A Very Marco’s Halloween . . .

Gary came into the mail center late on Wednesday afternoon, and told me that Mary and Karen decided that we simply had to do something special in the store for Halloween.  They wanted to dress up, and I was supposed to spread the word.  So Thursday morning, I put a note on our Facebook page and send out an e-mail to the local list.  This morning, Zoe and I wandered up that way to see if anyone chose to participate . . .

. . . and this is what we found!  Mary was the first one I saw, and my first thought was “A little fire, Scarecrow?”  Apparently, Karen’s outfit was supposed to be Hawaiian, but I’ll bet I’m not the only one who was reminded of Cousin Itt . . .

The customers were also encouraged to dress up – amazing what people will do to try to win a gift certificate.  This was one of the first getups I saw – what better props to wear into a craft store?  I told her if she really wanted to set the outfit off, she should go get some funky teeth . . .

This lady did such a good job that one of her best friends didn’t recognize her . . .

We also had an in-store coupon sale – but customers had to make their own coupons.  These were some of the efforts that had been collected when Zoe and I were there.  No doubt by Monday there will be more pictures to share . . .

Fall Weekends in Ohio When Not Raking Leaves . . .

I am an Ohio State football fan.  I’m not ashamed to say it (even when they lose), but I’m not obnoxious about it when I’m in “enemy territory” during my travels.  My brother and I used to go to one game a year – our aunt always got us tickets from a friend of hers, who continued the tradition for several years after she died.  But I hadn’t been to a game for at least ten years until this past weekend.

Karen and David’s son Scott is an Ohio State grad.  He invited me to go with him to a game this year, and I really looked forward to it.  The invitation even came with a reserved parking spot – Scott’s mother-in-law is an OSU professor who lives less than a mile from Ohio Stadium.  So I met him there and got to spend some time with the baby (much to Karen’s chagrin).  Somehow, I blocked Scott’s wife Alexis out of all of the pictures I took (sorry about that).  And I have to admit that their son has one of the bubbliest personalities I have ever seen.

We arrived about an hour early for the 12:00 noon kickoff, and this was the view from our seats.  Things have changed since I was the last time I was here – most notably the big new videoboard, which was a touch nostalgic for me.  When this board’s predecessor was installed back in the early 1980s, one of the graduate assistants who ran it was a Waynesville kid – and like a lot of us, I have a big picture of that board saluting me as “OSU’s #1 Fan” on the wall in my house (Steve programmed them all, then went down to the field with a camera and took pictures one after another as he clicked from one name to another).

Any true Ohio State fan is seated before the band takes the field.  I did not go to Ohio State, but I still get chills when the snare drums signal their entrance to the field from underneath the north stands.  The band’s “Script Ohio” is well-known, but on this day we got a special treat – the halftime show had an Elvis theme, so they did “Script Elvis”.  I didn’t find out until the next day that the Elvis impersonator (he is “dotting the i” in this picture) was a teammate of Ohio State coach Jim Tressel when both were students at Baldwin-Wallace College.

Oh yeah – there was also a game going on.  You can’t see much in pictures taken from the stands (this was an Ohio State extra point).  OSU beat Purdue 49-0.

 

There is always a show going on at a Buckeye game.  After Ohio State touchdowns, members of our armed forces come out of the stands and do pushups.  And in the picture at right, OSU mascot Brutus Buckeye was joining them – doing his pushups on a board held up by the cheerleaders.

When he got the job, Coach Tressel started his own tradition – after the game, the team goes to the end zone to join the band and fellow students in singing the OSU Alma Mater.  Then the band came on the field for a special performance of “Script Ohio”.  Every time I have ever been to Ohio Stadium, I have sat on the east side behind the visitor’s bench, so I have only seen Script Ohio upside-down.  This was my first time on the west side, so I was really looking forward to seeing it right-side-up – imagine my disappointment when the band “wrote” it on the other side!

And I did ask Scott to take my picture – figured it might come in handy sometime . . .

Yesterday was a Yardwork Afternoon at my house, and when I saw this I couldn’t resist.  We have almost an acre of green grass in our yard, and only one patch of brown dirt where I dug out a magnolia bush that didn’t survive last winter’s blast.  Apparently, Zoe saw it as a cool inviting place to take a nap . . .

A Family Tradition Continues (and Other Tidbits of Interest) . . .

On the evening before the first frost of the season, Ryan and I sat down on the living room floor to continue one of our family traditions – the Carving of the Pumpkins.  We got so engrossed in what we were doing that we didn’t even turn on the TV.  When we finished, I sat them (and him) on the kitchen floor where the lighting was good and shot some pictures.  Of course, the best ones included a canine presence . . .

But tradition is not complete until the finished products go out on the front rail with candles inside . . .

I texted this pic to several people, and they all knew that the smiling pumpkin was mine.  I guess I’m predictable (and not terribly creative).  But I did go with sharp teeth for a change.  Ryan decided that the mouth on his looked like a bat – and I told him that if we tilted his pumpkin to the sky we might attract the Caped Crusader . . .

 

On to more businesslike pursuits . . .

I talked with several people at Spellbinders earlier this week – they woefully underestimated the popularity of the new dies they released at CHA in July and first shipped (but not nearly enough) in late September.  So we have had pending orders sitting around (and making us look bad), waiting for a new shipment.  Looks like most of them will arrive next week, except for Lacy Circles and Beaded Ovals, which won’t arrive until mid-November.  We appreciate your patience and will ship your orders the same day they arrive.

 

We also got a shipment of the new Sizzix Holiday Dies a couple of days ago.  There were ten, I think, and these were some of my favorites.  Just put them on the website yesterday afternoon – you can click on the Sizzix link in the left column on the homepage to see them.

 

In case you’re not on our e-mail list or haven’t been to our new website lately, we are doing a Free Shipping Offer for a limited time with a $30 purchase.  Of course there is fine print . . . Click the "Free Shipping" Option in Your Shopping Cart During Checkout or Mention It When You Call or Fax Your Order -- Continental U.S. Only -- Retail Purchases Only -- For Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Other U.S. Possessions, & Canada, Contact Us for Special 1/2 Price Shipping Offer (Same with Other Countries If We Can Do It Economically -- Contact Us for Details)

And I have also added a page of Sale Items at the top of the left column on our homepage.  You may want to check it regularly – I plan to add items (and subtract others) every week or two.  Stay tuned . . .

What Happens to a Birthday Dunce Cap on the Day After Your Birthday . . .

Addendum to the post from a couple of days ago that included the lovely newspaper and roping birthday dunce cap presented to me by Nikki and Sheila from Heirloom Productions (which you might have missed since it and a post about the Fall Festival at our store e-mailed at the same time) . . .

When I arrived at the York Show on Sunday, that dunce cap was still sitting above my cash register.  My birthday was over, so I was going to throw it away. But some had other ideas.

At left is Krissy (her aunt is Sue from DRS Designs) – she couldn’t wait to try it on.  But she had the same problem I did – she couldn’t keep it on her head.  At right is Robyn (her mom is Stacey from Sweet Stamps) – she is a couple of years younger and her head provided a perfect fit!

And here are my final birthday comments for 2010 – thanks to Gwen Emanuel, who greeted me just after the show opened with a handmade birthday card.  Our customers are the greatest – thanks Gwen . . .

And I just got back from my “birthday lunch” with my parents and brother.  For the uninitiated – yes, this is a decorated chocolate chip cookie (I like the white icing).  Only the second time in 52 years that Mom & Dad didn’t see me on my birthday, so we made up for it today!

More Fall Festival Fun . . .

Now that you have been teased with the great Make It/Take It Projects for Monday & Tuesday during Fall Festival Week at our store, here are the Wednesday and Thursday offerings.  Yep, that means you have to wait another day or two to see the fun for the weekend!

Wednesday, October 13

There will also be two free demos on Wednesday.  From 12:30-1:00, Jeff Hosier and Chris Fox will do a Cartooning Demo, and from 1:00-3:00, Libby Friel will do a hands-on Vellum Demo.  Don’t miss them!

Make It/Take It Projects:

Barb Weinbrandt has a Make It/Take It from 9;00-11:00 a.m., but you’ll have to go on faith because I haven’t seen it yet!

Wednesday 1:00-3:00 – Donna Sheetz

Wednesday 3:00-5:00 – Sandy Livingston

Thursday, October 14

Thursday 9:00-11:00 – Dawn Cutter

Thursday 12:00-2:00 – Ginger Deaton

Thursday 2:00-4:00 – Judy Davidson

Thursday 4:30-6:30 – Carolyn Apisa

All of this, and STILL great sale prices in the store – with over 1,000 items marked 25% to 75% off!

Annual Fall Festival at Marco’s Paper

The annual Fall Festival at our store in Dayton starts Monday, October 11.  This is our “big deal” every fall.  The theme this year is “Keeping It Simple” – and we’ll have free Make It/Take Its and Demos in the store all week long, along with great deals, specials, and a sticker sale with 25% to 75% off over 1,000 items (with new ones added every day).  The windup comes Sunday, October 17, when our Lucy’s Paper Garden Club will have a Trunk Sale from 10:00-5:00 in our parking lot (they will actually be selling from their car trunks and tables).  And we’ll chip in with a Sidewalk Sale with thousands of items out on the front walk for only $1.00 each!

Special hours in the store this week – Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday 8:30-7:00; Tuesday 8:30-8:00; Saturday & Sunday 10:00-5:00.  So if you’re in the area, stop in!

No special week in our store would be complete without a tease from me showing what you can do if you stop in (or what you can’t if you live too far away – sorry about that).  So here are the Make It/Take It projects and artists for Monday, October 11 & Tuesday, October 12 . . .

Dawn Cutter – Monday 9:00-11:00 a.m.

Rose Banwart – Monday 12:00-2:00 p.m.

Sandy Livingston – Monday 2:00-4:00 p.m.

Leslie Rogers – Monday 4:00-6:00 p.m.

Dawn Cutter – Tuesday 9:00-11:00 a.m.

Sandy Livingston – Tuesday 12:00-2:00 p.m.

Carolyn Apisa – Tuesday 3:00-5:00 p.m.

Ginger Deaton – Tuesday 4:00-6:00 p.m.

That ought to be enough to whet your appetites.  Check back Tuesday or so for more of the pictures, or go to our website at www.marcopaper.com to see the whole schedule!

It Has Been a Busy Week . . .

We have had shows for three straight weekends, and I sandwiched a golf trip into the mix earlier this week.  And we come home to begin the annual Fall Festival in our store on Monday, October 11.  Oh yeah, I also had a birthday somewhere in there.  So I have some catching up to do . . .

Last Monday, eight of us headed to eastern Kentucky for a three-day golf trip.  Of course, we picked the three coldest days of the season so far – but we stayed dry.

We stayed in cabins at Carter Caves State Park.  These are not your typical state park cabins – quite modern and very comfortable.

But the golf was played at Grayson Lake State Park, about 30 miles away.  Grayson Lake has a nice golf course, but no lodge or cabins.  So we commuted.  There were lots of sights to behold . . .

The deer and wild turkeys were everywhere.  But some sights were less than natural . . .

This is Leonard.  At first glance, his visor looks ordinary.  But then the view from behind is a clue that all is not as it seems.  The visor is called “Flair Hair” – and he wore it constantly for three days . . .

Just because I thought the clouds were really pretty on Tuesday.  And just because Ryan and Zoe missed me and he decided to text a picture to tell me.

I got home Wednesday evening, unpacked and repacked, and headed off to York, PA for this weekend’s show.  The show was so busy that I didn’t have an opportunity to pull out my camera.  But there were a few things that need to be shared . . .

Polly Weed had a rough week – and she says this had nothing to do with Norm.  Apparently she fell and cracked her forehead, and this is what happens as the blood that pooled migrates south.

And this dunce cap was courtesy of the only two people at the show who knew it was my birthday.  I was “crowned” by one as several hundred customers were urged to sing “Happy Birthday” to me on the loudspeaker by the other.  Thanks, Nikki and Sheila . . .

And this was brought to my attention by a customer – it is the entrance to the women’s restrooms in the convention hall.  I’m told that the sign in the middle (close-up at right) has been there all weekend . . .