Ready, Set...

As I'm just printing photos for tomorrow, thought I'd give a little shout.  SO EXCITED... but then, I've always been excited for the holiday even though its usually anticlimactic.  I remember many years ago going to bed early and setting my alarm for midnight - that's when QVC (or was it HSN) started 24-hours of scrapbooking.  Lisa Bernsen and Anna Griffin were there among others and there was the product pick of the day.  I would sit scrapbooking while watching all those great products and demonstrations.  I still have products somewhere from one of those daily bargain kits - well at least the album.  I've missed a few in recent years, last year due to illness, but this year I plan on making it up with lots of scrapping getting done.  Well that's the plan anyway!

I've told the kids they better be making arrangements for tomorrow.  Gigi asks if that means no beach - well, no, I'll probably be okay to pick her up but not for taking her as that will be in the middle of the prime scrapping.  I mean, really! get your priorities straight!

I've restocked a few favorite papers and bought just a few new products:

• I now own 5 bottles of October Afternoon Sprinklers spray ink (there should be 6, but when my bottle of Wheat leaked I got mad and threw it away):  Midnight (black), Twilight (navy), the two pinks - Pink Lemonade (think Dear Lizzy) and Pink Balloon (coral pink) - and Robot Blue.  Robot Blue is the one color I love the most right now.  Bought it thinking it was a Cadet Blue and well, it seems to be a very light Cadet Blue... the color can be used as a very light turquoise or a mint green depending on what papers you put with it.  I love the Sprinklers as they dry practically at the time they hit the paper and seem to 'splatter' so nice and evenly.  So in addition to the Studio Calico Calico Shine (whitish silver) and Heidi Swapp Gold Lame, I feel pretty set with my sprays at the moment.
• Freckled Fawn wood pieces, oh my! How I love wood!!!  (Maybe it's just the extension of my love of paper, or vice versa!)  I have the hearts, the words, and the arrows. I will be oh so sad when this trend goes out of style and my purchasing power is eliminated - guess I better hoard up as I don't see my love going out of style any time in the future.  But then, that's virtually impossible as I love to use it on almost every layout.  (Heavy sigh!!!!!)
• I broke down and bought a Teresa Collins 3-pack washi tape.  It has a roll of gray chevron, black with cameras and pink 'take note' - all very usable and lovely.  As I was wanting some gray chevron and black camera tape anyway, and as the pink 'take note' is very lovely, it was a good buy.
• Pebbles printed clothespins are adorable and would be excellent for cardmakers.  But I am sure, as I have loved clothespins since I was a little girl hanging towels on the line, I will find a place to use them (besides wood is wood!).
• A few sheets of paper from My Minds Eye - 2 collage sheets from the 'Find Your Wings and Fly' and a sheet of the Kate & Co.  I adore the Kate & Co, the colors are so crisp and pretty.  The Find your Wings are lovely collage papers and I look forward to finding a place for them.  But the texture isn't so lovely as the Collectible so don't expect that great texture this time.
• Replenished some of my Dear Lizzy Lucky Charm papers as I do so love these and am definitely not tired of them yet.  Also bought a few sheets of October Afternoon on sale (the cream-base is perfect for all those old photos I'm scrapping of me and my brother as well as the Hipstamatic prints).
• Oops I did it again.... I bought Amy Tangerine embellishments.  It's the Opportunity dimensionals.  But they are absolutely lovely - really - and includes real wood and fabric.  But as said before - so overpriced!  The only thing I'm thinking is that if I use it all up tomorrow, I'll feel so much better about it, so we'll see.  But I will not be buying anymore at regular price (I actually put this in my cart on sale but didn't finish my checkout for several days).
• And the last part of my budget was... well it was... well (hanging head in shame) it was spent on my addiction.  You see, that gene runs in my family so, no matter how much I try to fight it, occasionally the urge is overwhelming and I can't help myself.  But this time, not only did I give in, but I did it in a big way.  I purchased two (2) sets of stamps.  But they are lovely and usable stamps - except that I keep buying them and yet never use them.  The two I purchased were the My Minds Eye 'Find Your Wings and Fly' sets.  They have awesome sayings like "The Possibilities are Endless", a small camera, lots of arrows and a hot-air balloon.  Now I love little pithy sayings, I especially love camera stamps (and have a large collection at this point), arrows (woohoo!) and, unfortunately, hot-air balloons (I don't know why but I have always loved hot-air balloons to the point that several years ago I had 3 hanging in my living room until my ex-husband tore them up in a fit of rage - bastard!).  But honestly, even when I put some stamps right smack in front of me, they hardly ever make it to a layout (and really, how do you work in about half-a-dozen stamped hot-air balloons on layouts?!).  And when I do use them, they look rather... forced.  I don't know - just not very creative with stamps regardless of how much I love them.  Even with cards, except for the sayings parts, I just don't know what to do with them.  Oh, I've watched the Glitter Girl episodes, etc. to try to get the hang of it, but alas I need real help!

On the upside, I have made the determination that, unless it's something I've been waiting on, I am not buying anything else until I deplete my stash somewhat.  Well, you know what I mean - that doesn't include things like Mini-Market letters that I use every day and need.  But it does mean paper and embellishments.  So I really need to work like the dickens this month so I can get some more of that Kate & Co and some new Lily Bee because it looks lovely.

Well that's enough for today - just so excited to see you tomorrow!!!  Have a great day - get everything done - tell everyone the scoop that it's your day and you have important things to do - and prepare! 

Cheerio!

"A day without scrapbooking is a day without sunshine."  - Author Unknown