Sunday, December 13, 2009

The Perfect Gift For Any Scrapbooker or Crafter


(That's the window over my sink. I love decorating the house, and I especially like small unexpected touches like this. The only problem? Those berries are toxic to dogs. Do be sure that whatever you use to brighten your home is safe for your pets.)
This week the Blog Sisters promised to share their ideas of perfect gifts for crafters. I know that a few were covered last week in our Last Minute Gift marathon, and some of you might have read my suggestion for a massage. I hope so! I know people worry about modesty, but I have to tell you that massage therapists can work around any concerns you have. And the results are soooo worthwhile. Treat yourself, why don't you? You deserve it.
In addition to massages, here are a few gifts I know any crafter would enjoy:
1. A Gift Certificate. Yes, no matter how many supplies I have, I still run short. Besides, there's always a new product or a new tool or consumables (glue, paint, etc.) that I need to re-stock. So buying the crafty person on your list a gift certificate is a great way to encourage his/her hobby. On Saturday, I signed books at Scrapbooks Plus! a darling store in Chantilly, Virginia. While I was there, two people came in and bought gift certificates for a loved one. Now those are the kind of Santa's helpers that we need more of!
2. A Glue Glider. I bought myself the new Glue Glider Pro from Glue Arts. Go to http://www.gluearts.com/ to see one. These look like those big packing tape dispensers on handles, but the tape is craft friendly. I get so sick of running out of glue tape, or having dispensers gum up, or having empty dispensers that are difficult to refill. My new dispenser is hot pink, so I'll be able to find it easily. I can't wait to use it!
3. A Crafty Mystery. Honestly, you can't craft 24-7. At least, it's tough to craft and drive or craft and travel. I can't figure out a way to bring my supplies with as I fly to visit my family. Not with airlines charging extra for luggage. Not with scissors being comfiscated by TSA. So when I can't craft, I enjoy reading about crafts. Did you know that the Killer Hobbies blog sisters have 84 books to our credit? Yes, and there's a reason. We're good at what we do. (By the way, if you wanted a signed copy of either Paper, Scissors, Death or Cut, Crop & Die, call Scrapbooks Plus! at 703-263-9503. Debbie has a few copies left.
Here's a pleasant bonus: You can order any book online TODAY and know your gift will be in your mailbox in time for the holidays. Amazon and Barnes & Noble have this down, folks. (I bet Debbie at Scrapbooks Plus! can get a signed book to you in time, too.)
Need a gift for someone whose vision isn't what it used to be? I'm proud to announce that Cut, Crop & Die has just been released in a large print version. In fact, I'm happy to play Santa's elf today. Just send in a comment about this post, and I'll choose two lucky commenters to each win a copy of Cut, Crop & Die. I'll announce the winners on Tuesday. (Be sure to watch for my announcement, as I'll need your postal address to get the book to you.)
NOTE: Due to the overwhelming number of comments offering to improve our sex lives through cheap prescriptions filled over the Internet, we're now sending all our blog comments through a moderation process. Your comment won't show up as quickly as it did before, but we also won't be tolerating foreign languages saying goodness knows what, ads for drugs or sex tapes featuring incest. (Ugh.) Call me cranky, but I was getting sick and tired of cleaning these comments from our blog! I don't know what sort of idiot orders drugs from a whack-o advertisement spammed onto a blog, but ... I suppose anything is possible! Okay, rant over. Return to my normally happy self ;)

9 comments:

Leigh said...

Happy holidays, ladies!

Would you mind mentioning Criminal Brief's Christmas mystery contest?

Thank you! We look forward to seeing you there!

http://criminalbrief.com/?p=10052

Unknown said...

Some great ideas for gifts! I love coming up with gifts for my crafty friends.

Joanna Campbell Slan said...

Consider it done, Leigh.

Janel, I hope your friends like our suggestions!

Julie said...

Good suggestions. Now if someone would only get me a gift card to someplace that sells Lantern Moon knitting needles...!
(As well as eliminate all spam in Russian and "notices" from some pseudo-bank about my "account," which doesn't exist! I feel your pain)

Cryptoman said...

If it weren't 4:30 in the morning I'd run out now to get the glue glider. I have the same problem with those small cartridges.

I'll be waiting at my crafts store when it opens! Thanks for that tip and thanks for taking care of our blog for us and for our readers.

Camille/Margaret, on cryptoman's computer.

signlady217 said...

Gift cards are great! My mom and I both love getting them. Then when you go shopping, it's like getting free stuff!

Joanna Campbell Slan said...

Camille, I think you can order a similar tape dispenser over the 'net. In fact, a scrapbooker told me she bought a carton of tapes from an online store that sells them to folks who use the adhesive to mat photos. She said she bought the carton 2 years ago and is still using the rolls! I bought a narrow (3/4 inch) width tape runner because I like being able to get the stick-um into small spots.

Joanna Campbell Slan said...

Julie, I can't fathom why someone thinks our readers are that well-versed in Chinese and Russian! Ugh. It's so unsettling.

Signlady, you are so right. I love gift cards. I usually spend more than the gift card amount, but it is just like getting stuff for free, isn't it? And if you google the merchant, sometimes you can also find discounts and specials. It might take a bit of time, but it's soooooo worth it.

Joanna Campbell Slan said...

Julie and Signlady, please send me your mailing addresses. My email addy is joannaslan@aol.com

I'll get you the large print version of Cut, Crop & Die.