Goodbye Shop Hop and GOOD RIDDANCE!

I am finally done. I am so tired!!! And broke! Today I was trying to get Matt to fall asleep so I was cuddling him on the couch. Next thing I know the doorbell is ringing. I slept for 1.5 hours and Katie had walked home from the bus stop and was ringing the doorbell. Bad mom! LOL I still feel like I need some rest. Sometimes if I go out of town the experience feels a little surreal. That is how this Shop Hop feels. I just can't believe I stopped at 29 stores in 4 days over all of Southern California. Wow.

I had Katie put all of my loot that we bought in this big box I have and it would not all fit. I won't be asking for Christmas presents this year! LOL We totally had a blast and I hear there is another one in the works for next year. I plan on going again. I just either need to save up or really just take cash and no cards or checks and be more disciplined. I went wither several different people on different days and it was really fun to spend time with them and get to know them a little better. Thanks Melanie, Tina, Cindy, Elena, Laura, and PJ for an ultra fun time!! And especially to Xaver (and little Matt) for coming along when they did.

Today Katie and I hit up our last three stores.

Scrapping Lounge
I have been here before. Boy, now that I had a little more time to look around I was really impressed by the store. They have a nice selection of paper and embellies and their prices are very very fair! Plus now they sell Scrapbook Royalty tote hooks (20% of each purcahse is donated to charity) so they get a major thumbs up. I got some great brads and CUTE KI Memories bday paper. I met up with Elena and Melanie from Scrapbook Royalty there and we caravaned to the following stores.

Stamp Your Heart Out
I was pressed for time so I ended up putting my stuff back--I hope to go back to make my purchase later (like I NEED more stuff but they had the cutest robot stamps...). They let you take pics of samples, which I love, and their displays were adorable. And they had a nice make n take. I also saw an SGT customer there so that was kind fo fun, to run into someone I knew. SYHO also is selling Scrapbook Royalty tote hooks so they get a thumbs up from me too!

Scrappin' Good Times
Save the best for last, right? I was going there for Elena's "It's All Fancy" class. It was a nice group so we just all chatted and had a good time together. Pretty fun! Of course just from yesterday to today there was all kinds of new product out. Gotta love that! Plus they sell Scrapbook Royalty tote hooks as well, plus I teach there, so gotta love SGT!

I got my last stamp and now I am done!!! Katie has to get one more stamp and then she is done too. Now I need to "get my scrap on" and make these supplies WORK for me.

Tomorrow I am teaching my "Blast Off Boy" class at SGT. I have space available still. If you want to show up at the last minute, please do!! I also have add-ons I am working on and they are to die for!!! So you can always get one of those if you do not have time for the class.

I'll be posting some pics in the next couple days--off to prep for classes and spend a little tmie with my family.

Where I'll be the rest of the week...

Here's my itinerary:

Wed night I'll be at Scrappin' Good Times taking Elena Etcheverry's "It's All Fancy" class. There is still room so if you are out Shop Hopping, stop on in!! You can buy akit to take home with you if you're on a roll and don't want to sit down for a class. Elena is super talented and her classes are fun, educational, and entertaining. She teaches at multiple stores in the San Diego area as well as for Quick Quotes at scrapbooking expos. You won't want to miss her class!

Thursday night I'll be teaching at Scrappin' Good Times!! My "Blast Off Boy" Class still has spots so again, you area welcome to come take the class, even at the last minute or you can purchase a kit to take home. The projects are "totally out of this world" and can be used for a boy or girl, or even for scrapping amusement park or halloween pictures. If you are stopping in just for Shop Hop, be sure to say hello!!

Friday night I will be here at home. I am thinking of going to SGT's crop--we'll see. If you are going to up by Scrapbook Blvd, let me know and I might just meet you over there since they are down the street from me.

Saturday I'll be doing soccer and having a yard sale. But I just may cruise over to Scrapook Blvd because they open at 9am to kick off their anniversary sale....

Sunday I am BACK at Scrappin' Good Times to teach my "Back 2 Skool" altered school supplies class. This class is going to be so fun and only costs $20--so if you are out Shop Hopping, again, please come by my class and get a kit, take the class, or at least just say hello!

And then Shop Hop is over.....how exciting but I need that time to put away all the loot I bought!!!! Good thing I am not teaching again until October!

Only 3 more to go!!!

I am sooooo tired.

I have been to 26 stores so far.

I have 3 to go.

I need a nap!!

And a loan! LOL

Here's what I did today:

Cindy and I went to:

Screamin' Susie's -- Whittier
Very cute store, the owner was super nice too. They had a cute Halloween themed Mnt too. Also, you can sell them your stamps for store credit so I will definitely be back there!

Scrappin' in The Hills -- Anaheim Hills
Nice store with a wide selection. We kind of had to be in and out because we both had kids to pick up form school but I hope to make it back for a longer look someday.

On my way home:

Scrappin' Good Times -- San Dimas
What else can I say? You all know I love this store and teach there! Make sure you stop in the bathroom if you have never been there before--it's an experience. LOL

Katie and I:

Scrapbook Blvd -- Victorville
This store is 5 miles from my house so I am already in there pretty often. They have QK 2x2 dies and alphabets for 40% off--I got some stuff but will have to go back for more later this week. They are doing a big 2nd anniversary sale on Saturday that you won't want to miss. They had a very mini accordian book that was a "take n make" which I thought was a cute concept.

Yesterday a whole group of us got together and went all over the San Diego area. Cindy, Tina, PJ, Elena (Scrapbook Royalty), Laura (Desert Scrappers), and I went to 12 stores in one day. TWELVE!!

First we went to Scrapbook Corner (T), Now and Then, It's About Time, and Scrapbooks Unlimited, all of which I had gone to the day before so I won't recap. Again, I spent too much. Got some great deals on ribbon though!!!

Cool Scrapbook Stuff-- Poway
This store has alot of product! I didn't get a chance to look at it all because we were kind of in hurry after our late start. (haha look at what the sign says).







Memories in the Making
I so want to take the paper bag card class at this store--it is adorable!! The lady working was very sweet too! They have some great stamping items as well.

Yellow Bird Scrapbooking
The store is super cute inside!! The bird had the day off again but it was pretty fun inside and they had some super cute products. Plus they sell Scrapbook Royalty's signature tote hooks so you gotta love that supports charities!!








Scrapbook Your Life
Again, we were in a mega hurry so we did not spend much time in here but they really reminded me of Wooten's in Palm Desert. The glare was really bad because it was sunset and it was reflecting off the windows.






Flashbacks
What's funny about this store is I was coming home from Scrapbook Expo San Diego a couple pf weeks ago. There was all kinds of traffic on the 5 Fwy so I pulled off to get some food. I sat int he drive thru at that McDonald's there for 20 minutes totally oblivious tat there was a store there--well, now I know!! LOL

Ever After -- Carlsbad
Gotta love mega stores like this because you always leave inspired. At this point, I was pretty broke so I could not buy much--plus now I already have like every line of paper from this las CHA release! LOL

Jazi Crafts
These ladies stayed open extra late, just for us. Gotta love that!! They had the BEST prices I have seen for the Tim Holtz storage items so I got TWO of those. And they had some fun make n takes--it is like the San Diego version of Auntie Amy's. Friendly, very stamp centered, and great prices. I will definitely be back there.






Pink Pineapple
Again, they stayed open extra late just for us because we called. Love that!!! We got more of the Jenni Bowlin line we have been seeing and I finally found Ally's Wonderland paper line from SEI!!!! 20 stores and I finally found it at ONE!!! So that made my night. Again, they have the best prices on ribbon ever. And if you go, make sure to stop in their bathroom.

We tried to go to Scrapbook Corner Hemet because the girls I was with ahd not yet been there. We called and told the girl we were coming. She wasn't even sure how far we were or where Temecula was. So we decided to try to hit them up anyways. We were five miles away when we called again and she said she absolutely would not stay open for us. So now all those girls have to go back to Hemet--and we wasted about 35 minutes going even further east from all of our homes. We all got back to Fontana at 10pm and split off from there. I got stuck in this massive traffic on the 15 from an accident. I took a back way (which everyone thinks is closed because it was closed for the summer and was supposed to open Sept 15 but reopened last week, thank God!). I got home just before 11pm. So I am really tired.

But what an exciting few days! Tomorrow I will finish up my tour with Scrapbook Lounge, Stamp Your Heart Out, and then I need to get stamped at Scrappin' Good Times since I forgot when I stopped today. And then I am done!!! I'll post pics into the blog later--sorry but I have two classes this week to prep for!

Viva La Scrap

Have you heard of this?

http://www.vivalascrap.net/

It sounds so much fun!!! I wish I could go--the ladies who are organizing it are awesome plus there will be vendors there. I'll be keeping an eye for the next time to put one on because I'd love to be there!

Shop Hopping Until We Drop!!

Katie and I are Shop Hopping until we drop! In case you have no idea what I am blogging about, go here: http://www.socalshophop.com

Xaver, Matt, Katie, and I went to these stores Saturday, after Katie's soccer game:

Collective Journey
I've been there many times. They had their anniversary sale this weekend and the whole store was 20% off. They had MnTs and I did them both--one was a 6x6 page using QK stuff the other was a square tag I think I'll turn into a card. They were both FREE too!

Well, then we saw Randy's Donuts....


The Crop Circle, Los Angeles
They had a cute Make-n-Take that was free (a title for Shop Hop with cute little flip flops) and Shop Hop paperthat they print right there in the store. They can custom make any paper you want right there for you on demand--how cool is that?! They also have a bulletin board in the front where people from the Shop Hop put a pin in a map for the town they were from--I thought that was a great idea. The staff were really nice too. While I was in there I heard these ladies saying they were from Victorville--come to find out they are some of the instructors from Scrapbook Blvd, right by my house! It was fun to actually meet them in person too. We actually ended up kind of following each other to all the stores the rest of the day.

Strictly Scrapbooking, Torrance
Great selection and I love the feel of the store. They had a super nice girl doing the MnT and were very very helpful to me, with my stuffy nose and clogged ears they were just so patient even though I could not hear! LOL They had a free MnT--a Christmas theme door hanger--plus a cute HW page for $6.99 that I bought.

AtoZ Scrapboooking
They have the cutest "B*tch" book in the front of the store--you'll have to check it out. And they have a GRIP of products for sale there.













The Scrapbook Garden
Very very cute store--AWESOME class samples. I met the designer and she is the sweetest. This was their grand opening weekend. I love the feel of the store--nice and clean and the aisles were nice and wide.

Angel's Scrapbook Garden
I'm sad to say they get a thumbs down from me. We got in the door at 5:59pm. They are listed as closing at 7pm on the Passport. They said they changed their hours as of Sept 1 to closing at 6pm and seemed to really not care that all these people were out there with the wrong hours listed. I have a feeling I am not the only person who had this experience. The person working there barely let us in the door to get out passports stamped. I didn't get to see or buy anything and I was kind of irritated that we drove all the way to Mission Viejo and did not even get to really see the store at all. I didn't even get my photo out front I was so flustered because we had rushed over there with Matt crying in the car.

Strictly Scrapbooking, Cerritos
Very cute and alot of the same great products at SS Torrance. Funny thing though--we asked to use the restroom and they sent us to Tall Mouse. We walk in and TM are having a Midnight Madness sale that night only--so I got a GRIP of stuff for super cheap. Tall Mouse is cool! I had never been before...

TODAY Katie and I met up with Laura Miller of Desert Scrappers Retreats and we hit the Temecula/Murrieta/Corona/Riverside stores.

I started at Collective Journey again to spend my $10 gift certificate and to get my 20% off--got some really cute Anna Griffin stuff to make Christmas cards...Yum!






Scrapbook Corner HEMET
Awesome store. I wanna live there! Love their crop area. Super nice staff, great selection of Hambly so I went wild!! Also I saw alot of Urban Lily and I love them too so I stocked up. Their crop space is to die for. I will travel from Hesperia at least a couple of times a year just to crop there I am thinking. Love that store!!!
















Scrapbooks Unlimited
So sad that they are going out of business so my 20% discount for having my passport and totebag was not being honored is worthless---BUT I got 50% off which is even better!!!! QK is 40% off and they have ALOT of retired alphas so I would get them while you can. They also have alot of the new CHA release like Heidi Grace. I got some mega deals.









Scrapbook Corner TEMECULA
Cute but not as cute as their Hemet store. Great selection again. Nice staff too. Lots more Hambly!! Also I got the EK Success onesie for Matt (with the matching mini onesie that I can scrap) that says SON of A Scrapbooker- -lol!! These stores are very nice and have a great selection.










It's About Time, Murrieta
Great store. They furnished it with stuff from Pottery Barn I have heard and it looks very chic. They also had Cherry Arte paper which it seems no one out here will carry so I stocked up on that and SEI. Super nice girls, great samples. Be sure to check out their palm tree shaped book that is a class sample--very cute!










Now and Then, Wildomar
Did not buy much but they are giving you 35% off one item if you are a Shop Hopper so I got some cute buttons. I was kind of running low on funds at this point...LOL!














Once Upon a Time, Corona
We called from the freeway because we were 20 mins away and they were closing in 10 mins--they STAYED open for us! They extended their hours from 430pm to 6pm just for Shop Hoppers. Big impression on me! They had a cute flip flop mini book too and come cute papers, very nice staff and the owner was a sweetie. A group of Shop Hoppers were kind of on our tail from Temecula (like a couple cars worth of ladies) so they came in each store as we left--so it was good that the stores stayed open for us all. Plus they are fully stocked with Rusty Pickle's Pirate Princess line so get it while you can! I did!





Auntie Amy's, Riverside
They also stayed open for us. It was funny because we called them and they said they would stay open ONLY if we bought ALOT of stuff! LOL The owner did a cool demo for us and I bought a grip of stuff. They had Primas buy one, get one too so of course we bought those. And they gave Katie all kinds of goodies. Plus they had yummy snacks for us too so that was great! Their staff was very nice too and funny! Great way to wrap up the day...well, almost.





Kandy Scrappers, Corona
We missed this store so we turned around and went back. They are soooo nice. Their store was done up all cute with a big welcome sign for shop hopppers. They had the best MnT I thought--a HW paint can filled with tags for $5 and a cute little tag page for FREE. The owner was super nice and they had some great stuff as well. Plus they were the only store I have seen that has Tinkering Ink, which I have wanted for some time so I got some.

I blew my whole budget! LOL Tomorrow I am hitting up 8 stores in the SD area (thank God Elena of Scrapbook Royalty, the expert on San Diego, is helping us navigate). I am budgeting $5 per store but I know when I go to Pink Pineapple I won't be able to resist because I love them...and my punch card is almost full there. So I gotta fill it up, right?!

I have 14 left to go and after tomorrow, only 6. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can....

How "Sweet" It Is...

Can you imagine how excited I was to receive a personal message from Technique Tuesday notifying me that I won FIRST PLACE in the Creativity category of their "Ink Outside the Box" contest on Scrapbook.com??!?!

It all started when I was browsing around Scrapbook.com on August 31 and clicked on the Contests Forum. There I saw the rules and that the contest ended THAT DAY! The contest was to create something using TT stamps that was not a layout or card. Immediately I had an idea: a ONESIE! I had just purchased the Handful of Henna and Provence Alphabet Stamp sets from Scrappin' Good Times so I was ready to go! I took out my Staz-on and stamped my onesie. Then Xaver put it on Matt, I took a few shots of my "model" and posted it, just in the nick of time.

And I won!! How cool! Here's a link to my entry:

http://scrapbook.com/galleries/106702/view/1015131/-1/20/1.html

Thanks for looking!!