Tag Archives | Memory Works
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Memory Works: Basic Grey Wander, Pyrus & Jovial!

By on September 7, 2010 in Memory Works, scrapbook blogs, scrapbook consultant, scrapbook shopping, scrapbook websites

The day that you get a box full of new BASIC GREY in the mail is a very good day indeed!

To be truthful, I wasn’t 100% hopeful because, although the 3 new lines I ordered from MEMORY WORKS looked really good online, I have to admit to being disappointed with some of their recent lines once I saw them in person.

However, that was not the case this time … I was super impressed with these 3 ~ wahooooo!

The one I ordered the most of was Basic Grey “Wander,” which is their new travel line. I’ve always been a sucker for primary colors (one reason I love our new “ELE.MENT.ARY” line so much), and the colors in this line did not disappoint.

Here is the “Wander” Doily, which is a sheet of intricately die cut 12×12 paper. I think this one just begs to be cut apart and used as strips, don’t you? I could see cutting it straight along the color lines, or even mixing 2 or 3 of the colors on one strip, like the red, light blue, and butter yellow. Or making skinny strips and layering them … Oh, the possibilities are endless!

Here are the Chip Stickers, Pieces, and Small Details all together …

These are the Wander “Small Details” decorative stickers. They’re on pop dots so they’ll be raised off your page. I love the versatile shapes and also how different they are from any other sticker out there … very original.

These are the Wander “Pieces” taken out of the package you saw above and spread out so you can get a good look at them. Aren’t they darling? Again, I’m loving the colors of these, and how they’re different than the million other travel-themed die cuts we’ve seen over and over. I like that some give you room for journaling and others are purely decorative.

Here are the Wander “Chip Stickers,” again taken out of the package you saw above for a better look. You get 4 sheets of chipboard stickers. As always with Basic Grey, the quality of these is top-notch, made of thick cardboard in rich colors. I think the little car, bus, and planes shapes are stinkin’ adorable.


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These are the Wander “Elements” stickers. You get a 12×12 sheet of thick, cardstock stickers which include so many shapes AND borders.

And finally, here are the 8 papers you get in the exclusive Memory Works “Theme Set” of Wander by Basic Grey.

Front side …

… and back side. I hate to keep harping on the colors, but that’s what really stands out for me with the Wander line. They’re are so rich and so versatile. They’ll go with photos from just about any kind of trip and as you can see, there are some really easy-to-use designs here from the subtle, almost-solids to the bright patterns. It’s just a great mixture of papers.

If you’d like to purchase any or all the Wander collection by Basic Grey, please click HERE and I’d love to get it ordered for you :) These are only some of the BG “Wander” items we carry; there are several other things like buttons, fancy brads, cloth and felt stickers, office tabs, etc.

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Okay, now let’s take a look at Basic Grey “Pyrus.”

These are the Pyrus “Epoxy” stickers, which are a nice variety of flexible, kind of bubbled stickers with cute phrases about gratitude and memories. The basic intent of this line is, of course, Thanksgiving, but this sticker pack could sure be used on everyday layouts, thank you cards, and more.

Here are the papers from the Memory Works exclusive “Theme Set,” with 8 gorgeous papers. They are mainly earth-tones but there are pops of color like turquoise and deep green. I like how they aren’t your typical fall leaves, turkeys, and pumpkins but instead leaf designs, pears, flowers, and swirls.

Here are the back sides of the same 8 papers. When papers are double-sided like this, I usually end up buying 2 sets because I don’t want to sacrifice one side for the other … I want to use both! {Very smart move with those double-sided papers, you sneaky little Basic Grey!}

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Alright, finally I’m going to show you some of the Basic Grey “Jovial” line, which is themed to use for your holiday scrapbooking.

I HAD to get this Jovial “Doily” die cut paper. I put it on top of a medium blue paper so you can really see how intricate it is. The poinsettias are so pretty and one cool thing is you can even cut around those and just use the other flowers and leaves for a non-holiday layout.

Here are the Jovial “Small Details” 3-D stickers, similar to the ones I showed you for Wander. They are on a pop-dot so they’ll be somewhat raised from the page. They are really cute and you can see how well they go with the Jovial papers.

Speaking of Jovial papers, LOL! Here are the 8 papers you get in the Memory Works exclusive Jovial “Theme Set.”

Oh. My Gosh! These colors are SO rich and SO pretty, I can’t get over it! I love the use of the blacks and browns to kind of bring all that Christmas red and green down to earth.

… and the other side of the same 8 papers. Again, many of the papers can be used on everyday layouts because they don’t have an overtly holiday theme and there are colors beyond just the red and green of so many other holiday lines out this year.


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I’m hoping I’ve got you craving these 3 new lines by Basic Grey! If I do, please come order from me at MY WEBSITE :) I would love to help you get a Basic Grey box in the mail like I did.

Believe me, it will make your day, LOL!

What do you think of these 3 new lines by Basic Grey?? Have you bought any yet or do you plan to?

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Memory Works: Today is the Day to Order Simple Stories “ele.ment.ary”! {and a sale, too}

By on August 13, 2010 in Memory Works, scrapbook consultant, scrapbook shopping, scrapbook websites

I’ve been talking about the latest line produced by Memory Works as a follow up to their hugely successful Simple Stories “Life Documented” line … the new kit is a quick and easy way to complete school layouts or an entire School Days album and it’s called Simple Stories “ele.ment.ary.”

It was originally slated for release this coming Monday, 8-16-10. I was offline a bit this week and came on tonight (late Thursday) to discover …. they changed the release to tomorrow! ACK!

*** “ele.ment.ary” will be available on my website (http://erika.memory-works.com) as of Friday, 8-13-10 at 8am EST (which is 5am my time aka PST) ***

HERE is a link to the SImple Stories catalog, which shows all the elements and prices for the “Life Documented” and “ele.ment.ary” lines. Take a look at tell me what you think :) There are free “ele.ment.ary” digital downloads and tons of inspiration for using the kit HERE.

I’ll be online processing orders/pre-orders from about 5 to 7am PST tomorrow … erm, today. LOL. If you have any questions or would like to place an order, that would be a wonderful time to do so. Then again, I’m happy to help you at ALL times, my dearies. Just go check out my WEBSITE and/or send me an e-mail … scrapbookobsession(at)gmail(dot)com.

In addition to the excitement over SIMPLE STORIES “ele.ment.ary,” we’re also having a big “clear ‘em out for new CHA stuff” sale.

{Well, it’s not officially called that, I just made it up because it was so uber-descriptive …}

Anyway, here are the discounts going on right now … get ‘em while they last!

BasicGrey – 20%
Cosmo Cricket – 20%
Bo Bunny – 20%
Crate Paper – 20%
Dear Lizzy – 20%
Girls’ Paperie – 30%
Fancy Pants – 20%
My Mind’s Eye – 20%-30%
Teresa Collins – 30%
GCD Chip Art – 30%
…and so much more!

I know I’ll be doing some shopping … but ain’t I always? LOL Hey, it’s my job! And I excel at my work; what can I say?

PS: Check out that cute little Tweet button down below. How awesome is that? WordPress just added that free feature. Feel free to Tweet my blog entries anytime! I would really appreciate it :)

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Memory Works: Taking Pre-Orders on the New Simple Stories Kit “ele.ment.ary”

By on July 29, 2010 in Memory Works, scrapbook blogs, scrapbook consultant, scrapbook shopping, scrapbook websites

HERE is where I showed you sneak peek of the new MEMORY WORKS line for SIMPLE STORIES called “ele.ment.ary.” HERE is where you can see ALL the many pieces to the kit itself and the accessories you can buy separately.

*** The anticipated release date is August 16, 2010 ***

As I said in that last entry, I’ll be taking pre-orders for the entire “ele.ment.ary” line, just as I did for LIFE DOCUMENTED. I was just waiting to hear from home office what the prices were going to be … and I have them now! So here we go …

The prices are as follows:

Ele.ment.ary Kit – $16.99
Paper Pack – $7.50
Alpha Stickers – $2.25
Expressions Sticker Sheet – $2.25
Journaling Jots – $4.50

A .pdf catalog should be out soon and when it is, I’ll post it here. In the meantime, you can see all of the items on the post I did HERE.

As mentioned before, Memory Works is only producing half as many “ele.ment.ary” kits as they did for “Life Documented.” Based on the huge popularity of Life Documented, I think it would be very smart to get in early on this one. That’s why I love pre-orders. Once the kit is released in mid-August, I’ll already have your payment in hand and can place the order as soon as it hits the website. Standby your e-mail though, because I’ll notify you when to place your actual order!

Here is how the pre-orders will work:
1. You decide which item(s) you want from the list above.
2. Add the appropriate tax for the city/county of the shipping address.
3. Add shipping/handling charges (see end of this post).
4. E-mail your request to me along with how you would like to pay (check, money order, or Paypal).

I’ll collect and process payments until the projected “ele.ment.ary” availability of Mid-August. When the kit and items become available, I’ll e-mail you with instructions on what to do then.

{Which will be to log into my Memory Works website, place the pre-paid for items in your shopping cart, enter your shipping address, and submit your order. I will automatically be notified that your order has been placed and, instead of having to wait for your payment to be received, I’ll be able to approve your order for processing immediately … assuming your payment has been received and processed already}.

{But don’t worry about that part right now, LOL}.

To place your pre-order now, e-mail me at scrapbookobsession(at)gmail(dot)com. Please include:

1. Item(s) requested and cost
2. Shipping address
3. Total due including items, tax*, and shipping/handling**
4. Payment method – check, money order, or Paypal
~ I prefer Paypal, and will e-mail a Paypal invoice to you ASAP
~ If paying by check or money order, I’ll e-mail you back with my address

* Sales tax amount is based on the tax rate for the address you’re shipping to. There is a really cool sales tax rate lookup and calculator HERE.

** Please see THIS post for information on Memory Works shipping/handling information and costs.

Let me know if you have any questions or concerns :) If you know of anyone who plans to order Simple Stories “ele.ment.ary,” please send them my way!

I will leave you with one last bit of Memory Works gossip:

Wait for it …

Wait for it …

Word on the street is that Memory Works owners Kevin and Amber are already at work on a third Simple Stories kit! Anticipated release is October/November 2010. How cool is that?

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Memory Works: New Simple Stories Kit … It’s “ele.ment.ary”

By on July 19, 2010 in Memory Works, scrapbook blogs, scrapbook consultant, scrapbook shopping, scrapbook websites

I told you HERE that MEMORY WORKS was giving sneak peeks of their new line on the SIMPLE STORIES BLOG last week. Did you check it out?!?! It’s pretty dang cool =)

My suspicions were right: It’s a school days kit and it’s called “ele.ment.ary.” {Forgive me now, but I may refer to it as “elementary” now and then … hee}. All of the sneak peeks were awesome and I really enjoyed going to the SS blog each day to see which cool new element would be released {or would that be “ele.ment”? ha}.

The folks at Memory Works home office did such a good job of describing the entire kit, the separate pieces, and how they can be used, that I’m going to copy some text from their blog (it will be in italics) and put the pictures of the entire line in one post for easy reference.

*** NOTE: AS SOON AS I CONFIRM PRICING WITH MEMORY WORKS HOME OFFICE, I WILL BE TAKING PRE-ORDERS ON THE ele.ment.ary LINE.

THE ANTICIPATED RELEASE IS MID-AUGUST.

MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW. ***

Okay, here we go!

Our consultants and customers fell in love with our signature Life Documented kit, the introduction to our fabulous Simple Stories system. MemoryWorks has liberated scrapbookers everywhere with our simple and refreshing approach to scrapbooking. We’ve got you hooked on simple scrapbooking in a whole new way…are your ready for more?

It’s all ele.ment.ary!

We are beyond thrilled (and just a little giddy) to introduce our next collection in our Simple Stories series…ele.ment.ary! Our ele.ment.ary collection is all about scrapbooking school memories in a totally stylish, fun, and simple way…and it REALLY is as easy as ABC!

There are loads of school memories…and loads of school photos – after all school is a major event in nearly everyone’s life, spanning 12 years (or more) of an entire lifetime. That’s a lot of photos and a lot of memories. What better way to document all those school memories and photos than with our easy, simple, functional, efficient, and totally stylish system and school kit.

If you liked Life Documented….then you will LOVE ele.ment.ary!

Our new ele.ment.ary kit will include everything you need to create an entire album of school memories – Pre-school through 12th grade! We designed this kit to be as versatile and functional as possible…so whether you want to document a few favorite back to school memories or want to a complete and entire album highlighting each school year pre-school through graduation…this kit does it all!

Just like our signature Life Documented kit, the core of the new ele.ment.ary kit collection includes beautifully designed (and totally functional) innovative cut-apart element pieces in a variety of sizes, including 4×6 cards, 6×8 mats, 4×4 blocks, 6×12 page elements, 2×12 borders and 4×12 titles. Element pieces are printed on full size 12×12 double-sided cardstock sheets…and it’s as simple as trimming the pre-designed element pieces to size to create the individual element pieces.

Our Simple Stories elements are designed to insert into coordinating divided page protector sleeves, along with your 4×6 photos, for quick and easy scrapbooking. Completed album pages fit securely into coordinating 3-ring albums*, showcasing your memories in a simple, yet beautiful way!

*As with the Simple Stories “Life Documented” line, you’ll be able to purchase D-ring LEATHER or LINEN albums and regular and divided PAGE PROTECTORS by We R Memory Keepers to go with the “ele.ment.ary” line.


Guess what? These super cool, super ingenious 4×6 journaling cards included in our new Simple Stories ele.ment.ary school kit includes each and every school year, pre-school through 12th grade! How cool is that….we’ve created the perfect system to simply and easily scrapbook years of school memories! You’ll notice that the front side of the school year journaling cards feature the school year, with basic journaling prompts such as name, school, year, teacher and a few notes of the year. This allows you to easily include basic journaling for each school year, slip the card in a 4×6 divided page protector pocket, and add any number of photos for that year as you’d like.







Here are the other amazing elements that are so unique to our ele.ment.ary kit! Just like the 4×6 journaling cards, these elements also play a key role in the Simple Stories family. Perfect for trimming and tucking into all of the fun divided page pockets…4×4 quote cards, 6×8 photo mats, 6×12 page elements, 2×12 borders and 4×12 titles. Seriously so SIMPLE to share your story with these fun and totally functional elements! We LOVE the colors, designs, icons, images…can you just see how amazing your school albums and projects are going to be?


Don’t you just love the journaling page…remember the front side makes a great cover page for your album (if you’re choosing to use the kit for an album-type project) and the backside is the PERFECT area to add bits of information and journaling. We’ve kept the journaling prompts very general so you can use a journaling page for each year….or just one journaling page for the entire album!

This cardstock is high-quality, seriously thick paper that you can use to create full page layouts, customize your own elements, altered projects….the possibilities are endless!

Okay, here’s the remaining contents included in the kit.

…just like in our last Life Documented kit the transparancies are great for overlaying over 4×6 photos in the divided page protectors….but this time they’re in COLOR!!!!! How great is that….vivd, bright, vibrant colors to coordinate perfectly with all of the components of the kit. They are amazing…and look beautiful over any photo….colored, sepia, b/w! What’s even better is we’ve added the extra bonus of colored transparancies, but the retail price will remain the same as our Life Documented kit so there’s major value there!!

The Journaling Jots are Add-Ons and are … DOUBLE-SIDED with fun icons and phrases on the front side with blank journaling spots on the back side so it gives you the best of both options! How ingenious and super-cool is that! In fact, you’ll want to purchase 2 packs just so you can use all of the front side designs and the backsides too.

This is how the sticker sheet looks, but the letters look thicker here than they really are …

This is what the letters look like once they’re pulled off the sticker sheet … they are narrower.

Yay– we have extra stickers!! I wanted to add an extra alphabet in addition to the sticker sheet included in the kit…we love that it pops with color. The colors on our sample look extra bold – that’s just extra coloring around the die lines…but this alphabet is very sleek and is sure to be one of your favorite letter stickers.

Oops – our mistake :) The mock up image of our Expression Stickers includes a misspelled word “Field Trip”…we inadvertantly uploaded the incorrect image for our sneak peek post. Please rest assure that this HAS BEEN FIXED prior to the printing and spelling will be correct on the actual stickers.Thanks for your understanding :)**

Okay – you asked and we listened. We now offer individual sets of the designer cardstock paper for purchase in addition to the main kit. This was our most requested item…and it makes perfect sense. It’s always handy to have extra sheets of paper for those extra layouts, customized elements, altered projects, etc. This set gives you 8 sheets, 2 of each included in the kit!

Below are just two samples provided by Memory Works {disclaimer: I did NOT design these pages; they’re from the Simple Stories blog}. Anyhoo, it gives you an idea of how great your pages can look with this kit and how easy they are to do … There are more photos and ideas on the Simple Stories blog.


Please check out the SIMPLE STORIES BLOG all this week as they show a new idea every day to help you get the most from this amazing kit. They got a bit of a head start HERE. Also, if you’re a fan of STACY JULIAN and her LIBRARY OF MEMORIES method of scrapbooking, you’ll want to check out that post, too. Memory Works owner Amber shows how she has used Stacy’s “School of Life” method to start an album for her child that will run from Preschool through Senior year, in an easy and manageable way. SIMPLE.

One little tidbit I picked up by reading through all of the Simple Stories blog sneak peeks was this:

… I think you’ll be excited about our FREE downloadable elements (coming soon) that will help you identify school years throughout your album!

Awesome! So glad to hear that, just like with the Life Documented line, ele.ment.ary will include some digital downloads. They’re so great because you can make as many as your heart desires, and cut out or punch them out in whatever size or shape you like.

Here’s what the actual “ele.ment.ary” kit package looks like, and what exactly you get in it:

The kit will sell for $16.99. Any add-ons, albums, or pages will need to be purchased separately.

As I said, as soon as I confirm prices for all the Add-Ons, I will begin taking pre-orders on the “ele.ment.ary” kit, et al. Please watch my blog for news on pre-orders and/or e-mail me and I’ll contact you when pre-orders begin: scrapbookobsession(at)gmail(dot)com.

One last thing from the Simple Stories blog:

We printed only half as many kits as we did with our first Life Documented release – so if you love this collection and don’t want to miss out be sure to snatch it when you can…just in case!

SO!

What do you think of Simple Stories “ele.ment.ary” by Memory Works? Please don’t hesitate to leave a comment or e-mail me with any questions =)

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Memory Works: Time for Another Simple Stories Kit!!!

By on July 12, 2010 in Memory Works, scrapbook blogs, scrapbook consultant, scrapbook shopping, scrapbook websites

With the amazing success of the first Simple Stories kit by Memory Works – LIFE DOCUMENTED ~ it’s now time for the next Simple Stories kit. Woot woot!

MEMORY WORKS will be giving sneak peeks all this week on the SIMPLE STORIES BLOG, so if anyone is looking for me, I’ll be over there, LOL.

Now, I don’t know if THIS is a sneak peek in itself – what do you think?

I was thinking maybe the colors and school-lined paper here were some hints to what the new line will look like. Hmmm … I mean, I don’t have any insider info or anything, so that’s total speculation on my part. I’m just glad reveal time is almost here and that I finally get to see the next kit in the SIMPLE STORIES line. Hallelujah!

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

By on July 2, 2010 in Memory Works, scrapbook blogs, scrapbook consultant, scrapbook shopping, scrapbook websites

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

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

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

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

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PROMOTION #1

Show your patriotic pride…Save 10%

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

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

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PROMOTION #2

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

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

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

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PROMOTION #3

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

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

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

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

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

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Win a Simple Stories “Life Documented” Kit!

By on May 27, 2010 in scrapbook blogs, scrapbook websites

CHECK THIS OUT! SCRAPBOOK UPDATE did a review of Simple Stories and they’re giving away a free kit. Just leave a comment ***ON THE SCRAPBOOK UPDATE SITE*** by midnight PST on May 31, 2010. Good luck!

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New Basic Grey Coming in June 2010!

By on May 17, 2010 in Memory Works, scrapbook blogs, scrapbook consultant, scrapbook shopping, scrapbook websites

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

OLIVER

and OLIVIA

Check this out, from the Basic Grey WEBSITE:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Winners from National Scrapbook Day!

By on May 11, 2010 in Memory Works, scrapbook blogs, scrapbook consultant, scrapbook shopping, scrapbook websites

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

Contest #1 – Scavenger Hunt
Winner: Karen!

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

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Contest #2 – Your Favorite Products
Winner: Julie!

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

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

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

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Contest #3 – Inspire Us
Winner: Gloria!

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

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

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

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

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

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HAPPY NATIONAL SCRAPBOOKING DAY!

By on May 1, 2010 in Memory Works, scrapbook blogs, scrapbook consultant, scrapbook shopping, scrapbook websites

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

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

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

GAME #1: SCAVENGER HUNT

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

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

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

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

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

GAME #2: YOUR FAVORITE PRODUCTS

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

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

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

“INSPIRE US” CONTEST

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

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

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

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

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

GOOD LUCK!!!!

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Memory Works: New BASIC GREY “Cappella”

By on April 29, 2010 in Memory Works, scrapbook blogs, scrapbook consultant, scrapbook shopping, scrapbook websites

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

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

“Cappella” by Basic Grey













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

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

LAYOUT BY KELLY GOREE for BASIC GREY

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

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

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

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

By on April 27, 2010 in scrapbook blogs, scrapbook consultant, scrapbook shopping, scrapbook websites

Basic Grey “Basics” in WHITE


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Basic Grey “Basics” in MANILA

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Basic Grey “Basics” in KRAFT


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Basic Grey “Basics” STAMPS


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

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

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Memory Works: National Scrapbook Day Promotion by My Minds Eye

By on April 24, 2010 in Memory Works, scrapbook blogs, scrapbook consultant, scrapbook shopping, scrapbook websites

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

Here, I’ll give you a hint:

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

Each kit includes:

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

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

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

*** TO CLARIFY:

    The first photo shows what actually comes in the kit.

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

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

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

My Minds Eye – Laundry Line – SUNDRESS KIT
ORDER HERE

Admire

Bloom

Heirloom

Life

Sweetness

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My Minds Eye – Laundry Line – COASTAL KIT

ORDER HERE

Authentic

Celebrate

Comfort

Curious

Lucky

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My Minds Eye – Laundry Line – FLIRTY KIT

ORDER HERE

Embrace

Fun Lovin’

Lil Girl

Play

Pure Joy

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My Minds Eye – Laundry Line – NATURAL KIT

ORDER HERE

Aspire

Embark

Encourage

My Boy

Strength

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

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

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

Are you tempted in the least?

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Project 365: April Update

By on April 21, 2010 in Memory Works, scrapbook blogs, scrapbook consultant, scrapbook websites

I went to a crop with friends last Saturday and had a blast. I took my laptop, little Epson Picturemate PRINTER, and all my SIMPLE STORIES stuff so I could try and get caught up with my PROJECT 365. I’ve been seriously lagging, gurl … mmm hmmm! I’ve continued to take photos every day (well, I thought I had, ha) but I hadn’t scrapped or journaled anything since (gulp) early February.

At the crop, I spent the better part of 7 hours just choosing, editing, and printing 10 weeks worth of photos … yep, 70 photos! Yike, that was intense. As I went along, I realized that I hadn’t been taking an actual “photo a day” like I thought I had. There were definitely 7+ photos per week but some days I had none, other days I had 10, kwim? So printing out my photos took WAY more time than it should have, because I had to first print out photos that had for each actual date, then try to find “filler” pics that weren’t day/date-specific to fill in the blanks with.

I thought about just switching my project from “photo a day” to “7 photos per week” but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Yet in a weird way, I hated the “fibbing” that I had to do in order to have a photo to print for each day. Isn’t that psycho weird? I know. I can’t help it. I also hated that it took so much extra time and effort … It made something that should’ve been fun into a chore, a hassle, and that’s SO not what I want this project to be.

So I came away from that little nightmare experience recommitted to taking, literally, a photo per day. I put a Post It note on my kitchen cupboard that I’ll see every day to remind me. I definitely have no shortage of photo subjects, I just get so busy, I forget to take the photo sometimes. My photo today was of all the (non-perishable) stuff that was still sitting on the kitchen counter from my Costco trip yesterday. I HAYTE putting Costo groceries away. They’re even worse than regular groceries. Can I get an “amen”?!?!?

That might seem a silly thing to take a photo of, and pre-Project 365, I never would have taken that photo. But I think it will be a fun thing to look back on in years to come … “The things we used to buy at Costco and how mom hated putting them away so much, they would stay on the counter for a day or two.” Cuz that’s real life around here, folks! And that’s what my Project 365 is all about.

I’m sorry to say that I don’t have any completed pages to share. Since I was SO far behind, I decided the best way to get caught up was to use a “one step at a time” approach. Instead of printing the photos for a week, choosing the papers, embellishing, and journaling, I got ALL the photos printed and put in the page protector slots (or at least an approximation of where they will go). Then I chose the Simple Stories paper/strip/cards I would use as the base for each open slot. And that’s as far as I got.

Now I need to embellish and journal 10 weeks worth and I’ll be caught up. Well, let me rephrase that: I’ll be caught up through April 11, 2010. And then I’ll be only a week ~ no, make that two ~ behind, LOL! Wish me luck that I can get caught up by this weekend … that’s the goal.

If you’re doing Project 365 this year, how’s it going for you? Please tell me you’re not in the same dire straits as I am! And if you’re not doing Project 365, doesn’t my post make you happy that you’re not?!?!? Yeah, that’s me, a cautionary tale for Project 365.

DON’T. Let this happen. To you.

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Memory Works: Spring 2010 Catalog is HERE!

By on March 12, 2010 in Memory Works, scrapbook blogs, scrapbook consultant, scrapbook magazines, scrapbook shopping, scrapbook websites

Squeee! I’m SO excited! The new scrapbook items from CHA Winter 2010 have been rolling in to my Memory Works WEBSITE. I’ve been posting about some of them but not all. Here is what we have so far:

AMERICAN CRAFTS including Dear Lizzy, new Thickers, awesome new adhesives, and our NEW line of AC CARDSTOCK! (see my post HERE for the Dear Lizzy)

BASIC GREY Green at Heart and Kioshi (see my post HERE)

BO BUNNY Mamarazzi, Sophie, Flower Child, Paradise, and Roughin It (See my post about Mamarazzi HERE and you KNOW I’m so stinkin’ excited about that one! I already have 2 of each item in my shopping cart … 1 for me, 1 to sell :)

COSMO CRICKET Garden Variety, Material Girl, Joyride, and Tiny Type alphas (I blogged about them HERE)

CRATE PAPER Paper Doll, Brooke, and Pink Plum

JENNI BOWLIN Vintage Buttons and Embellished Butterflies

MY LITTLE SHOEBOX Flying High, Away We Go, Just Add Butter, and All Aflutter (What a great company! They’re completely new to Memory Works and I’m loving all the bright, fun colors)

MY MINDS EYE Jack and Jill, Little Boy Blue, and Little Miss Muffet. We also have all the “Lush” lines … Black Lush, Red Lush, Pink Lush, Brown Lush, Blue Lush, and Green Lush.

TERESA COLLINS BeBe Boy, BeBe Girl, Mr. and Mrs., and Welcome Home

THREE BUGS IN A RUG Great Outdoors, Savannah, Little Chick, and Animal Stackers

*If an item says Out of Stock, that just means it hasn’t arrived in the warehouse yet but is on the way. Please try back soon. If you’re waiting on something specific, e-mail me { scrapbookobsession(at)gmail(dot)com } and I can notify you when it arrives. Most consultants don’t do that, but I DO because I respect your scrapbook jones like no one else does :)

Okay, all of THAT is exciting enough, right?!?! I mean, MAMARAZZI people! Remember when I hoped so badly that Memory Works would carry it and now they DO! I am SO going to find that class kit and make that adorable mini-album with it.

So today home office also released our new Spring 2010 catalog, like, WAY early! We usually don’t get them until late March/early April. I have .pdf downloads (they broke it up into 4 sections for faster download times) and will post those soon.

Better yet, you can order a REAL paper catalog from me and I’ll mail it to ya. {JINGLE, did those cupcakes catch your eye? They are throughout the cattie, LOL!}

Here’s what I’m gonna’ do … I’m going to order 10 catalogs today. They cost me $3 each, and to mail them out costs about $2-3 depending on how far they’re going. Honestly, it’s always been a big money loser for me because I spend about $5 per sent catalog. I just can’t afford to do that anymore, I’m sorry :( But if you would like a catalog (and believe me, you do ~ they are SO pretty in person!), please e-mail me { scrapbookobsession(at)gmail(dot)com } and let me know. I’ll invoice you $4 via Paypal and send it right out. Sound fair? That’s a great price for such a nice piece of eye candy, and way cheaper than those “other” direct sales companies charge, am I right?

Okay, so all this just totally made my day. Let me know if you’d like a catalog or for me to “scrap watch” any items for you. Also, you can order HERE any of the above fabulous new items, not to mention all the existing products we have :)

Have a great Friday, my friends!

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Memory Works: American Crafts “Dear Lizzy” Papers Now in Stock!

By on February 26, 2010 in Memory Works, scrapbook blogs, scrapbook consultant, scrapbook shopping, scrapbook websites

Whoo hoo! Just got an e-mail from Memory Works saying that all the American Crafts “Dear Lizzy” papers have arrived. See my last blog entry for more details and all the eye candy …

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Memory Works: “Dear Lizzy” by American Crafts

By on February 25, 2010 in Memory Works, scrapbook blogs, scrapbook consultant, scrapbook shopping, scrapbook websites

I haven’t heard excitement over a new line like this for a while. It’s called “Dear Lizzy” by American Crafts and it’s the talk of the message boards and blogs. So happy to find out that MEMORY WORKS now carries it!

Before we get down to that, let’s talk about ELIZABETH KARTCHNER, the designer of this new line. Let me lay it down for ya’ …

~ Elizabeth Kartchner is also know as Lizzy K.

~ She was CREATING KEEPSAKES magazine’s “Scrapbooker of the Year” in 2007.

~ She is a wonderful photographer, has an adorable and fun family, and one of the greatest blogs around (I linked it above).

~ In November 2009, her idea book came out; it’s called “52 MORE SCRAPBOOKING CHALLENGES” {a follow-up to “52 Scrapbooking Challenges” by Elsie Flannigan, both published by Creating Keepsakes … make sense?}. Here’s another LINK to it.

~ She partnered with AMERICAN CRAFTS on a scrapbooking line which was introduced at CHA-Winter 2010, and Lizzy has started a LIZZY K CRAFTS blog to keep us in the loop about it.

And honestly, could she BE any prettier? Funny and cute, too :)

HERE and HERE are looks at the line from when American Crafts showed their sneak peeks of it prior to CHA. I’ve been drooling over it ever since, and am thrilled that the time has come to buy some!

Here are a couple layouts showing what you can do with the Dear Lizzy line …

BY ELIZABETH KARTCHNER, from the American Crafts blog

BY ELIZABETH KARTCHNER, from the American Crafts blog

Do we all want that rose ribbon or what???

Shipments from this line are just coming in to Memory Works, and some items are not “in stock” yet on the website. However, I’m going to list them all in this post anyway because I’m sure everything will be here soon :) Besides, TOTAL EYE CANDY!

If you click on BUY IT, you’re not committed or anything, LOL! It just links you to the item on my MW website so you can see the price and if it’s in stock.

Dear Lizzy by American Crafts – Theme Set
BUY IT


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Dear Lizzy by American Crafts – Fabric Paper, “Apricot Afternoon”
BUY IT


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Dear Lizzy by American Crafts – Fabric Paper, “Garden Gala”
BUY IT


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Dear Lizzy by American Crafts – Clear Stamps, “Warble” large set
BUY IT


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Dear Lizzy by American Crafts – “Whistle” small set
BUY IT


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Dear Lizzy by American Crafts – Large Fabric Brads
BUY IT


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Dear Lizzy by American Crafts – Shiny Flair
BUY IT


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Dear Lizzy by American Crafts – Chirp Details
BUY IT


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Dear Lizzy by American Crafts – “Lovely” Ribbon
BUY IT


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Dear Lizzy by American Crafts – chipboard Thickers, “Bliss” accent in coffee
BUY IT


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Dear Lizzy by American Crafts – “Flutter” Dimensional Stickers
BUY IT


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Dear Lizzy by American Crafts – “Fancy” Phrase Stickers
BUY IT


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Dear Lizzy by American Crafts – “Pounce” Rub-On Phrases
BUY IT


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Dear Lizzy by American Crafts – “Fire” Thickers, Pink, Puffy
BUY IT


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Dear Lizzy by American Crafts – “Bliss” Thickers, Coffee, Glitter
BUY IT


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So, are you a fan of Elizabeth Kartchner’s? What do you think of her new line? Ya gonna buy* or “wish list” any of it? Here’s my Top 5:

1. Theme set … I need a little bit o’ all those papers.
2. “Lovely” ribbons … Got to have that rose ribbon fo’ sho’.
3, Thickers “Bliss” chipboard accents … Love that they are glittered.

Oh, and both sets of Thicker letters, of course, but those are a given, a staple, a ‘must have so why bother wish-listing it’ kind of item.

* Truly, NO pressure whatsoever to buy it from me {Go LSS! Go 2peas! I support them all!}, but if you’re planning to, don’t wait too long. I have a feeling it will sell out fast. If the listing says “Out of Stock,” it means we haven’t gotten it from the vendor yet. Once it’s sold out, the listing will disappear. Let me know if you have any questions: scrapbookobsession(at)gmail(dot)com K, bye!

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Scrapbook Crop and Open House: A Report :)

By on February 16, 2010 in Memory Works, scrapbook blogs, scrapbook consultant, scrapbook shopping, scrapbook websites

As I told you about HERE, I had a Scrapbook Open House on Saturday. My friend who holds a monthly crop for several friends in her development’s clubhouse was kind enough to let me display all my SIMPLE STORIES merch and invite all my crop buddies and customers to come check it out.

The good news is: There were 6 of us at the crop for most of the day and I got to chat and have fun with my friends. Several customers stopped by and I was able to show them how Simple Stories works, along with some new MEMORY WORKS products I had in stock.

The bad, well okay, decent news: I sold a “moderate” amount of stuff, LOL! It wasn’t gangbusters like I had hoped, but I did sell enough to make me happy I’d done it. I think the best part was that, even for the customers who didn’t buy anything, I was able to show Simple Stories to them and every single customer seemed interested. Maybe it wasn’t in their budget for now, but hopefully it will be in the future.

Thanks for cheering me on. I know you were with me in spirit. I did have a fun day, and made some progress on my Project 365 album. I took my laptop and little Epson printer so I could try to get caught up. For my photos, I chose, edited, and printed them right there at the crop and then scrapped them (with the Simple Stories “Life Documented” kit and WRMK pocket page protectors). I didn’t do any journaling at the crop ‘cuz when I do, I tend to make mistakes. So now I’m only 1 week behind in photos and 2 weeks behind in journaling. Hey, if you knew all the stuff going on in my personal life right now, you’d be impressed, I swear! LOL :)

Overall, a fun and worthwhile day. Hope you had a scrap happy weekend, too.

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Scrapbook Open House

By on February 12, 2010 in Memory Works, scrapbook blogs, scrapbook consultant, scrapbook shopping, scrapbook websites

I know that most scrapbook consultants have parties as the main way they get their products “out there.” Well, you know me, I have to be different, LOL! In my 3 years as a MEMORY WORKS Consultant (just had my 3-year anniversary on 2-6-10, yeah!), I’ve never officially had an MW party. Instead I prefer to have crops, where my products are for sale and customers can browse/purchase at their leisure, and now I’m having my second Scrapbook Open House.

The way an Open House works (and this is my own definition; it’s not something that Memory Works promotes as an option, per se) is that you find a customer who would like to be the hostess (they get hostess credit), decide your hours, send out flyers to your customers, offer some incentives for them to come by … and then PRAY that they do, LOL!

The first open house I did was in November 2008. I had a fabulous make-n-take, a 12×12 2-page layout with MY MINDS EYE products, that was hugely popular. It was a class kit from Memory Works, so I didn’t even have to come up with the idea or put it together. The hostess provided cookies, hot cider, and such. Ladies stopped by, did the M&T while they chatted with scrappy friends and had a snack, or they just purchased the kit and took it home. It was a great success and lots of fun.

Now with a crop (which is what I do more often) you get reservations and payment ahead of time, so you know financially how you’re doing as you go along, how much food to provide, etc. But with an Open House, other than the few ladies who might RSVP on their own, you really don’t know how many will show up. So from my perspective as a consultant, that’s a wee bit aggravating … yet the nature of the beast, so that’s okay :)

For the customer, open houses are great because they are TOTALLY at your convenience. You can stop by when you have time, stay for as little or as long as you want, do a quick shop or relax and stay awhile, chat with your scrappy friends without having to lug all your stuff like you would to a crop, get to see new products, and touch base with your consultant.

And those are all the reasons I like to have an Open House once in a while. It’s truly a win-win-win, LOL. The hostess gets free stuff, customers have an easy event to attend, and I hopefully make my customers happy and sell some things. This time, I’m most excited about it because I get to show off SIMPLE STORIES in person. I’ve been selling lots of it online (thank you, my dear customers!), but this is the first time I’ll show it off in person.

I think my job will be pretty easy, as it really does sell itself. I do look forward to seeing that A-HA moment in ladies’ eyes when they see how easy and fast it is, how fun it is to work with, and what a solution it can be to some scrapping dilemmas they might be facing.

1. That feeling of being “behind” ~ We all have super busy periods in our lives, or you just lose your mojo to scrap. Then you feel like you’re so far behind. You’re still taking photos as you always have, but they’re stacking up (literally, or at least on your computer) and how will you ever catch up?

2. You took a family trip, remodeled your house, or had a new baby and the amount of photos you took is, well, kind of embarrassing really :) You want to show off all the amazing photos and not have to skip any of them, but if you do regular layouts for every photo, you’ll need at least 2 albums … and 2 weeks of home vacation just to have the time, LOL.

3. You’d like to do PROJECT 365, 52, or 12. You want to do a weekly GRATITUDE ALBUM. You’d like to do a Year in Review album with just the best pics from each month.

Yep, Simple Stories takes care of all of these Scrapper Issues :) I think that’s why so many people have purchased it and are excited about it. It’s just a bonus that the kit itself is so dang pretty and fun. Anyway, I look forward to seeing reactions in person and hope my IRL scrap friends like Simple Stories as much as I do (wait, is that even possible???).

My Scrapbook Open House tomorrow is being held at the clubhouse of a sweet scrappy friend. She hosts a group of friends for a monthly crop, which we love because it’s free, easy, and fun! You can actually go to the entire crop day without spending any money (nice when money is tight), if you bring your own munchies and drinks. And avoid the inevitable trips to Starbucks and Michaels, LOL.

Tomorrow happens to be the February date for our monthly ‘friends crop.’ Since she’ll have the clubhouse open anyway, she agreed to be the hostess for my Open House (LOVE her!). There are usually 4 to 6 of us cropping all day from 9am to 9pm; I’m not sure how many are expected this time. Then from 10am to 8pm, I’ll have my Memory Works area set up with products, some snacks/drinks, a quick make-n-take, and free gifts for those who stop by.

I’m kind of nervous that no one will come to the Open House. You just never know. I’ve stocked up on a bunch of Simple Stories PRODUCTS ~ kits, page protector packs, cardstock packs, and even an album.

I’ll have my album available to flip through and show samples of how you can use the kit, and the M&T is made from Simple Stories products. I have copies printed of the new SIMPLE STORIES IDEA GUIDE and CATALOG.

Please keep your fingers crossed that I make some sales Saturday!

I’m going to look on the bright side: Even if I don’t have many customers, I still get to scrapbook all day, right?

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I Don’t Mean to Brag, I Don’t Mean to Boast …

By on February 10, 2010 in Memory Works, scrapbook blogs, scrapbook consultant, scrapbook websites

But I’m like hot buttuh on ya breakfast toast!

Just a quick shameless brag post, if you’ll indulge me. HERE is where one my favorite blogs, CRAFT GOSSIP.COM, linked to my Eco Scrapbooking post :) It’s kind of surreal to click on a daily blog read and see your own name staring at you. Surreal and COOL!

And HERE is where Amber (the OWNER of Memory Works!) picked my blog as the first one to be showcased on the SIMPLE STORIES BLOG. Well, she could clearly see how obsessed I am about the whole Simple Stories thing, right? LOL Anyway, she said some very nice things about my blog and it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Here’s what she wrote:
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Blog Spotlight

It was so fun for us to scour all of the blogs and message boards – and we were seriously blown away with your blogs. There are some great bloggers out there and it was so fun for use to peek into our customers and consultant worlds. We are amazed everyday of how talented and inspirational you are. In fact, we were so inspired by what we saw that we’ll occasionally spotlight a few here on our Simple Stories blog!

I think it’s fitting that our first blog spotlight is that of Erika. I first tumbled on Erika’s blog as we had been receiving a large amount of hits from Scrapbook Obsession to our Simple Stories website and blog. Of course, I was curious to see what website this was as the hits just kept coming (and still do.) I was amazed – not only does she have highly fascinating, humorous posts she is a die-hard Simple Stories fan. Of course – that won me over J I loved how she shared her enthusiasm with her readers and even offered a pre-order option to her customers. LOVE that she puts herself out there and represents MemoryWorks in a positive, friendly and helpful way. LOVE that she’s a passionate scrapbooker and love that she doesn’t take life too seriously. So thanks Erika for brightening our day! (And Erika – don’t be surprised if you find a little goodie in your next MemoryWorks order…)
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Eeee! Did she say GOODIE???? Okay, I’m in Stalk the UPS Man mode, fer shure. {Gah, just for the legal record, I’m totally kidding about the “stalking.” It’s just a term we obsessed scrapbookers use to describe the way we jump up to peek out the window blind every time someone so much as coughs outside … when we’re expecting a scrappy package. No need to call the cops. There’s nothing to see here}.

Okay, now back to the music …

I said a hip hop the hippie to tha hippie the hip hip a hop
And ya don’t stop a rockin to the bang bang boogie
Say up jump the boogie to the rhythm of the boogety beat
Skippity we bopp we rock a scooby doo
A guess what America we love you
Cuz you rock & you roll with a so much soul
A you could rock till you 101 years old

Anyone know what song that’s from? If you do, you have my utmost respect. Hollah!

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