Olympic Gold Medal Sale update

Right now, Team USA has 16 GOLD MEDALS!! There is still a week to go. Cheer for Team USA and save over 16% (how much you save depends on how many Gold Medals Team USA wins) on your Scrapbook supplies purchased between August 29 and 31st!

Olympic GOLD Medal SALE!

There will be a Three-Day only sale on the weekend following the end of the Olympics. The sale dates are from August 29 - 31st. The number of gold medals the USA wins at the end of the Olympics will be the percentage you get off your order! As an example, if USA wins 32 gold medals in the 2008 Summer Olympics, then you would get 32% off your order - when you order from August 29 - 31st.

So, mark your calendars and cheer for TEAM USA in the 2008 Olympics!

Expand your Cricut Cutting Capability!

Sure Cuts A Lot Software from Craft Edge works with your Cricut Personal or Expression cutter to allow you to cut using the True Type fonts installed on your computer or from one of the thousands of fonts downloaded for FREE! You can also use it to cut dingbats and SVG files or Scalable Vector Graphics . Sure Cuts A Lot also allows you to weld words or change the style of the font to shadow, blackout, shadow blackout or mixed. It works with your Cricut machine as long as it has a cartridge in it. Additionally, the interface looks like your cutting pad, so you can move items on the interface to where they would be on your cutting mat and it is what you see is what you cut! Best of all, this software works on Windows and MAC! They have a free trial version if you want to give it a "test drive!" You may need to update your firmware on your Cricut, but I found that was easy to do.

Check it out!

Here are two examples of Titles that I cut out using the Sure Cuts A Lot Software:

the word "Baby"



"All text on this layout"

Long Term Photo Care - Home vs Commercial Printing

Home Printing vs. Commercial Printing - What is right for you?

At the time of this writing, you can get comercial 4x6 prints for as low as 8 cents per print. A brief overview of the top three companies is provided below:

Winkflash has a deal going where you can get 50 free 4x6 prints if you try them out and their shipping is as low at 89 cents. 4x6 photos are 8 cents per print and they have a wide variety of print size options that go from wallet up to 10x15.

Shutterfly has a deal where you can get 50 free 4x6 prints plus a 11x14 collage poster. 4x6 prints cost 15 cents per print and they have several print size options, although not as many as Winkflash, they do offer print sizes up to 20x30. Shipping costs start at $1.79 for 4x6 photos.

Snapfish offers new customers 20 prints free. 4x6 photos cost 9 cents per photo; however, they have the most limited options with only 4x6, 5x7 and 8x10. Their shipping is a little strange because it looks like you pay per bundle of 10 prints starting at 49 cents per bundle.

All three companies offer some form of editing and cropping.

For Home Printing you need a good quality photo inkjet printer and some photo editing software. You can get a nice photo inkjet for around $100 and photo editing software such as Photoshop Elements for about $100. Then there is the cost of the photo paper. As an example, I have an Epson R800 and the Premium Epson 4x6 glossy photo paper runs about 40 cents a sheet. Now, you may say "Oh, I use the office store brand because it is cheaper." However, you should be aware that the manufacturers "engineer" their inks and papers to work the best when used together. My Epson photos printed with Epson ink on Epson Premium Photo paper will last over 100 years. However, certain ink and paper cominations may not last 4 months! I would recommend you check out the Wilhelm Imaging Research's website for more info on photo longevity. They have researched several printer, ink and paper combinations for print longevity. Very interesting research!

Back to the commercial printers, only one of the top three sites had any discussion on print longevity that I could find with any ease. Winkflash indicated that their photos would last "several decades before any noticeable fading occurs..."

So, although the commercial printers may cost 8 cents a print make sure you do your research and are comfortable with the longevity of the photos. I personally like to print my own photos - could it be that I am a control freak...maybe. I like to crop them pick what sizes I want them to print out and get them immediately! :) However, if you are printing tons of photos or you don't have the proper equipment to print them at home then commercial printers are a great way to go. Just make sure you use a company that can provide the best print longevity. If they don't say on their website....then e-mail them and ask! You want to make sure your precious memories will last a lifetime and beyond!

So, in summary commercial printing can be much cheaper than home printing, especially if you are printing 100's of photos. If you are an impatient control freak....print 'em yourself! No matter what you choose - make sure you know how long those photos will last and take care of them.

Christmas in July

SALE! Christmas in July Sale!

Save 10% on the entire store and extra savings on select Christmas items! We always have $5 Shipping in the US and FREE Shipping on orders over $50.

Visit the store to save!

Cool Ways to use Stickles

What's a Stickles you ask?! Well, it is the best little glitter glue combo on the market. Stickles are made by Ranger and they come in 0.5 oz squeeze bottles with a small tip that is great for writing. They are acid-free, non-toxic, and perfect for adding some "sparkle" to your scrapbook pages!

Some Tips and Hints for Stickles are:

• Use Stickles over a stamped word to make it Sparkle
• Do not use Stickles over water-based markers - it will make the marker run
• Stickles takes a long time to dry - so let it sit for a couple hours or overnight (depending on how thick you put it on!)
  

Check out this video on how to use Stickles. It has some really cool ideas.

2nd Annual Sweet Memories Crop

The scrapbook crop details have been finalized! This crop will be an all-day (12-hour) crop that starts at 9AM and ends at 9PM. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the American Cancer Society Relay for Life Team Mary's Angel's. As a member of Team Mary's Angel's I will be participating in the Relay for Life in Oxford, PA on May 16 & 17 2008 at the Oxford Stadium.

Here is a run-down of the 12-hour Scrapbook Crop details:
Date: Saturday, May 10, 2008
Time: 9 AM - 9 PM
Location: St. Paul's United Methodist Church- 1314 Foulk Rd., Wilmington, DE
(next to Brandywine High School)
Cost: $40 per person
Note: if you register by April 22nd you get a $10 gift certificate to shop at Celestial Creations & Scrapbook Supplies!
$5 will be donated to the American Cancer Society for each scrapper that attends!

What does this 12-hour crop include?
FOOD! - Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and drinks all DAY!
12 hours to SCRAP (or not!)
Door Prizes
Raffles
Vendors
Make-n-takes
Vendors
Fun, fun and more FUN!

Contact Jen at 302-475-0510 or send an e-mail to celestial.creations@verizon.net to get a registration form. Check out my website for more details.