I’m always on the lookout for scrapbooking being mentioned in popular media like movies. I did THIS post years ago (gosh, it’s been SIX years!) about all the scrapbooking in the movie “New in Town” with Renee Zelwegger.
I recently found a quick scrapbooking mention when I watched a movie called “Due Date” from 2010. It’s a road trip/buddy comedy with Robert Downey, Jr. and Zach Galifianakis. Robert plays the straight guy and, of course, Zach is the clown.
In one scene, scrapbooking is mentioned :)
Robert Downey: “Get in the car.”
Zach G: “Hold on one second. I’m going to go get a brochure . . . for my scrapbook, okay?”
You can see it on the YouTube clip, from 00:53 to 00:58 – check it out:
I don’t know if they’re making fun of us yet again. I just choose to see it as making a crazy character somewhat endearing :)
What other movies have you seen scrapbooking done or mentioned in?
As I talked about HERE, my scrapbook space / home office / kids’ homework area was badly in need of some cleaning up and organizing. I was considering “going for broke” with a batch of free time I had coming up. In the end, I didn’t have as big a block of time as I’d hoped but I decided to try and make a dent in things anyway.
Although I didn’t do a major re-haul and purge, I did get my whole scrapbook office cleaned, dusted, and vacuumed. I got a lot of things thrown away and put away and tidied up.
Major accomplishment: I can see the floor and my desktop again! Woot!
Since there wasn’t a huge amount of progress, I’ll just share a couple of Before and Afters.
This is my area of Crop In Style cubes (holding mostly albums, projects, paper, adhesives, etc.) and candy jars (holding embellishments, chipboard letters, flowers, etc.).
BEFORE
AFTER
I washed the lids on all the jars so they sparkle now. I dusted everything, did a little bit of rearranging, and purged a little. Overall, it doesn’t look that much different. I did move the turquoise deco items in the middle over here from my desk but I don’t like how it looks; too crowded. I have some shelves to hang one of these days and most of that will be moved to the shelves.
This is a whole view of the room.
BEFORE
AFTER
You can tell that I generally just straightened up and cleaned. I can see the surface again of the coffee table, homework table, and – like I said – my scrapbook desk. I even cleaned off a patch near my work/home office desk and it’s nice to be better organized there.
It feels really good every time I walk in the room. It’s nice to know – when I have my next block of free time – I can actually scrapbook. Now, isn’t that a rare feeling? LOL I hope this is a little inspiration if you need it – to do a little tidying of your own space so you can get scrappin’! I would love to hear about any progress you’ve been making lately; feel free to link to photos or blog entries in Comments :)
I recently had the opportunity to go shopping at SCRAPBOOK ISLAND in Los Gatos, CA which is about 1 hour south of San Francisco. In October 2014, the store relocated here from their smaller storefront about 15 minutes away in San Jose.
The relocation must be a good sign, right? According to their blog, the new store has more classroom space. It was very generous, with the entire back of the store full of large tables with plenty of work room. Sorry, I didn’t get any photos of it because there were 2 scrappers working back there and I didn’t have permission to take their photo.
Here are some pictures I took with my new iPhone 6+. I hope they’re a bit better quality than the ones I’ve been posting for the last 3 years with my little ol’ iPhone 4! Although there’s only so much you can do with natural light indoors when you’re trying to be Surreptitious Scrapper and not use a flash ;)
Valentine’s display
St. Patrick’s Day display
Sale and Clearance table
Umm, what’s the camera equivalent of a butt dial?
Love how these products are displayed
WRMK albums in pretty colors!
Cardstock Row
Ribbons galore in ROYGBIV
Pretty, shabby chic, colorful store
Overall, I thought it was a great store. As I wandered around for about 20 minutes, near the end a salesperson stopped by to ask if I needed help finding anything. She smiled and looked me right in the eye, and didn’t kind of take off before I even answered (like some salespeople do). She seemed to genuinely care that I was finding what I needed, so that was nice.
It did get a little confusing at check-out because there were 2 checkers at 1 counter, and 1 took a person from the opposite line so I wasn’t really sure when it was my turn. The prices were pretty much retail as far as I could tell. The store was mostly organized by theme which, being a “sort by brand name” scrapper, isn’t my favorite. However, if I owned a store, I’d probably organize the same way as that’s how most scrappers probably shop.
There was a nice array of newer merchandise and I loved the way they showcased 2 upcoming holidays – Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day – in such pretty displays right by the front door. I’ll bet that’s wonderful for their “regulars” so they don’t have to go scoping out the entire store for new/current stuff. The overall look of the store was kind of shabby chic and you can tell they definitely took the time to decorate and give it a cohesive look.
As I left the store with friends and waited out front to meet up with some other friends, the owner (or who I assume was the owner) came out to chat with us. She was extremely friendly and shared a lot of details about their upcoming events and guests. Layle Koncar from Simple Stories is going to be there on February 21/22, 2015. I was so excited because I love me some Layle and she’s going to do a class on my favorite new line from the last CHA called “I Am”!
But when I checked my dayplanner, I realized I have can’t-break-em plans that weekend. SMH. Oh well, maybe she’ll come back another time (hint, hint, Layle!).
So, back to the store owner . . . she seemed really interested in our suggestions for who we’d like to see at her store – by overwhelming majority, it was Ali Edwards and I think she was going to reach out to her.
I really enjoyed Scrapbook Island LSS. I hope you get a chance to visit them sometime. I just heard that the Hobby Lobby in nearby Morgan Hill is closed {which I usually try to stop at when I’m in the area but I was driving through on Sunday when they’re closed}. While I hope they’re just relocating, if they did indeed close, I hope that means more business for Scrapbook Island. We need to keep our few great LSS’s in business!! Mama needs an in-person scrapbook supply fix once in a while other than Michaels, ya’ feel me?
Oh, did I forget to show you my spoils??!!?? What the hay?? Here you go:
My haul from Scrapbook Island LSS
I couldn’t believe I got out of there for around $30. It was a miracle; they had so many great things but I tried to be a good girl :)
Have a great week!
ETA 02-21-15: A sweet friend of this blog alerted the owner of Scrapbook Island to my blog post. Her name (the owner/lady we spoke to) is Laurie Jimenez and she was very happy about the review. Great job, Laurie!
While on Scrapbook Island’s Facebook page, I saw this photo of their classroom from a class they held last night:
Pretty cool, huh?
ETA 03-28-15: Make sure and check out Jessie’s AWESOME class review down in Comments! It’s full of great info about the Simple Stories “I Am” and “Say Cheese II” classes she took with LAYLE KONCAR. Thanks Jessie – you rock!
This is a VERY new release and it’s already being sold for 20% off – woot!
You can find it at SCRAPBOOK STEALS.COM. It looks like they have all if not the majority of the new line and it’s all 20% off retail. There are 12×12 paper kits, card sets, enamel dots, photo overlays, etc.
I love deals like this because the discount basically covers the shipping (or even more). So cost-wise it’s almost like shopping at a local scrapbook store – which I don’t have access to anymore, boo hoo.
*Image via the Simple Stories blog
If you remember, Simple Stories “Life Documented” is the line that got delayed for so long because of a union dispute at the LA docks. I feel so badly for Simple Stories because the focus of this line is the new year and I’m sure they lost a lot of sales because it wasn’t available at the end of 2014 as intended.
Instead, they couldn’t provide it to vendors until 2015 had already begun and I’m sure lots of scrappers and planner junkies who PLANNED (see what I did there? eh? eh?) to use this line for their 2015 scrapping and planning had to buy another line so they could get started.
Here’s a cool video by Simple Stories showing the planner in action and a quick glimpse at the end of using it for pocket page scrapping.
I wish Simple Stories well and hope they’re able to sell a buncha’ Life Documented via SCRAPBOOK STEALS.COM and other vendors!
PS: Remember that SS just released an e-book for inspiration in using this fun line!
I know it’s Super Bowl Sunday* but what I’ve got for you is scrapbooking-related, LOL. Speaking of which, I hope all you football wives and moms are taking lots of pics and making some rad scrapbooks after this! Super Bowl times make for some great memories.
Here are some fun finds and bits of news from around the scrappy interwebs this week . . .
– I know a lot of overseas folks will be so happy to hear that BeckyHiggins.com NOW SHIPS INTERNATIONALLY!! Although in reading the comments on the blog post, it seems that many aren’t happy with the cost. I personally agree with the comments that point out Becky doesn’t set the shipping costs. She was asked to make international shipping available and she did. She doesn’t control the price and can’t take a loss on each order by lowering that. What do you think?
– One of these is gone but there are still three left . . .
– Simple Stories has another Simple Inspiration ebook out, this one for their new “Life Documented” line. It’s free and you can see it HERE.
– I absolutely love this page, both the idea and the execution!
– I’ll close with a little blog milestone: This weekend, I reached 700 subscribers to my blog posts! I’m so excited and grateful! I appreciate each and every one of you for taking the time to read and to support my blog. It truly means the world to me :) If you would like to subscribe, just enter your email address in the box at the top right of this site. You will ONLY receive an email when a new post is published. Promise. I do plan to start another mailing list but it will be separate from this one which is basically an RSS feed.
* Whoops! I had a busy weekend and thought I’d scheduled this post to go up late Sunday night but apparently not, LOL. Sorry ’bout that. To further apologize, I’ll add 2 more tidbits you might like:
Crafty Steals has a bundle today of October Afternoon Mini Market alpha stickers – only $12.99 for 18 packs! If you’ve never used these alphas, I highly recommend them. The rectangle ones especially are the perfect size for so many projects.
And Simple Stories released some free printables to go with their new “Life Documented” line!
They are made to be used with their planner line specifically but you can use them in your own planner, pocket page scrapping, or regular scrapbooking. Enjoy!
Here’s a round-up of some cool scrappy things I saw this week and want to share with you!
– If you’re thinking about downsizing your scrapbooking in 2015 – like, literally, to 6×8 or 8×8 – check out Blackbird Darlin’s POST. She does a great job of explaining how she’ll be doing it this year and what she learned from last year.
– I got to meet Nancy Nalley last year at CHA. She’s super nice and wicked smart, just like you’d expect. Anyhow, she goes to every CHA then writes great recaps. You can check them out on SCRAPBOOK UPDATE, including her Top 10 Picks from CHA.
– If you’ve been one of the many waiting for the Simple Stories “Life Documented” line to finally clear customs, you’re in luck!
From Simple Stories:
After 7 weeks sitting on the dock in Southern California due to union/labor issues, we are SO EXCITED to announce that the container carrying our Life Documented Planner & Scrapbook collections has arrived in our warehouse! We are working as quickly as possible to ship product to our distributors and retailers. Watch for the Life Documented Planner & Scrapbook collections to hit your favorite retailer soon!
Phew!
– Remember when I talked about Create and Craft USA? I was watching Bravo this weekend and on comes a Create and Craft commercial! It was so cool. It was a cute, crafty bit and at the end it advertised how they’re live online 24/7 and on DISH Channel 221 11-5 ET. (We have DISH so that’s what it mentioned, but they’re also on DirecTV at the same time, Channel 85/222). I think I have yet to catch any presentations that are specifically scrapbooking but I keep holding out hope :)
I think C and C were very smart to advertise on Bravo network, don’t you? There’s a lot of overlap between “Scrapbookers” and “Real Housewives Fans”, LOL. Count me in! Every city, every season . . .
– Yeah, I’m mostly into pocket page scrapbooking these days but when time allows, I still bust out some 2-pagers. I’m always on the hunt for inspiration, especially layouts that use a lot of photos. Check out this BEAUTIFUL layout from the EVALICIOUS BLOG:
Isn’t it lovely? I’m on a scrapbooking forum with the lovely Rona who created this layout. She recently became the Design Team Coordinator for Evalicious and just prior to that, she’d organized an Evalicous puffy sticker group buy for us. Which reminds me . . . I still need to post my pics from that. You can see lots more pics and some close-ups of Rona’s layout at the link above.
In case you missed THE FIRST ROUND, Lain Ehmann has put her popular “True Scrap 6” classes on sale again.
In short, the classes are $9.99 each on sale versus their regular price of $14.99, saving you 5 bucks per class. You can see all the classes available HERE.
From Lain:
Now through the end of January, you can save BIG on a huge
assortment of visual delights and inspiration from all NINE classes
from True Scrap 6.
If you aren’t sure what to start with, may I suggest these classes, for
only $9.99 each:
“Layering: Punch It, Roll It, Make It Yours” from Tracy Banks. The
inimitable Mercy Tiara, as she’s known to her legions of fans,
breaks down the layering process using die-cut and punched shapes.
Not only will she teach you the basics of creating lovely layers,
she’ll also have you breaking out those scores of punches and dies
you’ve been squirreling away!
“Saw This, Made That” from Kelli Crowe. Need someone to help
justify your Pinterest addiction? Kelli’s your gal! In this class,
she shares how she turns her tens of thousands (yeah, you read that
right) of pins into usable inspiration for her crafting.
“Capture Your Celebrations: Photographing Food, Family, and Fun”
from Katrina Kennedy. True Scrap mainstay KK is back with the
perfect photography class to aid your holiday photo-taking. In
easy-to-understand language, she’ll teach you the skills you need
to capture your holiday festivities.
Don’t forget to check out the other classes from instructors like
Noell Hyman, Donna Salazar, Nichol Magouirk, Layle Koncar, and more!
The sale goes through 01-31-15 but go shop right now before you forget :)
I haven’t been able to take any of the True Scrap classes this time around but I would always recommend anything by Layle Koncar. She’s with SIMPLE STORIES and her POCKET SCRAPPING 101 was my favorite class from another True Scrap I attended. I got to meet her at CHA last year and she’s SUPER nice and funny (in class, too!). You know me, I like a little humor mixed in with my scrapbooking, hollah!
I know you love Thickers so I wanted to make sure you know that Scrapbook Steals has them on sale today! Check it out here.
If I didn’t already own 4,698 packs of Thickers (okay, that’s an exaggeration. kind of), I’d get these:
and these – so cute!
How do you store your Thickers? I keep mine on their sides in a bin. Or bins. Whatever I feel like admitting to at the moment.
If you don’t have a good system yet, check out the storage created by American Crafts, which is all 25% off today:
After seeing the video on their site, I’m considering switching to this binder system. It would be so much easier to take to crops and retreats. And would look pretty on my shelf, which is an important consideration, don’t you agree?
If you’re interested, get a move on. Sale expires in 8 hours and things are already selling out!
So I was on Amazon yesterday looking at one of THESE . . . hmmm, why would I need one? Something SBO Membership-related, perhaps? ;) Anyhow, while I was there, I looked around at scrapbook supplies and here are some fun things I found:
Wowza! What a pretty line! I hadn’t seen this before so I’m glad I browsed around a little bit. MME puts out so many lines, they can start to look same-same to me – but this one is unique and I love it!
There are other sets for the $2.20 price as well – if you ordered some other stuff, you could get all 4 sets for under $9 with free shipping:
I love the MAMBI cards for pocket page scrapping. They use such fun colors and fonts, all their stuff looks great together, and I can always find a saying that works with my photos.
If you don’t have this line yet, I recommend it. It has such a unique and pretty look to it, and it kinda’ forces you to do pages about YOU – something scrapbookers need to do more of :)
I have Raskog Envy. Yes, that’s the official diagnosis. I went to a doctor and everything ;) And made a Pinterest board.
Ever since they came out years ago, I’ve wanted a Raskog cart from Ikea to use in my scrapbook room. I think I could totally rock my Project Life organization in one of these babies!
Although it comes in a few colors . . .
. . . and many even spray paint it . . .
. . . I reallyreallyreally want that Robin’s Egg Blue one.
Sigh.
I don’t live near an Ikea and it hasn’t been in the budget yet to get it online. The cart is $50 and shipping to me is another $14.
Sigh.
Now, in what may be great news for you if you’re in the same boat: A Raskog cart knock-off has appeared at Sam’s Club!!! In a pretty light blue – check it out:
I have a sweet online scrappy friend (Hollah Ann!) who happens to have BOTH versions of this cute cart. She was kind enough to take photos of them next to each other so we can see how they compare.
From what I’m hearing, the Raskog trays are 3/4″ wider and 1/2″ deeper. And the Raskog is a little sturdier with heavier metal – especially the bottoms of the trays. That last photo really shows the color difference. At around $35, the Sam’s cart is about $15 less than the Raskog (around $50) – plus shipping if you don’t have an Ikea nearby. So this may be a good bet!
Scrappers are reporting finding the Raskog knock-off carts in various places in their Sam’s Club stores – including near the front by the patio furniture (sometimes still in box and not assembled/obvious) and even still on pallets above the breakfast food section. Here, let me make this easier for you: Item Number 930442. Just give that to a Sam’s employee and they can check the computer to find the location in the store, if they have any :)
Personally, I’m holding out for the Ikea Raskog version. The light blue of the Sam’s cart is pretty but the aqua of the Ikea cart is my favorite color. Plus, I’m willing to pay extra for bigger and stronger trays.
Happy Shopping and Storing!
PS: If you’d like a silver knock-off, more shelves, or are just dying to pay MORE than the Raskog, check out the Jayden Metal Shelf Units from Cost Plus World Market :)
On of my favorite sources of online learning – CREATIVE LIVE – has been kind of quiet over the holidays, running mostly replays (which are free and great, too!). But they’re hitting January with a vengeance!
Check out these classes coming up for crafters/scrapbookers and photographers:
Fundamentals of Photography by John Greengo (January 12-16, 2015)
Like you, I take lots of photos. But I’ve never had ANY instruction in photography, not even a class in high school or college. I’m just wingin’ it, baby! When other scrappers talk about photography, sometimes I’m like, “What is this shutter speed that you speak of?” Yeah, it can be embarrassing. Well, this class “covers everything you need to know to take better photos. You’ll learn how to choose the gear that’s best for you and how to use it to its fullest potential.”
Bookkeeping for Crafters (January 15-16, 2015) and Bookkeeping for Etsy Sellers (January 17, 2015) by Lauren Venell
My family has a little Etsy shop but, again, we just winged it. The shop is on vacation for now but we plan to activate it again this summer. So these 2 classes really interest me. Have you thought about (or do you already) sell your crafts? This sounds like a great class to check out.
Photoshop 101 by John Willmore (January 19-21, 2015)
ANOTHER thing that would really help my photos and scrapbooking, yet I’ve never learned it: Photoshop. To be honest, I’m quite skerred of it! Very, very intimidating. In this class, Ben will show us “how to use Photoshop’s most important features by working through common, real-world projects and explaining the process. You’ll get to know the Photoshop interface and learn about the features you’ll use the most.” Sounds good to me!
If you want to read more about these classes, RSVP for the *free* initial broadcasts, or even treat yourself to the class recordings, you can check them out HERE.
Hurry! The “Fundamentals of Photography” class has started. I’m listening in while I work at home. Please come join in – it’s FREE – and say hi to “Scrapbook Obsession” in the chat :)
Becky Higgins revealed on her blog today that she has a new kit coming out called “Southern Weddings”. It’s made in partnership with a company called – and I think it’s no coincidence! – Southern Weddings. The new line has an expected arrival of February 2015, just in time for wedding season.
From Becky’s blog entry:
Not only will there be a Core Kit, but we’ve also created an Album, 6×6 Paper Pad, Chipboard Stickers, Photo Overlays, Embossing Folders, 4×4 Cards, and 2 sets of Specialty Cards … one that is specific to Southern brides!
I wasn’t nor will I ever be (ha ha) a Southern Bride but it’s pretty cool that there’ll be a card set just for them.
There are photos on her blog but they weren’t big enough on my screen to get a very good look – and I have a huge iMac. So I enlarged the photos and posted them here, just in case anyone was having the same problem. Just an aside: That’s why I don’t prefer blogs that are set up like Becky’s with such a narrow body. I find that it’s often hard to see photos on her new set-up :( Scrapbookers are, by nature, VISUAL! LOL On the flip side, the photos here may load slowly for you so that’s the trade-off, I guess.
Okay, y’all, here ya’ go! {<- Did you catch the Southern reference, hardy har har}.
Wow, so dreamy and lovely! The soft colors are gorgeous and I love their choice of fonts, card topics, etc.
At the last wedding I went to, I took my usual photos {in between dancing and drinking shots; OOPS! Did I say that in my ‘out loud’ voice?}. That night, I printed them in our hotel room (yes, I got a ride home from a non-drinker, Nosy Nancy!), put them in a pre-assembled 8×8 scrapbook, and presented it to the bride and groom the following morning at brunch. They said it was one of their favorite gifts and loved having photos and a rememberance they could take on their honeymoon, as the professional photos wouldn’t arrive for some time. My point – and I do have one – is that THIS KIT would be SO SO SO perfect for projects like that, don’t you think? ‘Cuz I think. Surely I do.
Alas, my own wedding (over 20 years ago and yet to be scrapped – because I can’t find just the right line) had darker colors and no pastels so I’m thinking my photos won’t look good with this line. However, I’ll reserve judgment until I see it in person or see more of the cards online. If nothing else, I have at least one family member’s wedding to scrap and their colors were perfect for “Southern Weddings” by Project Life. {<- Didja' see how I just enabled myself to buy a kit I can't use for my own wedding?? Huh? Huh? Dang, I'm good!}
Okay, now I have some questions for you:
1. If you're married, how long ago was your wedding and have you scrapped the photos yet?
2. If you're not married, can you see yourself designing your future wedding around these colors just so you can use Project Life "Southern Weddings" to scrap it?
3. Are you willing to divorce your current spouse and find someone else to marry just so you can use this kit?
Just curious ;)
Have a great week!
PS: I had to laugh a bit at the message I got when I intially tried to comment on Becky's "Southern Weddings" blog post:
ERROR: Your comment appears to be spam. We don’t really appreciate spam here.
“Erika @ Scrapbook Obsession Blog” appears to be spam. Please enter a different value in the Name field.
Please go back and try to say something useful.
Granted, I did put an @ symbol in the “name” field so it must’ve set off their spam detectors – even though I’ve commented on her old blog and lots of other blogs as “Erika @ Scrabook Obsession Blog” with no problems ever. And I *have* several blogs so I can appreciate not wanting spam but 1. there are spam detector plug-ins that are amazing and what they don’t catch, you can moderate with little effort, and 2. I thought the wording was a little hurtful (sniff). In practice, I bet more “silly, oops, that was a mistake” scrappers like me see the message than spam bots (who, by the way, can’t read). Still love ya’, Becky! Like I said, it just made me chuckle.
Now, go on, leave already! Go plan a wedding or something.
Back in the fall, they had a big sale and I got all of this for $10 including shipping.
Puffy stickers and washi! The stars are glitter even though you probably can’t tell that from the photo. The labels tape I didn’t like as much in person as I did on the website. Oh well.
This online store is pretty much always having sales and coupon codes so they’re one of the first places I look for a new “must have” line. Sometimes they only have bits and pieces but then other times, I luck out and they have the exact pieces I want. This is Amy Tangerine’s recent line, “Stitched.” I got all this for $24 including shipping.
Here are all the gorgeous papers from the paper pack, including my favorite paper – the map with hearts. You may know that I have deep love for ombre & watercolor and hearts. I hit the jackpot with this line!
Bad news: One corner on all of the 12×12 papers was badly bent.
Good news: I contacted Your Scrapbook Supply and they didn’t have the paper pack in stock anymore and couldn’t order it, so they sent me this as a replacement – the entire paper pad. Granted, the papers are single- not double-sided but I got more of them so it’s all good.
If you decide to order from Your Scrapbook Supply, please tell them I sent you :)
This is the closest thing I have to an LSS within 2 hours of me so I shop there whenever I can. Gotta’ support them, right?!?! I got “Celebrate” Thickers, My Minds Eye “Sleigh Bells” tiny type letter stickers, and some cute Bella Blvd, Pebbles, and Bo Bunny papers – everything for $24. I used a 40% off coupon for the MME alphas, bringing them from $5 down to $3 . . .
. . . and what a great deal. Look how many sheets of letters you get!
Here are the other sides of the papers from above:
I’m going to use that teal paper from Pebbles to make a perpetual birthday calendar.
Here’s my haul from Michaels right before Christmas when they had a huge sale. Yep, I took a photo of my whole cart because I cracked myself up! I don’t EVER buy this many things at once and actually felt guilty even though I got great deals.
I’m in scrapbook space organization mode again and I NEED these things, right? All albums were Buy One, Get One Free. I’ve already put the Project Life chevron albums to good use {holding divided and plain page protectors, as I talked about HERE}. The jar candle, 8.5 x 11 kraft paper, wrapping paper, ombre paper pad, and 12×12 Iris cases were all on sale, too. I wasn’t able to use my coupon because it was all on sale already, LOL. Don’t you hate it when that happens?
Man, they are just plain EVIL with the OCTOBER AFTERNOON kits they keep offering up! {This one is called “Girl Talk Collection Kit” and is still available in the Archives; just click the link above}. All of this for only $15, retailing for twice that. How is an OA addict to resist? Well, don’t ask me! I wouldn’t know. APPARENTLY.
The washi is absolutely beautiful in person and I love the Tin Pins, especially the one that looks like an old rotary phone dial. {For you youngsters: Back in the day before push buttons then touch pads, we had to actually D-I-A-L a phone and it took so stinkin’ long, you just prayed you didn’t have to call anyone with lots of 8s, 9s, or 0s in their phone number}.
Okay, I suppose by now you’re either a). totally disgusted that anyone could spend so much money on scrapbook supplies, b). drowning in drool, or c). feeling kinship because you’ve done a similar amount of shopping this fall and winter. That’s okay, you don’t have to tell me which one. Or two. We’re Scrap Sisters and I understand. Totes.
I have an order from Evalicious and also some Pebbles that Santa left in my stocking but I haven’t taken pics yet so those will have to wait. What have been your favorite purchases lately?
The next Craft and Hobby Association 2015 Mega Show is coming up soon: January 9-13, 2015 in Anaheim, CA! The sneak peeks are out there if you’re interested.
Nancy at SCRAPBOOK UPDATE has a great list of new releases. I love that her list is sortable by date or by manufacturer; just click the arrow at the top of the column you want to put in order. She also has a great “what trends to expect” article HERE.
YOURSCRAPBOOKSUPPLY.COM has lots of sneaks on her store blog. She consistently posts sneaks throughout the year and is a great resource.
You can also go straight to the blogs of your favorite manufacturers to see what they’re coming out with. For instance, SIMPLE STORIES is starting their full reveal on Monday morning 8am MST 01-05-14. Here is a sneak peek:
I’ve seen the whole catalog of new Simple Stories and can tell you that “I Am” is absolutely amazing. I’ll have to own it all! So pretty and unique. Lots of other winners there, too.
Hope you’re getting caught up in the CHA excitement! We need to support this industry – did you know 2 more online shops that sell scrapbook supplies closed recently? Yep, ToAdorn.com and FlowerstoFlourishes.com. Buy more supplies and do your part!! heeeee heeeeee . . .
I can’t reveal my sources ;) But I’m hearing reports of cheap enamel dots to be had at both Michaels and Dollar Tree!
Here are some pics of the Dollar Tree ones:
The brand is “Do It Yourself” and they’re apparently flatter than average enamel dots {which I find to be a plus}. They can reportedly be found in the stationary section of Dollar Tree.
I also hear there are enamel dots to be found in the Michaels “dollar bins” though they’re $1.50. I can’t find any photos online – have you seen any? Please share a link! I was JUST at Mike’s 2 days ago but didn’t think to check the dollar bins by the checkout as I was on another mission, LOL.
Happy shopping! Please let me know if you find these at your Michaels or Dollar Tree!
ETA 01-04-15: A sweet reader named Kelly found the dots at her Michaels and was kind enough to share a photo!
She says there were 4 sets total, these 3 plus 1 with purples that she didn’t get. Thanks so much, Kelly!
I’ve been blogging now for 8 full years! WOW. I’ve done a total of 1,173 posts, with 383,000 total views* and 1,298 comments. It’s cray-cray.
*This is the amount currently showing but several years ago, when I changed this site from wordpress.com to just .com, I lost over 1 million views. I was heartbroken but apparently there’s no way to restore that number. But I’m very proud of the fact that this site has almost 1.4 million views :)
At the end of each December, WordPress (my blog platform) sends a report of my stats for the year and they’re fun to look at. I thought I’d start the new year by sharing some fun facts:
– Scrapbook Obsession Blog had 100,000 visitors in 2014.
I owe that #1 post to Pinterest because photos of my Project Life card storage were Pinned a lot.
And I wasn’t surprised to see 2 of the top 5 posts had to do with the closure of long-time scrapbooking institution, Two Peas in a Bucket.
I *was* surprised that a review of a scrapbook store in Arizona was #4! It has me thinking I should post more LSS reviews; what do you think? I don’t have any scrapbook stores locally anymore but do visit them when I travel and always take photos.
Speaking of Pinterest, I also got this in an email from them: “More than 46,773 people saw Pins from Scrapbook Obsession on Pinterest in 2014.” Pretty kewl, huh? Especially considering I just started using Pinterest fairly recently in the scheme of things, in October 2013. I absolutely love playing around on Pinterest and the fact that it brings some more people to my blog {it was the #2 referrer of traffic} is just icing on the cake.
Is this post boring the heck out of you or do you enjoy hearing about blogging, the ‘behind the scenes’ stuff about having a blog, How To’s for blogging, etc.? It’s a topic I’m thinking of incorporating into Scrapbook Obsession Blog in 2015 so let me know what you think.
I need to close with a very important part of my WordPress report / year in review: The Top Commenters!
Thank you, ladies, from the bottom of my ever-lovin’ scrapbooking heart <3 I really, truly appreciate ALL who comment which is why I installed CommentLuv (which gives a link to a commenters' most recent blog post, if they like) and Top Commenters in the right sidebar, to recognize the top 5 commenters each month. I wish there was more that I could do to show my appreciation. When you spend so many hours writing a blog, you sometimes wonder: "Does anybody really care?" And by taking the time to comment, you make me feel better, like I'm not just talking to myself, hee hee! It's like getting Christmas presents all throughout the year. So thank you :)
Okay, kids! That's a wrap on 2014. I know 2015 is going to be awesome with lots of scrappy fun to be had. I'll keep enabling, you'll keep shopping. I'll keep saying stoopid things, you'll try not to nose-spit Diet Coke on your screen. I'll share some new things I've got up my sleeve, and you'll hopefully join in and love it all!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
I haven’t posted since 12-17; wow, 2 whole weeks! That’s a long time between posts for me. To see what I was up to while I was gone, check out my personal blog HERE.
Now that the holidays are (almost) over, I have lots of photos and memories to scrap. I’ll bet you do, too! I ended up with mostly iPhone photos this year but that’s okay. Better than nothing, yet still “participated in the moments”, as they say.
I did get some organizing done around the house (again, see my other blog if you want deets). But my combo home office / scrapbook room remains a disaster. Whoa dude! It’s a real wreck and is next on the agenda. I have good organizing systems in place for everything, they’re just mostly buried right now by Christmas cards received, memorabilia and photos I cleaned out from the bedrooms, and some ongoing projects like changing over my long-term scrappy storage from open bins (i.e., dust collectors) to 12×12 Iris containers. {I talked about it a little bit HERE}.
If you’ll be working on organizing your scrapbook space in 2015, stay tuned! I might just have something for ya’ ;) Tease, tease, tease . . .
Also in 2015, I plan to be more active with the Scrapbook Obsession Blog. I have some exciting things in store and I hope you’ll come along!!! I honestly wasn’t ever that crazy about 2014. But I have some kinda’ good feeling about 2015. I think it’s going to be a rockin’ fun year, don’t you?!?! Let’s make it so :)
I do mostly pocket-page scrapbooking these days a la PROJECT LIFE so I’d love to get both of these magazines. Wish I had $30 lying around, LOL. Remember the “old days” of scrapbooking magazines coming in the mail and curling up on the couch with a cup of coffee or tea, just immersing yourself in the ideas and pretty pictures? Ah, the good times . . .
Although not able to get these magazines myself, I can give a good review for Scrap & Paper Shop. About 6 months ago, I bought THIS older Lisa Bearnson book from them called “50 Moments.” They had the best price by far anywhere online, the shipping was very reasonable, and it arrived quickly.
I hope if you’re a pocket-page scrapper like me, or just curious about it, you’re able to check out these cool mags :)
October Afternoon has . . . made a small mention of a new line? And, whoomp, there it is! Right HERE on their website. For realies. See? Here is one of the papers:
So, first things first, go check out the new line called “Saturday Mornings” – which I think is super cute but not really useable for me (thank GOD! because I have enough OA to choke a horse). Then come back so we can talk about this, mmmm kay?
(Scrapbook Obsession drinks some coffee . . . )
(Scrapbook Obsession Pins some layouts . . . )
(Scrapbook Obsession gets more coffee . . .)
OKAY, you’re back! What did you think? I *do* love the chair paper with a great name (“Coffee”, which I seem to be quite partial to).
In OA’s inimitable style, they didn’t really announce this new line. Apparently, it was mentioned in a customer email – there will be a sampling of the line in the OA Santa Sack #4. But there’s no mention on their blog, Facebook page, etc. Yet there is the entire line on their website. That’s OA, re-writing ALL the rules about product merchandising, sales, and distribution, LOL. Gotta’ love ’em.
But the important thing is – what to you think? You likee?
ETA 12-15-14: I just found the contents of the email posted online. Here is what OA said:
Here we are at Week Four of October Afternoon’s Santa Sack Sale!
Get over $100 retail value of merchandise for the bargain price of just $39.99 plus shipping.
This week’s Santa Sack is extra special! This week, we are including a fun sampling of products from October Afternoon’s brand-new Saturday Mornings™ collection. This collection is shipping to stores now!
Of course, this Santa Sack also contains many other products from a variety of October Afternoon lines. As usual, there will be no duplicates from any other weeks!
Come and check it out on our BLOG starting at NOON (Central Standard Time) TODAY!
. . . hmmm, why would I need one? Something SBO Membership-related, perhaps? ;) Anyhow, while I was there, I looked around at scrapbook supplies and here are some fun things I found:
$5.99 with free shipping on orders over $35
$11.98 with free shipping over $35
$6.80 with free shipping on orders over $35
only $2.20 as an Add-On item over $25 or free ship over $35
$19.99 with free shipping over $35
so I’d love to get both of these magazines. Wish I had $30 lying around, LOL. Remember the “old days” of scrapbooking magazines coming in the mail and curling up on the couch with a cup of coffee or tea, just immersing yourself in the ideas and pretty pictures? Ah, the good times . . . 
