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Crop Report and Michaels Coupon News

Just wanted to tell you about the crop I went to on Saturday. It was a lot of fun and I got 9 pages done in about 11 hours. That might be a record, LOL. Granted, I need to add the journaling on most of the layouts so they’re not complete quite yet. The crop was from 9 to 9 and I said I was going to get there right at 9, to take full advantage of my crop fee….cuz I’m stingy like that. However, I didn’t end up leaving the house until 9, then went to Michaels and Starbucks on the way (which were both right down the street from the crop).

At Michaels, I learned two things from the employees while I was there. 1. The beading area (at least at our store) is expanding, and 2. No more Michaels coupons via Sunday paper flyers. Yes, I’m bolding that…it’s big news!

So I was cruising the scrapbooking area, looking for something worthy of my 40% coupon, and coming up dry at that point. I went to look in the center aisle sections, desperately trying to find the load of new Sassafrass product “mah people” told me was at Mike’s these days (no luck). The next aisle from scrapbooking is beading and there were two employees resetting the aisle. I said, “Hi” and one of them asked if they could help me find anything. I meant to ask about the Sassafrass but my eyes were blinded by the dizzying array of new beads they were hanging. Like, row upon row upon row of beads! My jaw dropped and she goes, “Yeah, we’re expanding to three aisles.” I said, “I used to make beaded jewelry but stopped for scrapbooking. Maybe I’ll have to get into it again!” and we laughed. Then I said, “You know, I’d better just not look,” and she said, “Yeah, bead shopping is pretty addicting.” She paused and said, “And I hear scrapbook shopping can be pretty addicting, too. Is that right?” I said, “Oh, you don’t know the half of it!!” And we all laughed. I complimented them on all the new scrapbook stuff they’ve been getting and told them to keep it coming. {I realize they’re employees, not buyers, but it never hurts to put in a good word, right?}.

I ended up grabbing a paper pad from We R Memory Keepers with sport stuff, called “MVP,” for $12 instead of $20. I would link you the whole line on the WRMK site, but I couldn’t find it there. Gotta’ say, I’m not a big fan of their website, the way it’s organized and the lack of information. But I copied this from an online retailer.

When I was checking out, the cashier told me that Michaels would no longer have ads in the Sunday paper, and that coupons would be strictly from the mailing list/website. She gave me a cute flyer explaining how to get on the mailing list, and I told her I was already on it, so I’m good to go. I asked her why did she think they were doing that, and she assumed it was due to cost, but had not been told that. So, more things changing due to the economy, I guess. I enjoy looking through the Michaels ad on Sunday mornings, along with Target and a few others, while I drink my coffee. Then I go right to the cupboard for my scissors, cut the coupon out, and stick it in my purse. So now my routine will change and I’ll have to remember to print the coupon out from the computer, but whatevs. I’m cool with it. Can’t blame them for having to stop the ads; they must be really expensive when you imagine ALL the newspapers they’re in. Some Canadian Peas said they’re doing the same thing up there. I do wonder if it’s a good business move though, don’t you? Do you think having the ad right there in your paper entices crafters and non-crafters alike to buy when they normally wouldn’t? I mean, you and I who are computer savvy (and on this dang thing all the time) have no problem just getting on their e-mail list and checking the ad online. But what about Nancy Sue in Kalamazoo who browses her Sunday ads, sees silk trees or Christmas decor on sale at Michaels, and thinks, “Oh, that’s a good price. I should go check that place out.” KWIM? Without the ad, I could see Michaels losing a lot of business. Anyway, us Mike’s freaks can view the weekly ad and sign up to receive printable coupons via e-mail HERE.

So, I left Mike’s, grabbed my sugar-free latte from StarCrack’s….erm, I mean…Starbucks, and got to the crop by about 10. There ended up being nine of us there. The hostess gave me a goodie bag with 3 sheets of Scenic Route 12×12 paper, all of which I ended up using on a “Back to Skool” 2-pager. The hostess had some things for sale (I bought 2 packs of Thickers….finally found one pack I’d been looking for….some Daisy D rub-ons, and a few other things).

There was a Creative Memories rep there taking catalog orders and I spoke to her about getting the new crop bags that are coming out….have you seen them? OMG! So so so cute! The whole set is black and white with a subtle daisy design and the interior of all the bags are pink polka dots. I love having a light-colored interior as it’s easier to find things. I can’t find a photo online or I would show you. I’ll go on and on about these bags in another post when I can find a photo of them. But I told the CMC that I was going to ask for the large bag (like an XXL) and a couple others for Christmas from my mom and DH. The bags I have were purchased piece meal. They’re old and they don’t match…some black, some navy, some blue. I got her card and will contact her when the time comes.

There was also a crop friend there selling Memory Works. She is a really sweet lady I’d met before through the crop hostess. We got to commiserate about being Memory Works Consultants and compare notes, so it was great. She had some Scrapbook Trends magazines (well, they’re like books really) for sale for $8; I think they’re usually $15. I don’t ever buy ST because it’s so dang expensive plus ~ I guess I’m a weirdo ~ but I like the ads so an “ad free” magazine isn’t a good thing to me, LOL! But I bought this issue called, “TrendSetters” which showcases 15 top scrapbookers; it’s from 2006. I love reading profiles of scrappers and seeing their work.

I couldn’t find this issue on the SCRAPBOOK TRENDS website but an online retailer sells it for about $14 (discounted), so I did get a good deal.

So, shopping and cropping all day. Couldn’t have had a better day if I tried. Hope you got some scrappy time this weekend as well. What do you think about the disappearance of Michaels ads in the Sunday paper?

What Do Lisa Bearnson and “So You Think You Can Dance” Have in Common?

Absolutely nothing except that they both have upcoming shows I’m excited about!

Okay, LISA BEARNSON…Nope, unfortunately she’s not on QVC SCRAPBOOKING anymore :( Btw, I REALLY miss her on that show, don’t you? The other hosts try really hard but they just don’t have Lisa’s superior knowledge of scrapbooking products and how to use them. Plus, I miss her playfulness with David Venable.

Here she is with one of her daughters showing their seat belt burns from an accident they were in recently ~ thank goodness they were okay! Something tells me that without those seat belts, they wouldn’t have been….

Anyhow, I found THIS show that she’s going to be on (September 2 and 9, 2009), if you happen to get BYU-TV. You may not think you do, but look through ALLLLLL your cable or satellite channel listings and you might find it. On my Dish Network, it’s on Channel 9403….yeah, it’s way down there. It’s the same channel where I watch SCRAPBOOK MEMORIES, which has some new 2009 episodes. I haven’t watched in a while because I kept getting reruns of older shows but today I checked and am recording an upcoming episode that says 2009. Yippee skip! Love that show…

Okay, back to Lisa. The show is called “Latter Day Profiles” and the info says, “The co-founder and editor of Creating Keepsakes scrapbooking magazine, Lisa Bearnson.” Info also tells me this show originally aired on 6-24-09, so it’s fairly recent. Let’s check it out and then come back and compare notes, okay?

While searching around for shows to record, I also found something for fans of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE. On Wednesday, 9-2-09, Fox is showing a special episode with “fan fave routines from previous seasons.” The only bad thing is it’s a mere 1-hour long. WTH? I can’t wait to see it and hope they show some different routines than what were on the SYTYCD finale. There are SO many past routines I love. I could watch them over and over. Then the following Wednesday, September 9th, the new season of SYTYCD premieres, followed by the long-awaited second episode of GLEE! This is a show that won me over the first episode when they performed “Don’t Stop Believin’,” by Journey, my all time favorite band. {If you see me on the scrapbook message boards, I’m always “journey fan.”} Check out a Glee preview HERE; the Journey song starts around 2:45.

So, ya gonna try and catch Lisa B. and/or the SYTYCD episode?

New Products at Michaels

I’m so happy that Michaels is turning over their stock much more quickly than they used to. Just about every time I go into Mike’s, there is something new. Here are some photos of things that were new ~ to me at least. These photos were taken on my last few visits to Mike’s.

Making Memories alpha stickers
They had several colors. The font is cute and I love that there’s an little crystal on each letter.

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A bunch of new bling…

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Journaling tablet stickers by Die Cuts with a View. There were 5 different themes, like Travel, Love, and Family.

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Your eyes are not deceiving you…Those are Thickers @ Mike’s!! The choices are kind of slim so I hope they offer more style and colors in the future. Check out those red, yellow, and blue letter stickers. I swear those have been at Mike’s since 1996. C’mon, Mike’s, just toss them. If they haven’t sold in 13 years, they’re not going to sell now, LOL!

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I’m so bummed this photo didn’t come out! I wanted to show you all these cute little epoxy stickers by Recollections…arrows, flowers, and my favorite, rainclouds and raindrops.

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Blingetty bling bling!…

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I love this K&Co. album from the Cut ‘n Paste line. It’s pricey but maybe someday I can get it with a 40% or 50% off coupon. Yeah, yeah… a 50% coupon! When’s the next holiday?? Oh yeah, Labor Day is right around the corner…

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An overview of a lot of their new albums. The solid colored Recollections albums are on the top row. The ones below are so pretty/cool/cute; there are a couple albums there I would love to have.

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My Minds Eye paper stack, called “Complete Boy”

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My Minds Eye paper stack, called “Totally Girl”

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Cat’s Eye chalk inks ~ my ink of choice ~ and lots of Staz On inkpads.

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Brilliance “Dew Drops” ink pads and Tim Holtz Distress Inks in 6 colors! We’re big time now!

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Cute-alicious cupcake stamps…
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So, here is what I ended up with on trip #1: Some black Thickers. They are the puffy ones, black cursive font, called Rainboots. Also, a pack of American Crafts Slick Writers in black. I really only wanted the fine tip but they didn’t sell them separately in fine tip, only bold. Oh well, won’t hurt to have extra Slick Writers anyway. Used a 40% coupon on the pens.

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On trip #2, I got two of the Journal Stickers Tablets ~ Travel and Family, and some Recollections pearl bling strips in green and teal. Used a 40% coupon on one of the sticker books.

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Here’s one sheet of each of the Journal Sticker Tablets, just so you can see how cute they are. My Slick Writers will be perfect!

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I’m so impressed with Michaels lately. With the demise of so many LSS’s, maybe we’re giving them enough scrappy business to keep that part of the store going strong. I sure hope so….Mike’s is my main source for Scrap Crack….erm, I mean….scrap supplies. What new things have you seen or purchased at Mike’s lately?

Memory Works: My Minds Eye Christmas Paper and Accessory Kit

Sounds like another great deal to me! I already have one in my shopping cart before they run out.

MME: Christmas Paper and Accessory Kit
This My Mind’s Eye kit includes (20) 12×12 sheets of double-sided cardstock paper, plus over 40 mix and match accessory pieces.

Retail Price: $15.00
ON SALE Price: $8.75 (Save 42%)

I’m going to use this kit to make my 2009 Christmas cards. Get a jump on them and get started now, so I won’t be scrambling like I always am in December, LOL! If you’d like to order, instructions are HERE. Merry Christmas in August!!!

Bo Bunny: Delilah, Kitchen Spice, Flutter Butter, Boo Crew, Tis the Season, and St. Nick

Yep, all of these new Bo Bunny lines from CHA Summer 2009 are now in stock and ready to order at Memory Works! I’ll just give you a tease of each line by showing you the Theme Set, which is an exclusive to Memory Works. You get a set of 5 sheets of double-sided paper and 1 shaped paper for only $6.25. Also, there’s a sample layout or two so you can see each line in action. {Layouts are all from the Bo Bunny website, unknown artist(s)…}

DELILAH by Bo Bunny


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KITCHEN SPICE by Bo Bunny


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FLUTTER BUTTER by Bo Bunny


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BOO CREW by Bo Bunny


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TIS THE SEASON by Bo Bunny


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ST. NICK by Bo Bunny

Aren’t those great?!?! We carry each Theme Set with matching Cut-Outs (journaling tags and accents, 12×12, double sided), Buttons and Bling, iCandy Brads, Combo Stickers (a 12×12 sheet with alpha, swirlies, and such), Rub-Ons, and acrylic stamps.

You can see all of our new Bo Bunny stuff from CHA right HERE. I notice that a few of the items are showing Out of Stock, which either means they haven’t been received yet, or that the item was so popular, it already sold out.

Memory Works, along with other scrapbooking materials distributors, has been struggling recently with the fact that vendors are not able to sustain product availability over the whole season like they used to. This is, of course, due to the downturn in the industry of late. MEMORY WORKS has responded by deciding to issue an additional catalog every year. We all hope this offers better service and more predictability to our customers. It’s very frustrating, I know, to want an item and see that it’s already out of stock, and the manufacturers won’t be able to provide any more to Memory Works. It seems everyone is doing their best to make it all work! Thank you for understanding….

Anyhoo, if you see any items you like, I would encourage you to order soon! Just sayin…. LOL :) Click HERE for more info on ordering, or becoming a Memory Works hobbyist or consultant.

I think my favorite of these new BO BUNNY lines is Flutter Butter. I’m a sucker for that color combination. So pretty and so versatile….beach, outdoors, park, family, just about anything. Which one is your fave?

Good Grief Blog: Scrapbooking the Loss of a Loved One

Isn’t it interesting the way God times things in our lives? Giving us just what we need, just when we need it…

I recently posted this layout on my blog, about my Dad who passed away 16 years ago.

In case it’s too small to read, the journaling is simply the lyrics from “THE DANCE” by Garth Brooks:

Looking back
on the memory of
the dance we shared
beneath the stars above.
For a moment
all the world was right.
How could I have known
that you’d ever say goodbye?

And now
I’m glad I didn’t know
the way it all would end,
the way it all would go.
Our lives
are better left to chance.
I could have missed the pain
but I’d have had to miss
the dance.

It’s only the second layout I’ve been able to complete about my dad, even though I’ve been scrapping for 8 years. Doing layouts about him is such a struggle for me. The first one I did was for a Father’s Day challenge at AMR, and the second one {above} was recently done for a Book of Me challenge, also at AMR. Are we seeing a pattern? LOL I only seem to force myself on this issue…if I’m challenged. I’m one of those who didn’t really allow myself to go through the whole grieving process as I should have right after he died. So, here I am 16 years later, STILL kind of avoiding the feelings most of the time. The strange thing is that when I force myself to do these challenge layouts that involve my grief over his loss, I DO feel better afterwards. Part of that is the relief of getting some long pent-up feelings out on paper, and part of it is the encouragement, sympathy, and other heartfelt comments my fellow scrappers make about the layouts. Which I realize are the works of a mediocre scrapper, but do come from an honest place in my heart.

That said…I honestly don’t know when I would’ve done another “Dad” layout in the near future. I’m tellin’ ya’….PAIN. FULL. Full of pain. Right? And Avoidance is my middle name, baby!

Then along comes my homegirl EMILIE at the SCRAP REVIEW {love her for so many reasons; hers is one of the only blogs I make sure to read on a daily basis} to help along with some divine intervention :) She posted THIS about a new blog called GOOD GRIEF. Here is what it’s about, taken from the Good Grief blog:

We here have all experienced a loss. Together, we hope to heal. This site is intended to help in that process…to be a source of inspiration and motivation…and to simply be a place to share and know that others understand. To that end, we (the contributors) have created these scrapbook challenges. For us, scrapbooking about our lost loved ones is therapeutic on many levels. Challenges are completely open…anyone can participate and challenges are very much open to interpretation…take from them whatever helps YOU. Tackle them in whatever format suits you (layouts, mini albums, home decor, anything!). No rules…New challenges and examples will be posted on the 1st and 15th of each month. Between challenges, more in-depth looks at the contributor layouts will be posted. As this site evolves, we hope to add more content between the challenges and will look to you for ideas and suggestions.

And whaddya know? Their first challenge is….USE LYRICS. Bla-dow. DONE. Mwuh. Meant to be. Am I right? So I’m taking this as a sign: My angel, Emilie, was sent to give me the message about Good Grief. And me not being one to ignore angel messages, I will be entering my above layout in their first challenge, and plan to enter more challenges in the future.

Those Good Grief girls are just what I need. Challenge, inspiration, and the knowing of true grief. AMANDA PROBST started the blog ~ You may know her from CREATING KEEPSAKES. When I used to hang out at CKMB, she often posted and I remember when her dad died because, boy oh boy, could I relate to the feelings she was expressing. Like her, I lost my dad suddenly due to an accident, while he was in his 50s, so we are both raising children who are growing up without a Grandpa who should, mathematically speaking, still be here. Amanda was also sweet enough to join us once for Scrap Chat Hour at AMR, back when HER BOOK came out.

So, yeah, it all comes full circle, doesn’t it? I love this online scrapbooking community. It’s full of wonderful women whom I’ve never met in real life, and probably never will, yet they touch my heart in their own little way, at just the right time, with just the right inspiration. God bless them.

Sassafrass Lass On Location and Grab Box Sale

Well, you remember how exciting the Pink Paislee GRAB BOX was, right? Here’s another one for ya’….Sass Lass (who, by the way, are now officially called just “Sassafrass”…) is having a big “on location” sale at their office location tomorrow (Saturday, 8-15-09 from 9am to 3pm) and the linkee is HERE. Then, there is an online grab box sale, as requested by their online admirers who don’t happen to live in Utah, LOL. That linkee is HERE. There is no deadline listed, so I assume it’s first come, first served.

HERE is where 2peas is talking about it. HERE is what the AMR girlz have to say. I’m going to pass on this one. I’m making good progress on using the stuff from my Pink Paislee box, and could technically justify another purchase like this. Howevah, I’m not a big enough fan of the Sassafrass lines to be sure that I’d love it all, kwim? I have some Sass Lass stickers from the LSS (Isn’t “Sass Lass” just fun to say? Sass Lass, Sass Lass, Sass Lass….I’m so bummed they changed their name), and one paper pad from Michaels but I’m finding them both hard to use. Just not my usual style, I guess. I love them, think they’re super cute and all – I especially love the frills along the edges of their papers – but some of the prints, I guess, just don’t go with what I typically scrap.

That being said (don’t you hate when they say that EVERY time before they give the nominations for eviction on Big Brother….yeah, yeah, yeah….”that being said,” we know! Get on with the nominations!) … See, I digressed AGAIN! That being SAID, I know that lots of scrappers are huge Sass Lass fans and will dig this sale. Therefore, I LINK YOU. Taa daaaaaahh! Happy shopping.

Messy Scrap Rooms, Scrapbook Product Trends, and Stamp News

Tell the truth…Do you qualify to enter the MESSIEST SCRAPBOOK ROOM CONTEST? Deadline is 8-24-09 and you could win a $50 gift certificate.

Check out the TOP BUSINESS TRENDS AT CHA-SUMMER 2009. To sum up the trends: Eco and cheap-o….err, I mean….cheaper! Not cheap as in shoddy, just more affordable to all us broke scrappers, LOL!

I’m so excited for my AMR friend, KELLIANNIE. I’ve bragged about her mad cardmaking skillz many a time, and she’s an awesome illustrator, too, who has gotten into the stampmaking business. At one time, she made her own stamps for sale, and now she’s had designs picked up for manufacture by a major company, UNITY STAMP COMPANY. Her dragonfly stamp is included in USCs August Kit of the Month, which you can order (or just drool over) HERE (hers is #6, the dragonfly on the top right….so pretty!).

Kelli posted about it recently HERE and one of her designs, a double lilac bloom, unbeknownst to her til now, was even at CHA! I tell ya’, there are some big shots hanging out over at AMR. You might want to join up so you can schmooze with them.

Our own JOSCIE CUTCHENS even had a page published in the latest Memory Makers issue. Look for her on page 66. ETA 8-14-09: To clarify, it is the latest and it is the last :(

Speaking of AMR, there will be a SCRAP CHAT HOUR tonight at 8:30 pm CST (that’s 6:30 for you PSTers like me). The topic is sharing scrapbooking tips we’ve learned along the way, so come join us. I’m sure you could teach us, and learn, a thing or four. Also, we have the ongoing BOOK OF ME (aka BOM) project and would love you to join us. Abby gives us layout challenges, we throw around ideas and ask questions, and share our finished layouts. It’s a very good thing to do for yourself….don’t you deserve it?

So, tell me about your messy (or perfectly organized) scrap space, and/or your thoughts on the latest scrapbook trends.

Layouts from the AMR August Crop

As I mentioned HERE and HERE, we had a member-hosted, online crop this weekend at the All Moments Remembered message board. There were loads of fun challenges, some RAKs, lots of chatting (some topics of convo: rum, margaritas, and hot men), and a fun and crazy scrapbook bingo game…which I actually won! Kind of by default but you had to be there, LOL! I had a lot of fun chatting, laughing, admiring the wonderful work of other scrappers and cardmakers, and I even got some scrapbooking done! Here are two of the layouts I completed:

** I apologize in advance for the poor quality of my photos. My “real” camera is out of commission, so all I have is my iPhone and they all look blurry….

“Sculpterra” for the “Let’s scrap bingo style” challenge hosted by JULIE aka Scrappin{jewlz}. You probably can’t read the journaling but Sculpterra winery has these amazing sculptures outside by artist JOHN JAGGER. They are made of bronze or granite, and are simply amazing..

2-page layout (sorry it’s so small…if I enlarge it, it gets even more blurry)

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Left page…
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and right page.
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Close up of my favorite flowers, which are 2 layers of shiny silk and then chiffon, with seed beads in the middle. They came in a Memory Works kit last year. I need to look up who makes them and get some more if they’re still available. Love!

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I mostly used COSMO CRICKET “Fleuriste” that I’ve had for a while, and stamped the title with a cool new font I found at Walmart by AUTUMN LEAVES. I layered two different colors of COLORBOX chalk Inks.

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For the bingo challenge, Julie provided a bingo card you could print out that looked like this:

You then picked 5 boxes in a row – up, down, or diagonal – as requirements for your layout. So, for “Sculpterra,” I used the far righthand vertical row.

3 different stamps: Title, hummingbird, and circles
Journaling strips: To label the photos
1-word title: “Sculpterra”
Ribbons or fibers: Black ribbon under teal flower
At least 5 photos: I’ve got 8!

This challenge was fun to do. The first thing I did was go through the bingo card and cross out things I was NOT going to do (like use butterflies, use only 1 photograph, use paint, handstitch, etc.) and circle anything I for sure wanted to include. In this case, I knew was starting with 8 photos, so I circled use at least 5 photos. Then I just picked the row that made the most sense for this layout. Super cool and creative. Thanks, Julie!

So, that was all I got done for crop challenges so far. The deadline to post layouts/cards isn’t until Wednesday night 8/12/09 at 12 midnight PST. I had to work tonight, but I’m hoping Mon/Tue nights are quiet and I can get some more challenges done. There is one about scrapbooking/you and one about using a neglected stamp that I’d really like to try :)

I decided to use the some of the AMR crop time/motivation/mojo to straighten up my scrap space, and to work on some other layouts. This layout was not crop-related. It was actually to try and get caught up with my Book of Me challenges, like I talked about HERE, {an ongoing challenge also hosted at AMR}. Here was the challenge from ABBY aka ScrapbookFrenzy:

The challenge is to scrap a time in your life or in the span of life in general that you’d like to go back to. You can do it on being a child, about your children like she did, or if you wouldn’t like to go back at all for any reason, scrap about why. Build on this challenge any way you’d like. It’s YOURS and for YOUR album….not mine or any other person’s. {You can read the entire challenge and see a sample layout by STEPHANIE HOWELL right HERE}.

So, here is what I came up with. “Oh, to be….his girl again.”

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Almost everything is Pink Paislee from my GRAB BOX (except for some old Scrapworks black letter stickers, and Heidi Swapp white chipboard letters that I used green then turquoise chalk ink to color). Oh, and the “J” is Jenni Bowlin, and the Don’t Forget tag is MME. The Pink Paislee silver rub-ons don’t show up well in photos, so here’s a close-up of he silver border…

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… and silver letters that say “Cheated of…” (time).

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Here are the lyrics up close so you can read them….

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My dad died in 1993 and I still miss being his girl. There is just no one like a girl’s daddy to love her unconditionally, protect her, and be on her side. This is only the second layout I’ve done about my dad since he died 16 years ago, and it was done through tears. {Yep, crying as I type this, too. Crap.} So, I didn’t have it in me to write original journaling this time. Instead, I used song lyrics from a Garth Brooks song that was actually a favorite of mine at the time my dad died. Who knew it would end up applying to me? But I’ve always meant to do a layout about my dad using these lyrics, because every time I hear this song, I still think of him. Every. Single. Time. Oh, to have him back again…but I wouldn’t miss the pain if it meant missing the dance we did share for those years. Miss you, Hippy Dad. Miss you so much…. {Crap, so many tears I can’t see to type…brb}.
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Okay! So, moving on… Hope you had a great weekend and not a super soppy, nose-runny one like I did, LOL! How much scrapping did you get done? Did you join us at the AMR crop? And if not, for God’s sake, WHY??? :) :) :)

August Crop @ All Moments Remembered

Like I told ya’, there’s a fun online crop going on all weekend at my scrapbook message board home, ALL MOMENTS REMEMBERED.

As part of the crop, I took this photo and need to go post it over there. Please forgive very much the frizzy, windblown/flattened bangs and tired, “thank GAWD it’s Friday!” look on my face.

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Are you wondering why I have to take a photo of myself for an online crop? Guess you’ll just have to come find out, won’t you?

I Need to Get My Priorities Straight…

Well, it’s late Thursday night and I just got done watching the finale of So You Think You Can Dance. My whole family voted for Brandon, so we were happy he came in second place at least. I wouldn’t have picked Janeane for the overall winner, but hey, you GO, girl! All those dancers have great careers in front of them.

So, it’s been a hectic summer and I apologize for the lack of posts lately. I’ve been working tons – a regular, 40-hour a week job, plus taking side jobs almost every night. I’m quite exhausted if you must know. All that fun time I used to have at night, cruising scrappy sites for topic ideas and things to link you to? GONZO. I’m hoping things slow down a bit soon, because I really miss my bloggy time. My blog traffic has slowed down, and hardly anyone leaves comments anymore {those who do….mwah! mwah! … I luvs ya!}. I don’t know whether to blame the slowed traffic on summer, Facebook, or I’m boring, LOL!

I have so many ideas percolating, things I want to write about, but just haven’t had the time. There’s all the scrapbook magazine stuff going on, new products from CHA, developments in the world of photography, etc. I’m dying to write a nice long post about digital scrapbooking and photobooking, and how I feel they’re affecting the paper scrapbooking industry (hint: it’s NOT good). And who I blame…

All I have time for tonight is to let you know that this weekend we’re having an online crop at my favorite message board, ALL MOMENTS REMEMBERED. If you’re already a member, I expect to see you there! If you haven’t joined AMR yet, please come over and check it out. The crop runs from Friday at 8am through Sunday at midnight (PST). There are member-hosted challenges (often with a RAK!), a knock-down/drag-out Bingo game, and lots of fun chatting. Hope you can join us!

I plan to be at the online crop throughout the weekend (keep your fingers crossed that I don’t get more work!). I was thinking of driving a couple hours to the San Jose Scrapbook Expo on Saturday, but I don’t know if I should. Don’t have much money to spend, and didn’t really find many “deals” the last time I went. I’m not sure if it’s worth the drive and taking the entire day. Hey, I could be home online cropping, ya know? We shall see…

Memory Works: Amazing Deal on Cosmo Cricket Stamps

These stamps are the latest addition to the MEMORY WORKS section called Steals and Deals. You get all 3 sets for only $7.50, which is amazing. I mean, $2.50 for each whole set of acrylic stamps…sweet. They usually retail for $13 each, so you’re getting $39 worth of stamps for $7.50 (that’s 81% off!).

They are from the Cosmo Cricket lines called MR. CAMPY, HAUNTED, and JACK’S WORLD. When I was just over at Cosmo Cricket’s own WEBSITE, I see that they sell these stamps for $11.99 a set (which would still be $36 total vs. $7.50).

HERE is a link if you’d like to order them.

Shopping Report: Target, Walmart, Michaels, and Big Lots

I was “oot and uh-boot” Friday evening and did some fun shopping in between the grocery shopping and getting gas drudgery. Here is a report on my adventures, as far as scrappy stuff I found….

Target: Nothing. Same old stuff they’ve had for a while. Nothing on sale. Nothing to report. Oh, except I got the new CK there.

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Been chillaxin’ around the house this weekend with it, and am LOVING IT! Such a great issue, chock full of layouts and techniques, as a SCRAPBOOKING magazine should be (unlike….cough, cough….SCRAPBOOKS ETC…..traitor….cough, cough)…

Walmart: Still have a lot of stuff on Clearance. The Cricut carts for $30 each were pretty tempting but I resisted. Not that flush right now. But this is what I bought there on clearance a couple weeks ago and they still have pretty much the same stuff as when I shopped then….

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Michaels: So I had two coupons in hand: a 40% off that expired that day, and a 50% off that expires Monday (which is odd, but who am I to complain?). I cruised the aisles quite a bit trying to find something coupon worthy.

There was some new (to me, at least) bling kits, the I-Top brad maker by Imaginesce, and some metal embellishments by Making Memories.

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I had the metal snowflakes with bling in my hand, but put them back. Maybe another time, another coupon…

As much as I loved all these new acrylic stamps,….

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… and they weren’t on sale so I could’ve gotten a set for 1/2 off, I resisted their magnetic pull with some motivating self-talk…”Just snap some quick photos for the blog. Remain objective. You do NOT like acrylic stamps. You do not NEED acrylic stamps. They hold no meaning for you. No, Erika, not even that adorable set with the butterfly. And, no, you don’t need any more alpha stamps….the 170 sets you have at home are quite enough. Okay, you took the photos, now keep walking. No, don’t pet them. ERIKA!! Hand off the pretty stamps. Good. Now walk away. Dit! Don’t look back over your shoulder. Look! Pretty bling! Let’s go over there!” See, my friends, THAT … is how it’s done.

I found this endcap full of cute, 12×12 postbound albums by Recollections (the Michaels brand).

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There were some really cute styles to choose from. They were jam-packed on the shelves like 20 circus clowns in a Mini Cooper. It was hard to get a good look at them all without a struggle, pulling out the first 2 or 3 in each row to see what was behind them. {I tried to peek in the sides but there were other racks blocking my access…hmph}. Many albums that I pulled out had bent corners on either the album itself or the pages (I assume, the result of beingsotightlyshelved….poor babies couldn’t breathe…). I made sure to pick out two unbent ones :) {I get doubles to use as yearly family albums because I scrap too much to get everything into one}. As you can see, the shelf stickers said $9.99 and a sign up top said 40% off. I asked myself, “Self, does that mean they are 40% off of $10, making them a mere $6 each?” And then I answered myself with, “Oh, Self, no! That would be too good to be true. Even Michaels wouldn’t run a deal THAT good!” But I, myself, was …. WRONG! Cuz they rang up at the register as 6 bucks, baby! Did my everlovin’, deal seakin’, penny pinchin’ heart good, it did.

Right inside the front door, they had the rack that usually says “Designer Scrapbooking” but it was full of Clearance items.

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From there, I got these Making Memories “Black Tie” white pearlized letter stickers for $2 marked down from $4. For full coupon maximization, I grabbed these Martha Stewart chalk inks from Clearance (for the 50% off) and some Herma tab refills (for the 40% off). However, the register wouldn’t allow the coupon to be used on the inks because they were already on sale. I said, “I thought you just couldn’t use coupons on weekly sale items, but it’s okay if they’re Clearance or Reduced or whatever?” and she thought so too, so she read the coupon. Yep, there in the teensy weensy fine print it said something like, “Not for use on previously marked down items.” Crud. Oh well, I took the inks anyway…they were still 30% off. And the 40% off coupon worked on the Herma tabs.

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So, I got two 12×12 albums, Herma tab refills, a stack of chalk inks, and two sets of letter stickers for $30, which I could’ve paid for just one album. Happy me.

Big Lots: Happy? Not so much. When I first turned into the scrapbooking aisle, my eyes lit up because I immediately noticed that the inventory of Thickers had gotten much larger. Yippie skip! (HERE is where I talked about my bad luck with Thickers @ BL). But I was to be disappointed again. There were tons of the shapes ones, one pack of red felt and tons of the naked chipboard ones (which I already got last time), and that was it. They had the K&Co embellishment stickers that the Peas were talking about HERE, but none I had to have.

I thought some of you might be interested in these, so I took a pic for ya….

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Great deal and very cute! I love the prints on the inside, don’t you?

Well, those were my latest shopping/window shopping adventures. What kinda scrappy stuff have you found lately at Target, Walmart, Michaels, and Big Lots? Would love to hear in Comments, and feel free to link to your blog if you’ve posted about ’em.

Hurry, hurry! My Minds Eye “French Market” Mega Kit!

It’s back in stock at MEMORY WORKS!! Whoo to the hoo!

Shockingly, it’s only $29.95 (over $100 value). I ordered this last time and have it; if you’d like photos or have any questions about what’s in this amazing kit, just let me know :)

More info HERE and HERE.

The My Minds Eye “Bohemia” embossed chipboard is also back in stock. I’m getting some this time, cuz I was so mad I missed out on it before.

It’s only $3; retail value is $8. Can’t beat that, I say…These will be fun to color with chalk inks, alcohol inks, maybe rough ’em up with sandpaper or my BASIC GREY FILE SET.

They will go perfectly with the MME “French Market” set above. Eeeee! Can’t wait to get the chipboard and can’t believe it’s only 3 bucks.

More about the chipboard HERE and HERE.

Just click on the “I’m a Memory Works Consultant” up top, or through the links provided, to order these goodies. Seriously, hurry. They went out of stock very quickly last time.

Memory Works: Free Stuff and New Pebbles, Inc.

I’m a consultant for Memory Works scrapbooking, and wanted to share a couple of specials we have going on right now, and some new products.

First of all, if you place ANY order with me right now, you will get these stinkin’ adorable letter stickers for free….

Submit an order for any dollar amount and receive a FREE 12×12 Letter Sticker Sheet from the “Cherry Hill” collection from October Afternoon – a $3.50 value absolutely free with your order. Supplies are limited…get your order in early becuase these darling stickers will not last long!

I’m finding that when they say “supplies are limited,” they really mean it. These are first come, first served so if you’d like some free stickers, order soon! Click on the link up top that says “I’m a Memory Works Consultant” for the way to place an order.

Now for the Big Mama of free things…

Here is how you earn it: When you place a qualifying $150 party order, you will receive a FREE MemoryWorks gift pack bursting with products from our participating vendors. Each gift pack contents vary, but has a retail value well over $50 and will be jam-packed with assorted cardstock, patterned paper, cards, rub-ons, embellishments and more!

So, how do you hold a Memory Works party when I live here and you live there? Well, you hold a catalog party! I will send you a catalog and you take orders among your scrappy friends. If you reach $150 in retail sales (before tax and shipping), you get the above gift pack FREE. Or if you just want to place an order of $150 or more for yourself, we can do that, too. Contact me and we’ll work out the details…

I’ve also noticed that the Memory Works website just added a new product category called NEW SUMMER CHA and this cute stuff by Pebbles Inc are the first additions to it.

New from Summer CHA 2009: PEBBLES INC!

LIL BUDDIES THEME SET by Pebbles Inc.

Retail Price: $5.00

LIL BUDDY FIRSTS STICKERS by Pebbles Inc.

Retail Price: $2.00

LIL BUDDY TODDLER STICKERS by Pebbles Inc.

Retail Price: $2.00

LIL MISS THEME SET by Pebbles Inc.

Retail Price: $5.00

LIL MISS FIRSTS STICKERS by Pebbles Inc.

Retail Price: $2.00

LIL MISS TODDLER STICKERS by Pebbles Inc.

Retail Price: $2.00

Aren’t those cute? I’ve always liked Pebbles Inc. for their simple, whimsical style and cool color combos. Let me know if I can order some of this cuteness for ya.

I can’t wait to see what else MW will be adding to that Summer CHA category…..I’m hoping some of the new Basic Grey, Pink Paislee…oh, I could go on and on…

Basic Grey: Eerie, Eskimo Kisses, Nook and Pantry, and Indian Summer

I’m always anxious to see what new lines Basic Grey has coming out and have been obsessively {who, me, obsessive?} checking their site and blog to see the new releases for CHA Summer 2009. Finally, they are here! See all the new BASIC GREY on the blog post HERE. As always, Kelly did such a great job designing layouts and projects to show off BG to it’s absolute best. I love her scrapping style.

Here is a quick look at each new line. If you click on the bolded name above each pic, you can see the line in all it’s glory on the Basic Grey website.

EERIE by Basic Grey

ESKIMO KISSES by Basic Grey

NOOK AND PANTRY by Basic Grey

INDIAN SUMMER by Basic Grey

I haven’t been able to say this in a long time, because my relationship with Basic Grey has been rocky in recent years, but … I LOVE THEM ALL!! As in LOOOOOVVVVEE and will NEED to have some of each. I’m sure MEMORY WORKS will get some of the new BG the quickest and, yes, I will be ordering me summa that! Yay, totally made my day. THIS is the Basic Grey I love and I’m so glad that it’s back.

What do you think? Which one is your favorite?

Heidi Swapp Tote-Ally Cool Tote at Tuesday Morning

I got this a couple weeks ago but wasn’t able to load the photos to my computer until now. I heard these are still at some TUESDAY MORNING stores so I thought I’d show you what a great deal they are.

Here’s what the tote looks like. I chose this blue pattern but there were others, too.

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A close up of the price tag, so you can see what a mega deal this is….and a list of what’s in it (hope it’s readable, though blurry…sorry).

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And here are all the contents…

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Honestly, I bought this for the bag more than anything. I’ve been looking for a large and cute tote to carry all my MEMORY WORKS stuff in, including catalogs and products. This will be perfect because it zips closed so my things won’t get damaged or dusty; it holds the heaviness of the catalogs because it’s sturdy; and it even has lots of cool pockets inside and out to hold my calculator, pens, scissors, blank price tags, etc. The tote alone would sell for about $30.

And I love HEIDI SWAPP embellies, so that’s just icing on the cake.

Fancy Pants “Happy Holidays Mega Collection”

Oh, Memory Works, WHY must you tempt me so?? I opened up my MW website today to see if the MME MEGA KITS and MME BOHEMIA CHIPBOARD KITS were still in stock {they’re not; they were very popular as predicted … and gonzo}. But there is this next “mega” deal…. {The colors look quite nice with my blog header, don’t they?}

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Fancy Pants: Happy Holidays Mega Collection
Come celebrate Christmas in July with the Fancy Pants Happy Holidays Collection.
RETAIL VALUE OF $80.00 which we are selling at only $34.99

This collection includes:

1 – 8X8 Happy Holidays Paper Pad (32 Sheets) $9.00 Retail

1 – Happy Holidays Embellishment Kit (Epoxy Brads, Label Holders, Binder Clips and File Folders) $15.00 Retail

1 – Happy Holidays Printed Chipboard Shapes $13.00 Retail

1 – Happy Holidays Printed Chipboard Alphabet $13.00 Retail

2 – 3X3 Christmas Stamps $4.00 Retail Each

1 – 8X8 Happy Holidays Binder Album (includes 10 8X8 page protectors) $22.00 Retail

(Retail) Price: $80.00
ON SALE Price: $34.99 (Save 57%)
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Looks like such a cool way to scrap one entire holiday season, or else maybe a “layout a year” type Christmas album. My normal scrap size is 12×12, but this 8×8 would be fun to keep out on the coffee table each Christmas season to share with guests. And the kids would love it, too, I’m sure.

Alas, I cannot afford this sweet deal at this particular juncture. Just blew the rest of my birthday dough on the MY MINDS EYE KIT {which has arrived in my hot little hands, btw!!!!}. But click up top on the “I’m a MW consultant” (or here’s a direct LINKEE) if you’re interested in it… Then I can live through you vicariously :)

Another Big Move for Heidi Swapp . . . Hey, at least it’s not China

Read all about it on Heidi Swapp’s BLOG; the post is right HERE.

The Peas are talking about it HERE.

In a nutshell, Heidi’s husband is going to finish his Chinese degree at BYU. The moving truck has left and they are on their way. In the blog entry, she talks about her future with ADVANTUS (oh, they of INTERESTING BUSINESS PRACTICES), the HEIDI SWAPP BRAND, and with her primary focus, HOUSE OF 3, which is her project with RHONNA FARRER and JANET HOPKINS. I found THIS blog entry that describes House of 3 really well, just scroll down a bit and it’s under the ALI EDWARDS stuff.

If you’ve been looking for Heidi Swapp sneak peeks for CHA-Summer 2009, this is why you haven’t seen any (from Heidi’s above blog entry):

I will not be attending CHA, and I do not have a new product release at this show. The Heidi Swapp brand will continue through Advantus… I will continue to teach classes, travel and promote it along with House of 3. Our relationship will move forward on a per-project basis.

So that’s the big news. It sounds like it was a good time for a change for her and her family. As the scrapbooking industry evolves, so must she and those like her. I admire her for weathering PAST STORMS, having a good attitude about the changes, and being thankful for all the good things in her life. I wish her all the luck in the world….

What do you think?

Making Memories: The Slice … Now in Pink

Read all about it HERE.

Here is where they are talking about it on 2PEAS and AMR

I notice that is says, “Exclusively at your local independent store.” I guess that means they won’t carry it @ Michaels, like they do the green one? I don’t know. Either way, I won’t be buying one but I thought you PINK LUVAHS would want to know, LOL! I finally came to peace with the fact that the Baby Bug (Cricut) is enough and I should be grateful I have it :)

Will you be shopping for a pretty pink Slice?

PS: It’s prolly too late now since this is tomorrow (!), but I just remembered this from my Michaels e-mail…

FREE Making Memories®
SliceTM Machine Demo
Saturday, July 18, 1pm–3pm

Watch the SliceTM die cutting machine in action. This cordless, portable cutter creates hundreds of shapes with Making Memories® exclusive design cards.

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