I saw this magazine/book but couldn’t afford to buy it (without a COUPON, LoL!), so I came home to my sweet MacBook so I could drool over it online. While I blog about the art OF scrapbooking, I don’t consider myself an artful blogger. I assume that term refers to those of you who share your wonderful creative and crafty talents on your blogs. I know there are many of you, and thought you’d want to check out this publication. So HERE is a link to their webpage. I found some other mentions of it HERE, HERE, and HERE. And HERE is a sneak peek of the current issue, Winter 2009. I’m sure you want to know how much this puppy costs, right? There are some past issues @ AMAZON. For new issues, looks like it’s about $15 per issue, with 4 issues published per year, and a 1-year subscription for $60. Now, I’ll admit I was just an English major, but if I’m doing the math correctly {462 minus the value of pie divided by the median, then the mean…} that’s still $15 per issue, and not a cost savings like when you subscribe to most magazines. What the hell, subscribe anyway. The shipping is free to the U.S. and you don’t have to get out of your jammies and schlep to Michaels to pick it up….where you CAN’T USE YOUR COUPON ANYWAY. But I’m not bitter….
Hey, if you’ve seen Artful Blogging, give us a quick review. Is it worth the dough?
Um, yeah, I said Scrapbooker Tattoos. Who knew? But they’re out there. And I’m going to share one with you.
Now, I got the idea from THIS POST at the 2peas message board. {OH! Let me warn you. That thread also has some kinda offensive photos of other tattoos so if you’re squeamish, DON’T click on that link!} Anyway, someone posted photos of these tattoos:
The first one is famous scrapbooker ELSIE FLANNIGAN. You know her, she designed the Love, Elsie line for KI MEMORIES. She was ‘famous’ way before that, and has had quite the following for several years. Her style of scrapbooking is quirky, doodley, fun, bright, sometimes vintage, just very unique. The second photo is of her friend RACHEL DENBOW, with the sewing machine tattoo. Not technically a Scrapbooker Tattoo, but a Scrapbooker’s Friend Tattoo, I guess, LOL. Sorry, I don’t sew nor do I follow Elsie’s blog {because, like LIZZY K, ALI E, et. al., she makes me feel old, boring, fat, and that I have a lame camera, no skills, and an ugly house}. So I don’t know anything about Rachel, but she appears to be a good friend of Elsie’s and they have a business together called….RED VELVET ART.
If you’d like to put a face with the tat, here ya go….
ELSIE
and RACHEL
I was intrigued by this idea of scrapbooker or other crafty tattoos and went in search of more. Here is what I found: NOTHING. All I could find was this ARTICLE regarding scrapbooking ABOUT getting a tattoo.
So, do you know of any other famous scrapbookers with tattoos? Do you know of any tattoos out there about scrapbooking or crafting? PLEASE show them to me! I know there has to be more out there…
And what do you think of all this? Would you ever get a Scrapbooker Tattoo?
Just a quick post about this, because it’s a HOT TOPIC over at 2peas. It’s what I used my 40% COUPON on the other night.
I think it’s so cool that KELLY GOREE (from Basic Grey) is a Pea, and I admire how she handles herself over there. HERE’s a blog post where she talks about how important PEA-ing has been to her. You’re a talented designer and a class act, Miss Kelly…
Has this happened to you? You sit there, writing your little blog, and one day…someone you totally admire visits and leaves a Comment! Here was my latest “moment” – a comment left on THIS post, about Creative Memories’ parent company filing Chapter 11 (you know, the post that has hundreds per day clicking on my blog, as they try to figure out what in the hay is going on with CM???):
Wes Thomsen
scrappedmovie.com |
Love ‘em or not, there are many factors in play between the economy, the leveling off of interest in scrapbooking ( less of a fad now and more of a passion for the dedicated ) and my personal opinion is that CM brought scrapbooking to an unprecedented level. I’ve met many great people at the corporate office and know that many people in the company ( like Rhonda Anderson for example ) will be teaching, encouraging and informing until their dying day regardless of who they’re affiliated with.
Wes Thomsen is someone I have admired ever since I saw the documentary film he made about scrapbooking and scrapbookers. It’s called “Scrapped” and you can learn all about it HERE. If you’ve seen the movie, you know why I like him so much, right? He’s this filmmaker who has a gal friend who scrapbooks. He’s intrigued about the whole “culture” of it, and decides to make a movie about it. Oh, did I mention he’s a biker dude? Anyways, Wes knows so much about CM because, for the movie, he toured their factory, interviewed Rhonda, got Scrap Hooked Up by a CM Consultant, etc.
If you’ve seen the movie, didn’t you love the part where he studs out his black CM tote and then goes strolling into a huge crop with his black leather jacket….and scrap tote?!?!? Just too awesomely funny for words….
If you haven’t seen “Scrapped,” whats a matta you? Go buy it HERE. Go read his BLOG and hear how he got screwed out of a scrapbooking cruise he won at CHA. Sad, sad story.
And thanks, Wes, for stopping by my little blog and taking the time to leave your thoughts. Rock on, Scrapper Dude…
A nice lady named Beth contacted me recently. She wanted to share information with me and my readers about a new product, and a CONTEST. {Guess she could tell we’re a little Scrapbook Obsessed ’round here…}. I copied this from the link she provided:
“Your scrapbook could be featured in our next ad!
To help introduce the NEW DYMO® Caption Maker, we’re giving one lucky scrapbooker a chance to have their artwork featured in a future DYMO® Caption Maker magazine ad. Use unique and inspiring personalized captions, borders, and fonts on your next scrapbook, submit it and you could WIN! Winning has never been more fun! Get started today and you could be the talk of the town when your scrapbook is featured in your favorite scrapbooking magazine. Be sure to check back and vote among the 5 scrapbook finalists.”
Here is some 4-1-1 about the DYMO Caption Maker that Beth shared in her e-mail:
“The new DYMO Caption Maker is an easy to use embossing tool that enables creative captioning, journaling and bordering through a variety of symbols, letters and fonts. It includes three interchangeable wheels – one for lowercase, one for uppercase and one with a script font.”
And here is a photo of this new scrapbooking/cardmaking tool…I’m digging the pink!
THE DEADLINE IS 12/31/08 SO GET ON IT, GIRLFRIEND!!
All the details are HERE. Good luck and let me know if you win! Would be pretty stylin’ to see your layout in a magazine ad….
When readers leave me a Comment, I most usually click on the link to check out THEIR blog. I love to support other scrap bloggers….plus, I’m just nosy. But that’s how I found SCRAPPER PEPPER. I love the little description she has posted of her blog: “Spices up your creativity! Adds flavour to your scrapbooking, tang to your stamping, seasons to your card making! So, come on, add some Scrapper’s Pepper to your creativity!” Cute, huh? I’ve cruised around over there a few times, and always have a little laugh. She has the funnest (yeah, it’s a word I made up) way of writing about her scrap opinions and adventures. One thing I find really interesting about her is that she’s from Santiago, Chile. Isn’t it cool how scrappers from all over the world can meet up on the internet? I’ve learned some things about her country from reading her blog posts. And there is something else really special about Antonia, but you have to go read her blog to figure it out for yourself. I’ll admit I didn’t notice it at first, but when it truly hit me, I was floored. So please go say Hey to Miss Pepper, maybe leave her some blog love, and see if you can figure out that other little thing I’m talking about…
Maybe you never thought those two things would be in the same sentence! But, yes, you can read about HERE, HERE, and HERE. I’ll copy one of the shorter articles so you get the gist of it:
“Creative Memories parent company files for bankruptcy protection
BY BRITT JOHNSEN • BLJOHNSEN@STCLOUDTIMES.COM • NOVEMBER 13, 2008
The owner of Creative Memories has filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy and has reached an agreement with its lenders to restructure its debt, according to a company statement. The Antioch Co. and six of its subsidiaries today filed voluntary petitions for Chapter 11 protection with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of Ohio. Chapter 11 allows a company to stay in business while it reorganizes its finances.
The company said it will continue operating and doesn’t anticipate “any reduction in employee headcount or changes in operating facility locations,” according to a statement released through a New York-based public relations agency. Calls made to Creative Memories today were not immediately returned.”
And here’s just a portion of one article I’d like to share with you:
“After completing a comprehensive strategic review of the business, The Antioch Company, with the guidance of industry experts and turnaround specialists, determined that a pre-packaged filing was in the best interest of the future of Creative Memories,” said Asha Morgan Moran, global president of Creative Memories.
Can I just get a little “tee hee” about her name?
And another side track: THIS link has nothing to do with their current situation, but I came across this book preview when I was searching for info for this post. Just some interesting reading, if ya have the time…As someone who has been in the scrapbooking business here and there, I would enjoy reading about how those ladies built such a successful company. Think I’ll put this book on my Christmas list…
After I wrote this post, I saw that THE PEAS are already talking about it, too. Nothing escapes those gals!
I assume this development doesn’t surprise anyone? Creative Memories has had it’s share of ups and downs lately, and this devastating economy is being kind to no one. For the sake of their remaining employees, dedicated consultants, and loyal customers, I hope the restructuring plan is approved and goes well for all involved. Good luck, CM!
Here is a better photo of it, than the blurry one in my LAST POST…
And Kelly Goree with Basic Grey just posted this over at 2peas:
“Mistletoe and Pear is an exclusive line to M’s. It will only be available in a paper pack and there will be no embellishments (chipboard, buttons, brads, stickers, etc.) available for this line. From what I understood, this line wasn’t to be displayed at M’s until their Thanksgiving sale. That might explain why some of you are finding it and some are not. Technically, no one should have it just yet.”
So I guess, technically, I was very lucky my Mike’s doesn’t read their corporate memos very closely, LOL. {Actually, the manager there is a MAN and we know they don’t cotton much to reading directions}. But I wanted you to know that if you aren’t finding it in your store, that’s why. Hang in there for their Thanksgiving sale…see the amazing ad HERE and HERE. Supposedly, Michaels will be open from 6-9pm on Thanksgiving night. In the meantime, maybe THIS coupon will make you feel better?
I’m notorious for complaining about the lack of “new stuff” at Michaels, right? Yeah, I know, whine and complain, it’s what I do. Mama always told me, “If you’re good at something, stick with it.” But blow me down, I have to actually give Mike some props for all the new shizzle they got goin’ on these days. It was to the point where I wasn’t even !GASP! spending my coupons there every week because there just. wasn’t. anything. But my fine friends over at 2peas started posting about spying new stuff at Mike’s HERE.
So Friday night after work, I went by the Mike’s in my town to see what I could see. I was Stealth Girl for ya again and took some pix with my iPhone {sorry for the poor quality…it was the best I could do}.
In that Designer Scrapbooking section in the front of the scrapbook area, here is what I found….buncha new K&Co. and MAMBI Christmas stuff. This is 2 sides of the carousel; the other end and opposite side had all the Christmas stuff by Martha Stewart. I don’t like her stuff, so I’m not showing you, nanner nanner. If you must, you can see some of it HERE.
Sorry, those hugamic glitter snowflakes do absolutely nothing for me. But the rest of it was pretty dang cool. I restrained myself from buying yet another pack of shaped/die cut papers, tho’ the K&Co. Christmas ones were mighty tempting. I was so very well-behaved…I used my 40% coupon on one of these:
And I got the K&Co. rub-ons with the Christmas tree in the top left of the top photo. Also, the MAMBI green word JOLLY in the third photo.
Yep, that was all. Even though I had just sold my Clip It Up and all my non-Bazzill cardstock on Craigslist, and had a buttload of cash in my pocket. No, don’t be too proud of me. I knew I was doing more shopping on Sunday, so I wanted to save some of it. My friend, ABBY aka ScrapbookFrenzy, told me about some bargains she found at TUESDAY MORNING which just happens to be in The Big City where I do my Costco shopping, and right next door to another Michaels, the one that usually has all the new stuff when my Mike’s has just a taste of it. So today I hit those two mamma jammas. At Tuesday Morning, they had as promised a bunch of Making Memories stuff. All I got were two 12×12 K&Co. albums for $7 each (I get two of any albums I will use for our yearly family album, as I feel the need to scrap every single photo ever taken, and therefore need two albums per year). Again, I didn’t SPEND $14, I SAVED over $25 {stick with me, kid, I’ll show you how it’s done…}. They are really pretty, with embossed covers, subtle colors, the raised frame window on the cover, and a space where you can spell out your family name or whatever you want. If anyone wants to see a photo, leave me a comment and I’ll get one posted. But it’s almost 1am and I have to get up at 6 o’clock. Who invented mornings and jobs anyway?
At The Big City Michaels, here is what I found…
The American Crafts cardstock I’ve been hearing so much about. It comes in the cool cardboard vertical holders, so you don’t even have to unpack it when you get home, just throw on the shelf. But be careful and pick one from the bottom of the pile…I noticed the ones on top had had their corners rifled through so many times, they were looking a bit shabby.
Here is a crappy, blurry picture of the Basic Grey Christmas paper pad (got me summa that) and a gorgeous Christmas pad by My Minds Eye. I already have several of those papers from page kits I bought last year, so I passed. But it was very pretty. If you’re looking for something classy and subtle to make your Christmas cards with, I would recommend the MME stack.
Here are the calendar kits by MAMBI (left) and Basic Grey (right). I so wanted both of them. I literally picked up and put down the BG kit THREE times. It is so freakin’ adorable. Oh, I {heart} Basic Grey! I liked the smaller size too. The MAMBI one was cool because it’s 12×12 spiral bound so it could be kept on your shelf kind of like an album when the year is over. The colors are bright and cheerful, a calendar project I’m sure your kids would enjoy doing with you or making for Gramma and Grampa..
There was a Bazzill cardstock pack in Christmas colors that I also had in my hot little hands, but when I compared the price to the AC cardstock, it was much more expensive (if I’m remembering right, it was the same price but you got half as much??). The quality of the AC seemed comparable, so I got it instead. If you’ve tried both AC and Bazzill cardstock, let me know how you think they compare, okay? I used my 50% off newspaper coupon and my 50% receipt coupon, so I didn’t spend $20, I SAVED $20. That’s what I told DH anyways…
And of course, while in The Big City, I went to Barnes and Noble…got my December CK and a cool mag about making scrapbook photo albums. I skimmed through it tonight while watching Kung Fu Panda with the fam, and I really liked it. Read more about it HERE {psst…but don’t order it from CK; their customer service *sux*…}.
So those were my shopping adventures. If you’ve been avoiding Mike’s lately like I have, you should go check it out…you’ll be pleasantly surprised :)
I first heard about this new item when I saw it demonstrated on HSN a week or two ago. Here is a photo of them, and the LINK from the HSN presentation:
As you can see on the HSN link, the HSN price is $19.95 and the Event Price was $17.95 for all 4 blocks. You can also see that they SOLD OUT. Which is kind of rude, since I was thinking of buying some…but whatevs…
Anywizzle, I decided to do some research and see if I truly need these thangs. I’ve become quite an avid acrylic stamper, using them both in my scrapbooks and to make cards. Lawd knows I can’t afford a Slice right now, but maybe this new goody could tide me over til I can open a secret credit card and sneak a Slice into the house without hubby noticing.
So based on the HSN demonstration, I was really impressed. They made it look so easy to just “Rock….Your Block!” The male, un-scrapper host even tried it and, wowzers, if he didn’t make the perfect stamped image on his first try! But I wasn’t born yesterday, or even the day before. I know they have a way of making those TV demos look like it’s so super dooper easy to use something, then you buy it, get it home, and can’t repeat their success. I mean, how do you think EK Success sold so many Blade Runners and those stupid plastic templates?
Shee-ite! You ever try to actually work one of those things? They made it cut like butta’ on TV, but you try it at home and all you have is a bunch if ripped, fuzzy, crumpled paper. And a Blade Runner sticking out of your scrap room wall after you hurled it across the room. You understand why I’m skeptical, no?
Off to do some research. First stop, the home of the British company who manufactures the Rock-a-Block, the Crafter’s Companion WEBSITE. Here’s their pic of the RaB:
And here is kinda how you use them (photo also taken from the Crafter’s Companion website):
Here is their blurb about the product (yep, again from the CC website):
“Brand new from Crafter’s Companion – an innovative and unique stamp mounting system designed to make stamping easy and to ensure you get perfect results every time.
The new Rock-a-blocks are designed to work using a combination of the rocking action, coupled with the innovative depth gauge (the ‘runners’) to give even pressure to the application of ink to the surface to give you perfect stamped impressions every time.
The new Rock-a-blocks come packaged in a set of four including 6”x4”, 6” x 1½” , 4”x3” and 1”x1” so they will work with all of your different stamp sizes.”
The price shown on the Crafter’s Companion website for the same 4 blocks is £14.99. Color me Not British (except I like to say “Mum” and “water closet” and “pram” just to piss off my friends; they say, “Who’re you, Madonna?” and we all have a bit of a laugh….ahem, I digress…). Color me Not British, but I don’t know what the hell that price translates to. Anybody??
In search of reviews and discussions, I found THIS, THIS, THIS, and THIS. Oh yeah, and THIS and THIS too. I went to my trusty source for craft product reviews, CRAFT CRITIQUE, but couldn’t find a review of the Rock-a-Block. They say you can e-mail them with review requests, so I e-mailed them of course, cuz I’m a pest that way. If you would also like them to review this system, feel free to drop them a line (psstt! maybe if they hear from more than one person, and from someone other than a blogger with “obsession” in her name, they will take the request more seriously…thanks!).
And you’re going to be so happy with me, you’ll put me on your Christmas card list, ‘cuz I found a demo video for ya’! It’s from HSN (a different presentation than the one I saw), with that cutie Todd Newton who used to be on E! channel. Here is the LINK.
It’s by VIRGINIA NEBEL and it’s in her wonderful TUTORIAL on how to go ‘around the corner’ with your favorite tool, the Threading Water punch by Fiskars. This and other great scrapbooking information can be found HERE on the Scrapbook and Cards Today magazine blog. If you’re not already familiar, Scrapbooking and Cards today is a super cool Canadian magazine which is distributed at a few select locations in the States. For instance, where I live in California, there are 3 stores that carry it (unfortunately, none of them are very close to me). HERE is the directory of where it’s sold. Or you can subscribe HERE for just the cost of shipping, which is currently listed as $27.95 for your first 4 issues. And you can even download it for free HERE. It’s quite different to read a magazine while sitting at the computer, but groovy all the same :) I find both the magazine and the blog to be full of great ideas and, while I’m still terribly loyal to CK, SS, et al., this magazine is a nice addition too. Let me know how you like it, and whether you found the Threading Water tutorial helpful ;)
I found it on THIS post at 2PEAS from Kristie D. who was sharing her new ‘craft studio,’ as she insists it’s called (hee). If I had a darling room like that, I’d make ya’ll call it a ‘studio’ too! She says, “I ordered my dress form on ebay BUT Hobby Lobby has similar ones and you can get them half off!!” Also, that she “got the idea from a blog.. I think it was Donna D. but I am not sure.” If you’d like to see more photos of her room, go check out the 2peas post or her BLOG.
Do you like the ribbon on a dress form idea? I know you cat moms and toddler owners can’t implement this, but how about the rest of you?
I was lucky enough to have the day off due to a State holiday…Columbus Day. Since I now work M-F 8 to 5, it was nice to have a weekday for errands. Went to get some labs done, met with our financial guy, met with the school principal, etc. Of course, I needed some retail therapy after all that! Got my 2 new scrap mags at Barnes & Noble…
I heard the November issue of Scrapbooks Etc is out but I haven’t been able to find it yet. Anyway, I’ve skimmed through the CK so far and it looks REALLY good! I’m so happy to see that BRENDA ARNALL is back with some EASY PATTERNS. This time, she incorporates some of those fun journaling stamps…of which I have more than plenty, and other great journaling ideas. HERE are the free downloads from the article (as of 10-13-08, they aren’t working but it says to keep trying back). LIZZY K talks about where you can turn your blog into a book, which is something I’d already planned to do, so I was happy to find a $10 discount code for CK readers! My girl NOEL is featured in an article on kids Thanksgiving projects. And there’s a fun scrap space featured that is geared towards having your friends in to scrap with you. I’m such a sucker for those Scrap Space features. I could read an entire book with nothing but ‘real people’ scrap spaces, couldn’t you?
After B&N was the craft store I sometimes call my LSS…cuz they are pretty cool and get some recent stuff, unlike Mike’s. I got a few sheets of Bazzill, and this paper from Little Yellow Bicycle’s ‘Frightful’ collection. It’s meant to be Halloween paper, but I’m just going to use it on some boy pages. I think it’ll look great with a bright shade of blue or teal.
I only have around 25 sets of acrylic stamps and obviously need more, so I also got these (They were $25, but only $15 with my coupon):
Won’t they be fun to color in with marker or colored pencil?? I swear, half of the appeal of scrapbooking is that I can play and doodle and be artsy-craftsy like when I was a kid. So please don’t pee in my Wheaties and tell me I didn’t need these stamps, k? They are part of my regression therapy, part of my ‘live like there’s no tomorrow’, part of my ‘recapturing my youth.’ You support that, don’t you?
Lastly, I went to Mike’s and used a 50% off coupon to get another Jetmax 3-drawer cube (remember, I’m STOCKING UP). I threw in 2 sheets of Bazzill ‘cuz I’ve heard at some stores they’re including Bazzill in the 4 for $1 sale (which applies to 59 cent sheets and Bazzill is 69 cents, but some are doing it anyway). Well, the butthuggers at the Mike’s I went to charged me full price for them so I’m glad I only grabbed two.
Okay, fess up, what scrappy goods have you bought lately? And whatya think of the latest CK?
My buddy, EILEEN, left a fun comment on my UPDATES post the other day. I wanted to respond to it by way of writing this new post. What’s weird was, I went to go copy/paste her comment into this post….and it was GONE! Snikees! Wassup with that noise??!? See, this happened about a month ago too, when my girl DREA left a fun comment on a post and then **poof** it disappeared. I think she didn’t believe me (L☺L), but she was kind enough to leave another comment to replace the poofed one. And now this with Eileen’s comment. Not only am I wonderin’ what happened to those two comments, I’m wonderin’ if other comments have disappeared too?? So, if you’ve ever left a comment here (which wasn’t p*rn spam, LOL), and it disappeared, please don’t think I deleted it. I very rarely delete comments. I even keep most of the ones that are mean or make me look stoopid (NOT a difficult thang to do). I figure if I can dish it out, I’d better be able to take it…
Luckily, I have my blog set up to e-mail all comments to me so I don’t really think I’ve missed any. I was able to restore Eileen’s comment to the proper post. And here is the part I wanted to quote from it:
“I love it when you get wordy. I need the updates…otherwise I think you’re bored with us and I couldn’t stand it if you quit posting! I think I’ll go get wordy myself! {{{hugs}}}”
So, Eileen (and all you dear readers), I wanted to assure you that I could NEVER EVER get bored with you, nor could I EVER quit posting. Shutting me up would be as impossible as getting Nicole Richie to eat a Subway sandwich! Just NOT…GONNA…HAPPEN. I’m far too opinionated and far too obsessed with scrapbooking to be silent. Viva la Scrapbook Obsession!
My favorite part of writing the blog, other than venting and enabling, is reading the comments you all leave. Speaking of “obsessions,” it’s quite embarrassing to realize the number of times per day I check my Dashboard to see if any new comments have been left on my posts! Yep, my favorite addictions: Diet Coke, Starbucks, scrapbooking, and Checking Blog Comments. So, PLEASE keep them coming and know how much you’re making my day whenever you stop by and say Hey.
The reason for the longer pauses between my posts lately? Well, beginning September 1, I went back to work full-time. Kicking and screaming, but I did it. And, in the ultimate display of rudeness ever witnessed, my new employer does not let me use the internet at work – to surf, to post, or to contribute to time suckage in any way. I’m left to surf on my iPhone during my lunch hour and after work at the gym (recumbent bikes are one of the greatest inventions ever!). In other words, I lurk in and out all day, but just don’t have the time to post like I used to. I try to log on at night, but most nights, these dogs are barkin’ and it’s all I can do to watch some Reality TV before falling asleep.
Thank you for understanding, for putting me in your feed or stopping by once in a while, and for taking the time to leave comments. Unless I win the Lotto, tip a Brinks truck, or become a highly-paid surrogate mother anytime soon, my full-time job is here to stay. But don’t worry, Eileen, I can still get wordy with the best of ‘em! Wait until you see my next post….
You’ve probably heard me say a million or so times how much I love BASIC GREY. And I recently did THIS POST about their Granola and Urban Prairie paper pads being carried exclusively at Michaels. Well, after reading THIS post at 2peas and other MB posts, I caved and bought them both. I’ve actually been scrapping a lot lately (vs. my usual ‘scrapbook supply collecting,’ an activity I’ve perfected), so I didn’t feel too awful guilty about buying yet more patterned paper. Yeah, that’s me, the PAPER SLUT…
So, I bought the BG paper pads the other day and love them both; one has such a pretty color combo (pink, black, white, yellow and teal) and the other will be great for men/boy layouts (blues and browns). They retail for $20; I used my 50% off coupon for one and paid full price for the other (gawd, when was the last time I paid full price for a big ticket item….nopers, can’t remember! but there were only 3 of each and I couldn’t bear to miss out). Of course, this week all Mike’s paper pads went on sale for 40% off. I heard through the scrapvine that you could take your receipt in and get reimbursed for the difference. That’s like, what?, 8 bucks. Yep, worth it. I went in to Mike’s tonight with THIS WEEK’s 50% off coupon, browsed the store, and ended up with some Archival Mist. You know, one of those “you need it and it’s very expensive, so a coupon is great, but you’d rather spend it on something more sexy” kind of item. I also got some ‘sexy’ ceramic glue to repair my little green ceramic cross that broke (that’s some kinda really bad sign, right?). I looked at the Cricut cartridges that are on such a great sale this week, but didn’t want any of them badly enough to justify the bucks.
At the register, I asked about the refund and the manager told me, yes, they would refund the difference but I needed to bring the item in with me. Which I hadn’t. She was very apologetic and said she was sorry I had to come all the way back, and I’m like, “Oh yeah, I really hate coming here, it’s my least favorite store in the whole world. Oh…No….Please don’t make me come back again!” and she and checker boy (yes, a boy!) laughed at me. Just another positive customer service exchange for me…or turning lemons into lemonade, however you wanna look at it.
One last story before I go….I delivered a couple orders tonight after work (I’m a consultant for MEMORY WORKS). One delivery entailed dropping something at the office of my friend *J*, who happens to be a doctor. She had ordered a Basic Grey MAGNETIC MAT.
Her office was just closing as I arrived…I assume it was one of her nurses that was putting down the window blinds, etc. So I start handing her this kinda large, black item with a metal ruler, all encased in hard plastic and she kind of backs up and is hesitant to grab it. Then she slowly reached for it, turned it all around and studying it like I had just handed her an instrument of medieval torture or something. I said, “This is for *J*. She ordered it from me,” and she goes, “Uhhhhh…..okaaayyyy.” Gosh I wish I knew what verbage was running through her mind! Suffice to say, she couldn’t have been a scrapbooker and I’m sure she thought I was some crazy lady. It all made me wonder if *J* has not come out of he closet and told her employees that she’s a {GASP!} scrapbooker? I just thought that was a funny little moment. I live in this scrapper vacuum and think everyone ‘gets’ it, because I spend most of my online and IRL time with friends who are scrappers (um, yeah, sad but true). Sometimes I need to be reminded that the entire cotton pickin’ world is not inhabited with scrapbookers; instead, most have no idea what in the heck we are doing…
Stacey at AMR was nice enough to host JOANNA CAMPBELL SLAN tonight for Scrap Chat Hour…read it all HERE. I don’t know about everyone else, but I had a blast! What a treat to be able to pick the brain of someone who is not only a scrapbooker but a hugely successful writer. She was as nice as can be, to boot. She even has her own Wiki….CHECK IT OUT!
The contest to win a free copy of her book is still going…see my last post below and leave a comment!
Remember back in April when I told you about THIS. Well, it’s finally my lucky turn to host Miss Slan, as she gets word out on her new book.
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What Is a Scrapbooking Mystery?
By Joanna Campbell Slan
If you love scrapbooking and papercrafting and if you enjoy a good book, you’ll probably like Paper, Scissors, Death: A Kiki Lowenstein Scrap-N-Craft Mystery. It’s my newest book and it’s a scrapbooking mystery, although you don’t have to be a scrapbooker to enjoy it.
Paper, Scissors, Death tells the story of mousy housewife Kiki Lowenstein. She has two great loves in her life: scrapbooking and her eleven-year-old daughter Anya. When her husband George turns up dead in a hotel room, Kiki refuses to accept his death was an accident. To make ends meet, Kiki must get a job at Time in a Bottle, St. Louis’s premier scrapbook store. She figures it’s the perfect place to snoop around. After all, she’s a mom, and moms are invisible, right? Kiki vows to track down her husband’s killer—and along the way, she uncovers George’s sordid secret life. Worse yet, the murderer is wise to Kiki. Finding out who caused George’s death might cost Kiki her daughter and her life.
Sprinkled throughout the book are scrapbooking tips. Since I’ve been scrapbooking since 1998, I trotted out many of my best ideas!
As a special bonus, at the end of the book there’s a coupon for 50 free digital prints from Snapfish. And if you buy it from Amazon, it’s a super bargain. Okay, 50 prints at 30¢ each is $15, and Amazon has priced the book at $10.17, so you can put that extra savings into…MORE PAPER!
Remember those Calgon commercials? “Calgon, take me away?” Books have always been more effective than bubble baths for me. Each day as I sat down to write about Kiki, I forgot about all my own troubles. My dog, Rafferty, would tug on my sleeve around 5 o’clock to tell me it was quitting time.
I hope Paper, Scissors, Death does the same for you! To order your copy, go HERE. To read a preview of the book, with recipes and a “how to” for making a small album, go to www.joannaslan.com.
Now tell me. What do you do to “get away”? Do bubble baths work for you?
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Okay, I’m back. I hope you enjoyed Joanna’s article; I sure did. To answer her question, for me it’s:
~ bubble baths with an icy cold glass of white wine on the rim of the tub
~ scrapbooking in an empty house with no laundry pending
~ sneaking off to the movies by myself or with a good friend…can you say Chick Flick??
I would really appreciate any comments you would leave for her ON THIS POST. If you do, you will be entered in a drawing for a FREE copy of her book. DEADLINE TO ENTER IS SEPTEMBER 15, 2008 AT MIDNIGHT PST. If you don’t want to take any chances, just go order it now!
I love this new line and, lucky for me, Memory Works carries it HERE.
“Designed to coordinate with the theme set, these printed chipboard accents are perfect to place on any project, and they are SELF ADHESIVE! The printed chipboard is also packaged in a reusable chipboard box with pull out drawer!
Price: $13.00”
Here is a link just to the chipboard ALPHA. I think I will use this a LOT! I restrained myself and just ordered the alpha….for now, LOL! I cashed in some product credits I had for referring new consultants to Memory Works, and I still have the profits from the two crops I held in July and August. I also stocked up on Prism cardstock packs in white and kraft, which is my new favorite color. I seem to use it as the base of every other layout :) But there’s still some money in the kitty…I don’t know what else I want…yet…
Have you always wondered how to get journaling or design text into a swirl, star, or even a free form shape? Well, the coolest tutorial was just posted in a CKMB’ers blog HERE. Go check it out!
Read about the rumor HERE and HERE. The only comment I have so far, without personally seeing the HSN ad on the CK site, is that maybe CK doesn’t control and/or monitor specific ads that flash on their site. For instance, if you allow ads on your free website, blog or message board, my understanding is you can request that they pertain to a certain topic (in this case, crafts or scrapbooking) but you, the site owner, don’t get to approve the ads on a case by case basis. I assume ad placement is done by computers not humans, who wouldn’t know that it would be a big NO NO to put an HSN ad on the CK website…because it might start a rumor or sumthin’…
What do you think…could the rumor be true, and would you be glad or sad?
