Crazy Dogs, Mini Crazy Cats & Dogs, an Ellen Update, and Poor Sam . . .
How’s that title for a tease? Should be something in this post for everyone, so let’s get started . . . Here they are – Crazy Dogs . . . and Mini Crazy Cats & Dogs! The cling mount stamp sets should be here in a week or two, and the...
Sights from Collinsville . . .
We are in Collinsville, Illinois this weekend – essentially in the shadow of the Gateway Arch. And surprise – it’s hot and muggy here! Any story involving the Gateway Center begins with one thought among the vendors – “Do you have signal?” This place is...
Updates, New Items . . . and a Presidential Alternative
Due to popular demand (imagine that) . . . the store has added a set of Ken Oliver classes on Sunday, July 31 to go with the set already scheduled for Monday, August 1. You can find links to all four of Ken’s classes here -- http://bit.ly/19D1YzH Meanwhile, I am...
Something Lighter for the Holiday Weekend . . .
Last weekend was my 20th StampFest Summer (previously known as StampFest Orlando until it moved to Lakeland last year). There have been 21 of them – so I only missed the first one . . . And yet I get occasional glimpses of that first show – yes, this is the...
A Request for Some “Magic” for Amy . . .
A lot of you remember Amy Harpool from Amy's Magic – she was on the show circuit for years and made several visits to our store. Amy told me several years ago that she would eventually do shows again, and four weeks ago she and her daughter Ashley had a booth at...
Friendships That Started at the Same Place . . .
The most valuable benefit of my travels is the friendships that I treasure – and this story is about some of those. It all began at StampFest Orlando in 1998 – in those days, the show was still at the old Sheraton World on International Drive. We needed a...
Coming Soon to a Classroom Near You (if it’s not near you, you could come here) . . .
We start getting calls and e-mails in the spring – “What’s going on in the store the week leading up to the Cincinnati convention?” And we don’t have a clue – at that point, we’re barely working on the schedule for the Spring Spectacular at the end of...
Stories from the Road . . . and Home
In the past four weeks, it feels like I have been everywhere. A weekend in New York . . . Memorial Day Weekend at home . . . a weekend in Massachusetts . . . a side trip to Maryland . . . a weekend in Minnesota. Here I am at home again, with lots of untold...
Summer Release Season Begins . . .
My life has been so hectic the past three weeks or so (last night was the first time I was able to check e-mail in ten days) – some work, some personal, some mechanical. Won’t bother you with the details today – but I probably will over the next few days once I...
Another Update on Ellen from Tessler’s . . .
Cristina Tessler gave me an update on her sister Ellen as we were tearing down our booths in Syracuse yesterday... "Our brother Chung has been taking care of Ellen since January 1. Now he is going back to the Orient and our sister Jean will take over and care for...