Happy Valentine's Day

Hi and Happy Valentine’s Day!

The winter holidays have come and gone and we are approaching the spring holidays. I love the spring colors as I think they can lift our spirits! This is also the time of year that we order product for spring and summer. We have placed orders that will be arriving over the next couple of months with some expected to arrive quite soon. This year we are trying to avoid ordering product that do not have shipping dates that are timely. For the first time in over 20 years, I did not attend CHA…and for a good reason.

 As you probably know, 2015 was a difficult year for many of us. Melissa’s mother-in-law was critically ill late in 2014 and hospitalized the first four months of 2015. Fortunately with great doctors and good care, she has made a miraculous recovery. In January my husband began chemotherapy and sadly lost his battle with cancer in August. As you can imagine, keeping the store staffed and open was at times a challenge. Being able to be home to care for my husband was very important to us as he did not want to be hospitalized. Thanks to Melissa, and later in the year, Linda Mosley, I was able to do just that.

 As you can imagine, Melissa and I really needed some time to decompress. January 8th we departed on a wonderful journey. We flew to Barcelona, Spain where we boarded the Viking Star and cruised the Mediterranean, visiting Toulon and Nice in France, Monaco, Corsica, and Livorno, Pisa, Florence, and Rome in Italy. We had a wonderful time and visited places that will call us back. Yes, the pastries were great in France, and gelato was yummy everywhere, especially Rome!

We prepared for the trip by contacting our vendors and reps to make sure we got all catalogs and information we would need to place orders and keep our stock fresh and up to date.

We really could not have done it without Linda Mosely and Kathy Swanson who stepped in to keep the store open. They even figured out our sometimes quirky method of assigning stock numbers.

 Of course, returning after vacation means hurry and catch up. Especially since we are getting close to The Great Yosemite Stamp Escape 2016. I don’t want to spread false rumors, but I was told they will have a new internet system at The Pines Resort in time for our event. Could it be true that I might not be running around like a crazy person this year? We can only hope! If you are on the wait list, we will call immediately if we have an opening. If you are signed up, we will be sending out reminders to those who have balances due at the end of this month. We are in touch with the teachers and are excited about the projects they will be teaching. Ordering product for our little store at the event will be happening soon.

 Thank you for your support during the past year when we needed it so much. We love you all and wish for a beautiful spring and safe summer.

              




                                What's New?

We have in stock releases from the 2016 Stampendous catalog and are working on another order. They have lots of new House Mouse images and some cute gnomes and other good images. We also have the newest Heartfelt Creations, Sleepy Hollow and will have the next collection featuring beautiful lilies.

 We have ordered three collections from My Mind’s Eye. We are also expecting two collections from Graphic 45: Enchanted Forest and Under the Sea. Both collections are beautiful and colorful.

We have ordered new dies from Elizabeth craft Design, and also her new paper pads. Of course we will have plenty of product from them as we approach Stamp Escape with both Els and Susan teaching. We are excited that for the first time, Penny Black will be represented at Stamp Escape and we are in the process of placing an order from their new release. There are lots of goodies that will be calling your name soon. Be sure to stay in touch and always check out the table in the classroom when you stop by. That is where we stage our new products before we add them to the displays.

 Take a look at the great classes we have planned this month at www.catsmeowstamps.com and click on classes.