It's a New Year.....more reasons to craft!
I know I am a bit late wishing you a Happy New Year, but the sentiment is the same! I just got off the phone with one of my reps and we were talking about how we were all so happy to see 2020 go...... but now we wonder if 2021 will be any different! Remember the movie Ground Hog Day? I, for one, certainly hope 2021 will be a good year. I am sure you feel the same. I hope you have all remained healthy throughout this challenging time and you found an outlet in crafting. As I mentioned in my last newsletter, our annual January trip to Phoenix has been canceled and will be virtual in March. Monday, January 11th, Melissa and I will be joining Spellbinders, Altenew, and Waffle Flower to see their new products, and Tuesday the 12th we will see all of the new lines from American Crafts. I expect similar virtual meetings with other vendors, too. For me, it is not the best way to see a new product because you cannot judge quality without seeing it in person. I do have confidence in my vendors, however, and I know they will also do the very best they can to get new and exciting products on the market. I received an online catalog supplement from Penny Black that you might enjoy, and today I received a catalog supplement with the latest release from Impression Obsession. If you have time to check these out, let me know if there is something that you "must-have". I will be placing orders within a week or so.
I know a lot of you are wondering about Stamp Escape. Me too! I am in constant contact with The Pines and they want you there as much as we do! Of course, the state of California has a lot to say about things. We are at the "wait and see" stage and are hoping things turn around to the point that we will be able to have everyone here at the end of April. I will have to make a final decision by the end of February so teachers can have advance notice and products can be ordered in time to be ready for the event. The main thing for me is to have everyone feel safe and for the event to be fun.
Regarding the store, as we remain under Covid-19 restrictions....we are open regular hours and will continue to maintain our regular hours. Although California is under mandatory shut-down orders, we fit into the category of retail that is allowed to be open with 25% capacity. That means that we could not have 100 people arrive at the same time to shop as we have (or used to have) for Stamp Escape. But under normal circumstances, we are fine at 25% of the legal occupancy. We are happy to place orders over the phone and ship or have orders ready for pick-up if you are concerned about being in the store. Just let us know what we can do to help you!
Things seem to be picking up in the product availability department. Although we are still seeing more back-orders than usual, it seems that there has been some improvement in the last few weeks. On our end, we are trying to order from vendors that have better shipping (made in the USA). Hopefully, in the near future, we will find that vendors are able to provide better customer service.
Again, we look forward to knowing that all of our crafty friends are healthy and can be out and about hugging their friends and family. Remember, we are available for your crafting needs, whether in person or by mail!
Virtual Hugs,
What's New?
Here are some ideas to get your crafty brain churning! Can't think of a reason to send a card? February has lots of opportunities to create. Did you know that February 12th is Chinese New Year? Get out the red ink and gold embossing powder and foil! (Order take-out while you stamp.) You must have a dragon stamp in your stash! Of course, we know Valentine's Day is just around the corner....you already got out the red, now just add pink ink and those heart stamps, you probably have duplicates :) You can get really creative with Mardi Gras which is February 16th! Green, purple, and gold with lots of sparkles will make the perfect card. Gumbo anyone? The friends you haven't seen in a year would love to hear from you.
We will have a new order from Taylored Expressions tomorrow. We always have fun ordering from this great company. They have such good customer service and always ship orders complete!
We filled in our Copic marker fixture last week. We even got most of the new size Copic refills that were on order. We also have Signo Gel pens back in stock. These are the white, black, and metallic pens we love. Copics and Signos have both been on the "impossible to get" list!
When you check out the Impression Obsession catalog, be sure to take a look at the new slimline images. And don't miss that stinkin' cute baby chick and egg die!
We have new papers in spring-tone florals and some great masculine papers. This is the time of year when we get to order all of the fun new 12x12 papers and matching solids. As we order new products, we will keep you posted. We are excited for our virtual vendor meetings next week......stay tuned!
Check out the in-store classes for this month.
