CSA Week One.

Thank Goodness for my Mom and Dad and the internet. I arrived later than I wanted to pick up my first weeks produce. Not knowing what to expect, I had a basket and a bag to take home the fresh goodness. As I was picking up my share, I kept saying to myself - What is this? I have no clue what to do with this! To be honest it scared me a bit. Dave being the wonderful patient guy he is carried the produce while we walked the rest of the market. Then back to the car to get my bounty home. The first weeks tally: Kale, Turnips, Romane Lettuce, Field Lettuce, Garlic, Bok Choy, Broccoli Rabe, Strawberries, and Kohlrabi (the strange purple vegetable from space). I unpacked my veg and snapped some pictures. Called my Mom and send her some pictures to help me identify some of the items. The mystery items were: Kohlrabi and Kale. I made sure what I thought was a turnip really was a turnip. After two calls to the parents and about 30 minutes on the internet, I found all the information I needed to help me store my wonderful produce. After a lunch of home made pasta and sauce leftovers, I hit the internet again looking for recipes to try. Thanks to Emeril Green and Jamie Oliver.com I have some good recipes to start. I put a request out on facebook and twitter. Maybe I will get some additional good recipes. I will post pictures of my fresh produce and the recipe I chose to try as I cook through out the week. My mom sent me two great broccoli rabe recipes. so I am sure that will be first. Here is a picture of me and my Market Basket full of goodies.

Disney Two Page Layout

Here is my next Disney Offering. The Disney Themed Paper is from EK Success. The boarder punch is from EK Success. (Both ordered for me by The Scrapbook Shoppe) All the paper and embellishments came from the Scrapbook Shoppe on Airport Thru-Way The tiny mickey head punch and the waving Mickey punch came from Downtown Disney. The scalloped boarder was made using the Creative Memories Decorative trimmer.

How to put your Local Scrapbook Shop Out of Business

If you have a great local scrapbook shop that offers a nice environment, great service and innovative classes, it may not be there for long if you spend your money somewhere else. If you want it to thrive, grow, and be there for years to come, you have to spend your money there. If you don’t support your local scrapbook shop, they can not offer great products; and they can not offer great classes and in the end they will close their doors.

Stocking your local scrapbook shop with all of those great products is a very expensive venture. It is even harder when the on-line stores and big box retailers are competing with them for your business. What does this mean? Your local scrapbook shop purchases its products from a company that is called a distributor or a wholesaler. Your on-line supplier or Big Box Retailer uses these very same distributors. Your local scrap book shop sells a smaller amount of product for a higher price. This higher price provides the customer: a nice store to shop in and it pays the salary of the owner the store. That high price allows the shop owner to offer classes, birthday parties and open table time. The wholesaler has a warehouse stocked with great products but does not offer great classes and a great place to shop and one-on-one service.

Big Box Retailers and on-line stores try to make more money by doing away with all the things you love about your local scrapbook shop. Only your local scrapbook shop can offer you help with your new Circuit Machine, explain how heat embossing works and throw a fabulous birthday party for your 9 year old. You might save a few cents shopping on-line or in one of those big box stores, but who will be there to help you come up with the ideas for all those great supplies? Your local scrapbook shop!

Towns that support their local scrapbook shops have GREAT local scrapbook shops. If you are looking for that perfect paper or supply and you can’t find it, ask the owner of your scrapbook shop to order it for you and then buy it. Sign up for classes. Refer your crafty friends. Offer to teach a class. When you take a class remember, the teacher and owner have spent their valuable time and money preparing to make sure you have everything you need for that class. Want to re-create your great new project? Buy the supplies from the shop that taught the class. Tell your friends about your new techniques and who taught you the technique. Post pictures on your blog and link back to your local scrapbook shops site. Leave encouraging messages for the owner.

If you love to scrapbook and you love your local scrapbook shop, please don’t just show up for a crop loaded down with supplies from another supplier. Support the shop that offers you that table time and shares your love for scrapping. The projects you create together will last longer and have more meaning.

LillyBee Cards

How I spent my Easter Day. The Scrapbook Shoppe is having a guest designer from Lillybee. I loved the paper so much I made some cards.

Disney Card Set

A proposed class for the Scrapbook Shoppe on Airport Thru Way.

Mother's Day Cards

Time for more cards. Simple. Easy. Elegant.

Boomer Two Page

Finally, this is complete. Boomer is the mascot for the Columbus Cottonmouths SPHL team. I hope to teach this as a class either online or in shoppe, or some combination of both. I am waiting for Boomer to give his approval.