Scrap and Stamp Hot Spot Free Guide

http://scrapbookingroads.com/images/scrapandstamphotspots/southern%20california%20scrap%20and%20stamp%20hot%20spots.pdf

If you did the Shop Hop and enjoyed, here's a chance to do a simular one with some of the same stores and new ones in different areas!!! The cool thing about this one is that the guide is free, just click the above link and print it out. If you didn't do the shop hop but want to try it, it will be so much, don't miss out on this event!!!

Even if you opt out in doing this event, check out the guide, it has a great listing of most of the scrapbook and craft stores from santa barbara to san diego to Big Bear!!!

I did it!

I am so excited I did my 30 minute challenge and got for pages done. On Friday I was going to finish up "pimping" out my pages, but opted to help Carm with Bry's bday decor. That was a total of 4 pages or 2 layouts! YAY!!!

I also found a new product during the shop hop call "The Original Static Cling mounting foam" or ez mount, where you can remove the wood block from your stamps and replace it with ez mount foam/cling. Before mounting the stamp to the cling, i stamp the image with my staz on ink (so I can see the image), and then I mount it using the directions. Most of my stamps are from stamp it up, so new ones that i buy, I don't have to worry about removing the wood. PS: both Stamp it Up stamps and The Og Static cling foam are made here in the USA, so when you buy it, you are investing in this Country!!!

I've also decided to scrap on fridays at different shop hop and scrap stores. I noticed a lot of my old scrap tools making a come back; like the heat gun and crimper roller, I need to go thru my garage and look for them!!!

the 1/2 hour challenge!

On Monday, I decided I need to put all my new supplies that I bought during the Shop Hop to use. Then I quickly became over whelmed as I started pulling out bags filled with glimmer mist and chip boards and more stickers! Luckily, I had taken my pre printed pics with me to the scrap stores and purchased stuff that I needed for current pictures. All this while my kids are sitting next to me in the kitchen and coloring. Since they only sit semi still for about an hour, I just had enough time to put my stuff in my scrapbook bag and picture w/paper. That whole morning I kept thinking, I need to get my pages done, even if i only have half an hour. Later while they napped for about 30 minutes I quickly pulled out only my essentials and decided to get a page done (the one on the left). So it looks simple, but guess what, it's done! On Tuesday, I sat down and did the other page, and guess what... now I got a layout done! I have come to realize that I can add my glitter and glam on fridays at crop/workshop, since that's the day my dad or hubby watch the kids.

In 30 minutes you can:
5 min: pull out pics, paper, and stickers (ect)
5 min: layout and trim pics
5 min: mount pics and stickers
5 min: journal
5 min: make notes on post-its of what is missing and you want to embellish with and CLEAN UP!

SMILE you did a page! Before the week ends, you'll have 2 layouts done... maybe one day I'll be caught up again and have time for card making!

Shop Hop Road Trip- San Diego Area!

We decided to head to the furthest store south and then shop our way back up.

Our first stop in our San Diego Area was at Los Coyotes in Old Town SD to pick up hand made flour tortillas for my husband... from there it was easy to get to Scrapbook your life (it's next to the Harley Store). The had a huge selection of plastic templates and all the new fall colors of glitter mist! This store was well stocked with stickers and paper too!

Our 2nd scrapbook stop was Paper Tales... and after seeing shop hoppers and the previous store with their name tags decorated, I decided I was not going to leave this store until I found the perfect supplies to pimp my tag... I found the green, pink, and blue ribbon, and pattern flower paper on the sale table that matched the brown lanyard. So Carmen drove us to the next shop while I worked on my tag...

Cool Scrapbook Stuff had every lasting impression template ever made and idea booklets to go with it! Whole sections were dedicated to glimmer mist, distress ink, quickcutz, and did I mention they had stamps?! Wow!!! they had card making kits that included the paper, pens, stamps, embellishments.

Stamping Details had the whole elephant theme around the store, even the lanyard pin was an elephant (very cute). This store had a take and make where Carmen and I picked all the layout sample to learn how to use the different techniques of Adirondack Alcohol Ink. Another product I learned about here is called Static Cling Mounting Foam. I remove the my rubber stamp from the wooden blocks and place the rubber on the cling foam and now my old wood stamp works just like a clear acrylic stamp! They have classes on Saturdays and Sundays!

The Pink Pineapple Scrapbooks store had a cute lanyard pin with green pineapple tied to a safari ribbon. They also had a very cute make' n take designed by Carmen's favorite designer: Jennifer Priest. We attended Jennifer's classes at another store, her ideas are always new and completely original! We were informed that she is on the design team here! The cashier gave me her blog, and she has some great links to other scrapbook bloggers!

Our final stop for the day was Ever After Scrapbooks. We sat down and did our make'n take there and chatted with the staff. This store was having a pj crop night and a lot of scrappers were arriving while we were there.. The store was well nicely stocked with a little of everything.

Shop Hop is here again!

I feel kinda guilty about not updating this blog... the truth is the photos I was working on I lost them... and though I'd find them and catch up, but it's been almost a year, and still can't find the pictures! I have scrapbooked and every time I do, I can't stop thinking of how I failed my own challenge... but now with SHOP HOP here again, I built up enough courage to start a new challenge! I downloaded photos to Wallgreens and used the "Paradise" discount password (75 pics for $10)and was ready to start a new adventure! Our goal is to Visit all the Scrapstores and spend the $20 bucks to get the free pin on my lanyard! Carmen and I went to 13 stores on the first Friday... 3 stores weren't open yet, so we only got 11 stamps, but they are too far from where I live, so we'll revisit in a couple of weeks.

While every single store was friendly a few stood out from the crowd: Karen's Hallmark had a great idea about making a $20 buck packet to go with the make'n take and it had glitter mist bottles and distress inks (which you can't have too many of)!

Stamp your Heart Out placed a very cute elephant die cut on our Shop Hop Passport and gave us safari snack..yum! I really like a display card and she brought it down from the wall and helped me find the exact pencils I needed to recreate it! While the owner was away on a scrapbook expo, Metropolitan Scrapbook Company had volunteers running the shop and they did a great job showing us how to use shimmery flock a product I had never heard of before. It was fun to work on our make n take and it only took a couple of minutes! Most scrapbook shops were selling the 2nd page layout (2.50), but Scrapping Lounge (SL) included it as part of the free make n take. SL also had a flyer about spending $50 bucks a month in 3 of your favorite stores that you'd miss if they weren't around and how your spending could help make a difference! I'm strong believer in shopping at mom and pop shops and buying food from farmers markets so it's great to see that it actually does help. check there website for more info on that.

So far, all the scrap stores have had great layouts and the pages tend to compliment each other.

PS: take pictures of the make'n'takes at the store, some of the projects don't come with a picture or instructions inside. some stores have it posted on the website, but for me it's easier just then and there snap the picture (just in case).