Memories of Time in Coos Bay, OR

Sam and I drove down to Coos Bay last week with Kyla and Pam Teel to check out Memories Of Time.  Great store.  I spent $71.00 in paper, OUCH!  Love paper.  Kim Libretti and Amanda Smith live in Coos Bay and rave about Michelle and her store, I have to agree.  The store was NOT sparse, it was full of new merchandise and the two clerks at the store were unloading new merchandise just received from CHA.  The 3 Bugs in a Rug Camping Paper is too 2 to two cute!  The clerks were young and brand new, so were not a lot of help to an experienced scrapper, but we all have to start somewhere and learn…..they were trying to be helpful and they were very sweet. Michelle, the owner ran in and she is a spitfire.  It was very nice seeing such a great store.  She is getting a web site up and a blog, check her store out.  The prices were good and the variety was GREAT!  I am going to teach a couple of classes there in March, hope to see you there, at any rate, DO check out her website at www.memoriesoftime.com .  Happy Scrapping! 

Home from CKU

I Just got home from an exhausting 5-hour drive to Portland to attend Portland CKU with Michelle Rollens.  It I was a nice visit, if short one with Michelle, and a rather disappointing CKU.  Last CKU I attended was 2002 or so and the convention center was a sea of women and vendors, excitement was in the air to see the latest and greatest.  Women waited patiently to do make and takes (which were all free then) and there were row after row of vendors, strollers and Cop N Styles vying for room at all the booths.  You could sense the anticipation for the many, many classes offered and tickets to those classes were being scalped to the highest bidder, heck  the line to the ladies restroom was 10-deep.  I remember Die Cuts being sold 10- for a buck.  I must have spent $1000.00 in my frenzy to get my “stuff”.  I did not sense that excitement this year.  I saw tired women with very few purchases.  The make and takes all cost money, I was shocked by that.  Even more shocked to learn Rusty Pickle, a favorite of mine, and like so many of the other great ones are now long gone.  I paid $3.75 for a diet Pepsi!  I took some Scrappy Chick flyers to pass out and I was busted for trespassing!  I couldn’t believe it.  Apparently because I did not pay $5,000 for a booth, I was not entitled to let ladies know about the retreats, where in the heck did the spirit of the hobby go? I certainly did not mean to trample on anyone’s parade, I just wanted to share, and this was not to be tolerated.  My brochures were confiscated and thrown away.  Thought that was mean-spirited!  I saw, Hazel Stratton and Amanda Smith at the convention center and it was really nice to Michelle.  I feel sad that our industry is falling apart, or perhaps it’s just changing course, either way I kind of miss the old days.