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Scrapbook Room Organization: Going for Broke, Day 2, 10:30 pm

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I’m not going to tiptoe around this, okay? I got pretty much nothing done on my room today.

NOW.

If you’re going to throw things at me, here are your choices:

– Chocolate
– Xanax
– Martini fixings
– Scrapbook supplies
– either things I want like BASIC GREY embellies or SMASH BOOK accessories
– or things that won’t hurt very much when they make contact, e.g., eyelets, glitter, ribbon, and the like (shop carefully, please)

Once you’re done being mad at me … what, you’re still mad??? Jeesh. I can give you some sad eyes. Oh! Better yet! I’ll have my dog give you some sad eyes. He gets stuff past me all the time with those freakin’ sad eyes. “Now, Mom, I know I barked all night when you had to get up for work at 5am but …” and – bladow – SAD EYES. Shoot. He got me again. Can’t be mad.

So … I had to work today. A lot. My plan this morning was to work for 30 minutes, organize for 30 minutes. However, that didn’t happen … too much work. It’s 10pm and I just wrapped it up. If I’d stopped to organize every 30 minutes, I’d have been working until 6am tomorrow, LOL. Which is probably what YOU would’ve preferred but, srsly, have some pity on me, willya?

But now I’m panicking. I have ONE DAY left to get my room done!

BLURG.

I mean, it’s not like the room self-destructs after Day 3 or anything. It’s just that after tomorrow, I’m tied up for several days and I want this room dunzo. I’m SO tired of putting it off and not getting it done. How many times have I gotten this portion or that portion of my room organized, but never the whole entire thing? Lots. Very lots.

I want my scrap space organized so I can find things and be creative. I want my home office organized so I can work efficiently.

I really thought this was going to be my time :( There’s nothing I can do about work – in fact, I’m inordinately grateful that I have so much work right now, because the life of an independent contractor can get scary at times – when the work doesn’t come.

But but but …

You know what I mean, right?

So now I’m going to decide between these two plans:

1. Start drinking coffee now at 10:30 pm, pray for a second wind, and get a bunch accomplished late into the night. Work while there are fewer distractions. Sleep in a bit in the morning, and finish up tomorrow afternoon.

2. Chill the rest of this evening, watch the “SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE” next-to-last episode I taped earlier tonight, then turn in early (well, early for me). Get up early tomorrow and power through everything in one day.

I’ll let you know tomorrow which option I went with :) And for those of you who asked, I’m going back to add photos to my past entries that show a bit of what I’m dealing with. But the best photos will be posted tomorrow of PROGRESS and hopefully SUCCESS.

And there WILL be progress. Damn it.

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Scrapbook Room Organization: Going for Broke, Day 1, 5:00 pm

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Well, it’s now 5:00 pm on Day 1 of the Great Scrapbook Room/Home Office Reorg … and not much has changed in here from the 10:00 am update, I’m sorry to say :(

From 10:00 am to noon, I worked in the garage and the spare bedroom, aka The Junk Room (where all the home office stuff is going for now). I pulled an oak file cabinet out from the corner and put it in the hallway, vacuumed and cleaned up that whole corner, and started making piles in that room.

I had to get the file cabinet out of the corner because it’s eventually going in my home office near my computer desk. One of the reasons I have so many work/school/misc. paper piles on my desk (other than I was apparently genetically predisposed to pile-making) is that there’s no real office storage near my work desk.

I have some accordion files on a shelf under the desk but they’re for specific things I need close at hand. And I’m not going to tell you what papers those are because all you technology smart, super-organized people are going to tell me that I shouldn’t even SAVE those papers because I can do paperless bill paying, paperless banking, and paperless paychecks. Well, I’m an old-fashioned girl and I prefer to have some things on paper. So quit trying to talk me out of it already. Jeez O Pete. You’re so pushy!

Back to the Junk Room … Now, I know you’re going to say, “I thought you were trying to get away from piles?!?!?” Well, yes, long-term but you have to admit, some pile-making must occur during the organizational process, right? So there’s the office stuff pile, the toys/games pile, the wrapping paper/gift bag pile, etc.

I promise to get the Junk Room organized next. In the meantime, it’s one of the staging areas. Mmm, kay? Anyway, I got all those piles sorted, threw some stuff away, etc. The room had already been purged of toys, games, books, and puzzles for our garage sale last weekend. The big job I have to do in there is going through school papers/art and files. I used to feel the need to save everything but I’ve finally come to the conclusion that, srsly, there is so much of it I don’t need.

I mean, I just sold all my cookbooks at the garage sale. I know, GASP! But honestly, whenever I wanna look up a recipe, I look online. I kept a few but the rest were sold. See? I’m ready to quit being such a packrat. Baby steps, baby steps …

Another thing that got moved back there was a childhood set of encyclopedias we just got from my mom-in-law. There are mounted bookshelves in there that DH wants them on; we just need to clean the shelf and get them placed in away that evenly distributes the weight. Them muthas’ are HEAVY. I know ‘cuz I carried all the boxes back there :)

I had the kids clean up their homework table (it’s in my scraproom/home office). It was a mess of projects, papers, and pencils. In my last post I said I was planning to keep my photos/memorabilia in the garage so all that crap … erm … stuff was not clogging up the dining room while I did the shorter-term scrappy organizing. Well, as someone pointed out, that is a baaaaad idea. Doy. Leaving photos out in the heat of a California summer is dum-dum-dum. So I’ll have to hatch another plan.

Then the fun had to take a break. I had to run some errands. One involved my new printer … ya know, the one I mentioned before that I might return? Well, yeah, now I’m sure I will. I just got it 2 days ago to replace my antiquated Canon because I wanted to get a multi-use machine that would fax in addition to copy/scan/print, and also that had a document feeder. Then I could also get rid of my little cheapie Brother fax machine. (Yes, I know you can fax online but I have a client who prefers to use a machine so I need to have one). The organizational point is: I’m trying to consolidate and have fewer things on my desk, especially since I just had to add the second laptop.

Long story short, the EPSON 325 WORKFORCE printer that I got at Target the other day ($99 marked down to $69) isn’t going to work out. I wasn’t able to sell my old printer or fax at the garage sale so I didn’t want to spend the $150-200 I had originally planned for an printer. But the document feeder keeps jamming and it takes forever and a day to print a 1-page letter. I’m sure I just got a bad one but meanwhile … I went to OfficeMax today for something else and found the Artisan 835 that I really wanted. Not only is it on sale ($299 marked down to $169) but I can also get $50 off for turning in my old printer. Suh-weet! Don’t have to try and sell that bitch on Craigslist :P

So, the moral of that story is … sometimes it’s good to save the box!

I was gone doing errands until 5:00 and once I finish this blog post, I need to work for a few hours. The good news is … while I was out, I bought a triple-shot latte so I’ll be good to go for organizing into the night. When I’m on a roll, I’ve been known to stay up until 2 or 3am so don’t give up on Day 1 progress just yet.

See you on the flip side :)

PS: I know there are typos but I have to get to work. I’ll either fix them later or you can just ignore them. Whatevs.

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Scrapbook Room Organization: “Going for Broke”

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Hey peeps, long time, no talk. Well, I hope you’re fittin’ to get sick of me because I’m about to take on ~ and blog about ~ a big project. I’m writing it down here so I don’t back out AGAIN with the “I’m too busy” or “I don’t have time” or “I don’t have the space” excuses.

I AM GOING TO ORGANIZE MY SCRAPBOOK ROOM-SLASH-HOME OFFICE.

Can I get a witness!?!?!

HOLLAH!

This is a WAY long time coming. OMG, just WAIT until you see the before photos! You’re going to fuh-reak when you see what a pigsty I’ve been working in. And by “work” I mean do bills, play on the computer, and do my home transcription biz.

I do NOT, however, mean scrapbooking. Because that particular activity hasn’t taken place here in quite a damn while. {When you see the BEFORE pictures, you’ll see why}.

Did you know it’s impossible to scrap on top of piles? Yeppers, I’m a “piler.” That means that instead of putting things away right when I get them, I just pile them on my desk, the floor, the couch, whatever blank spot I can find. It’s like I think the Pile Clearing Fairies are going to come when I’m sleeping and put it all away for me. {Hey, if there’s a Scrap Santa, I don’t see why there can’t be Pile Clearing Fairies!}.

Here are the things that tend to end up on piles in my scrapbook room/home office:

New scrapbook supplies – because who am I kidding? that goes at the top of the list
Memorabilia – because apparently I have to save every. stinkin. thing.
School and work papers – “until I have time to go through them” … um, yeah, right …
Scrapbook magazines and catalogs
Receipts – because you *know* as soon as I trash a receipt, I’ll need to return one of the items on it

Like I said, I’ve wanted/planned to do this for a long time but HERE is the 2peas thread that’s motivating me to finally do it. Well, that thread plus the fact that I’m tired of stubbing my toes in my scrap room and I’m REALLY tired of not being able to scrapbook at home (crops are the only things that have kept me sane).

According to the scrapbook-organizing Peas, you can either attack your room’s “hot spots” or you can “go for broke.” Going for broke means emptying most everything out of your scrap space, getting it sorted and purged, and only putting back what you’ll use. I’ve been doing the Hot Spot deal for years and, honey pie, it ain’t workin’. Time to Go For Broke, I say.

I have three days off from work starting today ~ although I have some transcription work to do, plus all the “mom” stuff like entertaining kids on summer break, making meals, laundry, etc. Oh, I have a question: How many frozen pizzas do you think a family can (be forced to) eat before they stop speaking to you? Hmmm … then again, if it’s quiet around here, I can get this done faster ;)

So wish me luck, I’M GOIN’ IN!

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Martinis and Duct Tape :)

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Courtesy of SELTZERGOODS.COM and WHERE WOMEN COOK quote of the week:

With the week I’ve had, I’ll take one dry and very, very dirty … aaaahhhh …

Consider signing up for the quote of the week from Where Women Cook and WHERE WOMEN CREATE. They are quirky, cute, fun little tidbits that appear in your inbox and make you smile.

Both websites are also great for eye candy when you need some … to go with your martini :)

Have a great week, won’t you?

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Grieving …

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I had planned to do a big Monday morning post about the “Margie Romney-Aslett leaving Authentique” situation … but the loss of my friend has taken over my mind and emotions.

All I can say at this point is: CANCER SUCKS :(

Let’s all hug our family and friends more closely … I’ll be back when I can with some scrappy posts, including one to honor my friend.

Take care, my loves …

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Basic Grey Not at CHA? And 4 NEW Collections!

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HERE is an interesting discussion about it by the Peas. I know you probably think I’m some scrapbook industry big shot who jets off to CHA every year and knows all “the insiders” … but I’ve never been to CHA … so it was good to hear from those who have been, or are going this year.

What’s that again? Oh. You DON’T think I’m some scrapbook industry big shot? You figured I had never been to CHA because who in the Sam Hell am I but some small-time, paper sniffer, mommy blogger? Erm … well, sorry. Ahem. {Aren’t you, like, SO embarrassed for me right now?}.

Anyway, back to the Basic Grey. Since as you so clearly pointed out, I am *not* a scrapbook industry insider, I don’t know what to to make of them not showing at CHA for the first time since God was a cadet. I think I’m going to take it at face value and assume it was just a wise business decision on their part. If they’re not seeing a return on their investment at CHA, why go? As someone said in the 2peas thread, Basic Grey is one of the most popular scrapbook companies out there. I don’t think it’s going to hurt their overall sales.

I just found this from Kelly Goree on her blog entry dated 6/25/11:

Yes, it’s true we won’t be at CHA Summer as we’re taking a little “stay-cation” but we have FOUR new lines that will debut JULY 1st!!

As for the FOUR NEW COLLECTIONS … are you ready? I personally think the best way to view them is to watch the videos on the Basic Grey YOU TUBE CHANNEL. Scroll down in the blue box on the right and you’ll see all four new collections.

For those of you cheeky monkeys who are at work, being naughty and looking up scrapbook stuff while you’re supposed to be working … you probably can’t watch videos without getting caught by your boss, huh? So I’m going to link to the 4 collections on the Basic Grey website:

[Note: I posted this blog entry on 7/1/11 at 1am. As of now, there is nothing on the Basic Grey pages I’ve linked to. But they’re supposed to be posted 7/1/11 so if they aren’t there when you click, it’s not my fault. I’m going to bed now. A blogger has to sleep, ya know.]

PICADILLY

NORDIC HOLIDAY

LITTLE BLACK DRESS

INDIE BLOOM

So here’s my review. I’m not overwhelmed but I’m not underwhelmed either. I think that makes me kind of whelmed. As a whole, I give the 4 collections a B-. They’re not my favorite lines ever, but I like them better than some recent ones that I haven’t cared for much at all.

Picadilly and Indie Bloom are my favorites. I like the color combos, especially the black contrasted with the pastel brights of Indie Bloom. I like the new Title Stickers; I think that’s a great idea. I like how Basic Grey keeps changing up the kind of embellishments they offer and that there’s such a variety so everyone should be able to find several things they want.

Little Black Dress is very pretty and classy, just not something I’d see myself using much. But if I had prom, wedding, or heritage photos to scrap right now, I’d be all over it. I think the black/taupe is a nice change-up from the typical black/white or black/cream.

Nordic Holiday did not blow my dress up at all. It seems to me a really weird combination of colors (too many colors?) and the patterns and graphics seemed 90s-ish. THAT SAID, I loved the papers that looked like sweaters. I also have to say that 98% of the time, when I first see a new Basic Grey line and I don’t care for it, KELLY GOREE scraps with it and changes my mind. That girl do some voodoo with her Basic Grey and she casts a spell on me. It’s freaky deaky. So work your magic Kelly and make me love Nordic Holiday, gurl.

Your turn: Share your thoughts about Basic Grey not going to CHA Summer 2011 and what you like/don’t like about these 4 new lines.

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“It’s the Scrapbooks’ Fault!”

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One day, I had a day off from work but DH was working, so I was responsible for getting one of our kids to a sports practice at 4:30. The kids and I got busy cleaning house that afternoon but I had been watching the clock and, meh, I still had plenty of time.

I decided to do a deep clean of the bookshelves in our living room that happen to hold my scrapbooks, along with books, photos, etc. I started at the top, took each item off the shelf, dusted it, dusted the shelf, and replaced everything. Then I cleaned the next shelf and the next until I got to the bottom row where there are about 20 scrapbooks.

At first, I was just going to do the usual dusting procedure but then I decided to look at “just one,” the album of our beach week in 2003. {Remember that awesome sunset? And the whale that got stranded on the beach?}. Which led to “just” the album with all the Christmas cards we’ve received since about 2004. {Wow, look how much their kids have changed! Wasn’t this an awesome Christmas letter?}. And then “just” the mini-album of a pumpkin patch trip, the 2009 family albums, the one I made for DH on his birthday one year, …

… then I panicked, looked at the clock … and it was 5 minutes before we were supposed to leave for practice and NO ONE was ready. EEK! So we scrambled getting ready and tripped our way out the door. Phew! Made it to practice only 1 minute late.

All I have to say is, “Hey, it wasn’t my fault. Blame it on the scrapbooks.”

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Memory Works: Can U Say CLEARANCE SALE?!?!

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At least two times a year when all the new things from CHA are coming in, we get TONS of things moved into the Memory Works clearance section. CHECK IT OUT!

Pink Paislee
My Little Shoebox
American Crafts
Fancy Pants
Echo Park
Basic Grey
Fiskars punches
My Minds Eye
Cosmo Cricket
Bo Bunny
Creative Imaginations (including Star Wars stuff)
Petaloo
GCD
Xyron
WRMK
Ranger
7 Gypsies

We even have some of the GIRLS PAPERIE stuff that will no longer be made … once it’s gone, it’s gone.

If you want, you could save that link in your Favorites and check back all the time. Always some great deals to be had. Please let me know if you have any questions … leave a Comment below or e-mail me: scrapbookobsession(at)gmail(dot)com.

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Big Lots: Soft Spoken, Acrylic Stamps, and More …

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Here are the things that were new to my Big Lots store last week:

Believe it or not, these are the only items that left the store with me :) … Soft Spoken stickers by MAMBI. I think these are SO pretty and I love the color combination. Only $1.50 each, too.

This one’s my favorite because of that gorgeous red butterfly.

It was really hard to pass up all those amazing acrylic stamps but, as I’ve confessed before, I have a bit of an addiction to stamps … so I had to pass on those. I can’t stop thinking about those damask ones, though. (Yeah, it’s a sickness).

What scrapbooking stuff have you found at Big Lots lately?

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Storage for Cricut Cartridges and Tools

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Do you need some cool storage for your Cricut cartridges?

It’s official name is “Art Bin Super Satchel Electronic Cartridge Storage” … but we’re going to call it “Art Bin Cricut Storage” for short, LOL. It retails for $19.99 and the dimensions are 9.825 X 11 X 2.25″. It holds up to 16 cartridges along with booklets and tools.

On the ART BIN website, THIS ITEM shows as “temporarily out of stock.” However, it has been spotted recently at stores like AC MOORE, JOANN’s, BEVERLY’s, and various online sources.

If you have a ton of cartidges, you could get a bunch of these satchels and stack them in SUPER SATCHEL CUBE?

I first came across this awesome Cricut storage at a Beverly’s craft store a couple weeks ago. Right when I saw it, I knew I had to have it! I’ve never really had a good storage option for my Cricut stuff and, though I don’t have much by some standards, it still would be nice to have it all in one place. Beverly’s had it for $19.99 and I used a 40% off coupon … can’t complain about that price.

Here’s a look at my very own Art Bin Cricut Storage:

I like that it’s so easy to take to crops. I only have 9 cartridges but now I have an excuse for my collection to grow, LOL! The books I have fit nicely although I do still need to tear out the non-English pages to save some room … and make room for more booklets. The satchel is very good quality, as Art Bin products are known for, and I’m very happy with it.

What do you think?

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Copic Markers Now at Michaels

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Does Your Scrapbook Space … Have to Share Space?

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If so, you might find the latest episode at PAPERCLIPPING.COM interesting.

It’s called, “Non-Crappy Shared Scrap Spaces” and the panel members are Lisa Dickinson, CD Muckosky, Nancy Nally, and Noell Hyman. I haven’t had a chance to listen yet but will soon. I’d love to hear what you think of it.

My scrapbook area shares space with my home office and a kids’ craft/homework area. It is a challenge to make it all work. Sometimes I get so frustrated that I have to “share” (hmmph!) but most of the time I just feel blessed that I have a dedicated scrapbook space … because I know that many scrappers don’t.

Anyhow, give it a listen and tell me what you think. Did you glean anything helpful from the discussion?

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Making Memories Grab Bag at Michaels

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

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

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

Hollah!

I love Making Memories!

Wow, great deal.

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

Crap on a stick.

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

Srsly?

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

But but but!!

(Sigh).

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

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

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

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

These letters but in light blue …

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

Similar to these mini letters but in red glitter ….

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

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

14 items for 12 bucks … swoon!

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

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

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

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Contents of the Sassafras Mystery Box

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No, not my very own … I didn’t succumb to the temptation. But I posted about the Sassafras Mystery Box HERE and thought you might like to see what was inside.

Vanessa from the Delightfully Bright blog has posted the contents of her box HERE.

I’m glad I didn’t go for it because not enough of it is my style. But WOW there is sure a lot of bang for your buck in that box. {Ahhh, alliteration, how I love thee!}.

I was wondering what scrapbook companies WOULD push me over the edge to purchase a mystery box. I was initially going to say BASIC GREY or OCTOBER AFTERNOON. However, I already have so much of their stuff, I would probably just get duplicates, LOL. Hmmm … maybe ECHO PARK or LILY BEE. I like them both but don’t have much of either.

How about you? Are there any scrapbook companies who, if they put out a mystery box, you wouldn’t be able to resist?

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Memory Works: Smash Book by K & Company

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It seems the hot item of Spring 2011 (erm, now “Summer 2011”) is the “Smash Book” by K & Company. What in the heck is a Smash Book, you ask? Check this out:

{There is music so check your volume … fyi} …

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PFsArr4Z1s]

From the EK Success “brand buzz blog“:

Already a hit before it has even released (coming this spring!), SMASH is an exciting new program from K&Company that takes scrapbooking back to its roots. Simplistic, on-the-fly, and with no rules and no special crafting ability needed, you can Smash your everyday life between the pages of our contemporary-style Smash Books.

An ultra-convenient combo glue pen/journaling marker comes attached to each book so it’s always at hand when you need it. Now, how cool is that?!

So, what do you Smash? Well, it doesn’t have to be a life event, just the special little moments and mementos of your day—some of that stuff in your junk drawer, for example. A snapshot, a ticket stub from that movie you loved, a newspaper clipping, a magazine snippet, a cardboard coaster from a favorite restaurant, your child’s first crayon doodle…get the idea? Smash it, jot a note or add a caption sticker, and go!

Here is a video of the Smash Book set-up at CHA back in February 2011 from Noell Hyman at PAPERCLIPPING.COM:

{By the way, I’m listening to the latest Paperclipping broadcast while I blog. CHECK IT}.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7NfgfLLPDs&NR=1]

As you can see, this isn’t your traditional scrapbooking, but a cool twist, a fun new way of keeping your memories … unstructured, unfiltered, unencumbered by convention. For some of us, Smash Books may bring back memories of our childhood or teenage years when we kept books with doodles, ticket stubs, photos, quotes, and random writings.

One of the reasons these books are so eagerly anticipated … is that they were supposed to be available in April 2011, but K & Company had a manufacturing delay. They weren’t sure when the Smash Books would be ready to ship, then came out with projected dates in May … exact date dependent on when each retailer receives them.

On their awesome SMASH STORIES BLOG, they then did two things that somewhat appeased the masses: They did a giveaway of the mini-Smash Books (I was lucky enough to get one, thanks to my friend Abby tipping me off!), and they did weekly giveways of a full-size Smash Book each Monday.

I’ve heard comments on the message boards that, because of the delay, some people are “so over” the Smash Books. They got tired of waiting and lost enthusiasm, wanted them for grad gifts and it’s too late now, etc. I understand the frustration and wish the delay wouldn’t have happened. I do think it cost K & Company some sales … but think in the long run, this will still be a VERY popular product.

I plan to get one … or several. I don’t even know what I’m going to use Smash Books for yet … I just know that I must have them, LOL. The accessories are SO cute. Sure, you could make your own version of a Smash Book but I think this version is super cute and unique … also, I assume, archival safe … which a composition book, etc. you make on your own might not be.

A few ideas I have for my own Smash Books are:

Everyday stuff ~ Quotes, random photos, ticket stubs, grocery lists, sticky notes (I *live* for sticky notes!), observations, etc.

Kids book ~ Funny or interesting things my kids do or say, milestones, photos that won’t be scrapped with another event, etc.

Weight loss ~ I just started a weight loss journal, a plain lined notebook about the same size as a Smash Book. But if I get a Smash Book soon, I may re-start it and include photos, measurements, before/during/after photos, recipes, menus, etc. The cute stickers and add-ons could make a quite boring job a bit more fun. And when (not IF) I reach my weight loss goals, I’ll have a cool little book to look back on. A cool PRIVATE little book. Ahem.

What would you do with a Smash Book?

Here is a sample Smash Book from the Smash Blog:

I am SO happy that Memory Works will be carrying a bunch of the K & Company Smash Books line. You can find it on my website HERE and place an order soon. (As of this blog post, availability is expected on May 20, 2011!!!).

I’ve known for quite some time that Memory Works was going to carry Smash Books and contemplated taking pre-orders for them (like I’ve done for the very popular SIMPLE STORIES lines). But I was too nervous, given the delays they’d already had and unpredictability of when Memory Works would actually have them in stock.

According to our online Product Availability list, Smash Books are due at Memory Works on May 20, 2011 … a mere 2 days away. So *now* I feel comfortable posting about them. I hope you’ll consider ordering your Smash Books and accessories from me! To entice you, I’m going to post photos of the different colors available and a peek inside to some of the pages ~ so you can pick the best style for your project …

Do you have a favorite? I think I’m leaning toward the PINK if I could only choose one.

Okay, I’m going to shut up about the Smash Books now :P

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Have You Used Your Debit Card at a Michaels Store Lately?

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According to THIS Yahoo Finance story, about 100 Michaels’ customers in several states have experienced theft from their debit card accounts.

Nancy at SCRAPBOOK UPDATE has written about it HERE and HERE.

HERE is a list of stores impacted by PIN pad tampering. You can check to see if your local store was affected.

HERE is what the Peas have to say.

Apparently, something was installed on the PIN pads themselves that allow your account number and PIN to be collected. This raises some interesting questions: Was it an inside job? If not, how were these machines – which sit right on the counter near the cashier – tampered with? Why were Michaels stores targeted?

I’m also wondering why, if 80 stores in 20 states have been affected, why only 100 customers have reported thefts? You would think that total would be higher. Maybe there are still unreported cases, whether the customer realizes the theft and hasn’t reported it … or the customer isn’t aware yet that they’ve been victimized.

I don’t know what the timeframe is for sure because the May 12, 2011 STATEMENT from Michaels says “February 8 through May 6” but one of the Peas reported it going back as far as December 2010.

Speaking of statements from Michaels … some customers report receiving notification of the debit card problem via e-mail while others, even those who live near the affected stores, did not get any such e-mail. I’m on the e-mail list but didn’t get one … did you?

ETA 5/17/11: I found THIS in an old e-mail account I rarely check. Weird. It was sent there but not to the one where I currently get Michaels e-mails. Oh well.

If you would like more information on this issue, just Google “Michaels debit card” and tons of articles have been written about it. There was even a GMA segment on it but I can’t pull it up right now because my computer is being a total bitch :P

If anyone who’s reading this has been victimized, please leave a comment and tell us your story. And to all scrappers who shop at Michaels, please be careful. Maybe a personal “cash only” policy would be a good thing for the time being. And that’s better anyway since it’s harder for hubby to track your purchases that way HOLLAH!

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