How's It Going? Really?

So, how's it going? I mean, really? Are you a nervous wreck rushing around trying to get holiday shopping completed? Or are you sitting back, happy as can be, totally finished with the craziness? What have you done for YOURSELF lately? Have you done any papercrafting (I mean other than making dozens of Christmas cards!) lately? It is important, especially at this time of year when there's so much going on, to take time to BREATHE and relax even if it's just a little bit. MAKE time for yourself. You deserve it just as much as the next person, so don't deny yourself a little bit of fun amidst all the holiday goings-on. Feel free to come to the store to crop, anytime the store is open, from 10AM until 7PM Monday through Saturday, and Noon to 4PM on Sundays. And remember, we crop until Midnight on Fridays, and cropping is always FREE here at Scrappersaurus. Escape for a little while. Come visit and just chat if that's all you feel you're up to. Remember to bring us some of your creations, because we love seeing what you make with the products you purchase from us (as well as from others). Sharing is a big part of scrapbooking, and we love to share with you.

So, I'll try to bring everybody up to date on what's new at the store. We got more of the Snap and Scrap Paper Keepers from Karen Foster Design. Excellent vertical storage for your papers that fit nicely on your shelves and desktops.

The Chatterbox Tag-Alongs are in again, and are selling quickly, just like before. We love these cupholder/scrap bag holders. They are the perfect size for holding water bottles, soft drink bottles, coffee mugs, and they even hold a 32 ounce size cup or mug. There is a slot in the side where the handle to your mug fits, and it's great. The scrap bag holder attachment is just the right size for leftovers from your crafting, not too big, and not too small. These would make excellent gifts for anybody, actually, not just crafters. We have ladies purchasing them for their husbands for out in the garage and in their office at their desk. Very useful product.

We have a darling little Christmas button assortment from Dress It Up. Pine trees, reindeer, snowflakes, mittens, stockings, and gingerbread men. I believe there are 4 or 6 of each one in the pack, so it's really a lot of buttons. For a most excellent price, too. We also have the Doodlebug Christmas button assortment, which has the regular round buttons in varying sizes in red, lime green, and dark green. Excellent price on these, as well.

I need to let you know I made a mistake when I last posted about the new Holly Jolly line of Christmas papers. This one is from Fancy Pants, NOT Autumn Leaves, like I thought. Sorry for the error! The rub-ons to match finally arrived, too. I think there are over 20 different images on the rub-on sheet, which is 8"x8" in size. Adorable.

We have the large Making Memories chipboard shapes in a candy cane, Christmas tree, ornament, and the word "JOY", and I'm sure I'm forgetting a couple other ones. These are nice to make for home decor projects, and would make really cool "To and From" tags! Imagine someone's face when they see THAT attached to their gift! Or, you could use them as ornaments for your tree or to hang on your mantle. Lots of things you can do with these. You can stamp on them, ink them, chalk them, or cover them with paper. And don't forget the ribbons, buttons, Fastenator staples, brads, and eyelets you can put on there, too! If you work with wire, you can create your own garland with beads for the tree. I'm sure you can think of lots more to do with them.

We're on our third order of Speakin' Ups. These are alterable voice recorders that are acid-free and safe for your scrapbooks. You can paint them, ink them, stamp them, and adorn them with paper and embellishments, as you would any part of your page or project. You can even alter it to match your page so well it's virtually invisible on the page. It is a 30-second digital recorder that has a lock so it doesn't accidentally get recorded over, and an extremely easy-to-replace watch-type battery that slides out the bottom so you don't have to remove it from your page to change it. The recording is saved on a chip digitally so when the battery dies, the recording is still there, safe and as perfect as when you first recorded it. Here's a link to more info on it: www.MyPagesTalk.com. Be sure to go to the Gallery and click on the Kids & Babies section. Scroll down to the Hearts as One page. You will see what I mean about being virtually invisible on the page. This marvellous little wonder is available at Scrappersaurus for only $12.99.

We have more of the Kokuyo Tape N Roller Plus permanent refills in! People love these Kokuyos so much they are purchasing the refills by the case (10). And, remember, if you buy a case of them at a time, you get 20% off, which works out to really purchasing 8 refills but getting 10 of them (like 2 free).

Speaking of Kokuyos, our Adhesive Challenge is going strong. The Kokuyo Dot N Roller is winning 2:1 against the new Tombow adhesive runner. The Tombow may have twice the amount of adhesive in it, but it's also twice the price, and people just love these Kokuyos. Come stop in and take the Challenge. See for yourself what all the fuss is about. You might just fall in love with them, like we did.

The alcohol ink-altered bottles came out really cute. We colored the bottles with the alcohol inks first, then adorned them with paper, stickers, ribbon, and Stickles, and filled them with lots of great candy. Apparently the most favorite was the dark chocolate M&Ms one, because there are hardly any left in it! Of course, you could put whatever you like in it. Bath salts is also a nice filler for these. Oh, the possibilities!

The Christmas file folder that we had a class for last week has everybody making them to give as Christmas cards, brag books, money holders, etc. We already had several scout leaders purchase the materials to make them for their troops, one for each scout. They're so easy to make. Stop in and I'll show you how. We even have extra folders on hand, so you can get everything you need to make them right here at the store.

TIP OF THE DAY
I read most of the papercrafting magazines as they come out, and yesterday I received a Crafts 'n Things issue that had some tips in it. One of them was from a lady who said instead of using alcohol inks on the regular glossy paper, she used it on the glossy photo papers, and it came out really beautifully. In her words, it "produces an ultra-shiny, gleaming, 'polished stone' look." She went on to say that she now saves all of her photo paper scraps to use with the alcohol inks. It sounds really beautiful, and I'm going to try some for myself. If you try it, e-mail me with your results and what you think of it. Don't forget to send me a pic of your finished project.

Until next time, happy scrapping!

Dee