I've Been a Bad, Bad Girl ...

Hi, everyone! Welcome back to Life on the {Scrap} Beach!

I have been a bad, bad girl. Lately I've been feeling like doing some shopping for scrapbook supplies, but everything I looked at just felt kind of "blah" to me. I think the problem was not so much with the supplies as it was with my brain, because I finally snapped out of my little shopping funk and went to town with some great paper and stamps.

Wanna see what I got?

Well, if you came to last Thursday's Euro Chat, you already saw some of what I ordered in living color, but if you happened to miss it, I've typed up this lovely post all with pictures. It's part of my "Anything to Avoid Doing an Actual Haul Vid" haul series I am doing.

Anyways, enough with the babbling.

I did say I was not going to buy any more paper this year & was going to concentrate on getting some more embellishments. And so what did I do? Bought a ton of paper & only a couple measly packs of embellishments. Because that's what I do. I buy paper instead of embellishments. I keep forgetting that 2010 is supposed to be The Year of the Embellishment.


Basic Grey "Basics" Collection:





Was there really any doubt that I would end up with the Basic Grey "Basics" collection? I mean, really? After the demise of my beloved Scenic Route Paper Co., I went through a bit of a scrapbooking crisis: Where, oh, where, would I get grid paper now!? It was very sad. But Basic Grey came along {eventually} and saved the day.


Basic Grey "Capella" Collection:




I really, REALLY tried not to buy this paper collection. I thought it was gorgeous & perfect for spraying with Glimmer Mist, but it wasn't strictly necessary for my life. I mean, just because something is really, REALLY pretty, that doesn't mean I have to buy it, right? Especially when I don't have something specific in mind for it. Alas, I did not listen to my Voice of Reason. I sprayed it with a fire hose until it stopped yammering & then clicked the "checkout" button.


Cosmo Cricket "Fleuriste" Collection:




Okay, so I know this paper collection is so yesterday & that you guys have probably already been there & done that, but I missed it the first time around AND I was able to get it at a super great price through Scenic Route Paper Co. of all places. And by "super great" I mean I paid $8.00 for everything you see in that picture right there. Yeah. Eight bucks. And it's pretty! Actually, there looks like there might be an embellishment or two in the paper pack, so maybe I am doing better than I thought with the embellishments?


Fancy Pants "Roadshow" Collection:



I just love Fancy Pants paper. It's distressed without being grungy, which is just so totally perfect for me. In fact, I just got done making the cutest little mini with their "Rusted Sun" collection, that is going to be making an appearance in the Twelve Months of Christmas giveaway.


My Mind's Eye Penny Lane "Free Bird" Collection:




This is another one of those "so yesterday" paper collections that I missed the first time around & was able to pick up at a good price through Scenic Route Paper Co. I love the bright colors and funky prints in this particular collection ~ it will be so great for layouts.


My Mind's Eye Penny Lane "Tiny Dancer" Collection:




This "so yesterday" paper collection also came at a good price from the Scenic Route Paper Co. liquidation sale. These pretty papers will be great for softer, more subtle layouts & I am really looking forward to working with them. Not to mention the fact that there are embellishments in there, too, so I am not breaking my rule too much.

And that's it for paper. {Don't you love how I say "that's it" like I only bought five sheets of paper? It's a sickness, I tell you.} After paper, I probably invested the most money into stamps. I picked up a lot of stamps that I have had my eye on for a while, but haven't purchased because there was always something I wanted more at that particular moment. Well, I finally decided to get them & some of them will be perfect for the upcoming clear album series! I am very excited about them!

Hero Arts "Clouds" Wood Background Stamp:



I think "Clouds" will look amazing stamped on a transparency with Staz-On in "Cotton White" and then maybe put a small photo over it ... maybe a scrap or two or brightly colored patterned paper ... an idea is taking shape here!


Hero Arts "Quotes" Wood Background Stamp:



I love journaling stamps, what can I say? For some reason I am incapable of writing in a straight line, and yet I love to journal in my own handwriting. This creates a need for lots and lots of journaling stamps.


Hero Arts "French Writing with Butterfly" Wood Mounted Stamp:



I like my own handwriting, and I like other people's handwriting. I am a script junkie, that's for sure.


Hero Arts "French Post" Wood Mounted Stamp:



I have an album coming up in the next few months with a postcards theme, so I am slowly gathering all kinds of postal image stamps and ephemera to use in it. I have gotten some cool stuff so far & can't wait to get started!

I am not even done yet with the stamps. That's just the wood mounted stamps I purchased. I still have to go through the cling rubber and clear stamps I got! I was thinking about stamping the other day & I actually had a memory of a conversation with a fellow scrapbooker about how I didn't "get" stamping. I would buy stamps here and there, but I never really used them in my books or on my pages.

This conversation probably took place about two and a half years ago. Now I love to stamp and reach for my stamps all the time. I've developed a good habit of using them. That's what I need to do with my Cricut now. I have the Cricut, I have the cartridges & all the other supplies. Now I just need to remember to use it, like I did with my stamps. It's such a great resource if I just remember that it's there! Anyways, that was totally random & off topic. Moving on with the goodies!

Hero Arts "Metal Flourish" Cling Stamp:



This stamp looks like a gate to me. I think it will be really fun to use it in interactive elements on scrapbook pages, and also to use it on cards. It's got a really fun & cool look, and I already have some ideas percolating for it.


Hero Arts "Peacock" Cling Stamp:



I have to admit that I'm not 100% sure why I love this stamp. I just think that the image is very cool & will be fun to color in with my Twinkling H2O's. I mean, just look at that tail!


Hero Arts "Rose Background" Cling Stamp:



I can't wait to stamp this one on watercolor paper & paint it in with watercolor paints. It will be so gorgeous on cards, on tags and on the pages of my minis.


Hero Arts "Two Vine Scrolls" Cling Stamp:



I loved that both the positive and negative image for this stamp was included in the packaging. It will be a lot of fun to play around with that combination. I also thought that the look and feel of them would work really well for the Asian mini album I have coming up.

I needed to make sure some embellishments sneaked into my cart, so I picked up some of the Tattered Angels Glimmer Chips and some Prima flowers. The Prima flowers also came from the Scenic Route Paper Co. liquidation sale.


Prima Can-Ection "Cannes" Flowers:





Prima Can-Ection "Monaco" Flowers:




I don't have much to say about these flowers other than: Aren't they pretty!?


Tattered Angels "Destination Unknown" Glimmer Chips:



I got this set of glimmer chips with that postcard mini I mentioned earlier in mind. I like the different travel related pieces in this set & thought that they would work really well in that album. I'll be using the Webster's Pages "Postcards from Paris" papers in my postcard album, and so many of the chips in this set mesh beautifully with the images in that collection.

So what products have you all been eyeing lately? Or are you saving up for the new releases from the Summer CHA trade show?

~Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.