New Poll

I'm setting up a new poll in an effort to gain some support for my "cause". You see, it's like this:

Every time I go shopping I see these neat scooters at the front of the store. Walmart has them, Winn Dixie, Target...you get the idea. They're pretty much everywhere tempting me with their little bells and lots of fun buttons.

Hubby is not feeling the necessity of my trying out one of these. In fact, he thinks it's a bad idea. Now I ask you...just because there was a little incident years ago involving a ride on lawn mower and some flowers...does that mean I should be banned forever from all motorized vehicles? Of course not...these things happen, right?

So, I'm taking a poll. I'm sure someone out there in blogger land needs a review of these scooters. And if that were the case...how could I possibly refuse? After all, it would be for the greater good. ;o)

Looking for a fun t-shirt?

Rejean loves t-shirts so I'm always on the lookout for some funny ones. Awhile back, I found this great website called Cafe Press. In fact, I liked their shirts so much, I ended up getting a couple for myself. I guess before I continue on I should tell you two things: First, I consider myself very blessed and am thankful for who God created me to be. And that includes my disability. Second, I have a wacky sense of humor.

Anyway, on with my story:

I found two t-shirts that I considered "must haves". One read: "The only disability in life is a bad attitude." Love that! The other is probably my favorite. It has a wheelchair symbol and reads "In it for the parking".

I wanted to get one other, but alas, it was not to be... it only came in children's sizes. It said "I walk when no one is looking". Too funny!

So, if you're interested in a new t-shirt, I highly recommend them. They have a wide variety of other products as well. Their shipping is fast and they provide excellent customer service. A search engine is provided if you're looking for a particular topic. Here is their website:

http://www.cafepress.com/

Happy Shopping!

Cricut info

Two questions that I seem to get asked a lot are "Where do you purchase your cricut cartridges?" and "Which ones are your favorites"?

Well, a couple I have purchased off of Ebay. In fact, I've heard some people get great deals there. I don't tend to have much luck with Ebay most of the time. However, I do have some resources for you if you're looking for a new cartridge at a reasonable price.

Michael's is obviously one choice. The limitation there is that you have to wait for the catridges to go on sale. So, here are a few online options that I have found:

One website I've used numerous times is Scrappers Must Haves. Typically I have my cartridges within two days of placing my order. I've been very, very happy with their level of customer service! And, as long as you don't mind them cutting off the top of the blister packaging, two catridges can fit into one priority flat rate envelope. This means shipping is less than $5 (if shipped within the U.S). Just remember to choose that option at check out. They also sell some of the more rare cartridges such as Don Juan and Accent Essentials.

Here is their website so you can see their selection:

http://www.scrappersmusthaves.com

There are a couple of other websites I've heard good things about (although I have never ordered from them personally, so I cannot rate their customer service):

http://www.ohmycrafts.com
http://www.customcrops.com

I'm sure there are others, but these are the ones I have heard the most chatter about. Oh, one other thing...you might also want to check out http://www.cricut.com . Within their message board, there is a separate category titled "Product Reviews & Deals". There you will find a lot of people selling some of their used (some new) cartridges at great prices.

Now, I also promised I would tell you some of my favorites. First for fonts:

Storybook~I love the elegance of this font...perfect for formal pages or sweet girlie layouts. It also contains several scallop shapes which are so popular in scrapbooking right now. There are also a lot of flourishes on this cartridges. I don't tend to use many flourishes in my scrapbooking, but if this is something that appeals to you, then you will looove this cartridge.

Alphalicious, Doodletype and Learning Curve ~ three different fonts that are all very versatile. They work well for most of your every day kind of pages. Alphalicious has more of a cute, whimsical feel to it.

Now for the shape cartridges:

Doodlecharms ~ has a wide variety of fun shapes. A little something for everyone can be found on this one. It's a great cartridge and I highly recommend it.

Paper Doll Dress Up ~ is very different than the title implies. It has sooo much more than just paper dolls. It has tons of "accessories"! Just a few of the many things you will find on this one include: a pirate ship, witch's cauldron, pumpkin, mummy, a castle for some adorable prince/princess pages, a shamrock, a rocking hourse, a sailboat, a wagon...the list goes on and on. So many adorable items contained in one cartridge. I'd even go so far as to say this is my favorite shape cartridge that I own.

My only buyer's remorse was my Stretch Your Imagination cartridge. There seems to be a lot of great things on this one, and yet I can't bring myself to like it. Don't ask me why because I really don't know. LOL I'm hoping to learn to love it the more that I use it.

Hope today's post was helpful to someone! Have a great day!!

My Friday share

I found this cute little frame for $1 at Michael's. Actually, I bought several in different shapes and sizes. My intent was to put some "portraits" of some Sesame Street characters in each one and then have a giveaway on my blog. I thought they'd be sweet for a nursery or perhaps as part of a baby shower gift. Unfortunately, the other frames fell apart while still sitting in the shopping bag! Cheap glue, I guess. Probably not one of my smartest purchases. Oh well...what do you expect for a buck, right?

Product Review

My product review today pertains to the Spellbinder's Nestabilities Collection dies. These metal dies are designed to both cut out and emboss shapes.

The first concern is the price is a bit steep at 24.99 per set. Unless you have a coupon to use, the money invested in purchasing different shapes can quickly add up.

Second issue: no directions that I could find. I finally resorted to watching a video on You Tube to find out how to use them.

Third issue: Because these dies also have the capability to emboss your shape, you will also need an embossing mat (purchased separately for an additional $8.99).

To make a long story short, I tried my dies using my Sizzix Big Kick. Now, I have seen alot of reviews online raving about how wonderful this cutting system is. But to be honest, I was less than impressed with the overall finished look. In fact, I plan on returning my dies the very first chance that I get.

My advice is to save your $$ or invest in a nice cutting system with basic shapes such as circles, squares etc. I have several coluzzle templates and love them alot. Also, punches are a great investment...especially if you like to paper piece (like we do in many of our layout classes). They are also available in fancier cuts such as the scalloped circle or square. In my opinion, those would be a much better choice.

Just my two cents, for whatever it may be worth...