Okay, I love Christmas as much as the next person. And that green and red blog theme I had going on was kick ass. But, sadly, it had to go. The formatting was too wonky and hard to read in some instances. It was a good learning experience ~ I learned that 3-column blog formats don’t work for me. (If I were smart enough or had time enough to fit my pictures to the space allowed on the blog, it would’ve been fine. But me: Not smart, no time). So back to Boring-ville with the plain blog format. I had the old format called “Blix” for almost a year, so it’s time for a different boring blog format. After previewing my blog in the bazillion choices offered by WordPress, I’ve chosen this one called “Shocking Blue and Green.” Cool name at least. Blue and green are my favorite colors so I think we have a winna’!
I am slowly making other changes too, like adding lots of new CKMB’er blogs to my blog roll. I’m also removing the word ‘blog’ after everyone’s name (i.e. changing CKMB AliDavis blog to just CKMB AliDavis). Saves room, looks neater, and duh, we all know it’s a blog, right? I’m going to try using Tags to see how those work and maybe make some better Categories. I appreciate your patience while I try these new things. Is the text too small to read comfortably, or is that just because I’m on a laptop? If there’s anything you can’t read or don’t like with this format, please leave me a comment and maybe it’s something I can fix. Well, me or WordPress tech support. Speaking of them dudes, I need to get their help on this paragraph formatting thing. I must have clicked ‘the place you’re never supposed to click’ when I was messing around on my blog, because I can NOT get it to save any of my spacing. Everything’s just all run together like the butter and syrup on top of my Eggo…mmmm…..Eggo….
Perhaps just in time to be #1 (and #2 and #3) on your Christmas list, here are some new organizational items from Making Memories.MAKING MEMORIES DESKTOP CAROUSEL:
I have yet to see it in person, but word is that it’s showing up at Michael’s stores around the country as we speak. Therefore, I assumed it was “NEW!”. However, when I found THIS PRESS RELEASE about the Carousel on the MAKING MEMORIES WEBSITE, I noticed a press release date of July 20, 2007. Jeez, sometimes I’m really behind the power curve, aren’t I? Anyhow, assuming it’s not such “old news” that you might still be interested, here are the deets:
“The Desktop Carousel is a hexagonal shaped, multi-level storage unit that offers top-loading cubbies as well as slide-out drawers in a 12″ x 14″ footprint. Each upper compartment is accented with a metal label holder for easy product identification, while the lower drawers are outfitted with curved handles and magnetic closures.”
It retails for $39.99 so grab that next Mike’s 40% or 50% coupon and get this baby for roughly $20 to $24. I found one art supply website selling it for friggin’ $55.95. WTF?!?!
Per the press release, “In addition to working as a desk organizer, the Carousel can double as a makeup organizer, school supply caddy, and even kitchen accessory…(It) is constructed from sturdy MDF, and currently is available in a white glossy finish. The company also has released coordinated Desktop Storage units (MSRP: $19.99), constructed from chipboard, to hold 12″ x 12″ papers, as well as sticker sheets and other embellishments.”
And ~~TAH DAH!~~ Here are the aforementioned Desktop Storage Units:
“Your workspace will always be dressed for success, thanks to our desktop organizer. Neatly store 12″ x 12″ paper and tools while stowing away stickers, embellishments and more in convenient removable drawers with label holders. Get organized!Ideal storage for 12″ x 12″ paper, embellishments and more. Made of sturdy paper-covered chipboard”
MAKING MEMORIES DESKTOP ORGANIZER – EMBELLISHMENT BOX
While you’re over at the Making Memories website oogling all their cool stuff ~ like the FABulous Noteworthy paper that WILL be mine (oh yes, it will be mine…)…
and the Shimmer Brads….
…make sure and check out their very scrumptious MAKING MEMORIES BLOG, where there is tons of MM news, yummy recipes, and wonderful page ideas.
Okay, enough sounding like a Making Memories commercial because, NO, they don’t sponsor this blog like they should, so I’m going to tell you what I really think about their products.#1: The Carousel is awesome looking but I won’t be getting it. First of all, I bought a similar one from Target several months ago. It was cheaper but not nearly as cute. It’s a square shape, white, with drawers and metal label holders. Secondly, the footprint on the MM Carousel is huge, so I probably wouldn’t get it even if I didn’t already have one. What I find is that carousels just don’t work great with my set up because the only space for it is kind of at the back of my desk. Then it bangs into things every time I rotate it, including the window blinds, my Leaning Tower of Memorabilia-to-File, and my Diet Coke. I recommend a carousel if you have a project table where it could sit in the middle of the table. Also, I ‘travel scrap’ a lot and it’s not like I can take this heavy wooden thing with me to a crop or event. So I end up putting less-used items in there like flowers, smaller punches, etc.
What has been the better item for my needs is the Tote-ally Cool Totes I got at Costco recently, which even come with a rotating metal stand that fits in a pocket of the tote when you’re not using it. I wrote about them HERE.
#2: The Desktop Organizer and Embellishment Box. If you’re going to order it online, just please note that the material they are made of is “sturdy, paper-covered chipboard.” My experience with that material on a heavily used item is not good. The item scratches easily, the drawers stick, and the paper starts to come up at the corners. They’ve had an older version of the MM Embellishment Box sitting dusty on a shelf at my Mike’s for, what, a couple of years? It’s tan with a black lid, and the price is decent for the box and all the embellishments inside, but the thing is totally scratched up. That’s the same reason I never give in to all the adorable “cloth covered” or “linen covered” storage boxes at Tuesday Morning. They are so cute, but oh-so-scratchable. Anyway, the MM website says it’s “new and improved,” so maybe they brought down the scratchability quotient.
All that said, I like the looks of both items. I like how the Organizer holds 12×12 stuff and could sit back on my desk out of the way…Hey, a girl’s gotta’ have her creative space! It would be a perfect place to store my new stuff AFTER I sneak it past DH into my scrap area (oops, did I say that in my “out loud” voice?), but BEFORE I find time to put it away in it’s proper place in my properly organized scrapbook area, which is always 100% clean and organized just like Martha Stewart’s.
I would still pass on the embellie box, only because I love the system I already have for storing all that tiny stuff. I have these and each little snaplock compartment is filled to the brim. Must…not…buy….more…brads…til…4,000 I have…are used!
When I’m berating myself for having too many embellies, I remind myself that my mom has this…
Mom can always make me feel better. Here is the link to the CKMB THREAD on the Carousel if you want to see what others are saying. If I find a thread on 2PEAS, I will add it later.
So, what do YOU think of these Making Memories storage products?? Do tell us in Comments.
PS: At least on my screen, the formatting is still all screwy with photo captions next to the photo instead of above them. And none of the line breaks or spacing I entered are showing. Which is SO annoying to me as an English major because it looks like one big run on sentence to me! Is my computer broken, or do you see what I see?
NOTE: Sorry my formatting is all askew (hey, who ask-ew?). I don’t know wha’ happa’?? I’ve tried everything to fix it, even changing back to my old blog display format but nothing has worked. I’ve never had it do that with images before and, even though I’m typing it with paragraph breaks, they disappear when I publish it. Wordpress tech support is closed for the weekend, but I will try Karen/Karooch over at Scraps of Mind. She’s the blog diva and very smart with this computer contraption. Maybe she can help…
~ The Wonderful Weekend (!) is here again, and again I don’t see any scrapping happening. Work, work and more work. But Santa tells me “Thank you very much for working so hard because all those presents don’t grow on trees!”
~ Had a Holiday Open House (scrapbooking) Thursday night. It went very well and I had a blast. Will tell you more about it later, lovies…
~ I {Heart} Rascal Flatts!! They are SUCH a favorite of mine. I think they are, like, Number 1.5 on my list (with Journey being Number 1 of course). I got RF’s latest CD the day it came out last September and I’m wearing it out. Also saw them in concert this summer and they rocked the HAY-ELL out of the Hizzy! I hear they were on Oprah today – thank googily gosh I Tivo that chick every day…can’t wait to watch it. I’m listenin’ to some Country radio whilst I type and they just played RF’s “Winner at a Losing Game”. I adore that song. It really shows off Gary’s wonderful voice.
Here are some of the lyrics: “Have you ever had to love someone that just don’t feel the same? Tryin’ to make somebody care for you, the way I do, Is like trying to catch the rain. And if love is really forever, I’m a winner at a losing game. I know that baby you’re tryin’ to find me somewhere inside of you, But you know you can’t lie, girl you can’t hide the truth. Oh no, sometimes two hearts just can’t dance to the same beat, So I’ll pack up my things and I’ll take what remains of me.”
Ooh! Now they’re playing Jason Aldean. He opened for Rascal Flatts this summer and, can I say, what a hottie! My BSF (Best Scrapping Friend) is convinced she’s his girlfriend (her husband humors her…). But she’s right, he’s hellza cute. “Yeah, Momma…” cuz Baby we ain’t never comin’ back…
~ Since Black Friday (when I bought the stuff), I have SWORN to myself that I would get my Secret Santa gift sent off to my mystery friend on the CKMB. Hmmm, perhaps I will actually accomplish it this weekend. We won’t even TALK about the stamps I’ve had on my desk for LATRICE and LIZ for months. God, I’m such a loser sometimes… (aka Best of Intentions, Worst at Follow Through…)
~ Three items on my Christmas list:
The Expedit shelf from Ikea (can you say “tons of scrappy storage??”)
The awesome iPhone
and the Epson PictureMate Snap PM 240 Photo Printer
I think DH is getting me the iPhone – sweeeeet…Will just keep the other items in mind for tax return time in February or my birthday in the spring (wink, wink)…
~ For a future blog entry, I have started writing a review of my new fave product, the Basic Grey Magnetic Mat. Stay tuned & talk to ya’ soon!
This is a very cool site with all kinds of scrapbook news and projects. I’ve been on their list to get daily e-mails for awhile now and love the news sitting in my inbox every day. Just quick tidbits of the latest and greatest, with links to click on when you’re so inclined. They also have a long list of scrap celeb blogs, so if you’re looking for Becky’s or Lisa’s or Elsie’s, you’ll find it there. The blog writer, Angie, just had a little girl! So happy ~ they seem like a sweet family over there. Anyway, I highly recommend you check out SCRAPSCENE. Go ahead, just get on their daily feed like I did, so you can read the news every day :)
I watch Extreme Makeover: Home Edition with my kids sometimes. It’s such a great show, which helps families that have suffered a tragedy or hard times by building them a new house. The new home always perfectly meets their needs, whether it be handicapped access for someone wheelchair bound, a second kitchen for a home catering business, or a special home filtration system for a child with autoimmune problems. At the end of the show, ABC presents the family with special mementos like framed photos or shadowboxes, a book written especially for a specific child, or even a scrapbook. I’ve always wondered: Where do those scrapbooks come from? Who makes them? Do they happen to have scrapbookers on the crew, or do they hire someone? Well, I found this blog and it answered my questions because…the Scrappy Sisters got to create a scrapbook (and some other things) for Extreme Home Makeover! There are two blog entries and both have slide shows; you can check them out HERE and HERE. The slide shows are wonderful because they show so many pictures of the entire journey (Sorry, I had to turn off the music that played – a beautiful song called Soldier’s Heart but it’s sung by R. Kelly and he’s a – well, I won’t say the exact term – but “not nice to kids”…or a little “too nice”, if you know what I mean! Okay, editorial comments over…). The journaling on the first entry is nice and long, telling all the details of how it happened. Fun reading! Please check out this amazing story and great accomplishment by some of our own, the Scrappy Sisters!
We’re supposed to be camping for the long weekend with DH’s extended family & my mom/stepdad. We were supposed to leave early this morning. However, DH got called to work last night and is still there, so I thought I would head to the computer and check something off my very super extremely long To Do List: Order some Prism cardstock Prismatics packs to fill two customer orders. See, Prismatics is what Memory Works carries and it’s awesome cardstock. You get a trio of colors (light/medium/dark), 12 sheets for $6.50. Here is a sample of a Prismatics pack and the link to our CARDSTOCK PAGE:
Well, thinking I was all cool and stuff, I purchased the Prism swatch book from Memory Works as a selling tool and took it to my last crop without really looking at it first. Well, I just flipped through it long enough to admire all the gorgeous colors (don’t pretty colors just make you happy?!?). Anyway, it WAS a hit and there were 2 ladies who each had a list of Prismatics Packs they wanted. Turns out…Memory Works doesn’t carry the complete line (duh), and I could only fill about half of each order. I told the ladies that, because I had basically advertised the cardstock, that I would find a way to fill their order. I figured I would come home, pop online, order the packs at the best price I could find, hopefully not pay too much in shipping, and maybe at least break even if not lose a little bit o’money. Even if I lost a little some money, I would hopefully gain my customers’ respect and confidence, learn my lesson about the swatchbook, and move on.
So, after spending HOURS online, here is my conclusion: Prismatics are hard to find!! Cheese and Rice! To purchase from Prism wholesale, you not only have to have a business license, etc. but you have to be a brick and mortar store. There are sites that sell it by single color packs of 50. There are sites that sell it by the sheet. There are sites that have most of the packs I need listed on their site, but when you click it into your shopping cart, it says Unavailable. There are many sites showing the colors I need Out of Stock. There are sites with every color EXCEPT the ones I need. There are overseas sites that don’t ship to the US or, if they do, the shipping is super high. Next, I went on the Memory Works message board with my plight, and asked the other consultants what they do in this situation and if anyone had a good source for Prismatics. Long story short: Uhhhh, no. Finally, I asked my lovely friend Stacey over at www.AllMomentsRemembered.com if she could help me out, since she is so connected in wholesale scrap world now (wink, wink). Such a doll, she looked into it right away and, alas, could only do the 50 sheet/single color deal.
So I thanked her for trying anyway, and that leads me to today. I’m here on Thanksgiving morning, waiting to hear from DH to see if maybe we can leave here by noon today. And searching once again for the elusive Prismatics packs and….same luck as last time. Grrrr…. I feel so bad about letting my customers down. I shouldn’t have made a commitment before I looked into it. So, after the holiday, I’ll try one more time and, if not successful, I will confess my mistake to the lovely ladies and hope they forgive me.
PS: On a lighter note, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! I am so grateful that I started this blog. It has given me an outlet to release all my crazy, scrapbook-obsessive thoughts so I can sleep at night. Now, I only occasionally dream of cardstock and patterned paper and sketches ~ no more scrap nightmares where all my friends leave for the retreat without me or running around Big Lots, not able to find any of the scrap bargains mentioned on CKMB! (Now, that really would be a dream because I don’t even have a Big Lots). Anyway, it has been wonderful to share and exchange ideas with you, to finally feel that I’m not alone, and to have all your positive feedback. I am blessed and thankful…
… I just decided to change things up for the holidays. And because the old format was cutting off images along their right side. So, join me now, won’t you, in the Christmas spirit?? This format idn’t perfect either, as it has cut off my Tag Cloud a bit & has farkled up my Blog Roll. But I think we’ll try to live with it for awhile…or do you hate it? Tell me the truth! You’ll still be on Scrap Santa’s “Good List”, I promise…
You know, I need to find out what’s behind the name of the company, Basic Grey. Because when I see their scrapbooking lines, Basic and Grey are two of the LAST things on my mind! Here is their new line called Two Scoops…
Here are some threads on 2PEAS and CKMB where this new line is being discussed. The 2peas thread has links to all the samples I’m showing below. Here is what Ms. Kelly Goree from Basic Grey says in her 2peas post:
“Hi, everyone! I just wanted to take a minute to introduce you all to BasicGrey’s newest line, Two Scoops! It’s yummy, sherbet-inspired color palette really lends itself to all types of layouts from birthday to Valentines to Wedding or anything in between. For me, though, it’s the adorable embellishment stickers that come with the collection pack that really makes the line. And just you wait – it gets better….this line will also have some gorgeous stamps, a rub-on book with such super-cute phrases, and much more! This line will be shipping soon to a store near you, so be watching. I bet you can’t stop at just Two Scoops!”
Kelly’s link: “Such a Flirt” using TWO SCOOPS:
Kelly’s link: “Mr & Mrs” using TWO SCOOPS:
Judi Vanvalkinburgh-Garber’s link: Two Scoops Cards (beautifully modeled by Charlotte):
Judi Vanvalkinburgh-Garber’s link: Two Scoops Love mini book
According to Kelly Goree, “There will be four stamp sets released with this set,” and the BasicGrey website says the stamps are “Made of high-quality, durable material, BasicGrey clear stamps come on 4×6 sheets. Use with inkpads, paint, or scrapbook-safe markers to add playful accents in any color.” Here they are:
Basic Grey: Two Scoops – Monogram Stickers
80# heavyweight paper • Coordinating die-cut stickers • Overlays perfectly on our Elbow Chipboard Mini Monograms.
Basic Grey: Two Scoops – Mini Monogram Stickers
0# heavyweight paper • Coordinating die-cut stickers • Overlays perfectly on our Middleset Chipboard Mini Monograms
The website shows 18 individual papers; here are a few of my faves…
I love about 80% of this line. If they would please stop using that weird flower on everything, I would be 100% happy! (See the Flower Swash Stamps?? That big flower in the top middle…). That same flower was in the Infuse line too, which was the only thing I didn’t like about that line. Time for a new iconic flower, Basic Grey! (Oh, lordy, please hear my plea so I can be totally infatuated with BG again). Do YOU like the goofy flower they use now?
Other than that, I LUH-HUH-HUV this new line by Basic Grey. Even the names are cute and oh-so-sherbet-y. My favorite items are all of the rub ons, the Sweet Sentiments Stamps, the Glazed Brads and the Chipsticker Alpha. Let’s hear your reviews – give us the scoop (sorry, it had to be said…).
You know I adore CK (Creating Keepsakes Magazine). But just as I sometimes want to pretend like that crazy kid in the grocery store is not mine, I sometimes wonder…What in the heck is CK thinking? Just check out THIS POST on Kim Guymon’s SCRAPBIZ BLOG. I couldn’t have said it better myself…
ETA 11/19/07: See, even the Peas are talkin’ about it…HERE.
KI Memories has always been a favorite of mine. I love the bright colors and simple patterns, especially for doing kid pages. Their much-anticipated new line is showing up in stores now, so here’s a peek of the latest “must have” and some of my favorites:
KI MEMORIES Pop Culture: Jacks
KI MEMORIES Pop Culture: Daisy Doodle
KI MEMORIES Pop Culture: Frosty – Bedazzle
KI MEMORIES Pop Culture: Sushi
KI MEMORIES Pop Culture: Lace Cardstock – Flower Child Socialite
KI MEMORIES Pop Culture: Lace Cardstock – Perm Teal
KI MEMORIES Pop Culture: Taglines Cardstock Stickers – Kids
KI MEMORIES Pop Culture: Borderlines Cardstock Stickers – Multi
Okay, I could be here all day showing you this stuff. Must….stop….
OHMIGOSH!! There is SO much cute stuff – photo corners, clear stamps, chipboard embellies and letters, and – they know me too well with my “wicked cool” and “wicked cute” everything…One last favorite to show you….
KI MEMORIES Pop Culture: Slang Rub Ons – Wicked
CLICK HERE to shop for some at RockyMountainHobbies.com. I love their website because you can see an enlargement of the item just by holding your cursor over the image. And I love that you can see how many they have available of each item. As in: “I better put this in my cart NOW because there are only 8 left!”
You should also check out the KI MEMORIES WEBSITE. When you click on each item, they show page samples of how that item was used. Great for inspiration!
What do you think? Are you lovin’ some Pop Culture??
A Scrap Over Scrapbooks By Linda Fantin | NEWSWEEK
Nov 12, 2007 Issue
If scrapbooking conjures up images of kindly suburban women passing pictures around the kitchen table, then you don’t know the modern hobby. Outraged scrapbookers recently forced the industry’s top magazine, Creating Keepsakes, to strip a New York woman of its coveted Hall of Fame title after readers noticed a photo credit on one of her layouts. The rules require all entries to be the “sole work” of contestants. But while Kristina Contes admits that she made a mistake, she blames “petty, jealous women” for bullying contest officials into disqualifying her work. “I mean, it’s not like I stole someone’s boyfriend,” says the 28-year-old restaurateur. “This isn’t high school.”
But it is a cutthroat business. Scrappers spent $2.6 billion on supplies last year, according to the Craft & Hobby Association, and one in four households contains a scrapbooker, making it more popular than golf. The Hall of Fame award can bring celebrity status, TV appearances and teaching jobs. After Contes declined to return her title voluntarily, irate hobbyists smeared her on blogs and threatened to flood her restaurant with fake reservations. “The b–––h doesn’t have a moral bone in her body,” wrote a commenter on the Scrap Smack blog. Over on the Creating Keepsakes Web site, angry readers cried cover-up and threatened boycotts when editors deleted unkind comments about the company from the site’s discussion boards. “I wanted an explanation,” says Noell Hyman, who was among the first to question Contes’s work. She got more than that: Contes and another woman whose work was questioned have been replaced in the 25-member Hall of Fame class for 2007. “Women prove time and again that they are ridiculous, vile creatures,” says Contes. She plans to retreat from the scissors-and-glue game—but she’ll always have the memories.
Note: Article copied unedited from www.newsweek.com; Comments were edited for ease of reading.
Here are just two of the many, many comments left by readers of the article:
Posted By: JAREDHARLEM @ 11/05/2007 1:28:03 PM
Comment: THIS WAS NOT A PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST…
…really that is what needs to be discussed. Without other people’s artwork and photographs, their would be no scrapbooking business. The time and thought and love that goes into adding the buttons and ribbons and gluing the paper and stickers and this and that; that is where the work lies. The least amount of work is the taking of the photo. Without all the other stuff it would just be a photo in a plain old album that nobody looks at. Regardless of who took the photo the work is the final page. We don’t give credit to the guy who made the paint that Michaelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel with but to the finished work. I think that in such a small community, you scrappers, who have only emerged recently, and mostly women, would be more compassionate and supportive of each others work and not be so cut throat and evil.
And on a side note:
ALL PUBLICITY IS GOOD PUBLICITY
So while most of your artwork has never been see you can be sure that Kristi’s piece was seen by everyone.
Posted By: jodie.s @ 11/05/2007 8:25:50 PM
Comment: Whether or not you like the rules, or agree with them, is irrelevent. These scrappers entered the contest, signed affadavits that the work was their own and used the photos of professionals. The quest for subsribers and other contestants to have the rules equally applied is not being jealous, vindictive or vile. It is making the playing field even and making sure everyone has the same advantages.
And, Jared, you are right. Photography is the “least work” in scrapbooking. Especially when you use someone else’s photos.
Back when all of this was fresh news, I heard people talking on blogs and mb’s about notifying the major media about the HOF issues. I never dreamed it would rate an article on such a major online site. But then again, with the way it makes the scrapbooking community sound like we all populate Wisteria Lane, I can see the article’s mass appeal. Me! Me! Me! Can I be Bree?!?! I’m kinda uptight like that anyway. What are your thoughts on the article? Which Housewife would you like to be?
The next revolution in scrapbooking is: Grungeboard by Tim Holtz. I know they’ve been talking about this on CKMB and 2peas for a few weeks now because I keep seeing “Grungeboard” in post titles. But I’ve been so busy, I haven’t been opening to posts to see what it’s all about. Well, I was visiting SHIRLEY FYFE’s BLOG today and there it was again. Okay, maybe you have to hit me in the head with a 2 by 4 sometimes before I get my shizzle together, but I finally found out about Grungeboard. I watched this Youtube video and was totally amazed by this product.
So you can twist it, bend it, distress it, get it wet, abuse it, even make a working hinge on your scrapbooks. This stuff kicks ass! Grunge it up, scrap girls!
Edited 11/13/07: I popped over to TIM HOLTZ’ NEW BLOG to see if there was any news about the release date of Grungeboard. I couldn’t find anything official, but he did have some at a stamp show he attended 11/10/07. I’ll keep checking for updates, or please post in Comments if you know when/where we can get the stuff. Thanks in advance, lovies!
Don’ t have time to write much now, but I wanted to check in and say “hey”. So, HEY!
~ I hosted crops this past Friday and Saturday, from 8am to 12 midnight both days. Phew! Lots of work but SO worth it. I had such a blast and sold a lot of scrapbook supplies, so it’s all good. Will tell you more about it later.
~ Went scrapbook shopping today while my mom is in town. Got a lot of cute stuff, and finally found the book I’ve been wanting: The Organized and Inspired Scrapbooker. I’ll give a review when I’ve gone through it.
~ Okay, what’s up with my last post re: the latest HOF scandal with Bernadette and the two new HOF’ers? There have been lots of looks at it, but no one is commenting (there are 2 comments on that entry, but about other issues). Are y’all just burned out on the HOF issue? Did I say something wrong? You’re just too busy these days? C’mon, you’re hurtin’ my feelings…WTF??
~ My blog is about to roll 40,000 views – wahoo! Since I started the blog about 10 months ago, that’s an average of 4,000 hits a month, and 133 hits per day. I feel so lucky and grateful ~ THANKS! Please keep reading and commenting :)
Here is the announcement recently posted on the Creating Keepsakes website:
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“Welcome to Creating Keepsakes’ Scrapbook Hall of Fame section. Each year, we induct 25 of the top scrapbookers.
Below is our revised list of winners for the 2007 Hall of Fame contest.
Shortly after publication of our 2007 Hall of Fame special issue, we discovered errors in the affidavits that were submitted, and in our processing of the winning entries.
We requested that all winners review the rules and re-evaluate their submissions for conformance. As a result, one winner was disqualified, one voluntarily stepped down, and several others reviewed with us, in detail, the process they followed in composing and taking their photos. To fill vacated positions, two new winners were chosen, based on point values from the original score sheets. For background information about this issue, click here.
Congratulations to our 2007 Scrapbook Hall of Famers!”
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So, the “disqualified” person was Kristina Contes as we all know. And apparently the person who “voluntarily stepped down” was Bernadette Henderson. As for “..several others reviewed with us, in detail, the process they followed in composing and taking their photos,” I assume one of these was Mitchell Kraft whose entry included photos of him on a horse (still can’t figure THAT one out). Anyhow, the new winners are Barb Pfeffer and Angela Spangler. A big HEE-YA and CONGRATS and WHOO HOO to those ladies…
Okay, we know what happened with Kristina, her DQ, and her response or explanation of the situation. Now there’s the Bernadette drama, which I have seen played out on CKMB, 2peas, and various blogs. But again, just as the gossip girl that I am (not a highly qualifed reporter or anything), the problem appears to be the famous river rafting shot Bernadette used in one of her HOF layouts. The problem was: she was IN the raft. Of course, she was questioned about how she could have taken the shot, and apparently gave some explanation involving tripods and timers and digital editing. Well, just like with CK’s original explanation for Kristina’s photo…no one was buyin’ it. I only saw one of the posts that responded to her explanation, but it was a very long and detailed disection of her statements and how they couldn’t possibly be true based on photographic principals that were so far above my head it wasn’t funny. Okay, I’m gonna’ wait here while you go read THE POST I’M TALKING ABOUT.
(just sittin here waiting….doo-dee-doo….hmmm…bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do when they come for you….la la la…hmmm, I need some coffee…zzzzzzzzz….oh, wha?…ok, you’re back!)
I mean, that alone had me convinced but then the post-er mentioned that she had contacted the river rafting company used by Ms. Henderson and some kind of digital number assigned to the photo in the layout matched up with the series of photos taken by the river rafting company that day. At first, I didn’t know whether to believe that or not. I mean, was this just someone trying so hard to discredit the photo, they would make unsupported statements? Or could they really have gone to the extent to contact the rafting company and how did they figure out the digital number of Bernadette’s photo anyway?
Well, then about a week ago, Bernadette made this post on 2peas:
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“I apologize for my absence, but from all the posts written about me I am sure you can understand that most of these boards, private messages and emails have been the last place I’ve wanted to spend much time lately. Whether on purpose or not some of you have said some very mean statements about me that I feel are totally untrue and I can’t begin to tell you the pain I have gone through and witnessed others go through over the last couple of weeks. I apologize if something I have said or done has in some way done any of you or anyone any wrong. This is and has never been my intention.
As someone who spent a bit too much time learning the theory behind communication, I am really sad that so many of my posts were interpreted incorrectly. It looks like I need to go out and spend some money brushing up with some practical communication courses instead of spending so much on scrap supplies (smile). I will not go further into detail on the misinterpretations because from the fire storm of comments that have been made it has been proven that anything I say will be twisted, misconstrued and then held against me and this was not what I expected or was hoping for when I made those original posts. In the context of being asked how someone COULD do something and how I DID do it, there was a lot of liberty used in interpreting my statements by not only connecting the wrong dots, but creating dots that do not even exist. This whole episode would be a perfect case study for that communication course I would love to take.
To all those that have supported me through this whole ordeal, I send out my warmest thoughts. I will never be able to express to you how valuable you have been in helping me to keep my sanity. Helping me keep my faith in the “industry.” Helping me to realize that in the bigger picture, this isn’t what scrapbooking is about. This isn’t what I’m about.
For those that truly know me I feel very comfortable that you know I have very high moral values. When I entered the HOF contest and throughout this ordeal, I 110% felt that I was following all the rules and in no way felt that I was going to somehow slide something by someone. I also don’t believe any of the other HOF winners would intentionally violate any rules set out by CK in an effort to game the system. And above all else, I believe CK is a highly reputable company and would never jeopardize their reputation by intentionally overlooking rules for any contestant or entry when there are so many fantastically talented, reputable, ready women and men who could have just as easily been HOF on any given day.
With that said I will raise the white surrender flag and officially announce that I have withdrawn my HOF entry for 2007. This was a very hard decision, but when I stepped back and looked at the bigger picture, at what scrapbooking and sharing memories was becoming, this was clearly the right decision for me, for the contest, and for the sake of us continuing to be able to share our memories with friends and family. With each other. As a wise woman passed on knowledge from her mother to me, in this tug of war, it is time to put down the rope.
Again after all that has taken place I am hesitant to post. Agree or disagree with my decision, I do hope you will have a blessed day. Or at least a somewhat happier day. I hope this will bring you some closure. I hope you will keep perspective. I hope you’ll be inspired by the fantastic work presented in the HOF book this year and for the years to come. I hope you will keep on scrapping and sharing. I know that is exactly my plan…to keep on scrapping and sharing. To keep perspective.”
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Okay, I knew nothing of this person prior to hearing about this 2nd HOF scandal. But from the above post, she sounds like a cool person, good hearted, caring, sensitive like the rest of us. Her scrapbooking is phenomenal.
Here are some of her layouts from the CK Gallery:
However, she doesn’t really say one way or the other whether she purposely entered a bogus photo (i.e. cheated) in the 2007 HOF contest, whether she supports her prior statements about taking the photo herself, or whether she’s sorry that she lied (if she did) to so many people. Like with Kristina, I completely feel for the heartache she must be going through right now. I imagine the negative e-mails and MB posts directed toward her must get pretty ugly. Although I feel free to examine these “scandals” and “issues” on my blog, I hope I remain fair and professional about how I do it, because MY intention is not to hurt anyone. I just like to start the discussion and see how y’all are feeling about it. That said, if someone lied or cheated to get or keep some fleeting scrapbook “fame”, then I feel sorry for them and hope they get some perspective soon. I honestly think that if I had been in either of their shoes, I would have slunk away with my tail between my legs the first time someone looked at me cross-eyed. It would go something like this:
Mr. CK big shot: “Miss ScrapbookObsession, did you R-E-A-L-L-Y take this photo??”.
Me: (GULP!) “Ummmm…..errrrr….wellllll….(gulp)….No sir, I didn’t. Here are all your prizes back. Buh-bye!”
Actually I kind of drive my loved ones crazy with how overly moral I can be – fun nicknames I have are: Miss Can-do-no-wrong, car seat police, What-Are-You, Perfect?, and Mom to the World. See, I’m annoying about it. But I just believe that old fashioned adage about nothing ill gotten being worth the gain. If you have to cheat or lie or take to get something you want, you won’t enjoy it anyway so don’t bother. Personally, I like to sleep at night. I just wish everyone felt that way so we had HOF’ers and SOY’ers and MMM’ers that we could 100% look up to and respect. I hope that, if nothing else, this whole thing leads to tighter rules and people being more afraid to break them just to win.
As you know, I love Oprah and sometimes she says the funniest things. When she’s talking about how she’s scared to do something, she says, “I’m skird.” Pronounced like “scared”, but shorter and much funnier. So now she has me doing it, and I’m here to tell ya that I’m SKIRD to do one of these so-called Acrylic Albums.
I keep seeing them everywhere I go (online). I glance, I look, I turn my eyes away in fear and embarrasment. There is no WAY my teeny weeny creative bone could complete an acrylic album without well and truly screwing it up. Because here’s the deal – and I know it will shock you – it shocked me too ——- the thing is SEE THRU!! I mean, how ya gonna hide the Herma tabs and the backs of staples and keep the image on one page from showing through to the other or do you even want to and, oh my God, my mind is just spinning! I look at the samples that are so FREAKIN beautiful and I just say, “Wha???” and “How did she..???” and “Well, I could never…”.
So call me crazy, but I went ahead and ordered one anyway. (Everybody now! “Hiiii, Crazzyyy!!). We happen to have them right now at Memory Works on the page that carries the more seasonal stuff, i.e. once it’s gone, it’s gone and not necessarily restocked. I keep hearing about acrylic albums lately; they seem to be the latest craze. So while I might be too scared to actually DO anything with it, I figured I’d better order one before I regretted NOT doing it. KWIM?
BY PAGEFRAME DESIGNS, CLEAR 6X6 ALBUM carried by Memory Works
To inspire me, and hopefully you too, here are some examples of acrylic albums that have been done:
BY CKMB CECILYSMOM in the CK Gallery
BY BARBARA OROS on her Scrapbook Crazy blog
BY BJC in Scrapbooks.com Gallery
BY JESSICA at zutterzisters.com
BY PAMELA at pamelaposch.blogspot.com
There is even a YOU TUBE VIDEO showing a very cool acrylic album by Tamarz from www.scrapbook-crazy.com – check it!
So, have you taken the Acrylic Album plunge or will ya? If you have a pic of one you have completed, please link to it in comments and I’ll add it to my post.
If you checked out Amanda’s amazingly organized scrapbook studio in my LAST POST, you may have already taken a look around over there. But if you didn’t, you MUST check out her entire website. Here are some of my favorite features:
~ Handwriting Fonts that she calls “FONTS FOR PEAS”, which I assume means she is a 2peas regular and has made fonts using other Peas’ handwriting. If you scroll down on that page, it appears she might make a font of ANYONE’s handwriting. Are you game? I have always been so jealous of those with wonderful handwriting as their journaling looks so nice or funky or pretty. For instance, don’t you just love the handwriting of Ali Edwards, Lisa Bearnson, and Becky Higgins? I have Lisa’s and Becky’s fonts downloaded and use them often (note to self: see if Ali’s handwriting is downloadable somewhere). My scrapper friend J. has some of the most gorgeous handwriting I’ve ever seen, and hand journals all of her layouts. It’s a pure pleasure to look through her scrapbooks because you can feel the love she has for her family just oozing out of her handwriting. But drats, my handwriting ranges from decent to atrocious, so I don’t think I will bother Amanda asking for my own font. But YOU please submit your cool handwriting and let us know if you do, so we can all download it. I just downloaded a ton of the Pea Fonts – yippee, can’t wait to play! Two of my favorites were Pea Bethany Doodle and Pea Dalovely Damanda Doodles. I have, like, below zero talent with doodling so I will just borrow their talent, LOL. Other faves were Pea Jenny Script, Pea Lacey, Pea Lacey Chunky, Pea Lindsey, and Pea Reese.
Here is her own “hand”:
There is also a link to FREE SCRAPBOOK FONTS. One is called “Bosshole”…hmmmm, some combo of two words = one word we can all relate to. Anyways….I could do a whole post (and almost have, jeez) just on the font features of Amanda’s website.
~ Amanda’s PHOTOS are wonderful. I especially love the ones of her home and all of it’s special features. I swear, if I had an ounce of money or decorating talent, my house would look like hers! Seriously, I love her style as a whole, from the way her website is “decorated” to the way her house is.
~ Her SCRAPBOOKS and projects are so fun to look at and gave me tons of ideas. Who is this girl?? Is she famous and I missed it?? If she isn’t famous, why not?? Totally talented… Just look at the adorable cover of her Wedding Scrapbook.
My only complaint is that it seems Amanda doesn’t post often enough! However, she has obviously taken a lot of time on this website. I truly appreciate all the hard work and that she’s taken the time to share her talents with everyone.
So ~ if you haven’t already ~ go check it out: www.kevinandamanda.com. Have fun & let me know what you think! I’m off to download some Amanda’s free scrapbook fonts…
I absolutely adore this scrapbook room and I’m sure you will too. Here is a sneak peek of the great ideas you can get from Amanda – using a Pampered Chef Tool Turn-About for your most used tools. I love how she added the cheery green ribbon to dress up the utilitarian caddy.
The tour of her scrap studio is so well done – even the way the website is presented is very organized. Any part of the room that you put your cursor over will pop up a window that zooms in or even shows what’s inside the drawers and cabinets. Totally awesome rockin cool!
Without further delay, here it is! Please check it out and let me know what you think…
Thanks to my new best friend zacmag on CKMB, I learned that Target has their Halloween scrapbooking stuff 50% off. Never one to pass up a good deal, of course I went by after work today. Um, yeah, I had prescriptions to pick up too, uh huh, yeah. (Which, by the way, was very frustrating. I just switched several scrips there and they keep screwing them up). So, at my lame Target, there were only a few Halloween items left, mostly the Making Memories deco items which I wasn’t crazy about. I found one lone pack of MM Halloween ribbon. It has 4 trims, only one of “witch” I didn’t like (the orange fringe-y stuff). My favorite is the super cute sheer orange ribbon with little black bats. That will make a great border fo’ sho’. The picture doesn’t do them justice. They are much more colorful in person and the top one looks greyish here, but it’s really solid black. The bats have silver glitter sprinkled on them, and the bottom silver one is very thick and sparkly. Think I’m going to save that for a Christmas tree page…
There were no little Sale or Clearance stickers on the rack, and the tag showed it as regular price ($4.99) but I ran it under one of those red scanners and it came up 1/2 off! I started thinking it a bit odd that hardly any of the Halloween stuff was left, because I was just in there last weekend and they had tons of paper packs, stickers, and chipboard. So I went back to search a little harder for Halloween items and tucked UNDER the rack (hidden on purpose, perhaps??), were some MM black glitter chipboard letters ($6.99). When I got to the check out, the letters also rang up 1/2 off. Score! You can’t tell in the picture but they are glittery sparkly (ooh…sparklies!). The chipboard is pretty thin, and they are about 3″ tall.
Those Autumn Leaves stamps I showed you HERE were also on sale (for $1.38, originally $1.99). I already have them all but I didn’t have the inks they package to sell with them. They each come with one small and one bigger inkpad; I got the green/silver and red/gold combos. Can you say Christmas Cards?!?
NOT on sale, I also got the cutest 8×8 album by MM!! Oh, I’m in love! It’s brown leather with scalloped edges and is spiral inside. Also has a ribbon closure. It’s adorable. I was originally thinking to use it for my Memory Works demo album, but then – duh – because it’s spiral, you can’t add pages so I’ll have to think of a special theme album to use it for. So, it’s this album but in chocolate brown…
I also found the Dec. Scrapbooks Etc. Add that to the Dec. CK I just bought, and we are in for a night of scrap mag heaven!
In the $1 Spot, they had tons of little metal buckets for organizing. Grey (metal), white, black, hot pink and red were the colors at my store. I passed on those (I had to pass on SOMETHING, didn’t I?). Did you get anything at the Target After Halloween Sale??
1. Last night, I worked through the night. I’ve officially been up for 37.5 hours. I can’t feel my toes, and my eyelashes hurt…
2. My favorite part of winter is sleeping in flannel sheets. Mmmm….cozy…
3. I love the show, John Edward Cross Country. I cry every time I watch it. I wish he would do a reading for me, and I could hear from my Dad.
4. I think the bestest tortilla chips in the world are Taco Works. Don’t have one! You’ll get addicted…
5. I just got a new job. Don’t ask me about it. If I told you, I’d have to kill you.
6. In eighth grade, I survived a race riot at my junior high school.
7. Some things on my Christmas list this year: pj pants and fuzzy socks, Old Navy gift card, Colbie Calliat CD, a housekeeper for one day and the peace to scrap…
This tag brought to you by….Rachel/CKMB SunnyinColorado!! Here is RACHEL’S BLOG. Head on over there if you want to check out more of her super cool ornaments.
I think everyone has done this tag by now…but ifya haven’t – please join in, and link it here so we can learn about your randomness :)
