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2010
Showing: 1 - 20 of 130 ArticlesNate Berkus: How to Make a Memory Book
I found this via Creating Keepsakes Editorial on TWITTER (@CKeditorial). They linked to THIS article on Nate Berkus’ WEBSITE about how to make a “memory book,” or what we Scrapbook Obsessed would call a “scrapbook.” ;)
I have to say, when I go to read something about scrapbooking by a non-scrapbooker, I prepare myself to cringe. On time, there was an article similar to this memory book one in our local paper. They talked about things like using newspaper clippings, paper trimmings, and other random craft supplies on your pages with no mention of Archival Mist, acid-free, or the like. ACK! Scrapper Alert! Must. Say. Something.
Yes, I was so “upset” about it that I wrote a letter to the editor explaining the oh-so-propuh way to scrapbook items like that so that they don’t yellow with age, infect your pages/photos with acid, etc. Yeah, I’m a scrap geek like that. And proud of it! LOL
Anyway, I was fully prepared to cringe at an interior designer’s take on scrapbooking, much as I’ve been shocked at some of the things MARTHA STEWART has suggested in the scrapbook segments on her show. I’m glad to report there was no need to worry … Nate “Cutie Pie” Berkus got it right, as far as I can see.
He talks about scanning your photos and items (although I missed any mention of scanning them onto acid free paper or acid-free in general, right?), and recommends a binder ring over a spiral bound scrapbook, which I also agree with … and he (or whoever wrote the article) articulates the reasons very well. I’m a postbound/SNAPLOAD scrapper for the most part, so I’m not sure why those weren’t mentioned but, hey, it was a concise article with the major points covered, not a doctoral presentation on the matter, so that’s forgiven.
Anyhoo, it was nice as always to see any mention of scrapbooking in the wider media and to have Cutie Pie Berkus – who is one hot tamale right now, if you didn’t know – is a special bonus. Great job, Nate!
Memory Works: Free Shipping and More! *TODAY ONLY*
Some great things to take advantage of here. Please check out my WEBSITE to place an order. You can e-mail me with any questions: scrapbookobsession(at)gmail(dot)com.
Have a great week!
October Afternoon: “Santa’s Sack Sale”
What a nice way to start your morning. I sit down at the computer with my cawfee, open up the 2peas scrapping board, and the first post I see is THIS ONE.
My first reaction was, of course, …. YEAH – HOOOOOOEY!
Because I {heart} OCTOBER AFTERNOON. They’re my favorite company lately and I’ve been buying up their lines, new and old. I checked out the LINK to the OA blog where the details of the Santa’s Sack Sale are given. Huh … $39.99 is a GREAT price. They’ll flat rate ship, and even ship internationally which a lot of US scrapbook companies won’t do.
Then comes the internal dialogue: “Should I do it? Should I do it? Huh? Huh? Can I afford it? How much is in Paypal account? Wonder how much of the new lines would come with it?” The enabling voice in my head blathered on like that for quite a bit (could it be the cawfee?).
Well, ultimately, I think I’m going to pass, for these reasons:
– I need another mini album like I need another donut. Which is to say, I don’t.
– I already own most of their papers, excepting the 3 new lines (yeah, I’m a paper ho and I admit it)
– The cards aren’t really my thing. Of the few packs I’ve gotten in kits, I see using only 1 or 2 of them.
– I like their 12×12 alphabet stickers but I really *love* the Mini Market Alphas. They don’t specify which type of alphas you’ll get.
I think the smarter thing for me to do would be to spend that $40 on buying exactly what I want from their 3 new lines, which I haven’t purchased yet. {Okay, you’ve GOT to give me propers for finding a way to justify spending money on new OA by virtue of NOT spending on the OA grab box. I keep telling you people, I’m the Master}.
I have to admit, I’ll miss being included in the “scrapbook frenzy” this sale is sure to cause. I’ll miss getting the box, inhaling it’s lovely scent, and taking pics to share with you bloggy peeps.
But I’ll live vicariously through you, k? I think *you* should order the box. Then show me pics when you get it. Deal?
“No thank you, I don’t want to see your scrapbook.”
That’s the title of a blog post I found today because someone had posted the link on TWITTER. Here is the text of the article, along with two of the comments that have been left so far:
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2010
Edited 10/06/11: Article removed per request of the author.
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Here are 2 comments from the blog:
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Edited 10/06/11: Comments removed.
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I’m purposely not sharing the link and hope no one adds it. I don’t want to lead the author to our discussion or give her any blog traffic. I just posted all of this on the 2peas scrapbooking board because I’m so curious what other scrappers think about this article. She may find me anyway, but oh well. I’m not gonna’ just hand it to her on a silver platter, ya know?
Why am I being so catty and cagey, you ask? Because I’m frickin’ offended, that’s why! Since I read this blog earlier today, I’ve been wondering how to write my own post in response. I can’t exactly call the author on the carpet for being mean and offensive … and then be mean and offensive. {I mean, I really can’t, correct? That would be wrong. So wrong. Right?}.
I am gritting my teeth and trying really, really hard to be the bigger person here … when all I want to do is kick that lady in the virtual shins and stomp back to my scrapbook room to (ahem) cut out pictures and write stupid, cutesy things. ‘Cuz that’s how we all usually scrapbook, right?
See? Now there’s my first peeve: People who criticize this hobby when they clearly don’t even understand it. Maybe that’s how yo mama scrapbooked those “SIX heavy, awkward, obnoxious binders full of scrabbookery.” But that ain’t how we roll these days … mmm kay? (So, that was sarcastic but not mean, right? I can be sarcastic and that is fair because the author and her commenters were sarcastic. I’m just playing their game, right? C’mon, stay with me. You got my back?).
So here is where I go through the article and explain – nicely but with MY usual sarcasm – why the author is WRONG. Well, I mean, opinions can’t be “wrong” per se. You know what they say, “Opinions are like addictions … EVERYONE’S GOT ONE.” And she has a perfect right to hers.
Now I’m going to give mine.
Digital scrapbooking is not cooler than paper scrapping. It is not more financially responsible. Digital scrappers spend a lot of money, too. They just spend it buying digital kits online, and at Best Buy and the photo developers instead of the scrapbook store.
A scrapbook cannot be destroyed by something as simple as a spilled glass of juice. They’re called page protectors, sweetie. But let’s be fair and look more closely at the issue …
Okay, scrappers, raise your hand of you’ve ever had a scrapbook destroyed by a spilled anything. Thanks. Now those scrappers who have never had a scrapbook destroyed by a spilled anything, raise your hands. Thanks. I think it’s clearly illustrated by the show of hands that it’s a statistical anomaly to lose an entire scrapbook to a juice spill and, therefore, not something to be factored into whether one should scrapbook or not scrapbook.
A scrapbook is not something that will rarely get looked at. My kids look at our scrapbooks quite often. When we had company for Thanksgiving, someone asked to see my scrapbooks. She is new to the family and enjoyed seeing who all the players are, etc. I mean, she may not have enjoyed that one photo of Dirty Uncle Marty picking his nose, but I truly do think she enjoyed all the rest of it. {And, NO, I did not make Uncle Marty give me the booger so I could scrapbook it! Sheesh. You people!}.
Even if my family and guests never looked at my scrapbooks, I would still make them because you know what, Miss Smarty Pants? I like looking at them. So there. And when my kids are grown and gone and you’re fondling your ornaments, I’ll have eleventy-billion scrapbooks to look through, containing photos of my kids and journaling about things they said and things we did and why they mean so much to me.
Maybe some people have black hearts and won’t miss their kids when they’re gone but I have a smushy, red, puffy heart and I know I’m gonna’ miss those suckers like crazy. Glad I’ll have my scrapbooks, my rocking chair, and my crocheted afghan to keep my company in my old age. Lord knows my husband won’t want to talk to me anymore. He’ll have been listening to my crap for 30 years by then. I predict he’ll be golfing.
She may be right that no one but me gives a crap about 90% of the things I scrapbook. Again, I don’t care. I don’t scrapbook for other people. I scrapbook for me. If 5% of the people get 1.97% enjoyment from 26.666666666% of what I scrapbook, then that’s just bonus, baby! It probably all averages out to about the same amount of people who want to see my Christmas ornament collection.
The author may also be right that “(s)howing someone your scrapbooks is the modern day equivalent of forcing people to sit through your vacation slide show.” Incidentally, I like vacation slide shows. I love to travel, although I don’t get to do it much. Through the photo albums, home movies, scrapbooks, and slide shows of friends and family, I’ve “visited” the Panama Canal, Switzerland, Patagonia, Ireland, the Caribbean, and other places I’ll likely never see in person. Works for me.
Incidentally Number Two, I don’t show/force anyone to look at my scrapbooks. If people ask, I’m happy to show them. If they don’t, I’m not in the least offended (see prior references to “I scrapbook for myself” above).
As for the thoughts that scrapbooking everything makes it all less special, and that each person will remember the events that were worth remembering – surprise! – I have to disagree again. I don’t remember a lot from my childhood. What I do remember is triggered by looking at old photos. “Oh, I remember that dress my mom made me! Oh wait, or was it my aunt? I wonder whose house I’m standing in front of? I think it was booger-picking Uncle Marty’s but I’m not sure. Dang, whose freakin’ house is that?!?! I wonder why we were there? I wonder how old I was then? Oh look, that’s my dad’s old project car in the background. I think it was a Triumph. No, was it an MG? He LOVED that car! It was so fun to ride in. He’s passed away now … I can’t even ask him what kind of car it was … .”
Are you smellin’ what I’m cookin’? You pickin’ up what I’m layin’ down? Yeah, you know it. Scrapbooking our daily lives and our special events does not make them any less special, and as much as you think you’re going to remember the things you want to remember … you won’t. I mean, maybe if you’re like Little Grey on GREY’S ANATOMY with her freaky deaky photographic memory, you will remember.
But most people do not have freaky deaky memory banks. Most people forget things they wish they could remember, memories partially triggered by photos or, say, ornaments. But they just can’t pull those specifics out and make that richer memory. They’re left with questions and maybe a sense of loss or melancholy about it. At least I am, with my smushy, red, puffy heart. Maybe you’re not and that’s fine. But acknowledge that some people (like me) wish their mother had scrapbooked their childhood and don’t be hatin’ on them for it.
If I haven’t already made it clear, ornaments are NOT much cooler than my scrapbook. I think the facts have been established. But nice try, that.
I have ornaments that span my lifetime, too. For some of them, I remember details of where they came from … others I don’t. I have more than one “Baby’s First Christmas” ornament and I can’t tell you which kid received which ornament. They’re all Hallmark and not that distinctive. I wish I would’ve written on the bottom whose they were but I didn’t and now they feel kind of meaningless, and that makes me sad every year when I look at them. I know there are scrappers who’ve scrapbooked about their ornament collection. Now THAT is a fabulous idea!
I do have to agree with her statement that “… memories are wonderful, but you don’t need to spend hours and enormous sums of money on supplies to create elaborate books to remember.” So, so true. Memories ARE wonderful and that’s why we scrapbookers want to preserve them, cherish them, and never forget them.
You DON’T need to spend hours and tons of money on your scrapbooks. Some scrappers see their layouts as works of art and the process of making them a time of artistic expression. They say it’s like therapy to them, down time, alone time, de-stressing time. It’s savoring the walk down memory lane time. It’s spending the extra money on supplies because you like the pretty papers and the bling … looking at them and playing with them bring you joy. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.
There are also scrappers like me who prefer to keep it more simple in favor of getting the photos scrapbooked and journaling written down before the moments are forgotten. We may also love the pretty-pretties and have fun shopping for them, or we may only buy cardstock and basic supplies … but when we scrap, we enjoy the same “me time” that artistic scrappers do. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, either.
You don’t NEED to spend hours, lots of money, and create elaborate books … but if you want to, go ahead. It’s a free country. And if someone tells you that is “wrong,” I want you to turn to them and say, “Hey, who pissed in YOUR Wheaties this morning? Gah. Worry about Korea or something and leave me alone.”
I’m kind of torn on the stated idea that “not every single event in life is special. Sometimes Halloween is just Halloween and it doesn’t really need to be documented. Your children will not be scarred if you don’t.” No, my kids won’t be scarred either way … if I document the repetative holidays or I don’t. Again, I’m not scrapbooking for them. If I feel like scrapping those photos, I will. If I don’t, I won’t.
One thing I do know is that if I don’t scrapbook those photos, no one will ever look at them … they will live forever on my computer, never to be seen again. At least if they’re in an album, my kids can flip past and giggle about how funny dad looked after the Silly String Attack or how cool they looked in their monster costume. One idea I like for Halloween photos is, instead of doing a layout each year of Halloween, you create a mini album of just their costumes each year. How fun would that be to look at through the years? And the costumes are what kids want to remember anyway. Well, mine are probably more concerned about what candy they got but whatevs.
And if I do choose to scrapbook each Halloween, I’ll always remember that Grammy decorated her house really cool, made great Halloween night dinners, and had all the grandkids bobbing for apples. Kinda neat. I know whenever my husband reminisces about his Halloweens as a kid, all he remembers are the mini pizzas they had every year. That’s it. Bet he wishes his mom scrapbooked, heh heh.
But I do get the point that if you make every. single. event “special!”, then what is truly special when it’s all special? {Yes, I just used the word “special” three times in one sentence. Deal with it.} But I guess I feel like our life IS special. What we do every day is important and meaningful and fun and interesting and, well, special. I don’t think having a layout of each of our Christmases makes any of them less important or meaningful. They will all be special.
It reminds me of that saying about adding children to your existing family … that a mother’s heart will always have room for more. I don’t think there’s a limit on love in my family, and I don’t think there’s limit on “special” in my life. It’s ALL blessed. It’s ALL important. It’s ALL cherished. If that makes me a bad person or a bad parent … well, crap, them I’m doing this whole thing wrong.
I also think that scrapbooking the everyday and the special events, year after year, shows my kids how important they are to us and how special and amazing they are. If you’re a kid looking through a scrapbook full of photos that include you and your family, the fun times you had, the efforts your parents made to spend time with you, evidence of all the games they attended and the celebrations of your good report cards … how does that make you feel anything but GREAT? My kids may never look at another scrapbook again and that’s fine. But if they do, the evidence of my love is always there for the taking.
Okay, well! I’ve addressed pretty much every freaking point in the article, haven’t I? If you’re still with me, you’ve probably gone through your Venti latte and your eyes are bulging clean out of your skull. Sorry ’bout that. No worries … I’m about to wrap this sucker up so you can get on with your life. Promise.
If the author of the blog post does find my response, I hope she’s not offended. I don’t think she will be. I read through her blog and if you think I’m sarcastic … boy howdy, she puts me to shame. (And I LOVE IT!!!) I’m pretty sure she won’t try to bitch-slap me through the internets. If she tries, you still got my back, right? Scrapbookers Unite! Hollah!
Okay, I’m off now to go scrapbook about my doggie taking a doo doo, what shade of blue the sky is today (I happen to have very expensive coordinating paper, duh), and my kids’ math homework page. Ta ta! (For now).
Sneak Peek: Basic Grey “Hopscotch”
At least, I *think* this is Hopscotch. The Peas are TALKING ABOUT IT. All it says is “Coming Soon,” so I’m not sure if that’s the one the original poster was referring to.
So far, a lot of them are passing on it. I’m actually diggin’ it. I love the color combo … seems very versatile for lots of layouts. I also like that background they show … classic BG white background. It’s like cardstock but 10 times better :)
You likee?
ETA 11/19/10: Well, it’s later the same day and much has changed, LOL. You can now see the entire “Hopscotch” collection HERE on the BG website. I highly recommend that you watch THIS VIDEO for a great look at each and every piece of it.
After seeing the whole thing, I’m going to give it an 8 out of 10 on the “Scrapbook Obsession How Much Do I Love It Scale.” I still do love the color palette … very pretty and soft and versatile. I assume it’s a Valentine’s Day collection based on its release date, but it’s not over-the-top, lovey dovey, Valentine-y so you can definitely use it for other things.
I adore the hopscotch paper, stickers, and rub-ons. I also love the word search paper and some of the smaller patterns. Personally, I don’t scrap with a lot of flowers and butterflies, so that’s my only holdback on this collection. But there’s definitely enough other elements I can use to say that I’ll be buying this it.
When does it come out, you ask? At the end of the video, they said it will be shipping to stores in December. Just in time for your Christmas pressie! You know, the one you buy for yourself because no one in your life knows the full extent of your Basic Grey Addiction. Go ahead, you deserve it ;)
I’m going to assume that Memory Works will be carrying it, if you’d like to purchase it online … here’s my WEBSITE.
Okay, now that you’ve seen the whole thing, what do you think?
More About Nancy O’Dell, Creative Memories, and Scrapbooking
HERE is the first post I wrote about this, if you want to get up to speed :)
Today, I came across THIS Nancy O’Dell interview on PARENTDISH.COM.
Yeah, she sneaks in some talk about scrapbooking and her new line with CREATIVE MEMORIES. She seems to be a nice face for scrapbooking and I’m enjoying learning about her. I liked what she said about using scrapbooking to bond with your children and stepchildren, showcasing their lives and showing them how important they are.
It will be fun to see her transition from Access Hollywood to taking over Mary Hart’s position on Entertainment Tonight. I wonder if she’ll find little ways to mention scrapbooking on ET, too. That would be really cool.
What do ya’ll think of Nancy and her entry into “our” world? Do you plan to read her book, enter the contest, or anything?
Memory Works: Black Friday Starts Now – Bo Bunny Deal
There are always so many great deals going on at Memory Works … sales, free shipping, hostess gifts, awesome monthly kit, exclusive packs, etc. I try not to flood my blog with them. It’s really hard sometimes but I do restrain myself.
However, at this special shopping time of year, I’m going to make an exception and I hope you regular readers don’t mind too much. Between now and the end of December, I’m going to post Memory Works specials, new items, etc. {There will still be regular, non-Memory Works entries, too}.
If you’re making your Christmas list, maybe I can help (wink). If you get scrappy Christmas money, I can enable you. Hey, it’s a public service I’m performing if you really think about it :)
So here we go … I’m starting off with a deal that was just posted today. It’s such a great price, I’m calling an early Black Friday … or would that be Wednesday? Oh well, whatevs.
New Power Packs….
….exclusively from Bo Bunny!
Retail Value:$60.00
Steal Price: $15.00
Just in time for Holiday shopping! Don’t miss out on these BoBunny Power Packs* exclusive to MemoryWorks – and all for you! We’ve partnered with BoBunny to offer these variety packs full of your all-time favorites from BoBunny. Each variety pack includes 50-60 sheets of patterned paper and a variety of fabulous packs of BoBunny embellishments – a retail value of over $60.00!
This is a fabulous price and you’ll definitely want to be the early-bird and catch these Power Packs while you can – they’re a fantastic deal and at these prices, they won’t last long!
*Disclaimer – Each Power Pack kit is packaged by BoBunny and the contents may vary. Your Power Pack may not look like the one pictured but will include a wide variety of papers and embellishments and will be the same great value!
Grab your deal today…
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What an awesome deal! Just the paper alone … $15 divided by 50 sheets of paper (you get 50-60 per pack) is only 30 cents per sheet. When you factor in the embellishments, too … what a great price. Buy one for you, and one for a friend. She will love you forever, I promise.
For an example of the all the cool lines BO BUNNY does, check out their section on MY WEBSITE.
You can place your order HERE for this Bo Bunny pack or anything else. We have tons of great, current products. Ordering instructions are HERE.
Please don’t hesitate to ask any questions ~ you can leave a Comment here on my blog, or e-mail me at scrapbookobsession(at)gmail(dot)com.
Paris Hilton Scrapbooking at Tuesday Morning
I was at Tuesday Morning recently and you’ll never believe who I found: PARIS HILTON! Well, her line of scrapbooking supplies anyway.
Yes, I knew she had a scrapbooking line out there somewhere (I wrote about it way back HERE), but had never seen it online nor in stores. I began to think it didn’t truly exist.
But there is was at Tuesday AM, in all it’s sparkly, glittery glory. I have absolutely nothing against the girl but it didn’t surprise me in the least that her stuff was not my cup of tea. A bit much and OTT (over. the. top.). But, hey girl, more power to ya!
If the fact that Paris loves to scrapbook so much that she created her own line, and she gets one person scrapping, then it was all worth it. Wouldn’t you say?
Paris, honey … you just GO, gurl! Hollah!
Scrapbook Haul: Tuesday Morning, Michaels, Beverly’s
Well, I haven’t written a good “scrapbook haul” post in a while so here you go :) These are treasures I’ve collected over the last month or so.
These are from TUESDAY MORNING:
2-packs of Thickers for $3.99 each
These were the last 3 sets and I actually liked them all. Yes, the teal ones have come unstuck and are falling off the sheet but that’s okay. I run most of my Thickers through my Xyron “X” anyway. The chipboard and vinyl ones are notoriously un-sticky in the long-term.
On the left are “Paper Crush” by COLORBOK journaling stickers. You get 6 stax with 12 sheets per stack. I thought these would be really cute on school pages.
On the right are 2 sets of Sticky Alphas by Colorbok. These 3 things sold together for $3.99 … great price!
Here’s a Scrapbook Paper Kit by HEIDI SWAPP. The line is called “Street Smarts” and has some really cool-looking papers … think skater dude, sports dude, cool dude … that kind of thing :) The papers are cardstock-thick, double-sided, and you get 20 of them. The retail price was $19.99; got it for $3.99.
The 2 sets of chipboard letters were only $2.99. I was so glad to find these again. I’ve used the black and white set a couple of times and need more! They look really striking on a page. The stack of notepads are going to great use on my desk. The 3-pack of American Crafts Flair was a great deal at $3.99. The Dear Lizzy one is my favorite.
Do you see anything wrong with this picture? Specifically, the price tag? Yes, there is just one epoxy embellishment there, and while the price of $1.99 could seem reasonable, I still thought it was mis-priced. The retail price shows as $8.99. Um, yeah. I showed it to the cashier when I checked out. It took me a few times explaining it before she would believe me, but 1 pack of epoxy stickers, no matter how stinkin’ cute, would not sell for $8.99 retail. Unless they were made of crushed diamonds or something. I think they were meant to be bundled in packs of 2 or 3. I don’t know if they really fixed them but, hey, I did my civic duty, right?
In case anyone is in the market for a Cub Scouts 12×12 album, Tuesday Morning has ’em!
They also had a lot of paper packs by the likes of AMERICAN CRAFTS. However, they were the 25 sheets of the same paper kind so I didn’t get any. But for those of you who do classes, kits, etc., this is a great deal.
Tuesday Morning also had the Making Memories “Hulabulu” packs, and lots of 12×12 postbound albums … I just didn’t get photos.
I got some books at BARNES and NOBLE. The one you might be interested in is on the top … “Tragic Magic” by LAURA CHILDS. She writes a series of scrapbooking murder mysteries set in the Big Easy that I really enjoy. Been waiting to see this one in paperback since I don’t usually “do” hardcovers.
I got these three older issues (April, May, and June 2010) of Scrapbook Trends magazines online recently. They were having a clearance sale for $5 an issue. I think these sell new for $15 each so I was happy to find the sale. It’s true what they say … these are more like idea books that magazines so well worth the dough.
These were from a message board “for sale” section. I love it when people clean out their scrap rooms and sell stuff I want for dirt cheap, LOL! I got collection packs of Basic Grey “Black Tie” for $5, Scenic Route “Background” for $6, and she only charged me $4 shipping. AND threw in some Anna Griffin border stickers for free. Awesome blossom!
These are the bling stickers from Michaels I mentioned in a PAST POST. Purdy, huh? You get 2 layers worth.
The rest of these things are from BEVERLY’S CRAFTS …
I had a 40% off coupon and was going to use it on the Making Memories storage jars (I’m re-doing my ribbon organization), but when I got the check-out, she told me they were on sale for 40% off. So the coupon went to one of the Basic Grey “Jovial” items. Then some Tiny Type alpha stickers that I can’t seem to get enough of. I guess you know what I’m using to scrap Christmas in this year, eh? Love these colors …
Come to find out, I should’ve gotten another set of the jars. After getting my ribbon sorted, I realized I need 3 more and I can’t find them at Michaels anymore. Shukes.
Have you heard of Studio 112? It’s a new line of scrappy stuff I’ve been seeing around. Here are the pretty lasercut papers they had.
Yep, every single thing was only 99 cents.
Bling, flowers, all kinds of embellishments …
Even some borders …
I dunno’, it wasn’t really my style. Some of the lasercut papers were pretty but nothing really blew my dress up. To each their own … maybe you’ll love it. At that price, you should at least check it out! M’kay?
Have you had any great shopping finds lately?
NSBR: Closet Organization
I organized my bedroom clothes closet recently. Well, one of my clothes closets. I have part of another closet where I keep my hanging stuff, luggage, and some storage. This closet is more like a walk-in dresser, LOL. Hey, I work from home. My everyday wardrobe mainly consists of tees, jeans, and sweats.
It’s a miracle that deserves an annually-observed holiday, because it was sooooooo long overdue. You couldn’t pay me enough to show you the Before* … WAY too embarrassing … but here is the After.
* Then again, maybe you could.
This picture is also embarrassing to show, because I realize that I have a Normal, Boring, Person with No Money Closet … as opposed to a Martha Stewart Closet or an HGTV Perfect Closet or even a Decorator Blog or Becky Higgins Closet. So I’m sorry if it’s underwhelming, LOL.
But I’m for real. I can’t afford fancy bins and baskets from POTTERY BARN nor awesome customized closet systems by ELFA or IKEA. I have cheap wire cubes from TARGET and older hanging shoe and sweater organizers made of cheap plastic which have sagged over time.
And I’ll replace those when they physically fall apart, LOL. Srsly. I’m the only one who goes into this cave and I couldn’t care less if it looks pretty, as long as I can find stuff. In the morning. In my half-lidded stupor. Before coffee.
Here is a closer view. Shoes in their place. I can see the floor again. “Ohhhhh …. so THAT’S what the floor looks like!?!?”
So I was proud of myself nonetheless. It took ALL DAY on a Saturday. I guess it looks like I still have too much, and maybe I do, but I filled 8 trash bags and 10 donate bags. I let go of a lot and yes, it did feel good! It had probably been 5 years since I’d done a thorough clean-out of my closet, so older clothes and things I no longer wore were just stacked and stacked and stacked. It was entirely ridonculous.
Like HOARDERS ridonculous.
Then it got to the point where it was so intimidating and daunting to confront, that I just … didn’t. I lived with it. I made sure to keep my closet door shut so I didn’t have to “see” it, except for the few minutes a day it took me to choose and put away clothes.
Anyway, saying that I’m glad it’s done is a huge understatement. I just hope I can stay on top of things better from now on. I know the tees in ROYGBIV color order won’t last long but that’s okay. As long as I can keep long sleeve tees together, my shoes in their holders, etc., I’ll be quite happy.
Is there a big job in your life you’ve tackled lately? Any organizing photos or stories you’d like to share? I’d love to see some blog links showing me what you’ve done, or your favorite organizational sites. Whatever you wanna’ talk about or comment on or share :)
Just don’t tell me I have too many shoes :) I mean, DUH.
Michaels Halloween Scrapbook Stuff * Now on Clearance
I was in Mike’s last weekend and noticed that a lot ~ if not all ~ of their Halloweenie stuff was on Clearance. Cuz, people, they are makin’ room for Christmas already! There were lots of empty shelves and the Mike’s employees were busy moving and shaking thing up.
I took these photos back in late August 2010 and never did get around to posting them. I assume your shelves, like mine, will be less full of Halloween stuff at this point, but it gives you an idea of some items they might still have …
Last weekend, I got these 2 Martha Stewart “Cracks” Around the Page punches. I went in there with another of my “50% off all Martha” coupons, found these punches on the clearance rack, and proudly marched up to the cashier knowing that I could use my coupon on the more expensive edge punch … because Mike’s coupons don’t work on sale items from the ad, but are okay on Clearance items (at least they used to be; I haven’t tried it in a while).
HOWEVAH … the Mike’s clerk got me in a smackdown! She pointed out that the Martha coupon specifically says that it’s not to be used on Clearance items. Touche’, Mike’s Girl, touche’.
But I still got a great deal … the corner edger for $5 and the border edge punch for $7; even as a combo pack, these retail for $25 … so I saved over 50% anyway.
FINAL SCORE: Michaels chick 1, Scrapbook Obsession 1
HERE is a cool video showing how to use this punch. Check it, homegurl!
Have you picked up any of these great Halloween deals?
TV Star Nancy O’Dell Collaborates with Creative Memories
Check out this video clip of “SCRAPBOOKING WITH NANCY O’DELL” from the CBS Early Show yesterday. She was talking about her new book, FULL OF LOVE, about the importance of family albums and scrapbooks, including the role they’ve played in her own life. There are also scrapbooking tips and photos of her layouts.
Oh, btw, if you’re not familiar with Nancy O’Dell, here is her WEBSITE where you can read her bio and see other things she’s done :) HERE is her Twitter page if yawanna follow her. Did you know she’s going to have HER OWN SHOW on the new Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) next year? No, you didn’t. That’s what you have me for.
Anyway, she wrote “Full of Love” in conjunction with CREATIVE MEMORIES and has also collaborated with them on a scrapbooking line called “The Hummingird Series.” HERE is the CM press release with all of the information. You can get her scrapbooking line only through a CM Consultant, of course.
Although her last book can be found on AMAZON.COM, this one appears to be available for purchase only through Creative Memories. I’m kinda’ bummed about that. I was going to jump right over to Amazon and buy it but now I have to go through the rigamarole (yes, that IS an actual word!) of finding a CMC and starting a new account or whatever to order just this book. I really hate “exclusive” deals like that. I hope I’m wrong and there are other places to get it. {If you hear of any, please let me know!} Plus the fact that I can’t get to the damn CM site right now … none of their links are working for me. Grrr …
Nancy seems like a sweet person and a good representative of this hobby we hold so dear. I wish her all the success in the world on her new book and Creative Memories scrapbooking line.
Do you plan to read the book or buy the line?
What Did You Get with Your 50% Off Coupon?
I didn’t see it, but I guess MARTHA STEWART was on the OPRAH show last week. There was a related coupon at MICHAELS for 50% off her products. {Um, Martha’s products, not Oprah’s, silly! But, hey, who knows? Everyone seems to be jumping on the bandwagon of having a scrapbook line lately. Oh, wait, Oprah hates scrapbooking and scrapbookers. So that wouldn’t work, would it? But I digress …}
My friend ABBY was nice enough to clue me in to this cool coupon, and sent me a copy when I was remiss in printing it before it *poof* disappeared. Man, scrappy-shopper friends have your back like no other friends, don’t they?
I used mine to finally get the MS LARGE CIRCLE CUTTER that I’ve been eyeing for a while, but didn’t want to pay 25 snaps for.
I don’t know what the frick is up with those 3 little dangly earrings. What? They want you to dress up to use the thing? Sheesh, Martha! We’ve always known you to be a demanding little priss, but this is a bit much! SRSLY
I was going to use my Labor Day 50% off coupon on one of these, but then horror of horrors, I never got to Mike’s that week. I can’t BELIEVE I let a 50% off coupon go to waste, LOL! Yep, put me in scrap shopper jail because I committed a big crime.
Michaels also had Buy One, Get One Half Off their stickers so I got 2 packs of Recollections bling flourishes ~ purple and clear ~ so pretty. I’m going to add the purple flourishes to my Wicked layout to pump up the volume (DANCE! DANCE!) (Sorry, I couldn’t resist).
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY4ntrZh7qY]
HERE is what the Peas got with their coupons. Looks like popular items were the fringe scissors, scoring board, large circle cutter, and around the page punches.
What did you spend your recent “50% off all that is Martha” coupon on?
Memory Works: My Latest Haul :)
The new MEMORY WORKS catalogs came out recently and I needed to order some. What a perfect excuse to “not let that shipping cost go to waste” and buy some scrapbook pretties for myself.
Here’s everything fresh out of the box.
From left to right …
Memory Works 2010 Fall Catalog: I love how they featured SIMPLE STORIES on the cover. It has been a big seller so, as a Memory Works Consultant, I appreciate it being featured so prominently.
CRATE PAPER “RESTORATION” SEW BRADS: I have the Restoration THEME SET and CHIPBOARD; been wanting these, too. This is my favorite new line from CHA-Winter 2010.
FANCY PANTS “TRADITIONS” RUB-ONS: I have to admit I pretty much bought these because of the blue bird holding the ornament. I just couldn’t resist that image for some reason.
AMERICAN CRAFTS CARDSTOCK SWATCH BOOK: Memory Works used to sell only Prism cardstock, then made the switch to American Crafts CARDSTOCK. I think it’s been a good switch. The AC cardstock is thicker and has that great linen texture like BAZZILL. I also like the wide ranging color choices we have, and all the packs of mixed or single colors.
AMERICAN CRAFTS “ROBIN EGG” THICKERS: These are chipboard and super cute with the tiny white polka dots on them. They’ll be great for spring or Easter layouts.
AMERICAN CRAFTS “DEAR LIZZY” SHINY FLAIR: I loved this whole introductory line by ELIZABETH KARTCHNER. It was so unique, pretty, and special. I already have the theme set and was glad to add the flair to my Lizzy K collection :)
RANGER “GLOSSY ACCENTS”: I love using this on embellishments to “bring them to the next level.” They make everything look so much more special, kwim? Like on my recent “Wicked” layout … I painted some naked chipboard Thickers with black acrylic paint but then they looked so flat. Put on some Glossy Accents and ~ VOILA!~ lookin’ good!
{Forgive the wavy look, LOL! I took the pic while the letters were drying. Once they were dry, I tacked that ribbon down to the page with sticky tape :)}
FANCY PANTS “HAPPY TOGETHER” THEME SET: I just love the colors of this line … the rich browns and teals with beige and white. Soooo pretty in person!
So that’s my latest Memory Works haul. If you’d like to purchase any of these items or check all the other scrapbook eye candy we carry, just check out MY WEBSITE and let me know if you have any questions. You can leave a comment here, or e-mail me: scrapbookobsession(at)gmail(dot)com. Have a great week!
Xyron Magic Sticker Maker at Tuesday Morning
I got a flyer today from Tuesday Morning showing their sales that start FRIDAY, OCTOBER, 2010 at 10AM and this sticker-maker was the only scrapbooking item, at least in the e-mail I received.
I’ve never heard of the Magic Sticker Maker but here is a link to it on the XYRON WEBSITE. It looks like it’s all sparkly and cute and geared towards kids? I’m not sure …
Xyron says it retails for $14.99. The Tuesday Morning ad says it’s “original retail” $19.99, and they sell it for $9.99 … starting tomorrow :) Just thought I’d share in case you were interested in a fun, cute sticker make for your kids … or you, LOL
How Do You Carry Your Cricut?
I just saw THIS POST on 2peas asking for a great Cricut carrier, and I remembered that I never told you about mine!
I was in the market for a way to carry my Baby Bug to crops. I had been making due with an traditional tote bag from an old CKU and, boy, was it NOT working. The bag was not big enough for the Cricut to lie down along the bottom, so I’d put it in at an angle, or I would fill the remaining room in the tote bag with cartridge boxes, etc. so the Cricut stood basically upright on its end. Yeah, not a great way to transport it, I know.
I wasn’t actively looking just because I hadn’t been to a crop with my Cricut lately so it wasn’t on my mind. But one day about a month ago, I walked into Walmart scrapbooking section and saw this: the “Cricut Shoulder Bag.”
Here’s the front of the bag in it’s packaging, so you know what to look for if you want one.
Here is the back :)
This is the empty bag in what I call “Baby Bug Mode.” In other words, this is the way you could use it if you only wanted to store your CRICUT BABY BUG.
I like to call this “Expression Mode.” Yep, you can unzip the ends and expand the bag so it’s longer, long enough to hold your CRICUT EXPRESSION.
When you open the front zipper, it looks a little something like this. Yes, it has a super cute interior that’s Cricut green with white polka dots. You also get an instructional brochure and a longer shoulder strap.
There’s my cute little Cricut. It slid easily into the front zipper opening. Before I got the machine centered and comfy in there, I moved it to the right slightly so I could sneak some Cricut cartridge boxes into the empty space on the left end of the bag, then moved the Cricut dead center in the bag. In the front mesh pocket, I put a loose Solutions cartridge which doesn’t have a box. You could also put tools in there like your spatula.
To get some more cartridges in the right end of the bag, I used one of the Secret Squirrel zippers to open it up and easily slip the carts in. If you have an Expression, I believe you would use one of these end openings to slide your machine in. (Using the front slot to get an Expression in there would be quite awkward if not impossible).
I had one remaining cartridge and was able to fit it right in front, then zip the back closed.
Finally, here is my cute new Cricut Shoulder Bag all packed up and ready to go! You’ll notice I attached the long shoulder strap, though I’m not sure if I’ll actually use it. I think, given the weight of the Cricut and the relatively lightweight nature of this bag, I’ll feel safer carrying it by the shorter handles, which attach to the bag in 4 places instead of 2, LOL!
If you’re interested in this bag, you can buy it HERE at Walmart.com for $40, or HERE from Amazon.com for roughly $34. I wish I could remember what I paid for it at the Walmart store. I want to say it was around $30 but it could’ve been $40. Yeah, I wanted it badly enough, I would’ve paid $40 for it, ha!
After reading the reviews WALMART.COM and AMAZON.COM, I’m not sure you’d want this bag for your Expression. Many people report that the bag fits the Expression very snugly with no room leftover for cartridges or tools. They also mention how hard it is to get the Expression in and out of the bag, even with sliding it in from the end using the zippers. It sounds like a major headache and not worth it.
One comment from the reviews I definitely agree with is I wish the bag had at least a little bit of padding since the whole idea of the bag is that you’ll be carting your machine around. You don’t want to accidentally bonk it into the side of your trunk and damage your machine. I don’t agree with the comments to make the bag REALLY padded nor to make it big enough to fit all kinds of carts and accessories along with the Expression. To me, the whole point of this particular bag is that it’s simple, small, and lightweight. There are other Cricut bags on the market which are larger and padded, so there’s no point making this bag into one of those bags, kwim?
In researching this entry, I did find some other clever Cricut tote options HERE, HERE, and HERE. THIS is a really cute bag with lots of color options! So my last recommendation would be to look around a bit online at Cricut bags and see if there’s another option that might fit your needs better. If not, head on over to your local Walmart and pick up this cute and useful bag at a reasonable price.
Then take your Cricut on the road, baby! It needs to get out and meet people, maybe throw back some margaritas and get its “CHIRP!” on.
