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I've been shopping at Stamper's Corner in Elk Grove for 20 years and just got an email that they are closing! So sad. My stamping addiction...er career began with them. There was no explanation as to why the closure but I'm guessing business just slowed down for them. The internet as wonderful as it is has really impacted so many small businesses.

Oh bummer! I really liked that store the 3-4 times I'd been!

Fingers crossed The Island stays open, but she's talking about retiring to Mexico but she just turned 50 so hopefully we have a few more years!

I dug through my email and did not find one from them. This is sad. Although not surprising at all.

When I went over there during Scramp Camp in September, I could tell that something was up. None of the items I was looking for were in stock. There were empty shelves where those items should be and it just appeared that they had lost interest. Lots of gossiping between the employees in the back room. When I returned to Camp, I told Lucy that I thought they were going to be closing soon. I guess I was right. Sadly.

Even though my Dixon store is 40 miles away, it's the best thing going for me. Although, I am extremely guilty of Internet shopping which is not good for these businesses. I suppose I want the best of both worlds.

It's always sad when a LSS closes, or any local crafting business.

Yep saw the same signs over the last few months. I got regular emails regarding classes and seats still available the day before the class was to happen. Their sale starts today. 20% off everything, 30% off with cash. Fixtures too. "Everything must go". It will probably be a zoo there today.

My email came at 7:19 last night.

I'm sorry to hear that; Pat Miller took me there when I visited her in 2013. Back then it was a great store. I'm lucky enough to have an LSS fairly close to me, which the gal runs out of her converted garage. Aside from the instant gratification of being able to bring your purchases home with you, those were the places to be able to take in-person classes, etc. But I, too, shop online; there's only so much any single store can carry, and because of the internet we're exposed to it all.

I believe there's still a scrapbook store in this little town I'm currently working in, although it was a pretty sad place when I was in last year. Perhaps this weekend I'll have a chance to scope it out. It's attached to a camera/astronomy shop - I think he has those businesses while she has the scrapbook store - so I'm pretty sure it's still open.

Oh, Keitha, you know Pat Miller????
She sat next to me at Scramp Camp.

So this vulture in me made me go to the store's closeout sale today. I'm really excited about what I bought shown in first photo. I found a Taylored Expressions die set that goes to my Sunflowers stamp set. Didn't realize it existed. Besides the dies I also found this very cute TE cactus and die set shown in the first card which I also used some HA cacti stamps for the background. The second card uses dies from three different die sets also acquired today. The dots are a metallic pink Nuvo Crystal Drops. It was fun to just randomly play with the new dies without really thinking about what I was going to do with them. After this weekend's birding obligations I'll get serious and play more with these toys and the Distress Oxide.

Though it's just the second day of their sale it's looking empty. Very depressing. Sales people weren't looking very happy. All of them have worked there for many years. Hard to think what they're going to do now.

I think my splurge will hold me for a long time.

Farley, is there a lot of difference between Nuvo drops and Perfect Pearls? I keep looking at them but haven't jumped yet.

Our LSS closed almost 6 years ago. I really miss the chance to take classes and actually look at what I'm buying. She had a brick and mortar store as well as online sales, and was making a pile of money. Her @#$% husband didn't like the fact that she was independent of him and building a support group. The jerk. Sad to say, but she may have closed at the right time since the big box and online stores cut into the LSSs so badly.

Funny thing is, and I think we observed this a long time ago, if we combined all of our "stuff" in one building we could open a scrapping super-store.

Looks like some good purchases Farley, how cool to find a matching die. That's hard to do sometimes when you know they are out there and you are trying to find them!

I also felt a bit like a vulture the two last times I visited Stamp Art Shoppe. At 75% off, I simply couldn't resist many things. I left spending about $80 but you can do the math. Oh, my.

The gal in front of me bought $85 worth of colored card stock by the sheet. First of all, picture how long that took to count out. Secondly, picture how high that stack of cardstock was. I don't know how she carried it.

Great finds, Farley. Jelly of the cacti stuff.

pbp908 wrote:Farley, is there a lot of difference between Nuvo drops and Perfect Pearls? I keep looking at them but haven't jumped yet.

Our LSS closed almost 6 years ago. I really miss the chance to take classes and actually look at what I'm buying. She had a brick and mortar store as well as online sales, and was making a pile of money. Her @#$% husband didn't like the fact that she was independent of him and building a support group. The jerk. Sad to say, but she may have closed at the right time since the big box and online stores cut into the LSSs so badly.

Funny thing is, and I think we observed this a long time ago, if we combined all of our "stuff" in one building we could open a scrapping super-store.

Pam I don't know about the difference. I've never used Perfect Pearls. Just Stickles and that is similar. I think it takes some practice so it doesn't look like a bunch of blobs like it does on my cacti. Keitha gave me my first bottle and I liked it so I took advantage of two new colors to add to my collection.

Jen the set is really cute. I want to play with it more and use Copics. That one I made I used colored pencils and I'm not thrilled with my coloring. I do better with the AI markers.

Just in case...

https://www.tayloredexpressions.com/loo ... combo.html

Thanks so much for the link, Farley. But I have purchased two cactus sets this month already, one from Paper Smooches and two cactus stencils and of course, the cactus fold-a-long die set. I'll have to pin this one and think about it. I'm on the edge of ordering all of Stephanie's succulents2stamp. And, of course, there's Club Scrap's Succulents kit. Everyone has gone crazy with cacti and succulents. Not a moment too soon, in my opinion. A heckuva lot better than the moustache craze a few years back.

ScrappinJen wrote:Thanks so much for the link, Farley. But I have purchased two cactus sets this month already, one from Paper Smooches and two cactus stencils and of course, the cactus fold-a-long die set. I'll have to pin this one and think about it. I'm on the edge of ordering all of Stephanie's succulents2stamp. And, of course, there's Club Scrap's Succulents kit. Everyone has gone crazy with cacti and succulents. Not a moment too soon, in my opinion. A heckuva lot better than the moustache craze a few years back.

Found something for you at Blue Moon Scrapbooking, Jen.... https://bluemoonscrapbooking.com/cactus ... -stickers/

pbp908 wrote:Farley, is there a lot of difference between Nuvo drops and Perfect Pearls? I keep looking at them but haven't jumped yet...

The Nuvo drops are more the consistency of Glossy Accents or Ranger's Enamel Accents. Although they are translucent and the Enamel Accents are opaque, but they seem to work the same way. If you want the Nuvo Crystal drops to flatten more like enamel dots you need to tap your finger against the back of the paper when you squeeze the dots out, or they will stay more round.