Yup, She Did It Again!

You know, it's been a while.  I've been trying to be nice to Nancy for quite some time, just to see if that would have any impact on my award status.  We're now in July.  The award promised to me last December, after many months of exemplary work last year with NO reward, has yet to come.  I've tried to be nice, but really...  what's it going to take for me to get my award???

You might remember my post a few weeks back about Nancy and Michelle rearranging the store AGAIN.  So when I came in to work,I couldn't find anything AGAIN.   Here it is, if you need a reminder.  Now, a reasonable person, when being gently reminded in a blog post that they've done something that has really, truly inconvenienced someone else, would be sorry.  Or, at least, they'd stop doing whatever they were doing that made them blog worthy.

Well, not our Nancy!  By the time my story posted, she was already rearranging something else!  She even laughed about it in a comment on the original post!

Now, I ask you, does that sound fair?  Does that sound reasonable?  Certainly not! What is going on with these ladies?  They blackball me from rewards, they make it impossible for me to help people when I'm there because I can NEVER find anything, and then they laugh about it on posts created out of my own blood, sweat, and tears.  I tell you, things are tough when you're a one-day a week blogger.

So, I guess you probably want to see what the new changes are... after all, if I can't help you on the one day a week that I work, you're probably out of luck.  Nancy has pretty much gotten to the point that she's moved so much around that even she can't find it anymore.  Hmph... now THAT'S funny!!!

So here are a few highlights from the new stamp section, grouped according to God only knows what method... note all the samples that Nancy has 'geniusly' dispersed throughout the section.

I say 'geniusly' because originally all the card samples were with the stamps.  Then PN rearranged everything for a more "streamlined" look and moved the samples.  Now she's decided again that the samples really belong next to the stamps, so she's re-done the section for the third time.  Remind you of anything, say, like the failed button experiment earlier this year???

Yet more proof that some of us are true scrapbook store visionaries, able to hash out ideas and come of with grand plans of the ways things should be done, while others attempt to make us look bad by constantly appearing busy, working and reworking the same sections over and over and over again so that they appear to be the hardest workers.  Hmph.  Which person would YOU rather give the award to, really?


added by Michelle:  hehehehe we like to confuse you Tamara it is way too much fun!!!

The Ranger Ink Blog has Featured Michelle!

The Ranger Ink blog has featured a project designed by Michelle and we are SO excited!

You all know how Michelle is... very shy about her talents!  Nancy has been pushing and pushing and PUSHING Michelle to submit her projects for publication.  (Side note: I considered giving Nancy a new nickname; VP for Very Pushy, but I didn't want you Nancy fans out there to get the impression that she is Very Important, because we all KNOW that that's just not true... right???  Traitors.... )  Anyway, Michelle finally decided to give it a try and what do you know - she got picked!  Not that I had any doubt, of course, because I am SS (Super Supportive). 

Here's the link to Michelle's featured project on the blog: Click Me!  Click Me!

And here's a picture of the front cover of the mini album she created:

Michelle's Ranger Blog Mini Album Project

And here are some pictures of the inside pages, where Michelle created her own background designs using an image transfer technique.  This was a very cool idea, since the album was created for her dad and the images were from her home town and places she and her dad were familiar with - the ultimate customization!!!

First Page, From Michelle's Home Time

Image Transfer Technique Page Two, Michelle and her Dad in front of London

Isn't it amazing!  We are so happy that Michelle finally decided to test her wings a bit - we can't wait to see her projects popping up here and there and everywhere in the future! 

Have You Seen Our New Website???

Wowza!  I don't know if you've checked out our website lately, but we've made some great improvements to it and it's got some amazing new features!  We thought we'd take a moment to introduce you to a few of the new features.

When it first comes up you'll see this:

There is a standard navigation bar on the top left side of the page which allows you to move between different features on the site, like the calendar and the blog.  There's also a running photo carousel at the top of the page which includes some of our more important upcoming events, and as you continue to scroll down you will see some of our recent blog posts.  Then you will find a really convenient new feature on the right - our current calendar of events.  As you notice in the screen shot below, when you scroll over an upcoming event a little box will pop up that gives you more details:

If you click on the event you will be navigated to the detailed class description page.  

For now, though, let's take a look at the how the first page of the Calendar section will appear if you click on the "Calendar" link in the navigation bar at the top of the page:

Awesome, right?  You can see the name of the class, any sample photos, the date, time and the cost... all the pertinent details are right there for your perusal.  Now here's another feature - if you look carefully at the photo below, you'll see that there is a blue box highlighted in the bottom of the Copic 101 class:

If you click on that little mixed media box, the displayed classes will change so that only classes about mixed media will appear:

 

That's pretty exciting, right????  

Now, from the main calendar pages you can click on the individual classes and be taken to a page with more detailed class information.  Here's where you will find details on what to bring to class or any other special information specific to that class.  For even more convenience, if you're a techno junkie, there's a link in the center of the page that allows you to add the class information to the electronic calendar of your choice:

As you continue to scroll down the class description page, there's a section for you to make comments and ask questions.  Who knew? 

 

Pretty amazing, right?  Michelle and her husband Lee have been working overtime to bring us these great new convenience features and they're STILL working on even more exciting changes (I know what they are, but I'm not telling yet.... bwah ha ha ha ha....)... just keep your eyes peeled!!! 

Take a Tour Around...

You know how it goes - Nancy and Michelle just CAN NOT be happy unless their cleaning and moving and generally making my work life miserable.  After all, they KNOW I only work once a week.   They KNOW even when I'm working I'm usually on the computer, not spending a lot of time walking around and finding out where things are.  And yet, they continue to move things and change things and make it generally impossible for me to show you guys where anything is at when you come in and ask me questions.  What's a poor girl to do?

But you know what's worse than that?  Nancy and Michelle have moved things around SO many times that even they don't know where they put things anymore!  I can't even tell you how long we spend looking for things now... A customer asks me a question, I don't know where it is, I ask Nancy or Michelle, and they tell me to go ask the other one.  Worse yet, they keep asking ME where they put things... now what kind of sense does that make, I ask you?

Well, we may be a trio of bumbling idiots who can't find anything when you ask, but ironically the store's not looking half bad.  

I decided to take some pictures and post them here, so next time you come in you'll know where things are.... that way we can get back to doing what we do best... which is basically trying to decide what we're going to do next.  Hmmm... I have to think about that a minute.  Enjoy our virtual tour... ok, maybe it's not as good as the ones on those real estate sites, but if you scroll up and down really quickly it'll be kind of like an animated tour, right?

Most of you who are familiar with the store won't even recognize this area... it's formerly known as Michelle's work table.  You won't recognize it because it's always been buried under piles and piles of (highly valuable product to be saved for some important use in the future... also known as junk...)

Hopefully this will help you next time you come in.  I know it will help me... I'm keeping them on my phone so I can find my way back to my computer when I come in next week.  They should be good at least that long...

I hope....

Fun New Finds...

We've got an assortment of new goodies around the store I thought I'd point out...

First and foremost, Nancy and Michelle worked together and came up with this really cool display table... for the first time ever I can't even really think of a reason to complain about them changing something!  Check out our new  Embellish-Art Bar:

Aren't those little odds and ends the cutest thing???  They inspired me to write this post about the little odds and ends we've received recently... maybe not enough to warrant their own post, but still deserving of being showcased!  So here they are:

Webster's Pages Embellishment:

Darice Embossing Essentials

Awesome New Hero Arts Art Journaling Stamps and Stencils

Great New Dies: (Various Manufacturers)

Fun New Stickers from Elizabeth Craft, PLUS Shimmer Sheets Restocked!

 

Although these sticker outlines are black and white so you can see them here, in reality they come in beautiful colors, including silver, gold, purple, and glitter colors like red and green! 

All these great products won't be ANY fun if you don't pick some up and try them out, so make sure you come pick up your favorites today!