For about a week and a half our webstore's shopping cart and affiliate links have been down. In the emails flying about it all in my hosts yahoo group its because of a php update. Our host reseller is suppose to fix the effected pages on her end but she had gotten sick and was working from bed and the last we heard from her was the 10th. Unfortunately most of us are small sites with not much extra capital to just transfer hosts and start anew from scratch . So in the meantime if you are in need of ordering anything from the webstore email me direct and we can work it out, also all affiliate will get credit if you tell me your link or who referred you.

Thanks so much for being patient and supportive! Since the store back end is erroring I cant even go in there to change the homepage info so shoppers know that when they get to adding something to their cart it just goes to a blank page!

If you can suggest someone that works with CRE loaded pro and Jrox affiliate program and they are willing to trade some site work for product send them my way!

Wow this was a CLOSE one and came down to the last minutes of the voting period too. Contestant number 2 won by ONE VOTE!

Congratulations to Tina Slone of San Diego, CA

Also in my book all these gals are winners, why? Because out of many intended contestants these gals followed through. So all that entered will be receiving a prize from me in the next few weeks inside of an altered envelope made by me. This is my thank you for participating and following through Of course our grand prize winner will get extra special goodies.

To see all the envelopes again click here: http://www.itchintoscrap.com/blogs/index.php/c17/Swaps/altered-envelope-contestants

I have just the thing for you! Heritage Makers is having a design contest. Using our studio you can design unique and original 12x12 pages and decks of playing cards then enter your projects into our Drag & Drop Design Contest. You can go onto my website and sign up for a completely free account...no strings attached at all. Look around: www.makephotostories.com. The contest specifics are on the website. There's a secret...you don't even have to purchase what you submit into the contest. But, I betcha you will want to publish and even create more projects when you see how fun and easy it is!

Contact me with questions! We have GREAT Spring specials going on right now...I have the scoop.
Nikki

I broke my laptop screen and Im in mid finals!

We formated it and went to drop it off at the store to be fixed, WELL we have to mail it . So now Im on a formated laptop using a spare monitor until finals is over.

Im having to use the web version of everything...IMs, my email and all that jazz. So that leads me to why I havent gotten any scrapbooking done. Finals is all consuming and with a hyper toddler and colicy 3 month old I really feel like Im going INSANE ! School was so easy before kiddos.

So heres another shameless plug for our new ebay account to sell premade items. Currently there is a double layout up and soon to be more. We are desperate to earn enough capital to earn a cricut so that we can pump out even more cool items for your viewing and purchasing pleasure.

Please bid! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=270239543039

Also Im looking into those tear bear kit thingies I keep seeing. Anyone know the best way to learn how to make them? When I find out ill share about it.

Please use the poll to the right to issue a vote and comment on anything you liked about our contestants work! Voting shall end the 31st with the winner announced the 1st!

Contestant #1

"I used different scrapbook papers. I cut certain pieces of paper out for embellishments and layered that on top of the scrapbook paper I used to wrap the envelope. My goal was to make something that would mail without falling apart...lol. So, scissors, a steady hand, scrapbook paper, and double sided tape."

"Embossed paper, an envelope, chalk, brads and a hook, swirly paper clips, ribbon, and liquid glass.
Cut paper and formed to the envelope and shaded with chalk, glassed the mermaid and all of the bubbles, pierced with the brads and hooks and strung ribbon through to tie the envelope closed."

"I used a white 5x7 envelope, painted it w/ grey acrylic paint, made white lines with a unibal opaque white pen, the dragon is a paper piecing I made for a scrapbook layout, I scanned it and printed it onto sticker paper smaller than actual size, windows are hand cut cardstock, there is stippling with ink. (all ink is Stazon so it could be mailable) The scroll fence, scroll corners around postage, dragon stamp and foliage images are Becky Chabot Flourishes stamp sheet by heartsintouch.com, there is a punch of gold foil paper dragon, the shield was a clip art printed onto sticker paper. The way the flap opens is shown; the window hangs over the edge a bit, I even put a real USA postage w/ oriental image on it., there is another window behind the large dragon on the front of the envie."