This is part of a series about the scrapbooking booths I visited at CHA 2016. If you’d like to see all the posts in the series, please click HERE.
Next on the agenda was the American Crafts … area. I can’t even say booth because there was so much area covered.
I saw Amy Tangerine and Shimelle at the American Crafts booths but didn’t see Lizzy Karcher (aka Dear Lizzy). However, I saw her in some CHA videos so she was there, I must’ve just had bad timing.
I didn’t talk to Amy this time, as she was busy chatting.
I did briefly speak with Shimelle. I told her welcome back, that she was missed, and that all the scrapbooking peeps are happy about her new line and the return of Glitter Girl! She said even though it seemed like she was gone for a while, she actually hadn’t missed any shows and continued to release her products on schedule. Wow, she’s amazing!
When I asked if I could take a photo in front of her new line, she grabbed the basket. I had to make sure and get her sweet silver shoes in the photo too :)
Okay, for the rest of these photos, you’re on your own. There’s SO much goodness. I can’t even.
PINK PAISLEE
PEBBLES
You can see all the new lines from American Crafts on their site HERE.
We all have our favorite scrapbooking companies and although Pebbles Inc. isn’t usually one of mine – though their stuff is always super cute! – their new line called “Fun in the Sun” is definitely going on my Pinterest Wish List <3
Must have those Thickers.
And puffy stickers.
And enamel dots. Oh, those colors!
We have a swimming pool and this line is completely perfect for all those colors – turquoise, orange, yellow, green – that constantly show up my photos from the pool water, swim trunks, pool toys, etc. I can use the beachy and barbecue images, too. As always with Pebbles, the style is fresh and clean.
What do you think – any interest in “Fun in the Sun” by Pebbles Inc.?
I know you love Thickers so I wanted to make sure you know that Scrapbook Steals has them on sale today! Check it out here.
If I didn’t already own 4,698 packs of Thickers (okay, that’s an exaggeration. kind of), I’d get these:
and these – so cute!
How do you store your Thickers? I keep mine on their sides in a bin. Or bins. Whatever I feel like admitting to at the moment.
If you don’t have a good system yet, check out the storage created by American Crafts, which is all 25% off today:
After seeing the video on their site, I’m considering switching to this binder system. It would be so much easier to take to crops and retreats. And would look pretty on my shelf, which is an important consideration, don’t you agree?
If you’re interested, get a move on. Sale expires in 8 hours and things are already selling out!
A sports season recently came to an end and, for being team mom, I was lucky enough to receive a beautiful card, a bottle of wine, and a Michaels $25 gift card. However did they know that I would enjoy a Mike’s spending spree!?!?
{Uh, maybe because I was the only obsessive picture taker all season who would drift away in the middle of conversations saying, “‘Scuse me I gotta’ get this shot …”}
So I drank the bottle of wine and went to Michaels.
JUST kidding! Sheesh. Give me a little credit. My Gawd.
.
.
.
I shopped first THEN drank the bottle of wine. Duh.
It was nice to go to Michaels for once when I wasn’t trying to pinch my pennies so hard they screamed for mercy. I felt kind of like the Real Housewife of Scrapbook County, leisurely strolling the aisles in my Jimmy Choos (okay, Reef flip-flops), carrying my Birkin bag (okay, Target $20 purse), with my long blonde straw-like hair extensions flowing behind me (okay, that part is true).
But I really did feel kinda’ reckless, like I could have a little bit of fun – instead of my usual M/O of finding one item to use my 40% coupon for and leaving within 5 minutes.
So here is my Michaels scrapbook haul – and despite being Real-Housewife-Rich, I did get some great deals anyway:
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GCD and Sticko alphas, both really cute for kid pages. Both styles were on sale for $1.49/pack.
I feel compelled to buy 2 of every alpha now because I’m so tired of running out of S, T, and vowels before I’m done with a pack.
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Okay, I admit I’m obsessed with these MAMBI pocket page cards. It’s only gotten worse since I wrote THIS POST. Many of my aforementioned “one item with a coupon” Mike’s trips have been to get these packs. But I’m done now. I officially have every single pack that I want. I think. Yeah. I’m pretty sure. Maybe.
NO REALLY. I’M DONE. FER SHURE. LIKE.
So they retail for $4.99 a pack. The sign said 50% off so I grabbed the remaining 3 packs I wanted to complete my ‘set’ for $7.50 instead of $15 … SCORE! However, when I got to the register and asked to make sure they rang up for $2.50 each, I was informed that what the sign ACTUALLY said was “Buy 1, get 1 50% off.” Uh der. Make that $12.50 total, oops. Oh well, I’m a Real Housewife, what do I care?
I thought about returning one and using a coupon on it later. But then I figured I’ll just keep it and not have to worry about remembering what pack I still need, etc. Done. See? I really mean it. {I think}.
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Thickers chipboard alpha in a cute map print
I was able to ring these up separately with a 40% off coupon so they were $3.23. Here’s what’s funny. I noticed when I was taking the photo that they are in the totally wrong package! Did you catch that? Weird. Whatevs. That doesn’t make me love them any less.
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To round up the scrappy portion of my haul …
Bazzill kraft cardstock – On sale for 47 cents a sheet x 10 sheets = $4.70. In retrospect, since I was Real Housewives rich, I should’ve gotten more. I lurve kraft cardstock. I used it a lot for my base pages. It’s like a good pair of jeans – it goes with everything.
Then from the home dec section, I got a yummy candle and cute vase with fake flowers for my home office/scrap room.
These blue-y greens are my absolute favorite colors and the bottle/vase is so “me”. Not in a Real Housewife sort of way but in my poor country girl kind of way. The flowers have bling in the center of each one but I may need to thin them out a bit, do you think? The candle is Ocean scented.
Vase $3.99 on sale
Candle $3.99 on sale
Flowers $6.99 minus 40% coupon = $4.19
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Grand total $48.10
Minus gift card $25.00
Total paid $30.10
I was on a shopping high for quite a while from this trip! And I’ve already volunteered to be Team Mom again next season ;)
What are your latest Michaels finds? Or if you’re brave enough to share, what did you spend on your last scrapbook haul? Really you can tell us! Real Housewives never tell …
As of this writing, sightings have been made in Texas and Tennessee. {Oh snap! I’m in California}.
Huggy Bear also told me that Target is getting HERO ARTS stamps. I’m not allowed to buy stamps anymore but, hey, good news for those of you who can! It’s called DECORATE IT!
None of this stuff is on the Target WEBSITE so I’ll believe it when I see it . . . in person. If you can verify this rumor, please submit a report below IMMEDIATELY! Your fellow scrappers are depending on you.
The [DECORATE IT!] products are gradually being stocked in Target stores across the country all this week, so keep your eye out for them in a store near you! (If you are an online shopper, the new line will be available at Target.com in a few weeks.)
So . . . YAY!! Even if my lame Target doesn’t carry the line, I’ll be able to get it online.
I went to BEVERLY’s CRAFTS the other day and did a lil’ shopping …
The 8 papers on the left were in the bargain bin, 3 for $1. I paid full price for the ECHO PARK birthday paper. I like how you can cut it apart and make use of it on several pages. I used a 40% off coupon on the burlap Thickers … so stinkin’ cute.
Left the store for about $7. Just enough shopping therapy to make my day :) What’s the last good deal you got?
I’ve been hearing lately about how – surprisingly – discount department store TJ MAXX sometimes has scrapbook supplies in stock. We just got one of these stores in our area so I thought I’d check it out.
Figuring the scrap stuff would be in the home decor section, I headed to the back of the store. Okay, I may have been distracted for a bit by the shoe section … and the yummy-smelling-lotion section. But I soon got back on track ;)
Alas, there were no scrapbook supplies to be found. There were cards, art supplies, picture frames, and photo albums … so I figured I was in the right place … just out of luck. I did some clothes shopping for the kids and went to check out.
And wouldn’t you know: In the cattle chute where you wait for “the next available cashier” … they had scrapbook supplies! There wasn’t a huge selection but I did pick up some “Dear Lizzy” embellishments and some Thickers by AMERICAN CRAFTS. The prices were great so I’ll definitely check out TJ Maxx in the future for scrapbook supplies.
I wanted to let you know so if you think your TJ Maxx doesn’t carry scrapbook supplies … make sure to check the cattle chute :)
Yeah, I’m biased but you gotta’ admit MEMORY WORKS is going to have some slammin’ deals during their Black Friday Blowout Event. ***Everything below applies to Thursday 11/24/11 and Friday 11/25/11***
HERE is my Memory Works website if I can help you order. THIS is a link to the special section of Memory Works called “Black Friday Specials”. I’m always available for questions, too. No, I mean ALWAYS … 24/7 … 365 … even the Thanksgiving holiday, sista. ‘Cuz I know how seriously you take your scrapbook shopping.
We have that in common, you and I ;)
I’m picking up the THICKERS deal for sure. {10 packs for only $20!!!} Yes, I have 4 zillion Thickers but why wouldn’t I buy more when they’re only $2 per pack AND I get a free SIMPLE STORIES gift with purchase? It’s a no brainer, people. Actually with my consultant discount, they’re only going to cost me $1.60 per pack or 68% off, hollah!!!
Other deals:
~ MY MINDS EYE “Lost and Found” mega pack (32 double-sided sheets with assorted embellishments), a $65 value for only $20
~ My Minds Eye “O Christmas Tree” paper pad (54 cardstock glitter sheets), a $20 value for only $14
~ ALL Memory Works “Trend Essentials” are 20% off (these are ‘latest and greatest’ products you can find HERE)
~Select Memory Works Express kits for 50% off (these are the monthly kits and are packed with goodies; you can see them HERE)
*Please note that if you’re clicking the above Memory Works links any time OTHER THAN Thanksgiving Thursday {11/24/11} and Black Friday {11/25/11}, the pages aren’t going to reflect the special deals ~ thanks, mwuh mwuh!
Okay, now tell me what you’re looking for on this fine Black Friday and what other great deals you’ve seen out there.
Pssst! Word on the street (and by that I mean “scrapbook message boards”) is that MICHAELS now carries the ever-so-popular COPIC markers!
While you can apparently get them for a cheaper price at some online stores, at Michaels you can (at least at this point) use a 40% coupon not to mention the instant gratification. Plus you don’t have that pesky shipping charge. {I notice they have some Copic tips on their website HERE}.
I don’t know nuthin’ about Copics myself. I’m not a cardmaker (oh, the cards I’ve attempted are just dreadful … you should see them … a crime against humanity, I tell ya’).
I’m just a scrapper. Who tries to avoid getting hooked on new things like Copics which anyone can plainly see are a slippery slope of wanting more and more in every color then needing a place to store them and a book to record all your colors and … PHEW! Before you know it, they’ve taken over your life and Copics are all you can think about. Mmmmm … pretty colors …
“Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”
It’s just something I’ve purposely tried to avoid. See, the thing is, okay, well, erm … confession time:
My name is Erika and I’ve been addicted to Stickles.
My name is Erika and I’ve been addicted to acrylic stamps.
My name is Erika and I’ve been addicted to paper stacks.
My name is Erika and I *AM* addicted to Basic Grey …
… and October Afternoon
… and Simple Stories
… and THICKERS {Lordy, lordy, Thickers, why can’t I QUIT ya’???}
So. I am trying to be older and wiser here with the Copics. I’m trying to be all Maya Angelou and say, “When you know better, you do better.” Well, I know I have Scrap-Addictive Personality Disorder so the last thing I need to do is latch on to another new thang like these here Copics.
But for the rest of ya’alls?? Pssst … word on the street is that Michaels now sells Copics … ;)
Word on the street is that BIG LOTS has THICKERS again. I found them the other day, along with a few other cool things.
This is a Basic Grey’s “Do Me a Favor” favor boxes from the Eskimo Kisses line.
Here’s the “official” product photo which shows what’s on the other side of the package, with the favors this kit makes. It retails for about $7 and I got for $1 … that’ll work.
I don’t plan to make favor boxes ~ have no use for them ~ but I figured for a buck, I could use just the flower, heart, and journaling box punch-outs in my scrapbooking.
Here is a varsity-style sticker alpha by American Crafts. You could use these on sports, cheerleading, or high school pages. Again, you can’t go wrong for $1, right?
Ah, the target of my search: THICKERS! They were $2 a pack vs. the usual $4-5. That’s why I love stocking up at Big Lots on my favorite alphabet stickers. I decided to get more than one pack of the black font since it’s so cute and different yet versatile.
Don’t ask me what I’m going to do with a whole set of green glitter NUMBERS because I have no flippin’ idea … but but but … I got caught up in the Thickers Frenzy and just grabbed one of each that they had. Without thinking. Or using any discernment or judgment. Or common sense.
Ah, what the hell. It was only 2 bucks.
Here’s some darling Dear Lizzy and KI Memories chipboard stickers. Now that the rain has finally stopped and the sun is out, I’m itching to use these spring-y and summer-y colors.
All this writing about Big Lots finds reminded me that I’ve never shown you pics from my last shopping trip there a few weeks ago.
I just can’t get over their prices. I don’t care that this stuff is “so last year” or whatever. I enjoy seeing what the trends are but they don’t impact my scrapping one iota. If I like something and it’s cute, I use it. So I’m going to have fun with this “old” stuff.
I bought the “Woodhaven” paper pack because it’s such a good match to the colors in my scrapbook area. I’m thinking of either framing some of the pretty papers as is, or framing some layouts made with them.
I also found these storage cubes made of fabric that uses similar colors.
Here is one of the papers held up next to the bins on my shelves. The colors aren’t an exact match but they’ll do. And I love the birdie designs … so pretty.
So that’s my last two trips to Big Lots. I think my favorite finds are the Woodhaven papers and the Thickers, of course.
The new MEMORY WORKS catalogs came out recently and I needed to order some. What a perfect excuse to “not let that shipping cost go to waste” and buy some scrapbook pretties for myself.
Here’s everything fresh out of the box.
From left to right …
Memory Works 2010 Fall Catalog: I love how they featured SIMPLE STORIES on the cover. It has been a big seller so, as a Memory Works Consultant, I appreciate it being featured so prominently.
FANCY PANTS “TRADITIONS” RUB-ONS: I have to admit I pretty much bought these because of the blue bird holding the ornament. I just couldn’t resist that image for some reason.
AMERICAN CRAFTS CARDSTOCK SWATCH BOOK: Memory Works used to sell only Prism cardstock, then made the switch to American Crafts CARDSTOCK. I think it’s been a good switch. The AC cardstock is thicker and has that great linen texture like BAZZILL. I also like the wide ranging color choices we have, and all the packs of mixed or single colors.
AMERICAN CRAFTS “ROBIN EGG” THICKERS: These are chipboard and super cute with the tiny white polka dots on them. They’ll be great for spring or Easter layouts.
RANGER “GLOSSY ACCENTS”: I love using this on embellishments to “bring them to the next level.” They make everything look so much more special, kwim? Like on my recent “Wicked” layout … I painted some naked chipboard Thickers with black acrylic paint but then they looked so flat. Put on some Glossy Accents and ~ VOILA!~ lookin’ good!
{Forgive the wavy look, LOL! I took the pic while the letters were drying. Once they were dry, I tacked that ribbon down to the page with sticky tape :)}
So that’s my latest Memory Works haul. If you’d like to purchase any of these items or check all the other scrapbook eye candy we carry, just check out MY WEBSITE and let me know if you have any questions. You can leave a comment here, or e-mail me: scrapbookobsession(at)gmail(dot)com. Have a great week!
Yep, I was in BEVERLY’S CRAFTS the other day, turned the corner into the letter sticker aisle, and saw this sign shining at me like a beacon in the night. Suh-weet!
For your viewing pleasure, here are some iPhone photos of all the Thickers that were available at my store …
Here are the packs I bought …
These are for a prizes for an online crop … I don’t usually do the glitter ones myself, but these turquoise ones are so pretty and sparkly! Photos don’t do them justice, do they? The pink and bluish-grey ones were new to me; they have a pearlized surface to them. Very purdy.
These are all MINE, MINE, MINE!
The two black sets are foiled chipboard so they have a subtle shine to them. I love the round font on the right – it’s great for kid and school pages.
The green ones in the aren’t my favorite font ever, but they’re such a pretty shade of green and they are FLOCKED. Super cute.
I think I have the Letterman Thickers in almost every color now. They are AWESOME for sports pages; also for school layouts.
This store usually charges $5 pack so it felt good to get 8 packs for $20 instead of $40. HOLLAH!
I was in ROSS that day, too. {What? It’s not my fault … It’s right next door! My feet just walked me over there against my will …}
They had lots of paper packs at decent prices … there’s some KI MEMORIES in there …
Here’s some Best Occasions, which is the brand Walmart sells, and some MY MINDS EYE “BOHEMIA” if you missed out on the Bohemia stack at Costco a long time back. It is gorgeous and versatile paper. I still use it quite a bit.
I thought this one was really pretty … love the spring and summer colors.
You’ll be surprised to hear this, but I was a Good Girl and didn’t buy any of these. Tempting, though. Very tempting.
Have I tempted you to check out Beverly’s or Ross? Ha.
Okay, yesterdayMEMORY WORKS posted more news about the Simple Stories “Life Documented” line ~ yahoo! I am SO using this for my PROJECT 365! And probably lots of other stuff, too! It is super great looking, the price sounds right, and I love all the features of it.
I’m so stinkin’ excited! I love the celery green album and how the products match with it (although there will be other album colors to choose from, or you can use one you already have or buy elsewhere). Love that the price is only $16.99 for 180 pieces of scrappy goodness. Love that they have married this line with the We R Memory Keepers scrapbook albums and pocket page protectors, with all their various configurations.
{Here is one sneek…there are more over there…}
There are also answers to some of our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)…
So go check out the Simple Stories SITE if you have a chance. You won’t be disappointed. And remember, they’re giving away a free kit every week until the launch if you post Simple Stories / Life Documented links or blinkies on blogs, Facebook, message boards, Twitter, etc. I’m going to enter each week and hope I win one :)
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On a different note…but I had to share… THIS Pea said there are Thickers for
69 CENTS
at Tuesday Morning!!! Along with other scrappy stuff, and even more coming after Christmas. See, Scrap Santa is out there and he has your back. Let us know if you find any Thickers or other stuff at your Tuesday AM, k?
Scrapbook product salivating aside, I want to wish you a Very Merry Christmas. Please be safe, happy, and well. Enjoy your families and food and all of life’s blessings.
I’m slowly making progress on the big overhaul of my scrapbook room. If you’re not caught up, you can read the PROLOGUE and PART ONE, if you like :) But the Prologue is important reading; it’s where I tell you what happens if you make a smart ass comment about how much crap….erm, STUFF I have. Yes, I have a lot of paper. No, you can’t shop here. Yes, I have a life. Blah blah blah….
So, I’ve done lots of furniture moving. This is going to take awhile, so get comfy…
1. Unloaded everything from the desk – underneath, off the top, and in the drawers – and moved it about 2 feet closer to the sliding glass door. I didn’t repack the office supply and computer-related stuff I had in the desk cupboards; need to find a new home for all that. It’s in a pile here somewhere…
2. Unloaded all the DVDs, videos, and board games from the oak cabinet and moved them into a cabinet in the guest room/new play room. Moved a bunch of toys that were along the wall into the new play room. Moved the oak cabinet to the wall where the toys had been. Moved the Scrap Rack to the oak cabinet (temporarily, I think…). Moved office supplies, and office machines (fax machine, transcription machine, etc.) from guest room to bottom of oak cabinet (where movies and games had been). This cabinet is going to be Office Stuff Central…unless I change my mind.
3. Emptied out the legal filing cabinet, moved it from a back wall to align with one edge of the L-shaped desk, and refilled it with the same stuff I had in there before, which are greeting cards, school supplies, and more home office stuff. I gathered scrap magazines and idea books from various places around the house and piled ’em up.
As you can see, it’s time to purge these again. I usually do this about once a year but, yeah, it’s been awhile. A friend that I scrap with recently finished her project of pulling pages and ideas from her magazines and organizing them into page protectors in a binder. I’m so jealous….it was great! So I’m deciding now if I have the time, patience, and devotion to do the same thing. Purge or make “the perfect idea binder,” THAT is the question.
As for all those idea books….I don’t think I’ve EVER gotten rid of an idea book. Something about throwing away a book that I paid $15 to $40 for is much harder than a $5 magazine. But I should look through all my idea books and maybe toss some older ones. I’ll bet I don’t even “scrap like that anymore” for some of them, huh?
4. Moved the table that I’d been using for scrappy stuff (okay, to dump things on…) over to the area by the storage cubes. This will be the famous Homework Table.
5. Moved the couch and coffee table from in front of the desk to behind the desk by the back window. The original plan was to put it flush against the wall and lined up directly under the window (I’m all about symmetry, baby!). But once I got it there, the couch seemed kind of squished over into the corner and the coffee table was somewhat blocking the walkway to the back part of the room. So I tried the couch at an angle, and I liked it. Bonus: It creates a hidey space behind it for ugly stuff, lol. And I felt so “HGTV” about it, too.
6. Unloaded just about everything from 10 Store in Style cubes (see couch pic above), moved the cubes to the opposite end of the room, and reloaded them pretty much the same way. The SIS cubes are now on the wall that the oak TV cabinet used to be on. This is the area I talked about where I have to keep a walkway to get to the slider, so the cubes are a good thing to put here. They fit nicely and I can stack more on top someday if need be (God forbid!).
I first thought about configuring them like this, with a kind of “turn the corner” at one end….
…but decided not to. The positives were that it would be a little different-looking, and it would create a handy little empty space back there in the corner to store crop totes or something. But the negatives were that it made the walking path a bit too slim, and put the cubes right next to the cord for the blinds. And when I put embellishment jars on top of the one by the door, they would block the light switch. No super big deal, but I just decided to go with putting them all flush against the wall, like this…
All this furniture moving happened way back on 9/10 (it’s now 9/27!), so when I say “making slow progress,” I’m not exaggerating. It took me awhile to remember and write all this down, the order I did things in. It was quite the feat of engineering to move things AROUND the room while still having everything IN the room. I apologize for any dark photos but most of my madness occurs late at night after everyone has gone to bed. Man, you should’ve seen the wide eyes of my husband and kids when they came out the morning after all this! They were like, “You moved ALL that by yourself!?!? The couch???” and I’m all, like, “Desperate organizers take desperate measures.” (Like, totally…I did all that “like” stuff just to annoy you). Then the daytime photos are overly bright because of the sun coming in all the windows, so I can’t win, lol.
Once the furniture was in place, I’ve just been slowly putting things away, whether within this room or the other parts of the house where they belong, and below is what the room looks like as of today.
Down there is the new back half of the room, with my cool slanty couch, and my corner of chaos. The couch was my dad’s before he passed away so it’s sentimental. Luckily, it’s also functional so I have an excuse to keep it always and forever. That big tub is all the paperwork from my two scrapbook businesses, MEMORY WORKS and Calla Memories. I can get rid of most of it. I just need to go through it and save some paperwork for tax records and such.
The white shelving unit has all my mini album stuff – supplies and some completed albums – but I want to get rid of that shelf and find another way to store my mini album kingdom. That’s actually a shoe shelf so I’m hoping to then move it into my closet and use for, oh, I don’t know…..SHOES???
The basket on top of the white shelves contains letter stickers, which were all nicely sorted by color at one time, and easy to thumb through when I scrapped. Then….I discovered THICKERS. Dun dun dun dunnnnnnnn! I use Thickers lots and I buy Thickers lots. I have a Thicker addiction and I hope there ain’t no cure! But, yeah, I need to go through that basket and purge some old alphas I’ll never use. Like the first major set I bought oh so many years ago, of punch out alphas (I think they were by COLORBOK) in every color and pattern known to man (including plaid and leopard!), in a bubble font, a lollipop font, etc. Eek. Perfect for the kids to use on school projects but NOT for my scrapbooks).
The black boxes are POWER SORT BOXES from CREATIVE MEMORIES and that’s where most of my printed photos are. But photo and memorabilia organization is an ever-changing and never-ending project/battle for me. I’m not even gonna’ GO there right now. The white cubes they’re in are ITSO brand from TARGET. As you can see, I had more photo boxes than Itso cubes, so I bought another Itso from Target when they were on sale recently. (If I remember right, I paid $12 instead of $20). You can see it on my desk in the next photo.
Below is my mess of a desk, and my flooded floor (flooded with scrap crap, that is). There’s the new Itso cube, and one of my new 3-drawerJET MAX cubes. Actually, “new” is relative since I’ve collected 3 of these units over time from MICHAELS using 50% off coupons. I’ve just never put them together, knowing I had this big re-org project coming up. Recently I assembled one and, man, are they a pain in the asset! Don’t get me started. If you’ve put these together, you know what I mean. (I feel sorry for THIS poor scrapper!) I’m dreading the assembly of the remaining 2 but I shall do it, I shall.
I’ve done a little more work on the Wall of Cubes and this is how they look as of now…
The cubes themselves were already pretty organized before I started this crazy project, as they contain the staples of my scrapbook world: Bazzill cardstock sorted by color, die cut/shaped papers, extra page protectors, scrapbook projects, etc. Most of the vertical files by CROPPER HOPPER are sorted by manufacturer and include patterned paper and all embellishments from that company. They could use some tidying but for the most part, the vertical files are good as they are. The gingerbread jars on top, however, are another story. When I first got them way back when on Craigslist (read about it HERE), I had them organized pretty well, but over time I lost control and just started throwing new things in with no rhyme or reason. I’m going to do a post soon about using 2 of the jars for my chipboard letters. There’s one full of flowers, and the rest I plan to use for random embellishments by color. I also put my ribbon jars back on my cubes…ribbons are sorted by color. I love my cubes and jars…they’re my favorite part of my scrapbook room. Can’t wait til I get this part totally done! My pretties, LOL…
So, that’s where I’m at for now. Thanks for sticking with me. I promise I’ll get done eventually, but real life has to come first, so it’ll continue to be slow progress. But progress is progress, right?
It’s pretty funny that this comes on the heels of my POST about how I have so much scrap stuff that I feel defensive of it, LOL!
But I truly was overdue in placing a Memory Works order; I haven’t done one since July 15, when I got that MEGA KIT from My Minds Eye for myself, and filled two customer orders. In the meantime, I’ve gotten several product credits for signing up new consultants (both hobbyists and “premium” consultants….thanks so much ladies!) that have been burning a hole in my virtual shopping cart. I’ve been restraining myself from using them as I watched all the new stuff from CHA Summer come in. But most of it is here now, and if I wait too long, the things I want will be gonzo. {The only thing I’m still waiting for are the new THICKERS}. Today, I received a customer order so the time had come to place an actual order instead of just dreaming about it, lol. Besides, I NEED STOCK!
I thought I’d share what one of my orders looks like. Back when I was going gangbusters with MEMORY WORKS (last year, before the economy tanked), I would make $100+ orders like this about once every month or two. If you figure that as an MW CONSULTANT, I get 20% of the retail amount of each order, you can see I was making some pretty nice bank. I mean, I was never no Lisa “QVC” Bearnson, but I was doing okay :)
However, those were the good ol’ days, and placing an order like this now literally makes my hands shake. I’ve got about half of the cost covered already with product credits and the customer order. But the rest is just cash I’m laying out there, hoping to sell these products to friends and at crops, and recoup my money with a little bit of profit. Or if I can sell 80% of it, then the 20% that I can’t sell – and thus, it enters my own stash for good – can be considered my “profit.” That’s why I only buy products that I love and would use myself….because if I can’t sell them, they become mine. Mines, all mines! Yeah, break my heart, why don’t you? Force me to take all these ugly scrap supplies that no one wants.
Okay, on to the order. This is gonna be pic heavy, so get ready to scroll, especially you Laptoppers like me….
1 BasicGrey: Take Note – Eerie $5.00
****** From here down to We R MK stamps and then the white Thickers, these are items on Fall Clearance so the prices are great; a good time to stock up! ******
1 Scrap Within Reach: Journaling Tags – Paper Boy $1.20
1 Three Bugs: Die-cut Tags – To the Rescue $2.00
Okay, first I have to comment on some of these items…
Basic Grey “Lime Rickey” blue chip stickers – Love! How did I never notice those before?
Jenni Bowlin brown label stickers – Did you notice I ordered two? Mama wants her own set. Not. For. Sale.
We R Memory Keepers clear stamps – Only 80 stinkin’ cents. I mean, that’s a no-brainer, right? I got one to sell, one to keep.
7 Gypsies “Victoria” Theme set – Remember that from HERE? Yeah, I caved and bought it. Those papers are sooooo pretty! But here’s the deal I made with the scrapbook goddesses: I’m going to set that paper free, and offer it for sale to customers. If it flies to someone else, it was never mine to begin with. If it returns to me, it was mine all along…
Pink Paislee “Amber Road” theme set – I drooled over it HERE. I finally ordered some. I’m going to set it free also. And hope that it comes back….
As you can probably tell from the things I ordered, I have customers with boys, public safety customers, and customers who have surfers in their family (we do live by the coast, after all). You can also see that I like to order products based on the seasons on either side of us at any given time, because that’s what people are scrapping now or preparing to scrap for. Right now, that would be 4th of July and 9/11, summer, back to school, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Alphas and journaling items are always big sellers. It’s all a balancing act, placing an order, because I have to stay within my budget, fill customer orders, and choose other items based on what I think customers will like, taking into consideration the seasons, and what hobbies and interests my regular customers have. Also, I try to keep in mind the tastes of my friends. For instance, there were about 5 different Halloween sets I chose from and I went with one that has a more “distress-y” look because, in my experience, in my crowd, that sells over the real bold, bright look.
Now, don’t you wish you were a Memory Works consultant?!? LOL I don’t know if that was interesting at all, but I thought if nothing else, you’d enjoy looking at the pretty pictures. “I do NOT have scrapbooker’s A.D.D. …. Ooooh, look sparklies!!” Yeah, I got your number, sister. Holla!
I placed this order online late Tuesday night, and got an instant order receipt in my e-mail. Then Wednesday morning around 11, I got a UPS shipping notification that 2 boxes were on the way to me ALREADY! That’s one thing I *lurve* about Memory Works; they ship your order within one business day of receiving it. I also signed up a friend to start receiving the monthly kit, called MEMORY WORKS EXPRESS. The September kits had already gone out, so her first kit would normally have been the October. But she asked if she could still get September, so I e-mailed Miss Fabulosity aka Jodi at MW customer service. She said to just let her know when I had registered my friend, and she would manually go in and start her in September. Voila! It was done, just as she said. I got a UPS notice that my friend’s kit has shipped, also.
Now what’s super cool is that this friend, me, and a few others are meeting up to crop this Saturday…and our Memory Works shipments are due to arrive….wait for it….wait for it…..FRIDAY!!! Just in time :) So that will be wicked cool. Sorry I keep bragging on Memory Works…I just can’t say enough good things about ’em. It was really fun to “shop” for that order, even if most of it will be sold to others (hopefully). Hope you enjoyed our shopping trip, too!
I was “oot and uh-boot” Friday evening and did some fun shopping in between the grocery shopping and getting gas drudgery. Here is a report on my adventures, as far as scrappy stuff I found….
Target: Nothing. Same old stuff they’ve had for a while. Nothing on sale. Nothing to report. Oh, except I got the new CK there.
Been chillaxin’ around the house this weekend with it, and am LOVING IT! Such a great issue, chock full of layouts and techniques, as a SCRAPBOOKING magazine should be (unlike….cough, cough….SCRAPBOOKS ETC…..traitor….cough, cough)…
Walmart: Still have a lot of stuff on Clearance. The Cricut carts for $30 each were pretty tempting but I resisted. Not that flush right now. But this is what I bought there on clearance a couple weeks ago and they still have pretty much the same stuff as when I shopped then….
Michaels: So I had two coupons in hand: a 40% off that expired that day, and a 50% off that expires Monday (which is odd, but who am I to complain?). I cruised the aisles quite a bit trying to find something coupon worthy.
There was some new (to me, at least) bling kits, the I-Top brad maker by Imaginesce, and some metal embellishments by Making Memories.
I had the metal snowflakes with bling in my hand, but put them back. Maybe another time, another coupon…
As much as I loved all these new acrylic stamps,….
… and they weren’t on sale so I could’ve gotten a set for 1/2 off, I resisted their magnetic pull with some motivating self-talk…”Just snap some quick photos for the blog. Remain objective. You do NOT like acrylic stamps. You do not NEED acrylic stamps. They hold no meaning for you. No, Erika, not even that adorable set with the butterfly. And, no, you don’t need any more alpha stamps….the 170 sets you have at home are quite enough. Okay, you took the photos, now keep walking. No, don’t pet them. ERIKA!! Hand off the pretty stamps. Good. Now walk away. Dit! Don’t look back over your shoulder. Look! Pretty bling! Let’s go over there!” See, my friends, THAT … is how it’s done.
I found this endcap full of cute, 12×12 postbound albums by Recollections (the Michaels brand).
There were some really cute styles to choose from. They were jam-packed on the shelves like 20 circus clowns in a Mini Cooper. It was hard to get a good look at them all without a struggle, pulling out the first 2 or 3 in each row to see what was behind them. {I tried to peek in the sides but there were other racks blocking my access…hmph}. Many albums that I pulled out had bent corners on either the album itself or the pages (I assume, the result of beingsotightlyshelved….poor babies couldn’t breathe…). I made sure to pick out two unbent ones :) {I get doubles to use as yearly family albums because I scrap too much to get everything into one}. As you can see, the shelf stickers said $9.99 and a sign up top said 40% off. I asked myself, “Self, does that mean they are 40% off of $10, making them a mere $6 each?” And then I answered myself with, “Oh, Self, no! That would be too good to be true. Even Michaels wouldn’t run a deal THAT good!” But I, myself, was …. WRONG! Cuz they rang up at the register as 6 bucks, baby! Did my everlovin’, deal seakin’, penny pinchin’ heart good, it did.
Right inside the front door, they had the rack that usually says “Designer Scrapbooking” but it was full of Clearance items.
From there, I got these Making Memories “Black Tie” white pearlized letter stickers for $2 marked down from $4. For full coupon maximization, I grabbed these Martha Stewart chalk inks from Clearance (for the 50% off) and some Herma tab refills (for the 40% off). However, the register wouldn’t allow the coupon to be used on the inks because they were already on sale. I said, “I thought you just couldn’t use coupons on weekly sale items, but it’s okay if they’re Clearance or Reduced or whatever?” and she thought so too, so she read the coupon. Yep, there in the teensy weensy fine print it said something like, “Not for use on previously marked down items.” Crud. Oh well, I took the inks anyway…they were still 30% off. And the 40% off coupon worked on the Herma tabs.
So, I got two 12×12 albums, Herma tab refills, a stack of chalk inks, and two sets of letter stickers for $30, which I could’ve paid for just one album. Happy me.
Big Lots: Happy? Not so much. When I first turned into the scrapbooking aisle, my eyes lit up because I immediately noticed that the inventory of Thickers had gotten much larger. Yippie skip! (HERE is where I talked about my bad luck with Thickers @ BL). But I was to be disappointed again. There were tons of the shapes ones, one pack of red felt and tons of the naked chipboard ones (which I already got last time), and that was it. They had the K&Co embellishment stickers that the Peas were talking about HERE, but none I had to have.
I thought some of you might be interested in these, so I took a pic for ya….
Great deal and very cute! I love the prints on the inside, don’t you?
Well, those were my latest shopping/window shopping adventures. What kinda scrappy stuff have you found lately at Target, Walmart, Michaels, and Big Lots? Would love to hear in Comments, and feel free to link to your blog if you’ve posted about ’em.
Well, THIS post has been going for a week at 2PEAS, about all the lucky ladies finding THICKERS letter stickers at Big Lots for only $2 a pack (they are usually $4-5). I finally made it to my new Big Lots (I wrote about when it first came to town HERE) and….remember the Soup Naz! on Seinfeld?….”No Thickers for you!” Nope, my Big Lots had none.
Rats. Double triple rats.
As one who likes to take lemons and make scrapbook lemonade, I found a few other things and did not leave Big Lots empty-handed. Here is what I found:
Some AC foam shapes, an 8.5×11 cardstock pack in pretty, muted colors, All Dressed Up adhesive ribbons by DCWV, and 2 packs of tropical colored mini brads. Also, 2 black/1 purple DCWV alphas. I got a pack of the black alphas on my last trip and have since used them on 2 projects so I got me so mo’….
Here’s what comes in the American Crafts foam shapes:
Not bad for a grand total of $14, eh? That includes a binder (not shown) that I needed for work.
But I’m still bummed about the Thickers….Hey, have you been a lucky Big Lots shopper? Tell us which Thicker packs (or anything else) you got!
Is this gorgeous, or what? This layout is by my online buddy, CHRISTINE HERTEL aka Chrispea.
Chris talks about the layout HERE. She used the new Bo Bunny line called “ABBEY ROAD“ which is SO on my wish list! I mean it was before, but it REALLY is now….because I will be scraplifting this layout in a major way. I love that color combination of green, blue, and brown, especially how she brought out the shades with the Thickers and Doodlebug letters. Those Bo Bunny swirl stickers are to die for!
I recorded two ‘shows’ today of HSN Scrapbooking and was in no hurry to watch them, as lately they’ve been kind of a bust. It’s been anything from sewing machines to Paperazzi, neither of which are on my shopping list. But after everyone settled in bed tonight, I sat down and watched the first hour and was impressed and surprised. They said all the items were new to HSN, although I had seen one of them before (btw, how can they lie like that? isn’t it false advertising of some kind?). But there were actually some rockin’ items. There were a few things by American Crafts including a paper and embellishment kit, and 2 choices of Slick Writers sets (glitter and metallic), but my favorite from AC was a Thickers set. For about $24 including shipping, you get 8 packages of chipboard Thickers, 4 alphas and 4 matching shape stickers. They were in basic colors like black, white, metallic gold and metallic silver. Around here, the Thickers alphas sell for $4 each and the shapes for $5, so the HSN deal is clearly a good one. HSN also offered the Pebbles Inc. Share and Tell system, and tons of Fancy Pants stuff…acrylic shapes and acrylic stamps. I haven’t watched the second hour yet, but I zipped through the preview at the beginning and it looked like many of the same items were re-run, plus some additional things by Fancy Pants. Again, just a pleasant surprise from HSN tonight and I thought you’d want to know, so you can add HSN Scrapbooking back into your Must See TV line-up.
I also watched Big Brother 10 and, wow, I feel so sorry for Ollie (or Ali, as Michelle calls him, LOL). I guess he was kind of silly to trust Dan completely…he should have been working some other angles in case Dan let him down. Then again, I can’t believe Dan swore on his girlfriend, his family, and the Catholic school he coaches at…and then went back on his word. That’s harsh, dude….
Well, I’m all packed for my last crop. Not that many people signed up (due to Labor Day Weekend?), so it’s not good financially because I have to pay a lot to rent the room {I’m going to see if I can sweet talk the manager, Vic, into lowering the price since my attendance is low…wish me luck}. But it will mean more scrapping time for me and I’m really looking forward to working on my School Days albums for the online class I’m taking. Hope you all have a lovely 3-day weekend and I’ll blog ya’ later…
