Holy Cheap Crap, Batman! Studio G stuff at Wal-Mart

Let me begin by saying that I love Wal-Mart.  And I love it in a completely unironic way.  Everyone I know would rather have potato chip crumbs sprinkled in their eyes than step foot in one either because they take issue with Wal-Mart's business practices or because they just don't like cheap crap.  I, on the other hand, love the fact that I can stop in a Wal-Mart and pick up a brand new pair of jeans for $9.97, which is exactly what I did yesterday.  I also love the sterile feeling and florescent lighting in Wal-marts.  I like the antiseptic, institutional ambiance.  It's like they know that I'm there for the cheap crap, so they don't have to try fanangle me by playing good music or covering their walls with mosaics made of sea kelp and dog hair.  By doing so, I feel like they respect my intelligence.  So all the cool kids can have their over-priced Anthropologies or their high-end department stores.

That being said, I have NEVER found anything in the crafting sections of Wal-Mart worth spending my pennies on until yesterday.  I mean, my Philadelphia Wal-Mart's scrapbooking section typically consists of Sticko branded foiled beach stickers and gluesticks.  So it turns out that they are now selling Studio G stuff.  You may know Studio G from AC Moore and Michael's.  They're the people who make those (sometimes) cute $1 acrylic stamp sets and blocks and glitter glue, along with an occasional ink pad.  Walmart was selling 2 lines of their stuff.  First, they had a florally, multi-purpose sort of line that I wasn't that crazy about.  It wasn't bad, it just looked a bit old-fashioned and cheap to me, but I'm a supply snob.  Then they had an adorable Halloween line!  Here's what I got:

And all of this stuff was just 97 cents each, even the paper pack.  And I think those little characters are really cute!  Did you see the trick or treat chipboard banner?  Very trendy!  They also had tons of those acrylic stamps you can get at AC Moore, inks, bling, stickers, chipboard letters, and little punches.  Has anyone else seen this stuff in their Wal-Mart?  I wonder if any other lines will be coming out.

My Smash Book is off to a SMASHING start

Wow, that title is so cheesy it's almost funny.  ALMOST. 

I know the picture is kind of crummy.  I had to take it around 7:30 tonight so I could make the deadline for the Smash Book challenge at Your Scrapbook Stash.  I'm grateful for the challenge because it motivated me to start.  I put this together pretty fast.  I tried not to "think" too much.  Something tells me my Smash Book will have more journaling than my layouts, and I didn't think that was possible!

So I added a train ticket from when I was riding home from scrapbooking with Stephanie, and I really wanted to start an entry, but I was kind of paralyzed by fear.  Which was stupid.  I also added a picture, some stickers, alphas, and a journaling block.  And ALOT of journling.

My pirate's booty

This dude was made for the June contest at Page Maps and the challenges at Candy Shoppe Designs and The Scrappiest.  If you look closely (and I urge you to do so because this took me a long-ass time to do), you will see that I fussy-cut flowers from Cosmo Cricket paper and layered them using pop-dots to make a fun, little, dimensional embellishment.  I also fussy-cut the waves and added stickles to make it look like that white foamy stuff on the tops of waves.  You know what I mean?  I think it happens when a wave "crests?"  I don't know.  I apologize for my lack of nautical knowledge.  My years as a drunken sailor, laughing it up with my friends Peg Leg and Black Beard, are long gone.  Although the damage from the scurvy remains.  As does my big booty.

Another Lucky Girls layout and yet another page about food

Here a layout I made using only supplies from the kit from Lucky Girl Crafts, other than the mini alphas.  It's sort of a mean layout, but sometimes mean things are funny!  I used a Pencil Lines sketch. 

Kathy, my dry-witted scrapbooking pal, commented the other day that I make a butt-load of food layouts.  Well, to my credit, this layout isn't about food.  It's about a restaurant.  Yeah... I make alot of restaurant layouts, too.  I used a Scrappiest sketch.  I made a fun little border around my title block by attaching strips  of folded patterned paper.  The title was inspired by the book, "Room with a View" for the book challenge at Candy Shoppe Designs.

My name is Leslie... and I'm a tanorexic.

You might need to put on some sunglasses for this one because it is BRIGHT!  These papers are from like 2005, so go me for using up my stash! I used a Pencil Lines sketch!  I used decorative scissors (the small scallops) for the challenge at Scraptastic Club.  I also used a sketch from Let's Scrap.

And this page is about a recent breakup.  Most of my pages are so happy, but sometimes I really need to pour my heart out on a page.  I find it theraputic, I guess.  And it's cheaper than my shrink.  Anyway, I used Pencil lines, Let's Scrap and Creative Scrappers sketches.  I also entered this into a challenge to make a page using only one manufacturer as part of My Scraps Got Talent at My Scraps & More.

And then here's a little card I made with the scraps.  I made it using a transparency as the base.

I got a red Smash Book! (Yes, I bought into the hype)

So when I first heard of these, I thought they seemed sort of dumb.  I thought they were regular notebooks that came with a pen.  Then, I saw them at my LSS, and I sort of fell in love...  (Here is link to the Smash blog if you want to find out more).  Part of me is super-inpired, and the other part of me feels sort of like it's "cheating" because the pages have doodles and sayings and artwork that were NOT created by yours truly.  Rather, they were produced by some corporate drone at K & Company who probably ran a gazillion focus groups to figure out what those doodles and sayings and artwork should look like in order to appeal to the biggest, most lucrative, market.  But I suppose I buy prima  flowers and die-cuts and other pre-made embellishments for my scrapbooks, so I guess I shouldn't feel that bothered.  But then again, I want this book to be super-personal and all ME...  However, the bottom line is that I like being inspired to preserve memories, and at this point, I'm very inspired by this cute book.  My mind is like an oscillating fan, I tell you...  A very fast oscillating fan. 

So anyway, I wanted to share some pictures of the book I bought (the red, "doodle"-themed one).  I know alot of people are trying to decide which book to get (or whether they even want a book to begin with)without seeing them in person, so I hope this helps. 

First, here is me with my new Smashfolio.  Notice it's upside down in the picture because I was trying to hurry and take all of these photos in Rittenhouse Park, and I didn't want people to think I was unbalaced, like a very small but significant portion of the people who loiter there.  It's also a mirror-image because I used my camera's front-facing camera.  So basically, if you turn this picture upside down and then stand in front of a mirror, you will see what a Smash book looks like!

Next, here are the pages.  Yes, I photographed alllll of them.  I'm such a helper!  The last photo is of the large Smash pockets.

Here are pictures of the Smash pads.  I didn't photograph all the pages this time!

Last, here are the small Smash pockets.

Lucky Girl Crafts GDT Projects Part Two

So here are the last two projects I made with my Lucky Girl Crafts kit. 

 Except for the mini letter stickers, all of the supplies I used on this one are from the kit.  I made the yellow flower by snipping 2 different sizes of punched circles and then layering them using popdots.  I used a sketch from Scraptastic Club.

And I had a few scraps left from my kit, so I put together this little bookmark.

Lucky Girl Crafts GDT Projects Part One

I was asked to be on the Lucky Girl Crafts DT for the month of June!  I loved the Hullabaloo kit that I was given to work with.  The patterned papers in the kit came from three different manufacturers (Imaginisce, Echo Park, and My Mind's Eye), and the colors coordinated perfectly.  I made three layouts, one card, and a bookmark, but I'm just going to share three projects here since these are the only ones on the Lucky Girls blog for now. 

I LOVE this picture of my little hooligan.  I cracked up when I saw her "defacing" this wall, and then I grabbed my camera!  I texted this picture to her family with the caption, "Little Graffiti Artist," which I used as my title.  I misted the background to look like spray paint, and I had some fun with the MME twine from the kit.  I made a border for the entire layout, and I also lined up a few lengths to create a cool effect between 2 pieces of patterned paper.  I used a sketch from Sketches in Thyme, and I'm entering this into the challenge at These are a Few of My Favorite Things to scrap your favorite artwork.  Besides the mist and the little letter stickers, all of the supplies are from the Lucky Girls kit. 

This layout is for the challenge at Scraptastic Club to sew on a layout.  The flower was originally white, but I misted it.  The letter stickers are the only supply not included in my Lucky Girls kit. 

I also made this little card.  Pretty basic, but I think it's cute.

Sweet Peach Crop Shop Part 2

A couple more projects I made using my June Sweet Peach kit!

I made the flowers on this one by fussy cutting some AC patterned paper and then snipping around the patterned circles.  I pop-dotted each layer to add dimention.  Yes, this is a vertical 2-pager.  I'm so cuh-razy!  This is for the challenge at Challenge Heaven to scrapbook a series of pictures.

Sweet Peach Crop Shop GDT Projects - Part One

I was asked to be a guest DT as Sweet Peach Crop Shoppe this month, and I had a blast working with the June 2011 Sweet kit!  I created three layouts and 2 cards for my reveal, but I have plenty of goodies left over for more projects.

First up is this layout I made using sketches from Sketches in Thyme and the Scrappiest.  I also used a blue, orange, white, and yellow color scheme for the challenge at Design Dollies.  Except for the little paper drink umbrella, all of the supplies I used were from my Sweet Peach kit!  I fussy cut the butterflies out of a sheet of American Crafts paper, and I added pieces of ribbon to make a big sun.  I'm also entering this into the challenge at Scraptasic Club to make a summer-themed layout with an altered item (my fussy-cut butterflies).

Besides the letter stickers and the brads, all of the supplies I used for these cards are also from the kit.  I'm entering these into the challenge at the Paper Variety to make a guy-themed project.  One of these cards is for my Daddy for Father's Day.  I know it's sort of girlie, but my dad is very much in touch with him feminine side!

My scraps got Talent

My Scraps and More is hosting My Scraps Got Talent, a 2 month-long scrapbooking competition with games and challenges!  Head over to check out the details.  It looks like lots of fun prizes are up for grabs!

Lucky Girl Crafts and the Effects of Watching Too Much "Law and Order: SVU"

I'm a Guest DT at Lucky Girl Crafts this month, and if you've never checked them out, you really should!  And no, I'm not just saying that because I got a free kit this month!  They are having a huge sale; their kits are 5 for $100!  That's a savings of around 45 smackaroos! Just use discount code LUCKYBDAY at checkout.
I really like their kits because the papers you get papers that aren't too "matchy matchy."  You could create several layouts from one kit and have each of them look completely different from the others.  They also include product from lots of different companies like Echo Park, Prima, MME, Pink Paislee, American Crafts, Making Memories, Imaginise, Jenni Bowlin, and Cosmo Cricket.  As a fan or variety, I like that!

Also, the Lucky Girls are making final preparations for this weekend's blog party, which will run June 3-5 and feature lots of inspiration and scrappy gifts for readers.  It all stars tomorrow at http://www.luckygirlcraftkits.blogspot.com/. 

In other (not particularly noteworthy) news, I've been watching lots and lots of SVU on my phone because the Internet that I steal from my neighbors has been craptastic lately.  They need to pay their bills on time so I can watch my shows, damn it!  Anyway, there is not much that my mother and I agree about.  In fact, we argue constantly about whether it's acceptable to end a sentence with a preposition.  I say it is, and she says it isn't, but she doesn't know what she's talking about.  Did you get that?  Talking ABOUT!  Take that, Mama!  But we both agree that Christopher Meloni is H-O-T-T.  She's calls him "Testosteroni."  She's so punny!  I don't understand how a middle-aged man with such a bad receding hair line can be so... pultritudinous. 

Also, I want to be friends with Mariska Hargitay.  Hell, I want to BE Mariska Hargitay.

Well, my recent binge of SVU viewing (or as I call it, SVUing) has had the unfortunate effect of making me look for dead people wherever I go.  I was at the park today with Gidget, and there was a homeless person wrapped in a Sesame Street blanket on a bench.  Although it's quite common to see homeless people doing homeless things like sleeping on benches while wrapped in Sesame Street blankets, my first thought was, "OH CRAP!  DEAD BODY!"  And I can't cross railroad tracks or walk by shallow bodies of water without inspecting the premises for corpses.  Hell, I haven't let Gidget play with a ball in the grass since watching that episode where that kit throws a frisbee that lands feet away from a cold one.  And by "cold one" I mean "dead person" not "beer."

these ain't my kids, but I love 'em, damn it

I don't know why, but deep down inside, there is a part of me that feels weird for scrapbooking the kids I nanny.  I guess I'm okay with it, but I feel like others think it's strange, and I feel like they are judging me.  Other scrapbookers always ask me, "Do you give those pages to their parents?" and I'm like, "No...They're for me..."  I need to get over this negative feeling, because the truth is, I spend 35 hours a week with Caroline and about 10 with M.J.  They are a large part of my life, and I love them both so much.  In fact, I should be proud of the fact that I love these kids and my job so much that I want to remember them.

So without further ado, here's a page about Caroline, who I have taken to calling "Gidget" in recent weeks.  It suits her.  I combined sketches at Creative Scrappers (155) and The Scrappiest (119).  It's also for the challenge at Crop Addict to include memorabilia.  I added one of Caroline's little hair clips to the corner of one of my photos.  I buy her about a pack of these every 2 weeks because unless you sneak attack her when you put them in, she will pull them out.  Last, this is for the open challenge at Sketches in Thyme. 

This ones about M.J. and his crystal meth-like energy level.  I combined 2 sketches for this one (Punky Scraps Sketch 119, and Creative Scrappers Sketch 154).  This was inspired by Wendi's favorite layout for the scraplift challenge at Design Dollies.  I lifted the striped stars, scallops, fun mix of patterns, and overall page layout.  This is also for the challenge to "show us the boys" at Paper Issues.

I can't believe I scrapped FOR-MAN MILLS

This first layout is about a trip I took to FOR-MAN MILLS with my friends.  If you've never been to a FOR-MAN MILLS, I suggest you don't worry over that fact.  But do click on this link so you can hear the funny song.  FOR-MAN MILLS!

Anyway, this is for the May 123 challenge to use fire engine red, a stitched title, and the word "fun."  It's also for the challenge at Scrapbookers Annoymous to create a patterend paper and 3 embellishments with stamps.  I stamped my yellow Bo Bunny paper with a Studio Calico Stamp and my three brown labels were made with a Stampin' Up! stamp.  I also used yellow, pop dotted alphas, and paint splatters for Mission 41 at Mission to Create.  I used sketch 118 from The Scrappiest.  Last, this is for the challenge at Punky Scraps to use twine, a stamp, stitching, paint, and no cardstock. 

I doodled the hell out of this one, and I really love how it turned out!  I doodled borders, my title, and around the circle accents.  This is for the challenge to scrap an important female in your life and include at least 20 words of journaling at Scrap the Girls.  Ha!  That was an easy one for me!  My color combo was inspired by the picture at Lollipop Ladies.  My "5 things I love abot you" theme was inspired by the challenge at My Scraps and More.  I did this for two other challenges, but I didn't finish on time.  MOTHER FRITTER!