Just a quick update........

Just thought I would jump on and give you guys a quick update on the store's progress. We now have walls with drywall and paint (I now know I never want a career as a painter), doors, and a ceiling grid with most of the lights. The colors in the photos of the walls does not show up as it's true color. To me, it looks a little yellow in the photos but it actually more of a tan/beige.

This is from the back of the store looking toward the front door. I have a custom made check out counter on order that is 12ft long on both the back and front with a "U" connector than is 9 ft. I know what your are thinking, HUGE, but I am hoping that the space will eventually be needed to expand to one or two more check out areas. I can dream can't I ?

This is from the front looking toward the right hand corner of the back. The door to the far right is the back store for an emergency exit and where shipments will be delivered. The first door moving around to the left is the restroom, completely handicap accessible, and the last door far left is to the storage/office area. I if 15 ft by 40 foot. You can tell a little about my stained concrete floor. It is not finished yet, still needing another coat or two of sealer. It took 3 days to put a coat pd primer and two coats of paint on all the walls.

This is the bathroom door, still needing the hardware installed. The door color was color matched to the outside of the building as well as the barn red trim to the trim outside. Again the walls are showing up a little yellow when they are the same family and the door color.

Oh, and did you notice, I have light and electric outlets now, installed just today. Thought this might give you a better look at the colors but again, showing a little yellow. I think it might have been the flash too.

We also had the grid for the drop ceiling installed today as well as the lights. We are hoping to have them wired tomorrow and get an electrical inspection on Thursday. I am really pushing the crew now, telling them I will throw a HUGE tantrum if they do not get me opened by February 1st. I have soooo much Valentine merchandise I HAVE to get open.

I have had a lot of emails about the status of the online store. Well......it is going slower than the store which I never thought would be possible. I never knew there was so much involved in having a shopping cart on the internet. I am still working on this but every time I turn around there is another hurdle to jump through. I have purchased my domain name, preciousscraps.com, but from there I am just lost. I have talked with so many people, I am going on circles. Any help from you guys would be greatly appreciated. I will take all of the advice I can get. Also, in the meantime, if there is anything on the blog that you want to purchase just send me an email and I will be happy to work with you that way until the internet store is up and running. Say a prayer for us as we are working so hard and getting so close..............


I am going to close with an adorable photo of my great nephew that my son took over the holidays. He received this camo recliner from Santa because he was with Granpa when he purchased one (not camo) and had a fit for one just like Grandpa's. We got tickled because later in the day he went out to play and took his recliner with him. So this was at my mom's house on Christmas Day out in the front yard. Hope you have enjoyed the update and I will keep you posted.

Blog Candy recipients and more updates.....

All packages will go out in the mail on Tuesday or Wednesday. Sorry for the delay. Melissa

Melissa said...

I really feel for your disappointment in the store opening delay - I know you've put your heart and soul into this... but by this time next year the delayed opening won't mean a thing! I plan to kick it up a notch sending cards and notes to my son who is leaving the friends and community of college life for a new job in a strange city. He'll know he's loved and ALWAYS will have a place to call home.

I need you to send me an email with your email and mailing address. If you have already done so, please do so again. Thank you.

The reason for the delay is because I had bought several fixtures and displays from Linens and Things that is going out of business. Anyway, they called and we needed to go get all our things out of the store this weekend. Here is a couple of photos of some of the stuff we purchased. We have been able to save a lot of money but catching liquidation sales like this.

I purchased 10 of these units along with the fixtures, pegs and shelves to allow for a lot of versatility. They are on rollers making them easy to move around. The maple finish matches the earlier slatwall fixtures I purchased from Goody's when they went out of business.
Below is an sample of the some of the baskets and shelves that came with these.

I purchased 3 of these MASSIVE units. They are 5' x 5'. They take all the same fixture and shelves as the slatwall fixtures. I also purchased 9 sheets of 4'x8' slatwall.

We were taking slatwall of the wall at Linens and Things late last night and got home and unloaded at 2:30 am. I am exhausted but feel it is all worth it since I got such an awesome deal. There is no way I could have went out and purchased all of my displays brand new. I can't wait to get them in the store and get all my product on them.

Hope you all have a great day and a VERY Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year.

Love and Blessing,

Beverly
Precious Scraps

Blog Candy Winner..............

"ScrappingJulie" is the winner of the kit and memory box. Congrats Julie !! Since there were so few to leave comments, everyone is going to be a winner. Everyone else will receive a kit !! I am sorry but I don't have enough of the boxes to go around. Also, everyone will receive a complete kits but some may be ones I package since I only ordered 10 actual kits but have 25 sheets of each paper. I hope that that is okey. Yes, this includes you too Claire, since I already owe you a well over due package anyway. Everyone's comments were so nice and generous. Isn't this what Christmas is all about, giving unto others. Everyone who left a comment please send me your email address so that I can contact you to obtain mailing information. Please respond to preciousscraps@bellsouth.net. Be sure to put "blog candy winner" in the subject line so I will know who you are. And, thanks again for stopping by to share in my world.

Delays and Blog Candy.......

Wow - I just noticed it has been over a month since I posted. I am sorry for being so absent lately. We hit a snag with the store and things got very stressful for the past month but everything is now back on track. The bad news is I won't be open by Christmas, the good news is we hired (ANOTHER) electrician and he started Monday so things are moving again. To make a long story short the original electrician we hired was given a start date, on that date he told us it would be a couple of weeks before he could start, while this did not make me happy due to my tight schedule I figure I had no choice so I patiently waited. A week in a half later when I called to confirm that he would start on Monday, he told me "well, I looks light now it may be a month or two". WHAT !!! I was not a happy camper. Again, to shorten this very long story, we solicited bids from more electricians, which here at the holiday was difficult, and finally hired a very nice man who started right away. He should have the electric roughed in by the the end of the day today; Heat and Air guys coming on Monday, Electrician finishes us after inspection on Tuesday (say a little prayer all goes well and everything passes); then drywall, drop ceiling and paint. Then.......move in!! I am hoping to accomplish moving in over the holidays.

My house "overfloweth" with merchandise for the store. I had order so much Christmas expecting to be open and now all of my pre-ordered Valentine is starting to come in. I can't wait to share this with you along with some other non-holiday inventory. I will be posting photos before the new year but to give you a little tease, I have new Cosmo Cricket, My Mind's Eye, Crate Paper, Memory Box, Theresa Collins, Basic Grey, and much more. I have a huge box of acrylic scrapbooks in all shapes and sizes as well as some new embellishments.

I have been trying to keep myself busy so that I will stop stressing over missing my deadline of December 6th to have the store open. Every year I make cards, ornaments, gifts and such to sell with part of the proceeds going to the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. This is has been no exception. With everything going on I am staying up until 3 am to complete orders but loving every minute of it. To date I, with the help of a couple of friends (thanks Monica and Wanda), have made 354 Christmas Cards, 16 Recipe Card Holders, 108 Ornaments, 21 Kids Card Packs (I stamp a Charlie Brown Christmas stamp in black on a white card, 5 cards and a pack of crayons ber set for the kids to color their own cards for parents, grandparents, etc), 42 Snowman Soup Tins, 14 Hershey Nugget Tins, 16 Teacher Sets, 7 Altered 5x7 frames, 7 Theresa Collins Scrapbooks, 9 Checkbook Covers, 14 "2009" Calendars, 64 Candy Bar Wrappers, and 1 12x12 Photo Collage. Wow, I am wore out just typing that and I am still receiving order. I am very excited about receiving these orders and want to thank everyone for their support and the help in supporting the Relay for Life.

It's been a while since I have offered blog candy and think this may be a good time to do so with the Holidays approaching. Let's see what I have.........How about one of the new Cosmo Cricket Chemistry Sets and one of their Memory Boxes.

Leave a comment telling me 1 special thing you plan to do for someone else for the holiday or in the coming new year. For instance, I plan to make some craft kits to send to the Ronald McDonald House in Nashville. I have wanted to do this for a long time and while packing everything to move I will have to opportunity to purge some items and do something for someone else at the same time. I look forward to reading your comments. I will post a winner selected by random generator on Monday the 15th.

Thanks again for being so patient with me and supporting me as I still struggle to complete the store and achieve my dream. If you have any specific questions or comments about the store or any special items you hope that I carry or wish me to order for you, you email me at preciousscraps@bellsouth.net. Be sure to put "Comment on store, or Order request" in the subject line so I will know it is not spam or junk mail. Don't forget to leave a comment. And now just a couple of photos to update you on the store.....

This is the front of the building. The Precious Scraps letters are NOT actually there, I did that with my photo software so I could see what it will look like when I do put them up. (I forgot to save the original photo, that's why you are looking at this one). I now have my "real" windows and door and the front patio done. We still have lights and signage to add.


This is my front patio. We still have to seal it but I really like the detail of the edge of it. I have an antique church pew with decorative iron legs that will sit in the center. Above the bench will be a sign stating "Memories........One Page at a Time". What do you think??


This is my floor. As I mentioned in a previous post, it is stained concrete. This is after we put one coat of sealer on it. The colors really seemed to "pop" after that. We still have one more coat to do after everyone gets finished and before we move in. My fixtures are Maple and Red, thus the colors chosen for the stain.

I'm still alive and kicking.....just not so high !

Hey everyone, I am still here. Sorry I haven't updated in such a long time, I have been SO busy with the construction of the new store and everything else going on. I am still working full time at the dentist office (leaving my house at 6 am and getting home at 6 pm) and trying to keep my home based business going with all the new Christmas items. I have also been busy making purchases for the new store, you cannot walk in my house and I can't remember the last time I dusted, it is disgusting, YUCK. As soon as I get in from work, I go to the store to work until 10 or 11 at night, then go home and collapse. I just wanted to check in and let everyone know where I have been (I hope someone at there cares, lol). Anyway, we are right on schedule with the store, I hope to open the first weekend in December and at the latest, the second.

We've been working very hard to make this dream become reality. Since October 13th we have gone from this......

TO THIS...........................

The gutter across the front is not yet installed and there is a 5'x40' front porch still be poured. Of course, the door and windows are not yet in, they are being measured and custom made this week. My dear husband Larry and I created these temporary windows from 2x4's and plastic. It keeps the wind, rain and cold out so we can still work on the inside. There will also be gravel in front (my parking is to the right of the building)

This is the left and right sides, again temp windows. We worked hard this week putting in our water line and septic system, putting down more straw and mesh to keep the mud to a minimum (We will sow with grass in the spring). We plan to put planters with azaleas on both sides in the spring as well. There will be a ramp added for deliveries at the side door when the front porch is done. I got tickled at my husband last night. We were working late and he had to go home to get another ladder. When he left, he said "be sure to lock the door and I will knock when I come back, be sure to ask who it is before you open the door". I HAD to laugh when he left; I have one door installed, you can see it on the right hand side, towards the back. The main door knob is in, but the deadbolt is not and there is a WalMart bag stuck in the hole, then there are windows and the front door that are nothing but a sheet of plastic, but yet, he wants me to be sure to lock the door. At least, I thought it was funny, maybe it was the exhaustion talking.

The first picture is the front of the store. I will put my checkout between the windows and door on the front wall. The framing for the walls and drop ceiling is complete, now the electric and heat/air is scheduled for this week, as well as the windows and front door. Then the drywall and painting, then MOVE IN ! The floor is stained concrete. It doesn't look so hot now but when it is cleaned and sealed, I think it will be beautiful, it has red and tan in it. The second photo is to the back, with an entry to the office/storeroom on the left and the bathroom entrance on the right. I plan to put the classroom area in the back left corner.

I just had to include a photo of the bank of the pond. Larry and I worked very hard to get this slopped and seeded. We put down the straw and mesh to hold it until the grass started. I am very excited about how well our grass has come up. I think it will be beautiful in the spring. We have a white picket fence to put around the parking lot at the top of the bank and down both sides of the driveway to keep kids from going to the pond.

Thanks for taking a tour, I will update again soon. I am still working on the store web site with a shopping cart so hopefully it will be up and functional by the time the store opens. I appreciate all the support and well wishes I have received and most importantly your patience. I could not do this without the love and support of my friends and of course, without saying, my wonderful husband Larry. Every muscle in my body aches and I am completely exhausted, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

I've been tagged...

Jennifer Holmes has "tagged" me for a Q&A. Sorry it has taken me so long to respond, I have been away from the computer for a while. I must say how much I admire (okay, worship) Jennifer's work, she has the most amazing talent! Be sure to check out her blog.

Now, here are the rules:

1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share seven facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

3. Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Now the problem is...I am a talker (or typer) so I "share" all the time, so finding something you don't already know was a little difficult but here goes......

1. I was a cheerleader in high school and 26 years later, I can still do the splits. Yes, all the way!
2. I used to be a cocktail waitress and then bartender. Of course, this was when I was 20 years young and had great legs and a killer body......not recently! haha
3. On my first waitress job in Nashville I spilled burgundy wine down the front of Dolly Parton's Dress. She was very nice and still left me a tip! I also waited on the group Alamaba.
4. I cried for 3 months when my son left home for college. I miss him terribly but am also VERY proud of him and his accomplishments in life.
5. I have no confidence in myself or my work, not a BIG surprise to those that really know me. lol
6. I met my husband on a blind date and we have been together ever since. We are getting ready to celebrate 14 yrs of marriage and have only spent 2 nights apart, I cried both of them because I missed his so. He is the love of my life.
7. I am getting to experience my life long dream of owning my own business, Precious Scraps' new 3000 sq. ft. retail store will open December 2008! YIPPEE !!

Here are the seven people I'm tagging and why:

1. Monica - Because she has become a dear friend of mine and without her coming and helping me, I would be at my wits end and she makes great peanut butter fudge ! She is a barrel of laughs.
2. Kacey - I love Kacey's work, she does it all, cards, scrap pages, altered art. etc. And, she does it all well.
3. Michele - Because everyone needs to get to know this gal a little better, she is the best. She will tell you like it is, is super talented, funny, and someone I am thankful I have been able to become friends with.
4. JAK. - What can I say but you MUST check out this talented lady. She is beyond AWESOME! Her talent exceeds words.
5. Mary - a wonderful women who is extremely talented and always offers encouragement to others. Mary always shares her shopping expeditions and deals with us. Thanks Mary.
6. Jen - Jen sent me a card on on card swap and while checking out her blog, I found that she not only is very talented but has great taste in music. I will visit her blog and leave it there at times while I am working on projects just so I can listen to her music.
7. Tracy - Because she has a kind soul and always encouraging. Everything she does is spectacular. I love her stamping, jewelry, and photography. She has the most amazing flower garden that I have ever seen.

I have to add at least one more because I can't stop.....I know I am breaking the rules, but hey, that's me !

8. Julie - Julie lives nearby in Mt. Juliet and is an inspiraton to me. She creates the most beautiful scrapbook pages. I hope that we get to meet in person someday.

That was so hard. There are so many blogs that I enjoy and visit that it was hard to narrow it down. I tried to choose those that I think you will enjoy and that haven't been already tagged as well. I look forward to getting to know these girls a little more. Can't wait to see what they share.

Friends come first.......

I am so far behind in my post I could not decide where to start. I have RAK's, Thank You's and Special Gifts as well as new merchandise to tell you about. After thinking about it for a minute I decided to start with the most important, the cards and gifts from friends. Don't get me wrong, I am very excited about the store and I most definitely want it to be successful but without my friends I would not be able to do any of this, nor would I want to. I have the most amazing friends in the world. I had a REALLY bad week at the office last week and was feeling a little overwhelmed and like I did not have a friend in the world.........until I got home. I had two packages waiting for me. I immediately realized even though I was feeling a little left out at the office I had friends all over the world. I simply sat in the floor and cried because my heart was so overwhelmed by this new realization of how blessed I actually am. I cannot begin to put into words how much I enjoy receiving your cards and special tokens, I cherish each and everyone of them. They will all be displayed in the store when it opens in a special section I have designed called "Friends of Precious Scraps".

First up is a package I received from my dear friend Claire in Ireland. She has such amazing talent and the biggest heart of anyone I have ever met. I met Claire, as well as the other gals that will be featured here, through Papertrey Ink. I had never been on a forum until Papertrey Ink came along and I am so thankful for this opportunity. I love the forum for its amazing suggestions, ideas, support and chatter but more so because of the bonds I have made with so many of the members. These girls are like family and mean the world to me. Anyway, back to Claire, she sent me a beautiful framed picture that she drew and water colored herself.

Isn't this stunning. When I sent Claire a message of gratitude she asked me if I noticed that the gate was open in the drawing and said this was to let me know that I was always welcomed in her home if I were ever able to go to Ireland. Needless to say, I cried some more. This "Claire" original will be hanging in the store for everyone to see. Below is a closer look at the card that accompanied the artwork. I love it as much as the art. I hope to one day be able to meet Claire in person.

The vellum embossed paper on the front is stunning and the message on the
inside would melt your heart, it did mine.

As I said, I received 2 packages that day, the other package was from Jak from the U.K. I receive this beautiful card as well as some goodies.

I had ask if anyone had any recommendations for "bling" merchandise for the store. Jak sent me the most spectacular array of jewels in every color and size imaginable from this company in the UK. Jak is so creative and does wonderful flower work on her cards. If you have a minute pop on over to her blog and check it out. She also sent me some stickers that when stacked make beautiful snowflakes embellishments. She even included the pop dots for me, isn't she wonderful.

Next up is a RAK I received and regrettably forgot to acknowledge from a dear friend and talented lady named Pam (prhansen) . Pam (who I hope will forgive me) has the cutest avatar on the PapertreyInk forum. We all enjoy her dancing moves every chance we get. She has an incredible blog so be sure to click on the link above and check out her work. Pam sent me a note of well wishes for the store which deeply touched my heart.

I love the color selection she used, red and gray, and her amazing
stamping ability is unbelievable. Thank you Pam.

I received a couple of cards from my friend Katie Renz. Katie recently won blog candy here at Precious Scraps and sent a thank you note as well as a note for some other merchandise she received. Both cards reflect her talent. Her cards show so much character and thought. Sometimes, my cards are just plain and flat, I love the way Katie adds depth and style to her cards. She is another amazingly talented friend I am forever grateful of meeting.

See what I mean, isn't she talented. Be sure to check out her blog here.

I will be back later this evening, time permitting with an update on some new products I have received for the store as well as some projects that I have been working on with my friend Monica. She has been such a trooper helping me prepare for the Relay for Life Craft Bazaar. She puts up with me and never complains. Thanks Monica. See you guys later.......I hope....