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Studio Calico Warehouse Sale with the Scrap Gals

It started out like a day just like any other. I was on my phone scrolling through my Facebook feed when I saw this:

SC Warehouse Sale Call Out

April 28th is a Thursday and I work. Bowling Green is 4 hours away. I need more scrapbook stuff like I need a hole in the head. Before I knew it, I had posted this:

I got my pass!

What can I say? I got caught up in the excitement. The Studio Calico Sale would be fantastic, of course. I have debated subscribing to their kits a million times, but couldn’t justify the price for the amount of scrapbooking I’ve been doing lately. Still, I love their colors and embellishments and if I could get some good deals, I knew I’d put the stuff to use. But, what I was really excited about was the opportunity to meet and have lunch with The Scrap Gals!

 I started scrapbooking nearly 20 years ago. There was a group of us that got together one a month and spent the day making layouts, snacking, and laughing. Little by little, the crops got fewer and farther between and my friends moved on to other hobbies. A few years went by and I scrapbooked less and less and dust gathered on my supplies.

Fast forward several years and one divorce later. I was really missing the creative outlet so I got a part-time job at Archivers. I loved that job! The people I worked with were some of the most creative and fun coworkers I’ve ever had. Only months after I started, the store closed. Once again, I found myself without a scrapbooking community. I tried to keep up on it- did a couple weeks of Project Life, made a few mini albums- but it just wasn’t the same.

In October of 2015, I decided I wanted to make the most of the upcoming holidays. (I don’t usually enjoy November and December, but that’s a whole other post.) What better way to get in the holiday spirit than to do December Daily? Two people come to mind when I think of DD. Ali Edwards, of course, and Marie Lottermoser. If you haven’t see Marie’s DD albums you have no idea what you’re missing. The photographs are stunning, her nostalgic style heartwarming, and she generously shares adorable printables. You absolutely must check her out! But, I digress. I was scrolling through Marie’s blog and saw that she had been a guest on a podcast called The Scrap Gals. What?!? A podcast about scrapbooking?!?

I’m a fan of podcasts. Always have been. We are big road trippers and podcasts feature prominently on our journeys, but I had never considered searching for a podcast about scrapbooking. I listened to the show about getting ready for December Daily and from that moment I was hooked! Listening to the show is like spending the afternoon with your best scrappy friends. They are funny, and smart, and have fantastic guests. I listened to one show and then another and another, until I’d gone back and listened to all of them. And then I started listening to some of my favorites again.

And if that wasn’t wonderful enough, there is a Facebook group full of incredible crafters. Every day brings interesting conversation, inspiration, and that sense of community I’ve been missing. Over the last several months, I have been scrapbooking more than I have in years and loving every minute of it. So when I saw that some members of the group were planning on meeting up in Bowling Green for the Sale and lunch, I just couldn’t pass up the chance to meet them in person.

Me and My Partner in Crime

When I mentioned it to my mom, she immediately said yes. She’s not a scrapbooker, but she is a stamper and crafty in so many other ways. We left Indianapolis Wednesday evening and drove through insane rain before getting to our hotel in Bowling Green around 10:30. After a good night of sleep, we had a quick breakfast and headed to the Sale and The Scrap Gals.

 Inside SC Warehouse Sale

By the time we arrived, the doors had been opened and people were already inside. Entering the building was like stepping into heaven. So many happy people, so much beautiful paper. It was hard to even know where to start, so we decided to look first and then go back and get what we wanted.

The prices were awesome. The scrapbook kits were $8 and the Life Documented kits were only $6. In the center of the room was a  row of tables piled with cards, stickers, and embellishments of all kinds. You could fill a bag with as much as you could for only $5 or $10.  And if you posted a photo to social media you got an additional 50% off your entire purchase! Are you kidding me?!?

I knew the place was full of people from the FB group, but those darn profile pictures are so small it was hard to recognize anyone. Well, anyone except Tracie and Tiffany! I’d know those voices anywhere. LOL! As soon as neither of them were talking to anyone, I stepped up and introduced myself. They were both so sweet and kind, but there would be plenty of time for chatting later. We all had shopping to do!

I loaded up with all sorts of kits and stamps and other goodies and got in line. I told myself I wasn’t going to spend more than $100, but to be honest, I stopped keeping track the moment I picked up that first album. I stepped up to the register, showed them my post to Instagram, and waited for my total. The way my arms ached from holding all my loot, I thought for sure I was well over my budget, but nope. It was only $89! So much stuff!

Lunch wasn’t until 12:30, so we had time to stop by the Half Priced Book Outlet right around the corner. Could this day get any better?

Half Priced Book Outlet

Mass paperbacks were only $1 and buy 5 get the 6th free. All trade paperbacks were only $2. I couldn’t believe it. With my vacation right around the corner, I stocked up. Half an hour later, I left with 20 books for $27. Time for lunch!

The Scrap Gals Selfie

Lunch was as wonderful as I’d hoped. I met so many people I’d only chatted with online. We talked about our purchases, our projects, and how we could get together again. We sat at a table with a fellow Hoosier and vlogger, Audrey who was getting footage for her YouTube channel Audrey’s Wife Life.

Tracie Claiborne          Tiffany Lowder   Amber, Marge, and I

Tracie and Tiffany were the same in person as they are on the podcast. It was hilarious to hear them say the catchphrases I’d heard on the shows and see them tease each other in person. I was also thrilled to spend a little bit of time chatting with Amber and Marge. We talked about organizing a crop in the future and I can’t wait to get to know them better.

Both my mom and I had to work the next day, so we had to get on the road as soon as lunch was over. It was so much fun! The day had gone even better than I’d expected and I’m so grateful to be part of such an amazing community.

And now- the haul:

My $5 Grab Bag

I could’ve gotten more in my grab bag, but I’m pretty pleased with what I ended up with- 15 assorted banner sticker sheets, 3 stamp sets, 3 sets of assorted rub ons, 2 different transparent alphabets, 15 sets of alphabet stickers, 30 3×4 journaling cards, a wood veneer alphabet, 3 packages of acrylic starburst, 6 packages of assorted sequins, 2 packages of tag dies, and 2 packages of ticket dies. All for $5!

Here are my other purchases:

IMG_0058 IMG_0057 IMG_0056 IMG_0055 IMG_0054 IMG_0053 IMG_0047 IMG_0048 IMG_0049 IMG_0050 IMG_0051 IMG_0052 IMG_0046 IMG_0045

It’s been two days since I got home and I am still warm and fuzzy from the experience. And now I have enough stuff to keep me scrapping for a long time. Have you ever had a big shopping win? How far would you travel to meet other scrappers?

28 thoughts on “Studio Calico Warehouse Sale with the Scrap Gals

  1. This is the best review of our day so far!!!!! I love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are a delight and can’t wait to see you again! We talked to the SC people today about coordinating an event with their sale next year so it’s in the works! I even went in the Hilton Garden Inn and checked it out for a possible location. 🙂 Stay tuned!

    1. I’m so glad you liked the post. It means so much! That’s so exciting about a possible event. I was sincere when I offered to help, so please keep me in mind. And, as always, thanks for all you do!

    2. Adrienne:
      Loved this re-cap and loved the screen shots!! Need to do this more often! It was such a fun day, fun memories and friendships began! (Isn’t that what life is all about?)
      Tracie:
      LOVING this future plan!! Let me know how I may help-I’m serious! My daughter will be at WKU next year, so I’ll be heading North 65 quite a bit!

      1. Thanks, Brenda! It was so wonderful to spend the day with my kinda people 🙂 Hopefully, we’ll be able to get together again. Good luck to your daughter too 🙂

    3. I think Adrienne said it perfectly
      It is great to hear people talking about my favorite hobby. I miss being with crafty people. Listening to the podcast and talking with people in the scrap girls group on fb helps fill that void. I am in for next year. 12 hours driving will be well worth it. Can’t wait for details!

  2. Wow! I didn’t know you had a blog! Awesome post, you are a great writer! Also, I used to live in Indianapolis! And apparently I’m fond of the exclamation mark. Haha! I’m totally down for helping out with a crop and only wished we lived a skotch closer. I’m actually working on a little sneaky surprise for the scrap gals national scrapbook day. I’d love to send it to you first to see what you think! Great post, look forward to seeing more. And I subscribed!

    1. Thanks so much for the kind words and for subscribing, Amber! I’ve always wanted to blog, but only recently worked up the courage. Would love to get a preview of your surprise 🙂 Anything I can do to help, just let me know.

  3. Oh my goodness I love this story!! All of it 🙂

    We were actually doing a PL crop at my place that day – in Australia… so I couldn’t make it 🙂

    1. Thanks, Melissa. I don’t have any local scrapbook friends and haven’t been to a crop in years, so I’m a little jealous ?

  4. Sounds like a wonderful day. Meeting wonderful people and starting friendships that will grow with time.
    It is incredible how much you got for the money I am a tad envious but it would not have payed to travel from the UK. Lol

    1. Lol! I think the trip would’ve cost more than you saved. That airfare is expensive! Thank goodness for the Internet. I’m so glad we are able to connect no matter where we are. And if you ever find yourself in the US, you’ve got tons of scrappy friends who’d love to meet you!

    1. Thanks, Tiffany! I can’t wait to spend some time in my craft room! Now I just have to figure out which stuff to use first. Lol.

  5. Great summary of your trip!! I, too, am now subscribed to your blog. I’m actually going to do a “Tracie” and go back and read all of your posts. I hope you don’t feel like I’m stalking you. I just love the bright colors I saw in the Bloglovin summary page!!!

    1. Thank you so much, Keely! I’m fairly new to blogging so I really appreciate you taking the time to check it out and subscribe. I have lots of fun posts planned so stay tuned ?

  6. This is fantastic. I am so happy for the people who got to attend the sale and a little bit jealous. Too far from Massachusetts… 🙂 I think I found the Scrap Gals the same way you did – last fall and have been enjoying ever since. I’ve increased my scrapbooking a teeny bit so it’s more than I was doing so I guess that’s good.

    1. Thanks, Gina. It was just luck that I lived close by and could take the day off. Thank goodness for the internet so we can at least connect online! I can’t imagine how lonely it would be if we didn’t have such an incredible community.

  7. I travel from Alaska to go to crops. I went to Utah for a Crop Chocolate retreat & then to Kansas for a retreat with my friends I’d met at the UT one. We keep our eyes out for sales for one another too. Unfortunately none of them are near Bowling green.

    1. Wow! That’s quite a trip. I haven’t been to a crop in ages and miss getting together with other scrappers. Hopefully, we can plan a get together next year that you’ll be able to come to!

  8. Adrienne! Oh my gosh, I love your post! It was awesome to get to know you a little through your writing….I will definitely be adding you to my feed. I didn’t realize you were in Indy! I have lots of family there and another scrappy friend. I am so bummed that I didn’t go to the SC sale, but sweet Marge took great care of me. I will NOT be missing it next year! If I go a day early and stay with my cousin in Indy maybe we can ride the rest of the way together. Just a thought.

    1. Thank you so much for the sweet words and for following, Ruth! It was so much fun and I’m glad Marge made sure you didn’t miss out. Next year is going to be even better and I’d love to get together any time you’re in the area! Always thrilled to when I get to spend time with scrappy friends!

  9. Hi Adrienne, I just found this blog post and wanted to say how fun it was to see you mention me and my December Daily’s. So nice of you! I am thrilled you found the Scrap Gals and just a little jealous you got to meet them in person. I’ve only spoken to them via Skype and online, but they are just so awesome. I imagine this event was a really fun time. Thanks again for mentioning me!

    1. Hi, Marie! Thank you so much for stopping by my blog. I’m such a huge fan ? The Scrap a Gals are fantastic and I’m so glad I found them through you. Thanks again!

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