There May Be No One Left in Indiana Today . . .

I have been in seclusion in the mail center for the past few days, working through the e-mail fiasco.  If you don’t know about this, be happy – we were accused of spamming and I have to confirm (one at a time) that each address that remains on our list actually wants to be there.  It’s a long process, and I have a deadline – 57 new Spellbinders dies will be released for advance orders on Tuesday, July 19 (more on that next week), so I have to be ready to send out an e-mail to our list a couple of days in advance.

So it caught me off guard when the store called and said “The Fort Wayne ladies are here.”  Oh yeah – I had known for nearly a month that a group of convention regulars from the shows in Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Novi, Cincinnati (you get the idea) had decided to make the pilgrimage to Marco’s on Saturday, July 9.  But I got distracted and forgot.

So Zoe and I hopped in the car and headed to the store for a visit.  This is the nicest bunch of people you will ever find – we have swapped greetings and stories and such at shows for years.  But they were spread out all over the store, so it took a while to get them into one spot to shoot a picture.  Nice pic – but it was harder than it looks . . .

Zoe was much more interested in getting a good scratch, and much less interested in facing me and posing!  Visiting done, we were headed for the back door when a greeting from our friend Ann Hathaway told me that another Indiana group had picked this date for a day trip . . .

Ann (center) helps us set up and tear down the booth at the Indianapolis show every March.  We have made sure to share favorite TV shows each season ever since she recommended 24 to me years ago.  She had e-mailed a couple of weeks ago for information from a native – she was planning an antiquing trip to Waynesville (my hometown) and wanted info on shops, eateries, and such.  But I had no idea when the trip would take place, so this was a bonus surprise.  We were looking for a place where Ann and her sisters could pose for a picture, and one of them saw the mannequin and said “Let’s stand next to her.”

Wednesdays and Saturdays are always good days to visit since we have free make it/take it projects on those days so there is always something special to do.  We love day trippers – so if you’re planning a visit, make sure to let us know in advance so we can let you know what’s planned (or plan something special just for you)!

One Last Chance to Save Big on Copics . . .

If you haven’t heard yet, the MSRP on Copic Markers is going up on August 1 – to $4.79 for Copic Ciao and $6.99 for Copic Sketch.  Need an opportunity to load up on them before the price increase?  We thought so . . .

 

From now through July 31, we’re putting them on sale at great prices!

$3.49 for Copic Ciao
$4.99 for Copic Sketch

And if you have been waiting for the Copic Wallets to finally arrive (the manufacturer has been out of stock for months) . . . they’re here!  The backorders have all shipped and we have some on hand and even more on the way.  Three sizes available to hold 24, 36, or 72 markers.

A Sure Sign That Something Is Going On . . .

Last Wednesday was my first day back at work after StampFest Orlando, and I had lots of stuff to unload when I got the truck to the store late in the morning.  Our store rocks on Wednesdays – the classroom is full all morning while the free make it/take it is going on.  So I knew something was up when I headed toward the back . . .

. . . and discovered that the classroom was completely empty.  However, there was quite a commotion coming from behind the display cases.

Lunch was being served!  The celebration was for Donna Sheetz’ 50th birthday – food, gifts, laughter, and fun for all.

Did I mention gifts?

Quick quiz – which picture of Donna was taken after the gifts were opened?

When I wandered back through the classroom, I made a crack about the overflow crowd being exiled to the “little kids’ table” – before I noticed that some of them actually were little kids!

Soon it was time to put aside the goodies and get back to the crafts at hand – it was Donna’s turn to lead the make it/take it . . .

Making Lemonade Out of Lemons . . .

Those of you who are on our e-mail list already know some of this (and if you don’t, check your inbox).  I sent out an e-mail a couple of weeks ago before I left for StampFest Orlando and a couple of days later I got a notice from our service provider that we had been accused of spamming.  I was simply floored – seriously?

It's not true -- more than 11,000 people have subscribed to our list over the past 15 years by e-mailing us directly or filling out a card at a convention or in our store.  I treasure that list, and the friendships we have made as a result of it.  Not a single soul has ever been added who didn't ask -- and anyone who ever got tired of my mindless wanderings and asked to unsubscribe was unsubscribed promptly.

We went to a new e-mail system and a new provider a little over a year ago when the website rebuild was completed.  I suspect that's part of the problem.  Until May of last year, when I sent out an e-mail it took me three or four hours to get them all out -- our provider would not allow bulk e-mails so I had to send them in groups of 48 addresses at a time.  Now, I can send them all with one click -- but along the way, computers (or people -- or both) are now accusing me of something that I detest and have to clean out of my inbox everyday.  And it hurts.

We have been told that if this situation is not resolved, we will be blacklisted.  Even after all these years, I'm still not terribly computer-savvy, so I asked what we had to do.  This was the answer I received -- "We need you to go through and send a blanket email to all users on your list with the Subject line: "Do You Want to Still Receive These" with an opt out link in the body of the email.  Let them know in the body of the email if they do not respond or opt out with in a week or two that you will remove them from your list.  Please let us know once you have resolved the issue."

So Saturday I sent out the required e-mail, and within minutes responses started pouring in.  Several thousand of them so far, on a holiday weekend.  Again, I was simply floored – but this time it was a completely different feeling.  All I did over the weekend was watch the counter in my inbox – we had two family reunion picnics, Ryan’s birthday, fireworks, and yard that needed work.  But this morning I started going through the individual e-mails so I could confirm them in the e-mail system.

The kind words and stories that have been included by our customers have been heartwarming.  It will take me weeks to get through this process, but I’m not dreading it like I was just a few days ago.  I should have known better – there are so many of you out there (many that I will never meet) who are the reason that I enjoy my job.

You have really come through, and you have no idea how much I appreciate it.

Inspiration from Creative Minds . . .

I never cease to be amazed by the creativity of the demo artists I encounter.  If you have ever been at a show, you’ve seen them – they’re the ones who draw such a crowd that you can’t seem to get close enough to see what they’re doing.  But it’s not just what they’re doing – it’s the presentation.  There is a “showmanship” involved in being a good demo artist that goes far beyond the product.

 

We have been very fortunate over the years to have some fantastic demo artists in our booth.  These shots of Sue Rothamel and Crystal Copperstone were taken last weekend in Collinsville, Illinois, but they could just have easily been shots of Sue Nelson or Melinda Doster or Jill Haglund or Anna Ely or any of the myriad of talented artists we’ve worked with over the years.  They make shows special – and what they can do with a few odds and ends and a head full of ideas impresses me.

Which leads me to this – the latest from the creative mind of Tim Holtz.  Tim is another of those people who can take something very simple and make it into something very special.  He does amazing stuff with what essentially started out as found objects.  And now he is moving into the area of stationery and paper goods and tote bags and such with District Market – it’s a whole new line full of seasonal notecards, burlap panels, matchbook notepads, tissue wrap, spiral journals, and totes (!) – all with the look of timeless nostalgia and salvaged findings that Tim is known for!

Want to see more?  Click on any of the pictures above to see individual items, or click on the District Market logo to see the whole line of 30 products.

Like most new releases, you get a peek now but the actual products won't ship until mid-September.  We have already placed a big advance order so that we'll be ready as soon as they're available.

You can place District Market orders now and we'll fill them in the order received when the goodies arrive.  Here's your incentive -- advance orders get 20% off the MSRP and we'll ship them free!  Just remember that any other items you include with your District Market order won't ship until September, and only the District Market items are 20% off unless otherwise noted.  This offer will be good until the first batch of District Market products arrive.

Four Busy Weeks . . .

I have been extremely behind in posting the pictures and fascinating stories (no groans, please) from the past few weeks of travels and activities.  I have literally only been home long enough to mow the grass, do my laundry, play golf on Wednesday (some things are sacred), and get back out on the road.

Thought about breaking this up into several mini-posts, but with the way things have been going around here, that could have run into July and by then I would have been that far behind again.  From the shows in Southfield (Detroit), West Springfield, and Collinsville (St. Louis), I’ll try to keep it to sights and stories you haven’t seen here before.  Still, you might want to grab a cup of coffee – this could take a while . . .

For the Southfield, Michigan show (May 21-22), we decided to try and modify our booth layout a little – think of it as a different way to try to get ten pounds of potatoes into a five-pound potato sack.  This layout was actually ten feet shorter than what you may have seen at some of the smaller shows – with the economy as it is, any money we can save keeps prices down for you.  But we found it was a little congested, so the next week in West Springfield, Massachusetts we tried moving the USArtQuest display “inside” the longer layout – and that worked much better.  So we tried it with the shorter version in Collinsville, Illinois last weekend.  I like it, and you’ll likely see it again.

At one point, I walked from one end of the booth to the other and noticed that Sue Rothamel looked even shorter than normal.  I had to investigate from several angles until I finally determined what I was seeing . . .

That little stepstool she was sitting on was only about a foot off the ground.

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Memorial Day Weekend was my 35-year high school reunion.  We planned several activities so that a few of us could get a chance to see each other – some for the first time in many years.  But as usual, I took most of the pictures, so there is little evidence that I attended.  Thankfully, our classmate Cindy Marconet took a few pictures as well . . .

At left, Friday evening at a bowling alley – how fitting that the bowling shoes that I got for my birthday when I was a senior in high school were invited to attend!  At right, a few of us at a picnic on Sunday afternoon.

This shot was taken at the 128th Waynesville High School Alumni Banquet at our high school on Saturday evening – it’s the longest running alumni reunion in Ohio.  Everyone who ever went there or taught there is invited, so we get quite a cross-section of generations.  I went to my first one when I was a senior (the seniors get in free), and during the program a group of names were read and invited to stand – it wasn’t until I heard the third name that I realized the fourth one was going to be mine . . .

 

Left to right: my great-grandma Ellen Sherwood Conner (Class of 1908), my grandpa Leo Conner (Class of 1937), my mom Carolyn Conner Smallwood (Class of 1957), and the last one you have seen before.  Four generations of graduates, all present at Alumni – and it has never happened before or since.  My mom told me later that soon after I was born, my great-grandma told her that her goal was to live until I graduated from high school so we could have all four generations at Alumni.  At the time it didn’t mean that much to me, but my great-grandma died the next spring and now I cherish that memory.

On Memorial Day, Zoe and I went to watch my nephew Tyler and his high school jazz band and percussion ensemble play at a community amphitheater.  It was a beautiful evening – and of course, once Zoe saw my sister-in-law Lisa, she had no need for me anymore!  That’s Lisa holding the leash, with her parents Ron and Mary Jo to her right and Tyler’s girlfriend Rachel seated.  And my brother Blake’s forearm is in the foreground . . .

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No doubt you saw the video and pictures of the tornadoes that struck Springfield, Massachusetts the day before we arrived.  I took a bunch of photos and posted them the evening I arrived.  But none of us were sure what to expect when Saturday morning rolled around – thankfully, you New Englanders are a hardy bunch . . .

Two views of the front entrance a few minutes before the show opened . . . at this point, we’re all breathing a deep sigh of relief.

 

I love to watch the stampede in West Springfield as the show opens.  Doesn’t matter where our booth is – you’ll find us!

Frankie and Crystal and Sue spent the night before creating fancy hairdos and flowered earrings and hairpins.  But once the show opened, there was work to be done.

This is one of the few shows where there is very little difference in the size of the crowd on Saturday (left) or Sunday (right).

And sometimes a customer needs a little quiet space to go through her purchases . . .

From my position (in front of my cash register), I get a very different view when I look to my left or right . . .

And when I turn around, I get a direct (and futile) view of the snack bar.  So close, and yet so far – I’ll never get there . . .

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Last weekend, we were in Collinsville, Illinois – and the show had some things in common with Springfield . . .

We weren’t all that far from the devastation in Joplin, Missouri.  Barbara and Jerry from Rubber Stamp Events came up with a great idea – 14 raffle baskets full of donations from Barbara and the vendors, with the proceeds going to help out in Joplin.

The convention center staff got a workout early in the day – part of the lights in the hall suddenly went out and these folks had to go from breaker box to breaker box until they found out what caused it.

Still, the show must go on – and all of those lights I hang on our booth really came in handy.  It was rough for a while for the vendors who didn’t have them.

At one point I heard a scream from Sue Rothamel, when she noticed that one of the customers had used USArtQuest products to decorate her skirt . . .

If you want your demos to be seen, there is no better place to have your booth than right across the aisle from the Snack Bar!

At the old Auntie Amy shows, this would have been known as the “Unruly Husband Containment Center” – yes the guy in the background was asleep . . .

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Last, but certainly not least -- need a spouse who is confident in his masculinity?  Desreen Snow already has one -- she and her husband Tilmon came into the store a few days ago and Tilmon was carrying the bouquet!  They are getting ready to renew their vows after five years of marriage -- congrats!