Wednesday, July 28, 2010

HOT DEALS

**HOT DEALS **

Ribbon by-the-yard is 75% OFF!!! (Does not include Dollar Bills or Clearance)

This sale starts Thursday, July 29th and ends Sunday, August 1st!

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American Crafts Pigment Ink Pads will be "Buy One - Get One FREE"!! WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!! This means that while we have them in stock this deal will be on-going!!!!!

American Crafts ZING Embossing Powder will be "Buy One - Get One FREE"!! WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!! This means that while we have them in stock this deal will be on-going!!!!!

Martha Stewart Glitter Jars will be "Buy One - Get One FREE"!! WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!! This means that while we have them in stock this deal will be on-going!!!!!

Monday, July 26, 2010

Blue! Yellow! Red!

So I have had a tiny little bit of time to play while Sue and Susan are gone to CHA and I have found a new love for the following color combination: Royal Blue, Yellow and Red.

I actually did a couple of cards with this color combo and it is really cool! One card has blue for the background. I put a large red strip on the right side with a little yellow ribbon peeking out from underneath the red strip.

I haven't yet tried a scrap page with these colors but I was thinking what a great color combo for pictures at the playground, birthday, a day at the fair - the possibilities are endless!!!


Store Specials!!

A follower of my blog suggested I post store specials on the blog! That is a great idea -Thanks Em!

This week's specials are:

Page Kits are "Buy One - Get One 75% OFF"!!! This includes all kits up front near the register and on the back wall near our Dollar Bills section!

American Crafts Pigment Ink Pads will be "Buy One - Get One FREE"!! WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!! This means that while we have them in stock this deal will be on-going!!!!!

American Crafts ZING Embossing Powder will be "Buy One - Get One FREE"!! WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!! This means that while we have them in stock this deal will be on-going!!!!!

Martha Stewart Glitter Jars will be "Buy One - Get One FREE"!! WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!! This means that while we have them in stock this deal will be on-going!!!!!

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Photo Backup Plan

I recently touched based with a friend who has probably a half a dozen memory cards for her camera. It turns out all of her photos are on these cards - she never deletes any. She just buys a new memory card when it's full. These cards are her life in photos.

However, she has no backup source. If one of these cards ever got ruined she would lose those photos!

Are all your pictures on your computer? Do you have them on memory cards or maybe disks?
You might want to have yet another backup plan...just in case. Our world is ever-changing and you just never know what may happen on any given day. Computers can malfunction, you can get a virus and of course, there is just plain old human error.

We got to talking about alternate backup sources and I thought I would pass on some useful information to my fellow crafters.

Several years ago I learned my lesson when my computer crashed and I lost everything on it...including some photos of one of my former dogs. Those were basically the only photos (save 1) that had of her. Right now I actually only have a few pictures on my computer. All the others have been uploaded to disks and stored away (from sunlight/heat/water etc). But I also have them stored somewhere else.

There are many online services that will store your photos for you FOR FREE (all you need to do is sign up for an online account). Plus these services offer you the option of printing services and/or making gifts such as calendars, mugs, key chains, handbags, etc. Most of these places will give you 25 (or more) FREE photos just for signing up and you can opt to have more offers and coupons sent to your email.

The one I use is Shutterfly (www.shutterfly.com). Once a week I try to upload any new photos from my computer/memory card just as a precaution. With S.F. I can order pictures through them and have them delivered either to my home (via regular mail usually - I did just receive one via UPS) or I can pick them up at my local Target.

A friend of mine uses Kodak Easy Share(www.kodakgallery.com). Kodak is linked to CVS Pharmacy (but double check yours) or you can also have them delivered via regular mail.

I know there is also SnapFish and many others - feel free to ask your friends or relatives what online source (if any) they use. Prices for photos or other fun gifts will vary along with print quality etc.

You also have the option of printing out duplicate photos and storing them in your scrapbooks or an acid free/archival box in a cool, dark and dry environment. Be sure to keep away from attics, basements, laundry rooms etc.

What's your backup plan? Now is the time to think of one!!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

It's all about time...

I don't know about you but lately I just don't seem to have alot of time. Of course this means that my scrapping has pretty much gone by the wayside. However, I did run across an article that I had ripped out of a magazine way back when that had 5 tips for getting a layout done in an hour or less. Here are those 5 suggestions with a few tidbits of my own!

1) Mix older photo's with your current photo's - a "then and now" layout. I did this with my parents 50th wedding Anniversary and it was fantastic!
2) Scrapbook an older photo from today's current perspective. What do you think when you look at the photo? Does it reflect happiness, sadness?
3) Create a mini-book of the year's highlights! Whether it's this year or a previous year - what a great way to cover important events for everyone!
4) Create themed pages! Put a couple year's worth of Easter or Halloween on one page and label them with dates.
5) My favorite "rule" is "You don't have to scrap every picture"!! Pick out your favorites and put the others either in a "pocket" on the same page so you can still look at them or put them in a page that has separate pockets for each photo. Be sure to label the back of the photo with an archival, acid-free pen!!

Thanks for reading!

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Welcome

When Sue first asked me to write a blog, I immediately agreed. It was only later that I asked myself just what exactly I agreed to. I had no idea what a blog was...how to start...you get the picture!

So I did some research on it with the help of Google of course. Here is how "THEY" (whomever they are) define a blog:
A blog is a website containing information on a variety of topics and is usually written by one person.

Now, there is more to this but that is pretty much it in a nutshell.

I am still unlocking the mysteries of this whole blog thing but I invite you along on this journey - where together I hope we can build a community of crafters interested in learning, sharing and making the most of our great hobby!