Thursday, June 30, 2011

ANOTHER ADD TO THE DONATION LIST...

EK Success has sent us a very nice package of goodies and other items are arriving every day! We're counting down the hours now until tomorrow night!

I want to say a heartfelt thank you for everyone who has donated, whether it has been time, money, or resources! It is amazing to see how generous people are and how much they care for people they have never met, but know they are in need. We have the privilege of being in our homes with our families to celebrate this Independence Day holiday. We live in a country where our freedoms are celebrated, but yet we still have our eyes and our hearts on those who have no home to celebrate in or family to celebrate with because they have been lost to senseless tragedy or they are serving our country overseas and around the globe in harms way to secure our right to celebrate. I am proud to live in a caring community (with many gifted crafters!) that is willing to give of it's time and resources to help others. I hope you can find a minute in your busy schedule to stop and give thanks to God for what He has given us and what He continues to do through us! ~Vicki

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

CRAFT IT FORWARD FOR JOPLIN FAQs

Well, we're getting closer to the CRAFT IF FORWARD FOR JOPLIN event! This is such a great event because you don't have to be a scrapbooker or cropper to enjoy what we are doing! We have great stuff planned for the card table. We have door prizes, and ANYONE can make a card! The auction is also open to the public for bidding and you can shop for free too! I'll be updating these questions as we go. We still have open seats for the crop, so GET ON BOARD! Help us help Joplin! We have extended the deadline to register to Thursday and you can walk in on either day. If you would like to crop and help raise money for Joplin, but can't do more than five hours, you can come and crop for $5 an hour. This includes snacks and drinks but not meals.

So, here are some FAQs for the event this weekend.

WHAT IS THE COST TO ATTEND?
The registration fee is $35 plus the donation of a cleaning item and bringing a snack. We've got everything else covered. :-) Checks should be made out to Convoy of Hope with Craft It Forward for Joplin on the memo line. I can also take credit cards and PayPal per the flyer.

DO I HAVE TO SPEND THE NIGHT?
No, you can come and go as you please! There will be somebody in the the building for the full 24-hours. We have set aside a "quiet room" where anyone can take a nap, eat their food, whatever.

WHAT IF I ONLY WANT TO COME ON SATURDAY? IS PRICING DIFFERENT?
You are more than welcome to come just for Saturday but the registration price is the same since it is a charity event and ALL proceeds to CONVOY OF HOPE. It is a tax-deductible donation. We do have a "quiet" room if you want to catch some zzz's at the church.

WHAT DO I NEED TO BRING? WHAT KINDS OF TOOLS ARE AVAILABLE?
Whatever you want! To start with, don't forget to bring your cleaning donation (wet wipes, paper towels, detergent, etc.) and a snack (chips, cookies, finger food, candy, etc.) You may also want to think about bring a small lamp/light. The auditorium lighting is not super bright. You can scrapbook, craft, work on jewelry, do some home deco, make cards, whatever you enjoy doing. I will have my tools up there for the event including my Vagabond and all of Tim's dies, the Spellbinder Grand Calibur and all my Spellbinder Dies (I have HUGE collection of those), my Cricut Expressions and my cartridges, a Bigshot, a 7 Gypsies electric punch binder, Crop-a-diles, cutters (guillotine & Fiskars), Bind-it-All, Cinch (with coils for both), a Creatopia, Zutter Distresser, bunches of punches, Hammers, eyelet setters, glue guns, Melt Pot, Embossing Guns (3), StampMaker, scissors, rulers, pens and pencils, etc.

HOW DOES A PROGRESSIVE AUCTION WORK?
All items are displayed and numbered, with a corresponding sheet to go with each item. Each item has a starting bid amount (which is low). You'll write in your name and your bid amount. Each item increments in bids by a minimum at $1 with some item having $5, $10 or $20 increments depending on the total value of the item being auction. Remember, this is a FUNDRAISER for a great cause and your money goes to Convoy of Hope and is tax deductible. If you try to increment the bid in the amounts other than stated, the bid falls back to last person to properly increment the bid. You can see what everyone else is bidding and that is where the fun comes in! We can have our own Storage Wars! The Auction is open to the general public, anyone can come in and bid on an item, not just crop attendees. At EXACTLY 4p, all bidding will stop, pens down, back away from the table. :-) We will then announce who has won each item. You will need to pay for it to take it, we accept cash, checks, credit cards (VISA, MasterCard or Discover) or PayPal (if you use a credit card or PayPal, we will add 3% to the price to cover our processing costs). If you cannot be present at the announcement of the winners, you HAVE to make arrangements to leave us some form of payment or method to reach you. All items MUST be picked up by 6p or they revert to the previous valid bidder, unless you make prior arrangements. The Arrow Metal Shed will be delivered to the winner but it is up to you to assemble it. The photography package will have details on how to arrange your photo shoot. The photographer will come to you. Each item will have a complete description of what it is. May the best bidders win!

WILL THERE BE T-SHIRTS TO BUY?
Yes, we will have embroidered t-shirts that can be purchased or ordered. (Kid's sizes too!)

WHAT MEALS, SNACKS AND DRINKS WILL WE HAVE?
Friday supper Buckingham BBQ served at 8p, Saturday breakfast will be bagels donated by Panera along with some donuts at 9a, Saturday lunch is Ott's lasagne, salad and bread sticks at 12p. If everyone brings a snack, we should be covered on munchies, cookies, etc. Tea, Lemonade, Water, and Coffee will be supplied. Sodas available for a dirt-dog cheap price! We may even have some additional beverages available, still working on that. :-) The food is going to be awesome, we had a VERY generous donation from Spook and Liz Whitener at Trailiner, so you will not suffer for food!

CAN I LEAVE MY STUFF OVERNIGHT AND IT BE SAFE?
Someone will be up at the church at all times, so you can leave your stuff Friday night if you would rather sleep in your own bed. :-) We do have a quiet room if you want to bring a sleeping bag and snooze. We have couches and tables for lounging as well.

WILL THERE BE VENDORS THERE?
Yes, I will have most of my store up there with additional things available at my house about four blocks away. We have other vendors too, we are working on finalizing that list. Also, Hobby Lobby northside is very close, as is Walmart, the Dollar Store, and other kinds of stores too. I carry Tim Holtz, Ranger, Maya Road, Teresa Collins/PhotoCentric, Webster's Studio, 7Gypsies, SpellBinders, Sizzix, Ten Seconds Studio, Kaisercraft, Viva Decor, Cousins Jewelry beads and findings, Soldering Kits, Graphic 45, Pink Paisley, and some cardstock, basic adhesives, and more. You can special order anything for a 20% discount. We will have catalogs and a computer available so we can look up your item.

IS THERE GOOD PARKING AND EASY ACCESS INTO THE BUILDING FOR MY STASH?
Yes, we have at least three entrances to the building, all ramped and accessible. This is a NICE facility! There is parking all away around the building close in, so not lots of walking. The church is located in the NorthBridge Shopping Center. From I-44 take the Glenstone exit. Turn north on Glenstone. After you pass over I-44 the first real traffic light is at McClernon (which turns into Norton Road, the Waffle House is on your left), go through it. The second light is Valley WaterMill Road (there's a gas station, a restaurant and the Dollar Store to your right). Go through that light. You'll go about 1/4 of a mile and see the NorthBridge Shopping Center on your left. Take the first street that turns left after passing the shopping center, StoneRidge (there is a sign for the Hickory Ridge neighborhood) and Hales' Fireworks are your landmarks. The church faces StoneRidge and is the entire building that comprises the L shape of the shopping center. Park anywhere you want. You should see my Conquest Keepsakes sign.

WILL THERE BE THINGS TO DO OTHER THAN CROPPING AND CRAFTING?
You betcha! We will be teaching techniques throughout both days, we have a few games/contests for you, and the cardmaking station for you to make a card for a survivor or volunteer. The Card Station is also open to the public to make a card for Joplin. We will be demonstrating how to make an Easel Card and a Center Step card, both cards are meant to be displayed. We will be teaching Tim-spiration techniques, how to use the StampMaker, ALL the Viva products, and how to make a personalized shirt, among other things (if you want to do the shirt, please bring a black shirt (this works best, but any dark color works) in your size, 100% Cotton—it is very important that it be 100% cotton and a dark color. Walmart has them for $4 and you can find them at Hobby Lobby and Michael's too. We will also have some lawn games set up if you want to go out for a bit of fresh air. :-) Croquet and Horseshoes anyone? We also have a surprise activity themed for the holiday weekend.

I'll add more questions and auction items as I get them! :-D

Friday, June 24, 2011

CHA is Creeping up!

Yes, it is that time of year again, time for the summer CHA show in July. If you've been watching your favorite company's blogs, you will start seeing sneak peaks of new products that are being introduced this summer and throughout the fall and winter. As usual, I will be attending the summer show and will be taking pre-orders on new products. This year, we're doing 20% off on pre-orders pre-paid up front. So get the lastest, get it first, and get it at a discount for being such an eager beaver!

~Vicki

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Check Out the New Items Added to the Auction!

Just a quick update...there are new items in red in the post below that have been added to the Silent Auction list, as well as a direct link to the PDF of the flyer/registration form at the NorthBridge Church website (link is in the post below too). Spook and Liz Whitener from Trailiner has generously donated all the food for the dinner Friday night and lunch on Saturday! Nikki from Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker is donating goodie bags for all the attendees, so don't miss out!

Monday, June 20, 2011

CRAFT IT FORWARD FOR JOPLIN

Conquest Keepsakes & NorthBridge Baptist Church Present
CRAFT IT FORWARD FOR JOPLIN
A 24-Hour crop to raise money for the Joplin Tornado Victims

Starting 6:00 pm Friday, July 1 to 6:00 pm Saturday, July 2 at
NORTHBRIDGE BAPTIST CHURCH
3765 N State Highway H (N. Glenstone)
Springfield, MO 65803

24 Hours of Crafting & Cropping Fun for $35
& a cleaning product donation!

All proceeds will go to Convoy of Hope to benefit the Joplin Tornado Victims. For every dollar donated to Convoy of Hope, they can turn it into $7! What a great way to know that your gift will have a great impact in helping these families move forward through this distressing time! All proceeds from the progressive auction will also go to Convoy of Hope. Product donations needs are cleaning supplies like wet wipes, detergent, disinfectant, etc. Your cleaning product donation will go along way in helping survivors and volunteers to continue to move forward in continuing recovery efforts. The first 40 people to register will receive a free "In Our Prayers Joplin Tornado, 2011" wrist band to wear to show their support. Items for the progressive auction have been donated from local businesses as well as scrapbook and crafting companies across the USA. Be the person to take home the Teresa Collin’s StampMaker so generously donated by PhotoCentric & Teresa Collins, along with many other generous donations aimed at helping raise money for those in need. Bidding is open to the public from 6pm Friday through 4pm on Saturday.

Space is limited, so register early to guarantee your space. Give up a day of your holiday weekend to help those who have no home and no where to go. Craft & Crop with your friends doing what you love to do with a common goal in mind. Check out the new technique demos being offered so you can learn to apply these techniques to your projects, pages, wearables and home decor! Use the StampMaker to make a personalized card for victims of the devastating tornado at our card-making station. We will make it worth your time and generous donations by providing supper, breakfast, lunch and drinks, but we ask that you bring a snack so we can ensure every dollar possible will go to help the families in Joplin who need it so much. Come see inspirational stories of loss, hope, faith, and generosity. Bring a sleeping bag and a pillow and camp out with us! Easy access from I-44, with lots of shopping and restaurants close by too.

Your $35 Crop/Craft Fee will get you...

24 Hours of non-stop cropping & crafting fun Half an 8 ft table Access to electricity Friday night dinner, Saturday breakfast & lunch Coffee, Tea, Lemonade or Water to Drink Door Prizes & Raffles Progressive Auction (See what your friends are bidding & outbid them, knowing your money is going to an awesome cause! See our list of donations for you to bid on...) Presentation on Relief Efforts in Joplin Vendors to shop, with their profits going to Convoy of Hope too!
We expect this to fill fast, so if you’d like to attend, email Vicki at vconquest@conquestkeepsakes.com to hold your spot and then mail your completed form and form of payment to:

Pam Pfiefer
NorthBridge Baptist Church
3765 N. State Highway N
Springfield, MO 65803

Make checks payable to: CONVOY OF HOPE

For more information about attending, contact Pam Pfiefer, NorthBridge Baptist Church at 417-833-4830. For information regarding being a vendor for this event, contact Vicki Conquest at vconquest@conquestkeepsakes.com or call 417-350-4569. More details, and an updated list of Progressive Auction items as they are released, can be found at here on my blog and on my FaceBook page.

Just in! Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker is donating goodie bags for all the attendees, don't miss out on all the great things we have!

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

••••••••••••••••••••
PROGRESSIVE AUCTION ITEMS

PhotoCentric/Teresa Collins StampMaker
Arrow Metal Shed 8x10
Neighborhood Pizza Gift Certificate
The Center for Plastic Surgery Spa Services Gift Certificate
Weekend at CROPPIN’ AT THE LAKE (Lake of the Ozarks)
A Touch of Sun Free Month of Tanning
A Touch of Sun Manicure
A Touch of Sun Salon Service
AVBS (A Valaria Boss Salon) Salon Service & Product
Git Fit Bootcamp
Hand Knitted Afghans
Close to My Heart Album Pack (Bettyann Shuert)
My Creative Companion Book by Becky Higgins (Bettyann Shuert)
Viva Decor Product Gift Basket
Ranger Product Basket w/Tim Holtz autographed projects
Maya Road Product Basket
2 Sizzix Product Baskets (BigShot + Dies & Texture Boutique with folders)
Tim Holtz Idea-Ology Product Basket
8x8 Baby Book Kit from Memories by Design
Close to My Heart Gift Basket (Diane Meinhardt)
Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker
Massage Envy Gift Cards
Steak-N-Shake Gift Card
Houlihans Gift Card
Ryans Buffet for Two Gift Card
Ruby Tuesday Gift Card
Two Hour Photo Shoot from Allgood Photography, with disc of all images
Massage Envy Gift Cards


PLUS MORE ITEMS BEING ADDED DAILY!
(New items in red)

You can find the pdf download of the flyer and form at
the NorthBridge Church website

Thursday, May 5, 2011

CANCER UPDATE & CROP-N-SHOP MAY 7

The first thing I am going to say is that I am on narcotics for pain, so this may seem somewhat disjointed, it is hard to think straight when drugs are squirrelling with your mind! I'm going to update everyone with the latest cancer experiences, then talk about our Spring Crop-N-Shop coming up THIS Saturday (May 7), just in time for Mother's Day! [Yes, I'm nuts to go ahead with this but that's me, I can't just sit around and watch the cat hair grow...).

********************

CANCER UPDATE
I'm a bit spacey at the moment, so bear with me. My surgery was scheduled for Friday, April 29th, but I had to go in on Thursday to get a shot of radioactive trackable substance in order for them to determine the closest lymph node that picks up that area so they could do a Sentinel Node Biopsy. If I thought the needle core biopsy was bad, this was worse. It felt like someone injecting hydrochloric acid into the tissue. It burned for five minutes after the shot was done. They had to keep telling me to breathe because you want to hold your breath, it hurts! My surgery was scheduled for 7:45a the next day. Of course that meant I missed most of the Royal Wedding. Sniff. I had a bilateral mastectomy and they took three lymph nodes. Pathology shows no spread, clear margins (since they took both, I would expect that), about as good of a report as you can get and have Breast Cancer! It goes to show, screening mammograms work! They told me it was the smallest cancer they have ever caught with a mammogram. Because it was microinvasive, I do have to see an oncologist, but no radiation and no chemo, but possibly Tamoxifen for the next 5 years. I spent the night at the hospital and came home the next day. I ended up back at the ER on Sunday due to a reaction to either the anesthesia or Percocet. I rashed up good, ran a bit of a fever and had partial numbness of my right foot and leg. At least I got to see the new digs at the ER. VERY NICE!

I am recovering well, in fact, I guess I am doing things that most people can't do at this stage. Since I never saw that list, I never gave it a second thought. I still have drains in, hopefully they come out the first of next week. I am sore, tired and in a bit of pain since I am not able to take the Percocet, but it is bearable and it will soon be better. They start filling the saline temporary tissue expanders the end of May. And that is what I know for now. I want to thank everyone who prayed for me, sent me well wishes, called, came by the hospital, and all the other small things that are so important at a time like this. You all are awesome!

CROP-N-SHOP
This Saturday May 7, which is National Scrapbook Day, we are still hosting our Spring Crop-N-Shop. Diane and Janet have gone well beyond the extra mile to get everything put back together for the store and crop area. Cliff say's I'm just the talking head. :-) We will be having a sale to help reduce stock for the upcoming Summer CHA Show, demoing the StampMaker and the Viva Decor products, and of course showing all the latest Tim Holtz dies and folders. Come over and hang out with us and learn how to make your own "Prima-like" bling embellishments, make your own personalized stamps and check out our future classes. I'm still playing a little catch-up due to the cancer interruption, but we are getting back on track for some pretty fun classes. The store and crop area opens at 10a and will be available until 5p. We've got space at the tables for 12 croppers and crafters, so come on by!

Until then, Happy Crafting!
Vicki

Thursday, April 21, 2011

ANOTHER CHALLENGE

This is certainly a post I never thought I would have to write. Life has been busy lately, but good. So let me tell you my story of the past couple of weeks.

We had our Children's Miracle Network crop a weekend or so ago (April 9), and it is always one of our larger crops that I LOVE to do. This year I donated at Vagabond to be raffled to help raise money for the children, and we demoed the Teresa Collins StampMaker; along with some rockin' Viva Decor products (Pearl Pens, Inka Gold, Paper Pens, Glitter pens, etc.), and it was a success! I had the best time working with the StampMaker and rather enjoyed myself. If you've not seen the StampMaker, it is pretty awesome and SOOO easy to use! Personalization to the max! But while we were setting up for the crop on Friday (the event was Saturday), I had to attend an appointment to hear the results regarding a recent run-in with a mammogram and the needle core biopsy. I just had my routine yearly screening March 30th when they called me back and told me they wanted to do a needle core biopsy of an area that looked suspicious. So on April 6th they did the biopsy and scheduled an appointment for my results for Friday that week, April 8th at 4p. (For those of you with nipple piercings, my hat's off to you, I could NEVER do that, because it felt like someone took an ice pick and jambed it in there!) We were due to set up for the crop at that time, so I sent my husband with a loaded truck and trailer on to the crop since we had limited set up time while I kept my appointment with the radiologist. I honestly thought it was a wild goose chase and a waste of my time when I needed to be somewhere else. Unfortunately, the news they gave me was not what I wanted to hear. I have breast cancer. Small curable breast cancer, so God is watching over me indeed!

Luckily (or more like God watching over me) they caught it at a very early stage. It is considered Stage I Microinvasive DCIS, approx.1cm in size. They do not feel it has spread to the Lymph Nodes yet but they will do a Sentinel Node Biopsy to make sure. Normally, this small of a cancer can be treated with Lumpectomy and Radiation. BUT, because of my Lupus and other connective tissue disorders, I am not a candidate to have radiation (I swell up after only 15 minutes in the sun). This means that I will have to have a complete mastectomy, but I can avoid the radiation and chemo (although chemo will be back on the table should the cancer have spread to he lymph nodes). My head is still reeling, it was the last thing I expected to hear.

I had a meeting with the surgeon this week where we talked about options and outcomes. They feel pretty positive about it, they feel it is curable and for that I am eternally thankful!

I meet with a Plastic Surgeon next week to work out the details, and it appears for now that my surgery will be scheduled for next Thursday or Friday (April 28th or 29th) depending on how it goes with Plastics on Tuesday next week. It will be a skin-conserving mastectomy, and for that I am thankful. I had been somewhat concerned that at the end of the mastectomy on the left side, I would end up looking like a VW Beetle in a bad car wreck with one head light looking up and the other down, you KNOW what age does to a woman! [grin] I was assured that they can take both and do reconstructive surgery to make the girls look normal. I'm hoping for a face lift while I am under (heheheheheh), I should ask for a package deal!

It has all happened so fast, it seems surreal, but I'd rather have it over with than to drag it out. So my prayer warrior friends, pray for me next week! My Sister's sister-in-law just went through all this, although her cancer was much more aggressive. She is doing great now and got engaged over the weekend. Congrats Tacy and Golden! She is going with me to see the plastics guy because she knows all the questions to ask. I can't say how thankful I am to have that kind of support!

This whole C thing has messed with my training schedule, but keep watching! We WILL be doing all of the projects seen at CMN plus starting a stamp club (where you can make your own stamps) and a metal embossing club along with our usual projects.

For those of you with special orders outstanding, we are still waiting on a few backordered LaBlanche Silicone stamps and a few other special orders. Email is going to be the best way to reach me as we'll be screening calls for the next couple of weeks. We are still doing classes as presented at CMN. I'll have details up soon. :-)

It goes without saying, Happy Crafting!
~Vicki

Thursday, December 30, 2010

LIFE IS LIKE A BOX OF CHOCOLATES...YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO GET!

The holidays are always so hectic, but even more so this year because one of my best friends has Stage 4 Gastric Cancer. I've written about this before, but I feel compelled to share a little more. My friend Katie Renz, mother to boy twins Nate & Will who are five and Hunter who is eleven (boy time flies!), and the wife of Kevin, was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 Gastric Cancer. It's a very aggressive cancer too. Currently she is in the hospital (she's been there since Christmas Eve). Today she is getting started on chemo as the cancer is not operable at this time. You can read the details on her blog at katiespaperhaven.blogger.com, where she is journalling about her wild ride with this disease. She started Chemo today (3 types) and most of the side effects are similar to what she is feeling now (lots of nausea and pain, plus needed to be transfused Christmas Eve with blood too). She is in a lot of pain, and it is very difficult to eat (read that as 3 cans of Ensure). She is a fighter and has many loved ones and friends praying for her constantly and lifting her up to God, along with the boys and Kevin. This is one of those times where I wish I could bear it myself, she has so much of her life before her. :-D

I met Katie two years ago when Lori with Clear Dollar Stamps invited all of us on her design team to go to the Winter 2009 CHA trade show In Anahiem (Lori's stamp design team and card/projects team). These are some of my favorite memories, along with the 2010 CHA-W & CHA-S Shows. Angela Beavers came along with us during the 2010 Winter show (I met Angela on the 2009 Artful Cruise to Mexico with Tim Holtz), and we all hit it off and had an awesome time! Ang, Corrine (another cruiser) went to the Chicago show this year and we had a great time there too. You all are my buds!I thought I would share a couple of photos from the shows. We had an amazing time, and we are looking for even more amazing times in the future! Our God is a God of Miracles, we are hoping and praying and believing that the chemo will nuke it all! She's in decent spirits considering how fast all of this is happening. A million times I have wished we lived closer!

So here are a few pics of all of us at various shows.

Nancy Grant & Katie Renz chilling on the SCS couch during the consumer show.

Katie waving to her fans after registering for the CHA-W 2010 show.

Angela and I at the CHA-S 2010 show.

Starting on left, Laurie Wilson, Nancy Grant, Kim Teasdale, Katie Renz, Lori McCroskey and Vicki Conquest (me) eating dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. Tasty!

All of us bugging Steve Posner and taking over his booth! Great guy!

Katie and Nancy at the Cricut booth checking out new dies during consumer show.


I hope you all enjoyed my walk down memory lane! These ladies are five of the most talented people I know,and I am PROUD to call them my friends! Get on over to Lori McCroskey's web site, Clear Dollar Stamps and check out the new stamps and products they are sneak peaking this week, and the new dies that match their stamps. AWESOME!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and truly appreaciate your friends and family. And most of all, don't forget the reason for the season, a baby wrapped in a manger, given to us by the Father to redeem us by His shed blood, risen and interceding for us! What love! God IS the Miracle Man, and we are praying for one now!

Friday, December 3, 2010

GRAPHIC 45 ONCE UPON A SPRINGTIME IS IN!




It's finally here! Graphic 45's new spring line, Once Upon a Springtime is in the store! I LOVE it! Something about Fairies, Butterflies and Flowers makes me happy! The papers are gorgeous, and the backside patterns are beautiful. I have pads in 12x12 and 8x8 as well as 7 of the loose sheets. Now is the time to reserve yours! Supplies are limited! For those attending the 12 Tags of Christmas play dates, you will get extra special pricing on this new line of papers. I don't generally carry lots of loose sheets, but this time I went all out. (heheheh) I also purchased many of the retiring lines of G45 loose sheet papers, so there is a very nice selection of G45 here at the Conquest Keepsakes Paper Studio. In case you didn't know, G45 is retiring Baby 2 Bride, Playtimes Past, Times Nouveau, and Botanica Bella. Some of it is already sold out, so get here early to get the best picks. We also have both sizes of the G45 pads for Perfect Gentlemen, Boardwalk, and Le Romantique, Staple Stickers, Chipboard Buttons and Trim in stock, as well as loose sheets of Renaissance, Domestic Goddess, Fashionista, Communique, Transatlantic, and Christmas Past, & Baby 2 Bride. If you want any of these items, call or email me ASAP, it will be going fast!

We also have Tim's paper pads, along with EVERYTHING Tim Holtz and Ranger. And I do mean EVERYTHING! Don't see what you want? Just ask, we do special orders with discounts. Through Dec. 24th we are offering the Vagabond machine at $199, plus some grungepaper, grungeboard and a TH Bigz die for being patient enough to wait until our next shipment. We sold 5 Vagabond's on Saturday, so get yours today! Patience is a virtue, not a character fault!

Along with G45 papers, we also received some DCWV Mariposa Glitter pads (both sizes and you are going to SWOON when you see it!), 7Gypsies Conservatory papers with accessories, Basic Grey Curio (paper packs in two sizes, matching chipboard, journal notes), Prima Fairy Floral in paper and Journal Notes, Core'dinations Jenni Bolin and Graphic 45, cold-press watercolor paper, Kaisercrafts Carnival, HomeMade and English Rose lines, the Kaisercraft wood cupcake stands, Printer's tray, bookends, drawers, diaries, wood Flourish Words, birds, keys, frames,and snowflakes, Webster's Pages Vintage Netting, Pan Pastels, jewelry findings and beads, ALL Ten Seconds Studio molds, metals and tools, UTEE, melt pot, wax, molding materials, and Maya Road chipboard. Much more than I can list! I receive new stuff every week, come by and check it out!

Don't forget to sign up for CK 12 Tags of Christmas events!

Vicki C

Thursday, December 2, 2010

IT'S THAT 12 TAGS TIME OF YEAR!

Last Saturday's sale was AWESOME! Even though it's a lot of work to get everything tagged and arranged, it is always SO worth the effort! I enjoy nothing better than enabling my friends to get crafty with me, and particularly, giving them a good reason to be excited about crafting. And what could be more exciting than showing off Tim Holtz's Vagabond machine for die cutting and embossing?! NOTHING! :-)

Well, maybe inviting my friends over to do Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas, THAT is exciting in and of itself. If you don't know what the 12 Tags of Christmas are all about, click this link to go to Tim's blog and read all about it and find yourself caught up in the urge to be creative with what you have on hand! (I can see that every sentence I write tonight is going to end up being punctuated with exclamation points.) How else do you get across how fun it is taking something as simple as a #8 manila shipping tag and turning it into your own piece of artful Christmas cheer? The past couple of nights, I've been up when Tim has posted his tag for the day, even though I am supposed to be conducting myself within the realms of good sleep hygiene. Sheesh, that just sounds somehow unclean to say. Why is it called "sleep hygiene?" Why not "sleep habit" or something else less, um, dirty-sounding? The only time I go to bed before midnight or 1am is when I am sick. That's when they should worry. :-) Anyway, seeing the tags go live is exciting for us night owls, and you can follow Mario's BTS Tweets on Twitter for a peak at what is going on "Behind The Scenes" as Tim make's his tags. The best part is learning a ton of techniques new and old using Tim's products, Ranger products, as well as some unusual applications of items you may have just sitting around your craft room.

So, if you are not busy Wednesday, December 8th; Saturday, December 11th, and Monday December 13th, come over to the CK Paper Studio and make your own interpretation of Tim's tags. We're loaded with all kinds of Tim and Ranger goodies, and so much more. LIKE... my Vagabond! Yep, we'll be using the Vagabond to do all our cutting and embossing. We'll be using Tim's Tag Die to cut tags, not to mention using just about every other die and embossing folder handy (and believe me, they are ALL handy!). We'll be spraying, misting, sprinkling, stamping, inking, heating, distressing, cutting, trimming, painting, water-coloring, masking, swiping, edging, drying, laughing, chatting and eating on every one of those dates! Wednesday and Monday start times are 6p, Saturday is 10a. There is no cost for this event, just bring yourself and your trimming stash. The store will be open, so you can buy what you don't have and think you MUST have. Knowing most of you, we pretty much have it all!

On Saturday, December 18 (my hubby had to point out that I was calendar-challenged when I posted to FB about this, Saturday is the 18th, not the 17th as I FB'd), we'll be gathering one last time before Christmas to finish our tags (or make more) or chose from any one of several small projects you can do as great gifts for your friends. Gift Card holders, Alcohol Ink Splattered Ornaments, Candy boxes and the like are on the menu. Give us a call and let us know you are coming to any one of these events, and have a good time fellowshipping with friends and family! Check out the 12 Tags of Christmas and see what you can be inspired to do!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

VICKI'S VANISHING VALUES SENSATIONAL SATURDAY SALE!

I tried to get this posted earlier in the week, but boy does life get in the way sometimes! Anyhoo, if you've been following me on FaceBook, I had a contest to name my big Saturday after Black Friday sale. Up for grabs were over $100 of products from the Conquest Keepsakes Paper Studio store. I received some pretty good suggestions, I wish I could have used them all! But Lois Glossip was the winner with "Vicki's Vanishing Values Sensational Saturday Sale!" I love alliterations, so my hat's off to Lois for coming up with such a cool name! There were some other great ones too, so I felt that everyone who participated in the naming contest (including my far flung friends from Ohio and Texas) should receive a little somethin' somethin' from CKPS! Sometimes you never know what you'll get when you chime in on a contest on FB! So thank you to Candy, Shirley, Lynda, Diane, Kerry, Trae, Angela and Lois for participating! Trae, I need your mailing address, so email or Private Message me on FB with the particulars so I can get you hooked up too! As my friend Candy says, "My Wonder Wall Runneth Over!"

Sooo, what IS Vicki's Vanishing Values Sensational Saturday Sale all about? It's about GREAT DEALS on all your favorite vintage, distressed, metal, bling and paper arts products! Everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING in the store is sensationally priced to move it off my wall and into your hands at unheard of prices! The accountant does not like inventory at the end of the year (!!) and I've got to make room for all the juicy new products that will be rolled out in January at the Craft & Hobby Association trade show. Everything will be at least 30% off and up to 60% off on some items. You REALLY don't want to miss this, as it includes some of the latest Tim Holtz, Maya Road, 7 Gypsies, Graphic 45, Ten Seconds Studio, Tattered Angels, Kaisercraft, and Ranger products, just to name a few! You'll want to get here early for the best selection! NOTHING is exempt from these sale prices except for preview products, BUT if you like what you see of the preview items, you can preorder and receive a 30% discount on Saturday only! (Sorry, this discount does not apply to Tim Holtz's Vagabond.) Does it get any better than this? I will also be demoing the Tim Holtz Sizzix Vagabond die cutter. If you want to see what this gorgeous, mighty cutter/embosser can do, come over and take a test drive! We are the first in Springfield to have the Vagabond, so come check it out!

But wait, there's more! Everyone who shops here on Saturday between 8a and 12 noon, will receive a free gift for taking the time to come over and deplete me of stock! These nifty little spiffs are not old papers/products, they are 2010 release products, including some of the latest items from Maya Road, Tim Holtz, Ranger, 7 Gypsies, and many more! There is NO purchase minimum for these free items. If you spend a penny, you get one (and for my British friends, I am not talking about a free restroom visit). :-) So save a few dollars for Saturday and be sure to get here before Noon so you can add a little extra cheer to your crafty holiday shopping!

Here are just a few of the values you will find here on Saturday (these are on in-stock items only and do not apply to special orders, preview items, or electronic die cutters):

All paper pads and loose sheet papers, 50% off
All chipboard products, 40% off
All soldering products, 50% off
All mists and sprays, 40% off
All dies and embossing folders, 40% off
All embellishments and ribbons, 40% off
All ink products and adhesives, 40% off
All metal working supplies and tools, 50% off
All other tools, 30% off
All jewelry accessories, findings, wire, and chains, 40% off
All wood products, 30% off
All storage products, 50% off
All binding products, 40% off
Plus several bins of onesies and twosies (it could be ANYTHING), 60% off!

My hoarding habit will be your gain on Saturday! All products will be color-coded so you can see at a glance what the discount is. If Brown/FedEx is running on time, we might even have a preview of the new Graphic 45 paper line, Once Upon a Springtime. (No promises, but I do know it has shipped!)

But wait (again, I'm not done), there is even more! If you place a special order (an order for a product I do not currently have in stock that is not a preview item), you'll get a special Saturday-Only discount! It's so sensational, I can't even type it! A great opportunity to shop for the very latest products and save on everything, not just one couponed item! Can we say, Merry Christmas?!

The sale starts Saturday at 8am and goes to 8pm. The "Spend a Penny" free items run from 8a til Noon. So come over and check out the sale, see the classroom space, get a preview of classes to come and enjoy some holiday snacks and cheer! See you Saturday!

Vicki

Saturday, October 16, 2010

TEN SECONDS STUDIO & TIM HOLTZ CONFIGURATIONS R US!

Just a quick post to let you all know that we've received the rest of our Advantus Tim Holtz Idea-ology, which includes all four Configurations, Seasonal and Lost & Found Salvage Stickers, Seasonal Paper Stash and Lavish Trimmings. All pre-orders have been filled and I have a limited quantity of each of these products available...RIGHT NOW! Don't miss out on getting your hands on the highly sought-after Configurations! I also have a limited supply of Tim's Foundations Box Feet, Tissue Tape (all six styles), and other Idea-ology trimmings!

This week we have also received additional Maya Road introduced in July, including: Kraft Mini Tickets Strips, Dollies, and Calendars; Windows, Ornate Tags and Decorative Scrolls Chipboard sets; Tags, Crowns, Antique Keys, and Mixed Scallop Triangle Banner Mini Chipboard sets; Sand, Blueberry and Licorice Maya Mists; Wood Bingo Calendar Numbers; Pennant and Flower Edge Chipboard Albums, Canvas Pennant Album, House Accordian Album, Dollie Transparencies, Resin Blossoms, Vintage Crochet Trim in several styles, Pleated Ribbon in Cream (so you can color it with mists!), along with re-orders of some of your favorites, including the Snowflake Coaster album (which would make a great holiday banner!), Maya Mists, Alphas, etc.

Not to be neglected, we now have all colors of the Tens Seconds Studio metals. In fact, we have EVERYTHING TEN SECONDS STUDIO! I just completed my Certification with TSS products (what a blast that was and will be a separate post of its' own) and, WOW, if you haven't used these products yet, you are truly missing out on one of the most creative mediums available! We carry all the molds, metals, adhesive, tools, etc. of this product line, and many additional products that complement the metals. If you haven't tried Tattered Angels Glitter Glam and Glazes or Ranger Alcohol inks with these metals, you are missing out on MAGIC! I kid you NOT, TOTALLY MAGIC! We carry the Tattered Angels Glimmer Glams and Glazes and Ranger Alcohol Inks (and other products) that we love most to use with the metals. To use a British/Australian term (in honor of my British inlaws who will be here with us next week), I was GOBSMACKED with all the things you can do with these metals and molds! I would exhaust my list of superlatives if I start telling you just exactly how cool this product line is! BTW, hope you have a die cutter of some kind to use with these molds, because you're gonna want one... We recommend the Sizzix Bigshot, but you can use a Provo Craft Cuttlebug too. We don't discriminate...

******

So, along those lines, we have Ten Seconds Studio Technique classes scheduled for October 23 and November 6th here at the Conquest Keepsakes Paper Studio classroom just to show you what all you can do with this product to complement your scrapbooks, projects, altered art and jewelry. These classes will teach you the basics as well as more advanced applications working with Ten Seconds Studio products, plus using complementary products like Tattered Angels and Ranger to produce effects that will knock your knickers off! :-) I'll be posting additonal details and class costs after I clean my house today for the imminent arrival of the inlaws. The British are coming! The British are coming! OK, my historical humor for the day...

******

Now, a suggestion for the significant other in your life that is wondering, "What the heck do I get my (significant person here) for Christmas? I don't understand anything about that crafting stuff!" Get them a Conquest Keepsakes Paper Studio Gift Certificate good for products and classes. Email Vicki for details on how to purchase this one-of-a-kind, collectible [smirk] gift certificate for the crafty person in your life. They can even use it on special orders! Contact info is on the left side of the blog.

Hope you all have a beautiful weekend like mine, full of sunshine, cleaning, dusting, mowing, vacuuming, trimming, dishwashing, cat bathing... Oh, well, maybe not cat bathing. I don't want to be hospitalized before the British arrive... It's bad enough to have to "tamale" Maki for her eye drops.