I have to be honest with you.

When I first saw The Scrap Rack, I thought, “No way…it looks big and scary.”

But I am happy to report, that its not…and its wonderful…and you shouldn’t feel that way either.

Here’s a little background…

You may have read my post about my newly designed, homemade solution for embellishment organization a few months ago. Shortly after that, I was introduced to the Scrap Rack and, like I said,  I was a bit hesitant to try it, especially since I thought I had everything all squared away.

But after deciding to jump in with both feet and use this new system, my scrapbooking in general has changed for the better. You see, the Scrap Rack isnt just another organization product. It comes with the amazing creator, Tiffany’s, thorough and well developed organization system.

I could write on and on about all sorts of aspects of the Scrap Rack and the system behind it, but rather than that, I thought I’d list the top 5 reasons why I would recommend it:

1. It is adaptable and personal to my preferences
2. It makes me use products I forgot I had
3. It actually saves space on my scrap table
4. Set up and clean up is much faster.
5. It is very portable…I could take my entire system with me anywhere I go if I wanted to.

Take a closer look at my Scrap Rack…

Like I mention in the video, the system is based on 4 main sections that are further subdivided based on your preferences, thus covering every kind of embellishment or product you have:

1. Alphabets, Numbers and Punctuation
2. Themes A to Z
3. The Calendar
4. The Rainbow

It is highly recommended (and I second this…) to watch the “Absolute Organization” DVD available from The Scrap Rack for instructions and ideas on using this great system.

There are many accessories and options available for purchase to built the perfect system for you…totes, paper storage boxes, extra embellishment organizer pages, etc.

Follow Tiffany on Twitter! @ScrapRackLady

WIN IT! There will be two winners for this giveaway. The first place winner will receive a $100 credit to The Scrap Rack and the second winner will receive the “Absolute Organization” DVD (see update below!). Winner will be chosen randomly.

THIS JUST IN! The Scrap Rack has just offered a very generous offer to ALL Confessions of a Cropaholic readers. Rather than one winner of the “Absolute Organization” DVD, everyone who enters can receive a copy for FREE! Yes, FREE! To receive your copy, just enter the giveaway below, then go here and enter “CROPAHOLIC” at checkout.  No shipping, no handleing, nada. This is a $12 value, that not only demonstrates The Scrap Rack system but tons of helpful scrapbooking organizational tips. Thanks, Scrap Rack!

Here’s how to enter:

1. Comment on this post telling me how (and if…) you currently organize your scrapbooking supplies.

2. For extra entries, tweet about this giveaway up to once a day and/or subscribe to this blog.

3. Entries must be made by Friday, August 7 at 11:59 p.m. MST.

Good luck cropaholics!

But one of the things I dead about making homemade cards is finding a envelope to match. An ill-matched card and envelope is like plaid and stripes…they just done work.

Enter the new Martha Stewart Scoring Board.

Not only can you quickly, cleanly and easily create envelopes, the crafting possibilities are endless.

The Scoring Board retails for $19.99.

WIN IT! One reader will receive a Martha Stewart Scoring Board of their very own!

Here’s how to enter:

1. Comment on this post telling me how you typically score your projects.

2. For extra entries, tweet about this giveaway up to once a day and/or subscribe to this blog.

3. Entries must be made by Friday, August 3 at 11:59 p.m. MST.

Good luck cropaholics!

I remember when embellishments like brands and eyelets first came on to the scrapbooking scene. It catapulted the craft into 3D and away from flat stickers, paper borders, etc.

In the video below, I demonstrate how to use brads and eyelets. I also show you how to set them using several different setters…in particular an oldie but goodie, the Silent Setter by ProvoCraft.

Though they are no longer are available on ProvoCraft’s website, you can still find them at retailers and all over the internet with a simple Google search.

To see how the Crop-A-Dile works, go here to see a photo tutorial.

WIN IT! One reader will receive a Silent Setter of their very own!

Here’s how to enter:

1. Comment on this post telling me if you’ve ever used an eyelet setter before.

2. For extra entries, tweet about this giveaway up to once a day and/or subscribe to this blog. Need a tweet idea? Try this: “Shout it from the rooftops and win a Silent Setter! http://is.gd/dlTTS @myapronstrings”

3. Entries must be made by Friday, July 23 at 11:59 p.m. MST.

Good luck cropaholics!

There are several tools of the trade that papercrafters will swear by. We have our strong opinions on certain brands, models or manufactures when it comes to the things we use over and over. Just to mention a few…paper trimmers, albums, scissors, eyelet setters aaaand…adhesives. Am I hitting a nerve?

If you’ve been a scrapbooker or papercrafter for long you’ve probably used a myriad of adhesives. There are so many on the market today. I recall the days when you had to actually trim your own adhesive on the roll, then pull off the backing…its a little easier now with automatic adhesive runners (is THAT an understatement…).

Everyone wants the same things from an adhesive runner:

• it has to be easy to use
• it has to be good, strong adhesive
• it has to be comfortable to hold
• it has to be economical

GlueArts sent me a GlueGlider Pro to review. Take a look at a quick overview:

Not only is the GlueGlider Pro cute (because we know how important that is…), its a quality product that works well, consistently. There are cheaper adhesives out there, and though you get a lot out of each cartridge, each costs around $9. Yet, for the overall quality, I for one don’t mind paying an extra few pennies for a well working, easy to use tool that I use all the time.

Want to follow GlueArts on Twitter? They are @gluearts!

WIN IT! GlueArts has generously offered a GlueGlider Pro and the other goodies I mentioned in the video to one lucky reader.

Here’s how to enter:

1. Comment on this post telling me what is a MUST for you when it comes to an adhesive tool?
• it has to be easy to use
• it has to be good, strong adhesive
• it has to be comfortable to hold
• it has to be economical

2. For extra entries, tweet about this giveaway up to once a day and/or subscribe to this blog. Need a tweet idea? Try this: “Stuck on what adhesive is best? Enter to win @gluearts giveaway! @myapronstrings http://is.gd/cUPm1”

3. Entries must be made by Friday, July 2 at 11:59 p.m. MST.

Good luck cropaholics!

If you’re like me, you sit while you scrapbook (some people do stand…). And if you’re like me, when you sit, it creates an angle between your eye and your layout.

I first saw the F.R.E.D. from myscrappingbuddy.com at last year’s National Scrapbook Day and I thought, “How ingenious!”. The F.R.E.D. is an angled easel that makes scrapping easier and more comfortable. No more sour necks and constant standing to make sure your pictures are straight.

The F.R.E.D. comes with 8 magnets to keep everything in place and a removable metal base. The F.R.E.D. is also expandable and securely links together so you can have two, three or more connected for full page layouts.

Its portable too…I took mine to National Scrapbook Day (and used it all day long). It was easy to fold up and fit into my tote. It was a good sign when woman after women stopped by my table and said “Ooooh…what’s that??”.

Here’s my F.R.E.D. in action on National Scrapbook Day…

The F.R.E.D. is a high quality piece, made of real wood and sturdy metal and sells for $45 through the F.R.E.D. store.

Win It! Thanks to the generosity of the folks at myscrappingbuddy.com, one of my wonderful readers will win one F.R.E.D. of their very own! And not just any F.R.E.D….one made with elm edges instead of standard maple…a specialty wood upgrade. Sweet, no?

Here’s how to enter:

1. Comment on this post telling me how you scrap? Standing? Sitting? A little of both?
2. For extra entries, tweet about this giveaway up to once a day and/or subscribe to this blog. Need a tweet idea? Try this: “Have you met F.R.E.D.? No? You’ll want to…http://is.gd/caG5h @myapronstrings”
3. Entries must be made by Friday, May 28 at 11:59 p.m. MST.

Good luck cropaholics!

I think everyone has a “thang”. For some its cooking (not me). For some its exercising (not me either). And for others its their work. My thang is scrapbooking.

Its that thing that you devote a lot of time and focus to. It usually comes naturally and is enjoyed to the fullest.

But I would argue that scrapbooking in particular is different than most thangs. You don’t have to be born with creativity oozing from your pores. First of all, its a muscle that needs to be exercised to get stronger and better (and there goes my argument for not being a good runner…). Second, there are so many products out there that do the work for you so you can have a stunning layout in no time and with no stress.

I have so many friends who feel like creativity is just not their thang, but at the same time they long to have the results…beautiful pages and albums that showcase their special memories. If you’re one of those people, I might have a solution for you.

Simple Stories is a product created by Memory Works, a direct sales scrapbook company, that allows scrapbookers of all levels to share their story and photos in a simple yet meaningful way. The first kit created by Simple Stories is called Life Documented, a kit comprised of pre-designed cut apart elements in a variety of basic sizes.

Memory Works sent me a kit to review and it took my mere minutes to create a page. Take a look:

Nice huh?

The Simple Stories solution is great for all levels of scrapbookers. As a seasoned scrapbooker, I may not use the kit with the divided page protectors as my canvas, but I will sure use them in a layout that I design. Its just a very versatile system.

I images more kits coming in the future…maybe a baby, wedding, friendship themed kit. You can only get Simple Stories through a Memory Works consultant. They also sell products from companies like BasicGrey, Dear Lizzy, Bo Bunny and a whole lot more. You can find a consultant here. The Life Documented kit retails for only $16.99.

Win It! Since you’re such a smart girl and read Confessions of a Cropaholic, you have a chance to win a Life Document Kit & We R Memory Keepers Page Protectors Pack!

Here’s how to enter:

1. Comment on this post telling me what your thang is…scrapbooking? another craft? cooking? running? mothering?
2. For extra entries, tweet about this giveaway up to once a day and/or subscribe to this blog.
3. Entries must be made by Friday, May 14 at 11:59 p.m. MST.

Good luck cropaholics!

Longevity.

I think its under rated. The older I get, the more I believe it.

Tomorrow I turn 40.

Surreal.

Suddenly, 40 doesn’t feel as old as I used to think it was. Funny how that happens.

So for my 40th birthday, I’ve come up with a list of 40 things I want to do before I turn 40. But I only have one day, you say? True. But I’ll do the most wonderful, amazing things…things I can, and do, so often take for granted…

1. Wake up in a warm, comfy bed.
2. Love on the love of my life.
3. Love on my boys.
4. Know I am loved back.
5. Look out the window at my mountains.
6. Take the medicine that keeps me healthy.
7. Take a hot shower.
8. Choose something to wear out of a closet full of clothes.
9. Hear my kids play.
10. Eat something out of a full pantry.
11. Walk safely past a bathroom that no longer has a millipede (3 or 4 or 100 inches long) in it.
12. Throw a load of laundry in a washing machine that works.
13. Snuggle my puppy.
14. Hit “Publish”, and check the stats on a blog I get to write.
15. Drive a safe car.
16. Enjoy freedom.
17. Go to CKC Mesa with my scrap buddies.
18. Breath.
19. Soak in the yellows, oranges, purples of the blooming desert.
20. Walk.
21. Drink clean water.
22. Smile.
23. Get inspired by amazingly creative people.
24. Be at peace.
25. See the sun shining.
26. Not get lost in Phoenix, thanks to the Google Maps app.
27. Be two places at once via text updates on the little league game I’m missing.
28. Visit scrapbook stores in Phoenix.
29. Laugh.
30. Come home to a secure, beautiful home.
31. Park in the garage.
32. Show off the scrapbooking loot to a very interested (?) husband.
33. Fall into a warm, comfy bed.
34. Thank God for loving me.
35. Thank God for my husband, who has dared me to grow and take risks and grounded me at the very same time.
36. Thank God for three strong, healthy children.
37. Thank God for a father who loved me unconditionally and taught me I was priceless.
38. Thank God for good friends.
39. Sleep.
40. And last but not least. offer you a giveaway from a very generous and note-worthy company…

X-ACTO makes a great product. Talk about longevity, take a look at the little trimmer I’ve been using for 12 years…and still use today:

Its been through some rough times, but its still going strong.

Now take a look at this Cadillac of trimmers:

Somethin’ huh? The X-ACTO 12″ Wood Base Laser Trimmer is the perfect stationary trimmer for paper crafters and scrapbookers. X-ACTO sent me one unit to review a few months ago and I can tell you it is by far the most heavy duty and precise trimmer I have ever used.

This guillotine style trimmer bosts an industrial grade laser to ensure that your cuts are accurate to the micrometer, a heavy duty wood base and a locking paper guide.

And the Perpetual Edge self-sharpening system guarantees a clean, perfect edge every time. This is one reason I like guillotine style trimmers…they last for what seems like forever.

Not surprisingly, this blade is sharp. There are several safety systems built in, such as the spring loaded finger guard and the locking handle that only opens when you push the button in with your thumb. But I would caution you…if you have little ones around, keep this out of reach. Better safe than sorry!

The 12″ Wood Base Laser Trimmer retails for around $86. It’s an investment…but a very, very good one.

Ready for the fun part?? In celebration of my 40th birthday, and thanks to X-ACTO, I am giving away one 12″ Wood Base Laser Trimmer to a Confessions of a Cropaholic reader!

Here’s how to enter:

1. Comment on this post telling me what you would use the 12″ Wood Base Laser Trimmer for most…paper crafting? scrapbooking? school projects? office projects?
2. For extra entries, tweet about this giveaway up to once a day and/or subscribe to this blog.
3. Entries must be made by Saturday, May 1 at 11:59 p.m. MST.

Good luck cropaholics!

I love when art and technology get married and have a baby. Like the Cricut, or the Gypsy and the (drumroll, please) Wacom Bamboo Craft Tablet. I’m a total sucker for technology, especially when it involves the world of creative arts.

I was lucky enough to get to review the new Bamboo Craft Pen & Touch Tablet by Wacom. I’ve used a pen tablet for my work in the past and let me tell you, this technology has come a long way. Many of the graphics I created in my digi graphics shop where created with the Bamboo Craft. If you have any inclination to do digital scrapbooking, you should think about making an investment in this wonderful tool. The Bamboo Craft Pen & Touch retails for around $129.

How about a quick introduction to the Bamboo Craft…

Some Helpful Links:

Installing Bamboo Fun On A PC

Installing Bamboo Fun On A Mac

penscrappers.com/learning-center

Starting with the Bamboo Fun

Bamboo: What Is Pressure Sensitivity?

I plam on doing many more detailed tutorials on the Bamboo in the future, so check back often, or even better, subscribe!

Now for the really fun part…Wacom has generously offered one Bamboo Craft Pen & Touch Tablet to one lucky Confessions of a Cropaholic reader. Sweet huh? Here’s how to enter:

1. Comment on this post telling me if you have ever used a pen tablet before.
2. For extra entries, tweet about this giveaway up to once a day and/or subscribe to this blog.
3. Entries must be made by Friday, April 16 at 11:59 p.m. MST.

Good luck cropaholics!

I have used dozens of trimmers in the past. If you’re a serious scrapbooker or paper crafter, its like an extension of your arm…you want it to be comfortable, exact, fluid and fast.

If you’ve found one you love, you never want it to break or be discontinued so you can’t get replacement blades.

If you haven’t found one you love, you are always on the look out for this basic tool.

I have some wonderful option to share with you from Fiskars. You may have heard of this little company…they make a few things like extraordinary scissors, garden tools and even mowers. They’ve been around a few years too..like 360 or so.

Check out the 12″ Paper Trimmer. Its a stationary blade or “gutter-style” trimmer. It features the TripleTrack rail design which provides for more accurate cuts, a swing out arm that measures up to 16″. Its light and portable and can make up to 1000 cuts on one blade.

Another stationary blade option is the Premium Cut-line Trimmer. It has a handy lock to secure the blade in place and a visible wire “cut-line” indicator so you know exactly where you cut is going to be. I love the easy to lift handle that lifts to the right so you can quickly load and unload paper.

And finally, my favorite, the 9″ Bypass Trimmer. I prefer this type of trimmer because it feels more natural for me to move the blade up and down rather than along a flat surface. Plus, the blade is self-sharpening and lasts a looooong time. The Bypass Trimmer has clear markings and rubberized feet. Its also nice and light for easy portability.

Fiskars provided each of these trimmers for me to use and review. These are just three options that they offer; there are many more on their crafting website, dedicated to crafting products, ideas and tutorials.

Update: The winner of this giveaway is #16, Patricia!

I love attending crops. They are the modern day quilting bee. Its a social outlet as well as a creative one (and sometimes, there’s a lot more socializing than scrapbooking going on…)

One problem I have, as I’m sure you do, is being in the middle of a layout when its time to pack up and go home. Aaaack!

But, take a look at this great little thing I found surfing the net. Its called the Page In Progress Box (or PIP Box) by Cropperware…

The PIP Box comes in Cherry Blossom or Retro Blue and is available for $24.95 at cropperware.com.

A big thank you to Cropperware for providing one PIP Box for me to review…and one to giveaway to one lucky winner!

Win It! One Confessions reader will win a PIP Box of their very own. Here’s how to enter:

1. Comment on this post telling me whether or not you attend a monthly/semi-regular crop
2. For extra entries, tweet about this giveaway up to once a day and/or subscribe to this blog.
3. Entries must be made by Friday, January 29 at 11:59 p.m. MST.