Browse Tag For

Michaels

Showing: 21 - 40 of 77 Articles

Archivers Asks for Holiday Customer Support – What Do You Think?

ARCHIVER’S scrapbooking chain sent out this e-mail recently. I’m not on their mailing list so I copied it from a posting online; I apologize for the lovely ‘chopped up’ quality :)






I’m on the West Coast and have never been to an Archiver’s, altough shopping there is on my Scrapbook Bucket List :) I’m rarely even in an LSS anymore – all of mine closed years ago – so the thought of being in a scrapbooking warehouse of sorts is pretty exciting! Alas, I’ll have to cross 2 large states to reach the closest one!

Archiver’s Locations:

But when added to their BANKRUPTCY NEWS from the recent past {where the irony of them shafting some of those small manufacturers they now propose to support has been mentioned} and now this e-mail, it’s starting to feel like another thing I’ll have to remove from the Bucket List as impossible {like seeing The Oprah Show in person, boo hoo}. In other words, I have to wonder: Will Archiver’s even be around by the time I can travel to one?

The message boards are blazing with reaction to the above Archiver’s e-mail. Here’s the gist of some of the comments, both good and bad:

– Archiver’s is clearly NOT a small business and trying to cast themselves as part of Small Business Saturday was tacky and unwarranted. While they ARE a small chain {33 stores} in comparison to big boxes MICHAELS {1000+ stores} and HOBBY LOBBY {800+ stores}, they do not meet the definition of a small business {25 locations or less; they missed it by 7}. Personally, I don’t read that they think they ARE a small biz, just that their continued existence helps to keep ‘small biz’ scrapbooking vendors alive. And that they are similar in many ways to a small business in that their home office and individual store staffs are relatively small. I was surprised to hear that only 30 home office employees run a chain of 33 stores; I had pictured a much bigger ‘corporate headquarters’ type of set-up.

– Archiver’s in the past seemed to be practicing “Goal: World Scrapbooking Domination”, putting stores in close proximity to local scrapbook stores {LSS’s}, which many feel was a targeted and successful attempt to shut the smaller stores down. So isn’t it ironic that they now would like to cast themselves as a ‘small business’ or small business supporter?

– Archiver’s has made other business mistakes – like employees who seem to lack scrapbooking knowledge or interest, installing Memory Labs in their stores which don’t seem overly popular, must’ve been hugely expensive, and take up lots of store space that used to hold product, etc. So to send this e-mail that seems to imply that it’s the customers’ faults that Archiver’s is struggling is like a slap in the face.

– Scrappers who do have Archiver’s stores nearby enjoy shopping there, feel they offer something special, and they try to support them with their dollars. Shoppers realize that if we as customers don’t show our support, i.e., spend our scrappy dollars there, we simply won’t have them as a choice eventually. And no one wants that :(

– The e-mail from Archiver’s didn’t bother some scrapbookers at all. They either found it harmless, just the truth being spoken, a necessary cry for help, etc.

Please remember, I stated these are not MY opinions per se, just a compilation of things I’ve seen expressed on the message boards.

Again, as someone who’s never shopped at Archiver’s, I can’t comment on their business practices, their employees, etc. But I can say that if I DID have an Archiver’s within driving distance, I would be there as much as possible. I do have other loyalties to keep with my scrapbooking dollar {as a MEMORY WORKS consultant since 2007, a lot of my dollars have gone there obviously … but they are closing effective 12-31-13} and other places I like to buy basics {Michaels, etc.}.

But I personally wouldn’t take offense to the Archiver’s e-mail. It would’ve opened my eyes to the dire straits they appear to be in, and would’ve renewed my interest in and commitment to shopping there. Hoping it wouldn’t be too little, too late for “us” to save them …

Are you an Archiver’s customer? What has been your experience with Archiver’s? Did the e-mail bother you or no? Do you think Archivers is on its way to closing down?

Even if you don’t have an Archivers close enough to shop at, I’d love to hear your opinions on this issue. Like THIS post I wrote a while back, scrapbooking stores, manufacturers, and customer support is an issue that’s going to keep coming up as more stores continue to fight to stay in business in these tough times … or give up when it’s no longer possible.

Do we as scrapbookers “owe” anything to these retailers? And if we don’t monetarily support them, are you okay if they close?

Please leave your Comments below!

Scrapbook Products: Scrapbooking Lap Desk at Michaels

I saw this when I was at Michaels recently and thought y’all might be interested in it. It’s a lapdesk specifically for scrapbookers made by Mike’s store brand, Recollections.

IMG_2328

I think it’s a clever idea. So many scrappers don’t have a designated scrapbook space, others like to sit in bed to scrap or join their family in front of the TV. OOH! Or you could use it on long car rides!

IMG_2329

The pink print is, well, kinda’ bright – but pink is one of my favorite colors so I’m down with that. And the price {retail $49.99} is a bit steep but they routinely put storage items on 40% or 50% off (if not, use a coupon!).

One the one hand, I don’t think I’d use that clip at the top on layouts as they probably intend for fear of damaging my paper. On the other hand, it could be handy to hold your pen, scissors, a journaling tag, etc.

What do you think? Do you like this new scrapbooking product at Michaels?

My Scrapbook Haul from Michaels

A sports season recently came to an end and, for being team mom, I was lucky enough to receive a beautiful card, a bottle of wine, and a Michaels $25 gift card. However did they know that I would enjoy a Mike’s spending spree!?!?

{Uh, maybe because I was the only obsessive picture taker all season who would drift away in the middle of conversations saying, “‘Scuse me I gotta’ get this shot …”}

So I drank the bottle of wine and went to Michaels.

JUST kidding! Sheesh. Give me a little credit. My Gawd.

.
.
.
I shopped first THEN drank the bottle of wine. Duh.

It was nice to go to Michaels for once when I wasn’t trying to pinch my pennies so hard they screamed for mercy. I felt kind of like the Real Housewife of Scrapbook County, leisurely strolling the aisles in my Jimmy Choos (okay, Reef flip-flops), carrying my Birkin bag (okay, Target $20 purse), with my long blonde straw-like hair extensions flowing behind me (okay, that part is true).

But I really did feel kinda’ reckless, like I could have a little bit of fun – instead of my usual M/O of finding one item to use my 40% coupon for and leaving within 5 minutes.

So here is my Michaels scrapbook haul – and despite being Real-Housewife-Rich, I did get some great deals anyway:

~~~~~~~~

GCD and Sticko alphas, both really cute for kid pages. Both styles were on sale for $1.49/pack.

IMG_1860

I feel compelled to buy 2 of every alpha now because I’m so tired of running out of S, T, and vowels before I’m done with a pack.

~~~~~~~~

Okay, I admit I’m obsessed with these MAMBI pocket page cards. It’s only gotten worse since I wrote THIS POST. Many of my aforementioned “one item with a coupon” Mike’s trips have been to get these packs. But I’m done now. I officially have every single pack that I want. I think. Yeah. I’m pretty sure. Maybe.

NO REALLY. I’M DONE. FER SHURE. LIKE.

IMG_1861

So they retail for $4.99 a pack. The sign said 50% off so I grabbed the remaining 3 packs I wanted to complete my ‘set’ for $7.50 instead of $15 … SCORE! However, when I got to the register and asked to make sure they rang up for $2.50 each, I was informed that what the sign ACTUALLY said was “Buy 1, get 1 50% off.” Uh der. Make that $12.50 total, oops. Oh well, I’m a Real Housewife, what do I care?

I thought about returning one and using a coupon on it later. But then I figured I’ll just keep it and not have to worry about remembering what pack I still need, etc. Done. See? I really mean it. {I think}.

~~~~~~~~~

Thickers chipboard alpha in a cute map print

IMG_1862

I was able to ring these up separately with a 40% off coupon so they were $3.23. Here’s what’s funny. I noticed when I was taking the photo that they are in the totally wrong package! Did you catch that? Weird. Whatevs. That doesn’t make me love them any less.

~~~~~~~~~

To round up the scrappy portion of my haul …

IMG_1863

Bazzill kraft cardstock – On sale for 47 cents a sheet x 10 sheets = $4.70. In retrospect, since I was Real Housewives rich, I should’ve gotten more. I lurve kraft cardstock. I used it a lot for my base pages. It’s like a good pair of jeans – it goes with everything.

MAMBI “I Heart Dad” 3-D sticker for $1.99

Recollections vintage looking black/white washi tape $2.99

Recollections star bling $1.49

Bling charm letter $.99

~~~~~~~~~~

Then from the home dec section, I got a yummy candle and cute vase with fake flowers for my home office/scrap room.

IMG_1859

These blue-y greens are my absolute favorite colors and the bottle/vase is so “me”. Not in a Real Housewife sort of way but in my poor country girl kind of way. The flowers have bling in the center of each one but I may need to thin them out a bit, do you think? The candle is Ocean scented.

Vase $3.99 on sale
Candle $3.99 on sale
Flowers $6.99 minus 40% coupon = $4.19

~~~~~~~~~~

Grand total $48.10
Minus gift card $25.00
Total paid $30.10

I was on a shopping high for quite a while from this trip! And I’ve already volunteered to be Team Mom again next season ;)

What are your latest Michaels finds? Or if you’re brave enough to share, what did you spend on your last scrapbook haul? Really you can tell us! Real Housewives never tell …

New Program at Michaels: “Buy the Bunch” Special Order or Buy in Bulk Program

Buy the Bunch at Michaels

Well, this is pretty cool! There’s a new program at Michaels call “BUY THE BUNCH” where you can call ahead to your local Michaels, make a special order, and have it delivered to the store for pickup. There are no minimum quantities and your order may qualify for discounts. I used the locator thingee and my 3 closest stores participate in the program, yip!

I think this would be great or brides-to-be needing a bunch of candles or favors, cardmakers who buy cards and envies in bulk, or teachers who need multiples of an item for a school project. Or even if you’re just a regular ol’ shopper like me and the item you want is missing from the shelf. Ooh, I wonder if you could pair this with one of those 20% off your total order coupons? That would be double coolio!

Anyway, just wanted to share about this new program in case it might come in handy for ya’ at some point :)

Hurry! Iris 12×12 Scrapbooking Containers – Daily Deal at Michaels

Wow, THIS is a great deal on these Iris containers! Only $3.99. Don’t they normally sell for $7.99?

I love these and have several of the clear ones. I use them to store album projects I’m working on because I can keep all the papers, stickers, alphas, even the album in one place, then grab it when I have time to work on it.

It’s only good for 1 day: Wednesday 4-18-12. So hurry!

New Scrapbook Organization Storage Seen @ Michaels

I was at MICHAELS today for the first time in a long while. I had a 3-pronged mission:

1. Get my kids another craft or two so I don’t go cray-cray before Thankgsgiving break is over.

2. Use the 40% off coupon in my wallet.

3. Buy my annual bag of cinnamon-scented pinecones. It’s just not the holiday season here without them :)

So I accomplished all 3 missions, actually combining #2 and #3 by using the coupon on a $10 kids’ craft. Got my cinnamon pinecones … mmm, the car smelled so good on the way home. Oh, and these jumped into my hand so I had to get them, too:

k & company sequin flowers

They’re called “Elizabeth Brownd Christmas Sequin Adhesive Gems” by K & Company. They are so pretty and sparkly in person!

So while I was at Michaels I also saw some new storage items that could be used for scrapbooking organization and my favorite one was THIS (I’m linking to another site because I can’t find it on Michaels.com):

Iris custom front storage drawer for scrapbooking

There was no price on the shelf but it looks like they retail for about $50 … which is steep for sure … unless you have a 40% or 50% off coupon, girlie! Or wait for all their scrapbook storage to go on sale as it often does.

So many of us scrappers use Iris bins, carts, and drawers to store our crap … erm, I mean, SCRAP stuff. I love how you can personalize the front of these drawers, even the handle! You could put in fabric or wallpaper that matches your room decor, a photo collage of your favorite people, or even a 12×12 scrapbook page with room to spare (we just gotta’ figure out how to work around that knob handle being right in the middle of our artwork, lol). You could also add a label of what’s inside.

Anyway, just wanted to share a few of my Michaels finds! I hope you have an amazing and blessed Thanksgiving surrounded by family and friends … and yummy food!

Michaels Coupons for Halloween 2011

Some good coupons this week at MICHAELS, which is the only B&M store with scrapbook supplies that I have regular access to. That makes me Halloween Happy!

Here are my 2 faves:
40% any one regular priced item
25% of entire regular price purchase

Yeah, there are all kinds of exclusions in the fine print as usual. But I can always find some kinda’ thing to spend them on. I haven’t been to Mike’s recently but ~ with coupons in hand ~ I’ll be checking them out today … yep, they expire Friday 10/28/11. EEK!

What have you bought at Michaels lately?

New at Michaels: Laptop Stickers, Cellphone Bling, and Wall Stickers by MAMBI

I found these at MICHAELS the other day and snatched up a few things. But first, here’s the scoop: Me and My Big Ideas now has removable stickers that you can put on your laptop, cellphone, even your walls.

Laptop Stickers, Cell Phone Bling, and Wall Stickers

I bought the cute black letters with my 40% off coupon for my kids’ bedroom walls; also these laptop stickers. I’m gonna’ have to work the designs around the pretty apple on my laptop lid … but that’s fine :)

Here are pics of the endcap at Michaels that had the MAMBI stickers …

I’m not putting them on my computer yet … because I saw some on their website that I actually like better. I’m going to check my other Michaels and see if I can find them. If not, no big whoop … I’ll just use the ones I have.

Have these made it to your Michaels yet? Do you like them? Get some?

Copic Markers Now at Michaels

Pssst! Word on the street (and by that I mean “scrapbook message boards”) is that MICHAELS now carries the ever-so-popular COPIC markers!

While you can apparently get them for a cheaper price at some online stores, at Michaels you can (at least at this point) use a 40% coupon not to mention the instant gratification. Plus you don’t have that pesky shipping charge. {I notice they have some Copic tips on their website HERE}.

I don’t know nuthin’ about Copics myself. I’m not a cardmaker (oh, the cards I’ve attempted are just dreadful … you should see them … a crime against humanity, I tell ya’).

I’m just a scrapper. Who tries to avoid getting hooked on new things like Copics which anyone can plainly see are a slippery slope of wanting more and more in every color then needing a place to store them and a book to record all your colors and … PHEW! Before you know it, they’ve taken over your life and Copics are all you can think about. Mmmmm … pretty colors …

“Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”

It’s just something I’ve purposely tried to avoid. See, the thing is, okay, well, erm … confession time:

My name is Erika and I’ve been addicted to Stickles.
My name is Erika and I’ve been addicted to acrylic stamps.
My name is Erika and I’ve been addicted to paper stacks.

My name is Erika and I *AM* addicted to Basic Grey …
… and October Afternoon
… and Simple Stories
… and THICKERS {Lordy, lordy, Thickers, why can’t I QUIT ya’???}

So. I am trying to be older and wiser here with the Copics. I’m trying to be all Maya Angelou and say, “When you know better, you do better.” Well, I know I have Scrap-Addictive Personality Disorder so the last thing I need to do is latch on to another new thang like these here Copics.

But for the rest of ya’alls?? Pssst … word on the street is that Michaels now sells Copics … ;)

Making Memories Grab Bag at Michaels

I was at Mike’s today with my 40% off coupon in hand, roaming the aisles for something I really “needed” to spend it on. I finally settled on a 12×12 pre-done scrapbook page and frame. It had the perfect colors for my scrap room, soft blues and greens, a touch of pink. I could slip a family photo in the blank spot, add a bit of journaling, and have a nice little addition to my wall. The frames are by Recollections and go for $19.99.

I also grabbed some of the 8.5×11 white cardstock because I’m almost out; it’s on sale at Mike’s this week 4 for $10 (it’s normally $4 per pack). They had other colors and also combinations of colors, but I just need white :)

Anyhow, right in front of the registers was a bin with MAKING MEMORIES “grab bags” … HOLLAH! Well, wait, here was my actual reaction to seeing these:

Hollah!

I love Making Memories!

Wow, great deal.

Oh. Wait. I need more MM like I need more patterned paper. {Which is to say … I don’t}.

Crap on a stick.

But but but … how does one pass up a dealio like this?

Srsly?

Set. The Making Memories pack. Down. Okay, good. Now walk away.

But but but!!

(Sigh).

Alright, go ahead and get the stupid MM then. You know it’s an amazing deal. You really have no choice. Enjoy.

So I did. What exactly was in the packs did vary so I took a few minutes to see which one had the most items I would use. And items that I didn’t already have, hee :) I found a good one, put the Recollections frame back where it came from, and bought the MM pack with the 40% off coupon.

Not only did I get $50 worth of product for $19.99 (as the front of the package says), I got $50 worth of stuff for about $12. I’ll add some photos as soon as my computer cooperates, but in the meantime here are the items I got for 12 buckaroons:

{All images are from the Making Memories website ~ THANKS MM!}

These letters but in light blue …

Both of these are chipboard 12″ border strips, super cute …

Similar to these mini letters but in red glitter ….

There were also 13 chipboard clocks but I can’t find them online anywhere so no photo … :(

I found the GLITTER BLING STICKERS on their site, but not the three shapes I got: black fleur de lis, smiley face, and lightening bolt. I also got a pack of old-school Wire Words that are not on their site at all.

14 items for 12 bucks … swoon!

And as if I didn’t already feel pretty damn good about myself, now I’m doing the right thing and telling YOU about it.

I mean, c’mon, people, it just doesn’t get much better than that … am I right? You KNOW I’m right.

My advice to you is this: If you want to feel really good about yourself right now, you’ll march down to MICHAELS with your coupon and get one of these Making Memories grab bags … and then tell a friend. You will SO be doing the right thing ;-)

WDYT? 1 Million Views of “Scrapbook Obsession” by 12-31-11?

Can you believe it? My little ol’ Scrapbook Obsession blog has been around for almost 4 1/2 years and, as of 4/30/11, has received over 874,000 hits. I *know*, right? Pretty cool.

Hold up for a second. Do you ever watch the Miley Cyrus skit they do on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE? “Pretty cool.”

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GsVX2OdEIY&feature=related]

Okay, now you see why saying “pretty cool” made me think of Miley, right? But back to the actual topic of this post …

Let’s cut to the chase: I want to hit the 1 Million Views landmark by December 31, 2011. That will be just prior to my five-year blogiversary in January 2012. Do you think we can do it?

I thought I’d look at my stats from the past and see if this is even a do-able goal:

2007: 56,218
2008: 240,095
2009: 250,702
2010: 241,045
2011: 86,364 (as of 4/30/11)

I’ll need to get 126,000 more hits in the next 8 months. I’m thinking it can be done! Here are some topics I predict would help generate enough clicks to put me over the top:

Donna Downey Contro #3
Photos of new items at Michaels, Tuesday Morning, Big Lots, etc.
Anything Martha Stewart

Hee! That’s all tongue-in-cheek. But my blog definitely gets more looks when I post about scrapbook industry controversies, fo’ sho’. Other popular posts are the shopping ones. Yeah, there are a bunch of you scrappers after my own heart. The shopping is a VERY crucial part of scrapbooking, no doubt about it :)

There have been 4,307 comments left and I have 145 active subscribers (THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!). I hope to reach 5,000 comments and 200 subscribers by my deadline of 12/31/11. These goals might be harder to reach but I’m going for it.

What kinds of posts are your favorites or what kinds of things would you like to see here?

Other than this kind of thing, I mean …

Because I don’t post gratuitous beefcake photos. This is a scrapbooking blog, people! Stay focused!

{Wait. Maybe we could get Patrick Dempsey to pose shirtless with a scrapbook. That would work, right? Okay, I’ma have my people call his people and see what we can work out}.

Okay, now let’s get started on this million hits project, shall we? Sheesh.

Scrapbook Haul: Tuesday Morning, Michaels, Beverly’s

Well, I haven’t written a good “scrapbook haul” post in a while so here you go :) These are treasures I’ve collected over the last month or so.

These are from TUESDAY MORNING:

2-packs of Thickers for $3.99 each

These were the last 3 sets and I actually liked them all. Yes, the teal ones have come unstuck and are falling off the sheet but that’s okay. I run most of my Thickers through my Xyron “X” anyway. The chipboard and vinyl ones are notoriously un-sticky in the long-term.

On the left are “Paper Crush” by COLORBOK journaling stickers. You get 6 stax with 12 sheets per stack. I thought these would be really cute on school pages.

On the right are 2 sets of Sticky Alphas by Colorbok. These 3 things sold together for $3.99 … great price!

Here’s a Scrapbook Paper Kit by HEIDI SWAPP. The line is called “Street Smarts” and has some really cool-looking papers … think skater dude, sports dude, cool dude … that kind of thing :) The papers are cardstock-thick, double-sided, and you get 20 of them. The retail price was $19.99; got it for $3.99.

The 2 sets of chipboard letters were only $2.99. I was so glad to find these again. I’ve used the black and white set a couple of times and need more! They look really striking on a page. The stack of notepads are going to great use on my desk. The 3-pack of American Crafts Flair was a great deal at $3.99. The Dear Lizzy one is my favorite.

Do you see anything wrong with this picture? Specifically, the price tag? Yes, there is just one epoxy embellishment there, and while the price of $1.99 could seem reasonable, I still thought it was mis-priced. The retail price shows as $8.99. Um, yeah. I showed it to the cashier when I checked out. It took me a few times explaining it before she would believe me, but 1 pack of epoxy stickers, no matter how stinkin’ cute, would not sell for $8.99 retail. Unless they were made of crushed diamonds or something. I think they were meant to be bundled in packs of 2 or 3. I don’t know if they really fixed them but, hey, I did my civic duty, right?

In case anyone is in the market for a Cub Scouts 12×12 album, Tuesday Morning has ’em!

They also had a lot of paper packs by the likes of AMERICAN CRAFTS. However, they were the 25 sheets of the same paper kind so I didn’t get any. But for those of you who do classes, kits, etc., this is a great deal.

Tuesday Morning also had the Making Memories “Hulabulu” packs, and lots of 12×12 postbound albums … I just didn’t get photos.

I got some books at BARNES and NOBLE. The one you might be interested in is on the top … “Tragic Magic” by LAURA CHILDS. She writes a series of scrapbooking murder mysteries set in the Big Easy that I really enjoy. Been waiting to see this one in paperback since I don’t usually “do” hardcovers.

I got these three older issues (April, May, and June 2010) of Scrapbook Trends magazines online recently. They were having a clearance sale for $5 an issue. I think these sell new for $15 each so I was happy to find the sale. It’s true what they say … these are more like idea books that magazines so well worth the dough.

These were from a message board “for sale” section. I love it when people clean out their scrap rooms and sell stuff I want for dirt cheap, LOL! I got collection packs of Basic Grey “Black Tie” for $5, Scenic Route “Background” for $6, and she only charged me $4 shipping. AND threw in some Anna Griffin border stickers for free. Awesome blossom!

These are the bling stickers from Michaels I mentioned in a PAST POST. Purdy, huh? You get 2 layers worth.

The rest of these things are from BEVERLY’S CRAFTS

I had a 40% off coupon and was going to use it on the Making Memories storage jars (I’m re-doing my ribbon organization), but when I got the check-out, she told me they were on sale for 40% off. So the coupon went to one of the Basic Grey “Jovial” items. Then some Tiny Type alpha stickers that I can’t seem to get enough of. I guess you know what I’m using to scrap Christmas in this year, eh? Love these colors …

Come to find out, I should’ve gotten another set of the jars. After getting my ribbon sorted, I realized I need 3 more and I can’t find them at Michaels anymore. Shukes.

Have you heard of Studio 112? It’s a new line of scrappy stuff I’ve been seeing around. Here are the pretty lasercut papers they had.

Yep, every single thing was only 99 cents.

Bling, flowers, all kinds of embellishments …

Even some borders …

I dunno’, it wasn’t really my style. Some of the lasercut papers were pretty but nothing really blew my dress up. To each their own … maybe you’ll love it. At that price, you should at least check it out! M’kay?

Have you had any great shopping finds lately?

Michaels Halloween Scrapbook Stuff * Now on Clearance

I was in Mike’s last weekend and noticed that a lot ~ if not all ~ of their Halloweenie stuff was on Clearance. Cuz, people, they are makin’ room for Christmas already! There were lots of empty shelves and the Mike’s employees were busy moving and shaking thing up.

I took these photos back in late August 2010 and never did get around to posting them. I assume your shelves, like mine, will be less full of Halloween stuff at this point, but it gives you an idea of some items they might still have …

Last weekend, I got these 2 Martha Stewart “Cracks” Around the Page punches. I went in there with another of my “50% off all Martha” coupons, found these punches on the clearance rack, and proudly marched up to the cashier knowing that I could use my coupon on the more expensive edge punch … because Mike’s coupons don’t work on sale items from the ad, but are okay on Clearance items (at least they used to be; I haven’t tried it in a while).

HOWEVAH … the Mike’s clerk got me in a smackdown! She pointed out that the Martha coupon specifically says that it’s not to be used on Clearance items. Touche’, Mike’s Girl, touche’.

But I still got a great deal … the corner edger for $5 and the border edge punch for $7; even as a combo pack, these retail for $25 … so I saved over 50% anyway.

FINAL SCORE: Michaels chick 1, Scrapbook Obsession 1

HERE is a cool video showing how to use this punch. Check it, homegurl!

Have you picked up any of these great Halloween deals?

What Did You Get with Your 50% Off Coupon?

I didn’t see it, but I guess MARTHA STEWART was on the OPRAH show last week. There was a related coupon at MICHAELS for 50% off her products. {Um, Martha’s products, not Oprah’s, silly! But, hey, who knows? Everyone seems to be jumping on the bandwagon of having a scrapbook line lately. Oh, wait, Oprah hates scrapbooking and scrapbookers. So that wouldn’t work, would it? But I digress …}

My friend ABBY was nice enough to clue me in to this cool coupon, and sent me a copy when I was remiss in printing it before it *poof* disappeared. Man, scrappy-shopper friends have your back like no other friends, don’t they?

I used mine to finally get the MS LARGE CIRCLE CUTTER that I’ve been eyeing for a while, but didn’t want to pay 25 snaps for.

I don’t know what the frick is up with those 3 little dangly earrings. What? They want you to dress up to use the thing? Sheesh, Martha! We’ve always known you to be a demanding little priss, but this is a bit much! SRSLY

I was going to use my Labor Day 50% off coupon on one of these, but then horror of horrors, I never got to Mike’s that week. I can’t BELIEVE I let a 50% off coupon go to waste, LOL! Yep, put me in scrap shopper jail because I committed a big crime.

Michaels also had Buy One, Get One Half Off their stickers so I got 2 packs of Recollections bling flourishes ~ purple and clear ~ so pretty. I’m going to add the purple flourishes to my Wicked layout to pump up the volume (DANCE! DANCE!) (Sorry, I couldn’t resist).

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY4ntrZh7qY]

HERE is what the Peas got with their coupons. Looks like popular items were the fringe scissors, scoring board, large circle cutter, and around the page punches.

What did you spend your recent “50% off all that is Martha” coupon on?

Scrapbook Shopping: Michaels and Tuesday Morning

Here are some pics from recent trips to Michaels …

This is the new “Traveler” line by Me and My Big Ideas (MAMBI). I love the color combo of ocean-y blues and greens, peaches/yellows/oranges, and black/white. It has a vintage feel but modern at the same time, which made me think of my friend ABBY and the Seattle album she’s working on … Wonder if she’ll like this line?

I think I’ve shown you the Recollections and Prima on the left side of this photo, but the gorgeous butterflies and pretty flower packs on the right are new ….

All kinda’ bling bling … Please ignore any SALE signs, as these sales are no longer going.

This was a whole endcap of new Making Memories embellishments called “Design Shop” which reminded me so much of Jolee’s, I had to wonder if they’re owned and/or made by the same company.

Some cute things here … these were 2 of my favorites. It’s hard to tell, but many of them are 3-D

Here are some recent purchases of mine from Michaels. Aren’t the Recollections trims cute? The red hearts are felt, then the 2 ribbons, and the turquoise dingle balls … so fun! The Super Mom stuff from MAMBI is chipboard and really pretty shades of pink and green. That color combo always makes me happy :) The school stickers by MAMBI on the right are epoxy, and I love the circle shape where you can cluster 3 together, or use 1 on a card for your favorite teacher. I bought them to use on yearbook pages and teacher “thank you” cards.

The Making Memories “Passport” metal clips on the bottom are from Target. I just thought they were purdy.

That’s it for Mike’s.

Now you’re asking, “What in the heck do throw pillows have to do with scrapbooking?” Well, I found these at Costco for a great price and they’re for the couch in my scrapbook room. It doesn’t show up great in the photo, but the color is really pretty … it’s like a lighter or muted robin’s egg blue. It’ll go nicely with all the other blues and greens, pale yellow, and white in my space. Another great thing is that they are durable – made from a thick, linen-textured fabric that will hold up well to my kids piling on them and many years of me lying back on them to read my scrapbook magazines and idea books. So glad I found these …

Lastly, here are some recent finds from TUESDAY MORNING

These are all from Making Memories, the little flower jars and a metal tin of flowers. The jars are plastic and I’ll reuse them when I’m done for storage on my stamp shelf. I love that you get a length of green and white ribbon, too. The tin is deceiving so be careful if you buy them. I haven’t opened the tin yet, but I noticed in the store when I was deciding whether to buy them that – no – the tin is not FILLED with flowers. There is one layer of them pressed against the little window, then it’s all padding underneath. So be aware that you’re not getting very many flowers in this package. To me, it was worth it because I’m going to re-use the tin and because of the discounted price.

As you can see here, the jars and the tin cost $1.99 each.

My best find was this set of paper ribbons by K&Co.!! You get 4 packages in a variety of colors and styles for only $3.99. I believe these retail for $3.99 PER PACK, so to get 4 packs for that price is amazing. They are so pretty in person, especially the one on the far right with the distressed colors. But they’re all very nice.

So those are my latest shopping adventures! Did you see anything you like?

More Photos of the New Stuff and Set-Up at Michaels

I hope you had a wonderful National Scrapbooking Day! I know a lot of you made a weekend of it, which is awesome. If you haven’t already, please go HERE and play my NSD games. There are 3 games with 3 nice prizes. You can enter all 3, and you have until this Friday at midnight PST! Go play now, then come back and read about Michaels. This post ain’t going anywhere :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

In THIS POST from last week, I showed some photos that my friend had taken at HER Michaels. Well, I have since been to MY Michaels and have more photos to share. I was surprised to find that some of the changes to products and the way they’re displayed have actually reached my Mike’s.

Here are the spinny racks that I was so sure I would never see at my store. But there they were!

Personally, I don’t care for the Recollections paper line on this side ….


.
.
.

… but both of these lines are very pretty. I especially love that 2nd paper on the left with the Eiffel Tower.


.
.
.

So now to the whole “sorting by theme” thing. My Michaels has had two of these sections for a while now: Baby and Travel. Here is the Baby section; it’s in the same place as before but it looked like they had added some new things.


.
.
.

Obviously, here is the Travel section. More on this later …


.
.
.

These were new: “Fresh Glitter” and “Fresh Flocking” by STUDIO G. That’s the same company who makes the MIKE’s $1 STAMPS. These monochromatic packs are only $1 each, too. I’m not a huge glitter fan but I would like to try flock one of these days. I wonder if this stuff is good quality.


.
.
.

These plastic storage items were new, at least to my store.


.
.
.

As you can see, we’re still in transition, LOL! This will be the rack of new Jolee’s that I posted a pic of in that last entry I linked to.


.
.
.

Now that I’ve seen them closer, I can’t say as I like them a huge lot. For instance, these are super glittery which is not my fave.


.
.
.

There were also some new alphas including these puffy and glittery alphas by ATD. I really like the size, font, and colors of these letters. At $4.99, they qualify for future coupon usage, lol.


.
.
.

More on themes … Sorry the photos are blurry but I noticed that all the military, police, and fire embellies had been gathered here, regardless of manufacturer.


.
.
.

Same thing with Family stuff. Yes, we already had a few sections of family-related items before, but now ANYTHING that has to do with family is in one spot.

They had also divided everything else up into themes, like Christmas, Halloween, Fall, Sports, etc. I still don’t think I like it. For one thing, with all the different size and style of packages in one place, it looks messy. Also, it’s going to be hard to find when they’ve added something new and it’ll be impossible to search by manufacturer. Two of my favorite sections before were where they put all of the SOFT SPOKEN and the K&Co. embellishments. Now those will be all parceled out and displayed by theme instead. Again, how are we to tell if something new is added? That’s going to be a big ol’ PITA.
.
.
.

All of these 12×12 open stock papers were new to me.


.
.
.

Isn’t that white lace doily paper pretty?


.
.
.

Finally, just wanted to share these new Recollections for Kids stickers. I’m sure kids will love them. They are bright, colorful, and fun!

Love the pear, the lollipop, and the gum ball machine.

Don’t forget … go play my NSD games! Now, before you forget, LOL :)

I’ve Got Photos of the New Scrapbooking Stuff at Michaels!

I have one of the best scrappy friends in the world. She lives in another part of the country and we’ve never met in person, but she always has my back. To that end, when she was at her Michaels today and saw all the new stuff and the new store layout … she KNEW I’d want to see pictures, and she knew I’d want to share them with you.

So, here are photos provided by “mah gurrrll” Abby …

This is new Jolee’s. Can you believe it?!?! Totally different packaging from their usual. I’ve never really been a Jolee’s girl, but there are some really cute things here. I might just become a convert …

Some pretty and unique Jolee’s border strips …

Finally! Some new THICKERS!! Suh-WEET! And those look like some pretty textured papers in nice colors.

Here’s one of the new “themed” sections: Christmas.

A wider view … This looks SO different from how my Michaels is set up. Mine has the really tall racks with shelves on top where they store extra stock. This store has lower racks and pretty little signs.

Here’s a new kit called “The Merry Days of Christmas” by MY MINDS EYE

… and a new 8.5″ x 8.5″ paper pad called “Sleepy Tree” (I think) by K&COMPANY. I can’t read it perfectly in the photo, and there’s nothing called “Sleepy Tree” K&Co’s website … but that isn’t saying much. Sometimes the stores have things that aren’t on the manufacturer’s website.

Looks like some new kits and stacks, and down in the bottom left corner, did you see? BASIC GREY “Ambrosia” and “Eva” paper stacks! My Michaels has had these as open stock papers but not as a stack.

New Recollections single papers. I see some really pretty colors and designs there. Does your Mike’s have tall racks sitting out in the middle of the floor like this? Mine doesn’t. Gasp! That almost resembles and LSS!

Here’s the new MARTHA STEWART Scoring Board. Apparently, this is the hot new item to have. I’m plugging my ears and singing “la la la” because I don’t NEED another expensive tool in my life. I don’t, I don’t, I DON’T! {But it does look cool!}

Remember when I posted HERE and HERE about the themed sections that were “coming soon.” Well, they’re finally here, LOL! In THIS discussion at 2peas, there seems to be a general dissatisfaction with the whole “sorted by theme” idea. Some scrappers feel it’s being done to cater only to the beginning scrapbooker who wanders in to solely do a baby, wedding, Christmas, or travel scrapbook. The feeling is that more seasoned scrapbookers (get it? seasoned? Christmas? huh? huh?) like us shop not by theme but by brand name and/or by item type.

Now I know this is a selfish perspective but, wth, this is my blog and my opinion: I want Michaels sorted the way my scrapbook room is organized, which is to say, by brand name for the most popular brands, then by item type and color beyond that. But, no, Michaels Corporate did not ask ME, did they? Boy, they’d better not ever ask me stuff … ‘cuz I will tell them! Huh. They would rue the day, baby.

Okay, say Michaels corporate ever did ask me. Here are the top 5 things I would tell them:

1. Less Jolee’s, more Thickers.

2. Bring back coupons on books and magazines. At least on books, come ON!

3. Do NOT. Under any circumstances. Organize by theme. And keep all the alphas in one place.

4. Make “knowledge of scrapbooking” a condition of hire.

4a. Better yet, hire me. Make me Director of Scrapbook Buying, Merchandising, Publicity, and Employee Training.
I will make you millions and jillions of dollahs.

5. Anything that has been on your racks for more than 6 months … CLEARANCE. Then get new stuff.

I swear to G, they still have things in Michaels that were there when I first discovered it back in two-thousand-ought-two. Hello? Take the loss already and move on, Mike’s.

Okay, this was not meant to turn into a MIke’s Rant Post, so very sorry. This is actually a Happy Mike’s post. Yay! We are so happy they got some new stuff! We are happy we have new things to bust out our coupons on! We are so happy they are getting OCTOBER AFTERNOON! Rah rah, Mike’s!

Okay, now tell me about your Mike’s. Got all this new stuff yet? What have you bought recently? What new items are you most looking forward to if, like me, you still have the same old stuff?

Oh, and tell me your feelings on the whole “sort by theme” debate. Don’t be shy … yea or nay?

Michaels News, Chip Art by Melody Ross, and Other Scrappy Stuff

Okay, time for some scrappy randomness!

~ You know how for the last many months on my blog, I’ve been torturing you with lame photos I’ve taken with my iPhone because my camera bit the big one? Well, I’m happy to report that I FINALLY got a new camera! It’s nothing super fancy, but it takes WAY better photos than my phone, LOL.

Here is the lovely I got:

It’s a Kodak Easyshare Z915 and the feature I love the most if the 10x zoom! It’s basically the updated version of the camera I used to have, the Kodak Easyshare DX6490, which I luh-huh-huved. My new camera retails for $200 but I found it at WALMART.COM for $121 and a few dollars shipping.

Happy happy joy joy!

~ NATIONAL SCRAPBOOKING DAY is coming up: Saturday, May 1st! I’m going to have something going on here at the Scrapbook Obsession blog that day, including a contest and a game, with PRIZES! I hope you’ll put that on your calendar and stop by on May 1st, or soon after :)

~ I was contacted recently by someone with a cool scrapbook-related product. They’re supposed to send me several free items to give away to you, my lovely readers. I don’t want to say too much until the package arrives, but consider yourself teased!

~ Word on the street is that MICHAELS will soon be resetting their scrapbook aisles and the reset will include OCTOBER AFTERNOON and SASSAFRASS! A rumor could be just a rumor, but it would make sense given all the things they had on clearance lately, the empty racks, and the fact that products from CHA-Winter 2010 are hitting the market as we speak. I hope Mike’s really does get the October Afternoon. Without an LSS, I don’t have anywhere locally to get any and I love their new lines (samples below), THE THRIFT SHOP and FLY A KITE, respectively:

~ Speaking of new products hitting the market, I haven’t given you an update of what MEMORY WORKS has new in stock … but I will soon. However, I do want to point out right now – since so many people are looking for these – is that we do have a bunch of the CHIP ART TOOLS AND METAL STAMPS by GCD and MELODY ROSS!!! Here’s a peek at just one of the many items we carry:

I saw these demo’d recently and think this will be the new “frenzy” item, aka the hot thing that everyone wants. Check out the GCD BLOG to see some projects the Chip Art products have been used on. I would love to help you get these GCD items! My website is HERE. Directions on how to place an order and how to contact me with questions are HERE.

Scrapbook Magazines vs. Papercraft and Cardmaking Magazines

Of course, we scrapbookers all know about the demise and downturn of scrapbooking magazines in the past few years. We’ve lost Simple Scrapbooks, DIGITAL SCRAPBOOKING, and MEMORY MAKERS. We’ve seen changes to the number of issues with SCRAPBOOKS ETC. and Creating Keepsakes.

For some down and dirty facts, check out this report about the 2009 scrapbook magazine industry … PART ONE, PART TWO, and PART THREE.

When I was at Michaels recently, I noticed that the papercrafting and cardmaking magazines don’t seem to be suffering the same fate. And what the hell is up with that?!?! As “our” magazines dwindle, theirs seem to be multiplying.

Keep in mind that even more magazines are hidden behind the ones that are showing. The magazine rack at Barnes and Noble looks similar.

Admittedly, I haven’t read through the 3 long “state of the industry” articles I linked to above. Maybe the answer is in there, but skimming them, I didn’t find it.

What do you think is going on? Do papercrafting and cardmaking have that many more participants than scrapbooking? Have they not yet hit the bubble and then downslide that the scrapbooking magazines did, but their time is coming? What do you make of this? I honestly can’t scrounge up a good explanation. Please ‘splain it to me, Lucy …

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...