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Are You Disloyal to the LSS If You Shop Big Box or Discount?

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There is an older post on my blog where I told you about some cool items that were new to Michaels. Here is a comment I recently received on that entry:

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A few posts ago you lamented the possible closing of your LSS. Yet it’s posts like this — and all your “look at the mass deals at big box stores and HSN” and “buy from me @ Scrapworks so I can break even” posts — that are helping put the independent LSSs out of business.

I’m not saying that nobody’s entitled to a bargain. But you can’t have it both ways.
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When she said, “A few posts ago you lamented the possible closing of your LSS,” she was referring to THIS post. Her reference to HSN is HERE (well, one of my many, LOL) and “. . . buy from me @ Scrapworks so I can break even,” is referring to, I guess, THIS post about my affiliation with MEMORY WORKS, because I don’t recall ever asking you to buy from me so I can break even (?).

Anyway, I was not surprised or insulted by her comment, as its one that I expected to hear, I guess. But, as I e-mailed to the poster of the comment, I think it brings up a very interesting point. I mean, the state of this industry – the scrapbooking industry – does cause quite a dilemma for those of us who would like to support it and keep it alive. For real. How do we reconcile the endless message board posts and blog entries about the great deals to be found at big box stores, et al? How do we explain our online orders to “peachy cheap” sites and the like? How do we defend our copious use of 40% and 50% off coupons at stores like Michaels, Hobby Lobby, and the like? (The commenter didn’t even call me out on that one….but my conscience forced me to confess it, yeah).

Well, here is my story, and I’m stickin’ to it….

{I’m going to repeat things I’ve said again and again on this blog, so you lovely Regular Readers, please forgive me the repetition. But here goes…}

I live in a rural area. A few years ago, there were 7…count ’em, SEVEN…local scrapbook stores within one hour of me. There were 2 LSSs in the town next to me (15 minutes away), 3 stores that were 30 minutes away, and 2 more that were a good one-hour drive. To many, you wouldn’t even call 5 of those stores an “LSS”…how “local” is it, if you have to drive for 30 minutes to one hour to get there? But I considered them my local stores. I choose to live in the boondocks, so I understand shopping here is not at a premium and though someone in LA might have crazy access to the stores of their choice, I don’t. Just the way it is.

But here’s the point: When there were 7 LSSs within driving distance of me, I shopped ’em, baby! That was back when I worked my high-powered job and made excellent money. Scrapbooking was new to me and I had some serious product collection to do, ya know what I mean? I didn’t limit my spending to LSS’s either….I shopped at Scrapbook Expo twice a year (which is made up of manufacturers, and of scrapbook stores from far and wide). I shopped at CKU. When I traveled for business, I found LSSs in the towns I went to and I shopped them Bad Boys, too. Looking back, it was an unhealthy obsession but my point….my point again was? Oh, that’s right! That no one has been a better Supporter of the LSS than me! Seriously.

To go back even further, I discovered scrapbooking in 2001 by attending a CREATIVE MEMORIES party (yeah, fess up, so did you!). I took one trip to MICHAELS way back then, didn’t really care for what I saw, and stayed away for years. I mean, I might go for the basics like adhesive and such but, for the most part, the LSS owned my heart. They had the helpful people, the latest products that I saw in CREATING KEEPSAKES magazine, and I didn’t know from a discount…I happily paid full retail price. Well, until I filled up my “frequent flyer” card at the LSS and got some free product. Shizzle, I was so happy each time, you wooda’ thought I won the freakin’ lottery!

Fast forward to 2007 and…welcome to my world…my income has shrunk considerably and 6 of the 7 LSSs in my area have closed. Now, to digress for a minute…sure the economy played a part in these store closures, and that is reflected in the mass amount of LSS closures nationwide. But to be fair, I would blame at least 5 of the 7 LSS closures on things OTHER THAN the failing economy/industry. MY dream was to open an LSS so, believe you me, I was paying close attention, I was running the numbers, and I was privy to “insider information” on several of these stores. The last thing I wanted was for these stores to fail. It truly. broke. my heart. I WANTED them to succeed. I rah rah’d them every chance I got. I took out of town visitors there. I had them sponsor my crops. I was a hugely loyal customer. I did not criticize them to anyone (in my out loud voice). I just shopped and supported and cropped. So you can imagine my sadness when, one by one, these local scrapbook stores closed their doors.

Okay, so after the closure of 6 of “my” 7 stores, where did that leave me to shop? You guessed it…Walmart. Target. Michaels. Eventually, Tuesday Morning opened 30 minutes from me where, quite by accident while looking for pillowcases one day, I discovered they carried scrapbooking supplies. And, lucky them, they are close to Costco where I shop once a month. Walmart has the basics. I have probably spent $20 on scrapbook supplies there in the past year. Target has slowly rotating stock, discounted prices that have slowly morphed thisclose to retail prices, and the occasional clearance endcap worth shopping. That leaves Michaels and Tuesday Morning, where I do utilize my coupons (for the few items they’re still allowed on, LOL) and I take advantage of the occasional good deal. My point is that (and there IS a point here, somewhere, I swear!), for those of us in less populated areas with no LSS within 30 minutes, do we have much of a choice? Am I not to shop at all, except for the few times per year I can justify driving 45 minutes to a town I have no other business in? My answer, the one I’m completely comfortable with, would be no.

I’m sure there will be those who disagree, and that’s groovy. What is America if not a place where we can agree to disagree, right? But I think I’m doing more of a service toward keeping the scrapbooking industry alive – even if I can’t personally support LSSs the way that I used to – by shopping at the likes of Michaels and Tuesday Morning, than if I did not shop for scrapbooking supplies at all. Let’s face it…in this horrible economy, scrapbook spending of any kind is a luxury. If I can, in my small bloggy way, entice people to spend ANY money on ANY scrapbooking materials, well then, I call myself a winner, damn it! I blog about items and deals at Michaels because that is my mainline to supplies (yeah, that drug reference was intentional). If I had LSSs to publicize, I would. Damn straight. Before the blog redesign (and you loyal readers will vouch for this), I had about a bazillion links to ALL MOMENTS REMEMBERED, my favorite online store, all over my blog. I linked to STACEY and her store every chance I got. Well, now even the AMR online store has fallen victim to these times and, although Stacey still sells supplies online through her ETSY store, there is no longer an AMR online store to link to. {Happy side note: Stacey opened a brick-and-mortar AMR in her town in Oregon and, at last report, it was doing great!}

Bottom line, what I’m trying to say in my as always verbose way is this: I’m doing the best I can. I shop my 45-minutes-away-LSS as often as I can. I shop at Michaels to the point where they yell “Norm!” when I walk in the door. If I see something I like at Tuesday Morning or Costco, I shop and I share. I sell Memory Works so I can make a little mo’ money to…guess what?…spend on scrapbook supplies. I don’t mind if people question my motives or my method, because I know I’m just doing my thang.

And I know that I do it out of the love I have for this craft and my true, heartfelt desire to play a part in keeping it on life support through these crushing times. I hope in my own small way, I inspire and support you in doing the same. Of course, support your LSS! But don’t feel badly if you show your financial support in other ways, too.

Shop on, Sistas!

PS: I would dearly love to hear your thoughts on this issue, but please, keep it nice. No harshing on the nice lady who left the comment that generated this post, or I will edit/delete posts as necessary. If you would like to harsh on me, that’s fine….

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Walmart, Michaels, the LSS…Oh My!

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I had the opportunity to do some shopping in The Big City, as I had a fun Girls Weekend at the beach and, what do you know, I had to drive through civilization to get there. Here’s my shopping report:

On Clearance at Mike’s: Prima flower milk jars($6.99 down to $2.99), and Making Memories 8×8 paper pad, Travel. See those cream colored flowers in the bottom left of the photo? I had those in my hand. They went on a quite a walk around the store with me. I had layout ideas in my head on which I would use them.

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But I put them back on the shelf when I found this. Ah, paper punches on Clearance! Wow, that worked out nicely….with the photos stacked on top of each other, I almost matched them up, didn’t I? These were on an end cap, where our Mike’s now has a lot of scrap clearance these days.

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Here is the punch I bought: Regularly $14.99, marked down to $7.99, and with my 40% coupon, it cost me just over $5. Did I get a great deal or what? Sounds like 66% off to me! Isn’t it cute, how it does the zigzag edge, which reminds me of Bazzill’s specialty cardstock…now I can make it myself. This punch not only punches the zigzag shape, it also embosses a dotted line, adding the perfect detail. I’m so happy I got it!

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My other purchase from Michaels, a bling title that says “Beach.” This is perfect for the title of my Girls Weekend layout. I’m going to title it “Beach Girls”.

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Remember, I told you HERE that my last LSS (still, it’s 45 minutes away) sent out an e-mail that they need help through the summer and, hopefully, they would not have to close in the fall. So I paid a little visit, didn’t I?

ETA: Chris commented about Sass Lass and MME being at Michaels so I’m going to clarify here….everything below here was from my LSS, except the clipboards which are from Wallie World ~ I wrote this post at 1am so I wasn’t very clear :)

Here is a predone layout I bought. Number one, I love it…the Love title, the white puff paint dots around the scallops, and the Basic Grey line that was used, which I happen to have plenty of, I’m going to make a companion page to go with this. From the 50% off table, so I paid about $3 for it.

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Here are some bee-you-tiful papers I got from My Minds Eye. Love, love, LOVE scalloped edges.

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Here is a sheet of Flair Designs paper. I like how you can cut it apart for use on your pages.

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Here’s some more goodies. The back of one of the MME (My Mind’s Eye) sheets, Basic Grey “Offbeat” chipboard stickers, some journal and title spots from MME, and a great deal on a ribbon pack (50% off).

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Finally, may I share a whole lotta’ Sass Lass love? Yep, these were also on the clearance table, and only cost me $2.49…wait, no! Half off of $2.49 would be about $1.25 each, or $5 for all four.

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Oh, not “finally!” I forgot to show you the clipboards I got from Walmart. I’m going to alter them, and use them in my home office. They cost under $1 each…

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“Thank you for watching. This has been Scrapbook Obsession reporting from inside Scrapbook World.”

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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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New Paper Stacks at Michaels

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If you haven’t already heard the news, ‘the stacks have landed’ at Mike’s. Here are some lame-ish photos I took there this week. As you can see, this plethora of new scrapbook paper stacks are on their own display rack in the middle of the aisle. At mine, they were in the back part of the store, a place where scrappy supplies are not usually found. Oh, and all stacks are 25% off this week!

Here’s the view from one side of the stack rack. You will see a variety of manufacturers…

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My eyes zoomed right to these lovelies. I’m from Podunk, USA and have never even seen Sassafrass Lass supplies in person! One would assume that I grabbed me some Sass Lass like it was a warm sugar cookie! They had the ‘Whale of a Tale’ and ‘Hog Heaven’ lines. I flipped through them and fell in immediate crushing love with both. Then I saw the price….$24.99. Even at 25% off, I figured I’d better wait until they go off sale and I can use a 40% off coupon. Then at least I’m paying $15 instead of $18.75. {Please tell me I did that math right! Or wait, no, tell me I did it wrong so I can go back and buy my Sass Lass NOW!}.

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This is some We R Memory Keepers, gcd, SEI, and Die Cuts with a View. After the Sass Lass, the DCWV Nanna’s Kitchen is next on my shopping list.

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Here you can see the American Crafts patterned paper and cardstock varieties, and ‘Garden Party.’

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Here’s some more SEI, a pack of chipboard sheets, and some new Bazzill packs. What I ended up buying on this trip was the Bazzill ‘Swiss Dot’ pack. It has 24 sheets, 2 each of 12 colors. If you need the price, let me know and I’ll find my receipt. But I can tell you, the Swiss Dot is GORE-JUS and a must have for any true scrapper’s collection.

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Here’s the other side of the stack rack. Mostly gcd which wasn’t blowing my dress up really…

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Except I really liked the ‘Chic Bebe’ line. It’s a fun twist on baby album goodness, with cool colors and patterns that aren’t the norm, sissy la la baby stuff.

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I pulled out the K & Company ‘Cut ‘N Paste’ because I’d heard so many raves about it. It’s very cute/cool vintage stuff but I guess that’s just not my style because I only really loved a few of the sheets. But if vintage is your thang, check it out fo’ sho.

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So, not the best pictures. I saw on someone’s blog recently where they took each item off the rack, laid it out all nice a pretty, and got a full frontal shot of each thing. Wow. I mean, I love you guys but I’m usually doing a power shop during my lunch hour, ya know? This is the best I can do, LOL. Hope it’s enough of a sneak peek to make you happy. ‘Cuz I need your constant approval and reassurance….

Whaddya’ think? See any stack you gotta have?

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Scrapbooker Blahs

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I’ve got ’em and it’s not just me. I’ve noticed the following in the last week or so:
– The scrapbook message boards are slow. Like watching pain dry. This pains me.
– The CK Media “reorganization” news is harshing everyone’s mellow.
– Either the new CHA products do not excite, or if they do, no one can afford to buy them. Manufacturers are desperately calling/e-mailing retailers, who can’t afford to buy much.
– Erin Lincoln says she’s not been paid in awhile….where does that leave CKMB?
– 2peas boards have been down all night

For me personally, there’s this kinda stuff:
– I posted a restaurant rant on 2peas, expecting about 90% support, and got much less than that. Didn’t ‘splain myself well enough, for one thing. And beyond that, it’s just cranky time, I guess.
– Landry was overnight at the vet hospital getting his manly bits removed. It was practically unbearable how much I missed him.
– DH and I got our first paychecks today since pay cuts….major ouch. How do you cut hundreds more dollars from a budget that is already bare bones? {Yes, I would get rid of my internet but I need it for work, natch}.
– Lastnight to cheer myself up, I decided to cash in a $15 product credit I’ve had for 6+ months at MEMORY WORKS (it was a consultant referral reward). Got all twitterpated over the Jenni Bowlin “Farmer’s Wife” and die cut calendar cards I had in my cart. Went to cash out and it declined my card. Found out today from the bank… they closed my scrapbook spendy account back in December…due to lack of activity. What in the HAY-ELL is that about??
– Just plain tired and feeling the blues…

As for my scrapping, I’m actually kinda’ re-energized after my crop last weekend, yet there has been no TIME or ENERGY to get to it.

How can we turn this around, ladies?
– Stacey at AMR had the right idea. She started a HAPPY THREAD with a little prize. That cheered me a bit :)
– SASSAFRASS LASS and new BAZZILL cardstock packs at Mike’s!!!!! And a coupon this week!!!!!
– Would a couple Landry photos help? Well, here ya go…Could he BE any cuter?!?!

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Are you having the Scrapbooker Blahs? Lie right down on my couch and tell me all about it…..

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New Making Memories and More at Michaels!

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Now how’s that for alliteration?!? LOL But really what I need to say is……GET THEE TO MICHAELS AND FAST! Yeppers, they have some more new items. And thanks to my trusty iPhone…because you would NOT see me whipping out my bulky Kodak Easyshare in a STORE, for gosh sakes….I have PHOTOS!! Okay, I probably so WOULD take photos in Michaels with my big Kodak but, see this way, I don’t get arrested.

Today, we have for you….Chloe’s Closet by Making Memories….

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See the cute spiral journaling notebook in the second row for $4.99. Got me summa’ that, for 40% no less! And I already used that front orange and yellow one on a Gratitude Project layout. Bla-DOW!

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I almost got this here 8×8 album, because I had originally wanted to do my Gratitude Album in 8×8 size but knew a postbbound wouldn’t hold 26 pages nicely. Well, my lovelies, this is an 8×8 three ring. And so googly cute! I left it there, thinking if I really wanted it in my heart of hearts, I would get it on my next trip. {PS: I then proceeded to Walmart where I got an 8.5×11 binder to use for my GP album instead, LOL!}

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Here’s some fun and pretty new MAMBI paper pads and Soft Spoken embellies. Loved them all and got none. This time.

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This is the collection they were talking about recently on 2peas. There seemed to be mixed reviews but I thought it was pretty cute. Not much I can use in my everyday scrapbooking but I love the stamps. My online scrap buddy, JINGLE, is all into woodland creatures so I think she’ll be fan. {Hi Jings!}

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Love the poppies, so striking….

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And this is cute…all pink, black and white by Making Memories again…As you kin see, they were still filling the rack.

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All new Prima flowers, bling, etc. Lots to love here…

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This bling-y flourish will eventually belong to my collection….

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Strangely enough, the rack where I found all this loot was in the back before you get to framing and such. It’s the rack that used to be in front of the scrapbooking area so, whatever. I’m sure Michaels has some grand master plan up their sleeve and someday that will all make sense. Right?

Another hot item at Michaels – that I was somehow not informed of until AFTER my trip there (ahem) – is this Valentine Lace border punch by Martha Stewart. The Peas are talking about it HERE.

So, see anything you like? What will you buy at Michaels?

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Is the Recession GOOD for Scrapbooking?

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Check out THIS article called, “For Craft Sales, Recession is a Help” from the New York Times. It talks about how, despite the horrible economy and slumping sales in other retail areas, that spending at craft stores, Etsy, and the like has actually gone up. I was so happy to read this because I thought I was crazy to think the same thing; every time I go into Michaels in the past couple months, it’s packed! I always leave there shaking my head, saying, “So much for the recession.” Now, this article explains it. Their theory is that, 1. With less to spend, people are making Christmas gifts this year that are more cost effective, 2., People enjoy the stress release of making handmade things, and appreciate receiving them over “big box” items as well, and 3. That we are starting to prefer good old ‘Made in the USA’ products after all the recent problems with items imported from China. Needless to say, I loved this article! It’s all about some of my favorite things: crafts/scrapbooking, supporting American small and large business owners, and the value of handcrafted items.

HERE is a link to the discussion on 2peas….

What are your thoughts on the article?

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No More Coupons on Books & Magazines at Michaels :(

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I guess I heard about this a while back, but it didn’t really register in my scrapbrain because I wasn’t looking for any particular publication at the time. But now it has really hit me….You can’t use your Mike’s COUPON on books and magazines anymore. WTF?

Prediction: This will put a big hurt on the sales of scrapbooking idea books and magazines. A great number of us have been using our Mike’s coupons for years to purchase them at a price we can afford. And like I said HERE, I make a special trip to Mike’s when I hear that a new scrap mag issue or book has come out. While I’m there I always hit the scrapbooking aisle to grab 1 item…or 10. So, not only did they just lose my book/magazine purchase, but they lost all my extra trips into their store where I purchased other items every.single.time. Dumb, PEOPLE, just dumb. I have it on good authority {okay, it’s just the 2peas girlz, but pretend I have really good, TMZ-type underground connections}, that there is a rather large mark-up on books and magazines. So even if they’re selling them to us at 40% or 50% off with our coupons, they’re still making money. C’mon, Michaels, drop the stupid “no publications” policy. Just say “no returns” on the coupon instead (so we can’t color copy our favorite pages, then return them to the store for a refund) and everyone is happy.

God, who runs these companies anyway? I need a promotion. If ScrapbookObsession ran the world, it would be a MUCH better place, don’t you think? Let’s seeeeee….I would make EILEEN my Vice President because she is a rockin’ scrapper and appreciates fine MUSIC. I would make ALI EDWARDS my Secretary of State, because that chick could sell grungeboard to TIM HOLTZ. Anything she says or does….sells HUGE. Um, I would make KRISTINA CONTES my Chief of Staff because she takes shit from no one. It gets rowdy up in the hizzy sometimes, so I need someone with her huevos. And I would appoint STACY JULIAN as the Foreign Ambassador of Scrapbooking because she’s Altogether Too Happy; her sunny smile and cute shoes would spread the scrapbook joy across the world in record time. Yep, that’s a winning ticket!

{YES. It’s Friday night. NO. I have

    not

been drinking}.

What do you think…no, not about my Presidential cabinet, silly! About the stinky new Mike’s policy?

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Christmas, Basic Grey, and Scrap Calendars at Michaels

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I’m notorious for complaining about the lack of “new stuff” at Michaels, right? Yeah, I know, whine and complain, it’s what I do. Mama always told me, “If you’re good at something, stick with it.” But blow me down, I have to actually give Mike some props for all the new shizzle they got goin’ on these days. It was to the point where I wasn’t even !GASP! spending my coupons there every week because there just. wasn’t. anything. But my fine friends over at 2peas started posting about spying new stuff at Mike’s HERE.

So Friday night after work, I went by the Mike’s in my town to see what I could see. I was Stealth Girl for ya again and took some pix with my iPhone {sorry for the poor quality…it was the best I could do}.

In that Designer Scrapbooking section in the front of the scrapbook area, here is what I found….buncha new K&Co. and MAMBI Christmas stuff. This is 2 sides of the carousel; the other end and opposite side had all the Christmas stuff by Martha Stewart. I don’t like her stuff, so I’m not showing you, nanner nanner. If you must, you can see some of it HERE.

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Sorry, those hugamic glitter snowflakes do absolutely nothing for me. But the rest of it was pretty dang cool. I restrained myself from buying yet another pack of shaped/die cut papers, tho’ the K&Co. Christmas ones were mighty tempting. I was so very well-behaved…I used my 40% coupon on one of these:

And I got the K&Co. rub-ons with the Christmas tree in the top left of the top photo. Also, the MAMBI green word JOLLY in the third photo.

Yep, that was all. Even though I had just sold my Clip It Up and all my non-Bazzill cardstock on Craigslist, and had a buttload of cash in my pocket. No, don’t be too proud of me. I knew I was doing more shopping on Sunday, so I wanted to save some of it. My friend, ABBY aka ScrapbookFrenzy, told me about some bargains she found at TUESDAY MORNING which just happens to be in The Big City where I do my Costco shopping, and right next door to another Michaels, the one that usually has all the new stuff when my Mike’s has just a taste of it. So today I hit those two mamma jammas. At Tuesday Morning, they had as promised a bunch of Making Memories stuff. All I got were two 12×12 K&Co. albums for $7 each (I get two of any albums I will use for our yearly family album, as I feel the need to scrap every single photo ever taken, and therefore need two albums per year). Again, I didn’t SPEND $14, I SAVED over $25 {stick with me, kid, I’ll show you how it’s done…}. They are really pretty, with embossed covers, subtle colors, the raised frame window on the cover, and a space where you can spell out your family name or whatever you want. If anyone wants to see a photo, leave me a comment and I’ll get one posted. But it’s almost 1am and I have to get up at 6 o’clock. Who invented mornings and jobs anyway?

At The Big City Michaels, here is what I found…

The American Crafts cardstock I’ve been hearing so much about. It comes in the cool cardboard vertical holders, so you don’t even have to unpack it when you get home, just throw on the shelf. But be careful and pick one from the bottom of the pile…I noticed the ones on top had had their corners rifled through so many times, they were looking a bit shabby.

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Here is a crappy, blurry picture of the Basic Grey Christmas paper pad (got me summa that) and a gorgeous Christmas pad by My Minds Eye. I already have several of those papers from page kits I bought last year, so I passed. But it was very pretty. If you’re looking for something classy and subtle to make your Christmas cards with, I would recommend the MME stack.

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Here are the calendar kits by MAMBI (left) and Basic Grey (right). I so wanted both of them. I literally picked up and put down the BG kit THREE times. It is so freakin’ adorable. Oh, I {heart} Basic Grey! I liked the smaller size too. The MAMBI one was cool because it’s 12×12 spiral bound so it could be kept on your shelf kind of like an album when the year is over. The colors are bright and cheerful, a calendar project I’m sure your kids would enjoy doing with you or making for Gramma and Grampa..

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There was a Bazzill cardstock pack in Christmas colors that I also had in my hot little hands, but when I compared the price to the AC cardstock, it was much more expensive (if I’m remembering right, it was the same price but you got half as much??). The quality of the AC seemed comparable, so I got it instead. If you’ve tried both AC and Bazzill cardstock, let me know how you think they compare, okay? I used my 50% off newspaper coupon and my 50% receipt coupon, so I didn’t spend $20, I SAVED $20. That’s what I told DH anyways…

And of course, while in The Big City, I went to Barnes and Noble…got my December CK and a cool mag about making scrapbook photo albums. I skimmed through it tonight while watching Kung Fu Panda with the fam, and I really liked it. Read more about it HERE {psst…but don’t order it from CK; their customer service *sux*…}.

So those were my shopping adventures. If you’ve been avoiding Mike’s lately like I have, you should go check it out…you’ll be pleasantly surprised :)

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More On (Or Is That Moron?) Michaels New Uniforms…

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So, I went to Michaels lastnight…just HAD to see if they had the BASIC GREY paper pads yet. The answer is a big fat NO. But they did have all paper pads on sale for 25% off, and an endcap full of other cool new paper pads. There was the glitter Christmas stack by Die Cuts with a View and matching mat stacks. Then a mess of new sets by Me and My Big Ideas (MAMBI). Only one of those tempted me, but I was able to restrain myself. All punches were 40% off so I did get THIS ribbon slot punch by Fiskars that I’ve been eyeing for a month or so.

Because I want to weave ribbon through it on cards and layouts. You can also weave paper through it…a very cool look. I couldn’t find any layout samples to show you…if anyone has used their Leave It To Weaver punch on a layout or card, please give me a linkee!

ETA 9-8-08: I put the call out to AMR girlz for photos of their projects using this punch and two of them came through! Here are some cards from mystery woman ~Q~:

And Jessica aka jessicamae shared this layout:

{Okay, back to the original post….}
I’ve never been a big ‘punch’ girl, but all these new border punches are sucking me into Punch Land. What else did I get? OH! Finally found the BAZZILL at my Mike’s and I felt kinda stupid because it could’ve been there for a while and I never noticed it. It was just in the regular cardstock paper rack area where they’ve had the Paper Outlet stuff forevah! But it finally dawned on to me to check there and, sho nuff, Bazzill!! I wasn’t crazy about the 79 cents per sheet price tag, but when I saw that Bazzill Bling was the same price as the regular I got mostly Bling, as my LSS sells it for $1/sheet.

At checkout, I noticed the employees were wearing their stunning new UNIFORMS. I said to the checker, “I see you’re wearing the new uniforms.” {Dead silence}. So I added in my best sarcastic tone, “You must be thrilled” and she said, “Yeah.” Again with the crickets. And that was that. I did notice that everyone was wearing their own version of black top, khaki-colored pants (or beige or brown or olive, whatever they were in the mood for that day apparently) but not the required official black polo and khakis that I’d heard it would be. Reminded me of Target, where yes, the employees wear a red top and beige pants…but they personalize it with a blue mohawk, a pierced cheek, and a raging right arm sleeve (tattoo). Which to me defeats the purpose of the whole ‘corporate unity’ look they were even going for…but that’s just me. Oh, how I long for the days when I could shop without having to stare at holes in people’s faces, discs in their stretched out earlobes, and other things that make me hurt just to look at. I know, I know…I’m old fashioned and need to get a grip, right? Bah!

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Basic Grey at Michaels – A Bittersweet Thang

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First BAZZILL, and now this! Yep, I heard from my ever-reliable 2Peas girlz that Michaels is now carrying a limited stock of the new Basic Grey. You can read about it HERE. Apparently, they will carry paper pads of Urban Prairie and Granola. I’d say the majority of the gals who posted, especially those who love to support their LSS’s, were a bit dismayed at this development. Like, why should Michaels get the new BG before the LSS’s even have it? Why were LSS owners apparently NOT told at CHA that Michaels would have these 2 lines? Kelly Goree from Basic Grey responded like this:

“…I was just writing to let you know that out of our recent release, M’s is only going to be carrying the UP and Granola and only in paper packs. This is an exclusive to them item and can only be found in that format there. However, they will NOT be getting any of the collection packs, chipboard, brads, etc. that coordinate with these lines.

Please know that UP and Granola are both slated to ship very soon so all the goodies, complete with all the extras should be showing up in your LSS very soon.”

I’m not sure how I feel about it. I’ve always been a huge LSS supporter, but I shop at Mike’s a lot merely because that’s all I have access to where I live. We have no Joann’s or Archivers or Hobby Lobby. All my close-by LSS’s have closed; the remaining one is 45 minutes away and it’s hard to get there much. But when I do, I fully support them, LOL! So I’m torn. I’m excited that ANY Basic Grey is at Michaels {!!!!!!}. But I’m sad that LSS’s are getting it AFTER Michaels did and that they apparently weren’t told this would happen when they placed their CHA orders. Was the info purposely withheld? I dunno. But as you can read in the 2Peas post, it sure puts the LSS owners in an awkward and probably costly position. If “one of our own” (i.e. Basic Grey) can’t support our LSS’s, who will? Maybe big companies like BG see the writing on the wall…the demise of most LSS’s and only selling to BBS’s and online stores? I guess I’d rather have some BG somewhere, than have them go out of business because the few LSS’s that are left aren’t buying enough product to keep them afloat. Not blaming the LSS’s in ANY way…it’s just the economy, the downward trend, and what THEY can afford to stock right now.

So, Basic Grey at Mike’s…it’s a bittersweet thang, ain’t it? What are your thoughts on the issue?

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(Almost) All Cricut Cartridges at Michaels 50% Off

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Let me say this another way…all Cricut cartridges at Michaels are only $40, through August 2, 2008! Yep, you heard me right! Here’s the deets, as copy/pasted from the e-mail I just got:

“Expand the realm of possibilities for your scrapbooking and paper crafting endeavors!

All Cricut® Cartridges —
Only $40 Each

Create one-of-a-kind layouts and cards, and even help your children with their school projects. Cricut cartridges are designed to work exclusively with any Cricut personal electronic cutter, and now you can save 50%. This special price is a limited-time offer, so make sure you get to Michaels by August 2, 2008.

To give you an even bigger advantage, if you buy any three Cricut cartridges at Michaels, receive a free DesignStudioTM from Cricut. The Cricut DesignStudioTM software lets you bring creativity to a new and exciting level.”

Wow, so for $120 you can get 3 cartridges and DesignStudio. Sounds like a ravin’ deal. Who’s gonna’ take them up on it? I may get a cartridge or two, but I’m pretty happy with the ones I have. I got a few when they went on sale for $40 at Walmart awhile back, so I have 5 or 6 now. How about you?

Oh, and HERE is the link for the coupon for 20% off your entire regularly priced purchase through 8-2-08. Excludes Cricut products but not Martha Stewart. Me, I never find anything to spend those on that seems worth it – do you?

ETA 7/28/08: Look at Kristi’s comment below. I took her suggestion and changed the title of this post, LOL!

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Bazzill Basics Cardstock at Michaels

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So maybe all my griping about what a crap selection of papers they carry has finally gotten through to Michaels (insert eye roll here). Because what to my wondering eyes did appear…while at Michaels today?? Was it…could it be….Nah, that would mean they’d joined the 1990’s. But, yes, I really truly did see at Michaels today…BAZZILL CARDSTOCK. I swear to you, I was so excited, I let out an “eek!” and almost peed my ever lovin’ pants right there in Aisle 4. It was in one of those “Do not look at this, do not touch this, don’t even think about it” baskets, you know, the ones they tease you with, of scrapbooking items they HAVE but just won’t SELL to you yet because of some lame technicality about, “We haven’t unpacked it and put a price sticker on the rack yet.” I mean, blah blah blah, you know? I’m a scrapper, I see it, I want it. Don’t tease me, don’t make me beg, just hand it over and no one gets hurt. Throw in a Butterfinger and it’s all good. But don’t put it there right in the middle of aisle and ask me to pretend I don’t see it.

Because Bazzill is the goddess of all cardstocks. Okay, let me tell you about Bazzill. When I first started scrapbooking (like, 80 something years ago), I bought the Creative Memories 10×12 cardstock. Now whoever’s bright idea 10×12 cardstock was, they should be fired. Makes NO sense for a 12×12 album, just absoludicrous. So then I ventured into Michaels and started buying those no-name packs of smooth cardstock in pastels, black and white, brights, neons, you name it. All was fine, I was content, I was a happy scrapper. But that’s because I was naive. I was ignorant. I was clueless. At some point, probably at a CKU or Scrapbook Expo, I was introduced to…everyone say it with me now…Bazzill Basics linen-textured cardstock. We scrappers just call it “Bazzill” like a code word that only we know. But we know, don’t we? Oh yes, we know! We know that there is no other brand of cardstock with such a wonderful thickness, a rockin texture, a wicked array of colors to choose from, and a high price tag that is Oh So Worth It. Since then, I’ve tried Prism cardstock and, I have to say, it runs a close second to Bazzill. But I’m a Bazzill girl through and through. And that’s why I’m so slappin’ happy that Michaels is now carrying it.

From what I could see from digging through the basket ~ and you guys owe me big time, ‘cuz the Wilton Cake Lady was mad doggin’ me the entire time ~ there were some nice colors, nothing too bright (remember the famous QVC pack? ack!), mostly the Grasscloth texture but some linen and some Smoothies, but best of all…BLING! Yep, I saw blue Bling and green Bling. I’m curious to see what price they will sell for. What, like it really matters, right? Who am I kidding? There is no mention at Michaels.com that they even carry Bazzill. I know, shocking…Btw, HERE’s a link to Bazzill’s new stuff for summer 2008. Hmmm, Michaels should get ahold this stuff in, oh, about 2014…

So, whazzup with Bazzill at your Michaels? Am I the last one to get it?

ETA: Went by again yesterday because I had to exchange something at Target in the same mall. No sign of the Bazzill anywhere. They’re just playing games with me now…

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What’s @ Mike’s These Days…and a Coupon Too

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HERE is the latest Mike’s coupon, good for 40% off any item (except Cricut) through June 28, 2008.

And speaking of Michaels, I wandered through there the other day and took some photos with my iPhone. Come on a tour with me, won’t you?

Ladies, it is a momentous day in scrapbooking history. My Mike’s got their first ever sets of acrylic stamps. Well, I mean large sets, not just the little dollar sets. These are pretty rockin’. I’ve heard others talking about them on CKMB and such but never thought I’d see them in my lifetime, but there they were. And $4.99 seems like a good price…

These are on my list…oh, the journaling possibilities!

And these too…wouldn’t they be fun to stamp in any different color, and then use Stickles in the dots??

One of my favorite words ever is in this pack…can you guess what it is?

These epoxy alphas with some bling were new; they come in black or silver. There were other sets that were patterned and brighter colors too. I’d never seen this brand at Mike’s before…wow, they’re living dangerously over there, aren’t they?

Next was a row and a half of new bling. Oh, what to choose, what to choose??

The border punches are multiplying but, nope, not a one of the ever popular FISKARS THREADING WATER PUNCH.

All kindza new Prima flower goodness…

I saw this bottle and immediately thought….”beach layouts”. The colors are so soft and ocean-y. I’ll be back with a coupon for these, oh yeah.

Still not a big Martha Stewart fan, but I thought these gift tags would make cool journaling spots.

My Mike’s still had plenty of Skittles, and on Clearance no less! They were in two different sections of the store so if you’re looking for some in your Mike’s, you might need to make the rounds of the entire store.

I went looking for “uh” foam sheet or three {cuz I’ve heard several places lately ~ including HERE ~ it makes your stamping sharper if you put some under your work}. but didn’t want to shell out 8 bucks when I only needed a few. Hmmmm…maybe I could sell them on E-Bay for a dollar a sheet, LOL. Nah….

Well, about the time I took my second photo of Skittles, store employees started giving me the stink eye. Did they think I was some kind of Skittle Spy? I dunno but the iPhone went back in my purse. I checked the mags and the dollar bins, with nothing new. You probably won’t believe me but I left the store empty-handed. Yes, I really really did! Um, no cash, no coupon, no want hubby to see another Mike’s charge on the debit card. Like any good member of the Scrapbook Obsessed, I took photos and made mental notes, all in preparation for future trips to Michaels.

Our tour is now over. You may return your seats to the upright position and please exit to the left over the wing. Thank you for flying Scrapbook Obsession…

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New Amy Butler, SEI, Prima @ Michaels

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In case you needed another excuse to get to Michaels (other than the 50% off coupons and the Martha Stewart punches from my last post), they have some new things on the Designer Scrapbooking island. Mine was mostly empty, but there were random new things…I assume they’ll be filling in the blanks soon. If they don’t, I’ll have to have My People call Their People for a little convo. There were some new SEI embellies called Black Orchid and one other line. Very cute epoxy stickers and rub ons but I didn’t see any papers. Some cute new stuff by Amy Butler for K&Co. If you have a purse fetish, you’ll want to see the 3-D purse stickers, and there were also some pretty pretty rub-ons. It’s all packaged in kraft paper which is a cool and different look, and the rub-ons were cheap, I think only $1.99. On the end cap, there was a bunch of new Prima stuff….6×6 and 12×12 paper pads, and a variety of flowers. So all of you who’ve been hoping Mike’s would get Primas, the Scrapbook Fairy has granted your wish! There were 3 sizes…the little milk bottles, and 2 others. A variety of colors and they are very cute ones, some solid, some with the white or cream background and script writing on them. If I can find pics of all this stuff online, I’ll post them here later today. Have you been to Mike’s recently and seen anything new that I didn’t mention? If so, it’s your duty to enable us…so spill it.

ETA: Okay, I’ve been scouting. Apparently, SEI Black Orchid is a big secret because even their own website doesn’t show any….shhhhhh…it’s a sekwet. Okay, quick rant…if you’re a scrapbook company, you NEED to put pics of ANYTHING you have in circulation on your website immediately. No excuses. We are not patient people. We must blog and message board about it ASAP. No pictures, no dice! I promise you…you will sell more if you post pictures we can oogle. End of rant.

I found this photo thanks to “maddiesmom” at SplitCoastStampers MB:

Here are the Amy Butler purse stickers; they are Grand Adhesions so really nice quality and 3D. They are much more impressive in person:

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Shopper’s Report: Michaels, Dollar Tree and Target

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Our tax return arrived so it was my duty to stimulate the poor economy by shopping, right? First stop was Staples on my way to work. I have SO been wanting/needing an external hard drive so I can get my plethora of photos off my laptop. They take up so much space. I found the one with the largest memory — 1 TB! — and was happy to see the price. An older buried price tag showed $329, the newer tag said $289, then with a sale and rebate it was $229 (online right now it’s showing $253; yeah, I got a deal!). So I got it for $100 off! Sweet. I verified on the box that it will work with a Mac but if it doesn’t, they said I have some time to return it even if it’s opened. Isn’t it pretty?

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Not SBR, but I also had to get a fax machine for home, which I’d been putting off because I thought they cost a lot, and I already have a printer/scan/copier so I was wondering where in the HAY-ELL I was going to fit another machine on my desk. Well, I really needed one because the online faxing I’ve been using hasn’t been reliable and I need to get faxes for work so I bit the bullet. And found one at Staples, a tiny little cheap-o Brother fax machine for $60 … with a $40 rebate. So just a $20 expenditure..I can live with that.

After work, I went by Dollar Tree cuz it’s the time of year we need to buy new pool noodles. I also got 4 Garage Sale signs to advertise my Scrapbook Garage Sale on May 2/3. They had nothing new in the scrappy aisle except for some 12×12 papers that weren’t my taste. I check there once in a while because that’s where I got my whole stack of fake Thickers. Silly me, I gave more than half of my stack away as crop door prizes and now I find that I use them all the time myself, so I wish I had more! But, no, no Fake Thickers at DT this time :(

Next was Michaels even though I didn’t (GASP!) have a coupon this week. Did I miss the ad on Sunday, or was there no coupon issued? Bah! Anyway, I wanted to see if they had any of the most recent studio g acrylic stamps aka Mikes stamps. Don’t ask me what number this set is, because I’ve lost complete track, there are so many. But here’s a pic of the ones I found:

Sorry about the shadow (that’s me!) but my camera just died and I couldn’t retake like I wanted (oopsie)…

I also have no idea if I got the whole set. I need to find a listing of them again with photos of all the stamps. The stamps say www.hamptonart.com on the back so I’m going to try the website. If not, I’m sure someone has posted them to CKMB or 2peas.

ETA 4/19/08: I knew my CKMB ladies would come through! Thanks to KPax331/~Katie~, I see that I’m missing 4 of the stamps and they are from Series 11. HERE is the post she directed me to.

Not SBR again, but I found some very cool “How to Draw” books for kids that show step by step how to draw animals and monsters. A very cool gift for a very cool kid I know. And now when DH sees the Mike’s receipt, I can just say, “Oh, I went there for a birthday gift.” Mmm-hmmm…don’t try and pretend you don’t pull that one too!

Onward to Target so check out the scrapbook sec….er, um…for more birthday shopping. I did get some great deals on toys but that’s not what you want to hear about, I know! My Tarjay is notoriously behind the curve on getting new things so I wasn’t feeling hopeful. But they did finally put out some of the new Making Memories Noteworthy, 5th Avenue and Animal Crackers that everyone has been talking about. They had almost the entire 5th Avenue line this time, but I only got the Clear Tags and Shapes. I already have most of the line from ALL MOMENTS REMEMBERED online store; it was part of their monthly kit which you can sign up for HERE. Target also had some Disney Jolee’s I hadn’t seen before, so I got the castle one. I was happy to find a pack of MM Noteworthy. I already have many of their papers but I hadn’t seen the felt flowers, die cut shapes or flower stickers. It was $8…not a screamin good price but doable considering you get 2 of the shaped papers, and some embellies along with the regular 12×12 paper. One thing I noticed at my Target is the majority of kits they had that were newer lines were in 8×8. Wazzup with that noise? I know its cool to have once in a while, but don’t most of us still scrap the majority of the time in 12×12? I was bummed to see that. Finally, they had some of the POP CULTURE line from KI MEMORIES. I already have some random papers and the alpha, so I just got the Gel Candy epoxy stickers. They had a Pop Culture theme set but I added up the cost of each of the pieces (isn’t it sad that I know how much everything costs individually??), and it wasn’t a good deal. If I remember right, the pack cost $9.99 and the items individually would’ve been $9-10 anyway. There were a few papers I wouldn’t use so it wouldn’t be a bargain for me. Besides, I’m always disappointed when a big box like Target can’t offer a price that AT LEAST beats what I’d pay at the LSS for separate items. I mean, c’mon! I thought you guys had “buying power” and “bought in bulk” and would “save us money.” I thought that in exchange for you guys putting all of our LSS’s out of business and taking away our buying freedom, you were supposed to give us great prices on the FEW new items you do actually carry. Pony up, dudes…

Speaking of good deals, I did find some cute things in the Dollar Spot…a paper pack with soft pretty colors called Wedding. It includes printed, foiled and embossed papers, $1 for 8 sheets of 12×12 so not bad. And a line of embellies called Vacation that were really cute and bright and versatile, so I got the epoxy letters, epoxy stickers, and glitter tags.

Anyway, here’s a pic of my haul for the day…

Oh! What was that?!?! You’re asking if that’s a FISKARS THREADING WATER PUNCH in my swag photo?? Why, yes, that does seem to be what it is. I am apparently one of the lucky few to find one of these sizzlin hots at Target. The rumor is that each store gets one at a time, so when one sells, they order and wait for another. I was happy to take their “one” off their hands, as I have a friend who’s been craving one ever since she saw mine (I posted about it HERE). So I’m sorry, I know you want my punch, but please don’t send me chocolate or scrap supplies trying to bribe me into sending it your way…well, second thought…send the chocolate. I’ll think about it and get back to you…

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