Scrapbook products, industry news, organization, and lots of enabling since 2007
Scrapbook products, industry news, organization, and lots of enabling since 2007
It’s a .pdf file of the Memory Works catalog pages for all the Simple Stories lines!
Take a Hike
Harvest Lane
Handmade Holiday
Summer Fresh
It can take a while to load because it’s full of colors and graphics. But it’s worth the wait, fer shure.
So after you fall in love with all of it (wink, wink), please come HERE to order!
YAYYY!! The long-awaited and much-anticipated new lines from Simple Stories are here!!! I’ve been so anxious for these to come in, because they were certainly the talk of the town after the last CHA show. I’ve seen Handmade Holiday and Take a Hike in person and they are gorgeous! {I’m sure Harvest Lane is as well}.
You can see all the new lines HERE and order them right now HERE.
Please let me know if you have any questions: scrapbookobsession(at)gmail(dot)com.
You can easily place your order from my Memory Works WEBSITE. I’ll send you a Paypal invoice (or you can arrange to pay by check). Once payment has cleared, your items will ship directly to you from our Utah home office within 1-2 business days. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!!
Also, now is a great time to check out my website because Memory Works is having a sale!
Out with the old…in with the new!
It’s that time again… to say good-bye to some of our old favorites as we say hello to our brand new product line up for Fall and Winter of 2012!
**Starting Wednesday, August 15, 2012 all items that will not be carried over into the next catalog will be discounted up to an additional 25% off**
This is good news for you! This is a great time for fantastic savings on some of your favorites from Bo Bunny, BasicGrey and My Minds Eye to Bella Blvd, Echo Park and even older Simple Stories collections.
And if you’re a MEMORY WORKS CONSULTANT like me, you get your usual 20% off PLUS the additional 25% from the warehouse sale. I’m no math major, but that sounds like a lot to me!!
So now would be a great time to sign up to be a consultant. Please check out my WEBSITE and see all the great products we carry, including SIMPLE STORIES, Basic Grey, My Minds Eye, Echo Park, and many more.
Just e-mail me and I can send you a worksheet that explains the 2 types of Memory Works Consultants. Both have very low sign-up fees, low or no minimums, and great flexibility with how you choose to run your business – from a hobbyist just buying for themselves to big business mogul :)
I checked with the home office at MEMORY WORKS to see when we consultants will have access to these lines and can start taking orders. Here is what I found out:
First week of August – Simple Stories Harvest Lane, Handmade Holiday, and Take a Hike
{any day now … eee!!!}
First week of October – Simple Stories Sn@p line
********* I am taking pre-orders on the “Sn@p” line *********** Please see the bottom of this post
In case you haven’t already been drooling over these 4 new lines, here they are :)
{ETA: Sorry, this post got too long so I only showed ya’ “3” new lines below. I’m going to do a separate post about Sn@p!}
SIMPLE STORIES “HANDMADE HOLIDAY”
The last 2 items are new to Simple Stories! We’ve added the Sn@p cards to *just* the Handmade Holiday line. The 3×4 tablet will retail for $3.99 and the 4×6 tablet for $4.99. This will make “Handmade Holiday” especially perfect to use for your DECEMBER DAILY projects, yeah? Keep the tablets handy in your purse, on your nightstand, or your scrap table and easily record your memories as you go. No pre-cutting required!
SIMPLE STORIES “HARVEST LANE”
SIMPLE STORIES “TAKE A HIKE”
Regarding prices for these 3 new Simple Stories lines ~ Handmade Holiday, Harvest Lane, and Take a Hike: If you are reading this blog post BEFORE the 3 new lines are released, please check out the SUMMER FRESH line to see what they’ll be. Prices will remain the same.
All images and layouts (not mine; I wish!) are courtesy of the SIMPLE STORIES BLOG.
If you would like to order any Simple Stories products, I would be happy to help! Just find them HERE on my website and place your order online. I will send you a Paypal invoice and your order will be processed upon receipt. It will be shipped directly to your US address from our home office in Utah within 1-2 business days.
As of this blog post, the 3 new lines are not yet available on my website. As soon as they become available (open, open, open!!), I will do a blog post. If you’re as anxious as I am, please sign up to receive my e-mails and you’ll be the first to know {okay, technically, the second …} when I have the lines available for order.
Don’t forget, we always carry the We R Memory Keepers (WRMK) 12×12 albums and divided page protectors that Simple Stories is designed to work with, including the hard-to-find Multi Pack of page protectors. Find ’em all HERE.
Questions? E-me!! scrapbookobsession(at)gmail(dot)com :)
PS: If you would like to pre-order Simple Stories “Sn@p” products, which will ship in early October, please see THIS blog post for details.
They both make cool signs!
My favorite version ever of the “Keep Calm and …” posters that have been so popular:
I saw Journey in concert for about the 10th time recently and saw someone wearing that on a t-shirt. I almost tackled her to find out where she got it. Luckily I only had 1 Red Bull on board at that point so I restrained myself ;)
And to keep this post scrapbook-related, here is my second favorite one:
I love how the crown is made of scissors. So clevah!!
What is your favorite version of the “Keep Calm and …” signs?
Sherry is a fellow Pea and she posted on our daily blogger thread that she created a mini album using the MIX & MATCH 6×9 ALBUM by SIMPLE STORIES. I had to go check it out and, boy, did I fall in love with it.
With Sherry’s permission, HERE is a link to her amazing beach album and here is the title page to tease you … and make sure you go check the whole thing out!
Isn’t it gorgeous?!?! I love the subtle colors and how, with her use of embellishments and stamps, she made the neutral backgrounds so beach-y. Like she says, the pages start out gorgeous so they don’t really need a lot. There is something about that color scheme ~ beige, brown, and turquoise ~ that just makes my heart sing.
If you would like a Mix & Match Album of your own, please click HERE. The album and page protectors are in the Mix & Match Album section; additional 6×9 pages like Sherry used are listed under each of the Collections.
You can order from my website and it will be shipped directly to you from the Memory Works home office in Utah within 1-2 business days. Or e-mail me and I can place the order for you: scrapbookobsession(at)gmail(dot)com. I take Paypal or check and can ship to US residents only.
Thanks Sherry for letting me share your gorgeous project!
This is always a great deal. Only $39 + shipping for $160 worth of PINK PAISLEE product! I’ve bought a PP box in the past and WAS VERY HAPPY. I’m skippin’ it this time because I didn’t have a lot of favorites in this year’s collections.
But if you did, I urge you to check this out! And if you order the box, please post some pictures and come here to link us up! I wanna’ see, I wanna’ see!!!
All the details to order a Pink Paislee “Warehouse Sale” grab box are RIGHT HERE. Hurry! You only have until 08-14-12!!
Every season, Memory Works adds to a section on my website called “Trend Essentials.” These are up-to-the-moment products that are provided in limited quantity. They are HOT and once the items are gone, they’re gone.
They are not a part of our regular catalog but only appear on the website. The offerings for Summer Trend Essentials are:
Fancy Pants “Time for Spring”
Bo Bunny “Little Miss”, “Camp-a-Lot”, and “Hello Sunshine”
My Minds Eye “On the Sunny Side” and “Nostalgia”
Echo Park “So Happy Together”
Carta Bella “Beautiful Moments”
Crate Paper “Little Bo Peep” and “Little Boy Blue”
and my personal faves …
Basic Grey “Paper Cottage” and “Clippings”
I’ve just shared the papers here but we have embellishments for all the lines ~ from stickers to brads to even wood shapes ;)
HERE they are in .pdf catalog form.
HERE they are on my website. You can place an order straight from there, I’ll send you a Paypal invoice, and once cleared it will ship to you from our Utah home office in 1-2 business days.
Please let me know if you have questions or I can help with placing an order: scrapbookobsession(at)gmail(dot)com.
Which of the above “trendy” lines is your favorite?
I went to BEVERLY’s CRAFTS the other day and did a lil’ shopping …
The 8 papers on the left were in the bargain bin, 3 for $1. I paid full price for the ECHO PARK birthday paper. I like how you can cut it apart and make use of it on several pages. I used a 40% off coupon on the burlap Thickers … so stinkin’ cute.
Left the store for about $7. Just enough shopping therapy to make my day :) What’s the last good deal you got?
Some time in June, I got an e-mail from SCRAPBOOK GENERATION which is where I get the monthly SUPER SKETCH CLUB kit. It was advertising some new layout kits they had that you could purchase a la carte, without signing up for the club or anything. This was my favorite one: GOOD DAY SUNSHINE.
For only 18 bucks, you get enough papers to do 3 double-page layouts, plus instructions, sketches, and a photo of the completed layouts. SOLD! I only wish I could’ve bought more of their fab-o kits because they have a ton and all are cute and SO worth the price. For only an extra $1.99 in shipping, they held the kit and included it the box with my July Super Sketch Club kit, which was nice.
Anyway, as excited as I was to get working on layouts from Shimelle’s THE PERFECT COLLECTION online class, I spent all Friday night and most of Saturday organizing my scrapbook room (photos and deets to follow this week!). So I was too brain-fried to even attempt the class.
So instead I pulled out the package with my Good Day Sunshine kit and got to work. About an hour later, I had all this to show for myself :)
{Yeah, I see you eye-ballin’ that October Afternoon “Cakewalk” paper. It’s cute huh?? But totally unrelated to this post}.
Sorry, to fit it all in 1 pic, I had to tilt one layout on it’s side but you get the gist, yeah? As you can see, I also had enough paper and die cuts left to make an additional single page layout. We go to the beach a lot so I’ll be putting these pre-done layouts to good use. I think I’m going to use them for a beach overnighter we did last summer where our hotel was right on the beach. I figure I can use the single page layout like a cover page with the title and a bunch of journaling, maybe 1 photo. Then the other 2 beach-related layouts will follow with beach photos and the other stuff we did there.
Sometimes when you have no brain power but want to cut some paper and use pop dots, a kit like this is a very good thing ;) Did you accomplish anything scrappy last weekend?
Right now … and I don’t know for how long … you can get a copy of A SWEETHAVEN SUMMER for your Kindle for 99 cents! I know, right? And even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can download the Kindle app for free to your iPhone, Droid, iPad, computer, etc. In other words, you have NO excuse not to get and read this book. If you refuse to, I’d like a written note of explanation, please. I’m totally serial.
This book was written by the lovely COURTNEY WALSH, who happens to be a sweet Pea :) {a member of the TWO PEAS IN A BUCKET scrapbook message board … who is actually a very sweet person}.
I paid full price for this book WHEN IT FIRST CAME OUT and really enjoyed it. It gets a thumbs up from me. It’s the kind of book that makes you want to keep reading because you want to find out “the secret.” Yeah, do I have your attention now? Hollah.
Get this book! Support great writers! Support scrapbook novels! And it only cost ya’ 99 cents! Rah rah go! {And I’m really not kidding about the excuse note. Srsly.}
Two Peas has some great new stuff for summer. Hope you get a chance to check it out and take advantage of that free shipping! Usually the free shipping threshold is $50 so having it at only $40 is a treat :)
Happy shopping!
Sorry, I seem to have this class on the brain but, well, I have this class on my brain! And I posted on the Two Peas Message Board that I would write a review of “The Perfect Collection” by Shimelle Laine. … so here I am. I know many scrappers out there are contemplating taking the class but want to hear more about it before committing.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, here is my post about TRUE SCRAP 3 CLASSES becoming available individually. And here is where I contemplate taking SHIMELLE LAINE’s CLASS, “The Perfect Collection”, with some details about it.
K, great. Now you’re all caught up!
I did sign up for the class this past weekend and was able to watch the video over a few sittings when I had time on Sunday {just love that about video classes ‘cuz I am a bizzy woman!}. The video is over 40 minutes long which I think is a great value for the mere $9.99 that the class costs. Included in the price, you also get a printable .pdf (or save it to your computer) that gives paper cutting diagrams and photos of all the layouts Shimelle created for this project.
This is my first {but I’m sure not last} class I’ve taken by Shimelle and I really enjoyed her. She has a very polished but casual presentation style. There are few “uhms” and “uhs” like some other instructors do. {Being in Britain, I do love how she says “ehm” instead of “uhm” anyway}. She wasn’t distracted, you could hear everything perfectly, and the video quality was great.
As for the information presented in the class itself, I found it super useful. She walks you through how to the get the most from your collection kits, using as much of the papers as possible and hopefully leaving just a few scraps when you’re all done. For “Collection Pack Queen” over here, I was loving it. I do tend to scrap by manufacturer because I like how everything coordinates and saves time. I also have many a collection kit. So this class was definitely made for me!
The layouts she assembles in the video are 12×12, both 1-pagers and 2-pagers. She completes 16 total pages, basically an album of 1 event in her life. However, you can also do them as individual layouts. It’s very flexible and easy to use no matter what you want to use the layouts for. It’s also flexible as to the size of layouts. I can see how this technique would be easily adapted for use with 8 1/2 x 11 and 8×8 layouts.
Not only does she tell you how to get tons of layouts without leaving much of your collection pack behind, she also shares techniques and principles from her scrapbooking style. She explains why she lays the pages out the way she does along with some inking, embellishment arrangement, “white space,” etc. I found this to be a nice surprise!
Once you’ve seen the video and downloaded the cheat sheet with cutting diagrams and sketches, you won’t be able to contain yourself! You’ll want to grab a collection pack, monthly kit, or handful of coordinating papers and get to work creating a stack of layouts. She makes it all very easy and accessible. Unlike some classes which show you how to complete one specific project, this is something I will use over and over and over again. For that alone, it was cost effective.
Another selling point: All True Scrap 3 classes once purchased are available for your viewing forever and always. Once your kids have grown and left you, your dog has died, and you’re living in the home with a roommate you can’t stand, you’ll STILL be able to watch eternally-youthful Shimelle showing you how to use up those collection kits … that you will still be working your way through when you’re 93, I promise.
I don’t want to give away any more about the class. Suffice it to say, I give this class a huge YES. As in, “Should I take this class?” YES!
Are you ready to sign up for Shimelle’s class? {C’mon, you know you want to …}. Or do you want to learn about all the other amazing True Scrap 3 classes? Just click here to view more details. You’ll have access to the class almost immediately. I think when I ordered it, it took a whole 3 minutes to arrive. I was like, “Jeez! Are they standing there with their finger on the button or what?” {I know, I know, it’s some automatic computer thing but let me be impressed anyway, mmm kay?}.
Don’t forget that you need to sign up ASAP. The price for True Scrap 3 classes is only $9.99 — for a limited time. On 7/7 the price will increase to $12.95 per class. Which is still a great price for what you get … but who wants to spend $3 extra? That’s money that can be spent on a package of bling or some scrappy paper, for gosh sakes. Get your priorities straight, gurl!
Would love to hear your reviews of this or any other True Scrap 3 classes!
Yay, July 1 and payday is here!! I get to sign up for some True Scrap 3 classes :) {If you’re wondering what I’m talking about, here is where I explained True Scrap 3 individual classes}.
I know you may have questions about what exactly is included in these classes before you fork over the dough for them. I’ve been wondering the same thing. So I did some research into the class I’m MOST interested in – Shimelle Laine’s “The Perfect Collection” – and here is what I found out.
First of all, in all True Scrap 3 classes you get PERMANENT (as in … forevah!) access to the class video. Just make sure to bookmark the page after you purchase so you can always find it. I have a folder in my bookmarks for Online Classes like the SKETCH SUPPORT one I took from Allison Davis and can refer back to them whenever I need to. The videos with True Scrap 3 are usually 30-40 minutes long and then you also get a .pdf file that you can keep forever … and ever :)
Here is what Shimelle says on her blog about “The Perfect Collection” class:
Last spring I shared my workshop for getting the most out of a collection pack with the crowd at True Scrap 3 – which is always great fun and a sort of online scrapbooking convention with so many different classes and ideas to take in. I know the whole shebang is a rather big purchase and not everyone’s style, so if you really fancied just a few classes, then now is the time for you! All the True Scrap 3 classes are now available individually.
My workshop, The Perfect Collection, is all about taking one collection pack and using it until it’s all gone – and I walk you through my process for making a full album from a collection pack. The video is just shy of forty minutes, plus there is a PDF with cutting guide diagrams and pictures of how those pieces of paper became the finished scrapbook pages. Other workshops available cover all sorts of topics, from embellishment and page design to writing, photography, creativity, stamping, symbolism, Project Life, digital and hybrid crafting and mixed media art techniques. You can sign up for any number of classes you like.
OMG, I get so excited reading that description! I know exactly which collection I’m going to start with … and you’re SO going to laugh at me because I’ve been hoarding this for a loooooong time. YEARS, I tell ya’! Have you been around the scrapbooking world long enough to remember the “WILD SAFFRON” collection by K&Company?
HA! I fell in love with this collection right off the bat and gobbled pieces of it up whenever I could. I would say a stack of 40% Michaels coupons were spent on it for sure. I would buy the paper pad, a set of letter stickers, or an embellishment pack each week until I had virtually every piece. Yes, I love it THAT much.
To see how many years I’ve been hoarding this stuff, look at these old entries and note the date they were posted: Hating the Scrap Lull and Michaels Finds. EEK! How embaraskin’. The only time I ever used any of it was to make an EXPLOSION BOX for my mother-in-law … but she’s pretty dang special :)
I’ve always thought that Wild Saffron would be perfect to make an entire album with. The theme is so open and easy to use, and the colors go with the kinds of photos I tend to take – lots of primary colors mixed with browns and aquas. So … I *NEED* to take Shimelle’s class, don’t you think? My mind is just spinning with the possibilities ~ vacation albums, a year in review, a series of sports season layouts, etc. Do you have any kits or packs you’ve been wanting to use, either as a whole album or for a variety of layouts … so you just USE it? Instead of admiring it time after time in it’s clear plastic wrapper? LOL
From what I’m reading on the message boards, Shimelle’s class is VERY popular and people are loving it. They’re pulling out the paper packs, monthly kits, and theme sets THEY’VE been hoarding, cutting ’em up, and making tons of layouts! That, to me, is the best recommendation you can get!
If you’d like to join me in Shimelle’s class or any sign up for any of the other fabulous True Scrap 3 classes, click here to view more details.
About a month ago, I placed an order for some scrapbook supplies from an online shop. I had bought from them before and had a great experience. The prices are good, they get the new releases quite quickly, and sometimes carry things that I can’t get with my consultant discount from MEMORY WORKS. Super cool, right?
So I ordered a bunch of things from the October Afternoon “9 TO 5” LINE including 12×12 papers, Mini Market stickers, 2 rolls of washi tape, etc. I also purchased a set of SUMMER FRESH 6×8 insert pages {MW was out of stock at the time}.
My shipment arrived in a timely manner and I was scrap happy, although I was so busy with work and family stuff at the time, I barely had time to glance at it all much less sniff all the paper …. erm, verify that I got everything I ordered.
AHEM.
So fast forward to last weekend. I was straightening up my desk, putting away a bunch of scrap crap … errr … scrappy goodness, and I came across the package with my order. Finally! Time to sniff my papers! I mean, LOOK at all my goodies. For shits and giggles, I looked at the packing sheet and compared it to what I received.
Lo and behold, something didn’t match up. Instead of the LABEL STICKERS that I ordered …
… I received WORD STICKERS:
And instead of 1 set of JOURNAL CARDS …
… I received 2 sets.
SO.
Don’t get me wrong: Those Word Stickers are sure cute. But, you know, um … that’s not what I paid for. Not what I chose. For one thing, I won’t even use those book tab thingee stickers. And I wanted the journaling space provided by the, uh, ya know, label stickers that I ordered.
Then again, why am I complaining? Not only did they replace the Label stickers with the comparably-priced Word Stickers, but I got a “free” pack of Journal Cards too. So doesn’t that more than make up for everything?
I’m not going to make an issue of it. One could say if I cared so much, why would I take over a month to figure out the discrepancy? And is it really worth the time/energy it takes to call or write the company, return or exchange or wait for the Label Stickers (which I assume they were out of) to come in, etc.? Nope, not worth it to me.
But this is the second time this has happened to me in about the last year (and I’d say I order something online about twice a month, if you include my monthly SUPER SKETCH CLUB kit). The other time it was from one of the huge online vendors. In that case, they really screwed me. An item I ordered was “out of stock” (funny how it was IN stock when I placed my order) so not only did they just ship it to me without the item (you know, the one I was REALLY looking forward to and the main reason I placed the order in the first place?).
But by deleting that item, it took me below the “$50 and free shipping” threshhold. So I received only my secondary item AND got charged for full shipping which was not an amount I would’ve agreed to pay for shipping. Grrr! I e-mailed them to express my pissed-off-edness but didn’t pursue it beyond that. I did learn not to order from them again unless I’m willing to risk this little cancellation and replacement dance they do.
And now I don’t trust this second vendor and will question ordering from them again. Wouldn’t it have been better for their sake if they had taken the time to write or call me and say, “Hey, we’re out of this, can we give you that, or would you rather have a Paypal refund?” And then I would continue my loyalty to them as a very happy customer. Now, not so much.
So this has me wondering how common a practice this is in the scrapbook industry. What’s been your experience with online shopping? Have you had items you ordered and paid for – substituted, canceled, or otherwise arrive not as you expected? Did you make an issue of it or just let it ride?
Would love to hear your experiences … Please leave the company name out of it if you can/thanks!
YAY! LAIN EHMANN from LAYOUT A DAY has just announced that “True Scrap 3” classes are now available for individual purchase. HUZZA HUZZA!
If you haven’t heard about True Scrap 3, uh, where have you BEEN?!?! Juuuust kidding ;) TS3 is a set of online classes with great instructors and speakers you may have heard of like SHIMELLE LAINE, BECKY HIGGINS, NOELL HYMAN (from the PAPERCLIPPING.COM scrapbooking podcasts … love her!), and many more.
Back in the day {aka April 2012 … but that was AGES ago when you’re waiting for something, jeez!}, you had to purchase the entire TRUE SCRAP 3 EVENT and the cost was $147.
Sure, it’s a stupendous value for the money {uh, hello? 15 instructors and 5 virtual make-n-takes!}. But I for one can’t afford to lay out (ha ha, get it? layout???) that kind of dough these days. So I’ve been patiently waiting for this announcement: Now you can buy the classes “a la carte” – for you non-Frenchies, that means “with a separate price for each item on the menu”.
For me, that translates in English to: “Hollah! Now I can afford it!” I know I’ll definitely be buying the Shimelle Laine class called “The Perfect Collection: Using your favorite collection pack to the very last scrap.” ‘Cuz lawdy knows I got a zillion collection packs here to use up. How about you? Can I get an “Amen!”
Stay tuned for more talk about True Scrap 3 Individual Classes. I will post more soon. For now, you can click here to view more details and maybe buy some classes, eh?
Sign up soon, before you get distracted by the UPS man bringing you more scrap pretties, LOL! The price for each class is set at $9.99 — for a limited time. On 7/7 the price will increase to $12.95 per class.
Come back and let me know what you signed up for. Maybe we’ll have the same classes – we can share a locker and pass notes during class ;)
There’s a new scrabpook vendor in town and their name is FARMHOUSE PAPER COMPANY
Here is what they have to say over at TWO PEAS IN A BUCKET. If mah Peas are correct, this company is from the people behind THE BUTTON FARM CLUB.
The Button Farm Club is known for their mini album kits. If you’re not familiar – here are past BUTTON FARM KITS and a pic of their June 2012 kit:
Not what I expected to see from a company called “Button Farm” but okay. Very cute, huh? {And I’m going to tell you a little secret here … an embarrassing secret … I’ve never checked out this club before because I have a pathological hatred of … BUTTONS! Oh, ick! I hate even SAYING that word. Ick, ick, ick! No offense to The BLANK Farm Club or all of you who love … those things. /embarrassing confession over}.
The tie between Farmhouse Paper Company and The Button Farm Club is confirmed in the description of the March 2012 TBFC kit:
Turning the pages of March’s Button Farm kit, featuring the beautiful new Be Amazing Line from My Mind’s Eye, will give you a case of “Spring Fever” . Starting with FarmHouse Paper Company’s new 6×6 Kraft Album, we adorn-it with brads, buttons, ribbons, and flowers to create a “Springy” keepsake.
See? Mah Peas are always right! {Well, except the other day when they tried to tell me that Willow Smith, age 11, got her tongue pierced. But that’s a story for another day}. Also, in the About section of TBFC, it says this:
The BUTTON FARM CLUB is a Artistic Collaboration Between Scrap-Mart.com and The Button Farm.
So to save ya’ some Googling {although who doesn’t like some Googling?? it makes me giggle … hee} … here is the site for SCRAP-MART.COM. I see that both companies are from Oklahoma.
In researching Farmhouse Paper Company, I found this fun tidbit: They requisitioned their logo design back in November 2011 from 99 DESIGNS. I say they picked the right one, don’t you?
You can get a peek at one of their lines, “Fair Skies”, in The Button Farm class description for CKU-BUFFALO 2012.
Here is part of the description:
The Button Farm is excited to help introduce Farmhouse Paper Company to the paper craft industry and we will spend this entire class playing with their first new release – Fair Skies. This paper line features classic country colors and patterns with an unexpected twist. The images of hot air balloons, clouds and sun will whisk you away to a happy place. The Farmhouse album we will use contains a creative combination of chipboard pages and envelope pages and we will embellish away with Farmhouse goodness!!
I’m no detective {I just play one on TV} but it sounds like the “paper company” will sell more than paper. Mini albums and embellishments are also mentioned. And I always love me a good travel line so I’ll be looking forward to seeing their offerings at CHA SUMMER 2012.
You can sign up for e-mail updates from FARMHOUSE PAPER COMPANY. The long contact form is misleading. You ONLY need to fill in your e-mail address, not all that other shizzle.
How about you? What are your thoughts about this new company arriving in Scrapbook Land?
ETA 06/26/12: MICHELLE GRANGER just posted to the Two Peas thread and provided two sneak peeks!
Hey there everyone! Farmhouse Paper Company will be debuting at CHA Summer with Papers, Albums and Embellishments..I will be working with the company and teaching some classes and have a sneak peak of some embellishments that will be available…. Enjoy and look for more sneak peaks to come!
I’m really likin’ what I’m seein’ … those chipboard embellishments are darling!
Right now, Two Peas in a Bucket has 130 Patriotic products in the 4th of July product category. Check it out HERE.
My 3 favorite items:
“Seeing Stars” from the WRMK Red, White and Blue collection – such a cool starburst and I love the polka dots on the B side
“Summertime Fun” from the WRMK Red, White and Blue collection – love the red old-fashioned airplane … and the polka dots on the B side ;)
Denim “Let Freedom Ring” glitter foam Thickers by AMERICAN CRAFTS
I was gonna’ pick these cutesie pie little pinwheels {WRMK Red, White and Blue} for my Top 3 but they’re sold out … not surprising!
Anything Fourth of July-ish catching your eye over at 2 Peas?
I came across this article “Why Pinterest Has NOT Reimagined Scrapbooking” and found it so interesting.
I left my opinion in the comments (copied here):
I’m a purely paper scrapper and don’t have a Pinterest account (although images from my blog are often linked there and I look at the backlinks). But I’m a scrapbook blogger and see that many of us are on Pinterest. I don’t think it’s become “the new scrapbooking” for most (if any) scrapbookers. I do think it’s a way that many of them keep loads of inspiration in one place … lots and lots of eye candy and ideas. I also see scrapbookers using it to keep scrapbook organizational ideas (we scrappers can have lots of “stuff” and keeping it organized is half the fun, LOL).
One of the so-called downsides I see to Pinterest is the time-suck it’s become and I hear from many that it has cut into their actual scrapbooking time. The internet in general is full of free inspiration and it’s easy to get sucked in for hours … time that MAY have been spent at the scrap table in the past. Collecting inspiration, for some, may be replacing actually creating.
But there are other online influences – like Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and message boards – that have had the same effect. Have these mediums impacted the world of scrapbooking? Sure have. Have they made scrapbooking go away to any great extent? No, I don’t think so. It seems there have been recent declines in our hobby but I attribute them to other things, like the economy, the digital camera impact, changing trends, and over-saturation of the market in the early 2000’s.
One thing I wonder about Pinterest: Has it created new scrapbookers? The scrapbookers’ Pinterest boards I’ve looked at seem to also have pins for homeschooling, organization, “mommy blogs”, home decor, fashion, quilting, etc. So perhaps it’s led homeschoolers, organizational gurus, fashionistas, etc. to try scrapbooking once they see it around Pinterest? Hmmm…
Thanks for the article. Thought-provoking and well-written!
I keep hearing Facebook Timeline and Pinterest being called “the new scrapbook.” I guess for those who never scrapbooked before, sure. Now they create a digital “scrapbook” on Pinterest or Facebook. But for actual scrapbookers, I’m not seeing it. Are you? Maybe I’m totally off base.
What do you think? Has Pinterest “reimagined” (whatever the flock that means) scrapbooking for you? Has it affected your scrapbooking in any way, good or bad? Are you scrapping more with the inspiration, or less with the Time Suck that is Pinterest?
Check out the awesome scrapbook space of Katie Tate as posted to the create: blog HERE.
If I could build my perfect desk – with all the white cubes and huge workspace – that would be it. I love her cheerful rug, huge space, and how she says it’s often the center of “real life” activity.
What’s your favorite part of Katie’s space?
I wanted to let you know about some changes that will be going on around here in Scrapbook Obsession Land. To put in plainly:
– I am now allowing advertising and affiliate links on the Scrapbook Obsession Blog
If you’re just a Bullet Point Girl, you’re good. You can go read all your other blogs now. You’ve got the gist of it … bwahahaha! If you’re like me and have to know all the deets of new things and changes, then please get comfy and stick around for a little bit. Well, okay, a lotta’ bit … it’s LONG.
Let’s begin with some history. I started this blog (back before it was self-hosted, the address was www.scrapbookobsession.wordpress.com) in January 2007. I can’t believe it but that’s almost 5 1/2 years ago! On the ABOUT ME page, here is the explanation ~ written years ago and it still holds true ~ about why I love having this blog:
I am obsessed with scrapbooking and I know you are too! I think about it, talk about it, and do it any chance I get. I love to shop as much as I love to crop. My blog has: product reviews, show reviews, scrapbook organization, my shopping finds, and just general scrapbook topics. There are so many scrap blogs out there where the author journals about their life and shares their pages. I wanted my blog to be a little different. Hope you enjoy!
I started and have continued this blog all these years because I’m – you guessed it – scrapbook obsessed! I still love everything scrapbooking, talking about it, thinking about it, and writing about it. What has changed in recent years is, as you know, the economy. I’ve gone through some work changes over that time as well, from part-time to full-time to freelancing, from working from home to working in an office with a commute, etc.
Unfortunately, I’m not one of those lucky mommy bloggers who doesn’t have to work and can devote all the time I want to writing (even though I’d love to be, and am SO envious of those in that position). Disclaimer: Please don’t think I’m saying that being a full-time SAHM is easy ‘cuz I’m most certainly not. I run a home, cherish a marriage, raise kids, volunteer, AND work full-time. I know how hard it is, believe me! So basically it comes down to writing the blog or housework. I decided to let the housework go.
I’m also not one of those lucky ones with enough expendable income to pay others to design my blog and make it all purdy and interactive and slammin’ awesome. Sometimes when I make a little dough from my MEMORY WORKS consultant gig, I’ll put a little bit towards the maintenance or updating of this blog (e.g., paying for my own domain, buying premium themes, purchasing spam protection, etc.).
If you’re a longtime reader, you know that I’ve been posting a lot less than I used to. It’s not that I don’t want to write … I do! I still keep up with the industry, I know what new products are coming out, I hear the scrapbook gossip, and I have opinions, gurlll! I *want* to be able to write and share and laugh with you about it all.
But let’s get real: In this economy, the “fluff” parts of life have to take a back seat to the “real” parts a lot of the time. If I have a choice between booking a transcribing job or writing a blog post, guess which one I have to pick? I don’t like doing quickie posts for the most part, so I need at least an hour or two to sit down and do research, write a post, edit/download photos, include links, etc. Although in the interest of posting more often, I’m going to have to get over my long-post-itis and write shorter posts sometimes … hope ya’ don’t mind.
Anyway, writing a scrapbook blog takes longer than you’d think :) It’s a time commitment, for sure. {Okay, here’s a depressing thought: If I added up all the time I’ve spent over the last 5 years writing these 879 posts, I could’ve been running a Fortune 500 company by now – ha!}
As I’ve looked for ways to make money working from home (which I feel I’ve been called to do), I’ve been learning a lot about this idea of “monetizing your blog,”, which in my case would be making small amounts of money if you click on a scrapbook-related ad on my site or even more if you then make a purchase.
Anyway, it just seems like a logical next step for me. I’ve spent over 5 years writing for free – gratis – nada. I’ve linked up hundreds of companies and exposed customers to their products. I’ve enabled and help sell their items anyway (with not one word of thanks from any of them, btw). So if I can continue to write about the hobby-love of my life {{SCRAPBOOKING}} and make a little bit of money doing it, why shouldn’t I? And if it’s a successful thing, then scrapbook blogging just bumped up in my list of priorities right? I mean, if I can spend an hour blogging and it ends up having a better financial return than, say, an hour of cutting coupons than it’s a win-win, right?
And that’s all I’m hoping for – a few dollars here and there. I don’t have any delusions that I’ll get rich from this (even though I see so many bloggers of ALL kinds doing just that and it makes me SOOOO jealous! Srsly, there are people making 6 and 7 figures from this shizzle. LOL). But if putting some (what I hope are) not-annoying ads on this well-established blog can generate a little bit of income, I’m going to give it a try. I may fall flat on my face but I’m always one who likes to TRY so at least I can say I did, ya’ know?
Here’s what I need from you: Let me know what you think about the changes as they come along and be BRUTALLY honest, okay? {Okay, here is where I get mushy…}. In the 5+ years I’ve been writing this blog, I’ve been amazed, touched, and humbled that people like you actually take time out of your busy day to read it. I’m so very grateful for the support you’ve always given me by way of a Comment, a hit, a laugh, a link, a subscription – I love it all!
I’ve “met” so many wonderful scrapbookers because of this blog and I don’t want that to EVER stop. So one of my main goals with these changes is to *not* alienate you, piss you off, drive you away, make you hate me, or make you laugh at me (well, okay, feel free to laugh at me as you always have).
Here’s my fear: As this “monetizing your blog” trend has slowly made it’s way through Scrapbook World*, I’ve heard the comments on scrapbook message boards that go like this: “I used to love that blog and read it every day but now it just seems like one big ad” and “That used to be a wonderful blog but I’m tired of them always trying to sell me something.”
*Here are some examples of monetized scrapbook blogs that I personally read (not to bag on them, just to illustrate what I’m talking about): BECKY HIGGINS, ALI EDWARDS, HEIDI SWAPP, and LAIN EHMANN.
So bottom line: If these changes end up with me losing readers and friends, than they are so outta’ here. I’m not willing to trade a little dough for the friendship, loyalty, and fellowship you’ve given me for almost 5 years and I hope will continue to. So. Not. Worth it.
But if you do end up liking the changes {or at least not minding them awfully much}, then I will be in scrapblog heaven. My hope is that I pick products, classes, etc. that you actually want to hear about. I hope you find them helpful or at least provide some scrappy eye candy.
So stay in touch with me. Give me your feedback. Laugh at me, not with me, I don’t care :) If at any point, you’re throwing up your hands and walking away from me for good, leave me a nasty parting comment so I know what’s up in the hizzy. You can also e-mail me any ol’ time: scrapbookobsession(at)gmail(dot)com. If you don’t tell me, how will I know, ya’ know? I’m not a frickin’ mind reader.
Oh yeah, in case you’re wondering, the dripping sarcasm will continue ;)
I’m not gonna’ turn all corporate and proper on you. I’m going to continue being my brutally honest self and tell you what I really think about things. For instance, I could’ve just starting sneaking in affiliate links without explanation … but I gotta’ be real witchoo. My comments will be honest – good or bad. Always have, always will. That’s probably the totally wrong thing to do from a business perspective but whatever. Screw ’em.
And I won’t sell you down the river. I’ll be posting a Disclaimer and/or Affiliate page that explains all this, but basically I won’t lie just to sell something. If I think something’s crap, I’ll still tell you. And if I think it’s the best thing since sliced … erm, patterned paper … I’ll tell you that, too.
So that’s what’s going on as of now. There may be other changes – mostly to format, I hope, because honestly I don’t like the way this blog looks right now. But me learning how to fix things the way I want them is painfully slow … like watching Stickles dry. If you come to visit my blog and it looks all wonky, please forgive :) I’m about as talented a blog designer as Lady Gaga is shy. There WILL be hiccups and goofy shizzle. {For instance, I’ve been playing with the clickable 2peas links in my right sidebar recently to make sure they work}. But I’ll do my best to fix things and welcome (like you wouldn’t BELIEVE!) input and criticism.
Sooooo … clear as mud? GREAT! Thanks for reading and please tell me what you think!
