Another Person’s Treasure . . .

I have been sitting on this story for almost three months, and now it’s time to share it.  Our friend Harriet Swindell used to live near here – several years ago she and her husband Michael moved near St. Louis.  So now I see her one June weekend a year when she demos for us at a show in Collinsville, Illinois.  Harriet usually drags Michael along to help with setup and teardown, and once or twice she has also drafted her friends Neal and Peggy Wade.

As we were catching up during setup for this year’s Collinsville show, Harriet mentioned a new venture that she, Michael, Peggy and Neal were hatching together – building figurines out of old parts and pieces of junk.  I was intrigued – so on Sunday she brought some of their creations in to show off . . .

These little critters look even better in real life than they do in pictures.  I tried to take shots from several angles, because every time I looked from a different direction I recognized another part that had been used.  The arms are made out of spoons, wrenches, bottle openers, and more.  The legs can be bolts, or candle holders, or pipe, or something even more outrageous.  And the torsos are tins, pill boxes – all sorts of things.

They are so cool.  I laughed out loud when I saw the “Prince Albert” guy, because it reminded me of all of the “Do you have Prince Albert in a can?” prank calls we used to get when I worked at the grocery store when I was a teenager.

After a while, we really did have to go back to work doing stamp show stuff.  But Harriet told me that the Swindells and Wades were forming their own little company to market their creations.  They’re calling it Reincarnations4U — and their first craft fair is coming up September 10, 11 & 12 at the Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood, Missouri . . .

Reincarnations4U will be at Booth #2. If you’re anywhere nearby, go out and take a look!  If you’re not, their website is now up and running at http://reincarnations4u.com  Get a cup of coffee in advance – you’ll spend some time just looking at their creations.  It may just be me, but these things have personality!

I really like their logo.  I pulled a few of these pictures from their new website . . .

And I think you’ll really enjoy taking a look at how four people with quite an imagination can bring an old saying to life – one person’s junk truly is another person’s treasure . . .

The Morning After . . .

You were just certain you were through with me after a solid week of daily posts, weren’t you?  I thought so too, but when I got to the store late this morning, the difference between last week and this week was so striking that I felt the need to share it.

The sign is gone . . .

The store is quiet . . .

All of the Tweety Jill class kits and such have been boxed to ship back to Florida, and I just got back from taking Jill to the airport.  But all of this just means we get a minute to take a deep breath – because life goes on and soon the store will be hopping again . . .

The display of Rubber Stamp Tapestry peg sets is back in the store and should be there for about a month.  And there are eight new sets from CHA on it that you probably haven’t seen before!

 

Note to those of you in the hinterlands (as well as the locals) for when you plan your pilgrimage to Marco’s (and yes, we know you’ve thought about it) – our weekly Free Make It & Take It sessions start again on Wednesday.  At left is Debbi Liskany’s offering for Wednesday (9:00 – 11:00 a.m.), and at right is Maureen Payne’s offering for Saturday (11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.).  Can’t ask for much more than the opportunity to sit and swap stories while you do a great project that costs you absolutely nothing.  And we do it every week . . .

The Big Day Arrives . . .

After driving home from the Preview Party, editing and posting the pictures, doing the laundry that I forgot to do once I got back from Detroit, and oh yeah – getting a precious few hours of sleep, it was back to Cincinnati.  Stampaway USA XVIII had finally arrived . . .

Folks were already milling around outside the Sharonville Convention Center more than an hour before the show started.  Some smart folks came early and tailgated . . .

Karen and I came out early and passed out flyers to those who waited in the hot sun.  The line stretched out a long way in two directions.  When I got to the end of “my” line – there she was again!!!  Kim has become the “Where’s Waldo” of Stamping Gala 2010 – with the exception of setup, she has been around every corner.  I actually saw her husband at the show later in the day, but my attempt at a quick pic failed.

After the setup nightmare, I assumed vendors would be jockeying for prime loading positions early in the day.  This is The Paper Cut’s spot next to the big pile of dirt.  Wouldn’t have merited a comment, except Dallas from Custom Wood by Dallas got the Sharonville policeman who was serving as security to go over to Ron and tell him he was illegally parked and was going to be towed.  Ron was well on his way to being convinced until he saw Dallas failing to conceal his laughter and realized it was a gag.

Birthday girl Sue Rothamel’s look of genuine glee the first of many times the masses sang to her.  But then it was back to business – these folks were here to learn . . .

I will be in trouble for these during and after shots of Jill’s demo space.  I told her that I could relate – I have a sign on the wall in my office that says “A Creative Mess Is Better Than Tidy Idleness.”

Connie Williams (show promoter and owner of Stamp Your Art Out! in Cincinnati) provided signs for past winners of the customer voting.  I added a big pic of our outfits from Friday.  No, we didn’t win this year – Judi-Kins did, with something they referred to as “Twinkies with Glasses” from the movie Despicable Me.  I haven’t seen it – so I have something to look for when it comes out on DVD.

The giveaway was out on the staircase between the first and second floors.  I was so busy I forgot to take photos – except for this blurry one of a lady who asked for the tickets after the drawing so she could collage with them!  So I guess she was a winner, too . . .

Teresa and Paula from Paula Best with the security guard – of all things, they were discussing tattoos . . .

Believe it or not, this was Sue’s birthday dinner during teardown . . .

A shot of three matching t-shirts with ladybugs – Ginger, Karen and Nora.  And one more shot of Waldo, who was one of our last customers, seems an appropriate wrapup to the week . . .

Setup Becomes a Logistical Nightmare for the Vendors . . .

I never saw the store on Friday.  Instead, we spent the morning jockeying for unloading position behind the Sharonville Convention Center – we were greeted by an amazing sight . . .

This is the view from the loading dock – for those of you familiar with this building, the loading dock and the ramp next to it are all that’s left.  Or all that’s left besides a big hole in the ground . . .

This is where the vendors used to pull in to unload and park.  Eventually, new construction will make the convention center twice the size it is now.  But it’s a mess these days.

Ryan was off work, so I had a helper to unload the truck and give me time to put up the gridwall.  He has lots of experience – Ryan was only eight when we started on the circuit.  But with his job at Best Buy, he hasn’t been on the road with me for more than three years.

It was entertaining watching Sue, Frankie, and Crystal set up the USArtQuest portion of our booth.  Sue was directing traffic from her ground-level throne.

 

I got a kick out of watching their sign go up – especially when they realized that it was a little off-kilter . . .

Finally finished setting up and everyone headed to the hotel next door to get ready for the Preview Party.  This year’s theme was My Superhero.  You could make that mean a lot of things – for a long time I have wanted to to “Geriatric Superman” with worn and frayed tights, gray hair, and a cane.  But Karen came up with an idea I liked better – why not pay tribute to her daughter Ashley, who is in the Army?  So we did a little bit of both . . .

Karen and I went military, and Tweety Jill and her daughter Lindsay went as the Mad Hatter and Wonder Woman.  And for those of you who are disappointed, keep in mind that these are Ashley’s fatigues, so technically I am still gender incorrect!

 

Once inside, Jill and Lindsay did a make it/take it in our booth, and Sue did a USArtQuest demo on her side.

But there was still time for fun and games . . .

Self-portrait with cell phone at arm’s length so I could send a shot to Ryan at home.  Was instructed that we were “on duty” and shouldn’t smile . . .

Entertainer for the evening (he was really good), and the best vendor costume I saw – this is Dallas from Custom Wood by Dallas as Captain Sully, with his flight attendants.

And this was the runner-up customer costume (at least in my opinion) – these ladies said they were dressed as “Captain Art” (I made the mistake of asking if they were Alvin and the Chipmunks).

For obvious reasons, these were our favorite customer costumes, worn by the gang from Christy’s Main Street Memories.  And neither we nor they knew what the other was wearing . . .

. . . but the outfits certainly went well together!

One final set of images at the end of a long day.  After the Preview Party ended, we all trooped back to the hotel next door.  Karen and Tammie were staying overnight, and I stopped for a quick change before driving home.  I think Karen was just about done . . .

Almost a little bit of a Cruella DeVil look there . . .