Congrats Aaron - THE NEXT FOOD NETWORK STAR!

Michaels Sale AND BONUS

I am so excited! I did go to Michael's after all. I got 3 carts... Pooh and Friends, Pooh Font Set and Walk in My Garden. Beautiful Stuff.

I was bummed and couldn't get Doodlecharms, due to the fact they didn't have any in stock. So... I had to choose. Only I didn't! I'm doing a favor for a friend, so my friend purchased the carts as a down payment. What a friend! Thank you!!!! Me and my girls will love it forever!

When I got home, the first thing I intended to do was tear open the plastic packaging to read the handbooks and see all of the nifty stuff inside, as well as the project that is included with each handbook.

But, as I tore off the plastic encasing, meant to protect the cartridge's box and contents, a smell came forth. It reminded me of being a kid again. The smells of summer, as I like to call them... when you open that new package of vinyl blowup pool toys... the smell that comes out. It is something new, and you know it is going to be something fun! Well, people, Cricut is fun! So are all of the cartridges. They are all new toys to us! Yippee! Let's PLAY!

I am thoroughly joyed that I did, after all, get the Pooh Font. I really would like the Campout, but for now the Pooh Font will do. It has 3 different fonts (one of them being "wood") and the Pooh and Friends babies. How cute that will be. I was thinking I would probably use the wooded font for our camping pictures. This will be an excellent solution.

Also... I got some of the Studio G stamps (how can you resist a $1 deal?) and a couple of mini punches. Every month or so, Michaels swaps out their $1 bin stamps and replaces it with another series. I love Studio G stamps! The mini punches were a nice surprise. I had seen them there before (in the $1 bin with the stamps) and had to check out which punches I had at home before making my big purchase. However, as I watched them being wrung up, I was super happy. I saw the price ringing up at $.60... 40% off! WOOHOO! I was getting good deals everywhere.

I am still excited... even if it appears the CDS (Cricut Design Studio) BONUS is a download. I haven't installed my own copy yet... a little afraid. Let's see how long it takes Provo Craft to send me my free copy. Until then, I think I can wait just a little longer... lol! Toodles for now! lisa

Cricut Cartridges $40 (and there's a BONUS!)

Ok folks (fellow scrappers, Cricut fans, and gift fairies)... the sale at Michael's that I griped so much about not being there begins TODAY! Yes! From Sunday (July 27) through Saturday (August 2), Cricut Cartridges are "50%" off. According to Michaels, that means they are $40.

And... there is a BONUS! If you don't yet have Cricut Design Studio (CDS), you can get it for free! Purchase 3 Cricut Cartridges and get CDS FREE! (I believe it is a CDS rebate.). However, if you already have CDS, don't frown on this deal... it's still selling on e-Bay for $40 and more!

Good luck ladies and gents... I'd see ya there, but I already spent my $$$! Boo hoo.... Toodles for now! lisa

The Latest on Walmart Crafts!

So, walking into my local Walmart today, the fabric department is still there and dwindling. They still have quite a bit of stuff. Their dept. manager saw me and came rushing over. She was spilling with excitement. They latest update is... the ARE NOT getting rid of their fabrics. Apparently, it has been put on hold, yet again, and several stores are keeping theirs. One whole wall of where the fabric used to be is now USC stuff... go figure (nobody would think to look there!). Lots of other items have been pushed out, however... most of your really inexpensive things...

... to make way for Martha Stewart Crafts. Ugh. I like some of her stuff, but her colors (in scrapbooking) seem to me to be just too bland. I personally don't care if my "ecru" and "egg shell blue" have uppity names. Just coordinate it, brighten it up, and give it to us. There are still die-hard MS fans out there. Good for you. However, her stuff seems to be a little pricey for the looks of it.

Walmart is still clearancing out their Disney Cricut Cartridges. For the 5th month, they are still $49.00. I guess everybody's idea of "Clearance" is different. I would've thought they would've lowered the prices by now, especially since certain craft stores have sales of them for $39.99.

Also regarding Cricut in the Walmart stores, our local store has finished putting in their Cricut section. When they started selling the Expression, it was a much lower price than it is now. Hey! At least they have it. And a little fyi... their mats are only $7.67 and $12.67 for the 12" and 24" (respectively). Their tool kit is also only $18.88. That's a good deal. Michael's and Joanne's have it for $24.99 each and their 12" mat for $9.99.

Besides the MS line, they brought in Recycled and K&Co - cute stuff!

Let's see how long this lasts... Toodles for now! lisa

"Feelin' Hot, Hot, HOT...!"

Yes, I am, and in more ways than one! It has been still rather hot here (temperature-wise). But that's not all...

I "heard" that Michael's was having a $40 Cricut cartridge special until Sunday (July 27), so it would go through Saturday, right? Uh... no. When I went to Michael's, they had no such sale and told me it was last week. Bummer. It's ok, though... it's money I didn't need to spend. LOL!

Then... those dingy television stations just go flipping around their programs, changing days, times, etc. Uh... yes I have TiVo, but I didn't change priorities, because it recorded just fine, based on the days and times the shows were set. Yikes! Can't they be consistent? So, some of my programs didn't get recorded, because I thought everything was cool... WRONG! Oh well... ce la vie...

Next up... my tears are hot. My girls are leaving for a week. I'll miss them. I'm taking them to my mom's tonight.

But now I'm hot and ready to go to get some scrapping done. Beginning Sunday afternoon! I have some new stuff and the Cricut Design Studio that I'm dying to try out, just haven't had the time. Now I can. Let's get HOT and scrappin'! Toodles for now! lisa

Going, Going... Almost GONE!

Here, the summer is going by so fast. The kids here (we are on a "modified" traditional schedule) have been out since mid-June. They started summer school a week and a half later (June 25th). They will finish this Friday. New packet pick-ups for the 2008/2009 year are Monday, enrollment/registration is the following week (August 3-6), then they go right back to school mid-August (the 13th!). It was a rush! It is almost gone. Where did it go? I believe it went away with the lower gas prices...

The girls are excited though. I've been showing them things that were revealed at the Summer 2008 CHA!

Cricut is coming out with a "Tinkerbell and Friends"cartridge! Rey loves Tink, and so does Renee (the other one), so I should be able to do some awesome things with that, provided I can get one. I was a little bit disappointed though. It appears that the friends are her woodbound pixie people. I was hoping for a little bit of Peter Pan, Hook, the Crocodile, some Lost Boys, Wendy, Nana, and the bunch... I guess I thought her friends were a different lot. Duh! (Huh?)

Then... I got another major blow by Cricut! I was so excited about the Hello Kitty cartridge. I some of the shapes and fonts on the cartridge and was delighted. Then... I got on a website that was taking pre-orders. Whoops again! Apparently, they are dividing it up and are doing a "Hello Kitty Greetings" cartridge and a Hello Kitty Font cartridge. Ugh! I'm not that wealthy!

But... Cricut is coming out with a Pixar Cars cartridge. I am also really excited for that. There is no font cartridge to go with it... just the shapes. Still pretty cool.

Cricut also came up with a deep cutter (yeah! I'll finally be able to cut that magnet sheet I've dreamed of cutting...) and an embossing folder? and a stamp maker? We'll see how this stuff goes. I have to read more on it...

I've been watching for lots of the other lines. Pretty neat stuff. There is a really cool "icing" to go with my chalks. Love the chalks! Lots of really cool neato new papers. Bazzill (a line of cardstock - mostly) came out with a 12x12 sheet of "Swiss Dots." Yippee! I can do so much with that, as I don't have a Cuttlebug to emboss, so I am SO glad for this!

Besides watching CHA over the internet and not winning anything (I'll try to stop harping on that one any day now...), we did go to Juan's 25th Annual Family Reunion. It was pretty ok. The weather was much cooler than here, and it seems there were more people than last year. That's always good. My 20th High School Reunion was that night also... I skipped it... no desire to go. It was too expensive, and I don't believe in the "fake" formal things.

I let the girls (mine) pick out a pattern last week and cut up their shirts. I had to approve it ahead of time (of course), but they picked out a modest girly pattern. Much cuter than those ugly crew necks! So... we cut up 5 shirts here. I took my scissors... just in case. Sure enough, I did about 6 shirts at the Reunion. I could have done more, but appeared busy. I wanted to enjoy myself, take pics, and socialize! Not work... [Here's a link to the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-FN-J283XU (youtube). I'm not sure about infringement rights and such, otherwise I would've downloaded the video directly to my blog... I'm sure I'll figure it all out as time goes on; however, any comments to direct me in the right direction are also welcome! Thanks!]

The food was so-so. It used to be everyone brought homemade items. I get it. A lot of people don't have time anymore, so now you see a ton of store-fried chickens, rotisseried chickens, purchased baked goods, pizza, salads, etc. I made homemade garlic bread sticks and brought spaghtetti sauce for dipping. Other people must have liked it... I didn't have any to take home.

I got some great pics. I can't wait to print them and put them into pages associated for family. Some of them are really cute. Marissa discovered Barbies there. YIKES! But to see her play happily with other kids was great. She really entertained herself with all of her "new" friends. Juan actually played volleyball this year. So... I took the action shots (you just can't tell he hit the ball out of bounds!). They will go great in my book.

It's amazing that something I thought "just" happened (last year), happened again so quickly. It was anticipated; it came and went really fast; and here we are... anticipating another year. Time is going... too fast. Gotta go! Toodles for now! lisa

CHA - Didn't Win! But Learned a Lot!

Maybe I didn't win any of Making Memories' fun give-a-ways this weekend, but I came back from my virtual tour of CHA (Craft & Hobby Association) this summer with a lot more knowledge, an imaginery bank account (like I'd have the money to buy everything I saw...), and a child's impatience, knowing I have to wait for the new products to show up at my local store.

(Sigh) Waiting is not something I am good at.

There are so many new lines going out... it's gonna be a great year! The neatest thing I've seen so far is the Slice by Making Memories. Yes... all of you... I already have the Cricut, but the Slice is Nice, too! This is a hand-held, WIRELESS digital cutter. It's only 5 inches and weighs under 2 pounds! The problem is... I don't know how much it costs just yet. Plus, you have to get the design cards for it... this could interfere with the purchase of Cricut Cartridges??? NOT! I'll wait and see how the prices go. In the meantime, they (Making Memories) is currently taking entries for a free Slice. They are giving away 8 of them on 08-08-08! Isn't that a hoot? Four 8's? LOL! Here's the site to register to win your own. http://whyslice.com/. I know it takes away from me winning, but I gotta share! Who knows... maybe since I don't have much luck, one of you will! That would be great.

I'm still exploring what other new treats there were. It's really hard when you are on the outside looking in. Maybe one day... I'll have the "validation" to be able to get in there, myself. At these conventions, only the trades people are allowed, not a simple someone like myself. Sales are not allowed on site; orders must be shipped. How boring! See it here: http://www.chashow.org/eweb/StartPage.aspx.

HOWever, this is one of the lucky ladies I've recently discovered. She has a great blog, designs really well, and was of the select group that got to attend CHA. How fun to make scrapbooking your life! Check her out (Laura McCollough) at http://akissonthechic.typepad.com. She's also from the Inland Empire, so check her out, post a comment, and scrap away! Anyway... Toodles for now! lisa