We came, we saw, we ate!

As promised, here is a sampling of the dessert bar. In a shout out to Dave of Memory Box, I’m going to tell you the yummy things we ate. I enjoyed the cheesecake, Marilynn had the Boston Cream Pie, and Harriett (ever the mediator) had a bite of each of ours and a taste of a lemon white cake.

After we fueled up, we made the rounds. Each vendor attending the show had a table with make-and-takes. We have lots of new samples for the shop and some great ideas to share at our 5th Anniversary Open House, which is taking place this year on Saturday, August 2.

We spent some time with Stacy of Stacy Stamps, and we’ve convinced her to come share her cool triangle box techniques during 2 demos (date to be determined – hopefully by tomorrow). She will also bring pretty much her entire inventory to the shop in a massive trunk show.
I don’t know how our time will be tomorrow, so this may be my last post from the show. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about it as much as I’ve enjoyed sharing it with you. The boxes should start arriving soon!

Whew, we're tired!

...and we're not done! Between the 3 of us, we've taken 15 classes so far today, and we still have the make-and-take frenzy tonight! I'll be reporting back after that to, at the very least, show you the dessert spread! Wow!

Marilynn took two classes today with Tim Holtz. She learned everything there is to know about Crackle Paint and Grungeboard. We hope to get our hands on the grungeboard soon because it is really a lot of fun!

You don't have to go to a convention to have a brush with greatness! As we left lunch today, we ran into Mitra - owner of Impression Obsession. We wanted to impress her, so we told her "We know Laura." (Laura is one of the members of her design team.) She replied, "You're lucky! Laura is AWESOME." No doubt!

My favorite class today was Stampendous. Their new mini clipboards (in 3 sizes) are tons of fun! I will definitely be teaching this in the near future. Check out the photo - aren't they cute???

Back with more in a bit!

Friday Highlights

I'm back! We've had a very full day! Lots of great classes that we can't wait to come back and share with you - and lots of cool new products we can't wait to show you! We saw some fun things this morning - - Sparkle Fibers add a touch of shimmer but for those who don't like the mess of glitter it's much easier to control. Fiskars has some new border punches for ribbon weaving that are quite lovely. Sakura has come out with "shades" packs - 3 pens in a monochromatic pack - a metallic, a glitter and a writing pen. And May Arts has some incredible new ribbons - yum, yum!

We had a nice lunch with Stephanie, the lead designer for Kodomo. They have some amazing new products - clear stamp sets with an Asian flair and word sets that have the same word in 4 different languages. For example, "I love you" in English, French, Japanese and Chinese. She showed us (with our napkins) some fun butterfly and kimono folds that I can't wait to show you.

But the highlight of my day was the Outlines class. Can you believe I made these stunning pieces of jewelry out of paper????? The stamps aren't quite ready to go, so I'm looking at late May to begin offering these classes.

Tomorrow, we have 5 classes each plus the make and take frenzy at night. I'll take a picture of the dessert bar - it's a toss up between how to spend our time....stamping or eating!

Marilynn and Harriett are with me, but everyone else is still holding down the fort at the shop. Stop in and see them! And help them make some room on the shelves for all the goodies that will be coming soon! I'll check back in with you all tomorrow!

Cool New Stuff

We've had a couple of classes now. This will be short as I'm headed off to my Outlines class in a minute! We're going to be using this cool new x-acto knife that fits over your finger so you cut with it like you'd write with a pencil. I can't wait to actually try this and see if it's LOTS better for those who are "x-acto challenged". If I love it, I'll buy lots and we'll play with it in my Outlines classes on April 23 & 24! I'll continue to keep you all posted!

We're Here!

Good morning! We're a little sleepy this morning, but excited! Our flight was delayed, so we were very late getting in. The plane was half full of teenagers, but we think we managed to avoid annoying them too much! I'm not sure I can say the same for Harriett and Marilynn. Every funny thing they say, I ask "Oh, can I put that on the blog?" Harriett consistently says "No." I've teased her about being in the witness protection program!

Anyway, I've begged them to forgive me for being so annoying and asked them to please continue to sit with me at meals. Marilynn said, "Oh, don't you want us to 'network'?" :-)

Our first event this morning is to preview all of the new ink pads and accessories. I'll take pictures and report back. Meanwhile, here's a picture of our home away from home for the next 3 days!

Thursday Make & Take - March 27

This Thursday, we're featuring the latest and greatest from the infamous Tim Holtz! If you've been following the CHA blogs, you know he's just released a line of ATC-sized, EZ Mounted (does it get better? Oh just hold on to your hats...), economical Collage Stamps.

You know what this means right? For you enthusiasts, you get to save money, time and space. And for you hesitant people , Tim Holtz has made it easy for you to release your inner-collager by saving you (you guessed it!) - time, money and space...See you Thursday!

Dee's Back in Town

We are thrilled to bring Dee Gruenig back for another visit to the Happy Stamper on May 30 - June 1.

She needs no introduction, but if you're new to the stamping scene, Dee's a legend.

She has created 11 videos/dvds, has authored or co-authored 10 books including The Great Rubber Stamp Book which sold several hundred thousand copies. And she's a regular guest on HGTV’s Carol Duvall Show for about 10 years. And that's only the short list. Whew! It's no wonder she doesn't get much time to teach in independent stamp stores much anymore, which makes us all the more delighted she will be here again!

Spend some time getting energized with Dee!

We believe these classes will fill up fast, so don't wait to reserve your space in her Friday evening DEMO, or the following workshops: Wonderful Watercolor Cards, Library Pocket Cards with Pull-out Tags or the Acrylic Birthday Book class. Students who take all three workshops will receive a new DVD featuring Dee teaching different workshops LIVE! You'll enjoy taking home tips and techniques that are different from the classes she's offering here!

Samples are in!

Dee has sent the samples for her classes and will bring almost her entire 30-years of stamping supplies to the shop in case you want to put your own spin on her creations. Stop in soon and sign up!

Thursday Make-and-Take March 20

Welcome, birdies!

Marilynn created the perfect make-and-take card to help us celebrate the first day of spring. It brings to mind the poem:

Spring has sprung,

the grass has riz,

I wonder where

the birdies is?

A little art, a little poetry, what could be tweeter than that?

Thursday Make & Take - March 13

This card is so pretty and soooo sparkly. Definitely something to appreciate in person. It's a very delicate design and a little different from the other cards we made this year.

Bonus: If you haven't already jumped on the tag & pocket bandwagon, this card is a risk-free ride. They're very versatile and unexpected (by our non-crafting friends).

Thursday Make & Take - March 6

Angela's Giving Away Free Shoes!

Just kidding - but we got your attention didn't we? This Thursday come in and justify your soleful spring purchases. Slip this card to the voice of logic in your life and see if you get any arguments; because who can argue with the potential of life-changing shoes?

If only there were some way to prove the life-changing effects of rubber stamps...