Essays & General Comments

I think that making the albums is my favourite section.  It's a bit more to get your teeth into than making cards, and you get to play with all the wonderful coloured papers.  I just LOVE papers and card.  I think it's my real weak spot. I have just picked up all sorts of lovely different bits in the sale.

So how did you get on in the sales this year?

I got all sorts of different papers, some coloured translucent stuff and a new album (had to give up - mine is about 4" thick now!) in the www.scrapbookingcastle.co.uk sale.  The service was really great even with the huge amount of pressure they were under with the sales going out so fast the website could not keep up. The sale is finished now, but I will be back later to check out her stuff again. Good service, workable site and sensible postage.

I love rummaging about in the sales.  It's a really good opportunity to try something a bit different with out committing yourself to vast amounts.  You do have to watch the postage, though, I have found - so many sites charge you an extra £4-5-6+ for the postage.

I also invested a bit at www.madaboutcards.com as they have 10% off this weekend.  I like these folks, but I do struggle with their £15 minimum order.  I would spend more with them if I did not have to get over that hurdle.  Plus the postage seems a little steep - but they use a private firm, and it usually arrives the next day.  At the moment they have those little x-cut Impress machine for only £20, well with 10% off as well that's a really good price.  I like the look of the piercing templates they use, and I love the Cuttlebug embossing, but I struggle to justify the cash to set the system up.  No way could I have a bug and the Impress started out at £40; I just won't get the use out of it.  I was a bit tempted at the offer price of £30 recently, especially as Boyes had it for £25, but £18 is very 'do-able', the dies are not expensive and brass stencils are reasonably cheap too.  Well I had a rummage about and ended up spending £32, on some other bits and bobs. 

Most of the sale stuff left is all for Christmas now.  I don't like to have huge amounts of Christmas stuff hanging about.  The season lasts so long I do get a bit sick of it.  I am really enjoying all the zingy colours that I picked up for pennies last month.  Gorgeous dark acid yellows and greens.  That's how I have ended up spending all this time sorting out my albums - the colours carried me away!

I hope you all did as well with your sale bargains, and have got all those creative juices flowing well again.