Last weekend, theAMR MESSAGE BOARD had a member-hosted online crop. This was the only challenge I had time to participate in, by JULIE aka scrappin{jewlz}. Here is what the challenge was, as posted by Julie:
I have been doing some photography challenges, and have been inspired to look for new and interesting things to photograph. So I thought I would do a photo challenge. For this challenge you need to take (yes, NEW pictures) a photo of something that matches the description. You may post only one photo per section. Players will receive 1 point for each photo. The most creative photo for each description will receive a bonus point. The player with the most points will win a prize. In the event of a tie, the winner will be chosen randomly. To clarify, photos need to be taken since the challenge was posted. You will have until Wednesday at midnight PST to post your photos.
And here was my entry….
1. Something that makes you laugh
My dork dog Landry always makes me LAUGH. He is so happy and crazy with energy.
2. Something pink
My favorite hoodie, a PINK one that says “Blessed not Lucky.” My mom got it for me because she said she knows that’s how I feel about my life…and she’s right!
3. Something soft
My favorite blanket that I read my book with at night on the couch. It is the SOFTEST thing I have ever felt.
4. Favorite activity other than papercrafting (ie no stamping, scrapping, cardmaking, atcs, altered stuff)
I guess you can tell by the fact my bookshelf is so heavy that it’s bowed, that other than scrapbooking, my favorite activity is reading…
5. Your desk RIGHT NOW.
The usual state of my DESK – multiple projects going at once – 80th birthday mini album, Basic Grey 2009 calendar, and getting ready to do yearbook layout for the Father/Daughter dance
6. Favorite music
My favorite MUSIC right now is anything that Pandora.com finds for me…I’m discovering so many new artists and the old ones I’ve always loved.
7. Something outside
The view from my backyard – I love sitting OUTSIDE, looking and daydreaming…
That was a fun challenge to do and it made me take photos of things I normally wouldn’t have. Some may seem like boring or unremarkable things, but they ARE part of my everyday life at this point and that is worth capturing, don’t you think?
I’m sure this isn’t a very big deal for most of you. But for someone who’s main scrap shopping opportunities are Michaels, Target, and Walmart, you have to understand my excitement. WE JUST GOT A BIG LOTS!!!!!
I have always been so jealous reading those lovely, enabling message board posts about ‘the finds’ everyone has at places like Archivers (never been there), Joann’s (don’t have any), Hobby Lobby (nopey, nopey), and Big Lots. So now, I’m at least 1/4 of the way into that exciting world. And luckily for me – She of the Empty Wallet – it’s the most bargain-minded store that came to my ‘hood. So forgive my overdoing it with the photos but just thought I would share all the scrappy stuff I found at MY – yes, MY – Big Lots the other day.
LOTS OF STICKERS, MAT STACKS, and AMERICAN CRAFTS EMBELLIE JARS
QUOTE STACKS….for Cinco de Mayo…Hey, you never know!
8.5×11 CARDSTOCK PACKS
PHOTO STORAGE BOXES
A BIG HONKIN’ SCRAPBOOK KIT – I heard a lady in the aisle say that she saw this kit at Costco for $40, but it was only $25 at Big Lots. And there was only one.
TEEN KITS, CHRISTMAS KITS….
COLORBOK GOODIE BAGS – Tons of misc. stuff for only $12….”$100 value!”
SCRAPBOOK STORAGE OPTIONS AT A GREAT PRICE – I was eyeing those 3-drawer things but I have to see if the dimensions work for my space.
A PRE-DONE SCRAPBOOK – Hey, I’m not opposed to them as long as they are cute….great timesaver! And you can add embellies to make it your own.
CUTE 8X8 ALBUM FOR 5 BUCKS….
YOU 3-RING SCRAPBOOK LOVERS MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN THESE – I didn’t recognize the brand but the quality seemed good and you can’t beat that price!
LOADS OF 8X8 AND 12X12 ALBUMS!!!
CLOSER LOOK AT AMERICAN CRAFTS RUB-ON BOOKS….
… and AMERICAN CRAFTS ‘ELEMENTS’ RIBBON, AND PRESSED PETALS ‘CHIP CHATTER SHAPES’….
AS SEEN ON TV! THE CRAFT LITE CUTTER – I assume that’s a great price if you’re in the market for one…
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE DIE CUTS WITH A VIEW 12X12 ALBUMS – A stunning $8 each! Even the turquoise velvet one…
AND HERE IS WHAT I ENDED UP BUYING: DCWV ‘Old World’ album ($8), AC red ribbon (it was unmarked so she gave it to me for $2), AC ‘Happy Birthday’ rubons, great for card making ($2), Pressed Petals ‘Chip Chatter’ letters in metallic green and red; I’m thinking Christmas layouts ($2 each), DCWV ‘Pocket Full of Posies’ mat stack ($3), so pretty, and metallic words ($1 each). All that shizzle for under $25. Made out like a bandit, I’d say.
Personally, I don’t care if something is NEW or HOT or JUST INTRODUCED AT CHA! If it’s “old” and I like it – and I get a great deal on it – I’m a happy girl. If you’re the same way, don’t forget to check out your Big Lots once in a while. You never know what you’ll find….
I was at Tuesday Morning on Monday Morning (bwahahahaha! I crack myself up!) – and I saw these 2 things from K&Company:
They had the Brenda Walton stack for $4.99 (retail $14.99). It’s all Valentiney and hearts. Very pretty but not something I need at this particular juncture.
And this huge kit for $8.99. I guess it’s their Wild Saffron stuff but the colors seemed brighter, and the quality didn’t look as good, i.e. the die cuts and stickers looked thinner than their usual quality. Then again, it was all hard-core, hard plastic wrapped up like a Costco Heidi Swapp kit, so it’s not like I could actually check the quality or anything.
I debated about getting it. Even if I wouldn’t scrap with the thin-looking die cuts, the stuff I would use (chipboard letters, primas, and bling) would justify the cost. And I could use the die cuts and stickers on cards. In the end, I passed on this too. The Wild Saffron line happens to be one of my favorite lines evah! and I have a bunch of it. What, really, has this economy come to when I’m forced to pass up something that I know in my heart is an excellent deal, for the mere fact that I don’t need it? They really need to fix this economy thing, and fast, don’t you think?
A scrapper shouldn’t be forced into a Sophie’s Choice like that. For real.
Okay, I’m gonna’ have to go off on a little rant here because this really bothers me. I’ve seen this over the years and kept my mouth shut but here we go….this mutha’ is ON now!
I’ve been reading through a special issue from SIMPLE SCRAPBOOKS called “Scrapbook Play with Photos”….
….and, not to pick on just them because I see it everywhere but this is just the most recent example. I’m not even through the entire issue yet and I’ve already found several typos in the magazine text, and typos on layouts. {Just so you know, I’m purposely not mentioning the name of the article writer or person who created the layouts, as my intention isn’t to embarrass any one person and, actually, I lay the blame at the foot of the magazine editors anyway}.
Page 11 – A soccer team layout – which is totally rockin’, by the way – with a glaring typo in the layout title, “We are the CHAMPOINS.” I read through the entire page, assuming there was some explanation for the mistake but there was none. I mean, really, how do you MISS that before the magazine goes to publication? It’s hugely noticeable from the second you look at the page.
Page 14 – A cute little boy with curly hair layout called “That Hair!” with journaling that includes, “End the end, we aren’t sure.”
Page 24 – In the text to explain how to “dress up a picture with a transparency sheet,” it says, “…it will subtle detail and design interest….”
And I’ve only read through page 44 of a 99-page issue!
Okay, I know I’m picky. When I was a program analyst for 9 years, I used to proudly say, “I put the ANAL in ANALyst.” I was an English major and I used to edit fellow students’ thesis papers and Senior Projects for fun. I’m a transcriptionist who gets tiny joy from fixing all the little errors doctors make when they dictate. Okay, yeah, yeah, I’m WAY pickier with this stuff than your average bear. I get it.
But are all these typos and mistakes acceptable? For me, when I see errors like this in a professionally published magazine, I loose truckloads of respect for all involved. I mean, if I were a scrapper lucky enough to get my work chosen for publication, you can bet your bippy I’d be proofing my title and journaling within an inch of their lives. And then I’d have every person I know proof it, too. Yet time and time again, I see published layouts that have misspellings, missing letters or words, or other mistakes in the journaling or title. I do remember a couple times – I think it was discussed on the CKMB so this must’ve happened to layouts that were published in one of their mags – that it wasn’t the scrappers fault; one time a layout was published with something turned the wrong way and another time an embellie had fallen down to the bottom of a layout during shipping and the magazine photographed it that way….much to the dismay of the scrapper, who saw her beautiful layout misrepresented to a huge audience. Okay, THAT kind of thing, I don’t blame the scrapper for. Maybe the sweet lady who made the “CHAMPOINS” layout assembled it correctly, then the letters fell off in shipping, and the magazine staff reassembled it incorrectly. Any way you slice it, the magazine is responsible for making such a huge mistake.
As for all the typos in articles, features, and such, I just don’t get it. I see them all the time in the scrapbooking magazines, and I’m not just talking about in recent months when magazines are cutting staff or their hours due to economic hard times. This has all been happening since the “rich heyday” when they all had full staffs. Honestly, I don’t pretend to know how FUH-REAKIN’ hard it must be to put out a monthly magazine. I know there are so many details upon details to be completed perfectly. I can see how a “their” that shoulda’ been a “there” could be missed on occasion. However, I’ve always been really stumped by the fact that SO many little errors, typos, and imperfections find their way into scrapbook magazines. I also read “People” and “Us” on a regular basis and very rarely catch typos or mistakes in those magazines. Funnily enough, they often print their own “corrections” in the next issue and I’ll scratch my head, going, “Hmmm, I missed that.” Guess I don’t know the names of all the celebrities’ kids as well as I thought, huh? It’s not really the same thing anyway, because it’s not typos they’re usually correcting, just incorrect information like saying it was Goldie Hawn in a photo caption when it was really Kate Hudson, LOL.
On a side note, don’t even THINK of pointing all all the typos and mistakes in this blog, for the following reasons: 1. I am not read by millions, 2. I am a staff of one, 3. I’m usually working on 3 hours of sleep and no coffee, 4. Sometimes I put them in just for fun and to see if you’re paying attention, and most importantly, 5. I am not paid. At the jobs where I’m actually paid, I work my tail off to make sure there are never typos. But here on the blog, see, it’s a whole different ball a’ wax…
So, what do you think? Do you notice all the mistakes in the scrapbooking magazines? Does it bug you? Why do you think it happens? I’d be really interested to know your thoughts.
Just a quick post….nothing much going on here. I’m waiting for the Mike’s ad tomorrow (Sunday), hoping there’s a 40% coupon and that scrapbook stacks are NOT on sale so I can go and use a coupon on one – okay, maybe two – of those Sass Lass stacks from my last post.
I’m also on the lookout for this $1 Studio G stamp for MISS KELLI, who is LOOKING. Wish me luck in the hunt for both!
To close, here is a short and sweet ARTICLE about finding an old friend through scrapbooking.
If you haven’t already heard the news, ‘the stacks have landed’ at Mike’s. Here are some lame-ish photos I took there this week. As you can see, this plethora of new scrapbook paper stacks are on their own display rack in the middle of the aisle. At mine, they were in the back part of the store, a place where scrappy supplies are not usually found. Oh, and all stacks are 25% off this week!
Here’s the view from one side of the stack rack. You will see a variety of manufacturers…
My eyes zoomed right to these lovelies. I’m from Podunk, USA and have never even seen Sassafrass Lass supplies in person! One would assume that I grabbed me some Sass Lass like it was a warm sugar cookie! They had the ‘Whale of a Tale’ and ‘Hog Heaven’ lines. I flipped through them and fell in immediate crushing love with both. Then I saw the price….$24.99. Even at 25% off, I figured I’d better wait until they go off sale and I can use a 40% off coupon. Then at least I’m paying $15 instead of $18.75. {Please tell me I did that math right! Or wait, no, tell me I did it wrong so I can go back and buy my Sass Lass NOW!}.
This is some We R Memory Keepers, gcd, SEI, and Die Cuts with a View. After the Sass Lass, the DCWV Nanna’s Kitchen is next on my shopping list.
Here you can see the American Crafts patterned paper and cardstock varieties, and ‘Garden Party.’
Here’s some more SEI, a pack of chipboard sheets, and some new Bazzill packs. What I ended up buying on this trip was the Bazzill ‘Swiss Dot’ pack. It has 24 sheets, 2 each of 12 colors. If you need the price, let me know and I’ll find my receipt. But I can tell you, the Swiss Dot is GORE-JUS and a must have for any true scrapper’s collection.
Here’s the other side of the stack rack. Mostly gcd which wasn’t blowing my dress up really…
Except I really liked the ‘Chic Bebe’ line. It’s a fun twist on baby album goodness, with cool colors and patterns that aren’t the norm, sissy la la baby stuff.
I pulled out the K & Company ‘Cut ‘N Paste’ because I’d heard so many raves about it. It’s very cute/cool vintage stuff but I guess that’s just not my style because I only really loved a few of the sheets. But if vintage is your thang, check it out fo’ sho.
So, not the best pictures. I saw on someone’s blog recently where they took each item off the rack, laid it out all nice a pretty, and got a full frontal shot of each thing. Wow. I mean, I love you guys but I’m usually doing a power shop during my lunch hour, ya know? This is the best I can do, LOL. Hope it’s enough of a sneak peek to make you happy. ‘Cuz I need your constant approval and reassurance….
I’ve got ’em and it’s not just me. I’ve noticed the following in the last week or so:
– The scrapbook message boards are slow. Like watching pain dry. This pains me.
– The CK Media “reorganization” news is harshing everyone’s mellow.
– Either the new CHA products do not excite, or if they do, no one can afford to buy them. Manufacturers are desperately calling/e-mailing retailers, who can’t afford to buy much.
– Erin Lincoln says she’s not been paid in awhile….where does that leave CKMB?
– 2peas boards have been down all night
For me personally, there’s this kinda stuff:
– I posted a restaurant rant on 2peas, expecting about 90% support, and got much less than that. Didn’t ‘splain myself well enough, for one thing. And beyond that, it’s just cranky time, I guess.
– Landry was overnight at the vet hospital getting his manly bits removed. It was practically unbearable how much I missed him.
– DH and I got our first paychecks today since pay cuts….major ouch. How do you cut hundreds more dollars from a budget that is already bare bones? {Yes, I would get rid of my internet but I need it for work, natch}.
– Lastnight to cheer myself up, I decided to cash in a $15 product credit I’ve had for 6+ months at MEMORY WORKS (it was a consultant referral reward). Got all twitterpated over the Jenni Bowlin “Farmer’s Wife” and die cut calendar cards I had in my cart. Went to cash out and it declined my card. Found out today from the bank… they closed my scrapbook spendy account back in December…due to lack of activity. What in the HAY-ELL is that about??
– Just plain tired and feeling the blues…
As for my scrapping, I’m actually kinda’ re-energized after my crop last weekend, yet there has been no TIME or ENERGY to get to it.
How can we turn this around, ladies?
– Stacey at AMR had the right idea. She started a HAPPY THREAD with a little prize. That cheered me a bit :)
– SASSAFRASS LASS and new BAZZILL cardstock packs at Mike’s!!!!! And a coupon this week!!!!!
– Would a couple Landry photos help? Well, here ya go…Could he BE any cuter?!?!
Are you having the Scrapbooker Blahs? Lie right down on my couch and tell me all about it…..
I promised you HERE and I will finally deliver. I had sick kids and a surprise work assignment that kept me up until 2am….but here we go!
If you haven’t already heard, the movie that started this past Friday called “New In Town” starring Renee Zellweger and Harry Connick, Jr. features scrapbooking as part of the movie. I had wanted to see it anyway after seeing some previews, but when I heard there was scrapbooking involved, I had to see it! I mean, with as popular as scrapbooking has become, I can’t think of any other feature film that has included it in this way. I won’t give you the play by play of the entire movie, I’m just sharing the scrapbooking parts, LOL! So if you don’t want any SPOILERS, don’t read!!! For reference sake: Lucy (Renee Zellweger), Ted (Harry Connick, Jr.), and Blanche (Siobhan Fallon Hogan) <- she’s the scrapper.
The movie starts with a group of Minnesota ladies scrapbooking and chatting. There were four ladies around a kitchen table that was about 3×5′ so I had to laugh. For most ladies I’ve cropped with, that would barely be enough space for ONE of us, LOL! The woman who is hosting the get-together is the main scrapbooking character and is clearly "into" this hobby. When Lucy arrives in town and Blanche drives her to the home she’ll be renting, one of the first things Blanche asks Lucy is if she’s a scrapper. At first, Lucy just says "huh?" and doesn’t get the question. Later, Blanche asks her again ~ you can tell this is really important to her ~ and whips out a thick, overly embellished mini album from her purse, proceeding to show her album to Lucy while they drive. Lucy asks if she can look at it later instead. It was quite funny, I thought, poking fun at how we scrappers truly are, giving new friends the scrapper litmus test….if they are one, they must be cool. They are officially IN without having to prove another thing to us. And whipping the mini album out of her purse unprovoked. In reality, the only scrapbookers I have know to carry a full-on album of any sort in their purse are custom scrapbookers and it’s a selling tool for them. Am I alone? Do you carry a mini album in your purse?
There were a few other references to or scenes that included scrapbooking in them. For instance, Lucy comes to Blanche’s near Valentine’s Day. Blanche invites Lucy to make cards, again all seated at that tiny kitchen table with all their gear spread out. Lucy declines (she is clearly too cool for scrapbooking), then one of the ladies hands her a handmade Valentine. Lucy gives Blanche some cash for Christmas, and Blanche gives Lucy a scrapbook….it is clear to the viewer which “gift” has more value. The movie’s closing credits had a scrapbook theme, with the pages of a scrapbook turning, showing photos from throughout the movie, with embellishments and captions. I recognized some Jolee’s, K and Company, and EK Success products. Yes, it IS sad I can recognize product by manufacturer….I’ve come to peace with that.
I noticed in the credits something like “Assistant to Director/Scrapper: Lissette Rodriguez.” I was wondering who the scrapbooker was who made the actual props in the movie and whether she’d get credit…and she did. I Googled that name and can’t find anything on her, so either Lissette is a shy scrapper without a blog (gasp!), or I remembered the name wrong. If you happen to know anything about this “famous” scrapper, tell me about it, K? Even in THIS detailed cast and crew list, I can’t find the name again and there is no “scrapper” listed……sheesh, they even have the Honeywagon Driver, but no scrapper….WTH?
Overall, I liked this movie a lot. Although it does poke fun at things that are near and dear to my heart ~ scrapbooking, being a Christian, fearing job loss to corporate American greed, etc. ~ I think, in the end, the message is that Blanche and her scrapbooking, Jesus-lovin’ friends have a richer and more fulfilling life than busy, pretty, fashionably dressed Lucy. Scrapbooking is portrayed as the backdrop for friends to get together and gossip, a way for women to share and show off what they’re proud of, and a way to make touching and special gifts for those you care about. What a relief….I was expecting some more of the nastiness that seems to get thrown our way for some unknown reason by all the haters.
I was curious as to how non-scrappers in movie media would see the scrapbookers/scrapbooking in “New In Town,” so I did a little searchy werchy and here is some of what I found….
“Hold on to your toques. The romantic comedy “New in Town,” in which Renée Zellweger plays a female executive who’s transferred from the big city to small-town Minnesota, opens with a scrapbooking scene. That’s right: a group of women sit at a table pasting photographs and little bits of colored paper into elaborately decorated bound volumes. Exceedingly sensitive viewers, as well as recent patients of open-heart surgery, are advised to avoid “New in Town,” as the excitement may just be too much…And it probably is the first movie to use scrapbooking as a dramatic device. Let’s also hope it’s the last.”
THIS is a great article from Scrapbooking.About.com with an interview with Siobhan Fallon Hogan. She is very sweet and respectful of scrapbookers.
And don’t forget THIS interview on ScrapScene that I posted before.
THIS is a fair review by one of my favorite sites for checking if movie content is family friendly.
THIS review mentions “the gossipy scrapbooking female Minnesotans,” but as a criticism of the triteness of the movie plot, not in a way derogatory to scrappers.
THIS one was cute, how it made “scrap booking” into two words, LOL: “There is also a sweet, family-friendly, small-town-values undercurrent to the story, topped off by Blanche Gunderson (Siobhan Fallon Hogan). Blanche mixes tapioca pudding and scrap booking with sincere faith in action and conversations about Jesus.”
Needless to say, if you’re a scrapbooker, I think you’ll get a kick out of this movie. It’s always nice to see things you can identify with, and see them made fun of, but in a nice way. I really enjoyed the movie for this and other reasons, including a great soundtrack, and plan to watch it again when it’s released to DVD. Please watch this movie and let me know what YOU think of it….
You know, the cute new romantic comedy with Renee Zellweger and Harry Connick Jr.? Read all about it, including an interview with the actress who plays Renee’s scrapping friend, HERE….
Oh, you know I am SO going to see this! I’m aiming for seeing it tomorrow and then I’ll give you a review. If you’ve seen it or plan to, make sure to leave a comment! Can’t wait to hear what everyone thinks of how scrapping is portrayed in this flick. Have a great weekend!
In THIS post, I told you all about the Gratitude Project I’m participating in. I was originally going to do this project as a 12×12 album and went to work right away on the introduction page. I couldn’t decide between these two looks, so I posted them over at the AMR message board for opinions on which one was best:
The more popular choice was the white background because, although the turquoise side has all the same fun words, they were harder to see. I decided to go with the white background, but then started having serious misgivings about choosing the 12×12 format. Just seemed too big to fill up the whole page, as I’m not generally a 1-photo per page scrapper anyway. I decided to switch over to an 8.5×11 format and I found a plain, 3-ring binder at Walmart for 3 bucks. It had the kind of cover where you can slip in a page so luckily I was able to convert my title page to the smaller format. Thank gosh because getting those KI Memories “Alphabet Soup” letters undone and starting over would’ve been a bee-otch, LOL.
Here is the title page, now on the cover of my album:
And here is the layout for Week One:
The journaling reads: “We had such a sunny & warm fall that here it is January and the leaves are still falling. I found this one on the grass while leaving work one day. As I often do, I picked up this pure evidence of nature’s beauty. I’m constantly amazed at the gorgeous colors of nature, like this leaf with it’s fire red, burnt orange, and faded yellow. I think I forgot ~ in my young adulthood ~ to “see” this beauty so clearly…until the kids reminded me.”
And that’s all folks…all I’ve managed to finish so far.
Depending on when you start counting, we’re 3 or 4 weeks into 2009 and I’m already behind. This does not bode well. I hope that by outing myself on my blog, I’ll be more motivated to get caught up. I have the photos and ideas for 2 more layouts, I just need to print the photos and get ’em done!
As you can see by my simple style, I’m not the greatest scrapper but I hope you’ll enjoy my pages anyway, and find things to be grateful for in your own life….
Colorbok goodies from the Dollar Bins…I got the green flutterbys and white stars…
Hard to see from these pix but there were embellies, small and large shaped papers, etc. The colors were pretty….white, black, green and blue…
Check out those shaped mini board books!
I guess the sale ends today (Saturday) but it was 40% off ALL stickers, including these new ones from K&Company that were on an endcap with the whole new line of Que Sera Sera. SUPER pretty!
I couldn’t pass up these lace papers. I’m such a sucker for shaped papers. But I did use a 40% coupon so they were practically free, right? LOL!
This Mike’s had the new Making Memories line filled in better than the last photo I posted of it. It’s all pink, black and white.
Here are 2 albums for my wish list.
It was interesting. They had a long separate section up by the registers, perpendicular to all their other rows so it really stood out. One entire side of it had scrapbooking stuff that mostly was Vacation themed from all different manufacturers. Along the bottom were older and newer 12×12 albums. Maybe they’re trying to reach out to those who’ve never scrapped before? I mean, you practically had to hurdle the section to get to the registers! Great idea, Mike’s. I hope you can recruit some new scrappers!
What do you readers think? Gonna’ go after any of these goodies?
Oh, and remember the Prima bling swirl I coveted in THIS post? I snagged it yesterday with my other 40% coupon. Whoo to the Hoo! It’s so pretty, I’m going to be afraid to use it.
Remember THIS post, about Scrapbook Santa? Well, he’s in the news again. After Christmas, I got an e-mail from my online scrappy friend EILEEN asking for my address. It seems that Scrapbook Santa had accidentally left a package under her tree that was meant for me. Although I was a little shy to accept this gift from Eileen, I figured since it was from Scrappy Santa, I’d better not decline so that I could remain on his NICE list for next year (Tip: If you ever turn down gifts from Scrapbook Santa, he is NOT impressed and will promptly move you to the NAUGHTY list. Yeah, see, I bet you didn’t know that, huh?) I figured SB Santa had probably left me a Mike’s $1 stamp or maybe a pretty handmade card and I looked forward to receiving my envie in the mail. HowEVAH…
What came in the mail was a large padded ENVIE with….you will not believe this cuz I didn’t either….
The Bazzill pack of Christmas cardstock!!!! {Santa, you’re just feeding my addiction…and I luv ya for it!}
and THIS!!!!
Which, you may remember from THIS post and THIS post, were 2 things that I had really really really wanted but, well, ya know, money is tighter these days. Instead of buying these things for myself, whenever I’m at the store, I just kind of stand near the rack and pet them. Suffice to say, I was very blown away and grateful to Scrapbook Santa! He is such a good friend, taking the time to notice what things I was drooling over and kind enough to get them to me. He even had Eileen write me a nice note about my blog and friendship, which was the bestest part of the gift.
Thank you, Scrap Santa!!!! Give Eileen a hug for me, okay?
Now how’s that for alliteration?!? LOL But really what I need to say is……GET THEE TO MICHAELS AND FAST! Yeppers, they have some more new items. And thanks to my trusty iPhone…because you would NOT see me whipping out my bulky Kodak Easyshare in a STORE, for gosh sakes….I have PHOTOS!! Okay, I probably so WOULD take photos in Michaels with my big Kodak but, see this way, I don’t get arrested.
Today, we have for you….Chloe’s Closet by Making Memories….
See the cute spiral journaling notebook in the second row for $4.99. Got me summa’ that, for 40% no less! And I already used that front orange and yellow one on a Gratitude Project layout. Bla-DOW!
I almost got this here 8×8 album, because I had originally wanted to do my Gratitude Album in 8×8 size but knew a postbbound wouldn’t hold 26 pages nicely. Well, my lovelies, this is an 8×8 three ring. And so googly cute! I left it there, thinking if I really wanted it in my heart of hearts, I would get it on my next trip. {PS: I then proceeded to Walmart where I got an 8.5×11 binder to use for my GP album instead, LOL!}
Here’s some fun and pretty new MAMBI paper pads and Soft Spoken embellies. Loved them all and got none. This time.
This is the collection they were talking about recently on 2peas. There seemed to be mixed reviews but I thought it was pretty cute. Not much I can use in my everyday scrapbooking but I love the stamps. My online scrap buddy, JINGLE, is all into woodland creatures so I think she’ll be fan. {Hi Jings!}
Love the poppies, so striking….
And this is cute…all pink, black and white by Making Memories again…As you kin see, they were still filling the rack.
All new Prima flowers, bling, etc. Lots to love here…
This bling-y flourish will eventually belong to my collection….
Strangely enough, the rack where I found all this loot was in the back before you get to framing and such. It’s the rack that used to be in front of the scrapbooking area so, whatever. I’m sure Michaels has some grand master plan up their sleeve and someday that will all make sense. Right?
Another hot item at Michaels – that I was somehow not informed of until AFTER my trip there (ahem) – is this Valentine Lace border punch by Martha Stewart. The Peas are talking about it HERE.
So, see anything you like? What will you buy at Michaels?
You’ve probably heard me refer to “AMR” a bazillion times, and if you look at my Tag Cloud, you can see how often I mention “AMR” and “All Moments Remembered.” AMR started as an online scrapbook STORE run by my very-close-but-never-met-in-real-life friend, Stacey. Upon opening her online store, she added a BLOG and a MESSAGE BOARD, which I promptly joined. I knew if Stacey were runnin’ the joint, it was gonna’ be a par-tay! She’s just one of those fun, sweet, joyful people who is always enthusiastic and helpful to everyone. Well, the message board really took off, the online store was doing great, the members became great friends, and before you knew it, RAKs, challenges, scrap pals, NSBR (aka Chit Chat), flat scrappers, Scrap Chat Hours, layout sharing in the AMR Flickr gallery, and online crops were flying around like crazy.
Stacey’s next step was to realize her dream of opening an honest-to-God, brick and mortar store in her hometown in Oregon. There she is making the same kind of lifelong customers (she prefers to call them “friends”) as she has via the online store. Stacey offers popular classes, the latest greatest supplies, and is decorating and arranging her store in a welcoming style that reflects her friendly personality. Her “Message Board Girls” have provided layouts to decorate her B&M store with, and recently presented her with an 8×8 album (put together by NICOLE and hand delivered by Mylee) full of layouts from message board members about why we love Stacey and AMR.
I tell you all this so you can understand why I’m crazy about the place and about Miss Stacey. I think you’ll agree that a bunch of unrelated women wouldn’t go to those lengths of appreciation if Stacey hadn’t created such a warm, supportive, and inspirational place. Now, the biggest news is that All Moments Remembered online store is celebrating it’s ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!! Here’s what’s going on to mark the occasion:
********** 1st Anniversary Crop! *************
Online crop on Friday Night and all day Saturday, January 9-10, 2009
Online classes
Scrapbooking/cardmaking challenges
Prizes!!
To provide more detail, I’ve copied information posted at AMR by ANNE MARIE, the Crop Hostess. For brevity sake, I’ve posted the times for Pacific Standard Time since that’s where I am, but if you click this LINK, you can see that AM, as we love to call her, has thoughtfully broken everything down for you by time zone. I’m also going to post just a tease of each class…you have to click the link {above} to see the rest of the details and a supply list so you can get ready.
CROP HOURS & CLASS SCHEDULE
Look for your time zone below, and make note of the crop hours and class times!
Pacific Time:
Friday
CROP HOURS: 6pm -12am
CLASS: “Inchie Card” by kellieannie (Kelli) – 7pm
Saturday
CROP HOURS: 9am-9pm
CLASS: “Mini Book” by tigardlilly (Laura) – 11am
CLASS: “Soot Stamping” by scrappysam (Samantha) – 4pm
CLASS: “2009 Goals Layout” by Anne Marie — 7pm
CLASSES & CLASS CHALLENGE DETAILS
* Each Class will be posted separately at the scheduled time. I will make each of the Class threads a “stickey” to make them easier to find.
* Each Class will include a challenge, and you will have until Thursday, Jan. 15 to submit your entry. Entries should be posted either directly or via a link in the Class thread.
* The Class leader will choose a name at random from the entries and post the winner in the Class thread on Friday, Jan. 16. The winner will be sent a special prize from All Moments Remembered.
MEMBER CHALLENGE DETAILS
* You can submit a challenge during the Crop Hours whenever you wish! Simply start a new thread with “CHALLENGE:” as the first word in the Subject.
* You do NOT have to offer a prize/RAK unless you want to. These challenges are about trying new things and simply having fun!
* Members should submit entries the same way, either posting the layout/project in the thread or a link by Thursday, Jan. 15
* If you start a Challenge thread, please make sure that you draw a winner at random from all the entries and announce that on Friday, Jan. 16
Important Crop Supply Note — If you DON’T have the supplies and can’t get them…. PLEASE DON’T SWEAT IT! Life is too short. Just jump right in and I’m sure between you, me, the class leader, and the other 500 women on this board we can think of all sorts of substitutions, LOL!
And here is a helpful TO DO list posted by Crop Hostess, Anne Marie:
Check Crop Supply List in January Crop Post
Check Crop Schedule for your time zone and figure out what hours you’re going to crop
Make a list of any supplies you need to buy or figure out substitutions for
Sort, edit & print pictures (Be sure to check your printer ink supply!)
Clean your scissors and make sure your cutter blades are sharp
Look through your personal stash and pull out some products (either new or old) that you’d like to use up
If you’ve never posted pictures in the AMR Gallery before, check the instructions post and practice uploading and posting a link or photo in the forum
Remind hubby/kids that Mommy is OFF DUTY during the crop!
Plan easy meal/snack foods and maybe a couple movies or games that you can leave out for hubby & the kiddos so they will leave you alone!
So, now you’re going to come crop with us, right?? If you’re not already an AMR member, you need to sign up beforehand for the message board in time for Stacey to approve you. Do it now! HERE is where you register. I really hope you can join us for the AMR One Year Anniversary Crop, and beyond. You will have a wonderful time over there, I promise. Cross my Cricut, hope to die!
The regular scrapping aisle at my Target pretty much bites. They had Thanksgiving things on Clearance but it was so overpriced and not cute to start with, I wasn’t even tempted. Nothing else was on sale that I could see.
HOWEVAH!! On an endcap with a hugamic $14.99 sign were the following new items:
Lots of cute letter stickers…would be nice to have so many in one set so as not to run out of E’s and A’s long before the rest of the alpha. And the embellie set looked nice…
12×12 and 8×8 albums, and paper packs…
Cute acrylic stamp sets….I LOVE the set on the top with the birds, butterflies, and flourishes. I’m on Stamp Probation so I didn’t get them. But if they go on Clearance someday, I can probably find a way to justify buying them. There were only a few sets…did they not stock many, or have they already been popular?
Other than the 12×12 albums, I don’t find $14.99 to be any kind of screaming deal on these items. Such is life in today’s scrap industry I guess. But I miss those days when bargains were always to be had on scrapbook stuff at Target…
On another end cap, there were several of the KI Memories scrapbooking tins on Clearance, marked down to $17.48. I think originally they were $29.99, so what a great deal on Clearance.
I use gingerbread jars like these in my scrap area to organize embellies, and people often ask where I got mine. Well, I found them on Craigslist; they were from a local candy store. Now anyone can get them…at Target! The price…yikes. I think I paid $30-40 for a whole mess of them.
When I see things like this bed/bath/kitchen collection, I finally get what those pro scrappers mean in the magazines when they tell you that your scrapbooking can be inspired by other products. These color combos and the style of these items really caught my attention and made me want to start whipping out Spring pages using these colors for inspiration.
And if I were rich like Oprah, I would SO buy that whole set and redo my bedroom and bathroom. Oh, and I did get the new Memory Makers at Target….mighty thin issue. So, have you bought anything scrappy at Target lately? Tell us about it…
I’m not having great luck getting good photos of this dog. I know the lighting is real bad. But Landry was helping me at the computer tonight, so I showed him how to use Photo Booth even though my office is kinda’ dark.
I imagine he’ll be in here taking self-portraits while I’m at work, so watch for those…
The source of much future scrapbooking….idn’t he cute???
He’s a 2-month-old Border Collie/McNab that we picked out on Christmas Eve, and picked up today. The whole family is swooning in love with him….
ETA: I’ll post better pics of him soon, I was just so eager to show him off. He’s sleeping in a dark corner right now…..shhhh….it’s the first time he’s stopped all day. But I’ll get a face-on picture tomorrow and post it!
I just got this e-mail from Frugalities.com. I somewhat hesitate to post it because 1. I’ve never ordered from them so I can’t vouch for their service, and 2. Back when this was a “frenzy” on CKMB, I seem to remember some negative reviews. So, get down with that 45% discount at your own risk…but it sounds like a great deal, doesn’t it???
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SAVE 45% ON EVERYTHING! WE ARE ENDING 2008 IN A HUGE WAY!!
YOU ASKED FOR A BIG SALE, AND WE ARE RESPONDING!!
SPECIAL PURCHASE! We’ve just made a special purchase of 12,500 different items and we’re offering you exceptional savings: SAVE 45% OFF EVERYTHING.
Sometimes our buyers have the ability to make special purchases. A manufacturer may be overstocked. Or a store may be overstocked. Either way, this means our costs are reduced and we can pass along exceptional savings.
We’ve cleared the shelves once again to get ready for the New Year! We have loaded up 12,500 SKUs which we have made a special purchase on. And, we’re offering a very special no-frills discount of 45% off all retail prices of the entire selection.
Everything in this sale is brand new, first quality, and factory packaged. You just can’t ask for a better way to wrap the year up!!
It isn’t often that we can offer discounts this deep, so hurry as we cannot reorder many of these items and when they are sold out they may be gone forever.
US POSTAL RATES FOR SHIPPING:
As always, everything has been precisely weighed and we only charge US Postal Service rates (to the penny). This means there is no hidden profit built into our shipping. But do remember that at 45% off, a $50 purchase from us weighs twice as much as a $50 purchase from the other stores because you get twice as much for your money from us!
Share us with a friend and you can both save. By the way, if you order together you will save on postage, too! The reason is simple: The post office has a base charge for the delivery and then a per-pound charge, so you only have to pay one base charge if several people place a combined order at the same time. (Please order on a single order as we cannot combine them after they are finalized.)
SORRY, ONLY VISA AND MASTER CARD ACCEPTED FOR THIS SALE: During this sale we only can accept Visa and Master Card (Sorry, no Discover Card or American Express because of the higher processing costs). We thank you for your understanding.
SALE ENDS December 19, 2008: Happy bargain hunting and happy 45% savings through December 19th.(Selection changes on the 20th and prices will go up.)
