Scrapbooking is Everywhere- Part 2

Last summer I blogged about seeing Scrapbooking in the post office in the small town my parents live in. Well, last week, I was on vacation in Coeur D'Alane, Idaho with my family and we stopped at Cabela's on the Idaho/Washington border so my husband and sons could, well, do whatever men do at Cabela's (we actually walked out the door with ammunition and 2 pocket knives). I said, "See ya'!" when we walked in the door and they headed for the "Gun Library". I headed over to wander around the "housewares" department. Did you know you can get a recliner done completely in camo - as well as curtains, towels, and hot pads? Anyway, someone asked if they could help me find something and I (being sort of snarky) said, "Yes, a scrapbook store." Their reply was, "Uh, we have a section over there of scrapbook stuff."

I almost laughed in their face. I went over near the "Country Store" and there it was - a small section of Karen Foster Hunting and Fishing scrapbook products! And here I thought I was being all smart-alecky about it.

Scrapbooking at Cabelas... who knew? I had visions of Wes from the Scrapped Movie shooting holes in the albums to embellish them (remember that?)

A Monday Laugh

This came from Twitter via CraftCritique. This made me laugh so hard that I nearly spit my water on the computer screen.

Imported Celebrities: Part 2

Three and a half years ago, I blogged about "celebrities" infiltrating our industry and trying to slap their names on products so that manufacturers could use their "star power" to sell those lines. Every time it's been tried, it fails. We have our own "celebrities", thank you very much.

Now I see that Paris Hilton - who probably doesn't know how to get her photos off her "phone camera-thingy" is being paraded out as the next celebrity to pitch scrapbook paper.

She's hot...but that's not...

Let's pit Heidi Swapp against Paris Hilton in a scrap-off. Blonde on Blonde - 30 minutes, 10 products, 5 photos. GO!

Dealing with Unpleasant Customers

Every business has at LEAST one - that customer that when you see her coming, you know she's going to ruin your day. Your selection isn't good enough, your prices are too high, she wasn't smiled at properly last time she came in, etc. She keeps coming in but you fail to understand why if nothing makes her happy.

So, my brother suggested a new Customer Relations Management Technique. Put one of THESE babies by your front door (perhaps out of sight on the roof) and when Debbie Downer or Wanda Whiner gets out of her car and starts for your door, you "discourage" her from entering the store. Okay, now we all understand why my brother doesn't own a business. In his own words, "Gives new meaning to the term 'heated customer exchange', doesn't it".

This is my life...

I think this was drawn just for me - LOL! But that's okay, because I love to see others realize their dream of starting a business!

Scrapbooking is Everywhere!

I went into the Post Office in the small town in central Washington my parents live in and discovered that a scrapbooker works there. Look at their outgoing mail slot - it's a stamped image that has been enlarged. The tag off of it says, "THANK YOU". The Post Office hours are scrapped next to it. What you can't see is the large button embellishment across the top.

I had to snap and run since even in small town Washington, people get nervous when you're taking photos in the post office.

But, I found it humorous that scrapbooking was used to decorate a very drab USPS!

Remember 8 1/2 x 11?

I STILL scrap that size. Perhaps it's because I've been scrapping since about 1995 and at that time, colored copy paper and three ring binders were about the only options. I am super comfy with that triangular size and found 12x12 to be too big and too square for my tastes. I can cram a lot of stuff on a double-page layout! In fact, I often will suggest that new scrappers start on either 8 1/2 x 11 OR 8x8. A blank sheet of 12x12 paper can be so intimidating to a new scrapper. To some it would be like being told you had to plow a field with a hand-held hoe.

As I was digging through the archives at ScrapBiz this morning, I found a post from May 2003 from a ScrapBiz member in Utah. She was SHOCKED because her local scrapbook store had all their 8 1/2 x 11 albums on clearance. They were not going to carry them anymore and they also told her that many manufacturers were discontinuing the production of 8 1/2 x 11 patterned paper. I got a twinge of sadness reading that old post. I DO miss good patterened paper in my favorite size! I hated being told, "You can just cut it down" whenever I complained. I hated it for two reasons:

1. Not every 12x12 patterned paper CAN be successfully cut down


2. 12x12 was more expensive so it cost me MORE to scrap and I always ended up with a border strip that I never used despite having the best of intentions.

It's funny how you can get every other weird size of paper in the industry BUT 8 1/2 x 11.

It's been 5 years since it's passing and I still grieve...

The Sunday Funnies - Scrapbook Style

Aaron Johnson, the creator of What The Duck, sent me this cartoon. Very funny! Too many of my photos are trapped in the scrap pile, too! I really need to get caught up!

Thanks, Aaron!

I've got SKILLS!

I love the part of Napoleon Dynamite where he talks about all his "skills". Well, I've got SKILLS, too.

• Copying skills
• Paper cutter skills
• Stapling skills
• Glue stick skills
• Laminating skills
• Die cutting skills
  

I finished up using my skills for the benefit of my son's 3rd grade teacher. Every year, I offer myself up as the "Copy Mom" to the teachers and they do a little dance of joy. Teachers have a LOT copying, laminating, stapling, sorting, etc. to do each week and it takes a lot of their time if they don't have someone who will do it. Most parents would rather listen to the kids read, but not me. I'd rather stand at the copier. Today, I cut over 300 4x3 inch squares of paper so the teacher could make books for the kids for an end of the year gift (mine are still in school for another week).

I am wicked with the giant paper cutter. I flip and cut like there's no tomorrow. Sometimes I draw a crowd because others are amazed at how fast I can work the paper cutter (and not cut my fingers off). And, with very little waste I might add. Scrappers are great at using every single little piece we possibly can. I cringe when I see people plan poorly and waste big chunks of paper.

Usually, the teacher will hand me a big stack of something and say, "You probably won't get this done today" (I'm only there an hour) and it's like a challenge to me! When I come back with it all done in 40 minutes, she's always amazed!

Scrappers make GREAT Copy Moms! We've got the skills to get the job done! I have a whole string of teachers at the school that my kids have had in the past who tell me they miss me and my skills.

But, I'm glad to get the summer off! I can't wait to see who I get to offer my "Skills" to next Fall!

Joe Malarky - Ex-Scrapbook Consultant

Ohh, creepy - LOL!

ManBooking, ManScrapping, PhotoBooking? What do ya' call it?

Saturday night our church had an activity that was a "talent and hobby" showcase. People who wanted to share set up a table showcasing their talent or hobby. We had a diverse range of stuff from handicrafts to short-wave radios.

Three tables had photo books. One was mine, but the other two tables had photo books made by MEN! In fact, I'm finding that it's very common for a man to make photo books. Photography has always been a hobby that's been acceptable for a woman OR a man. In fact, when my husband gets hold of the camera, I can count on no less than 1000 shots of any event (okay - that's a bit of an exaggeration - but he takes FAR MORE than I would). Men are as interested in showcasing their photographic talents as much as women are. But how many would print out their photos and scrap them? Not many. Women go about their memory preservation using crafts but men go about it using the black backgrounds of a photo book. Yet, when you break it down, aren't they BOTH doing the same thing?

Still, I accused both of these men of being SCRAPBOOKERS and it caused both to break out into a sweat (and their wives to chuckle).

The million dollar question is.... how do we capture ManScrapping (a term my husband said was creepy - LOL) for the good of the industry?? Hmmmm.... food for thought. Maybe Cabelas would like to set up a scrapbook section next to their shooting gallery. We could start with the Utah store and go from there.

Ecomonic Downturns Great for Scrapbooking??

Makes sense to me: LINK

Scrapbooking is a low-cost way to socialize and "nest" when you can't afford the theater or eating out - or a new dining room table. Actually, you can hammer your eyelets ON the dining room table and then say, "Gosh, honey, I didn't realize it would do THAT to the table. I guess we'll just have to buy a new one..." Or, let your kids use your markers on paper you've laid on the couch. "Gosh honey, I told them NOT to color on anything but the paper. I guess we'll have to buy a new couch. They're permanent markers. Ooops!"

Maybe that's the REAL reason the furniture industry is suggesting that we scrapbook. They know that scrapbook tools in the wrong hands can be fatal to furniture. Then they'll be there waiting...

When Scrapbooking Goes Bad....

LINK

Here's a tip - don't take pictures of your graffiti tags, or bank robberies, or any other naughty activities you chose to participate in. Hmmmm, maybe that can be the next big trend in the industry - "criminal chic" :-) Prison stripe paper and little 3-D handcuff embellishments.

I found someone who uses Martha Stewart's GIANT Albums...

I think the same 4 18x18 albums are in the Martha Stewart section of my local Michael's that were there when they put them out last Summer. But look, evil dude Soviet Union Communists like(d) them. They are just 20 years too late. "Mr. Gorbachev, TEAR DOWN THIS WALL... and we'll send you all the 18x18 albums you want!"

When Good Domain Names Go Bad

Last year, the National Scrapbooking Association changed their name to the INTERNATIONAL Scrapbooking Association. They were also able to round up a new domain name since their last one had a .gs extension (from the Sandwich Islands - population like 6 people. Good domain name are easy to get there I bet) which they said stood for "good scrapping", but really, was quite odd and hard to remember. I always suggest that you go for the .com first and foremost and if you can't get the .com, then change your name to something else because if your competitor has the .com, guess where all your customers will go...

ANYWAY, I digress.

So, they rounded up a new domain that fit their new name - iScrap.com. Looks kind of fresh and cool, doesn't it? It's like ScrapBiz.com. - it looks good with the "S" and "B" capitalized (vs www.scrapbiz.com). But, we all know that you don't have to actually type it in that way to get to the site.

Well, good business advice is to run domains and business names by people who either have no emotional investment in it or who don't know what it is. It's like baby names - they make perfect sense to the parents, but may not to everyone else. I spent an hour referring to someone's yet-to-be-born baby GIRL as a BOY because her name was "Presley" - which, in this 40-something's mind is a BOY'S name. I wondered how many others had done the same. But, in the minds of the 20-something parents, Presley was a WONDERFUL name for their baby girl.

I digress again...

So, iScrap. Could it be read ANOTHER way? Perhaps IsCrap? See what I mean? I'm not making editorial commentary on the International Scrapbooking Association as I don't know anything about them really, but, I have to wonder if anyone has pointed out that little issue to them. I wouldn't want my business to be also known as "IsCrap". When good domain names go bad...

The Evil Empire

There is a very large and old scrapbook company who is pretty hard to work with. Several ScrapBiz members have ventured into accounts with them. They have a very LARGE minimum order (see my previous post for my opinion on that) and frankly, hate home-based businesses. But, oddly, much of their line can be bought from distributors, who will work with home-based businesses so I don't get it. But, ANYWAY...

One of our members with an account is looking to do an order split today. She's too funny - every time she brings them up, she always says something like, "Can you hear the Evil Empire music"?

This is the theme song of this un-named company. It's literally what I hear in my head when I see their name or see their booth at a trade show. Maybe I'll suggest they buy all their sales reps a light saber and Darth helmet for the next trade show. They could shape their booth like the Death Star. Then again, maybe not...

Sunless in Seattle

I was looking at my photos from our California trip and they are all so beautiful. Then I realized that it's the natural light. There is an abundance of it in California!

I think people who live in the NW should get a pass when it comes to photography. Unless I carry around a flash the size of a satellite dish, I'm hardly ever going to get the bright beautiful photos I can get in California. Here's what the same "Dolphin Hello" photo from Seaworld would look like if the Dolphin had the misfortune of living in Seattle (he'd have a wet-suit on, too). The water would be gray and the dolphin would be dull. Oh, and the clouds would be sitting on top of the water. I might as well not take photos from October to July around here. They all have this depressing gray cast to them. I think my 9 year old was right when he said, "Mom, can we move here?" when we got up the morning after arriving in Carlsbad. Even the 9 year old has had enough of being Sunless in Seattle.

I will admit, though, that we do appreciate the sun a bit more here. While there is no place more depressing than Seattle on a rainy day, there is also no place more beautiful when the sun finally does come out!

Wouldn't you love to see one of these come out of CHA?

We need Cathy Zielske to don some Joan Jett garb and give us a musical CHA report! Or, maybe Heidi Swapp could put on her Bangles outfit and do it "Pop Princess" style. Or maybe Melody Ross could give us the Carrie Underwood version.

Super Secret (SS) Scrapbooking Cult Video

From the Odd Files: Talking Tombstones.

LINK to article.

Seriously, how long do you think the cemetery criminals would leave a digital picture frame alone? I've seen photos on headstones, but this is a little odd. Why don't we do a holograph talking-head like Disney does in their haunted house? Or, "they" could stand next to their headstone like Obi Wan Kenobi and tell the TRUE story of their life and dispel all the rumors, myths and outright fabrications their relatives told about them at their funeral.

And, in Seattle, you'd never get it to play if it needed 4 hours of sunlight to charge the cell. When bad ideas are just... well, bad... Now, a digital frame with an Urn for ashes behind it, I could see, but this is odd.

I'm filing this under SCRAPBOOK HUMOR, because it's humorous... in a twisted way.