A Lesson In "You Get What You Pay For" ... or shopping at the big box stores

A small diversion from the ongoing monthly kit club research.  I recently went to my local Hobby Lobby because they do have some surprises (i.e., I picked up a  Cest a la Vie embellishment pack a week or so ago, although they only had the 6x6 pad of paper---argh@#& I would have purchased the 12x12...but not the 6x6, I just don't make good use of those).

But I did notice that they had several collection packs of fairly recent releases, Altwell, Flutter, Millie and June, and Life is Beautiful from Fancy Pants in particular, and they had a Bo Bunny Christmas collection pack in the clearance section, which I immediately snatched right up as I had really wanted that line when it came out, but was under my self imposed spending moratorium at the time! 

The next week, their ad stated that paper (and collection packs and pads) were all on sale at 50% off! This meant that the Fancy Pants collection packs were like $5.00 each!!!  So I went right in and grabbed up a couple. 

But, once I got home and opened the packs, I noticed that the paper quality was not the same as the couple of single pieces I had received as part of one of my monthly kit clubs.  The paper was double sided and cardstock weight, but not as thick as the "originals", nor was the color on some of the sheets the same.  Blacks were more grayed, reds slightly dulled, etc.  When will I learn?  Sometimes you get what you pay for.  And what did I expect for $5.00?! 

Come on Fancy Pants!  Come on Hobby Lobby!  I would gladly spend the little bit more on the collections to get the same original print quality.  But now, I will probably forego purchasing these at Hobby Lobby (unless I can open up a pack and feel the paper...um, I'm thinking the store may frown upon this practice). 

All this being said, I thought about returning the collections, but the price that I paid for them is at the minimum worth the price of the puffy alpha and sticker sheets that were included in the packs.  I figure that I will use the slightly off color papers for stamping or die cutting for cards or I can always use it as a base to glue other paper on top of.  I will keep them (and I absolutely love the skinny, puffy alpha sets from Fancy Pants!).  But I won't probably be buying any more.  Sad, really. The big box stores put the little shops out of business, and then they cheapen the quality of the items they carry.  Our choices get narrower and narrower.  Which makes it an even clearer choice for me to utilize monthly kit clubs to get original quality papers and embellishments! 

 And the Bo Bunny Christmas pack?  That collection was older and was still of original print quality, so I am good with that (plus what I really wanted it for was to make Christmas cards, so I am cutting much of it up anyway). 

In the end, the lesson is buyer beware?  You get what you pay for?  Support the small businesses that bring you a quality product?  Know your products and be flexible in your choices? 

All of the above... All of the above. 

later,
Cheryl 

Challenge Layout #5 - Craft Time at Nana's

So I had eight pieces of patterned paper in the Burlap and Bouquets collection pack and I am up to five pages completed!  This page was a challenge to do with this collection because almost all of  the papers have a distinctive grayed background and the photos had brights and whites... 

I used a white cardstock background because of the white styro cones in the photos...nothing else I placed it on looked right.  Then the white cardstock got trimmed slightly and centered onto kind of a peachy pink, dull red paper from the collection.  The other side of this paper was a reddish, peachy pink zig-zag pattern...just too busy. 

The photos were layered onto several papers (a happy scattered dot pattern, a minty green tiny chevron, the diagonal stripe and a small scrap of the aqua floral).  I wanted to use the bitty little alpha set that came with the collection pack, but I didn't want it to get lost, so I placed the title on a small kraft bag (kraft -- craft time,  silly pun intended).   The edge of the bag got tucked in behind the photo layers, journaling went on the tag that slides into the little bag.  Then I just added a couple of strips of paper at the top edge of the page and a few of the stickers, the flair badge and little sticker banners.  Last was to sprinkle on some of my homemade enamel dots (note to self:  must make more colors to choose from!). 

The phrase stickers I thought were particularly in sync with the layout; they read: "good things are going to happen" and "love you more each day".  Bella especially just lights up when I tell her we have a craft project to work on.  I want her to always remember these times with me as something special.  Kind of our thing together. 

happy scrapping today,
Cheryl

Challenge Layout #4 - Laugh

Still trying to crank out the pages from the Burlap and Bouquets collection.  I am actually finding this harder than working from the kit club.  This particular page I may not have ever posted, except for the challenge.  It was a hot, humid day; I had no makeup on at all, and had wound my sweaty sticky hair up on top of my head  Yeah, not a good picture day. 

But Bella was having such a good time while we were taking our "selfies".  When her Daddy came into the room and saw her giggling and carrying on, I told her to tell him what we were doing.  She was all over that, "We are taking selfies, Daddy!". 

I layered the green print on top of the arrow print to make the 12x12 background piece (since I had only partial pieces left of each).  Covered the seam between those two prints with a slice of the diagonal stripe.  I wanted to use the gold side of one of the papers as a punched scalloped piece, but I was downstairs and my punches were upstairs, so I took out my scissors and hand cut the strip into irregular scallops. 

Next was to layer the photos on some of the leftover scraps and get them positioned on the page.  I did some outlining and cut up a doily, adding pieces of it at the top and bottom of the photos. Two of the banner stickers plus one that I hand cut got tucked in with the lower doily.  I used the last of the cork words at the left side of the photos and then went to work on the top of the page.  I wanted to add a splash of white at the top to compliment the white of the doily at the bottom of the page, so I used a small white bag and placed one of the sticker phrases (cut into two pieces) on top.  Small strips of leftover papers were added at the top and bottom of the layout to help provide more of a frame for the page. 

Once again, almost the last thing I did was add the cluster at the top of the page and while I was doing that I added the enamel dots (my homemade ones!), a couple of the floral star stickers from the collection and another one of the flair badges. 

Whether I like the photo of myself or not, it was a fun moment with Bella and that's what counts.  She could care less about Nana's hair, she just remembers that we had fun taking "selfies"! 

best,
Cheryl

Challenge: Layout #3 - One and Only Son

In keeping with the challenge, this layout is for my son.  I don't think I scrap about my kids probably enough---it seems like it's all about the grandkids.  So it's good timing for a challenge like this; it helped make me think about including more of the other folks (and animals) that I love. 

I did use a different background sheet for this page.  Did not look right on any of the collection papers and it didn't look quite right on plain cardstock either.  I happened on this sheet (the B side of an older My Mind's Eye paper) and the tone on tone brown worked out quite nicely. 

The other things from outside the Burlap and Bouquets collection were two buttons, the twine I used on the buttons, a doily, the blue sticker that says "Remember You Are Loved", and the little gold sequin stars. 

The photo is layered on several pieces of torn papers  and then onto the black corrugated cardstock that was in the package.  I wanted to build a somewhat vertical line, so I added the title at the top of the photo stack, tucked in the You Are Loved sticker at the bottom of the stack, along with a doily.  Then I added the buttons, flair badge and the mini sign, keeping everything tight and close so as not to ruin the vertical line of things.  I used another of the die cut cork words and kept that up close to the photo stack too.  Next was to add a few strips of the coordinating papers at the top and bottom of the page and build the small cluster at the top using part of the left over doily, a button and one of the little banner stickers.   Last I sprinkled on some gold sequin stars.  (I had tried some enamel dots, but they looked out of place--the tiny little stars worked out much better.)

More to come,
Cheryl

Challenge: Layout #2 - Happy Dog

I thought I'd do a page about one of our dogs, Abbie, for the challenge.  They are getting on in years now.  Getting gray in the muzzle. moving a little slower.  But they sleep right next to me at night (have to watch where I place my feet or I'm gonna trip on one of them in them in the middle of the night!), follow me to the bathroom, are waiting at the door when I get home.  They are truly unconditional love. 

I used several irregularly cut strips to create the border around the page, curled the edges a bit and then used the same papers (sometimes the flip side) to layer up under the two 4x4 photos.  I wanted to use at least some of the alpha set that was included in the collection pack, but I have to say I am not a fan of the printed burlap.  (What was I thinking when I bought this?  Not a clue.  I mean I still do like most of the papers... but not the burlap print...) But I was determined to use it.  I had also purchased a set of cork die cut words at the same time as the collection pack, so I included this pack in my challenge.  And I do like those.  Although the cork is rather brittle and you really can't go yanking it off the acetate or it will tear.  A gentler touch works just fine. 

Anyway, I went on and cut some banners, added one of the flair badges, tucked in a couple of those mini sign things and a tab.  Used one of the cork words as part of the title and used the alpha set for "dog".  Last I added the shorter banners at the top of the page and a couple of the stickers.  I always seem to do the smaller clusters at the top or sides of my page last...no real reason...that's just how it seems to work out.   

That was it.  This one didn't take very long at all to do.  Kind of happy about that.  And kind of happy to be using this collection up! 

best,
Cheryl

Challenge: One Collection, How Many Layouts?

Actually, the challenge (at NicoleJones911 on facebook) is to use a paper line (or kit) that you love (but have not broken into); papers, embellishments, stickers. etc.) and since it is February, to make the theme of the layout(s) about those that you love.  (And to see how many layouts, you get from the line you have stashed, I mean collected, i.e., hoarded...) 

And here is Layout #1 - Love My Girls

I chose a collection from Fancy Pants that I just felt as though I HAD to HAVE it.  Burlap and Bouquets.  And then it sat here.  I had acquired the collection pack, which contained 8 sheets of double sided paper, a corrugated piece of cardstock, an alpha sticker sheet, a 12x12 sticker sheet of tiny alphas and tabs, a small sticker sheet of words, tabs and phrases.  Then I also had a pack of flair badges (which were much larger when I received them than what I thought they were when I ordered them--I much prefer the smaller size) and I had a pack of little flags or mini-sign thing-ys. 

The background paper had the ring of flowers printed on it, but I cut some additional flowers out of another sheet so I could pop up some up.  I also used a white gel pen to highlight the small flower blooms.  Beyond that, it was a matter of cutting strips of some of the various coordinating papers and placing my photo on top of the stacked up strips and then tucking in a piece of a doily and a tab,  Once that was done, I felt as though the photo needed a ledge of some sort to sit upon, so I added a small strip of one of the papers (a diagonal stripe) and punched a small scalloped strip out of another.  Still didn't seem substantial enough, so I added a piece of lace from my stash. 

I punched a circle for the circular phrase sticker and popped it up, tucked in a small bow from some twine in my stash, and added one of the flair badges.  Last was to construct a small cluster at the top of the page (another smaller piece of the doily, a strip of patterned paper, and one of the little flowers I had cut out).

This photo was snapped at Thanksgiving (the after dinner nap, you know!).   My daughter and granddaughter -- out cold.  Love this. 

best,
Cheryl

Oh my goodness, it's Friday all ready!  Allergies have kept me kind of on the down low this week.  The bleary-teary eyes make working at scrapping and stuff a bit, um challenging, I guess would be the word.  And then come the gi-huge-y sneezes.  Now that's attractive, sneezing all across papers and photos.  Eeee-yuk.  So, not a lot accomplished the last couple of days. 

Just a little on the sidelights of life here...  I do have a job interview this morning, so I'll try to be brief.  You are reading notes from  58 year old here and no one it seems wants to hire anyone my age anymore in an administrative field.  No pity party, just fact--- you fill out on-line app after on-line app and no they can't ask your age in the app.  Companies get around that these days by having you fill out background check info when you do the app.  And there it is---your birthdate.  Now, I've gotten over the rather depressing thought that in the age group I and husband are in, and given the hit that 401K's took, that we will always have to work.  There will be no retirement or golden years for us.  And given that most places now want to hire part time as opposed to full time, I have to get a second part time job.  Them's the facts.  Now on the one hand, I am happy to even get the call-back for this job after more than a year of looking.  But on the other hand, it is a longer drive for just a part time job and not an easy ride in the dead of winter.  So I've also been a bit sidetracked the past couple of days with my own thoughts and concerns and what-ifs.  

Now to turn this back to scrapping----I am thinking that these topics are going to appear in scrapbook pages in the future.  Jobs, gas prices, living economically.  It's what life is today, so I am going to scrap it, as well as the other monumentous and historical events of my (our) lifetime. 

But on to a layout that I have in hand!  I had finished this first page last year, then turned up another photo of my grandson on the beach.  I knew there was going to be another page, so I had set aside the scraps from the first page. 

My journaling was about how happy I am that he has had the opportunity to explore the beach and see the Pacific Ocean.  I love the ocean, the sound of the waves, the smell of the air, just love it.  And I am so glad he was able to have this experience. 

I used a beachy-summery themed paper line from Fancy Pants.  It was from two summers ago, I think.  I used very little of the A side of the papers, I loved the organic feel of the distressed brown for a base.  And I cut the waves out of another sheet to use as accent pieces.  Didn't want a lot of foof on these pages, so I added only some penwork in white and just a little piece or two of a natural colored lace scrap.  A couple of punched borders using two different size scallops and a couple of skinny strips at the bottom of the pages added a horizantal base line for the photos, but that was it. 

So, today, maybe think about scrapping today, your real-time life.  There is much to be said for the birthdays, the milestones, the smiles; there is also much in our lives that I think future generations will want to hear about.  Where were you on 9/11?  What has the great recession changed in your life?  Are there local events in your community that are important to you?

That's all... I'm getting off my little soapbox now!