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Are You Interested in F.R.E.D?

Can FRED make your neck feel better? Will FRED enhance your layout experience? Is FRED too expensive or just right? No, FRED is not what you’re thinking…getcher mind out of the gutter! FRED is a portable crafting table that tilts like a drafting table. It comes with magnets to hold down your work as you go. You set it on top of your existing desk, and you can fold it up to take to crops. I first heard about it on THIS 2PEAS THREAD. The inventor/seller of FRED even chimes in, so you can hear about the product first hand. Here is the WEBSITE for FRED. Maybe I’m just having another blond moment, but I couldn’t figure out how to sign up for their e-mail list. I also couldn’t find the videos on YouTube (although the videos on the website worked fine for me). If anyone figures it out, please let me know. I think the price seems reasonable for the quality, and it sure sounds like they have some happy customers. Hmmm…it’s one to think about for my Christmas list. How about you…interested?

Scrapbookers Are The Nicest People :)

I’m such a bad, bad blogger….
I received 2, count ’em, 2! RAK’s awhile back and I never posted them or properly thanked the lovely scrappers who sent them. So…finally….

First, thank you to Tya aka CKMB JandBsmom (meet her at Ramblings of a Hockey Mom BLOG). When I put together the list of blogs by CKMB’ers and shared it over there, she offered to send me a RAK to say thank you. I told her I would accept only if she would let me brag about her publicly. So, look at these gorgeous cards she sent!! I just love them. They are so pretty/cute and I will love giving them out. So, thank you Tya, and my apologies for not thanking you sooner.

cards RAK from Tya

Then there is Janine, over at HER BLOG, “i am me”. She is also known as CKMB hulagirl. I enjoy her blog and, after reading THIS POST, I left a comment admiring the KI ribbon she got at Big Lots. Well, she promptly contacted me to say she was going to send me some! I mean, how nice is THAT? So here is the ribbon she sent me, which I have already begun using in my Snapshot of Me album. Thank you Janine!!! And, again, I’m so sorry for my tardiness.

KI ribbon RAK

And, finally, since I was over at Photobucket anyway…here is a picture of the RAK I am sending to Liz aka hickschick. This is my drawer…yes, drawer…of Mike’s stamps, with the set I’m sending to Liz lying on top. You can see that, indeed, I do have (prior to the RAK) 127 of them babies! So, enjoy Liz. They will be in the mail this week :)

Mikes stamps RAK

Memory Trends 2007 – New Releases

The Memory Trends show going on in Las Vegas is one of the wonderful scrapbooking trade shows held every year. Most companies show off their new product releases. Memory Trends is similar to CHA, the big show by the Craft and Hobby Association. This week at Memory Trends they are also announcing the winner of the Creating Keepsakes Scrapbooker of the Year (aka SOY). There are a few of the Top 10 Finalists who frequent the CK Message Board, so if you want to chat with them or view their galleries, come on over to the CK WEBSITE! We’d love to have ya’.

I found this great site called REMEMBER THE MOMENTS where all the new product releases for Memory Trends are shown – wha hoo! And there is some gorgeous stuff as usual. Every time I think the designers couldn’t possibly top themselves, they do. I picked one favorite from each line shown:

3 Bugs in a Rug, from Playful

3 bugs playful

7 Gypsies, from Pretoria

7 gypsies pretoria

Basic Grey, acrylic stamps!

bg stamps

Cosmo Cricket, love the whole Hey Sugar line…

cc hey sugar

Flair Designs, from Rejoice (the true meaning of Christmas…)

flair designs rejoice

Hambly Screen Prints, a sampling

hambly sampling

Karen Foster

KF ballerina

Luxe Designs

luxe designs hearts

Making Memories, 5th Avenue, Elizabeth
There was some talk lately that MM had kinda’ lost their edge, but I must now eat my words! They are definitely back with some rockin’ stuff. If you look at nothing else, check out the MM stuff. They have 3 new lines!

mm 5th ave

My Minds Eye, from Frost.
They also have 3 new lines; love them all, very Basic Grey-ish..

mme frost

Paper Salon, clear stamps

paper salon stamps

Rouge de Garance, a cutting edge company, very cool stuff – check it!

rdg pinwheel

Rusty Pickle, feeding the acrylic album craze…
RP acrylic albums

Scribble Scrabble, Spencer’s Collection
I’ve never heard of this company. Could you have fun with this paper, or what?

SS Spencer

Studio 8, Falling Leaves (NEW COMPANY)

studio 8 falling lvs

Technique Tuesday, acrylic stamps

TT stamps

So head on over to RTM and check it all out, then come back and Comment with your thoughts, your likes, your dislikes.

Milestone RAK: Liz, You Lucky Girl!

WE HAVE A WINNER….Elizabeth aka Liz aka hickschick !!!!!!
Yay for you! Liz guessed 128 and the correct answer was 127. Wow, that was close ‘cuz Betsy guessed 129, and Jess guessed 130. Phew! Hey Liz, will you please post a comment here again so I can get your e-mail address. My e-mail was bouncing recently and I couldn’t leave a comment on your blog either. Congrats again & enjoy the stamps.

THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR PLAYING AND HELPING ME CELEBRATE MY MILESTONES WITH A RAK!!!

Milestone RAK: Michaels Acrylic Stamps, Set #3

Okay, finally! As I talked about in THIS POST, I recently reached some milestones and had decided to RAK a set of Michael’s acrylic stamps (set #3). So, here is how you win them: Guess how many packets of the Mike’s acrylic stamps (by that I mean little packages, not individual stamps, from all available sets) I currently own. Now, keep in mind how many are in each set and that, as a consultant who holds crops and gives free gifts to her customers, I have more than just for personal use. Plus I’m counting the set I’m giving away. Post your guesses in the Comments section of this post. The first person to guess the correct number, OR whoever comes closest by the deadline of Sunday, 9/16/07 (midnight PST)…WINS!!!
DISCLAIMER: Open to US/Canada residents only. No more than 5 guesses per person.

Mikes stamps #3 for RAK

Michaels: Ban Lifted on Coupons for Martha Stewart

Remember when Martha Stewart papercrafting products came out at Michael’s craft store, and you could NOT use the newspaper insert coupons on her items? Well, it seems that rule has changed. As of the Labor Day Weekend ad, Michaels coupons no longer show the “Martha Stewart products” exclusion in the teeny tiny print at the bottom. However, savvy shoppers who had been patiently waiting to use their 40% and 50% off coupons for Martha’s shizzle had varying levels of success. Apparently, many Mike’s employees were not notified of the switchover and refused to honor the coupons on Martha items. (I can picture various throw-downs at Mike’s around the US: Soccer/scrap-mom shouting: “Yes, you WILL give me that Martha paper punch for 1/2 price or I WILL be speaking to your manager!”). One customer was told that the new policy was not in effect until 9/23/07. I don’t get it…I’m showing you the coupon, the exclusion is gone, give me the dang discount! To test the corporate-education levels myself, I headed to Michaels on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend with my 50% off coupon good for Sun./Mon. I planned to find a higher priced Martha item (wait, was that saying the same thing twice?) and get that baby at a big discount. However, after a full 10 minutes perusing all of Martha’s shizzle, I could not find one measley item I wanted. (I did, however, find another item worthy of my coupon in the ‘regular’ scrapbooking stuff). So I can’t report to you whether or not my Mike’s honored the coupon, sorry. And I just headed over to the MICHAELS WEBSITE and here is their COUPON POLICY that is still posted as of today (9/11/07). It states “Michaels coupons may not be used to purchase … all Martha Stewart products.” Many confused scrappers have e-mailed them for some coupon clarification and, to my knowledge, have not received a response. As much as I love Michaels {and I show my love by the amount of money I’ve spent there over the years}, they are not exactly known for their stellar customer service. I know, I know, it’s like being told your cute little puppy just piddled on your best friend’s bare foot….you don’t want to hear it, but you know it’s true.

Scrapbook Blog Milestones

It seems like just yesterday that I started this blog to write about my Scrapbook Obsession…
Well, actually, it was back in January 2007. I’m happy to say that I just wrote my 100th post, and received my 20,000th hit! And I just rolled over 1,000 posts on the CKMB. So…..I feel a RAK coming on! Stay tuned, I have to decide how to do the RAK. I have an entire set of the Mike’s stamps #3 that I bought just for the occasion. Is that a good prize or do most of you already have them??? Please give me input – I want to give a good RAK.

Here is a pic of the Mikes #3 stamps, and see THIS POST for some more info on the stamps:

Mike's stamps #3

Anyway, this blog has been just amazing and so fun. I love writing this and mostly hearing your comments and input, so keep ’em coming!

New Online Scrapbook Store: All Moments Remembered

Lovely blog readers, I would like to introduce you to the new online scrapbook store of a fellow CKMB member. Ladies, meet ALL MOMENTS REMEMBERED. AMR, meet the ladies. I’m asking that you please go check out this store, keep an eye on it as it grows, and support it as much as you can. Tell your scrapper friends. Put it in your Favorites. In other words, buy something! She has stinkin’ cute stuff…

Okay, here’s the story. I ‘met’ the owner of AMR on the CK MESSAGE BOARD. She was on the first or second day of opening her online store and was posting messages to get the opinions of the dedicated shoppers…er, I mean…scrappers over there. Her name is Stacey aka ‘Scraphappy1yahoo’ (the link to her BLOG is down there on the bottom right). I could just sense the excitement and enthusiasm from this girl. She was super-receptive to our ideas and thoughts on products. We started ‘talking’ via IM, CKMB posts, and our blogs. I’ve been very impressed with her drive to make her store successful, especially how she has gone from computer newbie to developing her own shopping website in a matter of days or weeks. Like me, she is a stay at home mom who is just trying to cherish the time with her kids…and get a little scrapping in too. Just the other day, her Daddy had a heart attack and she has been very open in sharing her feelings with the message board and her blog readers. Stacey has been flooded with well wishes for her dad, I think because she is so genuine that you can’t help but love her. So my goal here is just to share her online store with you, hoping that you will support this hard-working lady with her store as it grows. She has virtually no advertising budget, so it’s got to be word of mouth. And check out her blog, it’s a good read.

The best part is that Stacey has a SPECIAL OFFER for CKMB’ers. I asked her to write something to introduce herself and explain the special. So, heeeeeerrrrrreeesss Stacey!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am a sahm and my hubby is a teacher. I have four kids, two teens and two little ones. I live in a very small town with NO LSS and only a dollar store for supplies. I have always loved scrapbooking and love heritage stuff. I have done up our guest room with all antiques and old black and white photos. So, after being tired of not having scrapbook items, I decided to open my own online store. I visited Lasting Memories in WA this summer and saw scrapbook items I only dreamed of. I was in shock how much wonderful stuff is out there. I think everyone, even small-towners, should have wonderful scrapbook products. So here I am…. It is starting out slow. I do not have a large amount of money sitting around waiting to be spent on supplies. So I have had to use little funds to get the store up and going. I do classes and with those and selling product from home I have been able to keep adding lines to my store front. I read the story about Kay from K & Company, how she started in her house and 7 years later is HUGE as we know her now. I want to be there. I want to make sure everyone has a chance to scrapbook with quality, fun supplies. I hope every week I am able to order products from a new line and fill my store up. As for advertising, I rely on friends and family to spread the word. I have been found in the search engines finally too! They told me it could take 6 months to a year before search engines found me and I did it in 3 weeks. Yahoooo. This is all from a girl who has only known how to e-mail on the computer until now. I have spent many late nights building my site all on my own and pulling my hair out figuring it out. I have to say I do feel proud of myself. I have been a full-time MOM for 18 years now and not done things for myself and this is a first. I am very excited about my new adventure.

CKMBers discount………. 35% off entire order…… When you check out, put in the message box CKMB and I will take the 35% off. I appreciate any business and really would appreciate others passing my site name off to others they know.
Stacey www.allmomentsremembered.com
_________________
Scrap Happy :)

Stacey from All Moments Remembered

$1 Acrylic Stamps from Michaels…And A RAK!

Thanks to a wonderful scrapper on the CKMB ~ Andrea aka briefus ~ I have photos of each set of the ever popular “Mike’s stamps”. For the uninitiated, these are acrylic stamps found in the $1 bin at Michaels Craft Store. They release one set at a time and seem to sell out pretty fast. I have all but the Jo-ann/AC Moore set because I don’t have those stores here. But that’s ok ~ I love the other 3 sets and have used them on cards and layouts. They even have little acrylic blocks for $1. But, be careful, the blocks scratch easily! I hope you are enjoying your Mike’s stamps and that this will be helpful in figuring out if you have a complete set. My Mike’s still has some of set #2 so if you are in the US and would like me to see if I can get the ones your missing, please Comment. I will RAK them to you!!!

MIKE’S SET #1

mikes stamps set 1

MIKE’S SET #2

mikes stamps set 2

JO-ANN/AC MOORE SET

joann acmoore stamps set

MIKE’S SET #3

mikes stamps set 3

OMG! I {Heart} The New Fancy Pants!

I don’t think I even need to say anything. Look, and you shall be amazed…

FP From the Garden 12×12 acrylic stamps
fp from the garden stamps

FP In My Words 12×12 acrylic stamps
fp in my words stamps

FP Natural & Devoted 12×12 True paper
fp natural true paper

fp devoted true paper

FP 8×8 True rub ons
FP true rub ons

FP Bloom 12×12 Overlay
fp bloom overlay

On the one hand, there is not much that strikingly different from their last line. But because that was one of my favorite scrapbooking lines ever, I’m lovin’ this too. Overlays: Nice for us non-digi scrappers to get that pretty look of flowers and vines kind of outlining our photos. Paper: Such rich colors and subtle designs that still draw the eye. Rub ons: Don’t know if I’ll use the frog, but the flowers, hearts and sun will be fun to play with. The picture/journaling frame rub on is unique. And I’ve always loved that Dr. Seuss quote. My favorite items are the 12×12 stamps, especially the In My Words. The $40 price tag continues to be a bit of an investment, but completely worth it considering how much use you could get out of that. I love the date/time swirl in the upper right corner, and journaling on a butterfly wing. What are your thoughts on the new Fancy Pants? Am I the only FP Fan Club member?

While I was checking out ALL the new stuff on their beautiful WEBSITE, I found some more stuff – hey, these are different:

FP Fashion Sense Splash pins
FP splash pins

FP Fashion Sense Splash Felt Shapes
fp splash felt shapes

Yeah, check out their website. You can easily see larger images of all their stuff by just holding your cursor over each item. And on their BLOG, they have a contest going through 8-31-07 where you can win some free product, just for submitting a layout or project. There will be 5 winners. Go for it!

Scrapbooking Finds at Walmart

Went to WAL*MART to find those cute chipboard letters I talked about in THIS POST. My WM is always behind the times, so I wasn’t too surprised to NOT find them. But I did find some other things to buy, because they were having a big sale in the scrapbook aisle:

Foofala “Hall Pass” pack, which is school papers, stickers, punch outs and 3 twills for $5 (was $7)

Foofala hall pass kit

Colorbok “Neutral” Scrap Pack with papers, punch outs and alphabets in a distressed wood type of theme – very cute – for $3.50 (was $5)

Autumn Leaves/Rhonna Farrer “Designer” pack of 120 sheets, 4 each of 20 patterns and 10 reversible solids for $8 (was $11). This paper is very pretty and, for 8 cents/sheet, totally worth it. It’s the same line that Target sells, but I’ve only seen the mattes stack and 8×8 stack at Target. This pack is 12×12.

Speaking of Autumn Leaves, the Modwink pack (pinks/oranges) was on sale for $5 (from $7).

modwink paper

In fact, I think ALL of their paper packs were on sale including the textured cardstock packs by Colorbok.

If you’re in need of post albums, it appeared that most were on sale including 8×8 and 12×12. On 12×12’s, the ones in the $16-20 range were going for $11-13, including that black Pioneer album with the white embroidered flower design. For back to school, Walmart had a bunch of pencil boxes out for 98 cents.The cool thing was they had the average size that you would put pencils in, then a larger size (paper tearing rulers, longer scrapbook tools?) and a smaller size (embellies, small punches?). They were clear on the bottom with a blue, pink or green lid. Very cute and a cheap idea for storage. Anyway, I hope all these sale items mean they’re getting ready to put out some new items….like cute chipboard letters, perhaps? If you find anything good at Wally World, let us know!

NSBR: Colorgenics – Just For Fun

Just something different, for fun :) I saw this over on Baldwin’s Girl’s BLOG. Btw, check out her post today about muffins. A great recipe and funny story to got with them. She is also a talented photographer (see, that’s kinda SBR)…

You go to the COLORGENICS WEBSITE, do a quick exercise picking out colors, and they give you a diagnosis. Here is mine; I added my commentary in ITALICS.

“You are a very sensitive person and you try hard (perhaps a little too hard) to make favourable impressions and to be recognised by your peers. But you have that inherent need to feel appreciated and admired and you are easily hurt if all of your endeavours go by unappreciated or not acknowledged. Stop trying so hard. Unfortunately, all of this is true. I am too senstive and easily get my feelings hurt, especially when I feel a strong loyalty to someone and they don’t return that. You wouldn’t know it though, because I hold my true emotions very close. I don’t believe in hurting someone’s feelings just because they have hurt me. I DO have a need to feel appreciated and admired; don’t we all? One great thing about this blog is that I get such positive feedback and it really truly makes me feel good. I love the feeling that people I don’t even know IRL are reading my words. Just a frustrated unpublished writer, I guess. (But Thank You from the bottom of my heart). And the converse of that is that it makes me feel good to read other blogs and leave positive comments, hopefully making that person feel good as well.

You are a true extrovert, frivolous and outgoing. You need to feel in control of any situation. If matters are not proceeding according to plan you tend to get extremely irritable and perhaps become difficult to live with. The only statement here I don’t agree with is that I’m a true extrovert, frivolous and outgoing. I’m quite the opposite, very shy until I get to know you well (then you can’t shut me up!). I’m very planned out and a worrier, so “frivolous” couldn’t be more wrong. I could be considered frivolous with the amount of money I spend on scrapbook supplies, but I don’t think that’s what Colorgenics meant, LOL. I will admit to controlling and being irritable when things don’t go to plan. Hey, I’m a work in progress. “God’s not done with me yet.”

Loneliness is soul destroying and at this time you feel lost and lonely, perhaps it is because you feel so frustrated that you are prepared to go out of your way to become emotionally involved with someone who could accept you for what you are. You are egocentric, antagonistic and quick to take offence, although it must be said, you can control your pent-up up emotion and thus avoid open conflict. The lost/lonely/frustrated at lack of connection part does hit a personal note right now. I hope I’m not egocentric and antagonistic (!), but the rest is correct unfortunately. I do detest conflict and avoid it at all cost.

Presently, you are experiencing stress because of restriction on your independence. You need and seek respect from other people and it is essential that they appreciate you for yourself and not for what they would like you to be. You have your own beliefs and convictions and you would like to be respected for them. You are anxious to avail yourself of every opportunity that may come your way but nevertheless, come what may, you have the need to control your own destiny without imposed limitations or restrictions. I’m not identifying with this right now. Not feeling restricted or unappreciated. I AM anxious to avail myself of every part time, work from home business opportunity that comes my way!

You are trying to build up your own position and you resist all external influences. You insist that you are your own person and you will not tolerate any outside interference. Decisive and proud, you are true managerial material. Ouch, managerial material?? Is that a compliment or an insult? Just kidding, I’ve had many great managers in my career, just never wanted to be one. Don’t like telling others what to do, and never wanted to be the one where everyone quits talking when I walk into the break room. I AM decisive and proud – yeah baby!

Well, that was a bit like going to a fortune teller or reading a long and insulting horoscope, wasn’t it? But I recommend you do it. Maybe you will learn something about yourself, or at least have a good chuckle. Comment below if you do a Colorgenics on yourself, k? I’d love to hear if you agreed with your results.

KI Memories Scrapbook Stuff at Big Lots

As you will see from this PREVIOUS POST, I love and adore KI Memories products. Their lines are so cheerful, colorful, and fun. If I could pick one word to describe KI, it would be “happy”. Don’t you agree? I do a lot of kid pages and I often find myself reaching for KI products. I think they have also been innovative in coming out with new things, especially their use of acrylic – before everyone else was doing it – with things like Icicles and the alphabet soup letters. I also love their albums: adorable and well made. Well, I’ve found a kindred spirit named Janine (CKMB shout out!) who calls herself a “serious KI Memories junkie” and when you read her BLOG POST, you will see how devoted she is to the cause. And if you have a Big Lots near you, please know that I am severely jealous…but if you go there and find any KI, feel free to brag about it in Comments or post a link to your blog!

The Slice: Will It Revolutionize Scrapbooking?

the slice

The Slice WEBSITE

Word on the street is that it will retail for about $80 (just for The Slice, “extras” are extra :). Also that it will be released late 2007/early 2008. I’m diggin this thing. Looks like it will do diecutting like my Cricut, but much easier to take to crops. And being able to utilize the computer with it, including my beloved Mac! Bring it on, baby… What are your thoughts?

Edited 8-21-07 to add:
I e-mailed from The Slice website asking for more information, and here is the response I received…
“Thank you for your recent inquiry concerning the revolutionary new handheld personal digital shape cutter, the Slice™. Pricing for the Slice™ has yet to be determined but it is the Tinnus goal to keep the cutter and accessories within the budget of the average scrapbooker. We are presently addressing the manufacturing details with the Slice™ being available for retail in the near future. Please continue to check our website www.tinnus.com for the product release date.

Thank you,
The Tinnus Team”

Scrapbook Shopping on QVC

About 5 years ago, I guess, I discovered that you could buy scrapbook stuff from QVC. This was not long after I became Scrapbook Obsessed, so I was new to the sport and didn’t have a bunch of stuff. QVC was a Godsend! Their prices are so good and they often package things in a bundle so you get a very good Value (that puts the V in QVC!). Over the years, I’ve ordered many scrapbook items from QVC: rolls of WackyTac, album kits, paper packs, embellishment kits, you name it. Lisa Bearnson from CK, one of my favorite scrap celebrities, often hosts segments of the show. She is a treat to watch, especially when her cohost is David Venable. They also have other great hosts from the scrapbooking world, like Donna Downey, Heidi Swapp, Melody Ross (Chatterbox), Nancy Hill (DCWV), etc. Well, since I’ve been pretty stocked up with supplies for some time now, I haven’t ordered anything from QVC in quite a while. But I still tivo and watch the shows every time they’re on. I enjoy seeing the products – even if I don’t get to call them my own – and see how products I may already have are used on pages. I also like to watch them demonstrate new tools. I’ve seen everything from the Basic Grey notch tool to the Karen Foster Clickit to the Basic Grey file set demo’d on QVC. In fact, I didn’t think I wanted a Cricut but once I saw Lisa B. demonstrate it on QVC, I bought one! So, earlier this week, QVC had a full 24 hours of craft and scrapbooking shows called a Craft Fair. They said it would be the last one for this year. I gotta’ tell ya, the message boards were hoppin’ over this event. Part of the excitement was that the TSV (Today’s Special Value) was a Silhouette electronic die cutting machine. HERE is where Lisa wrote about it on her blog. The Silhouette sold out, as did many of the other items presented. I couldn’t justify purchasing it, as I have a Cricut already. But it’s been fun to hear the excitement on CKMB from those who purchased one – an awesome new toy to play with! One thing that was cool was Lisa B. used it to cut out some wall art (“Bearnson est. 1989”) from thin vinyl, and it works like a vinyl cling on the wall. I could see myself having some fun with that, when I think about having access to ANY font on my computer with the Silhouette! (Go see THE WALL CLING and some of her other Silhouette creations). Well, I couldn’t resist this time and I did make two smaller purchases. One was a set of Basic Grey papers which is a mixture of various lines, some current, some retired.

QVC basic grey pack
“Includes Blush, Color Me Silly, Dasher, Fusion, Hang 10, Lilykate, Oh Baby Boy, Oh Baby Girl, Perhaps, Phoebe, Aged & Confused, Romani, Gypsy, Scarlet’s Letter, Skate Shoppe, Stella Ruby, and Urban Couture designs.”

The other was a pack of 160 sheets of Bazzill cardstock, which was a screamin’ deal, even when you include shipping.

QVC Bazzill pack
“Includes four seasonal palette collections. Each collection includes four sheets each of 10 colors. Total of 40 colors and 160 sheets.”

Note: For a complete explanation of my QVC purchase, please see this OLD POST.

I can’t wait to get these so I can fondle my new supplies. (Don’t look at me funny, you do it too!). All in all, the QVC craft fair was a fun event this time. It seemed there was a certain excitement in the air, more so than other times, and everyone was watching and talking about it…they still are talking about it. I hope you were able to catch some or all of the shows, either on tv or on QVC ONLINE (click on Watch QVC-TV LIVE). if you did watch QVC, what did you think? Did you buy anything? Confess here…

Rock Star by Die Cuts With a View

I took my 40% coupon to Michaels today, intent on picking up the new idea book, Super Fast Pages with 4×6 Photos…

BH 4x6 photos book

I’ve been wanting to get this because I love to use uncropped 4×6 photos on my layouts whenever I can.

But then I saw this:

DCWV Rock Star

Prominently displayed on an end cap, was the new DCWV collection, Rock Star! I had heard mention of it over on the CKMB, but wasn’t that intrigued. But when I saw the gorgeous flocked papers with such cool designs, the light bulb went on above my head: “Duh, you just went to two concerts, Americanmom!” Then there was the chipboard accents – I was sold. The idea book – which I already had in my hot little hands – went back in the rack. I got 3 sheets of the paper, and used my coupon on the chipboard set. All this Rock Star stuff will be perfect for my concert layouts of Aerosmith and Rascal Flatts. Don’t you love it when something just comes together like that?

Scrapbook Supply Shopping

Don’t you love it?  I’m pretty sure it’s my new therapy.  No, I don’t have or spend lots of money.  When I worked full-time, I could drop $100 at a scrapbook store every few months without batting an eyelash.  But now that I only work part-time and make about 1/3 what I used to, I have to be more careful, selective, and planned out.  Along with my shrinking pocket book is the shrinking amount of LSS’s (local scrapbook stores) around me.  I used to have 6 LSS’s within 1 hour, but now only 1 remains.  So not only do I have to better plan my spending, but I have to figure out when I’m going to drive 45 minutes to the “local” scrapbook store.  But shopping for scrap supplies is still a blast!  Within 1 hour’s drive, I also have 2 Michael’s, 1 Beverly’s Crafts, and then of course Target, Walmart and Tuesday Morning.  I’ve even found scrapbook-related stuff at Longs Drugs, Mervyns, and Kohl’s.  My favorite places to shop are the LSS and Beverly’s (aka Bev’s).  The LSS is fairly small – about 1/10th the size of my favorite scrappin superstore, YOUNGPLAY MEMORIES. But they do a good job of keeping new and current things and carry my favorite lines – Basic Grey, Fancy Pants, and Autumn Leaves. The owners are very nice and they even donated a bunch of stuff for my last crop. As for Bev’s, it is a fabric and craft store but they have a generous scrapbook section. When I was there the other day and chatting with the cashier, she said they had a new manager who is a scrapbooker. So that explains why there has been an expansion of scrapbooking supplies at Bev’s recently. The manager happened to walk up then, so I said, “Can I give you a bunch of compliments?”. I told her that I really appreciated the new scrapbook aisles, the vast selection of new products, and how organized everything was. She was happy to hear it, and also pointed out their Wish List, where you can write down any product you would like them to order. (I told her I already had my own version of a Wish List: in my wallet, a list of all the items in their store I want to eventually buy!). Anyhow, that’s great customer service and I appreciate it. I encourage YOU to take the time and speak with your scrapbook store managers, even if they’re a chain like Beverly’s. I always say, “They don’t know if you don’t tell ’em”. If they’re smart, managers will listen to your compliments and concerns about their store. Heck, if they don’t respond to us, we can just shop online! (Don’t worry, LSS’s, it’s not my first choice, you are).  As for “shopping smart” for scrapbook supplies, my best hint is:  Use Coupons!  Just about every week, there are 40% off coupons for Mike’s, Bev’s, etc. and I’m sure lots of you have access to Hobby Lobby and Joann’s.  Most stores accept competitor’s coupons, so clip away and stick ’em in your wallet!  It’s nice to get a $20 paper stack for only $12, isn’t it?  You can even split the stack with a friend, and you still get lots of paper for only 6 bucks.  Also, look at the store ads and gear your shopping to the sales.  If all adhesives are 30% off this week, stock up, by God!  Happy scrappy shopping!

Do You Need Scrapbooking Insurance?

That is a question I’d never considered…until I found THIS ARTICLE. Please give it a read; you won’t be sorry.

I have jokingly discussed this with some scrap friends, but never took it any further because I figured our homeowners policy would cover any loss of scrapbook supplies I ever suffered (oh, the horror! makes my skin crawl…). But this article got me thinking that I should look into our policy to make sure the limits are high enough to cover my stash that is surely worth thousands of dollars. Also, as a consultant for a scrapbook company, maybe I need to be insured as the article discusses. I know there are many of you in the same boat as me, so I hope you enjoy the article!

New Basic Grey – Periphery, Mellow, Recess, Obscure & Infuse

My favorite site for Basic Grey papers and Bazzil – Embellish IT! – is now taking pre-orders for the new Basic Grey themes. Tell them I sent you! Here’s the new BG:

BG Periphery papers
BG Periphery paper sneak peek

BG Periphery extras
BG Periphery extras sneak peek

BG Recess papers
BG Mellow papers sneak peek

BG Recess extras
BG Mellow extras sneak peek

BG Mellow papers
BG Recess papers sneak peek

BG Mellow extras
BG Recess extras sneak peek

BG Obscure papers
BG Obscure papers sneak peek

BG Obscure extras
BG Obscure extras sneak peek

BG Infuse recently released, ifya haven’t seen it already….
I just ordered this paper pack and letter sheet. There are also die cut shapes and another version of letter stickers. Can’t wait for Mr. UPS Man!
BG Infuse papers out now

BG Infuse extras out now

As I may have mentioned a time or twelve, Basic Grey is my absolute favorite scrapbooking company. They are always innovative while staying true to what we all like about their stuff: a distressed look, great colors, patterns and colors that coordinate well even from line to line, and such great quality. The new line I’m most antiicipating is probably Periphery. I think the colors are intriguing and will be so adaptable to different pages. But it’s hard to choose because they all look great. I especially love the new wide range of alphas, and patterned die cuts that I’m sure we’ll be seeing on a lot of published layouts in the coming months. What do you think of the new Basic Grey? Which one is your favorite?

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