And Yet Another Update this Week !!

EDIT : Just marked down a bunch of Swarovski and Preciosa crystal pieces ... heart pendants, loops, ovals, snowflakes ... and more. They are 35-50% off and some are 2 for the original price of 1. Great buys !!
In my big clean out, I found a few more of the apple mini albums from Maya Road. I have done up kits and have a half dozen of them.
The kits include : the mini album, 12 patterned papers, paper & template for leaves, embellishments(27 pcs), ribbon, letter stickers as well as photos and general instructions. Each kit is different. The price per kit is $12.
SOLD OUT !!!

The kit ...

sample

sample



And I just unpacked this ... Project Life. I totally forgot I had even ordered it ... now that's a poor memory !! Anyway, I have a selection of the page inserts and journaling cards for all you Project Life fans out there ! Here is a link if you are unfamiliar with Project Life ... it is an easy & quick method of documenting every day life !

http://www.beckyhiggins.com/products/what-is-project-life.php

 

 

 

 

 

A variety of Project Life products ... page holders, inserts, envelopes, journaling cards.

This the BIG box. It has 60 of the 12x12 page holders in the layouts shown on the box. The package is only $29.99 !!

More inserts in various sizes ...

A smaller multipack.

Lots more new products (including the first Christmas paper of the season) and the Kit of the Week in the next post!



OH ! The Beauty !!!

Hi everyone !
Unpacking some FABULOUS paper this week !! Wow ! Let's take a look ...
But first ... this week's kit !
Card Kit Of the Week :
The first paper I unpacked was so pretty , I had to use it in a kit ! So this week's kit is made with Echo Park's "Life is Beautiful". You'll get all the materials - precut, prefolded, prestamped - ready to assemble for all 3 cards fro just $5. Leave a comment if you want any saved !!

* Echo Park's Beautiful Life ... gorgeous colours and pretty images ... butterflies, flowers, doilies, tickets, music ...

 

 

* Authentique ... I have 3 of their new lines this week ...
  Joyous- the first Christmas paper of the season ! This is lovely paper, very vintage , with lovely traditional images. Just look at that sheet of images just waiting to be cut up & made into cards and tags !!

Thrilling, their new Hallowe'en line. Love the orange damask with skulls and the bats. And I REALLY love the reproduction vintage Hallowe'en cards as well as the black and white journaling cards. You can bet there will be a kit with both of those ... hint hint.

Oh stickers too !!



and lastly from Authentique is Sweetness which is just that ! Ice cream themed designs in soft minty green and pale strawberry.  Papers and diecuts. I'll have 2 scoops !!

Next is Chalk Studio from My Mind's Eye . I love this line. The papers would look amazing with your photos. Imagine wedding photos !!

There are other papers that would be great for scrapbooking, cardmaking, or home décor. Chalkboard is soooo hot right now !!

The backs of the pages are very subtle, small patterns. Pretty !

There are also lots of fun embellishments - chipboard, frames, stickers, and alphabets.

Well folks, that's it for now ... I will try to add a bead project and some sales on Wednesday ... have a great week & stop in !!

 

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 !!!

S.A.L.E.

That is the word of the day !!! I am loading up my price gun with these little yellow stickers and then roaming ... looking for items to mark down and clear out. Not to mention the boxes of odds & sods that I have been sifting through ... I may have an organizational problem ... lol !!
Watch throughout the store for SALE tags ... I really am marking lots of stock down to clear ... I want a lean mean inventory . Something in this store has to be lean & mean ... lol.
I just received word that some of the new Christmas & Hallowe'en stock has been shipped ... watch for that in the next few weeks !
And I found a box of new items that hadn't been unpacked ...

Silky Sponges by Hero Arts, Colour Shine from Heidi Swapp, fun Prima, great little tiny bottlecap embellishments from basic grey, premade scalloped cards & envelopes from Bazzill, and dies from Cottage Cutz.

... and an other box of older items that will be hitting the sale table.

EDIT : so far I have marked down selected 6x6 pads ($3.99), aluminum wire, stamps, some Sizzix & Spellbinders, decorative tape, stickers, alphabets, some headpins/eyepins/jumprings , storage items, Smash book bits, Tim Holtz journals & notepads, a few tools ... and still at it !!!

So keep checking in all month ... there will be BARGAINS, NEW STOCK, TREASUES OF ALL SORTS !!!!
(Sorry, no kit this week again ... too much sorting, lugging, and pricing.)
Be sure to read the next blog post if you haven't yet this week ... change is coming !!!

A New Direction ... Hope you'll come along with me !

Hello ...
Make a cup of tea or coffee ... this is a long one ! (And no, I'm NOT closing ...lol !!)
Years ago, when we gave up framing and needlework, we thought we would chose something a little easier. We were worn out ! Something that I could work at a little less and have more creative time. So I expanded my little bead section and opened just 3 days a week. Seemed good ! And I expanded it a bit more. But I had no idea how much work it was selling beads. Not actually the selling but all the ordering and packaging. I buy most of my beads in bulk and they all need to be weighed or counted and then bagged and priced. Well, okay. Still good.
Then I became interested in paper & stamping. I thought I would just dip my toes in a bit ... carry a little bit of stock. Well, self control has never been my strong trait. I expanded the store again. And again. And I have created a beast !

Now comes the whining part ... sorry but I'm sure it is going to sound like I am whining ... I find that I work more now than I ever have. I easily work 55 hours or more every week. Six to seven days a week and at least 3 nights. (and I am not getting any younger ...) I know I am only open 3 days a week but there is so much behind the scenes work (much of which never gets done ...lol !). I could easily spend a day every week just reading the notices and information I get about new products. I order from 6 different companies, have almost daily updates from them, and almost always have product to unpack. And then there`s finding room for it all. I try to get a kit designed and assembled every week as well as possibly some jewelry kits. Then the blog and Facebook page as well as Etsy. Bookwork. Banking. And the online store I am building. Mailing out mail orders. Phew ... it adds up. I find by the time I open Thursday I am tired ! (end of whining).

Add to this the news that one of my favourite scrapbooking suppliers is closing in a few days ...YIKES !! ... and I have also lost a beading supplier. All of a sudden, it seems even more difficult to track down product.

My vision for the store was a place with lots of samples, wonderful kits of all types, product demos, workshops, and evenings for make'n'takes. I just haven't done that. I would need to hire someone to do some of the daily work to do that and frankly, there isn't enough income to do that. (This is not a business to get rich in ... you have to like it ...lol !!) But I have decided that I really want that part of the business to be a reality ... it is the creative part that really calls to me. I have so many ideas in my head for kits, projects, and workshops that I worry it may explode !! But I really can't add more hours. I am exhausted and losing enthusiasm now ... I need a better solution. So ... I am making some changes.

As of September I will only be open Fridays from 10 am to 5pm as well as every first and third Wednesday night for those who aren't able to come during the day. Then I will start to add some of the other Wednesday evenings and some Saturday mornings as workshops, demo days, and make'n'take evenings. By the end of September they will be up and running ! I will post a new schedule every month. Workshops will have to be signed up for in advance. Make'n'Take evenings will be drop in. This will also give me time to develop some more complicated kits ... more than just cards & earrings !
** The schedule will be posted on this blog (you can subscribe for updates !) and  I will be setting up an email list as well. **

In order to do this I will be changing my hours and I will also be changing my inventory. It is a beast that I feed too much ...lol. There really is no need for 20 different types of headpins or 12 different brands of adhesive. So I will be reducing the inventory but still carrying the basics and I will still be getting in new product like I do now. Just not stocking a lot of it .... in and out hopefully !
I will still be stocking all the basics though !!!
So this means SALES in the month of August. Lots of sales !! I need to tighten it up , make putting it away easier, and also make room for a work area. Don't worry ... I have already pre-ordered all sorts of product for the upcoming Hallowe'en and Christmas season ... I will always get in new fun stuff but I will not keep stocking it . Grab it while it's hot !!  And I can easily special order almost anything that you are needing.
I am really hoping that this will make the store more fun, make ME more fun, stir our creativity, and result in lots of beautiful things being made here by happy people. I hope the open hours will still offer you the opportunity to shop. I hope that there will be quick and interesting stock turnover with always some new find when you visit !! And mostly, I hope you will join me on this new path ...

... well that's enough for now. Keep watching (or subscribe) for sale updates and information on all the wonderful new things arriving as well as more details on the various creative things that will be happening. Feel free to email or comment ... I would love to hear from you !

WOWZAS !!! One of Those Weeks !

Hi !
You know how it feels when you have a big shiny to-do list and you just know this is the week you will "get-er done" ? And then you know how 500 full sized laying hens arrive and you help because there is no one else to help, and then a 50lb box of beads, and there is a mammogram & a vet appointment thrown in , a major mess occurs because of emptying every box you can find for the 500 chickens (thinking, 'Oh, I'll have lots of time to clean this up later' ...hahaha), 200 new peg hooks arrive for your beads so the displays can be reorganized, a giant box arrives that just barely fits in the door and packaging is strewn for miles it seems, and then a major supplier says they are closing and you have a few days to get together an order to try to keep you in basics for a few months. You know  how that goes! So that's how it unfolded this week. Insanity. And not one thing got crossed off the list. Actually, I'll be lucky to have clean clothes to wear to work on Thursday. LOL.
 So, there is no kit this week. I just could not find enough time to do it. So I'll make it up to you with another RED HOT SALE !!!! And I'll make it a good one !!

But in the meantime, there are some AMAZING new beads !!! I am madly unpacking and hope to have them all out by Thursday morning - on those wonderful new hooks !

Look at these beautiful glass beads !!! Only $1.99 for a strand of 6mm or 8mm. And just $2.99 for the 10mm.
Oh ... and did I mention that a strand is actually TWO strands ?!! GREAT BUY !!

And how about some GORGEOUS agate beads ?  These beads are faceted so they have a wonderful sparkle to them and the colours are spectacular !!

Available in 4mm, 6mm, 8mm, and 10mm.

Also in ... more semi precious skulls, peace signs, Buddha ... the smaller ones  are just $1.99 strand !! The larger are up to just $3.99 strand. Super fun for summer jewelery !!

  I also have more of the firepolished bead chain ... several style ... just $3.99 m. A really quick way to start a necklace !!

 

 



And still unpacking !!!

 

PAPER  ... new stamps from Hero Arts !!!

And also  I have these dies back in stock. You may want a tree die if you haven't got one yet ... to go with all the beautiful add ons coming out this fall !!

 I had a little help on Tuesday ... little Sophie gave me a hand !

RED HOT SALES

July 25 - 27

on regular priced in stock items

No layaways. Not valid on special orders.

 

40% off Maya Road products - packages & albums

 

40% off Christmas stamps

 

 

40% off factory packs of Swarovski crystal bicones & pearls

 

30% off bulk packages of headpins, eyepins, jumprings

Perfect time to STOCK UP !!!

This sale will only be on for this week ... so don't wait !!



So pretty ...

I just unpacked this and had to share ! I love it. It is premade bead chain and it comes in 1 yd lengths for just $5.99. It is made up of  6mm fire polished AB beads and crystals. It would be beautiful in a multi strand bracelet, pieces of it added to a long necklace, used as dangly earrings ... I could go on and on ...