Retail price for this bundle is $345 and retail on just the Cameo is $299 (though you can often find it on sale for $269). But you can see what an awesome deal $195 is for this whole package.
I don’t think it’s any coincidence that it’s on sale right before Mother’s Day, LOL! Go on, tell hubby and the kids to treat you. You deserve it for the 42 times a day you wipe crumbs off the kitchen counter and for turning all those socks right-side out before putting them in the wash.
We put our clean hands in dirty, stinky socks, PEOPLE!! We deserve a flippin’ Cameo! {Just promise me you’ll wash your hands before you use it, Ms. Stinky “Ew!” Sock Hands}.
If you’re wondering “what in the heck would I do with a Cameo?”, check out the Pinterest boards by SILHOUETTE AMERICA. You’ll see that you can use a Cameo not just for scrapbooking but for loads of other things – t-shirts, birthday party favors, home dec, organization, etc. The possibilities are endless.
And if you need some resources once you get it, check out my Silhouette Cameo board on Pinterest right HERE. I like to gather free cut files, scrapbooking ideas, fonts, and especially how-to’s.
I noticed that “The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society” by Darien Gee is only $1.99 for Kindle on Amazon right now. I don’t know how long that price will last so snap it up if you’re interested!
In THIS post, I talked about why you should read “Friendship Bread” by the same author first if you can.
It’s always been known as National Scrapbook Day here in the ol’ US of A but with scrapbooking being such a global community, I’ve noticed a lot of scrappers now referring to it as International Scrapbook Day or iNSD which I think is awesome!
I hope you’re having a day full of scrappy goodness. I have to work today (boo hoo) but – purely in the interest of promoting our hobby and doing something scrappy today – I plan to hit a few of the online NSD sales and see what trouble I can get into ;)
I’m also planning to talk by phone with a long-time online scrapbook friend later this morning. We’ve “known” each other for years but this will be the first time we’ve spoken. I cherish the friendships I’ve made through this blog and the scrapbook message boards I’m on. In fact, one of my BFF’s is someone I met through a scrapbook MB <3.
I wanted to share a freebie that I KNOW you’re gonna’ like – and it’s from one of my fave companies, SIMPLE STORIES.
These free printables go with their brand new “Good Day Sunshine” line and HERE is the link. It can take a while to load so be patient, girlie.
Also, check out one of my other fave companies, BASIC GREY today! You can get this FREE PRINTABLE . . .
and they’re having a great sale, giveaways, etc.
Man, you need to go strolling around the scrappy internet today. There are so many sales, freebies, games, giveaways, and challenges! And THIS is why interNational Scrapbook Day is one of my favorite holidays of the year :)
LOVE TO ALL MY SCRAPPIN’ FRIENDS and HAPPY interNATIONAL SCRAPBOOK DAY!!!!
Starting today {Tuesday, 04-29-14}, Simple Stories is revealing their new lines for Spring 2014. As always, I’m very excited because SS is one of my favorite scrapbooking companies. Here is a taste of each of their new lines:
In their Spring 2014 catalog, they also have some of the products that were introduced at CHA WINTER 2014. This includes: Photo Flips, Photo Crops, 12×12 and 6×8 Pocket Pages, 6×8 Insta-Pocket Pages, and Burlap 6×8 Sn@p! Binders, along with the solid color 6×8 and 12×12 albums they’ve carried for a bit now. {Btw, Simple Stories gave me one of the 12×12 albums and page protectors to try out; they are AWESOME! Great quality and just lovely}.
I don’t think I ever got around to posting the SS photos I took at CHA so here are some of the items in person:
Yeah, my camera broke mid-CHA so these are blurry iPhone photos. The lighting there is horrible for photo-taking anyway. Hopefully they’re better than nothing, LOL!
My early faves from the Simple Stories Spring 2014 catalog are:
The whole “Good Day Sunshine” line with all the watercolor elements and pretty summer colors, and the 12×12 ombre papers – swoon!
The “Story of Us” 12×12 papers with gold and silver bokeh, chevrons, and dots.
“Hello Baby”, such a soft and sweet baby line great for either gender. I may spend a paycheck on the pastel-colored woodgrain papers, yikes.
Stay tuned to the SIMPLE STORIES BLOG this week for lots of excitement as they reveal these new lines! Which ones are catching your eye just based on the preview?
As a student of Big Picture Classes, I recently got an e-mail offer for some very cool EXCLUSIVE Project Life cards.
They’re called “Project Life Themed Cards: Life Lists” and they are awesome! I only had to see the first photo above to know I was “in” – how sad is that?? But check out the ordering page below for more pics and a video from Becky Higgins telling you all about them. The cost is $6.99 per pack and I paid $7.00 in shipping when ordering 2 packs at a time. {Yes, I got 2 then went back for 2 more}.
I have only good things to say about the customer service and packaging of this product. I got the e-mail from BPC and ordered them the same day on 04/19, received notice they had shipped on 04/22, and they arrived on 04/24. You know how when you’re super anxious to get something, that fast shipping is worth its weight in gold!
I had a customer service issue regarding shipping (an issue on my end, not theirs). BPC resolved it quickly and were super nice about it. It required special follow-up and I couldn’t be more appreciative (thank you Mark @ Big Picture Team!).
Okay, shut up Erika, these ladies just want to see the cute cards. Here ya’ go!
This is how they were shipped, in a small envelope and plastic packaging (cute logo sticker, huh?). They were in great shape, nothing bent or torn.
This is the whole batch together.
All of the cards have the same design and saying on the front and back but one side is horizontal and one is vertical. That way you can choose which orientation you want to place it on/in your project. Here are all the 4×6 cards {you get 12}.
And here are all the 3×4 cards {you get 48}. I showed half in the horizontal orientation and half in the vertical so you can see the difference.
I just love the colors and simple designs. The focus is really on storytelling via lists. A lot of them gave me a laugh and I can’t wait to fill them out over time. My head is percolating with ideas on how to use them.
In fact, I bought some extra sets because I want my whole family to fill these cards out. I think with summer boredom coming for the kids, it’ll be a great activity and something we can share and laugh about together. It’s a cheap way to keep them busy and, hey, mama gets some awesome scrapping material out of it.
I’m still not sure what I’m going to use my own set for but I think I’ll have the kids fill theirs out and take a photo to go along with each one, then fill a mini Sn@p! or Project Life album with them. I think the list topics will generate some fun, Project Life-type photos that wouldn’t otherwise make it into an album and THEY will be the photographers. How about you – how can you see using these Life Lists cards?
I don’t know if the cards are available to order for everyone or if you have to register on the BPC site first. But either way, if you would do me the favor of registering through THIS LINK, I think I get a little commission if you buy the cards. If not, no worries! Also by registering, you’ll get future cool e-mails yourself. Big Picture does amazing classes and lots of free events like online PJ parties, a huge National Scrapbooking Day event*, etc.
*YES! NSD is almost here. It’s officially the first Saturday in May (05-03-14) but the NSD joy seems to extend from late April through all of May. Now that’s MY kind of holiday! Is there anything you’d like to see at Scrapbook Obsession Blog for NSD? I’ve thought about doing a round-up of all the shopping deals, classes, etc. so please let me know if that would be helpful!
Hope you enjoyed the photos and the “Life Lists” PL cards! Even if you don’t buy them, I think they’re still a great resource for your own life lists you can scrap. That’s why I photographed each card so you can copy down all the prompts if you like :)
And my scrappy heart starts to pitter-patter and, okay, well, race a little bit, if you must know.
I’m wondering if I’ve stumbled upon another portable photo printer to add to the Scrapbooker’s Master Printer List!??!
Note: As we know, I can be verbose. But this is a Gold Box Deal for a limited time so feel free to skip all the verbage and go snag you a $249 printer for only $149 before it’s gone (ETA 04-22-14: Make that $120 OMG!). Don’t let me stop you from saving $100. What am I, Cruella de Vil? No, no . . . no hurt feelings on my part. You gotta’ get your shop on. I get it. Truly, I do. {Here’s the LINK again}.
Another ETA 04-22-14: Well, dang, only 2 hours left! I’ve never bought a Gold Box deal before, didn’t understand how they work. I guess it’s for even less than 1 day, LOL. There’s a ticker on the Deals page and it says 2 hours left with 11% claimed. Oh well, sorry, not much notice. But still wondering if anyone has this printer and what they think of it.
So, we already know the 2 most popular portable photo printers for our types {i.e., the Scrapbook Obsessed} . . .
#2 The Epson PictureMate Charm {which is on a screamin’ deal right now for $167.50 (reg. $199) with free shipping}
They each have their upsides and downsides and, as far as I can tell, scrapbookers who like to print photos at home {especially for PROJECT LIFE} are about evenly divided in their Selphy vs Charm love <3
But could this be a new scrapbooker's printer to join the contest? Here are the features that caught my eye:
- Light, small, compact - great for taking to crops or on vacay
- Excellent reviews for photo quality
- Prints photos (and, say, journaling or a copy of that map you scanned from Disneyland?) up to 8.5 x 11
- Prints wirelessly from phone, camera, and computers (Mac and PC) using add-on Bluetooth adapter
- Can print multiple photos per page
It's all sounding pretty good to me so far! My old EPSON PICTUREMATE is still chuggin’ along so I really don’t neeeeeeddd a new photo printer. But if I did, I’d sure be checking this one out!
What do you think of it? If anyone has this printer, please share a review with us!
Just wanted to say “hiya” and check in. Life has been too busy to blog. Wah. Boo! Hate it.
As Mary reminded me in Comments, I have yet to post the second Arizona LSS review. Gotta’ get on that.
I also said I’d post about the stamp contro at Two Peas. Boy, do I have a lot to say ’bout that!
And there are so many other things I wanna’ write about.
But in the last 2 weeks, my workload has literally doubled. My car has literally died. And I literally have sciatica and a head cold.
So please forgive meeeeeee!
To make you smile, HERE is where Lisa Bearnson posted about her upcoming HSN Scrapbook shows in May 2014. Does that help you not be mad at me? Hope so!
And I hope all is well in your world, my loves <3
Talk soon.
Well, my little US scrappy friends, don’t get too excited yet. It appears these 2 new Project Life versions are available exclusively overseas, at least for the time being.
But word on the international streets is that there are 2 new kits hitting stores now. I couldn’t find the first one on Becky Higgins’ BLOG and couldn’t find either kit listed in her STORE or on AMAZON. “Aqua” apparently is for UK customers and “Happy” is exclusively for Spotlight stores in Australia {which Becky did blog about HERE back in February}.
First up is “Aqua” full of fun, happy, bright colors that would be great for toddler, kids, and school albums:
It was designed by CRYSTAL WILKERSON . . . but I can’t find any mention of it on her site either. Either nobody’s Search functions are working, or these are a big secret for some reason ;)
Second is “Happy” which is so, well, HAPPPYYYY!!
HSN – who also carries Project Life items – does have 2 papercrafting shows coming up on Tuesday 04-15-14 but, at least according to the show descriptions, no Project Life items will be presented. A Pea thinks she heard that HSN may debut 2 new PL lines toward the end of April . . . and wondering if (hoping!) it might be these. Just rumors and speculation at this point :)
ETA: Am I being a dork and this kit was on HSN last time?? AKA old news? {Thanks Tiffany!} I wasn’t able to watch but I think Tiffany is right.
I think they’re both really cute but I’m kinda’ glad I don’t NEEEEED them, LOL. The colors and designs aren’t too far off from other Project Life lines I already have like my favorite, “HONEY“, as well as SLATE.
What do you think? Are they ‘must have’ kits for you?
PS: For those Down Under, did you catch this Project Life Theme Set of Australia cards in Becky’s post linked above? Cute!
The classes are each about 1 hour in length, and cover all different aspects of pocket scrapbooking. We’re running a month-long super special, pricing these jam-packed videos at only $9 each.
You can get all six for only $7.50 each with the code “SAVE40” at checkout.
Here’s just a sampling of what’s available:
Just to recap:
-Individual classes are on sale through 4/30 for $9.
-Special offer: Buy five, get one free with code “SAVE40” through 4/30.
You can buy them right HERE. I’m excited because I know a lot of you wait for the individual class sales. Woot! Have a happy week!
From April 6-12, 2014, Michaels is having one of their BIGGEST sales of the year! Check out their ad and coupons HERE.
I for one am happy because they’ll have Iris 12×12 scrapbook cases for only $2.99 (reg. $8.99).
Over time, I’m converting all my scrapbook storage that was in open baskets on my shelves to these closed cases. Love that they’re see-through.
Scrapbook albums and Recollections craft storage are 60% off! Maybe I’ll finally take a chance on a Project Life album at THAT price! {I’ve heard they’re not very sturdy. Do you have a review?}
Scrapbook paper pads will be $9.99 (reg. $19.99).
And Plastic Scrapbook Storage will be 50% off.
If you wanted to implement my PROJECT LIFE CARDS or WASHI storage ideas, now would be a great time to buy up some of those cute plastic shoeboxes or 6×6 Iris containers!
I know you love a good scrappy bargain as much as I do, so I had to share. Hope you find something fabulous. Happy Shopping!
PS: Would love to hear what you pick up at Mike’s. Please come back and let us know!
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As I talked about in THIS post, I was lucky enough to find an AWESOME scrapbook store while in Arizona recently. {If you haven’t read that post yet, ya’ gotta’ if you want a laugh}.
Now it’s time to show you the haul from my trip to Scrapbooks Etc. in Mesa, Arizona.
Here’s the bag of pretties I brought home :) Note: If you click on any of the photos below, they will enlarge.
So, I took the photos, downloaded and edited them, then realized I forgot to include the Kaisercraft cards in this photo. So pretend they’re there, mmm kay? The budget I’d set for myself was $30 and you can see that I went over that just a teensy bit. Wonderful restraint though, if I do say so myself!!
They had a sale going: Buy 10 sheets of $1 paper and get the 11th free. Well, it was my duty to buy 10 sheets of paper, right?? Right.
First, 5 sheets of October Afternoon “Daily Flash”. I officially love and, yes, want to marry that sheet on top with the distressed teal stripes. Well, it would be a plural marriage because I need the bokeh paper in my life always as well.
Here are the backs of those same OA papers:
Here’s 1 sheet of American Crafts “Daydreamer” from Dear Lizzy. Don’t worry; I’m not going to say AGAIN how much I love hearts. Because you already know I love hearts. I say I love hearts ALLLL the time. I mean, why do you need to hear again how much I love hearts?!?! You really don’t <3 <3 <3
Next are 5 sheets of Basic Grey “Capture”. My favorite (OBVI!) is the turquoise on one side and turquoise/green on the other. I don’t like being faced with Sophie’s Choice, so I just bought 3 sheets of it – 2 to use for a turquoise background on a 2-pager and 1 to use the striped side.
Here’s the other side of the BG papers. Oh look, those stripes again!
So there are my “buy 10 get 1 free” sheets of $1 scrapbook paper :)
Here’s all the cards spread out and where you can see both sides:
Are they not lovely!?!? I adore this color scheme. I do a lot of beach pocket page scrapping and these will be perfect-a-mundo!
The flowery bits are not my favorite but, ya know, every card has 2 sides, LOL. I love everything else about these cards. The distressed teals and beiges, sayings, and other designs with banners, dots, chevrons, etc.
I also got 5 sheets of Echo Park “Fun In The Sun” – bright, cheerful pastels, bikes, cameras, trees, and flowers. These were only 49 cents a sheet; I think I found them on the bargain table I mentioned in my last post.
Here are the other sides of the Echo Park papers. This will be a great line to use for Project Life pages.
The only garage sale item I left the store with: a pack of paper for only 5 buckaroonies! It came with 37 cardstock-weight sheets of paper. I don’t love all of them and there are lots of duplicates but, at a mere 13 cents per sheet, I’m not complaining :)
Here are the backs of the same papers above.
I batched together my 3 favorite sets. I don’t know who makes these but they look lovely together and I like the mix of patterns and color. Very useable, don’t you think?
These papers aren’t labeled either but they’re great for Halloween layouts.
My absolute faves and why I bought the pack: These papers from the Teresa Collins “Memories” line. Such fresh colors and designs. The paper is very heavy and also textured. I imagine these must retail for AT LEAST $1 per sheet and since I got 5 sheets, there’s the $5 I spent on the whole pack. The rest of the papers are just scrapbook gravy :)
At $10, that took a big chunk of my budget but totally worth it. I *had* to have the wood veneer 3×4 and 4×6 cards plus the whole set is just so stinkin’ pretty.
Then I got the 2 little bags (they were sold seperately but look like Allison Kreft?) and the Doodlebug coffee stickers. ‘Cuz I might, um, be a little addicted to coffee. And take photos of it. And scrapbook them. Just maybe.
Well, there ya’ go . . . my shopping haul from Scrapbooks Etc. Hope you enjoyed!
PS: I did hit up one other store while in Arizona. I’m not gonna’ pretend it was as awesome as this store but I did manage (ahem) to find some more scrappy goodies. Stay tuned for another store review and scrapbook haul!
I was recently traveling in Arizona and had the opportunity to visit two local scrapbook stores (LSS). This is a real treat since the closest LSS to my home is 2 hours away. So I warn you now, there are LOTS of photos and I have a LOT to say!! I’ll have to do 2 blog posts. What?! I’m wordy! Sheesh.
The first scrapbook store I visited in the Phoenix area was “Scrapbooks Etc.” in Mesa, AZ . . . or as it’s now called, “Etc. Scrapbooks, Fabric & More”. The name change appears to be because they’ve added fabrics to about 1/3 of the store. I’m no sewist but I think that’s a brilliant move! Way to stay viable, AZ scrap store owners!
I’m just gonna’ say from the beginning: I loved this store! It’s one of the biggest and best I’ve ever been to. They had loads of current stuff, I liked the way the store was laid out, and they had lots to offer the customer.
Yep, I managed to show up on their Scrapbook Yard Sale day – woot! It started at 10am so I got there about 9:45. I was greeted by a super long line outside the store. I texted DH at 9:48: “Garage sale starts at 10. There’s about 50 women in line. Hold my earrings. Mama might need to throw down!” He cheered me on: “They got nothin’ on u.”
Just kidding, just kidding. I got back in my car, drove across the street, and got a Starbucks. I’m not the aggressive type {even with a latte’ under my belt}.
The yard sale was held in the classroom and here is what it looked like {faces have been blurred to protect the guilty . . . er, innocent}:
Here’s a sample of the goodies to be found at the Scrapbooks Etc. garage sale – a Simple Stories “Summer Fresh” pack for $7. I think that 6×6 pad alone sells for $6, so that’s a nice deal :)
I grabbed a few packs of things and literally had to escape that room so I could find a clear surface to check out the goods. And where did I end up!?!? At the Scrapbooks Etc. sale/clearance table in the back of the store. Where I found more deals. Sheesh. It’s like too much of a good thing, I tell ya’!
One thing from the garage sale I held onto was a BASIC GREY “BLUSH” collection pack. Here’s the tag sheet from the collection kit – “Blush” is SO yummy!
I think it was $7-8 and only missing a few sheets. Again, a good deal but it didn’t make the final cut in favor of NEW scrappy stuff!! I don’t get to an LSS but a few times a year so I didn’t want to miss the chance to get some newer things when I could actually see them in person. Yes, it’s a luxury these days :(
Okay, so if you’re a BAZZILL Babe like I am, you’ll want to sit down for this. Or at least hold onto a hand rail or something. Ready?? I give you. THE GREAT WALL OF BAZZILLLLLLL!!!!
Isn’t all that color and texture and paper goodness so PURDY??? I almost swallowed my tongue! GULP!
I can’t find it now but I swore I read earlier that the husband of the Scrapbooks Etc. owner owns (or works for?) Bazzill Basics. Which would make sense judging by their huge selection of Bazzill cardstock and other Bazzill papers.
Speaking of pretty colors, I just had to take a pic of all those pretty WRMK album colors all in a row. Gorge!
Scrapbooks Etc. had most products arranged by manufacturer which is how I prefer to shop. Here’s some new Dear Lizzy and Amy Tan, both by American Crafts:
I *so* wanted this Amy Tan “Mixtapes” pack but that price took up too much of my budget.
You’re a scrapper, you get it, right? You stand there in the store aisle, fondling the “$11 for 6 bitty rolls of washi tape” and have this internal conversation:
“You should get this. It’s sooper dooper cute!”
“I know, but ELEVEN DOLLARS! And the tapes are so skinny!”
“Yes, yes, but that’s what makes them so preciously KYUTE!”
“Precious smeshious, do you know how much PAPER I could buy with $11?”
“Well. Okay. You do have a good point there. Put them back.”
“But but but! But I want the cute little skinny Amy Tan washi! And if I buy it online, I have to pay $92 shipping on $11 worth of 6 skinny rolls of washi tape!”
“GUUUURRRLLL. Put. The washi tape. Back. NOW.
“(Kicking ground). Fine. It’s back. Jeez.”
Yeah, I put the washi tape back. But it was PAINFUL, I tell ya’!
These Dear Lizzy mini flair badges were very hard to pass up, too. Just darling.
They had a great selection of this new new Basic Grey:
One thing I loved was the little product vignettes they have around the store. They make very appealing displays with new products that make you want to buy things. Wicked smart! Here are just 2 but there were several more:
Colorful Doodlebug Goodness:
All these little packs of puffy arrows, chevrons, and punctuation were KILLIN’ me, Smalls. I very much coveted that shades of teal blue one in the middle.
But at $5 a pack, I had to pass :( You don’t want to hear the conversation-with-self I had about THAT! I almost socked myself in the jaw right then and there. But the Good Angel won. Again.
Here’s a shot of the fabric side of the store. They seemed pretty busy and I could hear the counter person answering lots of customer questions. Seems like a great set-up.
Teresa Collins “Happy” which is so much prettier in person than online.
Teresa Collins “Save the Date” which, me being married for so long, I didn’t think I’d be interested in. But, man, the colors were so pretty. I was seriously considering re-engaging and re-marrying my man just so I could use it.
The epoxy/enamel heart down there was callin’ my name. Have I mentioned I LOVE HEARTS?? Yeah, maybe once or thrice.
An entire wall of SIMPLE STORIES. Um, when can I move in, please? Starbucks across the street, rainbows of Bazzill, WRMK, and Doodlebug, AND a Simple Stories neighborhood – what more do I need to sustain life?
KAISERCRAFT is one company I’m not very familiar with but their products sure caught my eye! I ended up with a pack of their 3×4 cards; guess which one? {I’ll reveal in a “Scrapbooks Etc. Haul” post later}.
They also have Project Life Island. See? I never need to go anywhere else :) I’m set.
There was a big Accucut station; a die-cutter’s dream.
October Afternoon . . . squee!!
I think these were garage sale shoppers checking out their loot or deciding what to buy. I totally get it, ladies. Take your time. If I step on you, smack me.
More October Afternoon:
Fancy Pants:
Whole row of Bazzill Basics patterned paper:
Ahh, My Minds Eye rotating racks, I’ve missed you!
So that’s my tour and review of Scrapbooks Etc. in Mesa, Arizona. I highly suggest you visit if you’re in the area. Or in an adjacent state. It’s worth it, LOL. Wonderful store and I hope I’m able to visit many more times in the future!
Stay tuned to see what goodies I bought there!
ETA 03-30-15: Kind of a sad update. I hear from an online friend who was at Scrapbooks Etc. recently that it has shrunk in both size and number of new products since last year when I went. They’ve remodeled the store into a smaller space at the same location and decreased the inventory accordingly. Boo hoo. Still probably a better store than most, though . . .
ETA 07-31-16: Well, I heard a while back that more of Scrapbooks Etc. had been converted to sewing products. Now I hear the sad news that they are closing altogether effective the end of July 2016 :(
Same owners since 1999!
We are sad to say that we are closing the store officially August 6th. July 28th-July 30th the store will be open from 10am-6pm and August 1st-6th the store will be open from 10am-3pm.
There will be no open lab for the remainder of us being open.
Check this out: Did you know you can get a FREE PREVIEW of Ali Edwards’ upcoming “Hello Story” class?!?! It comes with videos, a very nice .pdf handout, supply lists, and transcripts.
Then if you decide to sign up for this very cool class, you can get a 15% discount using code TIMEWITHALI through 04-10-14 (which is a full week AFTER the course starts, for you slow-committers, LOL).
I’ve done the math and with the discount it comes out to $8.25/week at full price or only $7/week with the discount. I love to share these discount codes with you because I know classes (especially by top scrapbookers like Ali) can seem expensive. But when you use the discount and break down the per week cost, I think you’ve got a deal here.
You can see from the free 1-week sample shared above what a quality course this is. If you like, you can sign up for “Hello Story” right HERE.
The 12-week class runs from 04-03-14 to 06-25-14 so you don’t have a lot of time to make up your mind. On the good side, when you decide to take the class, you don’t have that long to wait for it to start!
Please let me know if you sign up so I can live vicariously through you! I’d love to post your review on thuh blog afterward as well, if you’d be so kind :)
Also, let me know what you think of the free sample!
PS: Sheesh. I just noticed that immediately upon sign-up for the course, you get some freebies:
In the pre-classroom, which is available instantly upon registration, you’ll receive Ali’s Storyology downloadable class (valued at $14), which is the perfect warm-up for Hello Story. You’ll also receive a set of 50 downloadable Random Fact Journal Cards (valued at $5.49)!
I’m listening to Ali’s free sample now as I type this blog post. Yep, just me and Ali, hangin’ out. Even if you don’t take the class, you’d be a silly willie not to grab the free preview.
As I talked about HERE, it was time for me to get some new storage for my expanding collection of washi tape. Just like with my PROJECT LIFE CARD STORAGE, I need cheap, easy and practical. Requirements for my washi tape storage are:
– Not expensive; no more than $20 total
– Easy to use; no pulling tape rolls off dowels, walking across the room to access them, etc.
– Practical; keeps the dust out and easy to see what I have
I looked all over Target for a new storage solution but had no luck. My next stop was MICHAELS craft store. Armed with my 40% off coupon, I was pretty confident I’d find something I loved.
And I was right! Scroll to the very bottom of this post if you can’t wait to see my final washi tape storage solution :)
But let’s start at the beginning, shall we? Here is what I started out with:
Like I said in my last post, I originally had my washi in an open tray on my desk along with my Project Life cards and embellishments. Due to dust and (ahem) outgrowing that storage, I moved the PL embellishments – icon stickers, twine, stamps, and chalk ink pads – to one of these super handy “Bag in Bag” purse organizers.
As I packed for my RETREAT in January, I threw all my washi into this extra plastic shoebox from Mike’s that I had standing by for more Project Life / MAMBI / Sn@p! card storage. Or whatever. I mean, it’s not like I’m going to keep obsessively buying more cards and need a place to store them. ‘Cuz that would be crazy when I already have so many. Um, yeah.
The washi tape rolls were easy enough to access in the shoebox above ^ while I scrapped but I wanted a better storage solution. They didn’t stay very neat and there was a lot of wasted space in there.
Let’s try something new:
At Michaels, I picked up this storage piece first. It’s an Iris Scrapbook Project Case meant for storing 12×12 pages in progress, I suppose.
Liked: It was shallow enough to mostly spread out my tapes into a single level so they’d be easy to see and access, yet the case is tall enough to close over the thicker tapes like the red and green one on the bottom right above. There’s even room to stack 2 thinner tapes.
Didn’t like: Took up too much desk space and couldn’t see washi tape color/pattern as well when they’re lying flat versus on their sides.
My other purchase from Michaels were these 2 smaller cases, and this is the solution I ended up going with. I put cool colors in one and warm in the other.
At Michaels, the 6″ x 6″ Iris Mini Project Case was $4.99 minus $2.00 with all scrapbook storage 40% off = $2.99 {didn’t even need to use my coupon!}. So there’s the “cheap” requirement fulfilled; only $6 total. You can’t beat that with a stick.
Oh my! That is one pretty washi collection, if I do say so myself. All that color and design and possibility makes me so HAPPY!
As you can see, the lids closed easily over all sizes of washi tape. My “easy to use” requirement was met – no dowels, no pulling them off of hangers or spools, etc. Just reach in, grab the roll(s) you need, and put ’em back when you’re done.
I kept the label on so you could see what exactly the item is called, in case you’d like to replicate this washi storage :) It’s so funny because looking back, I mentioned way back HERE that I loved this little case and wanted to find a use for it.
Voila! Mission accomplished!
Here are my cute little washi cases stacked together on my desk, just to the left of me as I scrap. My pretty tape is secure and protected. So my “practical” requirement is fulfilled.
To the right is the Bag in Bag I mentioned above. On top of the washi cases is a small plastic ‘shoebox’ from Mike’s with enamel dots and some smaller embellishments that didn’t fit in the Bag in Bag. That’s another cheap, easy, and practical storage solution I love <3
Hope you find this helpful! How do you store your washi tape?
Well, unbeknownst to me, it’s National Craft Month on HSN. They failed to include me on the memo :D
And apparently it’s also National Wicked Cool Manicure Month!
Starting at midnight on Monday 03-24-14 (or 9pm Sunday night for those of us in the PST), HSN will be airing crafting and scrapbooking shows by (among others) ANNA GRIFFIN, MARTHA STEWART, and my personal favorite, LISA BEARNSON – check out the (4) new PROJECT LIFE kits for HSN she is debuting!
You MUST click over the Lisa B’s BLOG and see tons more photos. Well, I mean, click over there if you’re ready to buy something because you’ll want to after seeing all her great pics. Word.
Luckily for me, I’m broke. Ha! If I wasn’t, I’d be getting the “Daydreamer” and “Style Board” kits. OMBRE & WATERCOLOR & BOKEH, oh my!
Did you know you don’t have to wait for the shows to air to buy these kits? You can get them on HSN.com now {if they’re not already sold out}. I usually find things that are about to air in the crafting NEW ARRIVALS section.
The only problem is if we buy them all up before the show, Lisa won’t have anything to demo again, LOL. {Yes, that happened in the past}. Then again, things selling out before they even air shows HSN and other companies {I’m lookin’ at you, QVC!} that we scrappers are serious shoppers when you bring us new stuff at a decent price. Am I right?
To see when and what shows are airing, check out the HSN PROGRAM GUIDE and change the drop down menu to your time zone. Then set that DVR and get to recording! Or if you’re lucky and don’t have to be anywhere else, grab a bowl of popcorn, some coffee, and get to watchin’!!
And if you’re stuck at work on Monday – okay, do NOT tell your boss I told you this – but you can watch HSN live online RIGHT HERE. Just sayin’ . . .
Will you be watching HSN Crafting this time around? Do you think you’ll buy anything? What’s your favorite item?
ETA 03-23-14: Someone mentioned on Two Peas that Amazon had some of these kits without the extra stuff, if you don’t want that. I went to check and found that (as of this second) AZURE, DAYDREAMER, and STYLE BOARD are listed for good prices but sold out. I can’t find “Happy” on Amazon; someone mentioned it was maybe an exclusive to Australia?
I used to keep my washi tape collection {which is, ahem, extensive} in an open tray on my desk with all my Project Life stuff. But it gets very dry and dusty here so I had to give up the open tray idea. I found other storage for my PROJECT LIFE CARDS and EMBELLISHMENTS. Everything has a new home except for washi tape.
When I went to a SCRAPBOOK RETREAT in January, I put all my tapes in a plastic shoebox – you can kinda’ see them on the far right in this photo from the retreat:
But I wasn’t happy with it for the long-term. So I was in TARGET one day and decided to look around for possibilities for storing washi tape. Here is what I found:
These fridge and freezer storage containers could work. They’re a little pricey but I like that they’re clear. You can see what you have and the pretty colors from all that gorgeous tape are visible.
I was excited to find these short tension rods because I’d seen an idea using them on PINTEREST. I had them in my cart, then ended up putting them back. It occurred to me that I’d end up being annoyed at having to pull a bunch of rolls off the rods to get to the color I wanted – or in needing to keep them on the rod and tear the tape off while it stayed on the rod. Either way, I wouldn’t like it.
These “Bento” containers by Rubbermaid are super cute. I love how the compartments pop out and you can really personalize it. The containers come in multiple sizes. I ended up veto’ing this too because 1. I don’t do well at keeping cloth things clean, and 2. It seemed too deep.
Are these little chipboard suitcases the kee-YOU-test?!?! Could totally see these for my washi tape storage. Great price, too. Only downside is they’re not see-through and I’m a “see it or forget to use it” kinda’ girl.
Now these trays, I really thought about for a while. The color is bland but that’s okay – washi tape is not, LOL! I could picture my pretty rows of colorful tape all lined up in ROYGBIV order in one of these babies. They’d be in a single layer, easy to see, and easy to access. The downsides were the larger footprint {I don’t have much desk real estate left} and being open to dust. Oh well, neat idea.
Thinking about closed storage, I checked out all these jars in the kitchen section. I didn’t pull the trigger on anything but there were some cute and affordable options there.
Oh well, back to the drawing board! I’ll check out Michaels next and I’m sure I’ll find some cool washi tape storage there :)
When I posted about HERE about “TRUE STAMP 2014” earlier today, there was no discount code in effect. However, one has just been added!
*** Code NOW20 is good for $20 off the regular registration rate through the end of this month (03-31-14) *** There are over 400 people signed up and Lain would like to get to 500!
Here are some additional reasons to sign up for True Stamp 2014 asap:
-They’re closing the doors at 500 people (that’s all the web room will hold)
-The supply list went out today, so things are hip-hop-happening
-Call guide goes out soon
-In addition to the classes, you’ll have the opportunity to win amazing prizes and access exclusive True Stamp discounts from event sponsors
Um, yeah, I’m thinkin’ those are gonna’ be some pretty nice prizes ;)
Anyhoo – just wanted to let you know in case the price was holding you back from signing up for “True Stamp 2014, which you can do HERE for $20 off through 03-31-14. Don’t forget to use this code: NOW20
Even without the discount, it’s a reasonable price. But with the discount, it’s hard to pass up.
I have a confession: I’m addicted to the free online courses at “CreativeLive.com.” There, I said it. As a business owner + creative type, it’s like they made the place just for me.
Since then, I’ve ‘taken’ about 5 other courses and frequently check their upcoming schedule to see what looks interesting. I’d heard from LAIN EHMANN, another of my fave scrapbookers, that she was in talks with CreativeLive . . . and I’ve been waiting patiently to see if she posted more about that. She hasn’t, unless I missed it.
But what should I see today on CreativeLive but THIS!!
Scrapbooking is a powerful way to preserve memories, but the process can often feel like a time-consuming chore, rather than a chance to tell your unique story. If you’re unsure where to start or held back by your inner perfectionist, this two-day course will teach you everything you need to know about creating scrapbooks that fully, creatively document your authentic life.
Scrapbooking expert Lain Ehmann will help you understand how to focus on storytelling rather than perfection when you scrapbook. Lain will cover ways to discover your own motivations for memory-keeping and match those motivations with the scrapbooking process that works for you. You’ll learn about creating beautiful, meaningful layouts that you and your family will cherish. Lain will also cover alternative methods of scrapbooking — from working with pre-made kits to preserving memories digitally and much more. By the end of this class, you’ll love your layouts – and your memories – more.
If you’re not familiar with Lain Ehmann yet, she does lots of cool online scrapbooking events, chats, and classes.
The next thing coming up is TRUE STAMP 2014. I’m not a stamper so I haven’t signed up for it but I’ve done MANY of her other classes and events like TRUE SCRAP 4, TRUE SCRAP 5, TRUE SCRAP POCKET PAGES, and 2 or 3 of her LOAD events (that stands for Layout A Day; it’s like a monthly challenge to get you scrappin’ with support of a big group). I’ve blogged about LOAD a bunch HERE because I love them so :)
Anyhow, just wanted to let you know that Lain is coming to CreativeLive and you should RSVP now so you can watch it and participate in the chat for FREE! Once they do their original events, they’re replayed a few times – then you have to pay to access them. Hope to see you there!
And I wanted to say a huge CONGRATULATIONS to both Becky and Lain. In addition to being simple scrappers, gorgeous, and SO nice, they’re both businesswomen I look up to. Getting booked on CreativeLive is a wonderful step for their businesses. I admire the guts it takes to stand up there and talk about our hobby for 2-3 full days. It’s just awesome!
PS: Are you brave, too? Why don’t you try and get into Lain’s live studio audience? Oh, how I wish I could (dang work!). HERE is where you sign up. PLEASE let me know if you get in!
Just wanted to check in since it’s been over a week since I posted. I’ve been in Arizona :)
I need to get my work and laundry done first, then I’ll be posting about some scrappy shopping I did! There’ll be plenty of photos with reviews of the 2 scrapbook stores I visited. And I’ll show you what I bought, of course. It’s all super yummy!
I also have 2 new posts I’m working on about WASHI TAPE storage that I hope to get posted this week.
Please say “hi” and let me know how you’re doing! What’ve you been up to these days? Please leave a Comment below :)
by Darien Gee is only $1.99 for Kindle on Amazon right now. I don’t know how long that price will last so snap it up if you’re interested!
by the same author first if you can.
.
{which is on a screamin’ deal right now for $167.50 (reg. $199) with free shipping}
} are about evenly divided in their Selphy vs Charm love <3
But could this be a new scrapbooker's printer to join the contest? Here are the features that caught my eye:
- Light, small, compact - great for taking to crops or on vacay
- Excellent reviews for photo quality
- Prints photos (and, say, journaling or a copy of that map you scanned from Disneyland?) up to 8.5 x 11
- Prints wirelessly from phone, camera, and computers (Mac and PC) using add-on Bluetooth adapter
- Can print multiple photos per page
It's all sounding pretty good to me so far! My old 
from Dear Lizzy. Don’t worry; I’m not going to say AGAIN how much I love hearts. Because you already know I love hearts. I say I love hearts ALLLL the time. I mean, why do you need to hear again how much I love hearts?!?! You really don’t <3 <3 <3
. These are called “Snapshot”:
– bright, cheerful pastels, bikes, cameras, trees, and flowers. These were only 49 cents a sheet; I think I found them on the bargain table I mentioned in my last post.
line. Such fresh colors and designs. The paper is very heavy and also textured. I imagine these must retail for AT LEAST $1 per sheet and since I got 5 sheets, there’s the $5 I spent on the whole pack. The rest of the papers are just scrapbook gravy :)
that has been on my 
purse organizers.
meant for storing 12×12 pages in progress, I suppose. 
was $4.99 minus $2.00 with all scrapbook storage 40% off = $2.99 {didn’t even need to use my coupon!}. So there’s the “cheap” requirement fulfilled; only $6 total. You can’t beat that with a stick.
, 
, and 
are listed for good prices but sold out. I can’t find “Happy” on Amazon; someone mentioned it was maybe an exclusive to Australia?
