or “Aw, Daisydo! She always kept the board rolling. She and Leslie/luv2 talk were always such a hoot.” Ah, Camelot! I miss those dog days of CKMB. They hold a super special place in my heart, but we all must let go some time …

So … Spring. 2010. Time to update and move on and let go and welcome the new in, right? If you absolutely hate this new theme and will stop coming to visit me because of it, please let me know. Howevah! If you range from “I really like it” to “Meh. I can tolerate it,” then you don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to. Well, okay, tell me if you really, really, Sally Field like it! And if you’re “meh” … keep it to yourself. I’m having a spring, a rebirth, a new start. I don’t need you bringing me down. Got it?

Now go plant some flowers or something … Sheesh.

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