Making Friends . . .

I still find it amazing that our store has become a bit of a tourist destination over the years.  That said, it does make some sense – you can spend the day playing at our store, and send your “designated driver” out to the Air Force Museum (20 minutes away and free – someday I’ll go out and take some pics and post them here, because it really is a great place).

And sometimes I know when a visitor is coming.  My friend Kathy Henning lives in Maryland, and we have crossed paths often over the years at shows and by e-mail.  She and her husband, Brian, take their trailer to Idaho each year to visit their son, and visit more family in Iowa on the way back.  And since her Spellbinders preorders came in while they were on the road, we arranged for her to pick them up at the store on Wednesday.

So while Kathy was at the counter adding to her new toys, Brian got acquainted with Zoe – who wasn’t expecting what came next . . .

. . . after Brian climbed into the trailer and brought out a new playmate . . .

Kathy has been telling me about Sadie since she got her about a year ago.  Zoe is sometimes uncomfortable around other dogs (apparently, so is Sadie), so we gave them some time to sniff each other out.

Didn’t take long . . .

Once the canines finished their visit, Kathy took Sadie inside -- ‘cause Karen loves doggies, too!

More New Toys in the Toy Store . . .

We are in the middle of excavating that mountain of Spellbinders dies that arrived last Friday.  I thought that was enough to deal with for a week or so, but apparently Advantus thought otherwise . . .

. . . because all of the Tim Holtz Ideology releases for September arrived yesterday.  Yes, he said September . . . it’s rare, but sometimes new Tim Holtz stuff actually shows up during the month when it is expected.  I realized that this picture doesn’t show everything (some of it is still in the box), so I arranged a little better and climbed up on a chair to get a better shot.

There they are (in no particular order) – Alpha Tiles, Custom Fasteners, Festive Foliage, Kraft Resist Seasonal Stash, Mini Lantern, Mirrored, Muse Tokens – Christmas, Paper Stash – Holidays, Paper String, Seasonal Chitchat, Tinsel Twine, and Woodlands.  If your preorder included only these items, it will be on its way to you soon – if not, we’ll set yours aside and keep collecting until yours is complete!

What a Difference a Day Makes . . .

No doubt you saw the picture I took of the new Spellbinders dies that arrived yesterday.  But just in case, I’ll repeat it below, along with a picture I took just after unpacking what arrived today (and keep in mind that a lot of what arrived yesterday has already been shipped) . . .

Perhaps the side shot will give you a better idea of the task that lies before us . . .

Want to know which new dies were most popular among your peers?

Decorative Labels Eight, Marvelous Squares, and Matting Basics A & B led the way by a mile.

And of course, until everything has been shipped, your dies will be protected by an attack dog . . . (anyone who is familiar with my canine will see the humor in that comment).

The Fun Begins . . .

The first batch of new Spellbinders dies just walked in the front door (well, the legs belonged to the UPS guy, but you get the idea).  So we’ll be filling your preorders for a while – there are literally hundreds of them!

I haven’t quite figured out the logic in this yet, but our last preorder showed up first, so this is actually a shot of part of the smallest order we placed.  The huge orders are scheduled to arrive tomorrow.  I could go on, but no doubt you prefer that I get busy and help ship your dies.  So I will . . .

A Familiar Face in the Crowd . . .

If you are planning to watch the president speak at the Democratic National Convention tonight, pay close attention to the Texas delegation when the cameras pan the audience to watch the delegates cheer.  You might see a familiar face . . .

This is David de la Fuente – he used to be the little boy who tagged along at shows with his mom (Mary Kay from Stamp Camp).  Now he is 22 years old and one of the youngest delegates at the convention.  Seems like only a couple of months ago that he and his girlfriend were running Mom’s booth at the show in Grapevine – and that’s because it was only a couple of months ago.

Earlier this week, David was quoted in a story in the Dallas Morning News, and now he has turned up on a college news network out of North Carolina.  Want to see it?  You can watch it below . . .

This is very cool and has nothing to do with politics – I am simply very proud of a kid I know who is making a difference.