2nd Annual Holiday Boutique

We are so excited to be hosting the 2nd annual Holiday Boutique, an emporium of fabulous handmade items from local artisans and artists!  Mark your calendars:

Dec 2nd, 6pm-9pm Opening reception
Dec 3rd, 10am-4pm
Dec 4th, 12pm-5pm

Sip some mulled cider and snack on goodies as you stroll through the winter wonderland of gorgeous creative items!

The show features art, cards, dolls, bags and tech covers, jewelry, ornaments, knit and crocheted goods, dolls, and so much more!

This year, we are featuring work by Maria Papale (Marigold), Niki Siebert, Sima Brason, Asha Chaudhuri (Maya), Lauren Lehman, Stefanie Silverman, PriaVanda Patel, Wendy Reo (Freestyle Crochet), Keira Boertzel-Smith, Marissa Hedstrom, and Amy Rehbein (The Little Beansprout). 
This is the perfect time to shop for all those holiday gifts!  There is something for everyone.  Don't head to the malls this year - SHOP LOCAL, SHOP HANDMADE AND SHOP FABULOUS!!!!

See you soon!

Beth

True Hero Event 12/11/10!

Hero Arts will debut their new line of stamps for 2011 and we are hosting a debut party! Stop by the store to check out the new line of wood stamps, as well as the entire new catalog. We are not sure what stamps we will be receiving but if it is Hero Arts, we know they will be cool, creative, and the highest quality! Order your stamps now before the catalog is released everywhere on January 5th.

We will have lots of fun things going on that day but the nearest and dearest to my heart is the "True Hero" part of the event. As the mom, aunt and daughter of past and present servicemen, I know how hard it is to be away from home for such long stretches. Just this Christmas alone, I have one son and three nephews, either in the military or working for the military overseas, that will not be home for the holidays. And this happens all year long - through holidays and birthdays and births and major family events.

Starting this Saturday, we are kicking off a year-round "True Hero" card making effort. Stop by the store and make a card or note for a service man or woman who is serving anywhere in the world. It can be short or long, simple or not. You can also just make a card that will be shipped to bases overseas where cards are not accessible. We plan on keeping this effort going year round, not just at the holidays.

We have hooked up with Amillionthanks.org and Operation Gratitude to help us deliver these cards through mail and care packages to service men and women stationed all over the world. It is easy and can be done by kids and adults alike. Take a minute and let them know that we care and we remember.

In addition to "True Hero", we have raffles and make-n-takes and stamps to play with and "ugly Christmas sweater" day - all to celebrate Hero Arts' debut!!! Any Hero Arts purchase comes with a raffle ticket for fabulous free prizes! Anyone who wears an "ugly" Christmas sweater (any Christmas sweater, really) gets a raffle ticket. Winners will be drawn at 2:30. Winners need not be present to win. Stop in to try out the new stamps on a note to a "True Hero". Join us for refreshments, prizes and stampin' good fun!

Handmade & Handwritten Event

As a part of Montclair Independent Retailer Week, we are hosting a card making party - "Handmade & Handwritten" - on Saturday, October 9th, from 10:00am-1:00pm. Come join us for a fun morning of card making! There is no charge for the event and no signing up. Just stop in any time between 10am and 1pm for the fun!

The workshop will be busy with card making stations for both children and adults. Enjoy some coffee and refreshments while you learn to create wonderful little notes and postcards. In addition, as a part of our ongoing mission to promote the handmade and handwritten notes, we will supply the pens to write the notes, the envelopes and stamps to ready them for the mail - and we will even have a mailbox for you to drop them in! Send a little personalized note to let someone know you are thinking of them!

Learn more about the "Handmade & Handwritten" mission! The idea started from my card making fun and has blossomed into a little mission. It's so very easy and very special - I pledged to make or buy one handmade card each week and write a personalized note to someone I care about. A handwritten note speaks volumes about how much you care and carries your personalized voice to family and friends. Join the mission and pledge to write one handmade and handwritten note each week from now until the end of the year.

Don't have time to make all of those cards? We have a beautiful selection of handmade notes from local artists - Aubreeze, Happenstance Creations, Stefanie Silverman, and Keira Boertzel-Smith. Check out their beautiful creations and snag a pack for yourself.

Remember, in ten years, someone you love will be able to open up your handmade and handwritten note and once again hear your "voice" sending your love. Somehow, emails and test messages just don't feel the same!

See you on Saturday,

Beth