Price vs. Value?

Wow, Michaels and Joanne Fabrics has those really great deals on getting stuff for 30-40% off and if compared to some scrapbooking stores, it's a HUGE savings. BUT WAIT!!! Have you ever tired asking those staff members for help? They have no idea what you're talking about and if they do, they aren't very helpful. If you go to a scrappin' store, they have the products available for you to use in their crop rooms before you make a long term commitment in purchasing that big ticket die cutter. If you do decide to buy the cutter, they are so helpful with tips and advice that you won't find written in any owner's manual and they also keep you informed on new ideas of using your purchase. Please keep this in mind when buying stuff on discount from craft companies. Let's keep scrapbooking store thriving buy purchasing from them- in the long run, you'll save money because you'll be getting the most out of your product!

We're going to San Diego's Scrap Expo!!!

This friday is the San Diego Scrap Expo! Can't wait to share all the new products and ideas with everyone!

Using what I bought!

After visiting 14 plus scrapbook stores, I was bound to buy a few things here and there- mostly pattern paper, sticker sheets and a couple of inkpads. Toward the end of the Shop Hop adventure, I realized just few stores sold Sizzix and Quickcut dies. So I started to buy 1-2 at each store that carried them. They have helped me to become creative again, not just thru scrapin' but also with card making. I went to 2 birthday parties and made gift cards using my sizzix dies! The cards looked great, now I just need to work on my writing. I also added (quickcut) flip flops and sea shells to a make-n-take mini album I recieved at one of the stores. I also finished off the owl and mini album with my new chalk inkpads, not sure if you can see them, but it looks cool!

Clear Paint Bucket- Pirate

Since it's Pirate Season at the scrapbook stores and I had some left over paper from my mini album, I made a "Family Archival Fund Bucket" (this is where I stash my dollars for scrapbooking)! I used ribbon and clothesline string which I chalked with "Color Box fluid Chalk inkpad" (my new favorite product & it's made in the USA)! I made the keys and locks with a Sizzix Die-cut that I bought on clearence. The bling on the skeleton is from a packet various sizes that "Me & My Big Ideas" sells.

Mini Album Pirate 2

This album was made by using 6x6" cardboard and key rings. Scraparazzi Scrapbooks had a simiular album for where I originally got the idea. I changed the layout and added my own embellishments. I found the coin ribbons at Walmart.

Day 3: Part 2 of the Orange County Stores

Eddie and the boys joined me in my Scrappin' Adventures! We started at Scrapbooking Heaven, a slightly hidden store with assorted supplies. They had the cutest card ideas I've seen, luckily they have classes to teach us how to make them.






We traveled a few miles south to The Scrapbook Garden. This fairly new store just opened a few months back and is well organized and just received a new shipment of halloween clear stamps that I haven't seen any of the other stores carry! The stores mascot is just as friendly as the staff and loves being petted!





Once Upon a Memory (19060 Brookhurst St, Huntington Beach, 92646 714-965-0088) is such a great store, the customers volunteer to work there which means they are keen on all the new products and love helping new customers around the store. One of the volunteers was very much in the Pirates theme and they gave me a gift as well as a make-n-take that you could actually work on in the store. This was great because I was able to relax and really taken the atmosphere of the store. They even gave out bottled water!






Oh Scrap! became the last store on my list since my boys were bored of being in the car and driving around. So before they made me "walk the plank" I gave in and voted we return home. This store was filled with stickers and bling! Bling are the newest gems accessorizing pages and cards. This store also offered classes for beginners and the lates were so clean and simple, great for beginners!

Day 2: Monrovia Area

Ed and the boys joined me on today adventure tour!

Our first stop was at Pages from the Heart, while this store is small, it does have plenty of new products. One of the staff members was nice enough to take a picture of me at the store!



The next store we anchored at was Stap n' Yap. This store had a dinosaur quickcutz that I was looking for and a lot of other quickcutz that I had not seen at another store.

This is the shortest of the tours because there isn't too many stores out in this direction.

A Pirate's Life for Me! Day 1: aug 8, 2008

Months before this day arrived, I had recieved my socal shop hop passport, sponsored by Scrapbooking Roads. (You can find the list of all the stores participating on their website.) I'm only posting the stores I've attended and how I view them as a customer. Carmen joined me on my scrapbooking adventure (and thank goodness, since she was better at directions than the mapquest I downloaded.)


Our fisrt stop was at my new home store, (long story)Scraparazzi (located at 6738 Bright Ave, Whittier, CA 90601 (562) 907-0083). This store welcomed us with such excitement, it made a perfect begining to our road trip! I like the way they have kits made of paper and stickers that match perfectly with themes. This makes it easy to work on a project and have everything you need already together.


Next, we headed down to Strickly Scrapbooking The staff member stamped my passport for their store and for the other stores that are no longer participating. So that was nice of her.

Then, we "sailed" further east to Scrappin' in the Hills, where Carmen discovered a hidden treasure map! We we returned it in for our prize which was a cute summer seashell card make'n'take. We've took classes at this store about four years ago and they still had my information on their system! Comparing the price of several stamps, and other products, this store was least expensive and they also had great sales!

We continued our voyage north Imperial Hwy to The Scrappin' Table. The stores were just minutes from each other with very friendly staff! The host gave us cupcakes with the cutest skeleton ever and they had a huge scrap station area! This store just opened in December '07 and they have a lot of new products and ideas to share.