Bayou Segnette was fantastic! Felix and I are not what you would call "outdoor" people, and we weren't sure how things would go, staying in a cabin on the bayou. I have to say, other than the first night where we almost froze to death, we absolutely loved it! We found out on Saturday that the air conditioner had been on (very, very cold) Friday which is why we were so cold! The rangers came to adjust the AC/heater for us, and after that it was quite comfortable. One of our customers had already climbed on top of a bunk bed and adjusted the thermostat with a coat hanger, but we had to get the Rangers out to re-adjust it. Thank you to the lady who climbed up there for us originally. That was very sweet of you!

The food was outstanding, and I think I actually gained a couple pounds with all that good eating. The cabin was cozy, and the space to display our merchandise was just right. Everything worked out so well for us, and we had such great support from everybody. It was almost too good to be true. We enjoyed the bayou, and got to see "nature" as Felix calls it, several racoons and rabbits, and goodness only knows what else were behind those glowing eyes in the underbrush. We had a great time and if you missed it, you really missed out on a very good time. But there's always next year. Maybe. Debbie is not sure if she is going to do the crop again next year or not, but if she does, she says it will be a bit different. We are waiting to hear her decision, and hope she would consider us as a vendor again if she decides to hold the crop again next year.

So, what's happening in the store, you might ask. LOTS!!! We have been getting orders in every day, and today we got in several orders. One of them was the new Inque Boutique stamps. Inque Boutique took over Sugarloaf Products, which was the company that made the See D's acrylic cling stamps. Sadly, they discontinued a lot of the See D's, but they also came out with many new ones. And, I am happy to say, we have some of them! We have coffee, Thanksgiving and Christmas stamp sets that would be absolutely perfect for cardmaking. After seeing these stamps in person, I think I'm going to order more of the same ones, because I want to make sure I get a set of each of them for myself!

While I'm on the subject of stamps, we also got in the other day some stamps from My Favorite Things. One of them is the most adorable pregnant belly I've ever seen. There's another set for Breast Cancer Awareness, a beach set, a Halloween set, and a Christmas set we've already sold out of. These are all clear acrylic cling stamps.

Another order today was from Penny Black--beautiful foil script background papers. Very elegant, and very versatile. I could easily see these used for weddings, anniversaries, Christmas, and general cardmaking. I actually have a card sample made with it and with Impression Obsession's CL92 set up on the wall. So many people have asked for this specific paper, and we're glad it's finally in.

The rest of our Prima order finally arrived. Beautiful clear "bulbs" with glittered poinsettias inside. Small jars filled with printed posies. Lace flowers in ivory and black. Collections of silk and metallic flowers. We're overflowing with flowers! And just in time for all those Holiday cards!

New Karen Foster collections--Military, Baptism, and a bunch of others I cannot recall at the moment (sorry, it's late and I've processed so many orders today I can't remember everything).

New Moxxie Halloween collections. Also, some really nice bowling papers.

Tip of the Day
How do you use your tools? Do you really get your money's worth out of them? Be creative and think for a moment of what you already own, and how you can make it work for things other than what it was mainly advertised for. One handy tool that I absolutely love, is my bone folder. Not only does it give me crisp, clean fold lines, but it also works great for applying rub-ons, burnishing chalked pieces, and scoring in the 12" trimmer. For those of you who do not know how to score in the 12" trimmer with a bone folder, here's the scoop. Take your blade out of your trimmer so you won't accidentally cut your paper. Measure where you want your score to be, just like if you were going to measure to cut. Using the bone folder, run a score line straight down the track where the cutting blade would normally go. (Yes, I know, they make scoring blades that work the same way, but not everybody has a scoring blade!) If you have a rotary blade trimmer such as the Cutterpede, simply run your bone folder along the edge of the plastic guide, scoring your paper.

Another useful tool is the stylus. Not only can you use it to dry emboss, but you can use it to apply rub-ons (I love rub-ons, can you tell?!) and punch out pre-scored holes for brads/eyelets. You can use it instead of a pen or pencil with your Magic Matter or Puzzle Mates. It will make a nice clean impression that you can easily follow with your scissors. Some people use their stylus to tear handmade paper by scoring the paper first with the stylus. This eliminates the need for using water. It also works well when tearing circles or shapes. Just use the stylus in your stencil or template, and then tear along the impression.

So be creative. Come up with other uses for your tools. You'll be surprised at what you can do with just one tool. Please e-mail me with your other uses for the tools you use. We all would love to hear.

Until next time, happy scrapping!

Dee