Buy The Store

Since I started scrapping I have picked up a few of these, usually they have cost me around $50, I have spent a really long time adding the stuff to the basket, checking out and downloading. Then they kind of get put away somewhere on my hard drive and forgotten about. Eventually when I get around to looking and in some cases unzipping them, I find that I am slightly disappointed, files have bits missing, or they just aren't as good as they looked in the previews. The fault is usually all my own, if I unzipped straight away the missing files could be redownloaded or I could contact the designer. The style/quality of the kit is often decided by comparing it to other stuff I own or maybe it just no longer suits my style or my scrapping needs. $50 is a lot of money so it takes a lot of begging Mark to let me use his paypal almost always combined with a little bribery and fluttering of my eyelashes if all else fails I get my boobs out lol. But I am getting away from the point, buy the stores for me, don't usually work but there is an exception to that rule, when the buy the store is being held by a designer you have purchased from before, coveted items in their store or are just a little bit of kleptomaniac and must have everything that designer has released well that's when buy the store promotions really become worth their weight in gold. Since designers usually reduce their store when they run these promotions I work on these rules:
- If the items you want will cost more than the buy the store promotion, then buy the store! There are no rules that you have to download everything in their store but obviously doing so means you get more value for you money.
- Unzip everything straight away that way you can redownload any files that you have had problems with or you can contact the designer.
- Never be afraid to download something you aren't sure about, you can always delete it but if that sparkly pink girl kit you didn't pick up because you only have boys then becomes one of those damn I wish I could still buy that purchases you are all set. When designers retire stuff there is always something that becomes the I wish I had bought it when I had the chance things.
- If the designer offering the buy the store promotion is someone you haven't purchased from before, check the galleries for layouts using the products it will give you a much greater idea of the quality and versatility of their designs. Always check to see if they have a freebie or sample available as well, a whole store is a considered purchase for almost anyone and you wouldn't dream of making most considered purchases without trying them out first would you.
Apart from those I don't really have any rules as such, now I am sure you are wondering why am I am posting about Buy The Store promotions aren't you. Well that would be because my super awesome husband, (yes I know he's normally at best, the git, but why he has suddenly become awesome, is a whole other post that I haven't got around to writing about yet) has bought me two amazing buy the store promotions that I am overjoyed about. They are seriously the digiscrapping bargains of the year, in my opinion and since it's my blog my opinion is the only one that matters lol. So here are all of the details, along with the links to purchase since I think everyone should be frantically rushing to the stores and checking out with these lol.

The 1st one is being held by Trish Jones. Right now she is encountering a few technical difficulties and her site is down for maintenance but I will give you the details anyway since she has promised to extend the sale and give everyone more time to download their purchases.You can buy that one here (once the store is back up anyway). I first saw Trish's designs when she retired from selling at Scrapbook Graphics, I picked up her templates at a bargain price. When I saw she had this promotion running I jumped at the chance to pick up any templates I was missing because I couldn't remember which ones I had bought lol. Only I then found herself and was in digiscrap heaven at all the goodies I could pick up. I don't have a store total for that one since I haven't finished adding things to the basket but will update when I do have one.

The 2nd one is being held by Royanna Lea FritschmannYou can buy that one here. I every item in her store because I want to put them onto a different drive in one folder, want to know the total order value? Are you sitting down? $1030.50. That's insane isn't it and you have to remember it has a much greater value than that since everything is already available at a reduced price of $2.50 or less. Some of her kits alone usually retail for around $9.98 each. If you are a designer you should be snapping this up without a second thought because there is a virtual design supermarket there, textures, shapes, styles, and so many other things. The overlays rock my world, especially for slightly older kits that are really cute or perfect for a certain layout apart from the fact that they have ugly flat textureless papers. I know I have used them a lot just for this reason. As you know I have always been a huge Royanna fan, I loved being on her CT and if I had more time I would do it again in a heartbeat but we are not going into that now this is supposed to be a happy post lol. I already owned the majority of Royanna's store a combination of CT assignments and my own purchases made both before, during and after my CT term lol. But she has added a lot of new products since and with the lack of computer time I have had lately I haven't had chance to remember to go and pick them up, what I am missing from my Royanna collection would have cost a lot more than $29.95 even at the reduced rates. There are also a few other advantages, the first is that now I own everything in the store I never have to worry about using things, I don't look at it and think "was that a CT assignment because I don't remember using it". That helps absolve my own guilt, it's stupid I know but I always feel guilty that I am not using any of it like a proper CT member, sometimes my brain forgets that it's no longer required to use royanna's products, because it's not my job anymore, no matter how much I wish it was. The other reason also comes back to it not being a CT assignment, if I ever did decide to make a freebie for here, or maybe a layout for someone I will have the correct license to allow me to do it, no trying to remember the license details, that one is also a guilt issue because I would rather not use it than do something that I shouldn't be doing with it. I have so much respect for Royanna I would be mortified to find out I hadn't used as stated in the TOU. The last thing I think I should mention is that everything in Royanna's store works just as well on hybrid projects as they do on digital ones, they print beautifully, I have printed quite a few cards and layouts and the colours and textures look great.
So there you have it, my top 2 recommendations for must have purchases this week. Go shop!