I am obsessed with scrapbooking and I know you are too! I think about it, talk about it, and do it any chance I get. I love to shop as much as I love to crop. My blog will have: product reviews, show reviews, scrapbook organization, my shopping finds, and just general scrapbook topics. There are so many scrap blogs out there where the author journals about their life and shares their pages. I wanted my blog to be a little different. Hope you enjoy!
According to the YOUR PICTURED MEMORIES BLOG, these lovelies will “arrive in mid September and will retail for 19.99.” I found the Pull-Ez through a message board, where they discussed whether the ribbon would tangle inside (it seems like it would, doesn’t it?). But those that had seen the item at CHA tested it and said the ribbons DON’T tangle. But keep in mind, it’s meant for use with 1-3 yard lengths, i.e. don’t throw a huge roll in there. Another poster brought up how you could maybe make your own using a clear makeup case and a long-reach hole punch. I think I’m going to stick with my RIBBON JARS for now.
But for those of you still looking for a good ribbon storage system, this just might be it.
Don’t you love it? I’m pretty sure it’s my new therapy. No, I don’t have or spend lots of money. When I worked full-time, I could drop $100 at a scrapbook store every few months without batting an eyelash. But now that I only work part-time and make about 1/3 what I used to, I have to be more careful, selective, and planned out. Along with my shrinking pocket book is the shrinking amount of LSS’s (local scrapbook stores) around me. I used to have 6 LSS’s within 1 hour, but now only 1 remains. So not only do I have to better plan my spending, but I have to figure out when I’m going to drive 45 minutes to the “local” scrapbook store. But shopping for scrap supplies is still a blast! Within 1 hour’s drive, I also have 2 Michael’s, 1 Beverly’s Crafts, and then of course Target, Walmart and Tuesday Morning. I’ve even found scrapbook-related stuff at Longs Drugs, Mervyns, and Kohl’s. My favorite places to shop are the LSS and Beverly’s (aka Bev’s). The LSS is fairly small – about 1/10th the size of my favorite scrappin superstore, YOUNGPLAY MEMORIES. But they do a good job of keeping new and current things and carry my favorite lines – Basic Grey, Fancy Pants, and Autumn Leaves. The owners are very nice and they even donated a bunch of stuff for my last crop. As for Bev’s, it is a fabric and craft store but they have a generous scrapbook section. When I was there the other day and chatting with the cashier, she said they had a new manager who is a scrapbooker. So that explains why there has been an expansion of scrapbooking supplies at Bev’s recently. The manager happened to walk up then, so I said, “Can I give you a bunch of compliments?”. I told her that I really appreciated the new scrapbook aisles, the vast selection of new products, and how organized everything was. She was happy to hear it, and also pointed out their Wish List, where you can write down any product you would like them to order. (I told her I already had my own version of a Wish List: in my wallet, a list of all the items in their store I want to eventually buy!). Anyhow, that’s great customer service and I appreciate it. I encourage YOU to take the time and speak with your scrapbook store managers, even if they’re a chain like Beverly’s. I always say, “They don’t know if you don’t tell ’em”. If they’re smart, managers will listen to your compliments and concerns about their store. Heck, if they don’t respond to us, we can just shop online! (Don’t worry, LSS’s, it’s not my first choice, you are). As for “shopping smart” for scrapbook supplies, my best hint is: Use Coupons! Just about every week, there are 40% off coupons for Mike’s, Bev’s, etc. and I’m sure lots of you have access to Hobby Lobby and Joann’s. Most stores accept competitor’s coupons, so clip away and stick ’em in your wallet! It’s nice to get a $20 paper stack for only $12, isn’t it? You can even split the stack with a friend, and you still get lots of paper for only 6 bucks. Also, look at the store ads and gear your shopping to the sales. If all adhesives are 30% off this week, stock up, by God! Happy scrappy shopping!
Here is a LINK to a VERY beautiful and organized scrapbook room. You should really check it out. It belongs to Mellette Berezoski, who is a frequent contributor to various sites and magazines. You can see how she is able to create such great layouts in a fabulous studio like hers! (I do realize it also takes loads of talent, LOL). Take a tour of her room and let me know your thoughts. My favorites were:
How she mixed modern and vintage, like all the Ikea shelves with the old locker bins.
The groupings of like items – ribbons, stamps, magazine bins, etc – which makes it look even more organized.
The very efficient use of the shorter walls. Also, the labels! I, too, am label crazy.
All of the work space on the L-shaped desk and the computer desk. She has really made the most of that room!
The only elements I didn’t care for were: The horizontal paper storage – I think vertical is clearly the way to go for less dust, less wrinkles, and more space efficient; and the open tops on a lot of things like the locker baskets – in my experience, those are dust collectors.
Those are just tiny negatives. I absolutely adore this room. I think it’s full of great storage, organization, and decorating ideas. I would just love to own this studio, wouldn’t you? Thank you to Kelliannie on CKMB for showing me this room :)
I’m relatively new to this online thing. We just got internet at home for the first time in January 2007. Yes, I know, horribly shocking! Prior to that, I used the internet at the library or at work if I needed to look up something quickly and that was that. We didn’t need any extra household expenses and I worried about the impact of the internet on my family. With all my years working in law enforcement related jobs, I had heard SO MANY horror stories. And then…I quit a horrible job and needed to find another one. Come to find out, in this day and age you basically cannot look for jobs nor apply for them effectively without the internet. So I had to break down and install it in our home.
Now, I won’t go on about the negative impacts it HAS indeed had in our home. I want to talk about a very positive thing I’ve noticed: What a great online community that scrapbookers have! Although I do now have 2 part-time jobs, I still use the internet daily to look for other part-time jobs and consultant work. But about 90% of the time I now spend online is related to scrapbooking. I read a blogs (famous scrappers and just normal ones like me), visit the shopping sites (I browse but don’t buy, LOL), I belong to several scrapbook-related Yahoo groups, and daily I go to my mainstay, the Creating Keepsakes Message Board (CKMB). I have been so amazed by the friendliness of the scrapbookers I have “met” in all of these places. Everyone is supportive and it really is a pleasure to spend time chatting with them. SB bloggers consistently read each other’s blogs and leave comments. CKMB’ers leave lovely comments about each others work in the Image Gallery. Scrapbookers are very supportive of their Scrap Celebs, leaving hundreds if not thousands of comments on any given blog entry. We are also a competitive group, always entering sweepstakes, challenges, or layout entry contests.
What prompted me to write this entry was seeing a POST ON THE CKMB about two ladies from the board who had just met in person, spending a day together having lunch and scrapbooking. You could tell from the photos they posted that they truly enjoyed each other and their time together. One of the ladies said she was thrilled when she used “slab” in conversation, and the other lady knew exactly what she was talking about. Like those who share other hobbies, we scrapbookers have our own lingo and we feel right at home with those who understand it. I have met a few of the famous scrappers in person, and a “secret sister” at CKU, but I haven’t met any other online scrapbooking friends in person yet. I hope to do that someday. Have you met online scrapbooking friends in person? Tell us about it in Comments…
I’ve been to CKU twice (CKU San Jose 2005 and CKU Masters Anaheim 2005) and wish I could go again. CKU is so fun, energizing, and educational. Some friends of mine recently attended CKU Album Anaheim and took the track offered by Becky Higgins called Snapshot of Me. At my last crop, they showed me the album they had made and I fell in love with it! Another friend of mine decided to copy the album with me so that’s the project we’re both working on right now. I’m pretty sure it would be a no-no to post instructions or photos of it, but let me tell you about it…
The album is 20 pages long, and the title page says “Snapshot 2007” and has a photo of you (or, in my case, ME!). All of the remaining pages have computerized journaling prompts that allow you to capture your life as it is today. For example, My 5 Senses and a Month in My Life. There is room for tons of photos of your life as it is today. My friend had photos of herself getting a mani/pedi, in the Starbucks drive-thru, and at her desk at work. What she did was complete the album at CKU and has since spent her evenings completing one page a night of the journaling. I saw her album at a crop Saturday and she is making great progress. It is a joy to read her journaling and see the photos of everything that’s important to her. I’m sure her daughter will cherish the album, and I hope my kids will cherish mine someday too. One point which kind of relates to THIS post I made the other day: Becky insists that you do all the journaling in your own handwriting.
The only negative to this project is I feel like I’m ‘cheating’ somehow because I didn’t attend this CKU, yet I’m getting to complete such a cool project. Granted, I didn’t get the whole CKU experience, being taught by Becky, or have her take my photo (yes, she herself took a portrait of EACH attendee to put on the title page of the album!). But if you had paid to attend a CKU, then saw someone like me doing ‘your’ project, would you be upset? Just wondering…Also, let me know what you think of this idea, a Snapshot of Me album. Have you done one or something similar? It has been the exact kick in the pants I needed to finally scrap something about myself.
Amanda Probst is a Contributing Editor at Creating Keepsakes magazine. She is nice enough to hang out with us on the CK Message Board and I just saw a post that she is offering a RAK on her blog. When I went to her blog, I noticed you can leave a Comment by way of linking to your own blog, so I’m going to try it….here goes….
Amanda, my guess is tan/beige & congrats on your layouts and your restraint with the Harry Potter book!
Check out Amanda’s blog HERE and the post about the RAK HERE!
I don’t know about you, but I think journaling is the most important element on a scrapbook layout – next to the photos of course! Here are some things I’ve learned about journaling and just random thoughts about the subject:
Please handwrite at least some of your journaling – others will thank you. I know like most of you, I agonize over my handwriting. On a good day and if I’m not writing in a hurry, I like it okay. I can write pretty decently in caps, in lowercase, in italics or a more cartoon-y style. But I’m no professional and sometimes my handwriting ends up being my least favorite thing about a layout. However, I’m still glad I did it. Let’s keep this in perspective, shall we? The important people, my friends and family, don’t care if my handwriting is perfect or publishing-worthy. They care that it’s MY handwriting. My kids do (or will someday!) appreciate that I took the time and my own hand/heart to write down my thoughts and feelings. My own father has passed away and I have to say, what I still cherish all these years later are the things in his handwriting – notes, cards, letters, even articles and papers he wrote for work (back in the day, before computers were the norm). I also love to look at the things in my Grandma’s writing (she died about 10 years ago). Even seeing the writing of those still with me – my mom, my husband, my kids – brings me joy. Please don’t underestimate the importance of your handwriting. It is a part of you. It IS you…
I do use computer journaling sometimes, usually for one of two reasons: space or theme. Sometimes I have a lot to say on something and limited space. For example, in my albums (yes, albumS) about my trip to Europe, I consider them to be like my travel journal. Since I will probably never take a trip like that again, I want to write down and remember every detail. The journaling is extensive, so I’ve been computer journaling throughout the entire project. Other times, I think the font style adds to the theme of the page. For example, I’ve used a western font on a Pony Pictures page and a Mickey font in my Disneyland album. There are times when computer journaling is definitely the way to go.
I’ve read the tip many times to “Just write down the Who, What, When, Where and Why” but, to me, that is the absolute minimum of what should be journaled. I also like to include the other things, like the feelings of the day, favorite things about the event or person featured, or messages to my family who will be reading the journaling. I heard someone at a crop recently say that they don’t journal on their pages at all beyond the title and date, and that made me really sad. I guess it’s better than a plain photo album, and the scrapper is getting an artistic release from doing the scrapbooking, but where is the meaning to the album after album that she is quickly completing?
What are your thoughts about computer vs. handwritten journaling? Do you go crazy with all the font possiblities, good or bad? Do you keep it simple or go more elaborate with the details like I do? I would love to hear your thoughts!
That is a question I’d never considered…until I found THIS ARTICLE. Please give it a read; you won’t be sorry.
I have jokingly discussed this with some scrap friends, but never took it any further because I figured our homeowners policy would cover any loss of scrapbook supplies I ever suffered (oh, the horror! makes my skin crawl…). But this article got me thinking that I should look into our policy to make sure the limits are high enough to cover my stash that is surely worth thousands of dollars. Also, as a consultant for a scrapbook company, maybe I need to be insured as the article discusses. I know there are many of you in the same boat as me, so I hope you enjoy the article!
My favorite site for Basic Grey papers and Bazzil – Embellish IT! – is now taking pre-orders for the new Basic Grey themes. Tell them I sent you! Here’s the new BG:
BG Periphery papers
BG Periphery extras
BG Recess papers
BG Recess extras
BG Mellow papers
BG Mellow extras
BG Obscure papers
BG Obscure extras
BG Infuse recently released, ifya haven’t seen it already….
I just ordered this paper pack and letter sheet. There are also die cut shapes and another version of letter stickers. Can’t wait for Mr. UPS Man!
As I may have mentioned a time or twelve, Basic Grey is my absolute favorite scrapbooking company. They are always innovative while staying true to what we all like about their stuff: a distressed look, great colors, patterns and colors that coordinate well even from line to line, and such great quality. The new line I’m most antiicipating is probably Periphery. I think the colors are intriguing and will be so adaptable to different pages. But it’s hard to choose because they all look great. I especially love the new wide range of alphas, and patterned die cuts that I’m sure we’ll be seeing on a lot of published layouts in the coming months. What do you think of the new Basic Grey? Which one is your favorite?
I’ve admitted from the beginning that I like to shop for scrapbook supplies as much as I like to scrapbook. So this entry should really come as no surprise. I just got my August issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine today and I was struck by how MANY of the ads and/or products caught my eye. So here’s a page by page review:
Pg 3 – Ad for K&Company Quick-Dry Craft Bond, “featuring renowned WackyTac technology that permanently adheres crafts together!”. Looks like it might be a solution to “the chipboard letters won’t stay on my page” problem. If anyone has tried it, please post a review in comments. I seem to recall seeing it on QVC awhile back.
Pg 8 – Ad for Fancy Pants new Botanical line. I really like everything Fancy Pants puts out lately, and this is no exception, a must have. Look at the calendar page in the bottom right corner!
Pg 11 – Ad for Bo Bunny line called Pep Rally. Didn’t like their early stuff, then loved their stuff for awhile, not a “fan” of this.
Pg 13 – Ad for doodlebug design Plain & Simple Chipboard Houses. I always love DD ads because they make amazing things out of paper. This product stumps me tho’. I can’t think of a way to use a cute little altered house. Too cutesy for home decor. Any ideas?
Pg 15 – Ad for the new Autumn collection by daisyd’s. I always think of them as being very “distressed” and homey looking. This is a little different, very cute, love the colors. Go daisyd’s!
Pg 16 – Ad for Three Bugs in a Rug new Chalk Garden collection. Have never loved their stuff (or this). Too bright, too hard, too busy.
Pg 18 – Ad for new XL ghost butterflies by heidi swapp (now that I’m typing all these industry names, I’m noticing how many use strictly lowercase letters, LOL). These are pretty. I love how you can back them with patterned paper, paint, glitter, rub ons, etc.
Pg 21 – Ad for The Rockstar Stack by Die Cuts with a View. Reminds me of the peek I got at the new Basic Grey line, Obscure. Very geared towards teens and music. I love how SB products are constantly evolving and there is something for every topic under the sun.
Pg 22 – Ad for “a new Bohemia – 20 new themes – 4 new color schemes – transparent frames, etc” C’mon, say it with me…..”Hallelujah!”. By that I mean, I dig Bohemia so Right On that there is more to love.
Pg 36 – The famous ad for Martha Stewart Crafts at Michaels. You can bet there has been some discussion about this on CKMB. I like the ad. It’s a creative way to show off her plethora of products (see, wasn’t I nice??).
Pg 43 – Ad for the Holiday Cardmaking Cruise with Sandi Genovese. A 5-day cruise for $598. Unless I’m blind, they don’t say WHERE the cruise is. But I looked on ScrapMap.com for you (it’s Cozumel).
Pg 44 – Ad for Skinny Cow ice cream. See, told ya they were after us scrapbookers big time. A 1 1/4 page ad in CK ain’t cheap.
Pg 50 – Ad for a new CK book coming out in August called “Super-Fast Pages with 4×6 Photos”. I will be buying this book before the ink dries.
Pg 51 – Ad for DCWV’s new “All Dressed Up” with glitter. I haven’t given in to the glitter products yet because I wonder about it scratching photos over the long term. But this is really pretty. Love the two album samples they show. The line will be great for wedding, prom, etc.
Pg 52 – Ad for CK’s “Easy Patterns for Scrapbooking” kits now available at Joann stores. Not sure how I feel about these. You know I love the Easy Patterns book by Brenda Arnall but the only thing that salvages a shred of creativity about it is that you get to pick your own papers and use your own brain to cut them. These kits have all the paper provided and it has cut marks on the back. Hmmmm….
Pg 59 – Ad for new Dorothy collection by Anna Griffin. I don’t use a lot of her stuff but this is unique and could be adapted to more than heritage pages. Very pretty color scheme of black, white and pink/fuschia. It’s “just one of 7 new collections for 2007” for you Anna Fans.
Pg 64 – Latest & Greatest column, Spiral Punch by Stampin’ Up! It’s a paper punch that gives you “an authentic spiral punch edge” like torn notebook paper. I will be calling my SU rep next week. Also love the Starfin alpha stamps by FontWerks on the next page. A very cute font and I like how you can color them in as you like. Would like to try the Power Bond adhesive from Tombow on pg 67 to see if it really “makes adhering textured cardstock oh so easy”. I struggle with my Bazzill sometimes.
Pg 75 – Ad for Cosmo Cricket’s Gretel collection. Cute ad but I like to see the product line not just photos of adorable kids.
Pg 86 – Ad for 2007 CK Scrapbooker of the Year contest. The ad doesn’t give a deadline but it already passed (7-6-07). I feel badly for anyone who works on this now. Hopefully they would check out the website beforehand. CK knows how their own publishing dates; I wonder why they did this?
Pg 93 – Ad for We R Memory Keepers new line of Classic Leather Albums. Smart move. Remind everyone “we’re here, we have albums!”. I have noticed a resurgence of the 3-ring album lately.
Pg 101 – Ad for Prism’s Metallics line of shimmering cardstock. Reminds me of Bazzill Bling. Prism is the line of cardstock that Memory Works carries; I hope they add this soon. I think it would be a big seller since MW does not carry Bazzill.
Pg 117 – Ad for two new Autumn Leaves idea books: Perfectly Clear and Foof-a-Life. AL idea books are my favorites so I’m excited to buy these, especially Perfectly Clear which has techniques for using AL clear stamps (I have several sets).
Pg 118 – Ad for the Memory Planner by Karen Foster Design, available August 2007. Don’t know if I would use the entire planner but I like the templates that allow you to easily make page sketches. Very clever.
Pg 141 – Ad for Vertical Drawer Organizers by Cropper Hopper. I think these are a great idea, a natural companion for my CH Vertical Paper Holders. I want them for storing foam stamps, for one thing.
Pg 142 – Ad for Clear Albums by Pageframe Designs. They have talked about these on CKMB and I like the look. But too advanced for me. Maybe when I’m a big girl scrapbooker someday.
Pg 147 – Ad for….oh, who cares….there’s a shirtless blond guy with muscles. That’s all you need to know.
Pg 162 – Ad for Dear Diary journaling tools by Collage Press. I’m intrigued…
and same page has an ad for my fave, ScrapRack.
Back inside cover (yeah, you thought I’d never get done!) – Ad for Prima’s “all new embellishments, including alphas, brads and super hot journaling cards”. I love the ad, how they got a nice theme/photo while still showing a good amount of the products along the outer edge of the page. They all look beautiful, by the way.
So, there’s my ad review. Feel free to tell me what you think. Am I way off the mark or did I tell it like it is? And the answer to your question is: No, I obviously DON’T have anything better to do with my time (LOL).
Stay tuned: Next time I will post a review of the August CK issue itself – features, articles, etc.
I was not tagged, but I love these surveys so I just butt in and do them, LOL. This one was taken from Overstuffed with Love blog…
45 Totally Obscure Facts About Me
1. Are you taller than your mom? Yes, she’s a shortie, only 5/3 while I’m 5/7.
2. What color is your car? White
3. What is the closest thing to you that is red? My toenail polish.
4. What is your ringtone? “Anyway You Want It” by Journey (if you’ve seen me over on CKMB, you know my handle is “journeyfan”…)
5. Are you sick? Sick of being hot, sick of my new neighbors dogs barking all night, but technically healthy.
6. Do you have a favorite pillow? Yes, I adore the expensive pillow I bought when we got our Sleep Number Bed. It weighs about 10 pounds or so. It’s the only pillow I do not allow kids to play with or use.
7. What is your favorite game? Uno!
8. Had a nap today? I wish…
9. Gold or Silver? Definitely silver.
10. Is there an animal that creeps you out? Snakes, totally. If I see one, think of one, hear about one, see one on tv, etc I will have nightmares about snakes that night where they crawl all over me in bed, swim with me in my pool or other such creepy disgusting craziness. (GREAT question! Now I’ll have snake-mares tonight…Yick).
11.Who was the last person you rode an elevator with? With my kids at Barnes & Noble about 2 weeks ago.
12. Did you go iceskating as a kid? I tried it once but didn’t like it. Weak ankles.
13. Ever have stitches? Yep. When I was 5, I dropped the plates I was clearing from the table. Still have a 2 inch scar across my palm.
14. Favorite non-alcoholic drink? Icy cold Diet Coke.
15. How long ago did you kiss someone? My hubby this morning on his way out.
16. What’s something you want to do before you die? Write a successful novel.
17. Have you ever caught something on fire? No-ho-ho way!
18. Have you ever seen a ghost? Yes. Well, I’ve seen the spirit of my dad several times.
19. Have you ever seen the northern lights? Unfortunately, no.
20. Do you know how to use chop sticks? Barely. When it comes to the rice, I give up and use a spoon.
21. Name something good that happened today. Ooh, this is hard. I had a bad day. Hmmmmm……uhhhh…..Oh! Yummy food to eat at work. My new co-worker started today. His family is Filipino and he brought in egg roll thingees, red pepper sauce, and a noodle/chicken/veggie dish. All were to die for!
22. What room are you in? We call it the Air Bed Room. Self explanatory?
23. Are you worried about something you can’t control? The simpler question would be “Is there anything you DON’T worry about?” (I worry about anything and everything. Yep, I’m a worrier!). Interesting timing on this question – my Bible Study topic this week in Women of the Bible was Hagar, a woman with little to no control and how she handled it.
24. Do you like to exercise? Hate it, hate it, hate it. It’s known by me as The E Word.
25. Ever been in a car wreck? No, thank God.
26. Are you wearing nailpolish? Just on my toes.
27. Favorite color? Green (not for nailpolish, just in general :)
28. Innie or Outie? Aren’t we getting personal now????
29. Ever been to Canada? For about 5 minutes as a child. It was a long road trip with my mom and grandparents in a travel trailer. By the time we got to Canada, my mom was so sick of my brother and I bickering that we turned around and went home before we saw anything. Yeah, that’s one of my prouder moments…
30. Sweet or Sour? S-w-e-e-t. Yeah, baby!
31. Sun or Moon? They are both fabulous for different reasons.
32. What shoes did you wear today? Black open toed slip ons to work; black zori’s since I got home.
33. Favorite eye color of the opposite sex? Greeny-brown.
34. Most important quality in any relationship? On this blog, I will say “communication and values in common”.
35. Favorite movie? Oh, so many! I will narrow it down to 3: Grease (I’ve seen it, like, 50 times), Say Anything (LOVE me some John Cusack, yum), and Wayne’s World (we still use catch phrases from that one, and they SO communicate what we need to say).
36. Time of day you were born? Early AM, which is stunning considering how much I abhor mornings.
37. Do you know your blood type? Yes.
38. What would you spend 5,000 dollars on right now if you were handed it? Pay off a debt, any debt, just pick one.
39. Name something you are grateful for! My new relationship with JC.
40. Did you grow up in the city or country? The suburbs of a big city.
41. Would you ever consider going on a reality tv show if offered a large sum of money? No, I’m not open enough & I’m not the type that will do anything for money. I think other things are more important than the dolla’.
42. One of your dreams? To become independently wealthy so I can quit all my jobs and just be a mom and a scrapbooker (wait, is that contradictory to #41?)
43. Hugs or kisses? Both!
44. You have 10 dollars to spend in the dollar store. What do you get? First I’d hit the scrapbook stuff. They usually have one or two things there. I also like their bathroom cleaner and furniture spray polish stuff.
45. Slurpee flavor? Dr. Pepper
Wow, I’m so honored! One of my favorite sites has mentioned & linked to my blog again (blush, blush). Check it out here. I love the Organized Scrapbooks site so much. Thanks to you, OS, for the mention! Now let’s go eat some more Skinny Cow ice cream…
I just wanted to share these because they’re so stinkin’ cute:
I love 7 Gypsies products. They are so unique; there is nothing else like them on the market. They always seem to be trendsetters, ahead of the curve, in the know. They know what we like before we even know we like it. My only frustration is that their stuff sells out too fast. There have been a number of times when I wanted something 7 Gypsies just came out with, and it’s already sold out everywhere, even online. Hmmm…are they astronomically popular or do they purposely produce/release just enough product to make us even more crazy for their stuff? Well, I don’t care, I just love it! Do you?
Back in April 2007, I did a RAK (Random Act of Kindness) when my blog received it’s 3,000th hit. Well, now we are approaching 10,000 so it’s time to do another one. Here’s how you play:
Whoever posts a comment closest to the time my blog receives it’s 10,000th hit will receive a little scrapbooking goodie from me. I think it will happen in the next 2 or 3 days. The comment can be on ANY post on this blog. Good luck!
It’s been almost a week and I’m still trying to catch up on my sleep, LOL! I held my second scrapbooking crop last weekend. It was Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 10pm each day. I had an absolute blast! I know there are critics of crops and many people who say they just won’t go to one because they need to have all their stuff, they don’t like to pack for them, etc. But if you’ve never gone to one, you really should give it a try. The best thing to me is it’s like a mini-convention of scrapbookers and where else are you going to get that? Well, other than CKU et al, but not everyone can attend those events. To me, it’s not even really about how much scrapbooking I can get done at crops anymore. The pages I get done are just a bonus. It’s the networking, the scrap-chatting, the sharing of ideas, the sharing of excitement over this great hobby, looking at everyone’s pages and learning more about their lives, hearing the stories of their families, seeing their latest projects and learning new techniques. And invariably you find someone there who knows someone that you know (know what I mean?). I just love the whole ‘Six Degrees of Separation’ thing, don’t you? Anyway, there is just so much to a crop – it’s not ONLY about getting pages done!
This crop went very well, I thought. There were ladies coming and going at different times – I offered a Full Day and a Half Day option. That worked out well because everyone’s weekends are busy and this way, they could really work the crop into their schedule. One lady came for just a few hours while her daughter attended a birthday party nearby. Since she only paid the half day rate, she didn’t feel like she was being cheated of part of her fee. There were about 10-15 people there at any given point; there were 3 ladies that were there all day for all 3 days. Now that’s devotion! And many others who would’ve kept that schedule if they didn’t have other things going on.
One of the best things this time was that my LSS participated. I asked them if they could contribute anything for the goody bags and maybe some business cards. They came through with: 3 large items I used for end-of-the-day door prizes; (50) coupons for $5 off; (50) business cards; and tons of smaller items for hourly drawing prizes like mini album kits and embellishments. The grand prize was a $25 gift card to their store. I was so happy for the gal who won it – that was the best prize! I’m so amazed at their generosity and very grateful.
There was also a Creative Memories Consultant who attended for 2 days. She brought a bunch of her products to sell, and she even got some scrapbooking done. I was glad to make the connection with her and we have agreed to support each other in our consultant endeavors. She seems like a very smart businesswoman and I know I’ll learn a lot from her. I was happy that she sold some things and was able to have success from my crop. Gosh, there were many fun stories and projects, so many neat women I got to know or got to know better. There are such interesting lives being lived out there, and I love to learn about them. On top of that, I got to spend 3 days with my mom (who as always supported me through this), and with my good friend K whose table was up front so we got to talk and talk and talk.
As for the Memory Works part of it, that was also successful. I haven’t tallied it all exactly but I did make a nice little profit from items I sold at the crop, or from orders people made while there. Although it is hard (i.e. expensive) for me to have a ton of my products on hand, I did have a lot more things to show as samples or to sell this time, so that made a difference. The hard part is trying to predict which products will be popular and that shoppers will like. Scrapbooking products look nice on the internet, and even better in a catalog, but there is nothing better than seeing them in person. That’s what really convinces someone that they must have it! For instance, MW has a Crate Paper pack that looks very pretty in the catalog so I ordered it for myself. But when I got it in the mail I was like, WOW! The colors are SO pretty, the paper is SO thick, and the designs are SO fresh. It just blew me away. There is nothing like the real thing.
Many people were asking about the NEXT crop, so I will be working on that. The 2 hotels I would use are already booked throughout the summer. The first step is finding somewhere to hold the crop. I have orders coming in now to deliver (MW will ship orders directly to the customer but most of mine prefer to save on shipping costs by combining orders, then I deliver each one). I’m also hoping to get some scrapping done myself now. At the crop, I only finished one 2-page layout, and got everything done but the journaling on three more 2-page layouts. So I need to finish those. I’m also very excited about a new project I hope to start….that I learned about at the crop, of course! Three of the ladies had just returned from a CKU-Album and the project they were completing was an All About Me album designed by Becky Higgins. It’s absolutely beautiful, and so special. We took photos of all the layouts and made copies of her instructions, so K and I are hoping to create one for ourselves. We’re planning a couple Sundays together in July so we can work on it together. I hope all of your summer projects are just popping along!
Have you discovered Skinny Cow frozen treats? As someone who is on a perpetual diet but also loves her desert, I have been enjoying them much. In fact, at Costco yesterday I got a package of Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches. Half the box has chocolate ice cream, the other half vanilla. Yummers! And I see on their website that they’ve added some scrapbooking-related things. They are even having a Queen of the Crop scrapbook layout contest right now (deadline to mail your entry: 7/31/07). See, they have caught on that 1 of 3 households has a scrapbooker. They also realize that the same women who love Skinny Cow might also be the same women who scrapbook. Smart cow!
It’s times like these when I wish I were some kind of scrapbook retailer that qualified for (and could afford to attend) all the scrapbooking trade shows, like CHA. Registration has opened for the MemoryTrends Conference and Expo which will be in Las Vegas this September. Here is a link to the conference brochure if you’re interested. The keynote speaker will be Stacy Julian, talking about the wider definition of scrapbooking. Lisa Bearnson will present “an exclusive report on the results of the 2007 Scrapbooking in America survey”. I just love surveys; although most of them are NOT truly statistically accurate, they do give you some idea of what the trends are and what’s going on with any given subject. I have so many theories and opinions about scrapbooking today, it will be interesting to see if my ideas match those of the Big Survey. Alas, since I won’t be at MemoryTrends, I’ll have to wait for it to be published somewhere and hope it doesn’t cost hundreds of dollars to access like one’s in the past have. One great thing that has happened with the advent of so many scrapbooking blogs, you can experience the trade shows through the attendees. They share photos, diaries, and product reviews – it’s ALMOST as good as being there. And cheaper. Can’t wait!
