One Man’s Opinion: After the Week I Had, I Deserved This . . .

I’m not asking for sympathy, but last week was a lot to deal with.  And when it was over, I really needed some R & R.  Some of it I have already described (trips back and forth to downtown Dayton to pick up surplus paper, Ryan’s new Jeep, the truck breakdown in Akron, Adventures in Stamping).  But I didn’t tell many people (I didn’t even tell my son until yesterday morning) that I fell off the truck’s liftgate last Monday.  I’ve come close before, but that was the first time I came crashing on my side to the blacktop.  Could have been much worse – nothing broken, no bruised ribs.  But I ended up with three nasty bruises in other places to remind me not to do that again.

As soon as the Akron show ended at 4:00 Sunday afternoon, I went into vacation mode.  The work wasn’t done yet – we still had to tear down the booth (that took until 6:15) and I had to drive back to Dayton (that took until 9:45) and unload the necessary stuff for the Spring Spectacular (that took until 10:30) and take the truck to Marco Lane, transfer the luggage to my car and drive home (that took until 11:15), turn the suitcase upside down and then repack it and clean up some loose ends at the house (that took until 12:15), get a little sleep (that took until 3:30), drive to the airport (that took until 4:45), park the car, take the shuttle to the terminal, go through security and head to my gate (that took until 5:15).  And then life slowed down . . .

When I landed at the Atlanta airport, my friends Ben Andrews and Jack Stubbs were waiting to pick me up, and we drove to Little Ocmulgee State Park near McRae, GA for three days of golf and relaxation.

There were 12 of us staying in three cabins – the picture at left is not ours, but I got a kick out of the one-raccoon welcoming committee as we drove past.  The picture at right is the view of the Little Ocmulgee River from our cabin.  Once we checked in and grabbed a quick lunch, it was off to Wallace Adams Golf Course on the state park grounds for an afternoon round.

I got a major kick out of the sign on the first tee – it seems like there are warning signs practically everyplace I go these days.  With the Ohio winter we have just escaped, I had only played nine holes all year before we got to Georgia, so I was shocked when I shot 80 the first round.  I knew it wouldn’t last, but it was certainly fun while it did.  Somehow, the hole kept getting in my ball’s way . . .

Monday evening, we went to the lodge for dinner and then came back to the cabins for a friendly card game (ironically also called Golf).

Tuesday morning, it was back to the lodge for breakfast – and confirmation that we were indeed in the South.  Yes, those were grits on the buffet . . .

The golf course was really pretty, with moss hanging from some of the trees and LOTS of pine trees.  There were pine cones everywhere.  We saw two workers out on the course each day whose job was to pick up pine cones with those long trash grabbers and drop them into a bucket.  When the bucket was full, it got dumped into the bed of a utility cart.  And the next morning, the area that had been cleared was full of pine cones again.

Tuesday morning, we saw a lot of this – lines of white foam (maybe three or four across each fairway).  My first thought (smart-alecky, but it was my first thought) was how nice it was that they shampooed the fairways.  The foam was actually to mark where the fertilizer tractor had just run, so it wouldn’t overlap on the next pass.  But the globs of foam were just about golf ball sized, so it make it really hard to find the ball during the morning round.

We played two rounds on Tuesday, and then repeated the evening’s activities from the night before.  With one exception – I sent my homemade ice cream freezer along with Jack, so I turned a freezer of ice cream.  Along with the German Chocolate Cake that one of the wives had sent along, it made for a nice topper for the day.

One more round on Wednesday morning started in the early morning shadows.  That’s Jack taking a practice swing, with Brian Roberts watching.  Once we finished, Ben and Jack took me back to the Atlanta airport (after a stop at a roadside stand for some fresh Vidalia onions).  I flew home Wednesday evening, and Jack delivered my clubs and ice cream freezer to the mail center on Thursday morning when he got back.

It was so much fun with a really great group of guys.  I came home tired, but my batteries are at least partly recharged.  Plans are already being made to do it again in the fall – I’m sure I’ll need it again by then.

Trying Hard Not to Imitate Mel Blanc . . .

Every time someone at the store mentions “Tweety Jill”, I can’t help myself – what keeps running through my head is “I taught I taw a Puddy Tat” from those Warner Bros. cartoons about Sylvester and the Tweety Bird.  So that has been running through my head a lot this week, as we head into the final three days of the 4th Annual Marco’s Paper Spring Spectacular in our retail store here in Dayton.

As I type this, Jill Haglund (aka Tweety Jill) is in the air between Atlanta and Dayton.  She will be in the store Friday, Saturday and Sunday with a class and a free demo each day, along with special unannounced activities and book signings and such.  Really neat stuff – make sure to stop by often and call ahead to register for classes and demos (937-433-7030).

Here are some images from a couple of Jill’s classes this weekend to whet your appetite . . .

This is from the “Tag Art” class on Friday afternoon.  Yes, it’s last minute – so call the store and reserve your space now!

And these are from the “Bird Lover’s Journal” class on Sunday.

Here’s the schedule for the rest of the Spring Spectacular:

Friday, April 30 – Store Open 8:30-7:00
9 a.m. – 11 a.m. – Make It/Take It with Jackie Schmidt – FREE
11 a.m. – 1 p.m. -- “Get Your Creative License Here!” Demo with Guest Artist Jill Haglund from TJ Designs – FREE
1 p.m. – 4 p.m. – Make It/Take It with Connie Vogt – FREE
4 p.m. – 6 p.m. -- “Tag Art” Class with Guest Artist Jill Haglund from TJ Designs – Only $10 (Limit 30 Students)

Saturday, May 1 – Store Open 9:00-5:00
9 a.m. – 11 a.m. – Make It/Take It with Judy Davidson – FREE
10 a.m. – 12 noon -- “Favorite Bird Postcards” Demo with Guest Artist Jill Haglund from TJ Designs – FREE
12 p.m. – 2 p.m. – Hands-On Demo -- “Artlenz” with Sandy Livingston -- FREE
1 p.m. – 4 p.m. -- “ATC Madness” Class with Guest Artist Jill Haglund from TJ Designs – Only $10 (Limit 30 Students)

Sunday, May 2 – Store Open 10:00-5:00
10 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Hands-On Demo with Libby Friel -- “Embossing on Vellum or Metal” – FREE
10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. -- “Something to Crow About” Demo with Guest Artist Jill Haglund from TJ Designs – FREE
11 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Make It/Take It “Bookmark” with Ginger Deaton – FREE
1 p.m. – 4 p.m. -- “Bird Lovers Journal” Class with Guest Artist Jill Haglund of TJ Designs – Only $10 (Limit 30 Students)

Sunday will be another of the fabulous Marco’s Sidewalk Sales from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. – thousands of items out on the sidewalk in front of the store for $1.00 or less!  Meanwhile, there will be discount stickers on over 1,000 items in the store, with discounts ranging from 25% to 75%!

And we’ll also have “Marco Bucks” Saturday and Sunday – draw one as you enter the store and you’ll immediately win a free item, a discount from $1 to $20 off your purchase, or a membership to Lucy’s Paper Garden Club.  Good luck!

For those of you in the hinterlands who can’t make the pilgrimage to Dayton, be patient!  We’ll have all kinds of specials for you to go along with the launch of the new website within the next week or so . . .

The Marco’s Gals Meet a Star (and other Akron stories)

A lot of people in Akron owe Ted Cutts after this weekend – I was only one of them (read the post before this one if you don’t know why).  But for everyone else, it was because he brought Tim Holtz along for the ride.  Ted has an arrangement with Tim and a lot of Stampers Anonymous stamps are part of the Tim Holtz line.  This weekend, Tim was teaching classes and doing demos and basically holding court and doing the “meet and greet” during the show.

When he showed up near the end of setup, it became a bit of a photo-op for the vendors . . .

And of course the Marco’s Gals in attendance (Donna Sheetz, Karen, and Judy Davidson) got in on the act!

Saturday morning, I went out about ten minutes before the show started to pass out flyers – and found a line that stretched out the door, down the hall, down the escalator, around the corner, past the buffet, and out the front door into downtown Akron (and I am not exaggerating).  I was so busy passing out sheets of paper that I didn’t even think to take a picture of it.

We had a new twist in our booth – an expanding line of kits from Tweety Jill (Jill Haglund) at TJ Designs. Jill will be in our store in Dayton this coming Friday, Saturday and Sunday as part of our 4th Annual Spring Spectacular!

Linda Malcom from Lost Coast Designs was in the booth next to us – Linda will kick off the Spring Spectacular Monday and Tuesday with two classes and a trunk show in the store!  That’s right – all day Monday and until about 2:00 on Tuesday, stop by the store and discover why Linda has been our friend for a long time.

Inside our booth, Connie (CJ) Vogt was busy showing off Copic Markers and Big Shot Express machines to the masses, and her friend Peggy (almost got all of her in the foreground here) was running all over the booth helping customers.

The gang from Christy’s Main St. Memories in New Concord, Ohio were at it again.  If you have read this blog from the beginning, you have seen them before – they made my mom’s sour cream drops from the recipe I posted and brought them to Akron last April, then dressed as matching dusters during the Stampaway preview party in August.  Since I haven’t posted a recipe lately, they brought an assortment of goodies.  Guess I had better get busy in the kitchen again . . .

And I tried, but I still don’t think I got everyone into the picture when giveaway time came.

One more picture that I have to share – and it comes from my trip to the International dealer on Friday.  I had no idea that Rick and Debby from Just for Fun had picked up a new tour bus . . .

No, they haven’t – but with the name on the side of this bus I couldn’t resist taking a shot and showing it around the convention center on Saturday morning.

Ted Cutts Saves Our Weekend . . .

Most of the stories and such from our visit to Akron for Adventures in Stamping will occupy a single post, but this one deserves a space of its own.  Most of you never see the behind the scenes interaction between the vendors at a show.  There are exceptions, of course, but most of us have become a family over the years as we travel around the country together.  The family composition changes from time to time as old friends leave the circuit and not-yet-but-soon-will-be friends join.  There are only three or four vendors left on the circuit who were there when we started in 1997.  One of them is Ted Cutts – and he saved our weekend.

It started last week when I was going back and forth to downtown Dayton to pick up loads of surplus paper that Gary scrounged.  Two or three times, I noticed that it took a little too long for the truck to start – the starter worked fine, but the motor didn’t “catch” as quickly as it should.  And I made a mental note to have it checked when I got back from Akron.

Thursday, I spent the morning helping Ryan take possession of his new Jeep Wrangler (it’s a 2004, but it’s new to him and fulfills his lifelong goal – that’s another story for another time).  Then I loaded the truck, stopped by the house about 7:30 to say goodbye, and headed to Akron.  Noticed again that the truck took a little longer to start than it should as I left the house.  And I drove the 3 1/2 hours to Akron and didn’t think about it again.

I also didn’t stop along the way, which ended up being a good thing.  When I arrived in the Akron suburb where we were staying, I discovered that our hotel was being renovated and was absolutely unfit for human habitation.  So we left to find another hotel – except the truck wouldn’t start.  Same issue as before, but the engine wouldn’t catch.  I called the local International dealer, but they were getting ready to close so I had no choice but to get a room nearby and tackle the problem in the morning.  My last thought as I went to sleep was that I was thankful I didn’t stop for a snack on the way to Akron – I could have gotten stranded at an exit and spent the night there instead.

The International dealer opened at 7:00 on Friday, so at 6:55 I was sitting in the truck for one last attempt to start it, ready to call as they opened to beg for a service call. And it started!  I immediately recalculated my blessings and added one, and headed for the International dealer.  Didn’t even turn off the ignition when I got there – just described the problem and went to the lounge to wait.

I found out later that the mechanic moved the truck into a service bay and turned off the motor – and then it wouldn’t start again.  Wow . . .

It took two hours to diagnose the problem, and this is my best auto-speak diagnosis – it was an oil pressure something or other that affected the fuel injectors.  Long story short, it was affecting getting the truck started, but would have eventually caused the truck to completely shut down while driving down the interstate.  The repair involved replacing a bunch of little rubber o-rings and was going to take four more hours.  By now, it was 9:30 a.m. and we were going to start setting up at 8:00.  So I called Karen at the convention center and broke the news to her.

And Ted Cutts enters the picture (speaking of which, this is an old shot of him from last year in Rhinebeck, New York).  Ted owns Art Gone Wild and Inky Antics and Stampers Anonymous and Darcie’s Country Folk – and he is the only vendor on the circuit who has a truck that is as big as ours. He grabbed the phone from Karen and told me to get to the convention center, take his truck, and go back to International and get as much of our stuff as we needed so we could start setting up while the truck was repaired.  And he even sent one of his workers along to help me move several tons of booth between trucks.

Because of his generosity, we were able to get the booth completely set up before the convention center closed for the evening.  We have helped each other often over the years, but this was way above and beyond the call.  This weekend, I have told a lot of people that Ted Cutts is my hero – he is also my friend, and I treasure his friendship.

Adjustments to the Spring Spectacular Schedule – And “How I Spent My Friday”

There have been adjustments – and a few additions – to the schedule for the Spring Spectacular in our store (Monday, April 26 through Sunday, May 2). The revised schedule, without all the pictures from the last post, follows . . .

Monday, April 26 – Store Open 8:30-7:00
10 a.m. – 12 noon -- “Burst of Spring Watering Can” Class with Leslie Rogers -- $25
1 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. -- “Book Assemblage” Class with Guest Artist Linda Malcom from Lost Coast Designs -- $40
2 p.m. – 4 p.m. – Hands-On Demo -- “Embossing on Vellum” with Libby Friel – FREE
4 p.m. – 6 p.m. – Hands-On Demo -- “Artlenz” with Sandy Livingston -- FREE

Tuesday, April 27 – Store Open 8:30-8:00
9 a.m. – 11 a.m. – Make It/Take It with Maureen & Barry Payne – FREE
11 a.m. – 1 p.m. -- “Coloring with Copics” Class with Guest Artist Linda Malcom from Lost Coast Designs -- $25
1 p.m. – 4 p.m. -- “Leap into Spring” Class with Pat Adams -- $28
4 p.m. – 6 p.m. – Hands-On Demo -- “Cosmic Dreams” with Sandy Livingston -- FREE

Wednesday, April 28 – Store Open 8:30-7:00
9 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Make It/Take It with Donna Weibel – FREE (30 Minute Project -- Signups Required)
1 p.m. – 4 p.m. – Make It/Take it with Donna Sheetz – FREE
2 p.m. – 5 p.m. – Hands-On Demo -- “Evolving Images” with Sandy Livingston -- FREE

Thursday, April 29 – Store Open 8:30-7:00
10 a.m. – 2 p.m. -- “Domino Spring Surprise” Class with Ginger Deaton -- $28
2 p.m. – 5 p.m. – Make It/Take It with Libby Friel -- “Metal” – FREE
2 p.m. – 5 p.m. – Hands-On Demo -- “Zutter’s New Distrezz-It-All” with Sandy Livingston -- FREE

Friday, April 30 – Store Open 8:30-7:00
9 a.m. – 11 a.m. – Make It/Take It with Jackie Schmidt – FREE
11 a.m. – 1 p.m. -- “Get Your Creative License Here!” Demo with Guest Artist Jill Haglund from TJ Designs – FREE
1 p.m. – 4 p.m. – Make It/Take It with Connie Vogt – FREE
4 p.m. – 6 p.m. -- “Tag Art” Class with Guest Artist Jill Haglund from TJ Designs – Only $10 (Limit 30 Students)

Saturday, May 1 – Store Open 9:00-5:00
9 a.m. – 11 a.m. – Make It/Take It with Judy Davidson – FREE
10 a.m. – 12 noon -- “Favorite Bird Postcards” Demo with Guest Artist Jill Haglund from TJ Designs – FREE
12 p.m. – 2 p.m. – Hands-On Demo -- “Artlenz” with Sandy Livingston -- FREE
1 p.m. – 4 p.m. -- “ATC Madness” Class with Guest Artist Jill Haglund from TJ Designs – Only $10 (Limit 30 Students)

Sunday, May 2 – Store Open 10:00-5:00
10 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Hands-On Demo with Libby Friel -- “Embossing on Vellum or Metal” – FREE
10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. -- “Something to Crow About” Demo with Guest Artist Jill Haglund from TJ Designs – FREE
11 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Make It/Take It “Bookmark” with Ginger Deaton – FREE
1 p.m. – 4 p.m. -- “Bird Lovers Journal” Class with Guest Artist Jill Haglund of TJ Designs – Only $10 (Limit 30 Students)

And that’s it (until it changes on Monday!). The classes and make it/take its require signups, so call the store at 937-433-7030 to reserve your spot!

And the “How I Spent My Friday” part of this narrative will also affect the Spring Spectacular. A big commercial printing company in Dayton is going out of business, and Gary bought a bunch of their surplus paper – Gary is the best paper scrounge I have ever seen. So I spent Friday bringing it “home” – and will probably spend most of Monday and Tuesday doing the same!

This is a look at just a small part of what we got – you can see about half a dozen skids full of paper and envelopes here, but there are at least 25!

Then it went onto the truck – some of it a box at a time, some a skidload at a time . . .

Some of it took up residence in the back room at the store, and Gary and I just finished unloading more at the mail center. Monday, we’ll do it again. By the time the Spring Spectacular starts, a lot of this will have magically transformed into packs of sale paper and envelopes, thanks to Helen and Walter behind the scenes at the store!

One Possible Use for Marco’s Too – Bunk Beds!

Bunk beds?  What is this nut talking about?  Well, this – the 4th Annual Marco’s Paper Spring Spectacular is coming . . . soon!  And when you learn what we’re doing from Monday, April 26 through Sunday, May 2, it may be easier for you to just take up residence for the week in the addition!

Assuming that you really are planning on coming and going, the store will be open into the evening all week long!  We’ll be open until 7:00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and until 8:00 on Tuesday.  Then we’ll be here 9:00-5:00 on Saturday, May 1 – and 10:00-5:00 on Sunday, May 2!

  

The “headliners” for the week are Linda Malcom from Lost Coast Designs in Spokane, Washington and “Tweety Jill” Haglund from TJ Designs in Sarasota, Florida – each making her first appearance at Marco’s!  Linda has been our friend for years and is a regular on the show circuit.  We met Jill at a show in Clearwater in February and could barely see her through the crowd around her booth.  You will be captivated by their talents and personalities!

And of course we’ll have classes, free demos and make it/take its from your local favorites, including Leslie Rogers, Libby Friel, Maureen & Barry Payne, Pat Adams, Donna Weibel, Judy Davidson, Sandy Livingston, Ginger Deaton, Jackie Schmidt, Connie Vogt, and Donna Sheetz.

Here’s a thumbnail schedule for the week, along with a few class photos and such:

Monday, April 26 – Store Open 8:30-7:00
10 a.m. – 12 noon -- “Burst of Spring Watering Can” Class with Leslie Rogers -- $25
1 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. -- “Book Assemblage” Class with Guest Artist Linda Malcom from Lost Coast Designs -- $40
2 p.m. – 4 p.m. – Hands-On Demo -- “Embossing on Vellum” with Libby Friel – FREE
4 p.m. – 6 p.m. – Hands-On Demo -- “Artlenz” with Sandy Livingston -- FREE

 
Samples from Linda Malcom’s Book Assemblage Class

Tuesday, April 27 – Store Open 8:30-8:00
9 a.m. – 11 a.m. – Make It/Take It with Maureen & Barry Payne – FREE
11 a.m. – 1 p.m. -- “Coloring with Copics” Class with Guest Artist Linda Malcom from Lost Coast Designs -- $40
1 p.m. – 4 p.m. -- “Leap into Spring” Class with Pat Adams -- $28
4 p.m. – 6 p.m. – Hands-On Demo -- “Cosmic Dreams” with Sandy Livingston -- FREE

Samples from Linda Malcom’s Copic Class & Pat Adams’ “Leap into Spring”

Wednesday, April 28 – Store Open 8:30-7:00
9 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Make It/Take It with Donna Weibel – FREE (30 Minute Project -- Signups Required)
1 p.m. – 4 p.m. – Make It/Take it with Donna Sheetz – FREE
2 p.m. – 5 p.m. – Hands-On Demo -- “Evolving Images” with Sandy Livingston -- FREE

Donna Weibel’s Make It/Take It Project

Thursday, April 29 – Store Open 8:30-7:00
10 a.m. – 2 p.m. -- “Domino Spring Surprise” Class with Ginger Deaton -- $28
2 p.m. – 5 p.m. – Make It/Take It with Libby Friel -- “Metal” – FREE
2 p.m. – 5 p.m. – Hands-On Demo -- “Zutter’s New Distrezz-It-All” with Sandy Livingston -- FREE

Friday, April 30 – Store Open 8:30-7:00
9 a.m. – 11 a.m. – Make It/Take It with Jackie Schmidt – FREE
11 a.m. – 1 p.m. -- “Get Your Creative License Here!” Demo with Guest Artist Jill Haglund from TJ Designs – FREE
1 p.m. – 4 p.m. – Make It/Take It with Connie Vogt – FREE
4 p.m. – 6 p.m. -- “Tag Art” Class with Guest Artist Jill Haglund from TJ Designs – Only $10 (Limit 30 Students)

 
Jill Haglund’s Friday Demo & Class Info

Saturday, May 1 – Store Open 9:00-5:00
9 a.m. – 11 a.m. – Make It/Take It with Judy Davidson – FREE
10 a.m. – 12 noon -- “Favorite Bird Postcards” Demo with Guest Artist Jill Haglund from TJ Designs – FREE
12 p.m. – 2 p.m. – Hands-On Demo -- “Artlenz” with Sandy Livingston -- FREE
1 p.m. – 4 p.m. -- “ATC Madness” Class with Guest Artist Jill Haglund from TJ Designs – Only $10 (Limit 30 Students)

“

Jill Haglund’s Saturday Demo & Class Info

Sunday, May 2 – Store Open 10:00-5:00
10 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Hands-On Demo with Libby Friel -- “Embossing on Vellum or Metal” – FREE
10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. -- “Something to Crow About” Demo with Guest Artist Jill Haglund from TJ Designs – FREE
11 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Make It/Take It “Bookmark” with Ginger Deaton – FREE
1 p.m. – 4 p.m. -- “Bird Lovers Journal” Class with Guest Artist Jill Haglund of TJ Designs – Only $10 (Limit 30 Students)

Jill Haglund’s Sunday Demo & Class Info

Jill made up literature to promote her classes and demos, and that’s where I got the class info above.  Here are a few more tidbits from them . . .

So now you have enough information to start salivating – your next step is to call the store at 937-433-7030 and sign up for everything today!  You might even ask if there’s a vacancy in the addition . . .

I Was Only Gone Four Days . . .

Usually when I travel, the only changes I notice at home when I get back are a pile of mail and a lawn that needs to be mowed. But springtime is different – four days on the road and it’s a whole new world . . .

I love red dogwoods – this one is called a Cherokee Brave and the caps were just getting ready to open when I left. As you can see, it’s just full of blooms this year.

The blooms on the white dogwood are also very pretty this year . . .

Unfortunately, there are only seven of them – which I guess is proof that it was a hard winter. I’ll probably have to feed it a little more this year. The picture at right was the same tree last April.

At left is our redbud – this is the first year it has had more than a few blooms. It is the offspring of the redbud in my neighbor’s yard (at right).

Even the phlox came out while I was gone, as did the stuff at right (and I have no idea what it is, but it looks nice in the landscaping).

Now Zoe did not change while I was gone. But she looked so cute when I picked her up at the kennel that I couldn’t resist shooting a picture with my cell phone before we left.

Then I went by the store, and the first thing I heard was “Did you see the new sign?” Of course not – I went in the back door! But now that we have a sign for the new space next to the store, I guess we’ll have to fill it . . .