This is the archive for Scrapbook Obsession Blog.com with posts from 2013-2017.

Memory Works: New Simple Stories Kit … It’s “ele.ment.ary”

I told you HERE that MEMORY WORKS was giving sneak peeks of their new line on the SIMPLE STORIES BLOG last week. Did you check it out?!?! It’s pretty dang cool =)

My suspicions were right: It’s a school days kit and it’s called “ele.ment.ary.” {Forgive me now, but I may refer to it as “elementary” now and then … hee}. All of the sneak peeks were awesome and I really enjoyed going to the SS blog each day to see which cool new element would be released {or would that be “ele.ment”? ha}.

The folks at Memory Works home office did such a good job of describing the entire kit, the separate pieces, and how they can be used, that I’m going to copy some text from their blog (it will be in italics) and put the pictures of the entire line in one post for easy reference.

*** NOTE: AS SOON AS I CONFIRM PRICING WITH MEMORY WORKS HOME OFFICE, I WILL BE TAKING PRE-ORDERS ON THE ele.ment.ary LINE.

THE ANTICIPATED RELEASE IS MID-AUGUST.

MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW. ***

Okay, here we go!

Our consultants and customers fell in love with our signature Life Documented kit, the introduction to our fabulous Simple Stories system. MemoryWorks has liberated scrapbookers everywhere with our simple and refreshing approach to scrapbooking. We’ve got you hooked on simple scrapbooking in a whole new way…are your ready for more?

It’s all ele.ment.ary!

We are beyond thrilled (and just a little giddy) to introduce our next collection in our Simple Stories series…ele.ment.ary! Our ele.ment.ary collection is all about scrapbooking school memories in a totally stylish, fun, and simple way…and it REALLY is as easy as ABC!

There are loads of school memories…and loads of school photos – after all school is a major event in nearly everyone’s life, spanning 12 years (or more) of an entire lifetime. That’s a lot of photos and a lot of memories. What better way to document all those school memories and photos than with our easy, simple, functional, efficient, and totally stylish system and school kit.

If you liked Life Documented….then you will LOVE ele.ment.ary!

Our new ele.ment.ary kit will include everything you need to create an entire album of school memories – Pre-school through 12th grade! We designed this kit to be as versatile and functional as possible…so whether you want to document a few favorite back to school memories or want to a complete and entire album highlighting each school year pre-school through graduation…this kit does it all!

Just like our signature Life Documented kit, the core of the new ele.ment.ary kit collection includes beautifully designed (and totally functional) innovative cut-apart element pieces in a variety of sizes, including 4×6 cards, 6×8 mats, 4×4 blocks, 6×12 page elements, 2×12 borders and 4×12 titles. Element pieces are printed on full size 12×12 double-sided cardstock sheets…and it’s as simple as trimming the pre-designed element pieces to size to create the individual element pieces.

Our Simple Stories elements are designed to insert into coordinating divided page protector sleeves, along with your 4×6 photos, for quick and easy scrapbooking. Completed album pages fit securely into coordinating 3-ring albums*, showcasing your memories in a simple, yet beautiful way!

*As with the Simple Stories “Life Documented” line, you’ll be able to purchase D-ring LEATHER or LINEN albums and regular and divided PAGE PROTECTORS by We R Memory Keepers to go with the “ele.ment.ary” line.


Guess what? These super cool, super ingenious 4×6 journaling cards included in our new Simple Stories ele.ment.ary school kit includes each and every school year, pre-school through 12th grade! How cool is that….we’ve created the perfect system to simply and easily scrapbook years of school memories! You’ll notice that the front side of the school year journaling cards feature the school year, with basic journaling prompts such as name, school, year, teacher and a few notes of the year. This allows you to easily include basic journaling for each school year, slip the card in a 4×6 divided page protector pocket, and add any number of photos for that year as you’d like.







Here are the other amazing elements that are so unique to our ele.ment.ary kit! Just like the 4×6 journaling cards, these elements also play a key role in the Simple Stories family. Perfect for trimming and tucking into all of the fun divided page pockets…4×4 quote cards, 6×8 photo mats, 6×12 page elements, 2×12 borders and 4×12 titles. Seriously so SIMPLE to share your story with these fun and totally functional elements! We LOVE the colors, designs, icons, images…can you just see how amazing your school albums and projects are going to be?


Don’t you just love the journaling page…remember the front side makes a great cover page for your album (if you’re choosing to use the kit for an album-type project) and the backside is the PERFECT area to add bits of information and journaling. We’ve kept the journaling prompts very general so you can use a journaling page for each year….or just one journaling page for the entire album!

This cardstock is high-quality, seriously thick paper that you can use to create full page layouts, customize your own elements, altered projects….the possibilities are endless!

Okay, here’s the remaining contents included in the kit.

…just like in our last Life Documented kit the transparancies are great for overlaying over 4×6 photos in the divided page protectors….but this time they’re in COLOR!!!!! How great is that….vivd, bright, vibrant colors to coordinate perfectly with all of the components of the kit. They are amazing…and look beautiful over any photo….colored, sepia, b/w! What’s even better is we’ve added the extra bonus of colored transparancies, but the retail price will remain the same as our Life Documented kit so there’s major value there!!

The Journaling Jots are Add-Ons and are … DOUBLE-SIDED with fun icons and phrases on the front side with blank journaling spots on the back side so it gives you the best of both options! How ingenious and super-cool is that! In fact, you’ll want to purchase 2 packs just so you can use all of the front side designs and the backsides too.

This is how the sticker sheet looks, but the letters look thicker here than they really are …

This is what the letters look like once they’re pulled off the sticker sheet … they are narrower.

Yay– we have extra stickers!! I wanted to add an extra alphabet in addition to the sticker sheet included in the kit…we love that it pops with color. The colors on our sample look extra bold – that’s just extra coloring around the die lines…but this alphabet is very sleek and is sure to be one of your favorite letter stickers.

Oops – our mistake :) The mock up image of our Expression Stickers includes a misspelled word “Field Trip”…we inadvertantly uploaded the incorrect image for our sneak peek post. Please rest assure that this HAS BEEN FIXED prior to the printing and spelling will be correct on the actual stickers.Thanks for your understanding :)**

Okay – you asked and we listened. We now offer individual sets of the designer cardstock paper for purchase in addition to the main kit. This was our most requested item…and it makes perfect sense. It’s always handy to have extra sheets of paper for those extra layouts, customized elements, altered projects, etc. This set gives you 8 sheets, 2 of each included in the kit!

Below are just two samples provided by Memory Works {disclaimer: I did NOT design these pages; they’re from the Simple Stories blog}. Anyhoo, it gives you an idea of how great your pages can look with this kit and how easy they are to do … There are more photos and ideas on the Simple Stories blog.


Please check out the SIMPLE STORIES BLOG all this week as they show a new idea every day to help you get the most from this amazing kit. They got a bit of a head start HERE. Also, if you’re a fan of STACY JULIAN and her LIBRARY OF MEMORIES method of scrapbooking, you’ll want to check out that post, too. Memory Works owner Amber shows how she has used Stacy’s “School of Life” method to start an album for her child that will run from Preschool through Senior year, in an easy and manageable way. SIMPLE.

One little tidbit I picked up by reading through all of the Simple Stories blog sneak peeks was this:

… I think you’ll be excited about our FREE downloadable elements (coming soon) that will help you identify school years throughout your album!

Awesome! So glad to hear that, just like with the Life Documented line, ele.ment.ary will include some digital downloads. They’re so great because you can make as many as your heart desires, and cut out or punch them out in whatever size or shape you like.

Here’s what the actual “ele.ment.ary” kit package looks like, and what exactly you get in it:

The kit will sell for $16.99. Any add-ons, albums, or pages will need to be purchased separately.

As I said, as soon as I confirm prices for all the Add-Ons, I will begin taking pre-orders on the “ele.ment.ary” kit, et al. Please watch my blog for news on pre-orders and/or e-mail me and I’ll contact you when pre-orders begin: scrapbookobsession(at)gmail(dot)com.

One last thing from the Simple Stories blog:

We printed only half as many kits as we did with our first Life Documented release – so if you love this collection and don’t want to miss out be sure to snatch it when you can…just in case!

SO!

What do you think of Simple Stories “ele.ment.ary” by Memory Works? Please don’t hesitate to leave a comment or e-mail me with any questions =)

Friday Night Scrapbook Randoms #9

This Friday night I have for you three scrapbooking articles … and something else to make you smile when you’re done with all that reading. Enjoy!

~ This is an awesome story called “SAVED BY SCRAPBOOKING.” I hope you can take the time to read it. It will make you feel really good about your craft and how meaningful it can be.

~ Here’s a fun little article called, “HE KNOWS WHY WOMEN SCRAPBOOK.” A nice love story, along with a man’s perspective of the hobby.

~ THIS ARTICLE just made me feel really stupid. This is what I “heard” when I read it: “Blah blah blah scrapbooks blah blah. Artsy fartsy highbrow conversation scrapbooks blah. You graduated college but you can’t make sense of this article, can you? You are one dumb bunny, blondie. Stick to scrapbooking articles with pictures and fifth-grade level words, and this won’t happen to you again. Better yet, stick to the scrapbooking comics. Blah blah blah, these people are so much smarter than you. Don’t even bother reading this whole thing because it will never make sense to you. The end.”

What did you get from it? Maybe you can translate for me …

And just because I love you … I found this in a Journey/Steve Perry forum and just had to share. I hope it makes you smile as it did me :)

Walmart Scrapbooking Section

There has been much talk recently on the scrapbook message boards about what in the heck is going on with the scrapbooking section at Walmart? HERE is one such thread. Scrappers are reporting some variety of the following:

It has shrunk.
It has disappeared.
It has been moved somewhere else in the store.
There are lots of clearance items.
There are the same old things being restocked.
There are new items being stocked.

I’d pretty much given up on the Walmart scrapbooking section at my store years ago because the inventory hardly ever changed. Also, while it originally was a good place to get basics like adhesives and tools for a good price, their prices over time became pretty much retail. So why bother walking ALLLLLL the way to the back corner of my Walmart, behind the tire and automotive section where I had no other reason to go, right?

But with all this talk, I decided to see what the status of my WM scrap section was and this is it:

~ It has shrunk.
~ There are lots of clearance items.
~ There are new items being stocked.

There used to be about a side and a half (not quite a full aisle) at my WM of scrappy stuff. Now there is just one side of that, so we lost about 1/2 of one side. Well, technically, since they have clearance items in other places in the crafts area, I guess it’s not a net loss … yet. There is a cart of clearance items and some in the regular section also. There are a bunch of new Colorbox items and some new K&Co. and Jolees.

So here are the pictures to prove it {would I lie to you?} …

Colorbox paper pads including cardstock, patterned paper, and along the bottom row are theme kits. I think they were all about $5.

Matching Colorbox 12×12 post albums for $10

Jolee’s bling and other color-coded embellishments, along with some new things by K&Co. Everything is $3. This is the entire thing …

Top half only …

and bottom half only.

A closer look at the red blingetty bling.

CLEARANCE!!! MARTHA STEWART punches and other tools, stamps, adhesives, etc.

A closer look at the punches. See any you want/need? Good prices :)

And I know you won’t believe this so I hope you have your Big Girl Panties on while I break the news to you …. Walmart still has: THE WALL OF JOLEES!!! In fact, I think they added some new packs. Check it out, in all its glory.

On the Cart o’ Clearance, there were lotsa the cheaper CRICUT cartridges. I really wanted to snag this one for only $24, but resisted. And was glad. I came home and Googled that cart to find out that $24 isn’t even a good price. Sheesh.

Clearance 12×12 albums on the bottom of the cart.

End of tour.

“Thank you, Ladies and Gentleman, for keeping your hands and feet inside the ride at all times. That ends our tour of the scrapbooking section at Walmart. We hope you enjoyed the tour and will come to visit us again sometime soon.”

Oh! So here is the only thing I bought that day: A new bone folder by Martha, Martha, Martha! As you can see, my existing PC bone folder was quite gucky with adhesive and the tip broke years ago. I think I was due for a new one, don’t you? I paid $6; retail was $12.

I don’t really know what to say about the changes at my Walmart. I mean, “I love clearance.” There. I said something nice. I think it’s interesting that they went the more generic, color-coded route with their papers and embellishments. Colorbok is a good company as far as I can tell, and the prices are good. I reeeaaaalllyyy wish they’d use all that Jolee’s real estate for something else. I just don’t use those 3D Jolee’s stickers … at all … ever.

Okay, that’s all I got.

So what do you think of the changes at my Walmart? Good, bad, or who cares? What’s going on at yours? Have you bought anything there recently?

Memory Works: Time for Another Simple Stories Kit!!!

With the amazing success of the first Simple Stories kit by Memory Works – LIFE DOCUMENTED ~ it’s now time for the next Simple Stories kit. Woot woot!

MEMORY WORKS will be giving sneak peeks all this week on the SIMPLE STORIES BLOG, so if anyone is looking for me, I’ll be over there, LOL.

Now, I don’t know if THIS is a sneak peek in itself – what do you think?

I was thinking maybe the colors and school-lined paper here were some hints to what the new line will look like. Hmmm … I mean, I don’t have any insider info or anything, so that’s total speculation on my part. I’m just glad reveal time is almost here and that I finally get to see the next kit in the SIMPLE STORIES line. Hallelujah!

Check Out My Scrapbook Mini-Haul @ 70% Off!

Okay, before I get all giddy about my awesome purchase, I need to be serious for a moment. Come ON! It’s just a MOMENT. That’s all I ask. You can do it.

Sooooo…..

I hate it when online or brick-and-mortar scrapbook stores close, don’t you? I mean, if the person is happily moving on to something else, that’s great. But if the reason is because business isn’t good, then it makes me sad :(

I’m not sure what the case was here, but a friend mentioned that an online store she had DT’d for in the past was closing … and the ENTIRE STORE was 70% off!! Oh, and that day she mentioned it was the LAST day to order. {Otherwise, I would’ve told you about it, I swear!}

Well, you KNOW I hauled my virtual butt right over there and started shopping! I hate that scrapbook store owners have to let their remaining products go for such a huge discount but I guess we can feel good about “taking it off their hands”, right? If we didn’t shop there, they’d be stuck with the merch when all they probably want to do is move on.

Anyway, as usual, I have digressed. You just want to see what goodies I got, don’t you?!?! You cheeky monkeys!

The store was Serendipity Scrapbooks, which I guess there is no reason to link :( I ended up getting $33 worth of scrapbook supplies for $15 INCLUDING shipping, which was about $6 of that.

Ah, I love scrappy mail, don’t you!?!?! Here is the package, my invoice, and a nice note from owner Kristen.


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(3) 12×12 pages of BASIC GREY letter stickers – Euphoria, Phoebe, and Scarlet’s letter


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One sheet each of some “Cogsmo” (COSMO CRICKET) and “Tiffany’s Collection” (WRMK) paper. Love the Cogsmo vibrant colors and cool design, and the leaves that were cut-outs from the Tiffany’s paper (see where the black is showing through? Cool, huh?)


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2 sheets of “Splendid” paper from FANCY PANTS (these are the front and back sides)

This is SO pretty and classy-looking in person. The colors are rich and gorgeous.


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2 sheets of “Fakie Green” paper from the now-closed SCENIC ROUTE (these are the front and back sides)

SR has always been a favorite company. I love their simple, fresh designs. I’m scrapping our Phoenix trip with mostly Scenic Route that I’ve hoarded over the years, and this will be added to the collection.


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Speaking of Scenic Route, here’s some green twill. It’s thinner/narrower than I thought it was going to be but it’s still nice :) Also, my first-ever purchase of anything CHERRY ARTE – some cute summer rub-ons. I like their style.


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Here was my favorite deal of the day: A ton of chipboard shapes called “All Fall” by Fancy Pants. They retailed for $12.99 which, while totally worth that price, I probably wouldn’t have ever spent. Gah, I’m such a cheapwad that I have a really hard time spending that much on a scrapbooking embellishment. Tool? Yeah, sure, but not on a consumable like chipboard.

But yee-haw! With the 70% discount, I could totally justify spending $3.90!

Isn’t it neat how it comes in this cute window box with the slide-out drawer?


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Now check out ALL the pieces that come with! Yowzers. I have School Days albums for my kids but the pages so far have been pretty basic, made mostly of patterned paper, cardstock, and some basic accents. I’m going to go through the albums and add some of these cute accents to liven up the pages. Can’t wait!


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Isn’t that paperclip cute? Just to put it in perspective, the chipboard totally covers one of my Basic Grey MAGNETIC MATS, which are about 15″x15″. You get a LOT.


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Also love the grad cap, and all the sayings and titles. What a great package. So happy I purchased this :)

So that’s my scrapbook mini-haul! Not bad for $15, huh?

Stay tuned … I just got a box today from MEMORY WORKS with some amazing stuff to show you!

Memory Works: Free Cosmo Cricket, and Discounts on Simple Stories and Patriotic Products!

I got this e-mail from MEMORY WORKS today, who I’m a consultant for. We’re always having cool promotions and I don’t want to flood my blog with them, but there are so many great things going on right now, I had to share. Just in case you want to do some shopping to celebrate July {wink} …

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We’re blasting off the Independence Day holiday with 3 firecracker promotions:

1 ~ 10% off select Patriotic Themed Products
2 ~ Free Snorkel Collection with $150 purchase
3 ~ 15% off Simple Stories Life Documented Kit

NOTE: Click on anything shown in bold and it will take you to a photo of the item :)

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PROMOTION #1

Show your patriotic pride…Save 10%

To show our pride for all things patriotic, we’re offering an additional 10% off our best selling patriotic themed collections and embellishments, including Creative Imaginations “Liberty” THEME SET, Pink Paislee’s “Starlight” THEME SETand STICKERS, and Bo Bunny’s complete “Block Party” COLLECTION! Shop now for best selection – sale ends July 5th!

“Freedom” 12×12 Layout by Sue Kendall featuring “Liberty” Theme Set from Creative Imaginations

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PROMOTION #2

When you spend $150 or more you’ll receive a 50-piece Cosmo Cricket Snorkel COLLECTION PACK (a $14.99 value)….absolutely FREE!

We’re continuing our 100 days of summer celebration. Now through July 31st 2010 (while supplies last, so hurry!), we will be offering this fabulous Snorkel papercrafting pack from COSMO CRICKET. Anyone – yes we mean anyone – placing an order of $150.00 or more will recieve this popular, best-selling kit that includes over 50 pieces of summer scrapping goodness. So whether it’s a party order, customer order or even consultant order…if it’s over $150 you qualify for the FREE* kit! But remember this kit will be available only while supplies last so swim on over and get yours today!

*FREE kit includes: 12 double-sided design paper, 18 cardstock stickers, 18 double-sided cut apart element cards, and 18 double-sided cut apart borders. Offer good only while supplies last. One free kit per order. Offer is not retroactive. Offer good on all party, customer or consultant orders of $150 net retail or more (excludes tax and shipping).

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PROMOTION #3

Sale Extended through July 5th!
Simple Stories Kit – 15% Off

If you haven’t treated your self to the goodness of our first Simple Stories release – now’s you’re chance. We’re extending our sale for just a few more days, offering an additional 15% discount off our popular “Life Documented” kit – grab yours before the low price melts away…

Life Documented Kit
Regular Price – $16.99
NOW 15% Off
Customer Sale Price – $14.44

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While you’re shopping, check out our SUMMER SAVINGS SALE with various items at great discounts – Maya mist, Xyron adhesive products, American Crafts including THICKERS, 7 Gypsies, Basic Grey, Bo Bunny, Crate Paper, Fancy Pants, Pink Paislee, and more.

Please let me know if you have ANY questions. You can leave a comment on this post, or e-mail me at scrapbookobsession(at)gmail(dot)com. Happy shopping!

Ribbon Ruffles and a Challenge Layout

I’ve been so busy, I don’t think I ever posted this, but my friend ABBY (a supa-talented scrapper) sent me some sweet PRESSIES a while back. Not only is she an amazing scrapbook talent but the girl can sew, too!

In addition to the gorgeous, ribbon-trimmed tote she sent me, she also made some ribbon and crepe paper ruffles for me to use on layouts. Well, today was the perfect day to use one! A scrapbook message board I belong to has a challenge posted to use “journaling spot clusters” a la STEPHANIE HOWELL and since mine ended up being a girly-girl layout, I was able to use one of Abby’s ribbon ruffles.

Anyway, here is one of STEPHANIE’S LAYOUTS to show what is meant by journaling cluster … in other words, break out all those journaling stickers and die cuts and use them to tell your story, girlfriend!

Wow, okay! It’s going to be pretty embarrassing to put my layout right after Stephanie’s, who is one of my favorite scrappers and is so talented. What am I, a glutton for punishment?? Huh. I guess so. ‘Cuz this is where I post the layout that I did for the journaling spot cluster challenge – HA!


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Here’s a close-up of the journaling …
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A close-up of the ribbon ruffle … made by Abby :) Because I’m not allowed near a sewing machine.
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The layout is very bling-y and glittery in person, although my photo doesn’t show it that well. Here you can see the Stickles I added to the title, and some glitter brads.
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Almost all of the supplies are from the My Minds Eye “Home” line – the paper, die cuts, chipboard journaling spots, and the title. The font stamp is American Crafts “Ginger,” and the paper “XOXO” ribbon at the bottom is by Brenda Walton for K&Company. I also used “Icicle” Stickles, brown Cats Eye chalk ink, and Sugar Coated brads by Doodlebug. Oh, and border punches by Fiskars and Martha Stewart.

It felt so good to scrapbook again. I have to admit it’s been quite a while … since the last crop I went to over a month ago, ack! I hope you’ve been better about scrapping than I have. Well, now that my desk is cleared off, maybe I’ll get back into scrapping mode.

How about you … you been scrapping lately?

WINNERS! Scrapbook Mystery Novel Giveway

Below are the FIVE winners from THIS contest to win a free copy of CUT, PASTE, KILL by Marshall Karp …

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Nicole
June 23, 2010 5:15 am
I love the Laura Childs scrapbook mysteries, and I just picked up “cut Crop and Die” from the library. I love a good mystery book but throw in scrapbooking and I’m hooked!! Thanks for the chance.

lenainwonderland
June 21, 2010 9:53 am
I love mysteries and I love easy summer reads…add my favorite hobby to it and it may just be a perfect book =)

Jenny-Lynn Gilbert
June 21, 2010 12:35 pm
I love scrapbooking AND mysteries and I finally have some time to read grown up books now that school is out!
Thanks for the opportunity!
Jenny-Lynn

Reel Girl
June 21, 2010 9:16 am
I am an avid reader and am currently compiling my summer reading list! I would love to win a copy of this book — I would even pay it forward and pass on the book to my other scrapping/reading friends when I am finished!
This sounds like a perfect summer beach read!
Shelly

Vicki Morris
June 22, 2010 12:55 pm
I love to read and that book sounds like a must have for me. I have always enjoyed the Scrapbooking Mysteries by Laura Childs and this one sounds really good. I’d definately pass it along after I was done reading it. Have lots of friends who like to read alot too.

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CONGRATULATIONS! I will be contacting the winners via e-mail and sending their books out soon. Thank you to everyone who entered. It was such a pleasure to hear so many of you enjoy reading, scrapbooking, and scrapbooking novels as much as I do :)

Scrapbook Mystery Novel Giveaway!

Hey, mah favorite scrapbook peeps, I have some exciting news … I have FIVE copies of a new scrapbooking mystery novel to give away!!! It’s a hardcover version of “Cut, Paste, Kill” by Marshall Karp (retails for $26.99).

Here’s a description of the book from the publisher:

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In CUT, PASTE, KILL, Mike Lomax and Terry Biggs are two hip LAPD detectives who discover socialite Eleanor Bellingham-Crump dead on the floor of a hotel bathroom. Next to Eleanor’s lifeless body, the killer has left an intricate scrapbook documenting a motive of vengeance in lurid detail. As more bodies are found, each one connected to a scrapbook left at the scene, Lomax and Biggs must decode the meaning behind the scrapbooks before the avenger has time to cut and paste the story for another kill.

CUT, PASTE, KILL is laugh-out-loud funny, with perfect dialogue and zinging last lines. Joseph Finder, bestselling thriller writer, describes Marshall Karp as the “Woody Allen of the murder mystery—smart, fast-paced, clever, and really, really funny.”

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For some early reviews (three 5-star customer reviews as of when I posted this!), you can check out AMAZON.COM. By the by, you can purchase the book from Amazon if you don’t win a copy … hint, hint. Right now, the hardcover is selling for $17.15 new and a Kindle edition for $12.99.

I think this portion of a review posted to Amazon sums it up perfectly:

The bottom line is that this is perfect summer reading — ideal for a lazy Sunday afternoon or a holiday beach read. If you want a great “entertain me!” murder mystery, I don’t think you can do better than Cut, Paste, Kill. Highly recommended… at least for people who like to giggle.

This book was just released June 8, 2010 so you’ll be the first on your block to own it, LOL! I’ve been reading my copy and absolutely enjoying it. It’s laugh-out-loud funny, full of one-liners and fun relationships between the main characters. Yeah, it’s a murder mystery, but a lighthearted one :)

I’ve read scrapbooking mystery novels in the past (those by LAURA CHILDS and JOANNA CAMPBELL SLAN) and this one is a bit different. Instead of it reading as a mystery written by a scrapbooker, it’s more like a “regular” mystery novel that has scrapbooking as a plot device. It’s told through the eyes of two LAPD detectives, not through the lens of a scrapbooker. So, even if you’re not big into scrapbooking but just like reading mystery novels, you’ll enjoy this.

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment on this post telling me why you want the book. I’m paying for the postage out of my own pocket, so PLEASE only enter if you’ll really read the book or know someone who will. If you have any friends who would be interested, please have them come enter!

Deadline is Friday, June 25, 2010* at midnight PST. Open to US residents only. One entry per person. FIVE winners will be chosen via Random.org.

* Deadline changed as of 6/22/10

Good luck and happy reading!

FTC Disclosure. ST MARTINS PRESS provided me with 6 free books. I received no monetary compensation. They are providing the books to the winners of this giveaway.

The Cricut “Circle”

Either PROVO CRAFT has no idea what they’re doing, or they know EXACTLY what they’re doing. You be the judge.

As they tend to do with new products, Provo Craft got the hype going with their new “product,” the Cricut Circle, some time back.

I didn’t even bother trying to guess what in the hell it was, but you can bet the CRICUT MESSAGE BOARD was a-chirping with anticipation. I heard some DISCUSSION about it on the scrapbook message boards but, honestly, I think they’ve alienated so many customers with the CRICUT CAKE ISSUE, the SCAL/Design Studio issue, and others … that less people bother to get excited than before.

Another recent PC faux pas may have been the release of the CRICUT GYPSY, which is an awesome gadget (I talk about wanting one HERE) but the retail price … $300 … was a bit steep for most everyone I spoke to about it. With the economy what it is, I’m not sure it was the right time to release such a high ticket item. It will be interesting to see what the long-term success of the Gypsy is.

Anyway, you know and I know that everyone (okay, MOST everyone) is broke right now. We’re pickin’ quarters out of the couch cushions and rubbing them together with our 40% coupons from Michaels and Hobby Lobby to get some new scrap goodies once in a while. Now, into that climate, I introduce to you … the much-anticipated (erm… or not ….) CRICUT CIRCLE!!!!

This is the information that went out in an e-mail to prospective customers yesterday:
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What Exactly is the Cricut Circle?

The CRICUT CIRCLE by Provo Craft is a select community of Cricut® enthusiasts. Cricut owners are the most creative, passionate, social, and fun-loving people on the planet. The Cricut Circle is our way to celebrate your enthusiasm (and ours!) for Cricut! The shape of the circle signifies inclusion, unity, kinship (think King Arthur and the round table). The goal of The Cricut Circle from Provo Craft is designed to bring this community of amazing people together to learn, share, and grow The Circle love!

What does life look like inside the Cricut Circle?

Four exclusive cartridges a year, one each quarter, (starting with French Manor) ONLY available to The Cricut Circle members.

Special buying privileges like rebates, monthly coupons, and opportunities to buy other exclusive products for your Cricut, from friends and partners of Provo Craft.

Extra reward points and special cricut.com discounts.

A members-only bracelet with an exclusive Cricut Circle charm (get ready to be the envy of your friends).

A special Cricut Circle Community will come together through an exclusive Cricut Circle forum on cricut.com.

Inspiration and education from exclusive Cricut Circle webinars, swarms, meet-ups, and events.

A fun Cricut Circle blog and a monthly project-inspired online magazine to fill your mind with ideas galore.

Charter members will have access to information and opportunities to become a part of the decision making process of future Cricut products by participating on research panels.

Officially, the Cricut Circle Charter Membership launches June 2010, and YOU have been chosen to become a charter member of The Circle. We are extending this offer to the top 3% of our Cricut fans on Cricut Rewards and those who have registered their Provo Craft products.

The invitation to become a Charter Member of The Circle expires June 30, 2010 and is non-transferable.

To solidify a premier Charter Member number and receive 800 Cricut Reward Points, take advantage of invitations to galas, swarms and events, JOIN NOW!
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And what does all this Cricut craziness cost, you ask? A mere $275 a year or $80 per quarter, folks! You can afford that, right??? Your dresser drawers are lined with money just waitin’ to be spent, huh?!?!?!

{Interestingly, the price for the fantabulous deal wasn’t mentioned in the e-mail. You gotta go elsewhere to find it.}

So what I love most about the Peas is that they tell it like it is … and it don’t appear to be pretty at this point. HERE is a thread with some early reaction, and HERE is another (this thread is called “Who else got the ridiculous invite to the Cricut Circle?”). THIS ONE is called, “Who is excited about the Cricut Circle!!!!!” and as of press time, it had 2 responses, both of which weren’t “excited!”

The major problem appears to be the high price, first and foremost. Also, paying that high price and not knowing ahead of time which-all cartridges you’ll get. And the idea of cartridge exclusivity turns a lot of people off anyway.

I don’t have a dog in this fight because, while I have a Baby Bug, I’m not a rabid Cricut fan nor do I harbor the hatred for Provo Craft that many do these days. I’m just sharing what I’m hearing and letting you be the judge.

My conclusion is that Provo Craft is either extremely out of touch with what their customers and consumers in general want … or they know something we don’t know and they’re still making lots of bank off of products and “exclusive memberships” like the Cricut Circle. Either way, they seem to keep coming up with new products and they are always “in the press.” You gotta’ give ’em that …

Scrapbook Shopping: Michaels and Tuesday Morning

Here are some pics from recent trips to Michaels …

This is the new “Traveler” line by Me and My Big Ideas (MAMBI). I love the color combo of ocean-y blues and greens, peaches/yellows/oranges, and black/white. It has a vintage feel but modern at the same time, which made me think of my friend ABBY and the Seattle album she’s working on … Wonder if she’ll like this line?

I think I’ve shown you the Recollections and Prima on the left side of this photo, but the gorgeous butterflies and pretty flower packs on the right are new ….

All kinda’ bling bling … Please ignore any SALE signs, as these sales are no longer going.

This was a whole endcap of new Making Memories embellishments called “Design Shop” which reminded me so much of Jolee’s, I had to wonder if they’re owned and/or made by the same company.

Some cute things here … these were 2 of my favorites. It’s hard to tell, but many of them are 3-D

Here are some recent purchases of mine from Michaels. Aren’t the Recollections trims cute? The red hearts are felt, then the 2 ribbons, and the turquoise dingle balls … so fun! The Super Mom stuff from MAMBI is chipboard and really pretty shades of pink and green. That color combo always makes me happy :) The school stickers by MAMBI on the right are epoxy, and I love the circle shape where you can cluster 3 together, or use 1 on a card for your favorite teacher. I bought them to use on yearbook pages and teacher “thank you” cards.

The Making Memories “Passport” metal clips on the bottom are from Target. I just thought they were purdy.

That’s it for Mike’s.

Now you’re asking, “What in the heck do throw pillows have to do with scrapbooking?” Well, I found these at Costco for a great price and they’re for the couch in my scrapbook room. It doesn’t show up great in the photo, but the color is really pretty … it’s like a lighter or muted robin’s egg blue. It’ll go nicely with all the other blues and greens, pale yellow, and white in my space. Another great thing is that they are durable – made from a thick, linen-textured fabric that will hold up well to my kids piling on them and many years of me lying back on them to read my scrapbook magazines and idea books. So glad I found these …

Lastly, here are some recent finds from TUESDAY MORNING

These are all from Making Memories, the little flower jars and a metal tin of flowers. The jars are plastic and I’ll reuse them when I’m done for storage on my stamp shelf. I love that you get a length of green and white ribbon, too. The tin is deceiving so be careful if you buy them. I haven’t opened the tin yet, but I noticed in the store when I was deciding whether to buy them that – no – the tin is not FILLED with flowers. There is one layer of them pressed against the little window, then it’s all padding underneath. So be aware that you’re not getting very many flowers in this package. To me, it was worth it because I’m going to re-use the tin and because of the discounted price.

As you can see here, the jars and the tin cost $1.99 each.

My best find was this set of paper ribbons by K&Co.!! You get 4 packages in a variety of colors and styles for only $3.99. I believe these retail for $3.99 PER PACK, so to get 4 packs for that price is amazing. They are so pretty in person, especially the one on the far right with the distressed colors. But they’re all very nice.

So those are my latest shopping adventures! Did you see anything you like?

Why Do You Blog?

A fellow blogger posted this question over on the 2peas message board (thread is HERE). I thought I’d share my answer, well, on my blog! Here is what my answer was:
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I started my scrapbook blog over 3 years ago because I am truly obsessed with scrapbooking and I wanted someone to “talk to” who would understand. I have IRL friends who scrapbook but I only see them at crops every few months, and we talk about scrapbooking for hours while we scrap. But I got tired of holding all my good info for crops, LOL! DH calls it “crap-booking,” so you can see I get no support at home, lol …

So I started my blog as a place where I could write down all the thoughts I was having on the industry (which was much more hoppin’ and not quite so depressing at the time). I also wanted to share the deals I found, talk about SB events I went to, what was going on at my LSS’s (used to have 7, now have none), drool over new products, tell scrappers what TV shows and movies featured scrapping, etc.

About a year ago, I started incorporating my thoughts and experiences about being a scrapbook consultant, in the hopes that I can save others from making any mistakes I did, share what’s been successful for me, and again … drool over all the new products Also, I’m often asked questions about becoming a consultant and it’s nice to have one place I can refer people to for information.

Due to the economy, I’ve had to work a lot more hours and I don’t get to blog as much as I used to, and I REALLY REALLY miss it. I so enjoy the comments people leave … even just looking at my blog stats and seeing that people do read what I’m sharing. It makes me feel really good inside. I truly enjoy the exchanges I have there about scrapbooking and I think I’ll keep doing my blog forevah!
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So, why do YOU blog?

New Basic Grey Coming in June 2010!

Basic Grey recently announced they will have some mid-releases due out in June 2010. As a big BG fan, I was excited to hear this and even more excited when I took a peek and fell in love with these two new lines … let’s start with some pretty good teasers …

OLIVER

and OLIVIA

Check this out, from the Basic Grey WEBSITE:

And here are links to the entire OLIVER and OLIVIA lines on the Basic Grey website ~ yahoo! {To get a closer look at each item, hover over it with your pointer and the photo will enlarge}.

As you can see, each line has a TON of items in it, including some new kinds of embellishments like Cozy Posies, Decorative Clips, Gummies, and my personal favorites, CANVAS TAGS and PIECES.

I’ll admit I’m not totally crazy about the little animal guys, and would probably only use them on baby pages, but there are so many papers and embellishments that don’t contain them, I’m sure these collections will be joining my own personal collection :)

And as if Oliver and Olivia weren’t enough summer excitement, Basic Grey is also going to add elements to their BASICS line in June 2010! Talk about a hot seller! I notice that Memory Works has already sold out of some of this line (although the owner assures us the stock will be replenished soon). I also noticed on the Basic Grey website that a lot of the current Basics items show “out of stock.” Hmmm … just letting you know so when the new Basics items come out in June, don’t hesitate or you might not be able to get any right away.

To get the whole scoop, read Kelly Goree’s blog HERE. Please go and see the gorgeous layouts she’s already making with “Oliver” and “Olivia.”

Go HERE to see what the Peas have to say, and if you’re a member of Scrapbook Sisters Studio, you can see our chat about it HERE.

On the MEMORY WORKS consultant message board, I posted my excitement over all the new BG goods and the owner confirmed that we WILL be carrying all of these new Basic Grey items. Made my day, it did. So when June rolls around and you decide you need this new Basic Grey, give me a HOLLAH!

What do you think of Oliver, Olivia, and the new Basics items? Is it a “hit” or a “miss” for Basic Grey this time around?

Creating Keepsakes Special Issue: Fast and Fresh Scrapbooks

Available May 11, 2010, there’s a new special issue by Creating Keepsakes called “Fast and Fresh Scrapbooks”.

HERE is where you can buy it online, and get a sneak peek inside. HERE is a free shipping code offer that ends MAY 16, 2010. You can also go to Lisa Bearnson’s BLOG and enter a comment to win a free copy (do this by THURSDAY, May 13, 2010). She also has a shipping code to get 20% OFF (must use by May 31, 2010)!

I took the peek inside and I spy some work by one of my favorite scrappers, ELIZABETH KARTCHNER. Did you know she’s pregnant with BEBE #3? And in other happy news, so is EMILIE! She told her family in the most FUN WAY. Congrats to both of these beautiful moms. It would be totally typical of me to say something like, “Yeah! More scrapbooking material!” so I totally won’t say that. I don’t like to be typical :)

Anyway … back to my original topic: The new CK special issue. If you get it, you MUST come back and give us a review. I’m sure I’ll be buying it as soon as I see it in the store. Yeah, I can’t seem to resist even though I have every scrapbooking magazine and idea book known to man. “Wait, you say that like it’s a BAD thing?” {I could have worse vices …}

Winners from National Scrapbook Day!

On May 1st, I had some CONTESTS on my blog for prizes. I picked the winners Monday morning (with the gracious help of RANDOM.ORG) and notified them by e-mail. I heard back from all the winners so without further adieu, here are the lucky girlz:

Contest #1 – Scavenger Hunt
Winner: Karen!

She won her choice of a Simple Stories LIFE DOCUMENTED KIT or a package of 25 pocket page protectors by WE R MEMORY KEEPERS; she went with the page protectors. Great choice. They are so flexible, easy to work with, and can make for some quick projects :)

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Contest #2 – Your Favorite Products
Winner: Julie!

She won up to $25 worth of scrapbooking products from my Memory Works WEBSITE! Here is what she chose:

Girls Paperie: Theme Set – On Holiday $7
Pink Paislee: Theme Set – 365 Degrees $5.50
BasicGrey: Theme Set – Basics Kraft $5.50

I have the PP “365 Degrees” theme set and the BG “Basics Kraft” theme set, and know she’s going to love them. I’ve been wanting the Girls Paperie “On Holiday,” so Julie, you’ll have to let me know how you like it when your goodies come in the mail.

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Contest #3 – Inspire Us
Winner: Gloria!

She had her choice of any scrapbooking or card sketches book from SCRAPBOOK GENERATION. Gloria chose “Sketches for Scrapbooking, Volume 5.” Good choice … you can’t go wrong with these books.

Here are the 4 entries received for the Inspire Us contest and what supplies they used that are also sold by MEMORY WORKS.

A sweet layout with some really cute kids by ERICA. She used Jenni Bowlin BUTTERFLIES.
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A gorgeous layout by JULIE (winner of game #3!), using QUEEN BEE papers from Pink Paislee and a great sketch from the MY LITTLE SKETCH BOOK blog.

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A lovely butterfly card made by JINGLE using STICKLES and RANGER INK:
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And Gloria used American Crafts THICKERS on her creative and pretty layout:

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Thank you so much to everyone who participated in my contests for National Scrapbook Day. Let’s do it again next year!