Lime Green and Estrogen

Survival of the Fittest!

We came, we saw, we conquered one if the busiest shopping weekends of the year. We even managed to get new product on the shelves as well as scrubbing all the floors and tables in the back. So, the new Basic Grey BLUSH is on the shelf, new Chatterbox Doodling Genies and the new K and Co Memory Trends release!

Good news! The guy next door is GONE! Moved, see ya, outta here, adios, bye! The landlord should give us the keys soon and we will be getting started on our expansion. The next month or so is going to be CRAZY, but the new store will be so AWESOME. Lots of plans, lots of lime green paint in our future!! Thanks for being so encouraging as we start our next big adventure. Our customers are wonderful, caring and so supportive. Thanks for all you do for us, you make us feel like family. Thanks for all the offers for painting, I know who you are and you better answer the phone when I call! If anyone has an "Uncle Mario" in the carpet business, let me know. We would LOVE to carpet the store soon.

I have trying to upload (unsuccessfuly) the photo of the Quickutz rep who is coming to visit. He emailed me a photo so I could recognize him at the airport. He is a cutie patootie. I also told him he looks twelve! You know you are getting old when you say, "I think I am old enough to be your MOM!" It's a good thing that does not bother me- WHATEVER! If anyone has an "Uncle Mario" in the plastic surgery business, let me know! Just kidding- I just need carpet. Make plans to come and see Chris and see the new Revolution in action.

Leaving on a jet for Vegas this week. I will probably not be able to update the blog. I hope I get a chance to. EKstravaganza is one of my favorite trips of the year. Although it is nice to see all the new EK product for the first quarter, the best part is seeing other store owners. After many years in the industry, you make friends from all over the country (and world). This is one of the few times we can slow down and have fun with each other. At a trade show you are lucky to SEE your friends, let alone have a drink or dinner. This is why I look forward to EKstrav! Of course, I will let you know what ALL the new product releases are too!

December 9th schedule!

December 9th and 10th are going to be a BLAST! We have so much planned to celebrate our Ali Edwards and Donna Downey visit! The surprise guest for our event is CHRIS MICKELSEN  He is one of those cutie patootie Quickutz guys! We are flying Chris Mickelsen in just for our event! He will even be bringing a new REVOLUTION to demo! This is the EVENT of the year! Call your friends, take an Ali and Donna class and join us for the FUN. It will a long time before these great celebs will be coming back to the Sunshine State.

Here is a rundown on the Schedule of Events for the weekend-

December 9^th EVENT SCHEDULE!

*disclaimer- stuff happens! Please go with the flow of this is not quite the exact schedule! Thanks!

10am-2pm- QUICKUTZ GUY Chris Mickelsen will demo the NEW REVOLUTION!

11am-2pm- EK SUCCESS Demo with Scarlet Nelson

11am- 2pm- Technique Tuesday demo with Sue Deese (our Technique Tuesday sales rep)

3pm-5pm- QUICKUTZ GUY Chris Mickelsen

3pm-5pm- Ek SUCCESS demo AND TT demo

5:30-7:30pm- BOOK SIGNINGS with Ali Edwards and Donna Downey!

December 10th- classes with Ali and Donna at The University of Tampa. Check out the website- www.thescrapbookshoppe.com- special events tab.

Directions to UT- www.ut.edu

Chaos! and more to come!

We have survived a very BUSY week at the Shoppe! We had a successful Holiday Open House. What amazing samples we have in the store- from a Basic Grey wreath to an Oscar the Grouch doorhanger. All kinds of ideas for holiday gifts, decor and wrapping. Our Klub QK event was a HUGE HIT! We hope you loved the free holly die. The two make and takes were CUTE and the special DEALS were wonderful. I have not seen Lexi that busy since my Birthday sale! We even had three customers in this week who were on the cruise with me this month. How cool is that? It was fun to see them.

Today was Kimmie's first cheer competition! It was a small regional but this competition lets us go to Nationals. One will be in Miami Beach (January) and one in Washington DC (March)! What a jet setter my 12 year old is. They performed well and all the teams looked good.

I am teaching class at Scrap Happy in Bradenton tomorrow night. It has been awhile since I have been out and about teaching. I am doing a two page layout using that neat "swoopy" layout from CKU Houston and some heat embossing technique I thought they would like.  Cross your fingers and wish me luck.

Pimp Daddy Lexi!

Lexi and I were talking this morning about what we could do at our Holiday Open House tomorrow to make it fun. So, we are going to have a drawing for a custom layout done by one of us. There will be 4 winners, one two page layout from each of us. Julie, Tammy, Tiffany and Catherine! This will be one layout you do not have to worry about! Lexi is hiring us out and reaping the rewards- hence her new title. I think I will be getting her some grills and a velvet hat with a feather in it for Christmas! I hope you all can come to the shoppe tomorrow night. We will have out some of the gift items made by the shoppe girls, refreshments, holiday music, and make and takes. Relaxing and fun, just what you need to start the season.

Also, we will be having buy 6 tickets for $5.00 for our dinner with Ali and Donna raffle. Don't forget- a free meal AND all the money raised goes to the Ronald McDonald House on Davis Island. There will be an EXTRA guest at our dinner table that night as well. You really WANT to come. So buy those tickets!

Docked and ready to go!

We have been in Port Canaveral waiting to get cleared to leave the ship. The bags are packed, we have eaten breakfast, so let me off already! I will be making a stop at the Memories Expo in Otown today. I hope to see some friendly faces! I have missed you guys! Of course, you guys post and say Hi to the blog, I have not heard from the kids in a week! I hope they fed the dogs!LOL.

I have to say that this cruise rocked! A little birdie tells me something similar will be going out on the Carnival Miracle in November. Will let you know when I have more information! The classes were well prepared, the crop times were good, and the ladies onboard were awesome. I even met some ladies from our area. (I thought I knew everyone already, but I guess not!) Have to say that Stacy C from Paper Crafts mag is 'da bomb! So is Wendy Johson, Karen Foster and cool Emily Haskel (and her cute Mom, Mrs Rodriguez) from CK Events. What fun they were!

I am off to find a cell phone signal so I can call and talk to Jessica, Kimberly and Lexi!

Will be at the shoppe tomorrow, stop in! OR I will see you at our holiday or QK events! Glad to be home!

Sunrise

Good morning! It looks like it is going to be a lovely day at sea. I am starting to see the sunrise and the sky is beautiful this morning. Yesterday was fun in Costa Maya. We went to see a fairly large Mayan site and really enjoyed ourselves. I was so tired after dinner that Brad worked the "shoppe" and I was sleeping by 8pm. Of course, that means it is 6am and I am showered dressed and ready to go. I am having fun but missing you all. I hope the Disney class went well. You should have had some surprise visitors last night- Heidi and Heather from AtoZ Essentials should have been picking up boxes. They are so much fun! I can't wait to see them when I get back. Have a great day- more tomorrow- we are in Freeport in the Bahamas tomorrow. I have only been to Nassau. If you have been to Freeport, please post some tips. Thanks!

Don't forget to mark your calendars for our holiday open house next week, the Klub QK event next week and our big After Thanksgiving sale- open at 6AM! Yep- we are nuts! But we like to start the holiday season off right!

Miss you all!

Cozumel and Belize

Having fun, wish you all were here! The cruise has been lovely. YES, I am working. But it's like the shoppe! It is still lots of fun! Cozumel was all about the shopping. No jewelry this time, but I did get an awesome deal on a FURLA handbag (Italian like Prada) It's pink and soft and yummy! I also got some earrings and a few gifts for the kids. You know, normal Mexican trinckets and whatnots!

Today was fun in Belize. We hired a guide with a van (no air- hot!) and he took us about 40 miles on a very bad road to the Mayan ruins of Altun Ha.  Nice site. It is amazing that the ruins are so close to be eaten by the jungle that surrounds it. I am amazed that they can find these ruins at all sometimes, yet alone escavated them. Took good photos. The taxi van lost it's spare tire down the road TWICE. It was too funny.

New QUICKUTZ today, Winter shapes! Very cute. They are in stock and ready to go! I even have them on the cruise, but I swore not to sell them until today. I am proud of myself because I kept my word! See you all at the Quickutz event on the 18th- LOTS of surprises!

More tomorrow- more Mayan ruins and a trip to Costa Maya in Mexico. Miss you guys!

Topless!

OK, made you look. We are at sea until tomorrow am. Cozumel at 10am.

Here's a funny topless story- Brad forgot his dress shirts. We have ties, a jacket, dress shoes and two nicely pressed shirts (that never made it into the suitcase!) So Brad wore his hawaiian shirt to dinner while I had on my beautiful new Chico's outfit. I thought you would get a kick out of that! Had fun today. Looking forward to another good night sleep. I sleep like a baby at sea. It's wonderful.

More tomorrow- I am going shopping! Brad still thinks we are going to Carlos and Charlies, but we are really going shopping! I am going to look for cool stuff to decorate the store with- don't tell Lexi!

We are moving!

I think we made it to Port Canaveral in record time, just over 2 hours. We just finished muster drill and the ship is leaving the channel and going to sea. I am hoping to get a call into Lexi, but if I don't I have a few messages to get out- please pardon the personal stuff! Once we get too far out, I can't use the cell!

So, here's my personal stuff just in case I do not get a hold of who I need-

Lyn Bruha- sweetie- I gathered your stuff, but call Lexi and do it again. I am afraid that when I dyed my hair this week, I forgot to ring out your stuff. How very blonde of me! Good news, your big Junkitz sack came in. We have one for you.

Lexi- Call Tiffany and ask if she can pick Kimmie up at my SIL's house on Monday for school. She has Cali's number if she needs it. That's the important thing I forgot!

I will post again when I have something great to report!!

I'm off!

I am sure I have forgotten something important as usual! Brad and I are heading into the shoppe to load up ALL the boxes into the car. Our ship leaves from Port Canaveral. I am excited that I do not have to make the LONG drive to the Port of Miami. It will be about a 2.5 houe drive instead of 5.5, yeah for me!

I will be in touch! I did get email confirmation that lots of BoBunny Press will be arriving next week. Yummy stuff from them as usual. Also, EK Success has discontinued their storage cube line. We just got a refill order and I would not wait to get them for the holidays. If this is something you would like, send your hubby in NOW!

I said yesterday that I would be bringing a camera. Well, Brad packed one anyways so I will be shooting some pictures. I will do my best to get photos of the projects and of Karen Foster and Stacy Cronniger. I am also excited to meet the other CK girls. I email them so much! It will be nice to put faces to their names. I am looking forward to the cruise and will miss the store!

Make sure you stop by to see all the new stuff! Lexi will be lonely if you don't!