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Ali Edwards

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CHA 2016, Part 13: Wrap Up

This is the last post in a series about the scrapbooking booths I visited at CHA 2016. If you’d like to see all the posts in the series, please click HERE.

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Well, this is the end of my CHA blog series. Is it bad to end it with Unlucky 13?

I just wanted to wrap up my experience there this year with some final thoughts and impressions. And add anything I forgot to say :) ‘Cuz I’m a straggler like that.

State of the Scrapbooking Industry?

As I was taking photos, I overheard a conversation amongst those working in a booth. They were saying how this year it seemed like the crowds were definitely thinner; one estimated there was about 1/3 as many shoppers as usual. I wasn’t there last year but from 2 years ago, I would agree the attendance was down a bit. Not 1/3 the amount of people but maybe 2/3 as many. I’m no math major but I think our estimates differ by quite a bit, LOL. I wonder if the attendee numbers are available? Hmm…

One thing I noticed was that in many of the scrapbook vendor booths I visited, company reps were talking to Spanish-speaking women placing orders. I thought that was encouraging about the scrapbook market in Spanish-speaking countries; is it booming? Hope so!

In fact, I heard people speaking languages from all over the world, not just in scrapbooking areas but all over the CHA show floor. Again, I took comfort in that and was pleased by it. #craftingisinternational

Who Was and Wasn’t at CHA 2016

Paperclipping wasn’t there doing videos; online someone said they lost their sponsorship and someone else said their child had something going on but since Phoenix is their home turf, they’ll probably be there next year. I haven’t kept up with the Paperclipping podcast or their message boards so I’m not sure what’s correct. If you know, please leave a comment!

I thought perhaps Nancy Nally from Scrapbook Update wasn’t there but I see now from her recent blog post that she was at CHA. Boo! I missed her this time.

Basic Grey was noticably absent :( They were my favorite booth to visit last time, mainly because of the lovely conversation I had with owner Rachel Brenchly.

Big Change to CHA in 2017

Next year, CHA will move to Phoenix and will be 3 days instead of 4. I mentioned it to several people I talked to and the consensus was that Phoenix is more geographically desirable to many scrapbook companies, but everyone will miss going to Disneyland.

Free Classes

I attended a free 15-minute class about e-mail marketing called “Create the Perfect Subject Line to Get Your Emails Opened.” As someone who handles social media for companies as a living, I see a lot of mistakes being made with this in the scrapbooking industry. I wish there’d been more of an audience for this class.

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VENDORS I Visited but HAVE No Photos

Echo Park/Carta Bella

The booth was very busy. I wasn’t able to get photos of the lines displayed because there were staff and customers standing in front of them. It seemed like they were taking several orders and that’s a great sign.

Pink Fresh Studio

They had one of the smaller booths and didn’t have a ton of product displayed but I believe they’re fairly new.  Someone with a nice video camera was waiting to interview them so I stayed on the outskirts :) I love their products and wish I’d remembered to look for the “Life Noted” acrylic letters I Pinned that included “Meh” – dang, wanted to see those in person!

Random Photos

The Spellbinders wall with some amazing paper garlands!

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Create and Craft TV

Remember when I talked about them here? Well, they film live shows at CHA which is pretty cool.

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DSCN6913Hey, that’s Teresa Collins!

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Speaking of Scrapbook “Celebs”

Here’s who-all I saw at CHA this time, whether I spoke to them or just lurked, LOL:

  • Becky Higgins
  • Teresa Collins
  • Ali Edwards
  • Shimelle Laine
  • Julie McGuffee
  • Layle Koncar
  • Vicki Boutin
  • Amy Tangerine
  • Paige Evans
  • Cathy Zielske

All Good Days Must Come to an End

I knew it was a long shot but I wanted to see if there were any scrapbook stores in Anaheim that I could slip into before leaving town. Here is the sad return I got for my search :(

 

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I had to drive through downtown LA because of some traffic on my usual route …. only to sit in more traffic. But, hey, it’s LA. Plus it was Golden Globes night.  I tried to just enjoy the view.

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Catalogs and Such

When I got home and had time to look in my CHA tote, this is what I had. Some came with and others were handed to me in booths I visited.

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So that was my CHA 2016 experience! I hope you enjoyed being along for the ride and that I didn’t inundate you with too many posts.

Any favorites from what you saw?

Scrapbook Obsession Weekly Round-Up 06-14-15

Here’s a round-up of some cool scrappy things I saw this week and thought you might like:

– Isn’t this a super fun card by Emily Spahn for October Afternoon??

october afternoon card

Love, love, love the color combos and happy feel.  She uses the “Summertime” line – which reminds me that I need to snap some of that up!  I can’t find it many places and nowhere on sale.  I might wait and see if Scrapbook Steals gets it.

– Are you looking for some new blogs get addicted to? Check out this list by Ali Edwards of ‘blogs that fill her up.’ But if you’re going to check out those blogs, I just have a little message for you:

– Father’s Day is coming up next weekend (6/21). If you need some ideas for a handmade papercrafted gift, check out my Father’s Day Pinterest board.  Hope you find some fun inspiration there!


*LAYOUT BY BLUE STAR DESIGN via SCRAPBOOK.COM

– Call me late to the party (just don’t forget to call me! LOL) but I just noticed there’s something called “self-adhesive sequins“. Uh, game changer! They’re by WRMK:

The main reason I’ve never used sequins on my pages is because I just don’t have the patience! Pick one out of the baggie or jar, flip it backside up, put liquid glue on the back, c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y put it on your page, somehow deal with the excess glue, and pray the sequin stays glued down. Okay, now you’ve got 1 done. Repeat 15 times. Yeah, um, NO. But I could get into these!

– Need some journaling tips or inspiration? Love this from Emily Pitts for Scrapbook and Cards Today magazine.

Have a great week!

Scrapbook Obsession Blog: Why Things Are Changing in 2015

So.

I don’t usually get too personal on this blog. It’s not a site about MY scrapbooking. It’s a site about SCRAPBOOKING. That’s how it’s been from the beginning and the way I want it to always stay. I want to be different from all the other scrapbook blogs out there. I want to be a place where we talk – not about my life, my scrapbooking, my photos, my family – but about this obsession called Scrapbooking.

The other component I believe in is being honest and transparent. I tell you my real opinion on scrapbooking topics, products, companies, “celebrities”, etc. And if I don’t have something nice to say, I try to keep my mouth shut, LOL. Unless I can be constructive :)

Even though the title of this post says “things are changing,” I want you to know that the plan is for this site to stay about scrapbooking and stay about honesty. That’s not going to change. What I hope IS going to change is that Scrapbook Obsession is going to become bigger and better and more fun throughout the rest of 2015 … and beyond.

I’ve been wanting to build this site up for SO many years. I’ve had plans in the past for various things that either didn’t work out or I had to abandon due to constraints on my time. I’ve also let fear hold me back: Fear that I’ll disappoint you, fear that because I’m not a fancy scrapper that I have nothing to offer, fear that I’ll drive away people who’ve been so supportive of this blog. But I’ve felt from the beginning that 2015 was going to be an awesome year and it sure is turning out to be.

Over the years, I’ve watched amazing women in this industry build their online, at-home scrapbooking businesses – Becky Higgins, Ali Edwards, Lain Ehmann to name a few – and been SO inspired. But I’ve always thought they had something special I didn’t, that they were doing something I could never do, that they knew some secret I didn’t for making their dreams come true.

While I still don’t think I’ll ever be running a million dollar company like BeckyHiggins.com, I’ve come to realize that I CAN do big things. I can take this love of scrapbooking further – via this site i’ve been building for 8 years – and I can turn this passion into a business I love without “selling out” or letting you down or becoming some fake thing you don’t recognize.

The main thing that’s changed my attitude is that I’ve been attending an online business school. It’s geared toward female entrepreneurs who want to dream big and run online businesses. The education I’m getting has opened my eyes wide and also opened many doors. It’s all very exciting! The other women who attend are extremely encouraging, helpful, and we all cheer each other on. I’m using the teachings to improve and expand my virtual assistant business but I’m also going to apply these wonderful things to Scrapbook Obsession.

Business school has expanded my beliefs about all the things I have to offer, what makes my site unique, what a difference I can make, and has me so stinkin’ jacked up, I can hardly stand it! Finding time is still a challenge but I’m making it happen. Changes will roll out slowly as I can implement them but I have self-imposed deadlines I plan to meet. Wish me luck.

Hint: One of those deadlines is National Scrapbook Day 05-02-15 … yikes, not very far away!

I’m a reader, writer, scrapbooker, creative type. I gotta’ tell ya’, the technical side of all this online biz stuff is challenging! But I’m stubborn and will figure out whatever I need to. In the meantime, it might not be pretty but don’t worry. It’ll all be good in the end :P

And back to the fear thing: One thing I’ve learned in business school is that I can’t make everyone happy. “If you try to make everyone happy, you end up pleasing no one.” We all like different things and different aspects of scrapbooking. We all want different things from the sites we choose to spend time on. But I’ve come to realize that I can’t make “people” happy, I can only make “my people” happy. My people, my tribe, the scrappers who think like I think and like what I like. I do feel badly that I can’t cater to EVERY kind of scrapper but I also feel very blessed to have offerings for MY kind of scrapper. That’s all one person can do, right?

This new venture is going to require me to do something I’m not comfortable with: Asking for help. I’ll need to reach out to members of the scrapbooking industry and ask for things that they may or may not be willing to give. That’s scary! But, like mama always said, “If you don’t ask, you’ll never know!” Time to put on my Big Girl Scrapper Panties and get ready for rejection! And – maybe just maybe – some pleasant surprises, too. I’ll also need to ask some of you to help me behind the scenes so I can make this site super useful for you.

What I ask of each reader is to be open-minded, be excited, and join me on the journey!! It’s gonna’ be fun, I promise ;)

Yikes! Hitting “Publish” … no turning back now!!! YEEHAWWWW

Deals and Steals: More October Afternoon & A Free Online Scrapbook Class!

If you were drooling over the great October Afternoon deal I got HERE, you might want to check THIS out! ScrapbookSteals.com has another OA deal today, this time with their EGGNOG COLLECTION KIT.

I am broke, baby! But if you’re so inclined, go take advantage of that deal before it sells out! Seems like a lot of fun to scrap the holidays with – maybe even do your whole December Daily with it?

I also just heard about a free scrapbooking class that I *NEED* to take and I’ll bet you do, too: “SCRAPBOOKING YOUR BABY’S FIRST YEAR” with Nicole Samuels. {If you’re one of those annoying scrappers who already has all their children’s first year of life documented from first cry to first birthday, gah! Just move along. I mean, really?!?}

I can’t find a photo/ad to copy over but this is the text from the class description:

document the magical moments.

In the flurry of adjusting to life with a new baby, it can be tempting to shelve your scrapbooking plans and leave your photographs in their digital formats. But those moments only happen once! Learn a system for getting those memories down and creating a scrapbook you’ll cherish for a lifetime.

Scrapbooking Your Baby’s First Year with Nicole Samuels will help you sift through the photos, moments, and memories and decide which ones belong in your memory books. You’ll learn how to use Studio Calico kits and products to create clean, modern scrapbook layouts that highlight the milestones and relationships that emerge in your baby’s first year. Nicole will show you how to create scrapbooks that both focus on the big events, like sitting up, and the unique ones that simply mean a lot to your family.

Time is fleeting and precious, don’t let the first year of the important child in your life go unaccounted for. Develop a system for documenting those magical moments in Scrapbooking Your Baby’s First Year.

If you click over at the link above, you can watch an intro video, too. The class is being broadcast for FREE on 10-30-14 by CREATIVE LIVE; they do tons of free and paid classes that are absolutely top-quality. You should check them out if you haven’t already. {I posted HERE about classes by scrappers Lain Ehmann and Becky Higgins in the past}. If you miss the live broadcast – and the free re-broadcast they usually do immediately following the live one – or you love Nicole’s class so much you want to buy it, it’s only $29.

Speaking of Becky, I see in the class schedule that Nicole is going to Skype with BECKY HIGGINS and ALI EDWARDS, two of my favorite scrappers! If nothing else, go RSVP for the free class so you can get a Studio Calico coupon. When you sign up, you’ll also be notified in the future when this “Scrapbooking Baby’s First Year” class will be re-broadcast again for free.

Man, I need this class! I have children who are well past babies and (gulp!) no baby books! I’ve even purchased the awesome PROJECT LIFE BABY KITS kits from Becky and gathered all the photos and memorabilia into one place. I just haven’t sat down and gotten started. I really wish I would’ve done it sooner but, hey, what’re ya’ gonna’ do? I’ll be watching this free class to get my bottom in gear, maybe even buy it afterward so I can keep getting kicked in the pants to do this super-important project.

Okay, there. I’ve saved you tons of money. What more do you want from me?!?! Have a lovely day.

Online Scrapbook Class: FREE 1-Week Preview of “Hello Story” by Ali Edwards

Check this out: Did you know you can get a FREE PREVIEW of Ali Edwards’ upcoming “Hello Story” class?!?! It comes with videos, a very nice .pdf handout, supply lists, and transcripts.

Then if you decide to sign up for this very cool class, you can get a 15% discount using code TIMEWITHALI through 04-10-14 (which is a full week AFTER the course starts, for you slow-committers, LOL).

I’ve done the math and with the discount it comes out to $8.25/week at full price or only $7/week with the discount. I love to share these discount codes with you because I know classes (especially by top scrapbookers like Ali) can seem expensive. But when you use the discount and break down the per week cost, I think you’ve got a deal here.

You can see from the free 1-week sample shared above what a quality course this is. If you like, you can sign up for “Hello Story” right HERE.

The 12-week class runs from 04-03-14 to 06-25-14 so you don’t have a lot of time to make up your mind. On the good side, when you decide to take the class, you don’t have that long to wait for it to start!

Please let me know if you sign up so I can live vicariously through you! I’d love to post your review on thuh blog afterward as well, if you’d be so kind :)

Also, let me know what you think of the free sample!

PS: Sheesh. I just noticed that immediately upon sign-up for the course, you get some freebies:

In the pre-classroom, which is available instantly upon registration, you’ll receive Ali’s Storyology downloadable class (valued at $14), which is the perfect warm-up for Hello Story. You’ll also receive a set of 50 downloadable Random Fact Journal Cards (valued at $5.49)!

I’m listening to Ali’s free sample now as I type this blog post. Yep, just me and Ali, hangin’ out. Even if you don’t take the class, you’d be a silly willie not to grab the free preview.

Online Scrapbook Class: Ali Edwards “Hello Story” Starting 07-08-13!

As a big fan of online scrapbooking classes {hey, I don’t even have to get out of my pajamas!} …


*Image from weheartit.com

… I wanted to make sure that you know about a very exciting class that’s about to start at Big Picture Classes. It’s part of the “4 Experts” series at BPC in 2013.

This one is by mega-popular scrapbooker and Project Life guru Ali Edwards. It goes from July 8 – September 29, 2013 {3 months!}:

In her new 12-week workshop, “Hello Story”, Ali Edwards will introduce you to 12 storytelling techniques—never-before-seen in her prior journaling workshops—that will bring creativity and clarity to both your writing and your page designs. Every week, you get to sit over Ali’s shoulder and watch her transform her story ideas into timeless, authentic, story-rich scrapbook pages.

Through dozens of in-depth videos that cover storytelling and design ideas as well as 36+ exclusive layout examples from Ali (12″ x 12″ and 8 1/2″ x 11″ layouts, plus Project Life inserts), Hello Story will inspire you to take action and give you the tools you need to tell your own stories with confidence.

Hello Story includes:

– Inspiring weekly videos from Ali
– Colorful instructional handouts with step-by-step instructions for each lesson/project
– Printable digital elements in PNG and PDF formats that relate to the weekly storytelling technique
– Freebies valued at $19.49! Immediately upon registering, you’ll receive instant access to Ali’s Storyology downloadable class – 50 printable journaling cards (great for traditional, digital, and Project Life scrapbooking). Details below.
– Supply list with live links to product resources—each weekly handout will include a list of supplies used on the example pages
– Welcome notes from Ali in the classroom
– Class syllabus and pre-class welcome video
– Reminder emails when the classroom is updated with new materials
– Message board to share your thoughts with your classmates
– Private posting gallery to share your work and view the work of your classmates
– An interactive video chat with Ali
– Email access to Ali

Hello Story with Ali Edwards
12 weeks of creative storytelling techniques with Ali Edwards
Class dates: 7/8/2013-9/29/2013
Class price: $99

WOW.

Sounds like a blast, right? And I think the $99 price tag sounds totally worth it. If you break it down, that’s only $8/week. And if you subtract out the almost $20 value of the freebies and journaling cards, it’s even less per week.

Class is about to start so get on over to BPC and get signed up, sista’! Class starts on Monday, July 8, 2013.

If you’d like to sign up or just want some more information {including videos by Ali Edwards and Stacy Julian themselves}, just click on this ->
Hello Story link :)

Man. Watching Ali talk about the class was one thing. Then to hear Stacy and have her show some teaser clips – don’t watch if you don’t want to get sucked into taking this class, LOL! Check out the layout she does with the stars. Super lovely!

500 sq

What do you think of Ali’s class? Sound like a good one? Too expensive or is the price justified? Have you taken BPC classes before? I’d love to hear your thoughts and whether you are signing up for Hello Story with Ali Edwards.

December Daily

Have you jumped on the DECEMBER DAILY bandwagon? I’m going to give it a try for the first time. Today is December 1st so it’s time to get started!

Actually, I’ve noticed that scrappers are doing all variations on the dates covered in their December Daily whether it be December 1-25, December 1-31, or covering the entire season from Thanksgiving through New Years Day. I think it’s great to personalize the dates to whatever works best for you.

My plan is to cover December 1-25. I considered other time frames but ultimately my scrapbook made the decision for me, LOL. I’m using an old Making Memories 8×8 album from my stash. The pages are spiral bound and there are 30 (well, 15 pages front and back). So by the time I add a cover page that’s 26 of the 30 pages. The other 4 pages I figure will be used for 2-page layouts on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, etc.

I was kind of hmmming and hawing about whether to do December Daily at all because I’m one of these girls …

queen of unfinished projects tee shirt

* Shirt by TWO CHICKS DESIGNS, where I get all my scrapbook tees

The tipping point was when I placed my BLACK FRIDAY scrapbook order @ MEMORY WORKS, I got this as one of my free gifts:

simple stories 25 days of christmas

It was like a sign from the Scrappy Gods, I guess, so I finally gave in. I’ve been too busy working to scrapbook much lately but here’s how I’m going to accomplish this project:

1. I have a mini-scrapbook retreat this weekend where I can get the foundation pages pre-done all at once.

2. Don’t be picky about photo quality. I always have my iPhone with me so if that’s how I capture a moment, so be it if the pic is blurry or not perfect. It’s going in the book, damnit!

3. Other than the new sticker sheet, I’m using supplies from my stash … so no time spent shopping.

4. KISS * Keep It Simple Stupid * {“Stupid” would be ME I’m talking to, so don’t go gettin’ all offended. Sheesh.} In other words, these pages will be very basic. No time for all this fancy, wicked cute stuff I see everyone else doing. Eye on the prize, baby. Eye on the prize.

5. Remembering that the main thing I want to do is capture what’s important to us during this season with 1 photo and some journaling for each day.

So wish me luck! As the Queen, I will need it.

Are you doing December Daily?

More Scrapbook Stuff for Sale!

I have more things to sell from my personal stash. HERE is the first post of sale items (Lots 1-8).

From last time, most lots have been sold … THANK YOU to my buyers! It has been a pleasure e-mailing with you. I hope you’re happy with your purchase.

Here is what is still available from that last post; some of the stamp lot was sold off so it’s now smaller with a smaller price:

LOT #1 (MODIFIED): ACRYLIC STAMPS AND CLEAR BLOCK
$15 plus shipping
Retail value is about $60! All of these stamps are brand new, never been used, in the original packaging.

Autumn Leaves “Hand Drawn Alphabet by Katie Pertiet”.
This set retails for $25. I have it myself and use it often. It’s a very versatile font and is a great size for both cards and scrapbook layouts. Unlike a lot of stamp alphas, it includes both upper and lower case AND numbers with punctuation. At a $25 value, these stamps alone are worth $10 more than you’d pay for the entire lot of acrylic stamps with the block.

Autumn Leaves “Clear Stamps Acrylic Block”
Retails for $15. This is a solid acrylic block, 4×6″ in size, to be used with your acrylic stamps. If you’ve never used acrylic stamps, I’d be happy to walk you through it. I have this block myself and it’s the one I use the most, out of the many sizes I have, because you can lay out an entire word or title on it, or fit even the larger stamps on it (like THESE).

Autumn Leaves (8) various “Clear Stamps” that retail for $2 each, and Studio G (2) sets of “Clear Stamps” that retail for $1 each.

These are all stinkin’ adorable stamps, about $16 worth altogether.

ETA 9-1-10: The “You Are Here” stamp with arrow has been sold. I blew it. I thought I had a duplicate of it, so I sold it with another lot. What I do have duplicates of are (2) of the “Mini Make a Flower” (flowers with leaves) and (3) of the “carriage/baby.” Sorry for the mix-up!

So, that’s all of Lot #1: ACRYLIC STAMPS AND CLEAR BLOCK
$15 plus shipping

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LOT 3: KAREN FOSTER “CLIKIT” EYELET SETTING KIT $5
Retailed for $40. This item is gently used.

I bought it right after it came out at a CKU and fell in love with it. What a fun tool! You can read a bunch of reviews HERE. I used it a few times at the convention; that’s why you see white paper leftovers in the dual tip, LOL. Alas, I am a fickle tool girl, and quickly became fascinated with some other method or three for setting eyelets (“What a cool eyelet tool! I really like it. It works so … oh, look, shiny new tool over there!”).

All of the pieces, mat, instruction book, even the free eyelets are still intact. On the bottom of the box, I wrote my name and phone number in small print; it’s been blacked out with a Sharpie. Other than that, it’s like new.


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Now, to add some new things to the mix!

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LOT 9: PIONEER 3-UP PHOTO ALBUMS, SET OF 6
$15 plus shipping

*** RESERVED ***

These are 3-up “Space Saver” photo albums by Pioneer; 3- up means each page holds three 4×6 photos (or 6, depending on how you look at it, LOL!). There are 2 light blue, 2 beige, 1 black, and 1 green. They’re all brand new in package except one that I opened so I could show you the insides :)

Each album goes in a slim pocket case. They measure 13.5″ tall x 7.25″ wide x 7/8″ thick. They’re so slim, they would stack very neatly on a bookshelf. Here is the front view of the first 3 …

.. and the other 3.

This is the book out of the case and what the pages inside look like. The case is nice for keeping the dust and sun out, and protecting your photos. Plus, it helps them keep their “slim” shape :)

In the back, there are pages sized for holding negatives. On the right is a pocket for whatever you’d like: photo CDs, panoramic, 5×7, or other odd-sized photos, etc.

Scrapbook.com has only 1 of these in stock right now HERE. It would regularly sell for $5.99 and they have it on sale for $5.69. HERE you can get 6 of them for $4.25 each (or $25.50 total) plus some hefty shipping charges; wow! Anyway, I looked around and they generally sell for $4-6 each. At my price, you’re getting them for $2.50 each ($15 total plus shipping).

Here is the official description of these albums:

Pioneer Space Saver Photo Albums can help you create an ultra-compact photo library. Each Space Saver Photo Album contains 144 slip-in pockets that hold photos up to 4” x 6”.
Durable translucent plastic cover
Protective and convenient storage case
Plastic pockets securely protect photos
Index cover labels for easy organization
Includes four panoramic pages and negative storage pages
Photo safe: Archival, Acid and PVC free

ALI EDWARDS even recommends these albums … I mean, come ON!

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LOT 10: 3-UP ALBUMS BY PHOTO STOR, SET OF 2
$10 plus shipping

These albums are black “leather” with 3 slots in the covers for 3×3 photos. Each album has 50 pages with 6 slots on each to hold 4×6 photos. Each album can hold an amazing 300 photos, or 600 in both albums. That’s MAJOR! In the back are 3 pages to store CDs and photo index sheets. There is a tab closure and each page has blank lines where you can journal what’s in the photo (or cover up with pretty scrapbook paper, LOL!).

Both are brand new, in excellent condition. I can’t find these albums online anywhere. Believe me, I looked. I got them at Costco a while back and I think I paid $20 for the set. They’re great quality and definitely worth $20, but I’ll let them go for $10 plus shipping.

Here is the front cover and what the 4×6 pages look like …

… and this is the inside back cover where you can see the CD/index sheet pages, plus a groovy pouch to hold whatever you want … negative envelopes, larger photos, memorabilia, etc..

All of these 3-up albums would be wonderful for photo storage, as Ali uses them. Or you could go the STACY JULIAN route and use them for PHOTO ALBUM SCRAPBOOKING like she does! What a great way to scrapbook ALLLLL those great photos from a trip – get them done and off your computer, right?

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That’s what I have to post for now, but keep checking back, because I’ll be posting more as my scrapbook room clean-up continues :)

1. All items are from a pet-free and smoke-free home.
2. Prices do not include shipping; we can work out the best shipping for you.
3. First come, first served, as based on time stamps from e-mails and comments.
4. I will show items as “Reserved” but they may still be available if the transaction doesn’t work out, so let me know of your interest. Once an item is actually sold, it will be marked as such.
5. I have a great track record of customer service with Memory Works; please let me know if you’d like a reference or two. {And if you’ve ever purchased from me before, please leave a comment about your experience ~ thanks}.

I accept Paypal and will send you an invoice; a super easy process :)
If you don’t use Paypal, please e-mail and let’s see if we can work out a check/money order.

Contact info: If you’re interested in any of these items …

Leave a comment on this post, or …
E-mail me at scrapbookobsession(at)gmail(dot)com

I really just want these items to find a good home, so if you like something but the price isn’t right, make me an offer!

Can I {Heart} Ali Edwards and Be Wicked Jealous of Her, Too?

It’s Tuesday night and I’m reclined in bed with my laptop. I had purposely saved THIS entry from ALI EDWARDS’ blog to read when I could sit down and savor it in the peace and quiet once everyone else had gone to bed, so here I am. I just finished reading it and now I’m all in a big Italy headspace.

Italy is my favorite place in the world. I’m part Italian on my mom’s side; our family is from UDINE (pronounced OOH-di-nuh), which is in Northern Italy. I cannot tell you how obsessed I am with Italy! I read books about it and I talk about it any chance I get. {Yes, I am THAT annoying}. I routinely use my DVR to Search “Italy” and “Rome,” and record shows about it. It’s mostly travel shows but I also have 3 episodes of EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND where they went to Italy {hee hee, a guilty pleasure}. I also see movies that are set in Italy, like “WHEN IN ROME” and, of course, “ROMAN HOLIDAY” is one of my favorite movies EVAH!

I heard about an Italian miniseries called “BEST OF YOUTH” and searched for months but it never came on TV, so I finally broke down and ordered it on DVD from Amazon.

Crap, I should start a blog called “Italy Obsession,” shouldn’t I? I read the last paragraphs and think I’m a Rome stalker. WOW.

Anyway, it’s been my dream to go to Europe ~ but especially Italy ~ since I was a teenager (and no you may NOT ask how very long ago that was!). When I was about 20 and in college, I had it all planned to study overseas for a year in France (in AIX-EN-PROVENCE), which would be my home base for exploring all of Europe. I had to cancel when I couldn’t save enough money. Then, when I was about 30, DH and I had a Europe trip planned and had to cancel because some of the places we were going were politically unstable and there were travel warnings.

So to say that I REALLY wanted to go to Europe/Italy was an understatement. Yes, I finally did get my chance in October of 2006. I was blessed enough to go on a Creating Keepsakes scrapbooking cruise in the Mediterranean, with LISA BEARNSON, no less! Some of the story is HERE. We basically circled the Med and went to places like Tunis, Tunisia (North Africa) ~ Barcelona, Spain ~ Palma de Majorca, Spain ~ and Valletta, Malta. All of those places were completely amazing and it was the trip of a lifetime. Who would’ve ever thought I would go to North Africa?

But by far, the best places we went were in Italy … Palermo, Sicily ~ Genova, Italy ~ and ROME! As soon as we touched down on Italian soil, I felt like I was HOME. I loved every single thing about being there … the churches, the people, the history, the language, the food, the energy … just everything. I couldn’t get enough of it. I wanted to learn everything I could and see everything I could.

My mom (who I traveled with, along with a friend) had done some online research before our trip and actually located a second cousin of hers! She was a doctor who lived in Rome, and we met up with her. It was just another thing that made me feel so comfortable there, so at home, like I belonged.

The only tragic part of the whole trip was that we weren’t there long enough. Palermo and Genova were just cruise stops, so we had one daytime to do a tour, and in Palermo, we stayed in town after the tour and just walked around. After the cruise, we went to Rome and stayed only 2 nights before we had to catch our flight back to the United States. I was SO sad to leave. I mean, truth be told, I was extremely homesick for my family and I couldn’t wait to get home. But I definitely left my heart in Italy and am determined to go back someday.

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So back to tonight … That’s why I saved Ali’s blog entry about Italy to sit down and read when I had some time to savor it. She’s an awesome photographer and I knew she’d have some amazing photos to share (she did). I love the way she journals and is so good about capturing her feelings while they’re still immediate (she did). Ali was so smart to write down her “I Want to Remember” moments right now, before she gets caught up in daily life and those moments fade from memory. I wish I had done that.

At the end of her blog entry, she links to THIS trip ~ yep, she’s going to Italy again in October 2011 and we’re all invited this time :) I couldn’t possibly be more jealous. She’ll be in Tuscany, which is my DREAM place to go. I’ve read all of FRANCES MAYES’ books, wrote a poem inspired by her descriptions of Tuscany for my Senior Project in college, and have worn out my DVD of UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN.

Ali is also going to Rome, my favorite city in the world and where I’ve been dying to go back to. There’s no way I COULD actually go, as the trip would cost me upwards of $6,000 and we don’t make that kind of bank around this hizzy.

I couldn’t even make myself read through the entire trip itinerary because I, well, it kind of made me want to cry. I want to go SO BAD! This isn’t like a “Wow, it would be fun to go to CHA” or “Gosh, I’ve always wanted to see Mt. Rushmore.” This is like a yearning so deep in my soul that it hurts. {Holy hell, am I pathetic? Get a grip, girl!}

Anyway, if you’ve read this far, thanks for listening to me not only talk about my deep love for a foreign place (just like I subject my IRL friends and family too, the poor things), but for listening to me whine and be so jealous of another scrapper, ha.

And, Ali Edwards, if you were to ever read this, thank you for sharing your photos and experiences. I was able to dream through you for a bit, and to marvel about Italy with you for a bit, and that is a special thing.

Eco Friendly or “Green” Scrapbooking

I came across THIS article and cool blog about green crafting, and realized I’ve never written about the subject of “green” scrapbooking. So I thought I’d share some resources, ideas, and articles I found. I have to go against Kermit the Frog here and say, “It IS easy being green.” (Oh man, that was SO bad, I can’t believe I wrote it … ugh… LOL).

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Here’s an online store called CREATIVELY GREEN. They carry eco-friendly crafting supplies, including 100% recycled textured cardstock that just might be a good option for this BAZZILL girl … hmmm …

How to Find Green Scrapbooking Supplies, an eHow article

Green Scrapbooking with Paint Chips, also from the Crafting a Green World blog

HERE are some great tips on green scrapbooking by ALI EDWARDS.

THIS is kinda’ neat … an online store called TROPICAL SCRAPBOOKING has a whole page on their site listing the things they’re doing as a company to be green. Now that’s a good kinda’ business to support! Bravo to them :)

An ARTICLE about THE GREEN STACK

…by DCWV, again from the Crafting a Green World blog (man, that place is chock full of green-ness!)… DCWV also has the ECO STACK

… which I think is SEI every time I see it, lol … must be the font style … so very SEI, don’t you think?).

The SCRAPBOOK PANTRY online store has an entire section of RECYCLED PAPERS!

HERE is an article from SCRAPBOOK UPDATE that has a list of major scrapbook manufacturers who have gone green. Check out the links down at the bottom and in the comments section, too.
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Apparently, this is a heavily covered topic ‘cuz I found loads of links about it. If you’re interested in reading more, just Google “green scrapbooking” and see what you can find!

I have to admit this is not a topic I’ve thought or done a lot about (don’t shoot me, JINGLE!). But I’m generally a frugal/practical person, so I don’t go out of my way to be wasteful and have always done things like saving my paper scraps for other uses (cards, journaling spots, Cricut letters). I also save and re-use most of the packaging and boxes from my MEMORY WORKS orders, and I’ve been known to cut designs (like cute hearts or something) from scrapbook packaging and use it on my pages.

The one thing I refuse to do under pressure of being green is converting to digital scrapbooking. Ain’t. Gonna. Happen. But now that I see it in writing, I guess I’m doing pretty good with my scrappy green-ness and will just keep doing what I’m doing. I should also make an effort to consciously BE a green scrapper and see what else I can do better.

Is green scrapbooking important to you? Have you changed any scrapping habits or purchasing in an effort to be more green? Or is it not even on your scrappy radar?

Memory Works: Simple Stories “Life Documented” Kit Update #4

Okay, ladies, I think this kit officially qualifies as a scrapbook “frenzy” LOL!

Back in the day when I hung out at CKMB a lot*, someone would post a new product and before you knew it, the whole board was in a frenzy to find said item and get it in their possession ASAP. Then they would come post/brag about it, so the rest of us could be jealous :) Some examples of frenzy items: Fiskars “Threading Water” punch, Michaels $1 stamps, Basic Grey magnetic mats, and anything on sale for a fabulous price like the Heidi Swapp and My Minds Eye huge kits at Costco.

*Speaking of CKMB, I’ve been visiting again lately and it seems to have finally stopped logging me out every 5 seconds so I’m back to posting there again. Yay for me! I missed those sweet girls :)

Well, Simple Stories has reached that level, my friends. Every message board I’m on is talking about it, wanting it, and loving it. HERE is where I asked if you want to be on my e-mail list for updates about the kit, and I’ve gotten tons of requests. {Keep the requests coming…please e-mail me at scrapbookobsession(at)gmail(dot)com}.

But what I think is really going to push it over the top into Frenzyville is THIS! Yep, Simple Stories “Life Documented” by Memory Works is part of a big prize giveaway on ALI EDWARDS blog! Below I’ve copied over the part of Ali’s post that relates to Memory Works:
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One person will receive the Life Documented kit from the new Simple Stories collection by MemoryWorks.

Your photos and memories are far too important to keep in a box, store on a computer or bury in a pile. We know life is busy and at times it feels nearly impossible to keep up with all of life’s demands – yet alone find time for the things you enjoy like your scrapbook hobby and preserving your memories.

If you’re overwhelmed with too many photos…
If you’re feeling guilty for not being “caught up”…
If you’re overloaded with creative pressure and unrealistic expectations…
If you’re stressed because you don’t have enough time to scrapbook…
If you don’t know where to start…or worried if you can even keep up…
If you’re frustrated with the process of traditional scrapbooking…
If you’re looking for a better way…
Then you will love our simple and refreshing approach to scrapbooking!

MemoryWorks is beyond thrilled to introduce the new, exclusive Simple Stories scrapbook system. You can view our video here. Our innovative system was designed for scrapbookers of all levels who want to share their life stories and memories in a simple, yet meaningful, way – but without the time, guilt or stress of traditional scrapbooking.

Life Documented, the first collection in our Simple Stories series, is all about documenting a year in your life like never before. Our Life Documented kit allows you to share your story in a whole new way, while getting back to the basics of what scrapbooking is all about…your photos and memories. We’ve done all the work for you with our exclusive Simple Stories system – with beautiful pre-designed elements that you simply trim, add your journaling and then insert into pockets – along with your 4×6 photos – for quick and easy scrapbooking. No cropping. No adhesive. No stress. It’s as easy as that – sharing your photos and memories has never been easier!

In addition to the giveaway here, we’re giving away a FREE Simple Stories Life Documented kit, with coordinating divided page protectors and embellishments, a retail value well over $35. Visit www.mysimplestories.com for more details.

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OMG, that is SO exciting! Ali’s blog must be one of the most popular ~ if not THE most popular ~ scrapbook blogs out there. The exposure that blog post will provide is monumental. I’m so happy that even more scrappers will get to see what a great system and kit this is. What are you waiting for!?!?! Go enter the contest, silly! Just be sure to come back here when you’re done, K?

Since my last update, there have been 2 more posts on the SIMPLE STORIES blog and here they are:

REVEAL #5 (1-1-10) ~ Alphas, Elements, Transparencies, and Papers

EYE CANDY POST (1-1-10) ~ See the whole line in one place

I think the most often asked question is “When can we get it?” and the answer is Mid-January. If you are anxious like I am and want to be one of the first to place an order, keep checking the Simple Stories blog, my blog, and get on my e-mail list. All three places will have up-to-date information. On the MW consultant message board, some of the consultants are taking pre-orders now and I’m considering doing that. I’m thinking if I had customers money already in hand, I could place the orders the second the kits are available instead of waiting until I receive payment. BECAUSE this is such a hot item, I do have a fear of them running out of kits before I can get them to all of my customers. So let me ruminate on that a bit and if I decide to take pre-orders, I’ll let ya know!

Hope you’re having a wonderful Saturday. I’m off to Costco…wish me luck! But then I get to hit Tuesday Morning and look for those cheap Thickers, and also Michaels to see what they got. My coupon isn’t good until tomorrow tho’….bummer, dude.

Project 365 in 2010

Wow, that’s a lot of freakin’ numbers! Yeah, I’m thinking about doing Project 365 starting January 1 of next year.

If you’ve been living under a rock and aren’t already familiar, Project 365 is where you take a photo per day for an entire year (get it??? 365?? huh? huh?). Ostensibly, you then scrapbook those photos so that at the end of the year, you have photos and journaling from an entire year in your everyday life. Pretty dang cool.

I *think* this idea originated with Ali Edwards or Creating Keepsakes or Becky Higgins, or some combination thereof. Becky provided a PROJECT 365 KIT last year that you could purchase to simplify the process. It utilized those page protectors with slots in them and pre-done journaling boxes and accents which, along with your photo per day, you could just slip right in. Add some quick journaling each day or each week and you are dunzo. HERE is something from January 2009 by Becky, about all the reasons to do P365 … it’s a good overview of what the project entails and why it’s a cool idea. Plus, it will make you want to buy one of her kits, LOL. For 2010, she is selling the Project Life kit HERE.

Here is a sample from MAGGIE HOLMES using Becky’s kit from 2009:

This is such an all-encompassing project that a lot of participants started a blog separate from their regular scrapbooking blog to document their P365 photos. Some people see this as a great way to improve your photography, not just the skills used to take photos of such varied things but also opening your eyes to the everyday things that we wouldn’t think were “important enough” for a photo usually, but P365 gives you license to take their picture. For instance, maybe you take a photo of what you have for breakfast most days, your kids doing homework, or the gorgeous spring flower that just bloomed outside your window.

I avoided being sucked in to Project 365 last year, but my resolve is weakening. It has the potential to be a VERY time-consuming project, no? Not only do you have to remember to take a ding-dang photo every single day of your life for an entire year, but then you need to sit down and daily or at least weekly print out your photo(s), slap some journaling down, and make it all look cute.

However, I’ve been reading about Project 365 throughout the year here and there, kind of following how scrappers everywhere are accomplishing this daunting ~ yes, I said daunting…you gotta problem with that? ~ task, and they have made me feel like it’s doable. I think the divided page protectors are definitely the way to go. There is no way on Lisa Bearnson’s green earth that I’m going to scrapbook a full-on layout a day. Just ain’t happening. After the FIASCO with Becky’s P365 kits last year*, I’m not going there … don’t want to deal with that mess if I decide to do it for 2010. They are supposedly shipping Dec. 29th but we shall see. Just for the record, I’m not dissing on Becky … but I’ve not been a fan of CK Customer Service for years. Nicely put: They suck. So there.

*The link is to Becky’s blog archives for January 2009; scroll through and browse all the negativity to see what I’m calling “The Fiasco.” January 24 is a good one to read.

Besides, as happy happenstance would have it, the company I’m a consultant for {MEMORY WORKS} has announced their own products for the first time, coming out in January 2010. The first line will include items to do this type of “photo album scrapbooking” made so attractive and popular by the likes of STACY JULIAN and all those Project 365’ers out there. So there will be pre-cut journaling boxes and elements with corresponding divided page protectors to make scrapping a lot of photos about as easy as it gets.

As for the photo issue, now that I have my little Epson photo printer and can easily print photos at home, the obstacle of sending photos off to be printed in a timely manner is gone … I’ll just print them at home. Easy peasy. I doubt I would actually print out a photo every day, but I could certainly do it weekly … erm, at least I think I could.

So, I’m still on the fence about doing Project 365 in 2010. I’m kind of famous for … well, for lots of things actually, like the fact that Lou Diamond Phillips once brushed against me in a nightclub and that TROY DUNN is my homeboy … but what I meant to say was, I’m pretty famous for starting projects, being all gung-ho at the beginning, and then my life gets “too busy” and I let those commitments fall by the wayside.

In the case of Project 365, I don’t want that to happen. If I start it, I wanna finish it. And I honestly don’t know if I have it in me to do that. With 2009 coming to an end, there is a lot of talk on scrapbook blogs and message boards among those scrappers who did P365 this year. I’m hearing a lot of “Yeah, it was a cool project but it was SO hard to keep up on,” and “I was really excited to do it but I dropped out in February; it was just too much work.”

I don’t know. I’m confuzzled. Is there a support group for people like me?

I think it would be very cool to have a completely done 2010 album at this time next year. What an awesome thing for my family to look back on, a year of our everyday life captured in one place … the good, the bad, and the ugly. And believe you me, there is LOTS of ugly! Dirty dishes, a mentally-challenged dog, unmade beds … the horror! But I think doing this project would at least keep me in semi-scrapping mode throughout the year, whereas currently I only seem to scrap when I go to crops. P365 would force me to at least be taking some pics and jotting a few details down on a regular basis. And a reason to Scrap Shop! {Yeah, like I NEED a reason??} Project 365 would give me an excuse to buy the cute new Memory Works products, and it would give me a way to display them for customers.

One good idea I heard is to start NOW putting photo ideas in your dayplanner. Then you’re not struggling every day for what to take a photo of. HERE is a cool list provided by CK of 365 things to take photos of.

So, yeah, there are lots of positives to this project and that’s why I’m seriously considering participating in 2010. I think I’ve about 70% convinced myself, but the other 30% is being a real bee-yotch about the whole thing (“You’re too busy, you’ll never keep up.” “You never stick with anything long enough to complete it.” “Focus on your regular scrapping, dummy.” You know, bitchy stuff like that.).

So tell me, did you do Project 365 in 2009? Do you plan to in 2010? Why or why not? If you’re going to participate, HOW are you going to do it? Tell me, tell me …

Friday Night Scrapbook Randoms #7

Just some random scrappy things to end your week with …

~*~ You know that “First” magazine you see in the supermarket checkout aisle? Well, buy THIS one … there is a scrapbooking article in it!

~*~ Word on the street is that Big Lots has older Cricut cartridges for 30 snaps. Okay, “the street” = “The PEAS,” you caught me! I’ll be checking my BL this weekend, but this is the store that got one lame shipment of Thickers when everyone else had tons of them, so I’m not holding out much hope. I guess for all the bad that comes from this seriously sucky economy, we will be seeing cooler items trickling down to the discount stores because of it. Mixed blessing, I guess…

~*~ Do you like scrapbooking novels? Well, did you know that JOANNA CAMPBELL SLAN has two scrapbooking mysteries out, and another one on the way for May 2010? I’ve read “Paper, Scissors, Death” and really enjoyed it. Now I need to get “Cut, Crop & Die” which has been out since summer. (Yeah, I’m totally lagging, cuz I DO want to read it!). Well, to tide us over until the next book comes out {details are HERE}, she shares a free scrapbooking short story HERE. She must’ve JUST finished writing it because there are some mentions in there about Twilight and the Tiger Woods situation. Timely, Miss Joanna, very timely… Anyway, it’s a fun story to devour with your next cup of coffee or tea. Enjoy!

~*~ What do you think of the January issue of CREATING KEEPSAKES? The Peas are talking about it HERE and, let me tell ya’, reviews are really mixed. I just got my copy and hope to pour through it this weekend, but have had a quick browse through and like what I see so far. It is definitely weird with all the usual suspects like Ali and Becky gone.

I’m putting off reading Lisa Bearnson’s last column ‘cuz I know I’m gonna cry. I had the pleasure of going on a week-long Mediterranean cruise with Lisa/CK in 2006, and she is THE nicest most caring lady you’d ever want to meet. It always kills me to hear her ripped apart by Mean Girls because I don’t think you can spend a week with someone and not see some mysterious evil side come out at some point, if it really does exist (which it obviously doesn’t). Yep, big Lisa fan here. Remind me to tell you about her on that cruise some time, k?

Oh gee, I seem to have gone off on a tangent. That NEVER happens, LOL! But back to the CK January issue … Your thoughts?

~*~ I am SO frick-frackin’ excited about a new product that MEMORY WORKS has coming out in January!! They have always sold all the latest and greatest products by other manufacturers {like Basic Grey, Fancy Pants, etc.}, but MW is coming out with their OWN line. I’ve seen some sneak peeks and it’s rockin’. Stay tuned…

~*~ Isn’t this an adorable layout from KELLY GOREE with Basic Grey “Sugar Rush”?

I love love LOVE the letters used in “reward” so I’m going to ask her how she did them. The SSS girls are thinking Silhouette and a sweet Sista named Lisa has offered to cut me something if I can find out which font it is.

ETA: Color me bummed. Kelly said “reward” is from the handwriting of a Basic Grey staff designer, and Kelly hand cut it. Alas, there is no way to replicate it. Even IF I could pretend to approach that gorgeous writing, there’s no way I’d have the skill or patience to hand cut it, LOL!

~*~ I shall leave you with the news that SCRAP SISTERS STUDIO (my home-away-from-home message board) is having an online crop this weekend. If you’re not already a member, join up and join in! Lots of fun chatting and doing challenges, sharing our work and ideas.

Have a wonderful weekend! Peace out.

Ali Edwards “Studio A” Leaving Creating Keepsakes Magazine

Read about it HERE on Ali’s blog….

This is a sad, sad day in Scrappy Land. After the December issue of CK (currently on newsstands), Ali Edwards and her “Studio A” column will be no more :( As of now, there are no plans for Ali to write any other features for CK, either.

The Peas are talking about it HERE, and the Scrap Sisters HERE

So can you read that great big writing on the wall, folks? Cuz I’m seeing it in big, black, ugly, capital letters: Creating Keepsakes magazine is on the way out.

Here are some of the signs I’m basing my opinion on:

BECKY HIGGINS leaves CK
– Crazy cheap CK subscription deals
LISA BEARNSON no longer does her monthly CK column after January 2010

Sorry, folks. I think CK is “done and done.” And I fear Scrapbooks Etc. is right behind them.

How many scrapbooking magazines will that leave us then? Oh, that’s right! NONE.

I gotta’ be honest here and say we have no one to blame but ourselves. I’ve heard time and time again on the message boards about scrappers dropping their scrap magazine subscriptions because they didn’t like this or that about the magazine. Now with Ali leaving CK, here comes another round of “Well, now for SURE I won’t renew!”

Do you see the parallel with the demise of the LSS? I sure do. “My LSS has the latest and greatest, but they (charge too much), (don’t kiss my butt when I walk in the door), (kiss my butt too hard when I walk in the door), (don’t order the exact brand and model number of product I want), (don’t have sales or coupons like the Big Box Stores),” etc. etc.

And guess what? The LSSs all closed while we scooped up coupons and Killer Deals at the big box stores. Hey, there are fewer choices, only major brands to choose from, and paper stacks galore, but at least it’s cheaper so we’re happy shoppers! Oh, wait, you mean if we don’t support the LSS and the variety of scrapbooking companies whose products they carry, the LSSs AND the scrapbooking manufacturers will go out of business?? Wha???

Well, yeah, that’s how it happens. And the same goes for scrapbooking magazines. We complained. We said, “Screw you. I don’t like exactly how you do your magazine, so I’ll just go get my content online for free from blogs and such!” We quit subscribing and buying from the newsstand. The newsstands stopped carrying scrap magazines, even for those of us who still want to buy them (but can no longer find them without searching). Scrapbooking magazines started folding. Did we stand strongly behind the remaining ones? No, we didn’t.

So now we have no Ali, Lisa, or Becky ~ three of the biggest scrapbooking names in the industry ~ and I think we can see where we’re going from here.

I’m not pointing fingers, believe me. First, because I know the horrible economy played a big hand in a lot of our decisions as scrappers. Second, because I did/do a lot of these same things, all in the name of saving money on scrap supplies. I did do everything I could to patronize my LSSs when they were here, but I live in a rural area and lost mine well before most others did. I did the best I could to support this industry, but I failed it in many ways, too.

I gotta’ say, I never gave up on the magazines, though. I criticized the changes at SB Etc. (because I thought they were making the wrong choice to save a struggling magazine), but I still bought it at full retail every month, as I did with every paper scrapbooking magazine out there. I really, really wanted to save them! I’m a Scrap Mag Ho, remember?

I just want us, as scrappers, to accept some of this responsibility. Ali is a symptom, not the problem or the cure. I will miss dearly the unique perspective she added to CK for years and years. I wish her great success in all she does in the future. I will miss her :(

When CK and SB Etc. disappear soon, I will miss them terribly, too. And I will have no one to blame but myself.

Fiskars Fingertip Craft Knife….Now Retractable!

I became a convert to the Fiskars Fingertip Craft Knife way back HERE in the day. I mean, ALI EDWARDS used it, so it must be cool, right?

And it is. With the fingertip knife, I have much better control when hand cutting things for my scrapbooking. It’s so much more comfortable to use and, being a FISKARS product, it’s great quality. What I use it for a lot is cutting off those little hanga majigger thingee pieces of paper that are left along the edge when you punch something out. I can’t stand those! Yeah, call me anal. Well, don’t really but….

Back when I bought the fingertip craft knife, it only came in one color: orange. So NOT my favorite color. But I was impatient and had to have one, so I bought one right away. Even though I figured, like the CROPADILE, BIG BITE and other tools, that it would first be issued in a fugly color but would eventually come out in cute colors like pink and purple.

Well, that’s what happened with the Fiskars fingertip knife….it eventually came out in cutie patootie pink and I sob a little every time I see that pink one at Target. I can’t justify buying a pink one, when my orange one is still working just fine, right?

Well, now I have found a good justification for buying a new fingertip craft knife…Fiskars has now come out with a version that is….

RETRACTABLE!!

Yep, the blade is now retractable. So if, like me, you suck in your breath a little every time your kids approach you working at your scrap desk, or you can be a bit clumsy and have nicked your fingertip a time or ten while putting the plastic cap on the blade, you are gonna’ be happy! And you now have permission to replace your old orange one. Well, at least I’m giving MYSELF permission. What you do with your life is up to you…

ISN’T SHE BEAUTIFUL???

Yes, black is not pink, purple, or green, I acknowledge that. Black is boring. Black is black. But Erika is impatient. Erika must have NOW. So Erika will have black.

Here’s what it looks like when the blade is retracted:

Here is the description of the FISKARS RETRACTABLE FINGERTIP CRAFT KNIFE, from the Fiskars website:

Features
The blade of this ergonomic fingertip knife retracts for cap-free storage. Insert your finger through the loop and let the natural motion and weight of you hand control your cutting.

• Slightly longer reach than original Fingertip Craft Knife positions hand away from project
• Includes hang clip for storage or to wear on a lanyard, and one standard No. 11 blade.
• Many uses including all crafts, school projects, household repairs and office tasks
• Ideal for cutting paper, cloth, balsa, acetate and other lightweight materials

The retail price according to the Fiskars site is $10.99 plus $6.95 shipping. HOWEVAH….I have a way to get these wholesale and would be happy to sell them for $10 each plus tax and shipping (which I’m pretty sure I can do for less than $6.95)…

If you think you MIGHT want to order one (no commitment necessary), please leave a comment here so I can get an idea how many to order. I’ll place the first order soon, so let me know :)

When I get them in stock, I’ll post something and let you know how to purchase…

Whether you might order from me or not…..you gonna get one of these babies???

No More Coupons on Books & Magazines at Michaels :(

I guess I heard about this a while back, but it didn’t really register in my scrapbrain because I wasn’t looking for any particular publication at the time. But now it has really hit me….You can’t use your Mike’s COUPON on books and magazines anymore. WTF?

Prediction: This will put a big hurt on the sales of scrapbooking idea books and magazines. A great number of us have been using our Mike’s coupons for years to purchase them at a price we can afford. And like I said HERE, I make a special trip to Mike’s when I hear that a new scrap mag issue or book has come out. While I’m there I always hit the scrapbooking aisle to grab 1 item…or 10. So, not only did they just lose my book/magazine purchase, but they lost all my extra trips into their store where I purchased other items every.single.time. Dumb, PEOPLE, just dumb. I have it on good authority {okay, it’s just the 2peas girlz, but pretend I have really good, TMZ-type underground connections}, that there is a rather large mark-up on books and magazines. So even if they’re selling them to us at 40% or 50% off with our coupons, they’re still making money. C’mon, Michaels, drop the stupid “no publications” policy. Just say “no returns” on the coupon instead (so we can’t color copy our favorite pages, then return them to the store for a refund) and everyone is happy.

God, who runs these companies anyway? I need a promotion. If ScrapbookObsession ran the world, it would be a MUCH better place, don’t you think? Let’s seeeeee….I would make EILEEN my Vice President because she is a rockin’ scrapper and appreciates fine MUSIC. I would make ALI EDWARDS my Secretary of State, because that chick could sell grungeboard to TIM HOLTZ. Anything she says or does….sells HUGE. Um, I would make KRISTINA CONTES my Chief of Staff because she takes shit from no one. It gets rowdy up in the hizzy sometimes, so I need someone with her huevos. And I would appoint STACY JULIAN as the Foreign Ambassador of Scrapbooking because she’s Altogether Too Happy; her sunny smile and cute shoes would spread the scrapbook joy across the world in record time. Yep, that’s a winning ticket!

{YES. It’s Friday night. NO. I have

    not

been drinking}.

What do you think…no, not about my Presidential cabinet, silly! About the stinky new Mike’s policy?

Fingertip Craft Knife by Fiskars

As a recent convert to the blessings of a craft knife ~ thanks to my Basic Grey MAGNETIC MATS ~ I was intrigued by this coolio FINGERTIP CRAFT KNIFE by FISKARS:

ft craft knife

ALI EDWARDS mentioned it on her blog HERE. I’d love to see a video or demo of this doo-hickey being used, wouldn’t you?

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