Q&A ... Part 1...

Hi everyone !
I've had a lot of questions from people this week so I thought I would answer them here ...

1. Are you closing ?
  Nope. Not at all. I will admit I thought about it briefly just because I was tired and discouraged but I love all this stuff ! I love the product & I love the idea of creating with it. And I really want to do that. And I want Classic Hobbies to be the place where you can do that too.

2. Are you selling off all your stock ?
  Again, nope. I just have too much stock ... I can't even keep track of it all or remember a lot of the prices anymore. So I am tightening it up a bit. For example :  I had more than 75 colours of 12x12 Bazzill cardstock ... but, because there was no room, they were all in boxes. I will choose a dozen or so really good versatile colours and have them in a rack ... easier for you to choose from and easier for me to see when I need more. I had 49 ( yes 49) different colours & sizes of jump rings. What was I thinking ??? So I will still have stock but just be more streamlined and have fewer of each item. But I will still have all the basics and new stock pretty much weekly.

3. Are we still getting the Envelope Punches ?
  Yes , for sure !! They are on back order ... I think We R Memory Keepers was overwhelmed by the response. I will post as soon as I get them. And I will soon be pre-ordering their new gift bag punch.

4. Will you get new stock ?
  Oh yes !!. I have been doing my preorders this week for fall & Christmas, and I promise ... there is loads of beautiful new stuff coming in !

5. Will you still be doing card kits ?
 Yes ! And more, I am excited to say !!! I have been working on No Frills card kits, mini album kits, home decor kits, bracelet & necklace kits, holiday kits ... and now I will have the time to do them !! Super excited about that !!

6. Well, you're hardly open now. How can you be that busy ? What do you do in all your off time ? Why can't you do classes on the weekend - you're not working then ?
  I get these a lot . And I'll admit, I don't really love these ones. But, that's okay ! So here's how my week shapes up ...
Sunday morning : my husband and I come into work. (He has his own business too and is very busy.) I write cheques, pay bills, do online banking, and try to plan the week. By Sunday, I usually know what my deliveries will be and if there are any weird days ( like chicken days that I help my husband with). We try not to work Sunday afternoon.
  Monday : check emails, check ETSY, do up any mail orders, check blog & FB for requests & orders ( I do these things every morning), and read the weekly catalogue updates from my various suppliers. Then I start unpacking and pricing. I spread out a big sheet of cardboard over the bead tables and get to it. It looks like boxes exploded !! Packaging everywhere !! If it is paper supplies, it goes pretty well and I can sometimes finish it all ... beads not so much. They all have to be weighed, counted, packaged. Never finish in one day.
Tuesday : if all goes well, this is the day I stay home & make kits. Sometimes, if I have a lot of deliveries, I have to work at the store or if my husband is having chicks or chickens delivered, I help out at the feed store. If that's the case, I do the kits Sunday afternoon and Monday night. And sometimes they get scratched from the list but I hate doing that. So in the morning I come up with an idea, make the samples, measure and write up a cut list. After lunch I start cutting. There is usually between 300 and 500 pieces to cut as well as the stamping, ribbon, etc. Tuesday night I come in to work, photograph the cards, edit the pictures, type up instructions and then gather anything I ran out of. I finish cutting when I get home.
Wednesday : card kit assembly day. Then I photograph new stock, edit the pictures, and start adding things to the blog and FB page. I put out the new products and do any new signage. I try to refill trays & restock and then I tidy up for Thursday. Wednesday night I work on online classes. I take a lot of classes to learn new techniques and how to use different products. I love the classes !
Thursday & Friday : I am open for retail hours. When I'm not busy I try to work on ordering and catch up on the newsletters from various companies about their products. Lots of online stuff.
Saturday: I'll be honest. I show up and am open ... but if I'm not busy I go on Pinterest or watch You Tube videos about crafting. I am pretty lazy by then ... lol ! Some Saturday afternoons we head to the city to pick up bags or other store supplies  but other than that I never work Saturday afternoon. Anything I do then would be a mess ...lol !!
And then there is a list of things like filling bead vials, cleaning out the back rooms, inventory, bookwork, samples, website, setting up the online store, etc... that rarely gets done. And vacuuming ... that never gets done. LOL.
So that's what I do with all my free time ... lol !

Well, that's enough for now. Keep watching for an update this week about some GORGEOUS new paper lines I have been unpacking. And I'll have another post with questions about the classes & workshops. Have a great weekend !!!