Our Transformation

Many of you have seen our transformation recently. But for those who haven't made it in yet, I thought I'd share some pictures from along the way to now from our new crop room. We still have quite a bit of work to do in our new bead area, but it's coming along nicely. I'll post pictures of that soon. Enjoy...

A little while later...

I feel like I haven't posted in a while, but I think that's because I've been buried under a pile of boxes, and it took this long to dig me out! :) No really, it's been a super-busy and fun week for us here. We started the week off with day after day of deliveries, including new products from Sassafras Lass (Nerdy Bird, Apple Jack & Cherry Delicious) , Scrap Within Reach, We R Memory Keepers (only available at independent retailers like us), Maya Road and more. We're still working on getting the rest of it in the computer, as well as 3 other unidentified boxes (I don't know what's in them yet).

We wrapped up the week with a great visit and classes from Sherry Steveson. She was a pleasure to have at the store. The classes were full of techniques, and everyone left with ideas and inspiration!



This week, we're expecting all of the new products we ordered from Ranger (woo hoo!). We also have the new Basic Grey POTM kits, we just have to put them together first. :) We'll have these ready by mid-week. Those who signed up early for them will get first dibs, then the rest of you can scoop up the rest. Stay tuned...

Just in: Prima!

Ok, where do I start with this one?! The three of us were pretty much in love with most everything in their booth at CHA. So it's no wonder, we ordered most of it! To summarize, we got gorgeous papers and embellishments to match, some bling, more bling, some bling with flowers, lots of flowers, more flowers (catch my drift), and Donna Downey's newest products: Aprons, camera bags, totes, stamps, etc. Gotta love it all!

Snow Day

It may have been a snow day for the kiddos today, but the delivery trucks were still out in full force! We have the newest line from Imaginisce, Live Loud. This an adorable line for those young rockers - robots and music - you've gotta love it!

We have some new books from Stampington & Co. - Somerset Studio, Digital Studio, Take Ten, and a new publication, Somerset Apprentice... all beautiful and full of amazing ideas!

We're working hard at getting all of the new beading supplies into the system so we can get the new bead area set up. My Mom and Aunt cut down part of a wall, which really changes the way the store looks when you walk in! Our plan is to move some shelving around this week (provided there aren't any more snow days, ahem). Once we accomplish that mammoth task, you'll start to see the supplies pop up on the walls! By the way, did anyone notice that Tim Holtz will be teaching at Mega Meet in May?!

More new today...

Jillibean Soup is going in the computer as we speak! The three new lines, Old World Cabbage Soup, New England Clam Chowder and Egg Drop Soup, are sure to be favorites! The girls are oohing and ahhing over them as they price them!

Rocky's Rotisserie gets write-up in Free Press!

Here's a great article about Rocky's new menu at the Rotisserie, where we get our Friday crop dinners from... Way to go!
Hills City Grille set to open in Troy freep.com Detroit Free Press

What does this look like?

Hmmm... it is pink & brown.

Oh Boy... Seatbelts on!

This has been such a busy week, I feel like I need a seatbelt! We have been flying all over the store working on one project after another. While Mary and Cindy are busy entering hundreds of new products in the computer, Linda is busy toiling away on our new store space. We just received our Cert. of Occupancy today, which means we can make our big announcement. Oh, wait... I plan to tell you in our newsletter (hopefully tomorrow). In the meantime, let me share with you what came in in the last couple days...

We have the new Jenni Bowlin line, Homespun, along with all of her new, gorgeous, vintage embellishments for any occasion! There's a new floral (blue & orange) line from KaiserCraft, called Devonshire (I love it!). We have tons of new themed papers and stickers from Paper House (lots o'hockey!). But I think the most anticipated of all of the things we received in the last couple of days are the new lines from Melody Ross! We have her newest releases from GCD Studios out on display! You know who you are... it's here! Ella Blue, Homespun Chic, Artsy Urban, etc. See you all soon!

Wow! Today was Delivery Day!

I think you're going to love what arrived today! For starters, we worked on getting out all of the new Little Yellow Bicycle - both Generation Z (an awesome boy/teen line) and Lucky Me (St. Patrick's and more) are in the computer and ready for sale (although we're working on finding space on the shelf for them).

We also received... (drumroll, please) Graphic 45's 3 new lines! We have a Proper Gentleman, On the Boardwalk and Le Romantique! These new lines are classic G45 and are amazing! Get 'em while they're in stock, because I see them moving fast, as always.

Next is Cosmo Cricket! We have everything from the three new lines, Material Girl (perfect for us crafters), Joy Ride (taking a trip on the cute side) and Garden Variety (spend some time in the garden). We also need to make room for these, but they're ready to go!

I can't forget about SEI! We have the new Happy Day collection, which is a great birthday line! There's also Claire, which reminds me of their Tres Jolie line (a beautiful collection) but in peaches and pinks! We still have more boxes to get in the computer (and more deliveries tomorrow, I imagine), so be sure to stop in and check out the new product! You might even see some of our store changes taking place!

New My Mind's Eye, Karen Foster & More!

We've all been working hard at getting the new My Mind's Eye papers and embellishments into the computer. We should be able to wrap that up today, and most of it is already on the shelf! Check out the new Lush line, which is a selection of papers, embellishments & mini albums in 6 different color themes featuring flocking, bling and a ton of lush style! The other new line is Quite Contrary - too cute! Look for that one on one of our spinner racks next time you're in!


We have the newest from Karen Foster as well, with tons of new themes. There are new papers and stickers for ballet, baptism, doctor visits, Easter, Prom and more!

We have a couple other new lines that arrived today - I saw boxes from Little Yellow Bicycle (finally!) and SEI. Stay tuned for more details!

Tim Holtz Alterations products by Sizzix now available for Pre-Sale!

We have our entire Tim Holtz Alterations line in the computer now, ready for your pre-orders! You can view the line all over the internet, but there are some great images on Tim's blog (http://timholtz.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/01/index.html). The dies will be shipping this Spring (date to be determined), and the new die-cutting machine will be available this Summer. You can now pre-purchase any of the items (yes, we ordered every single one) in-store or by phone. We will not accept any coupons or discounts on this release. We ordered them early (before CHA), so we should be getting them in an early batch. But once they're gone, they won't be available again for a while, according to Sizzix. I know many of you are as excited about it as we are, so we wanted to extend this opportunity to those who want to make sure they get their hands on the dies and embossing folders before they run out.

The Storm Before the Storm...

Yes, I meant to say that. :) There's some talk about a lot of white stuff landing here this week, so I'm hoping we get some good stuff from the delivery guys before then! We received tons of boxes between Friday and today, so I wanted to post what we've received so far.

We have (I think) eight new lines from Reminisce (man, do they crank 'em out!). There is Happy Easter, Real Sports (large selection), 2010, Graduation, The Great Outdoors, Lucky Me (St. Pat's), Glitter Factory (all glitter sheets), and a non-themed line called Unwritten, full of color and peace!

We have a couple newer Cricut cartridges in house now, Paisley and Sweet Treats! We also have the new Technique Tuesday stamps released at CHA, which includes the new Ali Edwards sets.


Tattered Angels arrived today (what a huge box of Glimmer Mist) with all the new Spring & Summer colors, including Heidi Swapp's Glimmer Mist colors! There are a couple new products that came with it, but the rest of Heidi's new items will arrive later on (along with the Glimmer Glaze - we'll let you know when those arrive).

Last, but certainly not least, we received the new collections from American Crafts, including the Dear Lizzy goods! Wow - where do I start?! There are new Thickers (love 'em all), Patterned D-Ring 12x12 Albums, papers, embellishments, album inserts, etc. We're still working on getting the American Crafts in the computer (6 boxes is a lot), but should have it all out on the shelf by Wednesday or Thursday (barring any other 'storms' of deliveries). Check it out next time you're in! I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings...

Newsletter News...

Ok folks, for some reason, Wide Open West and Charter.net have blocked our newsletter. Don't panic, you can also read the newsletter here. I'm not sure why the internet service providers would block it, but it's possible they made some updates which raised internet security for those customers. You can also find it linked from the News & Events option on our website. The newsletter also notes our 2010 Design Team announcement! Enjoy...

New QuicKutz again!

We have the newest release from QK - it's more of an everyday line. There are foods, workout images, a little travel and more. We're working on making room for them, so if you don't see them out yet, be sure to ask us to pull them out!