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Gypsy by Provocraft / Cricut

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Gypsy, Gypsy, Gypsy! I’ve been hearing this name for months, and I have purposely ignored it. Like a 2nd grader with my fingers plugging my ears while I sang, “La la la! I. can. not. hear. yooooooo!” All I knew was that it was some kind of handheld gadget that interacts with your CRICUT machine. I “only” have a first-generation BABY BUG…

So I figured this Gypsy thang didn’t even apply to me, that it was for the fancy dancy EXPRESSION.

And I figured if the Gypsy DID apply to the Baby Bug, I would still ignore it til it went away.

Do not. Need. More scrapbooking gadgets.

I tell ya’, it was hard to resist researching the Gypsy; I like to talk about new products here so we can all be edu-muh-cated together. I successfully avoided knowing what a Gypsy really was for a long time … until tonight.

As always, I recorded HSN SCRAPBOOKING and it happened to still be on when I turned on the TV tonight. JINGER ADAMS from ProvoCraft was presenting…

They had me at “hello.”

So let me tell you what I learned by watching the Gypsy demo on HSN tonight:

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It’s a little handheld thing that you can carry in your purse, and “design on the go” … sitting at the doctor’s office, whatever. You save your designs, then cut them when you get home.

Yeah, it’s expensive … freakin’ $300 even on HSN. The price during the “World Launch” is $299.95 and the regular HSN price will be $349.95. But you get a bundle that’s worth $483.96, with a sleeve, carrying case, stylus, AC adapter, car charger, cartridge connect card, 2 cartridges pre-loaded (Gypsy Font and Gypsy Wanderings), and a Don Juan cartridge. And they have free shipping tonight. And 5 flex pays of only $60. They couldn’t make it more tempting if they tried.

HSN hostess SUZANNNE RUNYON pointed out that “craft stores” (we know she means Michaels) will sell the Gypsy for $299, with no extras, and you CANNOT use the coupon. Just so ya know…

On the screen, you can view and layout a mat that is 6×12″, 12×12″ or 12×24″, just like the mats for the different Cricuts. Yep, I can use it with my Baby Bug, after all. Curses!

ALL available Cricut cartridges can be viewed on Gypsy, but you can only cut from the ones you actually own. It’s a great way to preview what’s on each of the cartridges to see if you like them and would use them.

You can update your Gypsy via your computer, so the cartridges and features will always be up-to-date.

The sizes you can cut things are not restricted by the 1/4 inch like on the Cricut…you can get them down the decimal. For instance, Jinger designed something that was 2.14 inches or something.

There is a Search function. Jinger did a search on “flowers” and it pulled up every flower from every Cricut cartridge ever made.

——– You can weld words. ———–

You can drag and drop your design all around the “mat” so it cuts where you want it to.
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Then I started searching around online and found some more 4-1-1, like this:

You can buy Gypsy accessories beyond what comes in the HSN bundle:

Silicon Skins in many designs
Screen protectors
Colored styluses
Colored lanyards

So, yeah, now of course, I want a Gypsy.

Crap.

My last concern, my last saving grace, was the fact that Cricut has not been overly Mac-friendly (i.e., Design Studio is PC-only), and I have a Mac so I’m safe, right? The Gypsy prolly doesn’t work for us Mac Girlz {fingers crossed, oh please please please please…). So I went to the Gypsy FAQ PAGE and here is what I found:
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How is the Gypsy™ updated/upgraded?
The Gypsy™ is updated by connecting it to a PC or a MAC with an Internet connection.

Does the Gypsy™ work with Macintosh computers?
Yes, the Gypsy will be compatible with MAC OS10.
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Well, there goes that!

Okay, one last ditch effort to NOT want a Gypsy, although I admit it’s weaker than Denny’s coffee: The Gypsy fonts probably suck so THAT will be the reason I can say no this gadget. I found the images for GYPSY FONT and GYPSY WANDERINGS. And I saw them on the display boards during the HSN demo, where they’re all cut out with colored cardstock and you can see them much better. Guess what? Yeah, LOVED them! And the DON JUAN font, too, which you can normally only get when you buy a Cricut CREATE. They’re all very versatile with cool images that I would definitely use.

I couldn’t copy a Don Juan sample here, so click THIS to see one, please.

HERE is the link to all the Gypsy information by Cricut. HERE are a bunch of demo videos. You gotta check out the ROGUE GYPSIES … too funny!

If you’d like to see the HSN presentation, check out the rest of the HSN Scrapbooking shows I see on their schedule.

5-6am
8-10am
1-2pm
6-7pm

These are PST; look HERE if you need to run another time zone.

If you want the Gypsy now but, like me, can’t afford it and really shouldn’t get it, check HERE and see if the Peas can talk you down off the ledge. They make some good points: Use an iPhone app to do the same thing. Use all that money for other scrappy stuff, SCAL, or Design Studio. For a bit more, buy an Expression. Use a coupon code, try to win one, or wait for the price to come down. You know, that kind of thing…

ETA 9/24/09: I very much WANT a Gypsy, but I’m not getting one anytime soon. Not in my budget :( And I can’t ask for it for Christmas, as my big-ticket Christmas gift has already been purchased by my DH and mom….I asked for a new set of crop bags. Will do a post on those soon…

So, what do you think about the Gypsy? Is it a “must have” or can you resist it’s magnetic pull?

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Diary of a Scrapbook Room Makeover: Part One

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Okay, time for Part One of hopefully many posts in my scraproom makeover diary. You can read the Prologue HERE about why I was skerred to write about this in the first place…

I suppose I should start by explaining my current scrap space situation, and why it was time for such a major “makeover.” For about 6 or 7 years now, my scrap space has been shared with my kids’ play room, which consists of the majority of their toys, games, and puzzles, a TV with VCR and DVD player for watching movies, and a couch. The couch is perpendicular to the wall and kind of splits the room in half. Behind the couch is where my scrap space is. I have a large, L-shaped office desk and matching file cabinet, a table, and 10.5 STORE IN STYLE cubes like this….

…mostly open cubes but a few with doors or drawers. Then I have 2 of the 4 sets of shelves along the wall (some of my books [yeah, the other thing I hoard] and the kids’ stuff is in the other 2), and various Iris carts, containers, and mish-mosh storage items. I also hide a lot under my mondo-desk (wink).

As you can imagine, this was already a lot of stuff and two busy purposes to fit into one room, even though it’s good-sized. I have always liked sharing my space with the play room because the kids and I hang out in there a lot together. Or at least we did, until it also became “the dumping ground room.” That was not supposed to be the plan, LOL! Look, I’m a busy mom. Due to this stupid economy, I’ve been working 50-60 hours a week. The kids do sports, I do Bible study, I sell Memory Works, clean, do constant laundry, take care of a puppy, blah, blah, blah. Not making excuses, just explaining how this all got out of hand. I simply haven’t had time to focus on an organized home, as I can barely function on the 4-5 hours a sleep I get per night as it is. So anytime something new enters the house and I don’t have time to make room for it in a closet, or get rid of something else to make room for it, it gets dumped in the scrap room/play room. Ugh. (Hint, I’m preparing you for the photos so you don’t go into a horrible shock).

Here’s my other problem…I’m an admitted pack rat. I’m trying to reform and I certainly don’t want an intervention by my family, so I’m always working on it and fighting it. I get occasional bursts of energy where I purge the pantry, clean out my bookshelves, fill garbage bags with old clothes, etc. But admittedly, things have gotten out of hand in the last year or so. Well, I’m plenty sick of it and it’s time to make it right. Other than the sheer clutter, one thing that really bugs me and has to change is that the kids play area has to be moved. You have to walk through their area to get to mine, and to get to the sliding glass door to the backyard. No matter how much I nag, a fact of life is that they WILL leave toys, books, puzzles, etc. on the playroom floor…right in the path to those two places. And it’s their play area, ya know? They should be ABLE to leave out projects they’re working on, Monopoly games in progress, or art work interrupted, right? I’m just tired of stubbing my toes on all of it. If I step on that little shoe from Monopoly in my bare feet one more time…why I oughta!…..

So I had the bright idea to not only purge and re-organize my scrap space, but to move their play space to the guest room. We’ll move their toys and games, and get rid of some along the way, too :) Their TV and movies can also be moved, which will at the same time provide a TV in the guest room for my mom to watch when she comes to stay with us. This is a semi-tangent…but the way it is now, their playroom TV is about 15 feet away from the living room TV, so when the grownups are trying to watch something, we’re often competing with the kids’ TV. It’s kind of funny, the battle of the dueling remotes…we can’t hear, so we turn up our volume. Then they can’t hear, so their TV goes louder, and before you know it, the house is very LOUD. Now their TV will be farther away and behind a door, so we can now watch R-movies with “the language” and not constantly have to push mute for fear they’ll overhear, and they can watch SpongeBob and his annoying, nasally laugh to their heart’s content, LOL. By the way, I {heart} Patrick….

So. Decided. Playroom stuff moving to guest room. which means that my scrap space has room to expand and breathe. However, as much as I want the kids to have their own place where they can shut the door and watch a movie, or be able to spread out with their games, I also want them to still “need” to be in my scrap area sometimes so we can spend time together. And wouldn’t it be nice to have somewhere else for them to do homework, etc. other than the nice, oak dining room table? Why, yes. Yes, it would! That’s why I’m going to repurpose my scrap table into a Homework Table for the kids, and keep it in my scrap room. They’ll still have a place and purpose in my area, which is really cool. Also, I’ll still have the couch in my scrap room (erm….the cleaned off, easy-to-lie-down-on couch…) so they can come and chill, read a book, tell me about their day, whatevs.

I think I’ll utilize what used to be the DVD/game cabinet (see pic below) to store office supplies, etc. and free up more room in the guest room, where all that stuff currently resides. I used to keep this kind of stuff in a cabinet in there, which will now house the TV and games. Make sense? Just a straight swapperoo!

Being the anal, plan-ahead, worrier type that I am, my wheels are turning about what furniture to move where and how to store what. I pull out some graph paper and draw a diagram for my “new” scrap room. See, I’ve always had to call it a “scrap space” before, but now I can say “scrap room.” Yeah! There are two things I need to work around initially. The sliding door to the backyard means I have to keep a decent walkway available in that area of the room. Also, there are four 5-shelf cheap-o bookcases lining one wall and they need to stay put. They’re mounted to the wall with brackets, as we’re in earthquake country, and I’m not in the mood to unmount and remount those stinkin’ shelves. Besides, this room has a vaulted ceiling and the shelves are on “the tall wall,” also a long, solid wall, so that’s the logical place for them anyway. The best part about the shelves is that by moving the toys and stuff off of them, I’m gaining almost a whole shelf unit for my scrappy stuff….niiiiice. I’m going to move some of my books out of the guest room, and make one whole set of shelves for my books, too.

After 2 tries, I come up with a good room diagram for how want to arrange things. Now, I can drift off to sleep, and dream about someday scrapping in a more open and organized space….Oh, wait, I can’t sleep yet. I have one more thing to do and I can’t procrastinate any longer…

I guess now it’s time for the thoroughly embarrassing photos. I needed DH to move the TV for me when he had a moment, so that’s the only thing missing from the original (highly cringe-worthy) status of this room. Gulp! Here you go…

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This is the wall to your hard left as you enter the play room area through the open doorway from the dining/living rooms. You can see the slider I’m talking about to the far right. The TV sat on top of that oak cabinet, and it’s filled with games and DVDs. All those pieces of stacked wood are to construct the hutch that goes with my desk, but I decided not to use it after all, so all those pieces are going in the attic. Those old toys are trash and we’ll see if we can use the plastic baskets for toy storage or something, or maybe to hold outdoor toys in the garage?

As you will see, this is the room to dump plastic containers that have rotated out of use. And I don’t know if you can see them, but behind the hutch pieces and then leaning toward the door frame, there are pool cues. Yes, pool cues. Growing up, my grandparents had a pool table in their rumpus room. Every time we’d visit them, all the kids would play pool. When my grandpa, then grandma, passed away, my mom asked what I wanted from them to keep I chose were the pool cues, among some other things. We had a pool table at the time (in this room, in fact) and I wanted to remember my wonderful grandparents and how much fun I had at their home whenever WE played pool. So, even though I have no practical use for pool cues now, I haven’t been able to get rid of them. I have such a hard time letting go of sentimental things like this. But I will. I’ve decided to take photos of them, and scrap this little story about them….and let them go. See? I’m learning…. Okay, time for another upsetting photo…

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This actually disgusts me to look at, how ugly and horrible this room is. Here’s the couch we can no longer sit on, because things just get dumped here: A box of wedding china, a globe, boxes of toys given to us, pictures that need to be hung, a box of sentimental baby items I want to keep, newspaper with an article to scrapbook, a DVD to put away, another empty plastic bin, an empty Memory Works box to break down and recycle, etc. Behind the couch is my L-shaped desk with an over-full ScrapRack (major purging will happen there!). Man, don’t be surprised if I delete these photos from the post when I panic…this is TOO embarrassing!

Okay, deep breaths, deep breaths! It’s going to get all better, with time, hard work, and patience. Someday soon, I’ll look back at these photos and laugh. Right?

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Friday Night Scrapbook Randoms #3

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It’s the Friday night before a Saturday of cropping, yahoo! Yeppers, I’m going to crop with some friends tomorrow, from about noon to 9pm. I’m working now, and I haven’t even packed yet so it’ll be the usual, me scrambling to pack my crop bags late the night before, hoping I’m remember everything and putting together some semblance of things I can use to make actual layouts with, lol! I am the WORST about packing ahead for crops. The magic package I talked about HERE did indeed arrive today, and I’m so excited to look through it all. Since I’m busy anyway, I’m saving it to look through with the girls tomorrow. If I can resist…

One of the new things I got was the “AMBER ROAD” theme set from PINK PAISLEE. I saw something today that made me love it even more…CHECK IT OUT! And THIS TOO. Isn’t she amazing and ever-so-talented? Love what she did with Amber Road…

Saw this over on 2peas and wanted to share it with you. I had bookmarked this link a long time ago but forgot all about it, so I’m glad it was posted again….Free printable graph paper, ledger paper, binder paper etc. for your scrapbooks ~ you can make some super cool journaling spots, for one! LOOKIE HERE

This useful computer tool was also posted by a Pea: SCRAP BY COLOR color matching tool It takes the colors from your photos and gives you color swatch matches to use in your scrapbooking. Love it. Thank you, ROSALYNN!

About THIS, all I can say is WTH?

I will leave you with THIS. Talk about a scrapbooker’s dream trip! Ali, Karen, and Jenni plus that amazing place. Wow. Wish I could go…

Before my crop tomorrow, I’m going to the beach ~ it’s a family tradition, Coastal Cleanup day ~ so it’s my two favorite things in one day. No, not litter and cigarette butts, silly! The ocean and scrapbooking. Hope you have a great weekend and get some time to scrapbook to your heart’s content.

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Crop Report and Michaels Coupon News

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Just wanted to tell you about the crop I went to on Saturday. It was a lot of fun and I got 9 pages done in about 11 hours. That might be a record, LOL. Granted, I need to add the journaling on most of the layouts so they’re not complete quite yet. The crop was from 9 to 9 and I said I was going to get there right at 9, to take full advantage of my crop fee….cuz I’m stingy like that. However, I didn’t end up leaving the house until 9, then went to Michaels and Starbucks on the way (which were both right down the street from the crop).

At Michaels, I learned two things from the employees while I was there. 1. The beading area (at least at our store) is expanding, and 2. No more Michaels coupons via Sunday paper flyers. Yes, I’m bolding that…it’s big news!

So I was cruising the scrapbooking area, looking for something worthy of my 40% coupon, and coming up dry at that point. I went to look in the center aisle sections, desperately trying to find the load of new Sassafrass product “mah people” told me was at Mike’s these days (no luck). The next aisle from scrapbooking is beading and there were two employees resetting the aisle. I said, “Hi” and one of them asked if they could help me find anything. I meant to ask about the Sassafrass but my eyes were blinded by the dizzying array of new beads they were hanging. Like, row upon row upon row of beads! My jaw dropped and she goes, “Yeah, we’re expanding to three aisles.” I said, “I used to make beaded jewelry but stopped for scrapbooking. Maybe I’ll have to get into it again!” and we laughed. Then I said, “You know, I’d better just not look,” and she said, “Yeah, bead shopping is pretty addicting.” She paused and said, “And I hear scrapbook shopping can be pretty addicting, too. Is that right?” I said, “Oh, you don’t know the half of it!!” And we all laughed. I complimented them on all the new scrapbook stuff they’ve been getting and told them to keep it coming. {I realize they’re employees, not buyers, but it never hurts to put in a good word, right?}.

I ended up grabbing a paper pad from We R Memory Keepers with sport stuff, called “MVP,” for $12 instead of $20. I would link you the whole line on the WRMK site, but I couldn’t find it there. Gotta’ say, I’m not a big fan of their website, the way it’s organized and the lack of information. But I copied this from an online retailer.

When I was checking out, the cashier told me that Michaels would no longer have ads in the Sunday paper, and that coupons would be strictly from the mailing list/website. She gave me a cute flyer explaining how to get on the mailing list, and I told her I was already on it, so I’m good to go. I asked her why did she think they were doing that, and she assumed it was due to cost, but had not been told that. So, more things changing due to the economy, I guess. I enjoy looking through the Michaels ad on Sunday mornings, along with Target and a few others, while I drink my coffee. Then I go right to the cupboard for my scissors, cut the coupon out, and stick it in my purse. So now my routine will change and I’ll have to remember to print the coupon out from the computer, but whatevs. I’m cool with it. Can’t blame them for having to stop the ads; they must be really expensive when you imagine ALL the newspapers they’re in. Some Canadian Peas said they’re doing the same thing up there. I do wonder if it’s a good business move though, don’t you? Do you think having the ad right there in your paper entices crafters and non-crafters alike to buy when they normally wouldn’t? I mean, you and I who are computer savvy (and on this dang thing all the time) have no problem just getting on their e-mail list and checking the ad online. But what about Nancy Sue in Kalamazoo who browses her Sunday ads, sees silk trees or Christmas decor on sale at Michaels, and thinks, “Oh, that’s a good price. I should go check that place out.” KWIM? Without the ad, I could see Michaels losing a lot of business. Anyway, us Mike’s freaks can view the weekly ad and sign up to receive printable coupons via e-mail HERE.

So, I left Mike’s, grabbed my sugar-free latte from StarCrack’s….erm, I mean…Starbucks, and got to the crop by about 10. There ended up being nine of us there. The hostess gave me a goodie bag with 3 sheets of Scenic Route 12×12 paper, all of which I ended up using on a “Back to Skool” 2-pager. The hostess had some things for sale (I bought 2 packs of Thickers….finally found one pack I’d been looking for….some Daisy D rub-ons, and a few other things).

There was a Creative Memories rep there taking catalog orders and I spoke to her about getting the new crop bags that are coming out….have you seen them? OMG! So so so cute! The whole set is black and white with a subtle daisy design and the interior of all the bags are pink polka dots. I love having a light-colored interior as it’s easier to find things. I can’t find a photo online or I would show you. I’ll go on and on about these bags in another post when I can find a photo of them. But I told the CMC that I was going to ask for the large bag (like an XXL) and a couple others for Christmas from my mom and DH. The bags I have were purchased piece meal. They’re old and they don’t match…some black, some navy, some blue. I got her card and will contact her when the time comes.

There was also a crop friend there selling Memory Works. She is a really sweet lady I’d met before through the crop hostess. We got to commiserate about being Memory Works Consultants and compare notes, so it was great. She had some Scrapbook Trends magazines (well, they’re like books really) for sale for $8; I think they’re usually $15. I don’t ever buy ST because it’s so dang expensive plus ~ I guess I’m a weirdo ~ but I like the ads so an “ad free” magazine isn’t a good thing to me, LOL! But I bought this issue called, “TrendSetters” which showcases 15 top scrapbookers; it’s from 2006. I love reading profiles of scrappers and seeing their work.

I couldn’t find this issue on the SCRAPBOOK TRENDS website but an online retailer sells it for about $14 (discounted), so I did get a good deal.

So, shopping and cropping all day. Couldn’t have had a better day if I tried. Hope you got some scrappy time this weekend as well. What do you think about the disappearance of Michaels ads in the Sunday paper?

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45 Questions

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I found this fun survey HERE and decided to copy it.

1. What kind of soap is in your bathtub right now? Dove and Irish Spring

2. Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator? No, but I wish I did. Had some at a BBQ yesterday and it was guuuud.

3. What would you change about your living room? I need new furniture in such a bad way! It’s old and faded, but at least it’s comfy.

4. Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty? Clean!

5. What is in your fridge? Milk, coffee beans, yogurt, leftover pork carnitas and tortillas, a bag of tomatoes, and lots more.

6. White or wheat bread? 100% whole wheat

7. What is on top of your refrigerator? Boxes of cereal and crackers

8. What color or design is on your shower curtain? In the master bath, nothing….there are doors. In the kids’/guest bathroom, it’s plain white. We’re getting ready to re-do the theme from police/fire to maps! Something to look at while you’re “occupied,” LOL.

9. How many plants are in your home? Six, I think. That I haven’t managed to kill. Yay me!

10. Is your bed made right now? Yep, I make ‘er every day.

11. Comet or Soft Scrub? Soft Scrub. Works great on my Corian kitchen sink.

12. Is your closet organized? Yes, but it’s full. I need to do some purging. And let’s not talk about my guest closet. (I totally copied this answer from JEN.)

13. Can you describe your flashlight? A big, black MagLite. It’s the one cops use. Don’t mess with me…I will hurt you. Really.

14. Do you drink out of glass or plastic most of the time at home? Plastic, unless it’s wine.

15. Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now? Two, actually ~ pomegranate and mango herb teas mixed with Lipton. Love it unsweetened with a buncha ice.

16. If you have a garage, is it cluttered? I like to call it organized chaos. It looks messy but there’s room for my car, and we know where to find stuff.

17. Curtains or blinds? Blinds in every room. I keep meaning to get at least some fabric valances, but I’m not very motivated. Just more things to dust.

18. How many pillows do you sleep with? Two or three.

19. Do you sleep with any lights on at night? Yes, I have to have a night light. I skerred of the dark! I also wake up during the night to check on everyone so I need to be able to see.

20. How often do you vacuum? Once or twice a week.

21. Standard toothbrush or electric? Standard.

22. What color is your toothbrush? Pink. Very cute, dahling..

23. Do you have a welcome mat on your front porch? We did but the puppy took off with it. See, he even looks guilty.

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24. What is in your oven right now? Nothing.

25. Is there anything under your bed? Winter comforters in Space Bags. On DH’s side, his shoes. On my side, that huge MagLite/weapon I was telling you about.

26. Chore you hate doing the most? Anything having to do with the hardwood floors…dust bunny retrieval, sweeping, mopping, Dust Busting of random messes.

27. What retro items are in your home? We have a cool, old metal fire engine from the 50s that DH’s dad played with when he was little.

28. Do you have a separate room that you use as an office? Yes, it’s a combo guest room/office. We call it the Air Bed Room because when the kids were little, all we had in here was an airbed for when my mom would stay with us. We now have a proper bed and some office furniture, but it will be forever called the Air Bed Room.

29. How many mirrors are in your home? Five? Three in the bathrooms, a decorative one in our room, and one by the door for those moments of “Oh crap, someone’s at the door. Do I have make=up on?!”

30. Do you have any hidden emergency money around your home? If I did, I wouldn’t tell you.

31. What color are your walls? The living room, kitchen, dining areas are all connected and painted a light golden yellow. The playroom/scrap room that is open and directly off the dining room is the same color, but a shade darker. The bedrooms and bathrooms are varying shades of green and blue. Yeah, we’re not real adventurous with paint colors….

32. Do you keep any kind of protection weapons in your home? Oh, yeah! But they are safely stored, accessible only to the grown-ups.

33. What does your home smell like right now? Same as Jen….Glade Plug-Ins. They make it smell so nice. And DH made pancakes for the kids this morning, so it still kinda smells like that, which I hate. I’m burning a Citrus Sage candle in my office right now.

34. Favorite candle scent? Anything citrus.

35. What kind of pickles (if any) are in your refrigerator right now? I think a jar of dill and a jar of sweet.

36. What color is your favorite Bible? Maroon.

37. Ever been on your roof? No, never will. A guy I used to work with fell off his roof and is now paralyzed. I’m terrified of roofs. I about have a panic attack whenever DH goes up there.

38. Do you own a stereo? Yes, I have my Dad’s old stereo from when he passed but it’s not hooked up. Just sentimental. He was a HUGE music lover.

39. How many TVs do you have? Play room, living room, master. The play room one has no satellite and no channels, it’s just for kid videos and for me to watch videos when I scrap. I just watched Dead Poet’s Society for the eleventy-billionth time the other night.

40. How many house phones? Five. Kitchen, living room, office, bedroom (all cordless) and a corded phone in the garage for when the power goes out.

41. Do you have a housekeeper? I have three! Me, myself, and I.

42. What style do you decorate in? I’d call it a combo of Comfy, Simple, Durable, and I’m Broke.

43. Do you like solid colors in furniture or prints? Mostly solids.

44. Is there a smoke detector in your home? Yes! And lots of Defensible Space. We’re in California Fire Country.

45. In case of fire, what are the items in your house which you’d grab if you only could make one quick trip? My laptop, my purse, scrapbooks, photos, baby and school stuff of the kids.

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Heidi Swapp Tote-Ally Cool Tote at Tuesday Morning

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I got this a couple weeks ago but wasn’t able to load the photos to my computer until now. I heard these are still at some TUESDAY MORNING stores so I thought I’d show you what a great deal they are.

Here’s what the tote looks like. I chose this blue pattern but there were others, too.

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A close up of the price tag, so you can see what a mega deal this is….and a list of what’s in it (hope it’s readable, though blurry…sorry).

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And here are all the contents…

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Honestly, I bought this for the bag more than anything. I’ve been looking for a large and cute tote to carry all my MEMORY WORKS stuff in, including catalogs and products. This will be perfect because it zips closed so my things won’t get damaged or dusty; it holds the heaviness of the catalogs because it’s sturdy; and it even has lots of cool pockets inside and out to hold my calculator, pens, scissors, blank price tags, etc. The tote alone would sell for about $30.

And I love HEIDI SWAPP embellies, so that’s just icing on the cake.

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Going to a Crop

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Well, my bags are packed and I’m going to a small crop with friends today. There are 6 or 7 of us who try and meet up every few months, which I love, because I never seem to crop at home anymore. The only time I get anything done is at crops. Anyhoo, since I’m starting up doing MEMORY WORKS again, I asked the hostess if she wanted to turn the crop today into and MW “party” so she could have the hostess credits. I was happy she said yes. So what happens is I take new catalogs and some products with me today and sell/take orders. Everything that’s ordered will be shipped together to the hostess and she distributes it to everyone. Which is easy, since we all live near each other and see each other often. The cool thing is you “share the shipping” that way instead of each customer paying it themselves. And the best part is the hostess, if we reach $150 in orders, gets a hostess credit. It’s a win-win. Actually, I’m a bit concerned with so few of us that we won’t meet the $150 minimum. It’s such a tough economy and I know everyone can’t afford to scrapbook spend the way they used to. If we get close to $150, I may add my own items to the order, so that my hostess can earn her rewards. But I just spent the last of my birthday money on THIS, so I don’t have a ton to spend right now either. Well, I’m just hoping it works out.

The main thing is this….I GET TO SCRAPBOOK TODAY!!!!! Even if the MW order thing doesn’t work out, I’m one massively happy camper. I was up late packing for the crop last night and am fairly disorganized. I’m here at the computer this morning printing photos (and order forms). So we’ll see how it goes. Hopefully, I packed enough of the right things to make some kickin’ layouts, LOL!

Hope you’re having a fabulous weekend. Do you have any plans for creative time?

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Cropper Hopper to Organize Mike’s $1 Stamps

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Okay, part 2 of getting organized with the Cropper Hopper goodies I recently bought at Tuesday Morning. Here is what I started with…a bunch of Michael’s $1 acrylic stamps in baggies, kinda sorted by Series, in a 12×12 Iris drawer. NOT a good arrangement. Again, every time I opened the drawer, it got jammed up. As anal as I was about keeping the sets together when I first started “collecting” them, now I don’t care and would rather have them sorted by topic.

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And how easy was that? I cut index cards down a bit to act as dividers. Nothing fancy, just wrote ’em in by hand. I cut the tops off of each stamp package to allow for easy use. I had originally planned to take them out of the package altogether but when I tried that, the stamps alone were so little, it seemed like they sunk way far down in the drawer. Man, I was SO ready to throw more packaging away, LOL!

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Here’s what it looks like with the drawer closed. Nice. Compact. Dust free. Love it. I’m hoping I’ll use them more now that they are so nicely organized.

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That drawer is pretty packed though, so now the question is, “Do I buy more storage drawers…or quit buying Mike’s stamps?”

If you know anything about me, you know the answer to that question…{wink}

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New at Michaels

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Part 2 of my Big City Shopping day, and now we proceed to Michaels. It must’ve been ANNA GRIFFIN day, because just like TUESDAY MORNING, Mike’s had some new Anna stuff. The line is called “Darcey” and the colors are bright and look better in person than they do in my blurry iPhone photo.

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I love this scalloped acrylic album! It has 5 pages and 2 binder rings. I didn’t get one because, as you can see from the signage in the first photo, all the “Designer Corner” stuff was on sale for 25% off. I’ll wait for a 50% coupon and get this album for 10 buckeroonies.

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These chipboard letters are cute, too. I use a lot of bright colors AND black, so these may be a future purchase (with coupon, of course…).

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This is a new line by PRIMA. It’s a departure from their usual pretty-pretty stuff. The skulls and guitars – I don’t know if you can tell from the photo – are made from tiny bling. Very cute! I think this line is very cool but I don’t have anything I would use it on.

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Here is the Making Memories “Black Tie” line that I talked about HERE.

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And this was my favorite of the new stuff: The “Vacation” line by Me and My Big Ideas (aka MAMBI). I’m a sucker for bright, tropical colors for all those upcoming summer layouts. We have a swimming pool so I end up doing lots of layouts with turquoise being the main color. This line will be a perfect fit.

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This was interesting…a new line by K&Co…darnit, I can’t remember the name of the designer, maybe someone can help me out or I’ll try to find it online. Anyway, the focus seems to be “green” with those tote bags and recycled packaging, similar to the K&CO/Amy Butler “Lotus” line they recently carried. Not my style, but cute.

ETA 5/21/09: Thanks to a comment left by ALESK…..it’s Carolyn Gavin. Thank you! Love my girls who comment! *U Rawk*

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Closer look at MAMBI travel and summer stuff…

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Cute new EK SUCCESS punches! Flowers and fruit…so summery.

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Here are some photos from after I got home. On top are the MAMBI journal spots and “Vacation” title I got…yum! (Both for 25% off). The Making Memories “Well Worn Tags” were sold as a pack at Tuesday Morning. Normally, they would’ve cost about $12 ($4 each), but I got all three for $4. That’s, like, 66% off, am I right? What a steal…

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This is the coupon (20% off entire purchase from 9 to 1 on Memorial Day), and June coupon book they put in my bag at checkout. Kewl.

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Just an example – the discounts from the first page. Good stuff, yeah?

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My favorite purchase of the day, a scallop square Giga Punch. I used my 50% off coupon and got it for around $9. Schwing!

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So that’s the haps at Michaels these days, and my fun purchases. At Mike’s, what have you gotten lately or what are you planning to buy?

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Scrapbooking Stuff at Big Lots

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I’m sure this isn’t a very big deal for most of you. But for someone who’s main scrap shopping opportunities are Michaels, Target, and Walmart, you have to understand my excitement. WE JUST GOT A BIG LOTS!!!!!

I have always been so jealous reading those lovely, enabling message board posts about ‘the finds’ everyone has at places like Archivers (never been there), Joann’s (don’t have any), Hobby Lobby (nopey, nopey), and Big Lots. So now, I’m at least 1/4 of the way into that exciting world. And luckily for me – She of the Empty Wallet – it’s the most bargain-minded store that came to my ‘hood. So forgive my overdoing it with the photos but just thought I would share all the scrappy stuff I found at MY – yes, MY – Big Lots the other day.

LOTS OF STICKERS, MAT STACKS, and AMERICAN CRAFTS EMBELLIE JARS

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QUOTE STACKS….for Cinco de Mayo…Hey, you never know!

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8.5×11 CARDSTOCK PACKS

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PHOTO STORAGE BOXES

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A BIG HONKIN’ SCRAPBOOK KIT – I heard a lady in the aisle say that she saw this kit at Costco for $40, but it was only $25 at Big Lots. And there was only one.

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TEEN KITS, CHRISTMAS KITS….

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COLORBOK GOODIE BAGS – Tons of misc. stuff for only $12….”$100 value!”

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SCRAPBOOK STORAGE OPTIONS AT A GREAT PRICE – I was eyeing those 3-drawer things but I have to see if the dimensions work for my space.

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A PRE-DONE SCRAPBOOK – Hey, I’m not opposed to them as long as they are cute….great timesaver! And you can add embellies to make it your own.

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CUTE 8X8 ALBUM FOR 5 BUCKS….

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YOU 3-RING SCRAPBOOK LOVERS MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN THESE – I didn’t recognize the brand but the quality seemed good and you can’t beat that price!

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LOADS OF 8X8 AND 12X12 ALBUMS!!!

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CLOSER LOOK AT AMERICAN CRAFTS RUB-ON BOOKS….

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… and AMERICAN CRAFTS ‘ELEMENTS’ RIBBON, AND PRESSED PETALS ‘CHIP CHATTER SHAPES’….

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AS SEEN ON TV! THE CRAFT LITE CUTTER – I assume that’s a great price if you’re in the market for one…

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A CLOSER LOOK AT THE DIE CUTS WITH A VIEW 12X12 ALBUMS – A stunning $8 each! Even the turquoise velvet one…

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AND HERE IS WHAT I ENDED UP BUYING: DCWV ‘Old World’ album ($8), AC red ribbon (it was unmarked so she gave it to me for $2), AC ‘Happy Birthday’ rubons, great for card making ($2), Pressed Petals ‘Chip Chatter’ letters in metallic green and red; I’m thinking Christmas layouts ($2 each), DCWV ‘Pocket Full of Posies’ mat stack ($3), so pretty, and metallic words ($1 each). All that shizzle for under $25. Made out like a bandit, I’d say.

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Personally, I don’t care if something is NEW or HOT or JUST INTRODUCED AT CHA! If it’s “old” and I like it – and I get a great deal on it – I’m a happy girl. If you’re the same way, don’t forget to check out your Big Lots once in a while. You never know what you’ll find….

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Did I Really Just Pass Up a Chance to Crop? And Stickles at Michaels…

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Okay, the plan today was this: I was going to crop with friends from 9am (or whenever I could get my lazy ayshe out of bed) until 5pm. The family would come steal me away from the crop at some point to get our tree, then I would return to the crop, they would come home and get the tree put up in the stand, and we would all decorate it tonight. Sounds good, yeah? I got up at 8am, had some breakfast, did dishes, then went over to my scrap area to pack some goods to take cropping. I figured it would be a “Papercrafting” day instead of scrapbooking, and I started stacking up my K&Co ornament kit, the new Christmas STICKLES pack I got from Mike’s (red, green, and yellow!), and then gathered things to make my Christmas cards….{No, Miss Smarty Pants, I’m-so-organized-my-cards-went-out-last-week, I HAVEN’T done mine yet!}. Okay, so then it’s time to get my XXL out of the corner to pack everything in. It’s under 2 other crop bags, and to get to it, I needed to clmb over a stack of scrap crap. As I’m doing all this, I’m thinking about what else I NEED to accomplish this weekend because, seriously, time is running out…Christmas is only 12 freakin’ days away, people! Let’s see…decorate the tree, write our Christmas letter, make those cards and ornaments (for gifts), make peppermint bark, help child with Poland cultural presentation, clean the house, laundry, pay bills, finish major transcribing project that’s due by Sunday night, wrap presents, RSVP to neighbor’s open house, make appetizer, make hotel reservations for the weekend after Christmas, call my mom with the info….crap, I’ll just stop there because it became painfully obvious as I tried to figure out how to climb around the pile of scrap stuff to reach my XXL….that there was no way in St. Nicholas that I was going scrapbooking today.

Yeah, I just love the holidays, don’t you? Have you had to put off fun scrappy plans to attend to the Joys of the Season?

Btw, here is a pic of the Stickles pack I got at Mike’s (picture from Jen at the creative juices flowin blog)…I think it was $4.99, which was a deal for me because my LSS sells them for $2.49 each is which totally ridonculous. So it’s like I got one bottle for free! LOL

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It’s Christmastime in Scrappy Land!

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Hey, did you notice it’s snowing on my blog. I just really {heart} WordPress.

Okay, let’s start with a shopping report, because there haven’t been enough of those lately. Tonight I went to Michaels and used my 40% off coupon on a really snazzy 5-up photo album by Recollections. Sorry, I coudn’t find a photo of it anywhere online. It was back with the frames and photo albums, not with the scrapbooks. It’s my latest idea for storing extras of “already scrapped” photos and bad shots that I can’t seem to throw away. Each page has some vertical and some horizontal. I figure whatever slots I don’t have photos for on each page (does that make sense?), I’ll slip in some paper and do journaling or a title. Or just some decoration. I have to keep it flat, though, as I doubt this album would be able to handle lots of embellies. If you’d like a photo of it, leave me a comment and I’ll take a pic of mine. I’m going to start collecting these with future Mike’s coupons. I think they’re normally $25, but worth it, with a simple, classy looking cover and the plastic protecting cover that I love…

I also got a kit by K&Company, which was on sale for 30% off. It’s a paper pad with embellies attached (bling!) to make ornaments, which I’m going to give as gifts. And I’m sure keep some too. Every year, I make an ornament for each child so this year’s will be made from this kit. Again, couldn’t find a pic to post for ya’ ~ SAH-REE!

I also got some cinnamon-scented pinecones because I love how they make my house all smelly! I came right home and put them in 3 crystal bowls distributed around the great room area. Mmmmm!! And I got 4 bags of chocolate melts, because they were on a good sale. We’re going to make our traditional PEPPERMINT BARK with the recipe I coulda’ sworn I got last year from BECKY HIGGINS blog. But now I can’t find it on her blog, so I’ll refer you to a sweet CKMB’er, LIZ aka HicksChick, who also has it HERE. We made 2 versions, with Oreos and without. I thought I would like the Oreo version better but just to warn you, it is SUPER sweet. I could take about 2 bites and be done. Hey, wait! That’s a good thing! Last year, we used boring old white chocolate melts but this year, they had RED and GREEN. Totally cool! Here’s a pic of Liz’s peppermint bark so you can start drooling now…then go buy the stuff to make it, you won’t be sorry…{Hi Liz!!!}

Then I went to Target. Yawn. Their scrapbooking aisle has gotten so boring. Nothing was on clearance, and what they call “Sale Items” are, like, 30 cents off the regular price. I do want one or five of THESE KI Memories card and scrapbooking kits. Here’s the Christmas Cardmaking Tin:

And my favorite of the scrapbooking tins, Birthday:

I hope they don’t sell them all, and then put them on Clearance near or after the holidays.

Okay, what else is going on? I got the most recent Scrapbooks Etc and am really enjoying it. I hear a lot of scrappers saying on the message boards that SBE has replaced CK as their favorite scrap mag. I’m not quite there yet, but I get what they’re sayin’. Now the January CK is out and getting rave reviews at 2PEAS. I seeked…sought…sooked…oh, whatever!…but did not find it tonight on my shopping jaunt. Bummer, dude. But I did get the Jan/Feb issue of Simple Scrapbooks. Can’t wait til bedtime when I can browse through it.

I found a very cool LINK where you can download a list of all the Cricut cartridges released to date.

Well, that’s it for now. Back to work! Hope you’re having a wonderful Christmas season and maybe getting to scrap a little? Yeah, me neither but making Christmas cards and ornaments and gifts for soldiers is so much fun this time of year. “Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo!” {Did I get that right, Anne Marie?}

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Some Updates….

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It’s Sunday night, and I just got done watching Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters. That Sally and Calista, they had me a-booin’ and a-hooin’ again tonight. When Nora is telling Kitty how she thought she finally saw her as more than just the mom who drove her to ballet lessons, and Kitty shows her the book dedication…all to Nora, who she couldn’t have written the book without. {Sniff, sniff}. Mother/daughter relationships are so complex and deep…that show really knows how to capture it all.

Okay, well, just wanted to give an update on some of my past posts….

The RUMMAGE SALE: It was Saturday morning and, wouldn’t you know it, not a drop of rain here in months but when does it decide to rain???? Saturday morning, and only Saturday morning. Not a drop of rain except during those rummage sale hours. But it went okay anyway, I guess. It was a community rummage sale, where you pay for your space and that money goes as a fundraiser. I was stationed next to a friend of mine, so we gabbed all day between making sales. I’d say I sold about 1/3 to 1/2 of what I took out there, even some of the scrapbooking stuff. One gal came back three times, LOL! The biggest sale from SB stuff was an SEI 8×8 album in a box, it was from a CKU class, and was all pre-done, just pop in your photos and add the journaling. I sold it for $12, although just the materials were worth more than that. But the color scheme was something I was never going to use so why not? It went to a happy home, a young high school or college age scrapper who said she would scrap more if she had time. I hope the purchase helps her get a quick album done :)

Another success story {follow me on this, I promise, it will make sense}: So, on the other side of my space was a lady selling homemade chicken taquitos and pork and chicken tamales. OMG. That was just cruel to make me smell that yumminess all day! {Mexican food is my ATF, All Time Fave}. About half way through the morning, I ate my little Tillamoo cheese and non-fat Yoplait yogurt. Fighting like a real warrior against giving in to that Mexican food. Then DH says, “I’m taking off, there’s a game on so I’m heading home. Please bring a mess of those taquitos home for me.” At first, I’m like “WTF??”….then I realized hey, there’s my excuse to buy ME some taquitos, too, LOL! So I ask the lady, “Are you going to be here til the end, because I want to buy some taquitos to take home?” and she says, “Yes.” So at the end of the day, I still had about 2/3 of the clothing I had put out for sale and was dreading bagging it all up and taking it to AmVets. The lady from the taquito place comes over and is looking through all the clothes (they were kids clothes) and I can tell she’d like to have many of them but is only setting aside a few. So I said, “You know, you can just have all those clothes if you want them,” and her face totally lights up. Then she says, “I’ll give you food in exchange.” I mean, was that the Deal of the Century or what? Too funny….

So, all in all, it was a good day. The kids ran around and played with their friends, I got to chat with a friend, offload some things I didn’t need, and I got to eat taquitos! And we were blessed by God’s rain which, even if you’re trying to hold a rummage sale, is a beautiful, blessed thing.

Now, to update my SCRAPBOOK STORAGE post: Gosh, this is me at my most indecisive. I measured my room and figured out how many more Store In Style cubes, doors, shelves, etc. I would need to make the perfect set-up. Let’s just say the number of cubes was in the double digits, but still cheaper than buying an Ikea Expedit and having it shipped (since I don’t live anywhere near an Ikea), or any other scrap storage options I could find. I found a great online site to order them from since Mike’s no longer carries them. And there they’ve sat in my Shopping Cart for over a week. I finally got over the price tag, but then started imagining the day 4 jillion boxes were dropped by UPS on my doorstep. I truly think DH would bust a gut, maybe even an aneurysm, over that one. I know this from experience, that he doesn’t care about the what’s and why’s and ‘but honey, I got such a great deal on it!’. All he knows is his wife went mad buying scrap stuff and he would be none too happy. So then I thought, what if I just buy a few at a time? But, no, it’s still UPS dropping packages here, still busting guts, still aneurysms, still not good. So my latest idea hit me when I was at Mike’s last week trying to spend my 40% coupon on something I actually needed. Duh, storage cubes, nimrod! I bought one of the cubes that they now carry, I think the brand name is Jetmax. I got the 3-drawer one like in this picture:

They are regularly $30, only $18 with the coupon. Now I’m going to see if I can make it work with collecting a bunch of these babies to create my Scrap Storage Nirvana. They are slightly smaller than the SIS cubes and since I have an odd number…well, it’s hard to explain without drawing a diagram, but I’d still need to buy a few SIS cubes. Then hopefully I can fill in the rest of my wall with the Mike’s ones. I’ll just buy one a week with my coupon, and spend actually less money than buying the SIS cubes online. I have a little windfall cash set aside just for this project and I need to get going on this before the vacuum cleaner or washing machine breaks (that would be SO my luck). Just remember, my well-made decisions can spin on a dime, but that’s the plan…for now!

Finally, to update my QVC post, I did watch most of the QVC scrapbooking shows and no, I didn’t buy a single thing. Not because I didn’t want anything, merely because….no money, no shop-ee. Times like this, I wish I were Katie Holmes…{wink}.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend. Did you do anything scrappy?

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Scrapbooking Items in a Rummage Sale?

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I don’t know how well this will go over, but we’re having a neighborhood rummage sale this weekend and I’m going to try and sell some scrappy stuff. Just tools I bought and never used, paper and embellies I don’t need, and all that non-Bazzill cardstock LOL! {I’ve told you I’m a Bazzill Snob now, right?}.

I’m going to sell other items too, so I’m roaming the entire house and cleaning out closets – clothes, toys, books, home deco, that kind of stuff. Out of one bedroom alone, I got 1 garbage sack of clothes to toss and 3 sacks of clothes to try and sell. No big items to sell except we have a set of French doors we bought and never installed (then we got a new slider to match the other new slider, and well, you know…). Um, we’re just going to print out a flyer and take it to the rummage sale…I ain’t lugging those thangs all the way there, LOL!

If I have time, I’d like to batch up my scrapbook stuff into larger ‘kits’ or ‘lots,’ price it really well, and just get rid of it all. Whatever of the household stuff/clothing that doesn’t sell, I will load it back into the car and take it straight to AmVets for donation. But the scrappy stuff, I just can’t do that, LOL. Will have to find a way to work it back into my stash (NNNNNOOOOOOOOO!!!), or find a worthy local cause to donate it to.

Have you ever tried to sell scrapbook stuff at a regular ol’ rummage sale? How’d it go?

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Basic Grey ‘Granola’ and ‘Urban Prairie’

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You’ve probably heard me say a million or so times how much I love BASIC GREY. And I recently did THIS POST about their Granola and Urban Prairie paper pads being carried exclusively at Michaels. Well, after reading THIS post at 2peas and other MB posts, I caved and bought them both. I’ve actually been scrapping a lot lately (vs. my usual ‘scrapbook supply collecting,’ an activity I’ve perfected), so I didn’t feel too awful guilty about buying yet more patterned paper. Yeah, that’s me, the PAPER SLUT…

So, I bought the BG paper pads the other day and love them both; one has such a pretty color combo (pink, black, white, yellow and teal) and the other will be great for men/boy layouts (blues and browns). They retail for $20; I used my 50% off coupon for one and paid full price for the other (gawd, when was the last time I paid full price for a big ticket item….nopers, can’t remember! but there were only 3 of each and I couldn’t bear to miss out). Of course, this week all Mike’s paper pads went on sale for 40% off. I heard through the scrapvine that you could take your receipt in and get reimbursed for the difference. That’s like, what?, 8 bucks. Yep, worth it. I went in to Mike’s tonight with THIS WEEK’s 50% off coupon, browsed the store, and ended up with some Archival Mist. You know, one of those “you need it and it’s very expensive, so a coupon is great, but you’d rather spend it on something more sexy” kind of item. I also got some ‘sexy’ ceramic glue to repair my little green ceramic cross that broke (that’s some kinda really bad sign, right?). I looked at the Cricut cartridges that are on such a great sale this week, but didn’t want any of them badly enough to justify the bucks.

At the register, I asked about the refund and the manager told me, yes, they would refund the difference but I needed to bring the item in with me. Which I hadn’t. She was very apologetic and said she was sorry I had to come all the way back, and I’m like, “Oh yeah, I really hate coming here, it’s my least favorite store in the whole world. Oh…No….Please don’t make me come back again!” and she and checker boy (yes, a boy!) laughed at me. Just another positive customer service exchange for me…or turning lemons into lemonade, however you wanna look at it.

One last story before I go….I delivered a couple orders tonight after work (I’m a consultant for MEMORY WORKS). One delivery entailed dropping something at the office of my friend *J*, who happens to be a doctor. She had ordered a Basic Grey MAGNETIC MAT.

Her office was just closing as I arrived…I assume it was one of her nurses that was putting down the window blinds, etc. So I start handing her this kinda large, black item with a metal ruler, all encased in hard plastic and she kind of backs up and is hesitant to grab it. Then she slowly reached for it, turned it all around and studying it like I had just handed her an instrument of medieval torture or something. I said, “This is for *J*. She ordered it from me,” and she goes, “Uhhhhh…..okaaayyyy.” Gosh I wish I knew what verbage was running through her mind! Suffice to say, she couldn’t have been a scrapbooker and I’m sure she thought I was some crazy lady. It all made me wonder if *J* has not come out of he closet and told her employees that she’s a {GASP!} scrapbooker? I just thought that was a funny little moment. I live in this scrapper vacuum and think everyone ‘gets’ it, because I spend most of my online and IRL time with friends who are scrappers (um, yeah, sad but true). Sometimes I need to be reminded that the entire cotton pickin’ world is not inhabited with scrapbookers; instead, most have no idea what in the heck we are doing…

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My Crazy Experience at the Photo Place

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Okay, I admit it, I’m an old-fashioned girl. I still take my digi card to the drugstore and use the photo machine to print my photos. There’s a drugstore here that really takes their time with color adjustment, etc. and my photos are never so beautiful as when they develop them. Bright colors, gorgeous shading, they lighten anything that’s too dark, etc. They never have that “digital” look which is my biggest pet peeve.

So I hadn’t developed any photos since Jan. or Feb. of this year and I had a ton to do. The first night after work, I went in and downloaded about half of my digi card. Now this is the pain part…you have to touch screen each photo you want, hit it twice for two copies, skip over the ones you don’t want, etc. It took me about 15-20 mins and when I thought I was done, I pulled my digi card out so I wouldn’t forget it. Well, whammo, the machine goes blank and I say to the cutie guy behind the counter, “OH NO! Do I have to start all over??” and he’s like, “Yeah, sorry, you do.”

The next night I go by to pick up my first set of photos and download the second set. He hands me the first set and says, “All your CD’s are in there but the day crew left me a note and it says an error code came up. I’m not sure if all your photos made it onto the CD so please check them before you delete your card.” Which I thought was nice of him to tell me….how many places would’ve dropped the ball on that one? Then he gave me 25% off my entire order *in case* the CD’s had to be re-done.

The third night, I go in to pick up my second set. It’s a long story but there was another photo customer there who was VERY unhappy and yelling at this poor manager guy. Another employee had supposedly told her a coupon would apply to her order and it didn’t. He explained to her calmly that there was no discount code he could use in the computer to cover her, and he’d get in trouble if he did. She demanded he write down HIS manager’s name and really made a scene. “I’ve been a customer here for TWELVE YEARS but I will NEVER come back into this place AGAIN!!” Don’t get me wrong, if I’m getting screwed over I’ll be the first to speak up. But this was an honest mistake and no way to fix it…what is yelling and name calling and making a scene going to gain you?” (Later, the manager told me that he was going to offer her some other kind of compensation but once she started calling him names and demanding things, he changed his mind). Me and the lady at the other photo kiosk were just rolling our eyes about her and the other lady says to me, “You know, yesterday was 9/11 and she’s gonna yell at some poor guy about saving 20 bucks?” Later, with a straight face, she says to one of the photo girls, “You know, I’m going to need some kind of discount.” And the girl goes, “(sigh) How much?” And me and the other lady start busting up! She was totally kidding but the girl didn’t get it at first.

Okay, so the guy brings me photos and said, “I thought you had a really large order? There’s only 40 pictures here.” Oh no! He brought me behind the counter and showed me the computer where it had my order and only Quantity 40, even though my receipt showed MANY more photos than that. So, yeah, there I go back to the photo machine AGAIN. Now, I could’ve been irate and made a scene, I guess. But he showed me the computer, it wasn’t human error (that I could tell) and they couldn’t magically make the photos appear, so I just shrugged and re-loaded my photos. I mean, pick your battles in life, right?

When I’m checking out, the guy asks what kind of digi photo card I use and I tell him a 1 gig SD card. He goes over, grabs one off the shelf and puts it in my bag for free. Which you know, those aren’t cheap. He thanked me for my patience and understanding. Considering he just got screamed at in front of the whole store, I was impressed with his calmness. They don’t pay retail managers enough!

Anyway, I’ll keep going there. No one develops photos like they do so it’s all worth it to me cuz I’m picky on how my photos look. The bad news is he’s getting married in a month and moving to AZ for nursing school. Darn! Hope the next manager is just as cool.

scrapbook blogs

Scrapbook Crop, Shopping and Thoughts

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I apologize that I haven’t been posting as regularly as I usually do. DH actually took a three-week vacay from work (unheard of!) and we’ve been gone a lot. I’ve done the whole ‘pack the entire house into 4 duffle bags’ and ‘unpack 4 duffle bags worth of laundry’ thang 3 times in the last 2 weeks. Not a lot of scrappin’ going on here unfortunately, but now I DO have tons of photos to work with this fall and winter when, baby, it’s cold outside.

So I think I’ll just blab a bit…random scrappy thoughts, if you will, since I have no fabulous topic in mind tonight. My online class began today, Back to Class with Trish Turay (for more info, see HERE…you can still sign up if you’re interested). All I got accomplished today was downloading the instructional PDF and some pre-done titles, quotes and journaling. I read through it all tonight and can’t wait to get started! Today, I went to the Big City (about 40 mins. from here) and did my once a month Costco-Barnes and Noble-Starbucks-Tuesday Morning-Dollar Tree-Michaels-LSS run. At the LSS, I picked up a few things for my Back to Class project…my first ever D-ring album, a 12×12, chocolate brown leather album by We R Memory Keepers (I got that brown one on the right).

I still hold fast to my need for postbound (converted to SNAPLOAD) albums for my everyday needs, but the D-ring will work great for the school albums, as layout continuity is not a must. I can’t get used to how BIG the D-ring album is. I also got a few packs of Generations Memorabilia Holders. I’ll use 1 holder per year per child to hold all the fun school stuff and photos that I don’t incorporate into layouts. Yes, these are going to be some big honkin’ momma albums by the time they reach 12th grade. I realize I’ll probably need 2 or 3 albums per child, so I’ll be using my next several 40% coupons to buy more albums. Those babies ain’t cheap! Anyhow, I also got a pack of 8.5 x 11 white cardstock from Mike’s, to use for journaling, titles and such. Now I’m debating whether to start working on the BTC project at home this week, or just pack it all up and take it to the crop I’m hosting this weekend.

Speaking of which…I’m holding my last crop this Friday and Saturday :( Since I’m going back to work full-time, I have to give up most of my Memory Works business which includes hosting crops. Which, among many other things about going to work full-time, also sucks rotten eggs. But I’m not bitter….really….

On my shopping marathon today, something kept becoming painfully obvious…scrapbooking is taking a downturn. Well, we all knew that…the economy or whatever…but it’s really not nice when it slaps you in the face at every turn. First of all, Costco had a big fat nuthin’ in the way of scrapbooking materials. What happened to the good old days of My Minds Eye mega stacks for $12.99, two-packs of leather albums for $12.99, and Heidi Swapp mega-embellishment packs? Gosh, I miss those days. Then at Michaels, I handed over my 40% off coupon that had been cut out of a single page flyer card instead of the old 4 to 6-page flyer. {On the plus side, I did find an awesome scrappin’ book that I’d been looking for}. Tuesday Morning, which used to provide me all kinds of jollies with their cheap scrapping goodies, was a wash. The scrap mag section at B&N has shrunk in size, with only about 4 magazines still offered (if you don’t count the digi-scrapping magazines, which I don’t…skadoosh!). After unloading Costco groceries, I looked forward to curling up for a while with my new issue of Memory Makers, but it’s so thin it only took about 30 minutes. So, yeah, a bit depressing…

I know everyone is busy with Back to School shenanigans, but the message boards have been kinda’ slow. Which is prolly good, because I have SO many other things I should be doing. So, off I go! I know I didn’t give you much to go on, but feel free to comment on anything scrap-related below. Any cool scrap shopping you’ve done lately? Your thoughts on thin scrap mags? Whatevs…

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The Kind of Hand-Me-Downs You Would Kill For…

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I think I’ve mentioned several times before that my mom is also a scrapbooker (thank GOD!). It’s been a wonderful hobby for us to enjoy together. She comes to crops with me, scraps with me at the dining table when she visits, supports me as a scrapbooking consultant by subscribing to my monthly kit, and is the only one in the family who understands that, Yes, I DID need to take 80 photos on our recent trip to San Francisco. I mean, she totally gets it all, you know?

Now, here is where we differ when it comes to scrapbooking. My mom scrapbooks 8 1/2 x 11, while I do 12×12. She has a very particular style, definite likes and dislikes when it comes to pattern and color. For instance, she doesn’t really “do” primary colors, busy happy patterns, or get too fancy with the thick embellishments. She prefers subtle colors and patterns. The only thing she is really gonzo for is brads (I call her Brad Queen). She doesn’t do mini albums, and she doesn’t do 12×12 papers or transparencies that can’t be cut down to 8.5 x 11. Also different than me, my mom doesn’t title her pages, nor does she journal (she says she will type tons of journaling after she gets all her photos scrapped, and insert the journaling in page protectors in her 3-ring scrapbooks…I’m so afraid something will happen to her or her books before she gets it all done and I’ll have 40 scrapbooks of hers with no journaling…hey, who are these people and what were they doing?? LOL). Anyhow, my dear mom also has more disposable income than I do, and she belongs to I think 1 or 2 other kits in addition to the one she gets from me. With all the kits, sometimes she likes what they include, some things she doesn’t care for.

Now me on the other hand, I like pretty much all products scrapbook-related. I refuse to discriminate…it just wouldn’t be fair or kind of me. In fact, I’ve never met a product I don’t like, LOL. Okay, truth told…I’m not a button fan and Hot Off the Press is not a fave. But other than that, I love it all and will use it all. All of this is to explain why my mom brought me THIS…

…the last time I saw her. She had purged her scrapbooking supplies and she GAVE me a crate of stuff she no longer wanted. See the Jenni Bowlin bingo card?What does it say? Oh, yeah…LUCKY! There’s a Maya Road star acrylic album, 7 Gypsies journaling cards, a Pinecone Press 6×6 clipboard, several embellies by My Minds Eye and, what you can’t tell from the picture, but there was a pizza box full of pattern paper and cardstock! And not pictured is the Ziploc bag full of chipboard pieces she gave me. Actually, she brings me something almost every time she visits but this was the biggest bonanza yet. So, I think you can see that when I say, ‘I love my mom!’, I really, truly mean it…from the bottom of my ever-scrappin’ heart, I do.

And I really appreciate it, because she is also E-Bay Queen and could easily sell all of her extra stuff for a mint…but she gives it to me instead. Awwww….

{Now, don’t be jealous girls and NO, she is not accepting adoption applications! One daughter is all she can handle. But nice try…}

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My Scrappy Weekend…

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Sorry I’m just getting to this..it’s Friday, for Gosh Sakes. But I wanted to tell you about my scrappy weekend. Last Saturday, I held a one-day crop at a local hotel. There were 10 ladies and myself and we scrapped from 10am to 10pm. I was ready to go til midnight but everyone started packing up around 9:30. I think with summer here and the kids out of school, all us moms are just exhausted. Cuz I’ve NEVER had everyone leave a crop before the last dying breath of time, LOL.

Anyway, it’s 10pm, almost everyone is gone except one sweet friend and her teenage daughter who came to scrap with her. They are the cutest pair…just scrapping and bickering and laughing and encouraging each other whole time. They seem to think with the same brain, kwim? I kept telling them they sounded more like sisters than mom and daughter. Anyways, they helped me pack up the last of my ‘for sale’ stuff and the food and drinks, and I was going to stay there by myself with just my own crop stuff. I’m figuring, everyone at home is in bed so who cares if I’m home at 10:30 or 1am, yaknow? I had my scrap crap spread out on a big table all to myself, there was no laundry room or kitchen or kids or phone ringing…why not take advantage of the sitchee-ation and SCRAP! Besides, I was so hopped up on Starbucks and Diet Coke, I mean, why waste a good buzz?

I finally convinced my friend and her daughter to go on home, I’d be fine, it was a safe hotel in a safe area and I could pack the rest of my things and be fine getting home. THEN! We start hearing all this commotion in the lobby of the hotel, which is just down the hall from the event room we were in. Turns out a wedding reception had just broken up and all the drunk, er, um…HAPPY people were arriving back at the hotel. Groups of people are lingering in the lobby, walking up and down past the crop room, stumbling, being loud and obnoxious. My friend is then like, “You’re not staying here. Let’s pack up your stuff.” Shizzle! I was so bummed. As we’re packing, this little cutie patootie young guy (he’s about 23 or so) comes in, looks around, says, “Wuz thish?” and my friend tells him, “Scrapbooking,” and he says, “Oh, am I in wrong plashe? Cuz I jush love shcrap-booking.” It was all we could do not to bust out laughing right there! Talk about ROFLMAO! Anyhow, so ended my dream of a few hours of quiet, non-interrupted scrapbooking time…

On Sunday, I slept in, unpacked the car, got my scrap area back to some semblance of organized, and then decided to do what any decent scrapbook consultant would…I went shopping with my profits from the previous day. I mean, duh, isn’t that why I do it? So we can shop without guilt! First went to Tuesday Morning and that was a bust. They had nothing worth standing in line for, LOL. Next was the Dollar Tree and I found these:

One lone pack of Fake Thickers. And some adhesive back-ups. Not bad, only 3 bucks. Then on to Michaels with my 50% off coupon in hand. I found this:

I’m addicted to those Prima flowers with the text printed on them. It’s so nice to find something that’s unique and different at Michaels for once. There went the 50% coupon. All those little bitty sticker packs were $1 each and I’ll use them for crop goody bags. I got duplicates of the ones I wanted for myself, all the flowers :) The AHOY title sticker from Just Jinger was only $2 on Clearance. I’d been eyeing that for awhile for my cruise pages, so I’m glad it was on sale. Brads, eyelets and snaps were on sale @ 3 for $5 so I stocked up on those. What a great price; they’re normally $3 each I think, so that’s $18 worth of brads for 10 bucks {see how good I am at the justifying things? I’m not SPENDING money, I’m SAVING money!}. I mean, we all need brads right? They’re a scrapping staple, like adhesive and cardstock. Whaddya mean, no?

Okay, moving on to Beverlys which is like my version of an LSS; it’s a local chain craft store with about 4 aisles of scrap stuff and it’s got some pretty cool stuff. Check out my loot from Bev’s:

Abacus, by Reminisce. For last day of school pages:

My Guy/Wisdom, by KI Memories. To cut up for all the cool phrases and quotes:

Green, by Deja Views. This one’s so stinkin pretty, I won’t be able to use it. I want to just frame it as is, and hang it on the wall. The photo doesn’t do it justice. There are pretty, delicate little butterflies and flowers, the color is gorgeous and the cut out edges are too die for.

Honeycomb and Yellow Circles, by Sandylion. I don’t know what I’ll use these for, they just reached out to me. I got 2 sheets of the more subtle pattern for the background and can cut up the sheet with all the circles. Maybe for a funky boy skateboarding page or something. You like, or is it too weird?

Around the Corner, by Kelly Panacci for Sandylion. Love, love, LOVE! So bright and colorful and happy! Who CARES what I use it on, it’ll be fun!

For Rome photos of The Forum, etc. It’s 7 Gypsies…whooda thought?

Tropical Stripes by Stemma. Again, no idea how I’ll use it, but the colors are my faves ~blue and green~ and it’s got a shiny texture to the darker teal flower part. You just have to see this paper in person to appreciate it.

Sweet! Some WeRMemory Keepers chipboard stickers to go with some of this line I already have. It’s called White Out, and I scrapped some county fair and Rascal Flatts photos with the paper at my crop. I was just needing the finishing touch and found these. Got ’em for 40% off with a coupon.

As for the K&Co. journaling boxes…I am powerless to stop buying these. So pretty, so versatile, so useful. I’m journaling box challenged so these make it easy peasy for me. Beverlys had this entire new line of K&Co, called Sea Glass, and it’s all just gorgeous. So instead of saying something like, “Wow, Erika, you really filled your cart, didn’t you!,” admire my restraint in that all of the Sea Glass line stayed at the store except these cute little guys.

So lots of scrappy goodness there, and most of the paper was 2 for $1 except the 2 fancy sheets; the school paper and the KI were 20 cents on Clearance.

Finally, to finish my spree and general Heavenly day, I went to Barnes and Noble. One of my favorite rituals is this: Skim the New Release hardcovers and pick which books I’ll buy when they hit Costco in paperback (LOL); skim the New Release paperbacks, maybe buy one or two; skim the craft books section and look in vain for something on scrapbooking that I haven’t already read; skim the mystery section for a new Laura Childs scrapbooking mystery; and finally hit the magazine section and then get a Starbucks. As you can see, I hit B&N on the perfect day cuz lookie what I came home with, and you’re gonna be jealous if you’re a scrap mag ho like me…

{Actually, the CTMH cattie came from a friend at my crop but it was easier to take em all in one pic}. Every night, I’ve been curling up with my mags after the house is quiet. I perused them lazily today by the pool with a sun tea while the kids swam. I looked at one while waiting for an appointment the other day. I just lurve my scrap mags. And I have to give some props this time…they were really good. I’ll try to do a review in a future post cuz there’s some good stuff.

Okay, that post took so long to write, the ice melted in my drink! If you’re still here, thanks for reading! Peace out.

scrapbook blogs

Coffee and Scrapbooking…

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…They just seem to go together, don’t they? Like tonight, I knew I’d be up late scrapping, so I grabbed my triple latte from Starbucks on the way home from work. It’s not just the way the caffeine buzz allows me to keep my eyes open longer, but it increases my focus and concentration. Like I’m less likely to paper pierce my finger, or drop 20 teeny tiny eyelets on the floor. I also find it comforting to have a hot cuppa Joe on my scrap table next to me. I even keep a coaster right next to my oft-used tools so I can easily grab it for scrap sustenance. I don’t know about you, but when Mr. Mojo is visiting and I’m immersed in a wicked cool project, the last thing I want to do is stop and eat. So that yummy brown liquid keeps my tummy satisfied so I don’t have to bother with eating.

Just to show more of the relationship between coffee and scrapbooking, here are some things I’ve found online:

From Cathy Z’s BLOG; read this particular entry HERE:

THIS entry from MRS. MOGUL actually has very little to do with coffee and scrapbooking but hey, a fun read nonetheless. And the picture is cute…

It’s a good thing a place like THIS doesn’t exist in my town, or my kids would go without food and my DH would go without…um, yeah, I’d be gone from home a lot, is what I’m sayin.’

Curiously, their website only had pictures of the coffee shop part of the store, not the scrapbooking part, but I was fine with that, really. And I love their tagline: “Coffee and creativity like you’ve never experienced before.” While you’re over at Scraps Coffee Shop dreaming about the smell of espresso beans while you crop, check out their BLOG…there are some cool layouts within.

My girl Tasra over at REAL WOMEN SCRAP gets the connection too. Lookie HERE.

This HUH-larious blog, SCRAPBOOK WIDOWER, is all about a scrapbook wife/coffee obsessed hubby team. In fact, it’s a good blog to read each morning while you drink your coffee.

Two of my favorite scrappers, NOEL and JOSCIE, live in coffee towns and routinely RAK coffee to their scrapper friends. See HERE where Joscie RAK’d some coffee goodness to CRISPEA? Wowzers, I need to start drinking that coffee!

My uncle happens to live in the same place as Noel, and he sends me a bag of CAMANO ISLAND COFFEE for Christmas each year. I keep the beans in the refrigerator, grinding only a bit at a time, so I can make the bag last all year. The rest of the time, I’m keepin’ STARBUCKS in bidness. Here’s a wonderful layout Noel did about her Camano addiction, and a cute cartoonie to go with.

And I will wrap up my coffee/scrapbook correlation post with THIS entry from Stacey’s BLOG, featuring this amazing coffee scrapbook by ANNE MARIE. I saw this mini-book when she first posted it months ago, and it still sticks in my mind. I love how Anne Marie highlighted the connections with her family and coffee. The journaling is really worth a read. Here’s the LINK to each separate page, and here’s a photo of my favorite page:

Here’s a toast to coffee and scrapbooking!

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