I am getting rid of my scrapbooking supplies….

No, really I am.   I do not need them.  They are cluttering up my home.  Everywhere I look, I am running into paper, cartridges, and embellishments.   They need a new home.

It's this one!!  Cpyrt Provo Craft

I have three Cricut machines.  Yes, people, I have three of them.  Why do I need three?   Two are looking at me like a lost child.   I do not need them.   I have stamps running out my ears, in a bucket.  These are the wooden stamps.   I have ink that I have not used.   I have paper that I am slowly using.   Why do I need it all?  

Now for you crafters and scrapbookers out there, you are wondering if I have lost my mind.   The answer is no, I have not.   I still scrapbook, make cards, and alter items.  I will still have most of my stuff.   I will not have the stuff I am not using.  

For instance, the three Cricut machines?  I am keeping 2, and the third is going to a friend of mine who is a school teacher.   She just found out that her school is moving to a new building, and she will be teaching 3^rd grade.  I believe in our education system, but they do get the pay that they deserve.  It takes a good teacher to teach today’s students, and they do not have the budget to buy the extras that makes their classrooms ready to learn, especially in a charter school where my friend teaches.  She is also getting cartridges that are geared towards her classroom, and I am buying her a new cartridge and mats as well.   Also some 12 x 12 papers and embellishments will be given as well. 

Now I do not have a whole lot, but I still have stuff from when I worked at a scrapbook store, and this has been weighing heavy on my heart to do this.  So it is not a total surprise, because I already told her about the machine yesterday at Vacation Bible School, and she is thrilled.   What she does not know is about the gift card that I am going to ask some people in our bible study to help me get her.  

So here is my challenge for anyone who wants one.  Look through your supplies.  It does not have to be craft supplies.  If you are not using it, and have not used them in over a year, give it to someone who could use it.  It could be a school, nursing home, recreation centers.   Call to ask them what they need first.  Do not just show up unannounced, because they may not need it.   That was the only reason my friend knew about the gift that I am putting together.  I wanted to make sure that it was OK, but the Cricut machine is her personal machine.   If she wants to share it with her co-workers, that is up to her.   I used to be a Pre-K teacher, so I know how much this stuff costs, and when you are setting up a classroom, there is also a budget.

Well, I am over by 28 words, so have a blessed day.

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Sunday Coupon Deals: Weekly Round-Up: Coupons, Deals And Freebies

From Becentsable:

Weekly Round-Up: Coupons, Deals And Freebies:

Sunday Coupon Deals: Safeway Deals for May 29-June 4 {DOUBLE COUPON DEALS}

 From Frugal Living NW:

Safeway Deals for May 29-June 4 {DOUBLE COUPON DEALS}:

Sunday Coupon Deals: Wisk Power Blasts Coupons and Walmart Deal - Walmart Coupons and Price Match Deals

From I Heart the Mart:
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Book Review: Hacking KickStarter, Indiegogo,: How to Raise Big Bucks in 30 Days

Cover

Crowdfunding:  a form of investing into a corporation or a specific project by a group of individuals, usually through an internet source, to provide funds to a project.  These projects have included:

• Seed money for a start-up company
• A new product 
• A book
• A community campaign (such as victims of the Oklahoma tornado)
•  Art projects

And a whole host of other things needed by a cooperation or an individual.

I have been unsuccessfully trying to get funding for my scrapbook business.   I wanted the seed money to support, at the time, variety of projects to get my customize scrapbook business off the ground.  I have tried Indiegogo and other crowdfunding sites to no success.  I got one $25 donation, and that was it.  

I don’t know about you, but I feel like if you ask for a loan at a bank, you will be turned down.  You could have good credit, and will still be rejected by them, because of the new requirements. Banks have a reputation of slamming the door on organizations as well. 

Last week, I was approached by the author, Patrice Williams Marks to review her book on how to get funding and to give her method a try.   I have not try the actual method yet, but I like what I see in this book.

Why?

Because, I feel like I have done something wrong in my earlier attempts of gaining funds.   First of all, Ms. Marks, give

s a step by step explanation on why things, such as:

·         giving a full description of your project

·         including video and a separate page on your website

·         having a separate bank account to place your funds in

·         How to advertise, spreading the word about your project, and giving out rewards to thank your supporters.

·         You do not need 6 months to fund a project.  You can get funding in 30 days if you plan carefully.

All of these element are crucial to the success of your project. 

What I like about this book (and I am three-fourths done with the book), is it is not technical at all.  The book is in a straight forward language that anyone can understand.    I recommend that you get this book, BEFORE you start asking for individual funding for your project.   The book is available as an ebook through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, ITunes, and a couple more places on the web.  Again, it is an easy read, and you will get results.   

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Finding your "G" Plus Spot: Frantically Friday

It is not what you think, ladies (a few very happy gentlemen).  I have not gone down THAT road yet.  (Although, I am hitting pretty darn close with the title.)   This is very "G" Rated.   In this Frantically Friday, masquerading as Technic Thursday, I think I have found a new love in social media.  If you do not know what "G" spot I am talking about, then you have not jumped on the bandwagon about Google Plus.  Yes, this is the same Google ,who is trying (and succeeding) in being the company with the most applications to re-invent themselves.  (Next to Microsoft and Apple, with Yahoo clipping at their heels).   It all started with an invite a year ago from a friend of mine.  At the time, I thought I was cheating on Facebook and Twitter.   I was already on LinkedIn, which BTW, I do not care too much about, but that's OK, because LinkedIn is all about business.   If you do not know what I am talking about, look it up on <smirk> Google sometime (Or Bing, Microsoft's answer to Google).
Anyho, what was I talking about?   Oh, yeah, Google Plus.  After the invite, I thought, "what the heck is this, Facebook's Twin?"  I was already on Facebook, and I didn't need another Facebook clone, but over the past year, Google Plus has done pretty well for themselves.  That does not mean there are clone-like features with Google Plus (G plus).   Here are my reasons for you need to get on board, in case you are getting sick and tired of the competition:

1.  The board is cleaner than Facebook's.   My Facebook newsfeed is so cluttered until I am often get lost with it. (I figured it out last night, finally.)  Yes, I can filter who I want to read on my newsfeed, but why bother.  It is too complicated.   With G Plus, it is not as crowded and you can easily change who you want to view in your feed.  You have circles of friends, not just friends.
2.  It is integrated with your Gmail account, your You Tube channel, Blogger, documents, the search engine and so forth.   With Facebook, you have to ask permission to integrate anything with them,  Same with Twitter. With G+,  sharing a copy of this post is just a matter of clicking a button after I post it.   I must admit that the same can be done with Facebook, but again, it is the permission factor that makes me cringe with anger.
3.  Its new and fresh with ideas.   OK, that can be taken in a good or bad way.   Good meaning it has room to grow, but in a bad way, Google plus just did its first change that has people scrambling.  Google may have been bore with the old way or it could be that Google just upgraded their content program to Panda 2.0.   Do not worry too much about it, except if you are supplying content to a website or blog.   It just simply means they are cracking down on duplicate content again.  I will be honest with you, to the fact that I am trying to keep my nose clean, and that I am not the "under the hood type of girl".  I do not speak computer programming.   I run from the stuff.  Give me a already created computer program any day of the week.

Overall, if you have a Gmail account, you already have Google Plus, so give it a try.   If you are having issues with your account, you can always look it up.  Just know that Google Plus is not Facebook, Facebook is not  Twitter, and so forth, but they are all part of
this big world called social media.

Have a blessed Day.

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Share giveaway: Famous Free Samples' Apple TV Giveaway Event

I am passing this along to you:

Famous Free Samples’ Apple TV Giveaway Event Sign-ups are now open for Famous Free Samples’ latest giveaway event!

• This event is free to join with an announcement post. If you don't wish to post the announcement, please send the $5 non-post fee to tiphero@gmail.com
• You'll receive 1 free link for participating (either Twitter or Pinterest)
• Additional links (RSS/Email, YouTube, Twitter and Pinterest) are available for $5 each
• Sign-ups for this event end on May 20th
• Event runs from May 22 - June 5
• Prize: An Apple TV (in the form of a $100 Apple Gift Card)

Please send all payments to tiphero@gmail.com as a "gift" via PayPal. Sign up for this event here.