Friday Night Costumes at Stampaway . . .

I have collected A LOT of pictures and info over the past week from the Summer Stamping Gala at our store and Stampaway USA in Cincinnati. Considered putting it all together into one very lengthy post, but instead will divide it into three sections over three days. So today will be costumes, tomorrow will be convention, and the next day will be store . . .

The theme for the Friday Night Preview Party at Stampaway this year was "Wear Your Art Out". That left a lot of options, and no obvious costume choice. Some years are easier . . .



Left to right:
2001 "Pajama Party" -- nightshirts and caps
2002 "Dress to the Decade" -- three versions of Elvis on the 25th anniversary of his death
2003 "Wild Midwest" -- riverboat gamblers and a barroom floozie

A note about my 2003 costume -- I was going to be the riverboat gambler, and Karen and Melinda were going to be barroom floozies. But when we got to the costume shop, the women's costumes had no bustlines, so we had to improvise. I was terrified coming out of the motel next door, but once the customers started howling in the parking lot, it got easier.



2004 "Freaky Friday" -- my son Ryan designed my costume (and the fake lip ring was painful)
2005 "Hawaiian Luau" -- I loved the Magnum idea, but the customers expected a grass skirt and coconuts
2006 "M*A*S*H -- Karen as Radar was classic, especially the teddy bear. I loved the Mud Hens jersey, but the customers expected Klinger in drag



So we gave up and gave you what you asked for . . .

2007 "Wizard of Oz" -- the ruby slippers made the Wall of Fame in the store
2008 "Pajama Party" -- you can't see it, but the toenail polish didn't come off for weeks

And that brings us to 2009 . . .



Karen's hair is real -- she let it grow out this year and it looks great! With all the tags hanging from my hat, I felt like Minnie Pearl. I sent a copy of the pictures and a close up of my wrist to Suze Weinberg, since my "bracelet" was a roll of Wonder Tape!

We owe some thank yous -- to Ginger Deaton, who designed and painted the scrubs we wore; to Lisa Budenz, who did our makeup; to Bama Glenn, who loaned me a wig for the past two years; and to everyone in the store who pitched in to add the charms and embellishments.

There were a few other interesting costumes . . .



At left is Gary Ihle, the president of Marco's (don't you just love his costume?). He is more than a little claustrophobic and quite camera shy, so he is rarely seen at shows and this was the best shot I could get of him. At right is Nora Bussell, the second person to come to Stampaway wearing our logo.



Several of the customers dressed, too. These four ladies were dressed as green, blue, yellow and red daubers. I never saw them together until they got to our booth -- and even then it took me a few minutes to realize these were the ladies from Christy's Main Street Memories in New Concord, Ohio (Christy, Diane, Linda, and Leeanna) who made my mom's Sour Cream Drops and brought them to Adventures in Stamping in Akron back in April! They had another surprise treat for me -- more on that tomorrow.

During the show, the customers voted for the vendor with the best costumes, and the winner was announced at a vendor party on Saturday evening. We won (!) for the fifth time, and we appreciate your support.

But I would also like to recognize our friends Ron & Sarah Justison from The Paper Cut, who dressed as their logo . . .



Their costumes had special meaning -- Sarah has been wearing a lot of ballcaps and bandanas lately. She had breast cancer surgery in January and was off the show circuit for seven months -- last week in Novi was her first time back. She has finished chemo and is in the middle of radiation, so her hair is just starting to come back. It's great to have her back with the "family" again.