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It’s Christmastime in Scrappy Land!

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Hey, did you notice it’s snowing on my blog. I just really {heart} WordPress.

Okay, let’s start with a shopping report, because there haven’t been enough of those lately. Tonight I went to Michaels and used my 40% off coupon on a really snazzy 5-up photo album by Recollections. Sorry, I coudn’t find a photo of it anywhere online. It was back with the frames and photo albums, not with the scrapbooks. It’s my latest idea for storing extras of “already scrapped” photos and bad shots that I can’t seem to throw away. Each page has some vertical and some horizontal. I figure whatever slots I don’t have photos for on each page (does that make sense?), I’ll slip in some paper and do journaling or a title. Or just some decoration. I have to keep it flat, though, as I doubt this album would be able to handle lots of embellies. If you’d like a photo of it, leave me a comment and I’ll take a pic of mine. I’m going to start collecting these with future Mike’s coupons. I think they’re normally $25, but worth it, with a simple, classy looking cover and the plastic protecting cover that I love…

I also got a kit by K&Company, which was on sale for 30% off. It’s a paper pad with embellies attached (bling!) to make ornaments, which I’m going to give as gifts. And I’m sure keep some too. Every year, I make an ornament for each child so this year’s will be made from this kit. Again, couldn’t find a pic to post for ya’ ~ SAH-REE!

I also got some cinnamon-scented pinecones because I love how they make my house all smelly! I came right home and put them in 3 crystal bowls distributed around the great room area. Mmmmm!! And I got 4 bags of chocolate melts, because they were on a good sale. We’re going to make our traditional PEPPERMINT BARK with the recipe I coulda’ sworn I got last year from BECKY HIGGINS blog. But now I can’t find it on her blog, so I’ll refer you to a sweet CKMB’er, LIZ aka HicksChick, who also has it HERE. We made 2 versions, with Oreos and without. I thought I would like the Oreo version better but just to warn you, it is SUPER sweet. I could take about 2 bites and be done. Hey, wait! That’s a good thing! Last year, we used boring old white chocolate melts but this year, they had RED and GREEN. Totally cool! Here’s a pic of Liz’s peppermint bark so you can start drooling now…then go buy the stuff to make it, you won’t be sorry…{Hi Liz!!!}

Then I went to Target. Yawn. Their scrapbooking aisle has gotten so boring. Nothing was on clearance, and what they call “Sale Items” are, like, 30 cents off the regular price. I do want one or five of THESE KI Memories card and scrapbooking kits. Here’s the Christmas Cardmaking Tin:

And my favorite of the scrapbooking tins, Birthday:

I hope they don’t sell them all, and then put them on Clearance near or after the holidays.

Okay, what else is going on? I got the most recent Scrapbooks Etc and am really enjoying it. I hear a lot of scrappers saying on the message boards that SBE has replaced CK as their favorite scrap mag. I’m not quite there yet, but I get what they’re sayin’. Now the January CK is out and getting rave reviews at 2PEAS. I seeked…sought…sooked…oh, whatever!…but did not find it tonight on my shopping jaunt. Bummer, dude. But I did get the Jan/Feb issue of Simple Scrapbooks. Can’t wait til bedtime when I can browse through it.

I found a very cool LINK where you can download a list of all the Cricut cartridges released to date.

Well, that’s it for now. Back to work! Hope you’re having a wonderful Christmas season and maybe getting to scrap a little? Yeah, me neither but making Christmas cards and ornaments and gifts for soldiers is so much fun this time of year. “Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo!” {Did I get that right, Anne Marie?}

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Christmas, Basic Grey, and Scrap Calendars at Michaels

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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..

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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 :)

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Scrapbook Room: Organization Sneak Peek

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Yes, I’m at it uh-GEN! I’m doing a major reorganization of my scrap area. And I’m serious this time. I even moved furniture and stuff. On the one hand, it’s driving me crazy because I vowed I would not engage in any way, shape, or form of scrapbooking (or papercrafting or card making or whatever you try to call it other than scrapbooking…) until my room was 100% organized. Well, make that 90% organized because I think I’ll be dead and buried before my photos are in labeled, chronological boxes. So I haven’t been able to scrap a dang thing in, like, weeks. On the other hand, it feels really good to make the progress I’ve been making and envisioning how nice it will be when it’s all done.

Thought I would post some sneak peek photos so you don’t think I’m fulll of sCRAP…{Sorry, the photos are dark…it’s 10:30 p.m. here…hope you can see them okay}

MY CRICUT IS FINALLY OUT ON MY DESK WHERE I’LL USE IT MORE, AND THE SPINNING STORAGE THINGEE FROM TARGET IS PERFECT TO HOLD MY CARTRIDGES AND STUFF…

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FINALLY HAVE THOSE GINGERBREAD JARS ALL FILLED UP WITH GOODIES…HERE’S MY JOURNALING CARDS (CAN YOU TELL I HAVE A FETISH?)…

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JUST A PEEK AT MY CRANKIN’ STEREO, STORE IN STYLE 1/2 DRAWER, AND PRIZED POSSESSION…MY BAZZILL COLLECTION….

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PRETTY IDEA BOOKS ALL IN A ROW…

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UGH…ANOTHER PILE TO FILE….

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FLAT RATE BOXES FULL OF PAST ISSUES OF CK, MM, SS, AND SB ETC. ABOUT TO BE SENT TO AMR FRIENDS….

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OH YEAH, THAT’S WHAT MY WORK SPACE LOOKS LIKE! I HAD FORGOTTEN…

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MY POOR CLIP IT UP, ALL DISMANTLED BECAUSE I’M SELLING IT (details are HERE)…

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THIS IS ONE OF THOSE CUTE STACKABLE ORGANIZERS FROM COSTCO. WHEN I WAS SELLING SCRAPBOOK SUPPLIES AT MY CROPS, ALL 3 LEVELS WERE PACKED WITH EMBELLIES, RIBBONS, TOOLS, ETC. OH DARN, WHATEVER I DIDN’T SELL AT MY LAST CROP, I HAD TO KEEP. YIPPEE, IT’S ALL EMPTIED OUT AND NOW A PART OF MY EVER LOVIN’ PERSONAL STASH…

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So I’m making progress, slowly but surely. Oh, I should’ve posted a pic of the boxful of trash I’ve purged! (Lots :) See, I really am organizing…am I doing good so far?

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My Clip It Up is FOR SALE **SOLD!**

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** YAHOO!! I sold it on Craigslist this past Friday!! Thanks everyone :) **

Here are pix of my Clip It Up by Simply Rene, along with instructions and accessories (scrapbook supplies not included, of course):

The black tabs and white sticker labels are so you can divide your categories up. I never had time to put them together, but it would be cool to sort by category (rub ons, letters, stamps, etc) or subject (outdoor, Christmas, kids, etc).

I paid retail for it at a local craft store:
Base Unit $60
Cover $24
TOTAL $84

Will sell both items for $70 including shipping (US only; will ship elsewhere if you pay the difference).

Here’s the story: I used to sell scrapbook products at crops, but I’m no longer doing that. The Clip It Up was used to display items at 2 crops; the rest of the time, it sat untouched and covered on my scrap table. I love it, actually, but I have such good storage systems already going for my scrap stuff that I really don’t need it any longer. But I highly recommend the CIU as a way to store any kind of embellie. I’ve heard of people using it to store anything from stickers to rub-ons to their entire acrylic stamp collection. It’s wonderful for putting your things out where you really see and will use them, instead of hiding away in some kind of storage container.

The black cover is great and keeps the dust off your stuff. I have just the Base Unit, so I tuck the excess cover length under the base and it REALLY keeps the dust and light out. But if you want to add the Upper Tier later, the cover will ‘cover’ the entire thing.

First right of refusal goes to a friend at AMR who was looking for a good price on a Clip It Up, which is what finally prompted me to list mine for sale. If she doesn’t want it, it’s up for grabs! You can leave a comment here or e-mail me (addie is in my About Me page).

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I Did It! Scalloped Corners with The Punch…

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In case you didn’t see THIS post, there is a great tutorial out that shows you how to go ‘around the corner’ with your Threading Water punch by Fiskars. I didn’t have time to make a card or anything, but lastnight I had just time enough to play with a piece of scrap paper to see if a ‘non-professional’ scrapper like me could master this technique. And I’m here to tell ya, it was pretty easy. The tutorial is well written and has the perfect photos to walk you through it. And here is the cute little scalloped rectangle I made…yay me!

This is a pic of the TW punch, and the back side of my mat. If you look closely, you can see which corner didn’t perfectly match up and I had to trim it with scissors, resulting in a kind of googly corner. But I’m not picky enough to let that bother me. However, I will keep practicing and I’m sure I’ll be able to perfect that last corner someday, LOL.

This is the same mat just flipped over. Don’t know why I took a photo of it except that I liked the pattern on this side and how it looked with the eyelet shape.

*Thank U* to my friend Gloria/GLOANN (a CKMB and AMR sweetie) who tried it first and showed me how easy it was, and then she left a comment on the Scrapbook and Cards Today BLOG mentioning my blog. She is one of THE most genuinely nicest ladies I have ever met, online or IRL.

So give this technique a try. If I can do it, you surely can! The results are smashing…

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Scalloped Square with Fiskars Threading Water Punch

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Isn’t this card gorgeous?

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 ;)

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The Slice by Making Memories: An Update

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I’ve noticed from looking at my Blog Stats that a lot of readers come here by way of searching for information about the cool new tool by MAKING MEMORIES called THE SLICE. I haven’t blogged about it since April 2008, so my posts are a bit outdated, but if you’re interested, my first post is HERE. You can see it in it’s early form when it was still owned by Tinnus. This is what it looked like back then…what a different look, huh?

HERE is where I blogged about CHA-Winter 2008 and the Slice, with a couple demo videos, and the new look was revealed…

And HERE is a post from April 2008 with another demo video, and a release date of “Summer 2008.” Well, they ALMOST made that deadline, didn’t they? LOL

So, as requested by JANA in a comment on THIS post, I will attempt to post some updated info on The Slice. Okay, I’m off to explore internet land for some updates, BRB!
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Okay, lots of info on the MM website linked above, so definitely go check that out. Lovin’ the cool accessories they have for it already.

And here are some facts from their website, including MSRPs:

“SLICE OVERVIEW
– Industry’s first cordless, digital design cutter
– Weighs less than two pounds
– 5” x 5” design fits in palm of the hand
– Non-fed cutter permits cuts to be placed on any size media, with no advance preparation
– Design cards in four themes offer thousands of fonts and shapes that coordinate with Making Memories’ most popular scrapbook programs
– Clearly organized and intuitive buttons offer simple navigation
– Graphical interface screen illustrates design shape prior to cutting
– Cuts shapes in up to eight sizes ranging from ¼” to 4”, in ½” increments
– MSRP: $149.00

SLICE DESIGN CARD FEATURES
– Design cards expand the Slice’s shape offerings many times over, and are currently available in four themes including Basic Shapes I, Basic Shapes II, Basic Shapes III, Noteworthy and Animal Crackers.
– MSRP: $35.00
– Includes equivalent of thousands of design cuts including:
• Upper & lower case alphabets
• Monograms
• Numbers
• Scrolls
• Flourishes
• Photo Corners
• Journaling Spots
• Frames
• Flowers
• … and more

SLICE CUTTING CAPABILITIES
The Slice is designed to cut through media in varying thicknesses including:
– Textured paper
– Cardstock
– Vellum
– Textured cardstock
– Photos (up to .5mm thick)
– Vinyl
– And Acetate

SLICE KIT INCLUDES
– Slice Digital Design Cutter
– Basic Shapes I Digital Design Card
– A/C Power Adapter
– 6” x 6” Tempered Glass Mat
– Repositionable Adhesive”

And check out this LINK to the Slice idea gallery. Lots of wonderful projects that will definitely make you want to own a Slice. I’m warning you, don’t go there if you’re trying to resist this thing :) Here’s one example, a layout made with the Noteworthy design card:

** LAYOUT FROM MAKING MEMORIES WEBSITE **, designer unknown.

There is also some great info and ideas on the MM BLOG.

If you’re going to purchase a Slice, please consider buying it from my friend Stacey at ALL MOMENTS REMEMBERED. She isn’t doing many pre-order items anymore, because vendors haven’t been keeping their commitments which makes it hard on her (she HATES disappointing her customers). But she’s making an exception for the Slice and you can order it HERE. Stacey played with the Slice at CHA, and I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if you called or e-mailed her to hear firsthand what it’s like. All her contact info is on the AMR site linked above. While you’re at AMR, join the message board. I guarantee, you will not find a nicer, more welcoming group of ladies anywhere on the net. Plus you will eventually earn your “Stacey Name” and that’s an experience you don’t want to miss!

I’ve been debating for a long time whether I want to get The Slice or not. On the one hand, I already have a baby Cricut and about 5 cartridges. I’ve invested a nice bit of money in that so do I really need a whole new system? On the other hand, Making Memories is one of my favorite brands now and it would be so cool to cut out their exclusive designs. Also, I’d rather pack up this little thing for crops instead of my Cricut. Oh, who am I kidding, I’d probably take both! You just never know what you’re going to NEED to cut out, right? Well, MM couldn’t have timed it better…any other time of the year, I’d have to pass and just say, “I can’t afford it.” But with Christmas almost here, and me being such a good girl and all….

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Scrapbook Shopping on Columbus Day

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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?

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The Predictable Demise of Scrapbooking Magazines

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Over the last year or so, I’ve noticed a recurring theme on the scrapbook message boards, a topic that keeps coming up for discussion: “The scrapbook magazines are really going downhill.” Here is a summary of the comments made on this and related subjects:

1. A year ago, the magazine had X number of pages and now it has less than half that.
2. This month, the magazine was comprised of 1/3 ads and only 2/3 content.
3. This issue is so thin! This magazine used to keep me interested for a couple hours, but now I get through it in a half-hour.
4. There are too many ads.
5. I LOVE to look at ads for new products; there aren’t enough ads.
6. I want to see more layouts, not articles and organizational ideas.
7. I want more articles and organizational ideas, not so many layouts.
8. Why is there so much digital?
9. How come there’s not more digital?
10. I love Ali Edwards, she’s amazing, so inspiring, wish they’d feature more of her!
11. I’m so tired of “life artists” and full-page photos of Scrap Celebs!
12. There is no such thing as a Scrap Celeb; we are all just scrapbookers.
13. I want nothing more in this world than to be published!
14. Why do they waste so many pages on store listings when we can get them off the internet?
15. What in the heck happened to all the store listings in the back?
16. I don’t buy magazines any more; I get plenty of layout ideas from blogs and galleries.
17. I don’t buy magazines any more; I’ve gone digital.
18. I don’t buy magazines any more; I can’t afford them.
19. I don’t subscribe to scrap magazines any more; I want them quicker so I buy them at the store.
20. I don’t buy that scrap mag anymore, ever since they changed the format.
21. I would buy that scrap mag if they would just change up their tired old format.
22. More of a ‘lifestyle magazine’? I want a scrapbooking magazine!
23. I love to read about scrapbooking, but can’t they ‘think outside the box,’ maybe tie in other subjects?
24. I’m so excited! A scrap magazine is going to publish the comment I submitted in answer to: “What signifies Spring to you?” OMG! I am SO excited. I can’t wait to get my copy!
25. I cannot BELIEVE they wasted 2 pages on “What signifies Spring to you?” I thought this was a scrapbooking magazine?
26. Only the best layouts belong on scrapbook magazine covers.
27. I get so mad when they use stock photos for the layouts on magazine covers!
28. Most of us are moms; they need to include family and event layouts.
29. I’m not a young mom; I’m a retired grandma; I’m a college student; I’m single with no kids; I’m male; I’m Jewish; I’m a breast cancer survivor; I travel a lot; I have a career…The magazines need to publish more pages for ME!
30. I like lumpy-bumpy pages; I like to alter things; scrapbooking is my art.
31. I prefer flat pages; I don’t alter, I just do layouts; scrapbooking is not art, it’s about preserving memories.
32. I love to see how they use all the new ‘product’ on layouts.
33. What’s with all the single photo layouts with all that ‘product’?
34. Lisa Bearnson is SO wonderful, I love her, I adore her, I look up to her, her family is adorable, she is so talented!
35. Lisa Bearnson is so fake, I met her and she was mean, she is so full of herself, why does she leave her stepdaughter out of her layouts?
36. I despise this magazine. I will not spend another red cent on it (posted on said magazine’s message board, that costs them loads of money to maintain, yet we can post there for free).
37. I can’t believe this magazine won’t let me advertise MY scrap business on their message board. That is so rude.
38. Magazine A sucks, I’ve switched to Magazine B (posted on Magazine A’s message board).
39. I shop for my scrapooking supplies at big box stores or online; who cares if the LSS’s go out of business? It’s not my job to support them.
40. What happened to all the LSS’s? They probably closed because of bad customer service.
41. How come so many scrapbooking companies are going out of business?
42. I love seeing layouts by Becky Higgins, Ali Edwards, Hall of Famers, Memory Makers Masters, Scrapbooker of the Year, Dream Team.
43. I’m so sick of seeing the same old ‘celebrity’ designers. They need to publish more newcomers.
44. I subscribe and got a great deal, only $2 per issue, and I should get my issue before the newsstands.
45. I pay newsstand price, so I should my copy before subscribers.

Okay, should I stop now? ‘Cuz I could go on like this for quite awhile.

My question is: Do you see what I see?

How in holy heck could the scrapbook magazines continue to stay profitable, continue to stay thick and full of content, continue to pay staff writers, continue to remain in business, and continue to attract advertisers…with customers like us? How can they be all things for all people? We are demanding, we’re fickle, we’re budget conscious, we’re going digital, we’re using 40% off coupons, we’re blogging, we’re sharing our own projects and writing our own articles, we’re trashing magazines on message boards…and we’re making it impossible for anything to happen but what IS happening. The scrapbook magazines are going downhill. I don’t question it, and I don’t find it shocking in the least bit.

I am not innocent. I’ve posted comments like above several times on various boards. I’ve cancelled all my scrapbook magazine subscriptions because I’m impatient to get my issues, realizing that subscriptions are the bread and butter of any scrapbooking magazine. I don’t only point the finger at “us,” I point the finger at ME.

I suggest we try to enjoy the remaining scrapbooking magazines while we can, for unless something changes, they will all be gone soon….

Your thoughts?

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Some Updates….

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It’s Sunday night, and I just got done watching Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters. That Sally and Calista, they had me a-booin’ and a-hooin’ again tonight. When Nora is telling Kitty how she thought she finally saw her as more than just the mom who drove her to ballet lessons, and Kitty shows her the book dedication…all to Nora, who she couldn’t have written the book without. {Sniff, sniff}. Mother/daughter relationships are so complex and deep…that show really knows how to capture it all.

Okay, well, just wanted to give an update on some of my past posts….

The RUMMAGE SALE: It was Saturday morning and, wouldn’t you know it, not a drop of rain here in months but when does it decide to rain???? Saturday morning, and only Saturday morning. Not a drop of rain except during those rummage sale hours. But it went okay anyway, I guess. It was a community rummage sale, where you pay for your space and that money goes as a fundraiser. I was stationed next to a friend of mine, so we gabbed all day between making sales. I’d say I sold about 1/3 to 1/2 of what I took out there, even some of the scrapbooking stuff. One gal came back three times, LOL! The biggest sale from SB stuff was an SEI 8×8 album in a box, it was from a CKU class, and was all pre-done, just pop in your photos and add the journaling. I sold it for $12, although just the materials were worth more than that. But the color scheme was something I was never going to use so why not? It went to a happy home, a young high school or college age scrapper who said she would scrap more if she had time. I hope the purchase helps her get a quick album done :)

Another success story {follow me on this, I promise, it will make sense}: So, on the other side of my space was a lady selling homemade chicken taquitos and pork and chicken tamales. OMG. That was just cruel to make me smell that yumminess all day! {Mexican food is my ATF, All Time Fave}. About half way through the morning, I ate my little Tillamoo cheese and non-fat Yoplait yogurt. Fighting like a real warrior against giving in to that Mexican food. Then DH says, “I’m taking off, there’s a game on so I’m heading home. Please bring a mess of those taquitos home for me.” At first, I’m like “WTF??”….then I realized hey, there’s my excuse to buy ME some taquitos, too, LOL! So I ask the lady, “Are you going to be here til the end, because I want to buy some taquitos to take home?” and she says, “Yes.” So at the end of the day, I still had about 2/3 of the clothing I had put out for sale and was dreading bagging it all up and taking it to AmVets. The lady from the taquito place comes over and is looking through all the clothes (they were kids clothes) and I can tell she’d like to have many of them but is only setting aside a few. So I said, “You know, you can just have all those clothes if you want them,” and her face totally lights up. Then she says, “I’ll give you food in exchange.” I mean, was that the Deal of the Century or what? Too funny….

So, all in all, it was a good day. The kids ran around and played with their friends, I got to chat with a friend, offload some things I didn’t need, and I got to eat taquitos! And we were blessed by God’s rain which, even if you’re trying to hold a rummage sale, is a beautiful, blessed thing.

Now, to update my SCRAPBOOK STORAGE post: Gosh, this is me at my most indecisive. I measured my room and figured out how many more Store In Style cubes, doors, shelves, etc. I would need to make the perfect set-up. Let’s just say the number of cubes was in the double digits, but still cheaper than buying an Ikea Expedit and having it shipped (since I don’t live anywhere near an Ikea), or any other scrap storage options I could find. I found a great online site to order them from since Mike’s no longer carries them. And there they’ve sat in my Shopping Cart for over a week. I finally got over the price tag, but then started imagining the day 4 jillion boxes were dropped by UPS on my doorstep. I truly think DH would bust a gut, maybe even an aneurysm, over that one. I know this from experience, that he doesn’t care about the what’s and why’s and ‘but honey, I got such a great deal on it!’. All he knows is his wife went mad buying scrap stuff and he would be none too happy. So then I thought, what if I just buy a few at a time? But, no, it’s still UPS dropping packages here, still busting guts, still aneurysms, still not good. So my latest idea hit me when I was at Mike’s last week trying to spend my 40% coupon on something I actually needed. Duh, storage cubes, nimrod! I bought one of the cubes that they now carry, I think the brand name is Jetmax. I got the 3-drawer one like in this picture:

They are regularly $30, only $18 with the coupon. Now I’m going to see if I can make it work with collecting a bunch of these babies to create my Scrap Storage Nirvana. They are slightly smaller than the SIS cubes and since I have an odd number…well, it’s hard to explain without drawing a diagram, but I’d still need to buy a few SIS cubes. Then hopefully I can fill in the rest of my wall with the Mike’s ones. I’ll just buy one a week with my coupon, and spend actually less money than buying the SIS cubes online. I have a little windfall cash set aside just for this project and I need to get going on this before the vacuum cleaner or washing machine breaks (that would be SO my luck). Just remember, my well-made decisions can spin on a dime, but that’s the plan…for now!

Finally, to update my QVC post, I did watch most of the QVC scrapbooking shows and no, I didn’t buy a single thing. Not because I didn’t want anything, merely because….no money, no shop-ee. Times like this, I wish I were Katie Holmes…{wink}.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend. Did you do anything scrappy?

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Scrapbooking Items in a Rummage Sale?

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I don’t know how well this will go over, but we’re having a neighborhood rummage sale this weekend and I’m going to try and sell some scrappy stuff. Just tools I bought and never used, paper and embellies I don’t need, and all that non-Bazzill cardstock LOL! {I’ve told you I’m a Bazzill Snob now, right?}.

I’m going to sell other items too, so I’m roaming the entire house and cleaning out closets – clothes, toys, books, home deco, that kind of stuff. Out of one bedroom alone, I got 1 garbage sack of clothes to toss and 3 sacks of clothes to try and sell. No big items to sell except we have a set of French doors we bought and never installed (then we got a new slider to match the other new slider, and well, you know…). Um, we’re just going to print out a flyer and take it to the rummage sale…I ain’t lugging those thangs all the way there, LOL!

If I have time, I’d like to batch up my scrapbook stuff into larger ‘kits’ or ‘lots,’ price it really well, and just get rid of it all. Whatever of the household stuff/clothing that doesn’t sell, I will load it back into the car and take it straight to AmVets for donation. But the scrappy stuff, I just can’t do that, LOL. Will have to find a way to work it back into my stash (NNNNNOOOOOOOOO!!!), or find a worthy local cause to donate it to.

Have you ever tried to sell scrapbook stuff at a regular ol’ rummage sale? How’d it go?

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QVC Scrapbooking…Almost Here Again (Finally!)

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So I guess, so far, the rumors of CK relocating to HSN are not true. They do indeed have a QVC day coming up. Above is the TSV (Today’s Special Value) and it comes in 2 color ways (color ways…impressive huh?…I picked that up from watching QVC…). You can order it now if you don’t want to miss out, or can’t watch when it airs. Lisa Bearnson shows this and other QVC items on her BLOG, and HERE is the link to the TSV on the Creating Keepsakes site.

Tim Holtz will also be THERE. I know several ladies who are already dreaming about seeing their Timmy, LOL. I liked the advice on the AMR message board…watch Timmy on QVC and see what he does with the stuff, then order all your Timmy products from Stacey at AMR.

Stephanie Barnard from Inque Boutique will also be on QVC…here is where she BLOGS about it. They will offer 2 sets of stamps (with 90 stamps in the main set!). One will be on-air and one will be off-air (you can order from the website) and she says quantities are limited. Ya might wanna pre-order if you’re interested. Thanks ANNE MARIE for the heads up!

So, about the TSV…I love SEI but I’m not a hybrid/digital girl, so I’ll be passing on this one. Will you be snatching it up??

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My Crazy Experience at the Photo Place

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Okay, I admit it, I’m an old-fashioned girl. I still take my digi card to the drugstore and use the photo machine to print my photos. There’s a drugstore here that really takes their time with color adjustment, etc. and my photos are never so beautiful as when they develop them. Bright colors, gorgeous shading, they lighten anything that’s too dark, etc. They never have that “digital” look which is my biggest pet peeve.

So I hadn’t developed any photos since Jan. or Feb. of this year and I had a ton to do. The first night after work, I went in and downloaded about half of my digi card. Now this is the pain part…you have to touch screen each photo you want, hit it twice for two copies, skip over the ones you don’t want, etc. It took me about 15-20 mins and when I thought I was done, I pulled my digi card out so I wouldn’t forget it. Well, whammo, the machine goes blank and I say to the cutie guy behind the counter, “OH NO! Do I have to start all over??” and he’s like, “Yeah, sorry, you do.”

The next night I go by to pick up my first set of photos and download the second set. He hands me the first set and says, “All your CD’s are in there but the day crew left me a note and it says an error code came up. I’m not sure if all your photos made it onto the CD so please check them before you delete your card.” Which I thought was nice of him to tell me….how many places would’ve dropped the ball on that one? Then he gave me 25% off my entire order *in case* the CD’s had to be re-done.

The third night, I go in to pick up my second set. It’s a long story but there was another photo customer there who was VERY unhappy and yelling at this poor manager guy. Another employee had supposedly told her a coupon would apply to her order and it didn’t. He explained to her calmly that there was no discount code he could use in the computer to cover her, and he’d get in trouble if he did. She demanded he write down HIS manager’s name and really made a scene. “I’ve been a customer here for TWELVE YEARS but I will NEVER come back into this place AGAIN!!” Don’t get me wrong, if I’m getting screwed over I’ll be the first to speak up. But this was an honest mistake and no way to fix it…what is yelling and name calling and making a scene going to gain you?” (Later, the manager told me that he was going to offer her some other kind of compensation but once she started calling him names and demanding things, he changed his mind). Me and the lady at the other photo kiosk were just rolling our eyes about her and the other lady says to me, “You know, yesterday was 9/11 and she’s gonna yell at some poor guy about saving 20 bucks?” Later, with a straight face, she says to one of the photo girls, “You know, I’m going to need some kind of discount.” And the girl goes, “(sigh) How much?” And me and the other lady start busting up! She was totally kidding but the girl didn’t get it at first.

Okay, so the guy brings me photos and said, “I thought you had a really large order? There’s only 40 pictures here.” Oh no! He brought me behind the counter and showed me the computer where it had my order and only Quantity 40, even though my receipt showed MANY more photos than that. So, yeah, there I go back to the photo machine AGAIN. Now, I could’ve been irate and made a scene, I guess. But he showed me the computer, it wasn’t human error (that I could tell) and they couldn’t magically make the photos appear, so I just shrugged and re-loaded my photos. I mean, pick your battles in life, right?

When I’m checking out, the guy asks what kind of digi photo card I use and I tell him a 1 gig SD card. He goes over, grabs one off the shelf and puts it in my bag for free. Which you know, those aren’t cheap. He thanked me for my patience and understanding. Considering he just got screamed at in front of the whole store, I was impressed with his calmness. They don’t pay retail managers enough!

Anyway, I’ll keep going there. No one develops photos like they do so it’s all worth it to me cuz I’m picky on how my photos look. The bad news is he’s getting married in a month and moving to AZ for nursing school. Darn! Hope the next manager is just as cool.

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Scrapbook Crop, Shopping and Thoughts

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I apologize that I haven’t been posting as regularly as I usually do. DH actually took a three-week vacay from work (unheard of!) and we’ve been gone a lot. I’ve done the whole ‘pack the entire house into 4 duffle bags’ and ‘unpack 4 duffle bags worth of laundry’ thang 3 times in the last 2 weeks. Not a lot of scrappin’ going on here unfortunately, but now I DO have tons of photos to work with this fall and winter when, baby, it’s cold outside.

So I think I’ll just blab a bit…random scrappy thoughts, if you will, since I have no fabulous topic in mind tonight. My online class began today, Back to Class with Trish Turay (for more info, see HERE…you can still sign up if you’re interested). All I got accomplished today was downloading the instructional PDF and some pre-done titles, quotes and journaling. I read through it all tonight and can’t wait to get started! Today, I went to the Big City (about 40 mins. from here) and did my once a month Costco-Barnes and Noble-Starbucks-Tuesday Morning-Dollar Tree-Michaels-LSS run. At the LSS, I picked up a few things for my Back to Class project…my first ever D-ring album, a 12×12, chocolate brown leather album by We R Memory Keepers (I got that brown one on the right).

I still hold fast to my need for postbound (converted to SNAPLOAD) albums for my everyday needs, but the D-ring will work great for the school albums, as layout continuity is not a must. I can’t get used to how BIG the D-ring album is. I also got a few packs of Generations Memorabilia Holders. I’ll use 1 holder per year per child to hold all the fun school stuff and photos that I don’t incorporate into layouts. Yes, these are going to be some big honkin’ momma albums by the time they reach 12th grade. I realize I’ll probably need 2 or 3 albums per child, so I’ll be using my next several 40% coupons to buy more albums. Those babies ain’t cheap! Anyhow, I also got a pack of 8.5 x 11 white cardstock from Mike’s, to use for journaling, titles and such. Now I’m debating whether to start working on the BTC project at home this week, or just pack it all up and take it to the crop I’m hosting this weekend.

Speaking of which…I’m holding my last crop this Friday and Saturday :( Since I’m going back to work full-time, I have to give up most of my Memory Works business which includes hosting crops. Which, among many other things about going to work full-time, also sucks rotten eggs. But I’m not bitter….really….

On my shopping marathon today, something kept becoming painfully obvious…scrapbooking is taking a downturn. Well, we all knew that…the economy or whatever…but it’s really not nice when it slaps you in the face at every turn. First of all, Costco had a big fat nuthin’ in the way of scrapbooking materials. What happened to the good old days of My Minds Eye mega stacks for $12.99, two-packs of leather albums for $12.99, and Heidi Swapp mega-embellishment packs? Gosh, I miss those days. Then at Michaels, I handed over my 40% off coupon that had been cut out of a single page flyer card instead of the old 4 to 6-page flyer. {On the plus side, I did find an awesome scrappin’ book that I’d been looking for}. Tuesday Morning, which used to provide me all kinds of jollies with their cheap scrapping goodies, was a wash. The scrap mag section at B&N has shrunk in size, with only about 4 magazines still offered (if you don’t count the digi-scrapping magazines, which I don’t…skadoosh!). After unloading Costco groceries, I looked forward to curling up for a while with my new issue of Memory Makers, but it’s so thin it only took about 30 minutes. So, yeah, a bit depressing…

I know everyone is busy with Back to School shenanigans, but the message boards have been kinda’ slow. Which is prolly good, because I have SO many other things I should be doing. So, off I go! I know I didn’t give you much to go on, but feel free to comment on anything scrap-related below. Any cool scrap shopping you’ve done lately? Your thoughts on thin scrap mags? Whatevs…

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The Kind of Hand-Me-Downs You Would Kill For…

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I think I’ve mentioned several times before that my mom is also a scrapbooker (thank GOD!). It’s been a wonderful hobby for us to enjoy together. She comes to crops with me, scraps with me at the dining table when she visits, supports me as a scrapbooking consultant by subscribing to my monthly kit, and is the only one in the family who understands that, Yes, I DID need to take 80 photos on our recent trip to San Francisco. I mean, she totally gets it all, you know?

Now, here is where we differ when it comes to scrapbooking. My mom scrapbooks 8 1/2 x 11, while I do 12×12. She has a very particular style, definite likes and dislikes when it comes to pattern and color. For instance, she doesn’t really “do” primary colors, busy happy patterns, or get too fancy with the thick embellishments. She prefers subtle colors and patterns. The only thing she is really gonzo for is brads (I call her Brad Queen). She doesn’t do mini albums, and she doesn’t do 12×12 papers or transparencies that can’t be cut down to 8.5 x 11. Also different than me, my mom doesn’t title her pages, nor does she journal (she says she will type tons of journaling after she gets all her photos scrapped, and insert the journaling in page protectors in her 3-ring scrapbooks…I’m so afraid something will happen to her or her books before she gets it all done and I’ll have 40 scrapbooks of hers with no journaling…hey, who are these people and what were they doing?? LOL). Anyhow, my dear mom also has more disposable income than I do, and she belongs to I think 1 or 2 other kits in addition to the one she gets from me. With all the kits, sometimes she likes what they include, some things she doesn’t care for.

Now me on the other hand, I like pretty much all products scrapbook-related. I refuse to discriminate…it just wouldn’t be fair or kind of me. In fact, I’ve never met a product I don’t like, LOL. Okay, truth told…I’m not a button fan and Hot Off the Press is not a fave. But other than that, I love it all and will use it all. All of this is to explain why my mom brought me THIS…

…the last time I saw her. She had purged her scrapbooking supplies and she GAVE me a crate of stuff she no longer wanted. See the Jenni Bowlin bingo card?What does it say? Oh, yeah…LUCKY! There’s a Maya Road star acrylic album, 7 Gypsies journaling cards, a Pinecone Press 6×6 clipboard, several embellies by My Minds Eye and, what you can’t tell from the picture, but there was a pizza box full of pattern paper and cardstock! And not pictured is the Ziploc bag full of chipboard pieces she gave me. Actually, she brings me something almost every time she visits but this was the biggest bonanza yet. So, I think you can see that when I say, ‘I love my mom!’, I really, truly mean it…from the bottom of my ever-scrappin’ heart, I do.

And I really appreciate it, because she is also E-Bay Queen and could easily sell all of her extra stuff for a mint…but she gives it to me instead. Awwww….

{Now, don’t be jealous girls and NO, she is not accepting adoption applications! One daughter is all she can handle. But nice try…}

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‘Death Swatch’ by Laura Childs

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Another scrapbooking mystery novel by Laura Childs is on it’s way! It’s due out September 2, 2008. I can’t wait! I love her books. If you haven’t already read them, Laura has a series of books where the main character is a scrapbook store owner in New Orleans. She always gets involved in some kind of whodunit and it’s always crazy fun. HERE is the link to the Laura Childs website if you’d like more info on her books. Definitely a quick, fun read!

I’ll leave you with a synopsis of Death Swatch and the teaser for her next book, Tragic Magic (both excerpts were copied over from the Laura Childs website):

DEATH SWATCH

Amid zydeco rhythms and popping champagne corks, scrapbook shop owner Carmela Bertrand and her friend Ava are partying in the French Quarter. It’s Mardi Gras, and they never imagined this might be the scene of a murder, but as the evening progresses, float designer Archie Baudier is found dead on the balcony–strangled with a barbed wire garrote. The only thing wilder than this crime are the theories about who did it–from a ritualistic slaying to a mob hit to the outlandish work of a rival Mardi Gras float builder. As Carmela flirts with handsome detective Edgar Babcock, she also ponders the odd clues; gold paint on the victim’s shoes, a ransacked apartment, and a glimmering gold doubloon.

TRAGIC MAGIC
Coming in Fall 2009

Design-wise Carmela Bertrand of Memory Mine scrapbook store is tapped to create spooky set decorations for Medusa Manor, a new haunted house attraction in New Orleans. But a flaming body hurled from the third-floor tower might just put a damper on the project.

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Obsessions Aside from the Scrapbooking One…

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Since junior high, I’ve been a fee-YOU-jus fan of the rock back Journey. My fellow message boarders know this as my MB name is always Journeyfan, and I frequently annoy them with references to my passion for all things Journey and Steve Perry.

So first, may I just share one little photo from my recent trip to San Francisco…via the Hard Rock Cafe at Pier 39….I give you….a Journey guitar.

Is it wrong that I wanted to climb up there and steal that puppy? Guess it was lucky there was a family with children seated below this fine display or who knows what would’ve happened.

And as I was just lurking over at 2peas, I came upon this siggie line I just had to show ya…it belongs to Theresa aka Scrap Wench. I don’t know anything about this girl, but I love her!

Journey without Steve Perry is like s3x without a p3nis. It can be done, but I don’t recommend it.

Is that funny or what??

Okay, I’m done. Back to scrappy stuff. Did ya’ hear about the scrapbook clearance at Target?!?!?!

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Crop-a-holic Rules!

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Nicole aka Crop-a-holic is a dear online friend of mine, because she:

1. Has a wonderful and hilarious blog about her family life called HUMOR ME and I laugh so hard when I read her stuff that Diet Coke shoots out my nose. I told the girls on AMR MB that this girl should write a sitcom about her life and they all agreed.

2. Is SO generous with the RAK’s she constantly gives away, for the sole purpose of brightening someone’s day. Like, these showed up in my mailbox today…a card and ATC, just because every time she saw the “journey” stamps, she thought of me {my MB name is ‘journeyfan’ and maybe perhaps I go on a bit about Journey and Steve Perry sometimes}…

3. Is brave enough to start taking BELLY DANCING lessons.

4. Always gives me the heads up on important goings-on with all the gals we care about.

5. Is so talented with blogs and computers, and always helps computer dorks like me get things done.

She recently started a new blog to showcase her scrappy news and projects so go take a look at CROP-A-HOLIC’S CREATIONS, won’t you?

She is SO talented…just look at these cards that are posted on her new blog…they are GORGEOUS! Nicole needs to open an Etsy shop or sumthin.

I’ll be adding her link to my sidebar. You should put her in your feed, so you can go give her some blog love whenever you get the chance….

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