United with Ukraine

A Quick Check-In

So, the main portion of our Going Out of Business Sale is over. BUT ... we still have a LOT of merchandise left, so we're going to do two three-day sales starting next week, so get rid of as much of the overstock as possible. We're busy packing everything into 100 piece bags and the bags are priced to sell at close to what a single 20-pack had been selling for at the beginning of this year. We think they'll go well. Right now, however, the store looks like a bomb went off in it - cartons and bins everywhere, beads over every horizontal surface. I'm also missing a key for one of the display cases that I ABSOLUTELY MUST find before long. I have someone who bought those display cases, and I need to clear the goods from them so that she can pick them up next week, or the week after. Nothing ever goes smoothly in the life of me - LOL. Have an excellent day, I'm off to grab a bite to eat, then head over to the shop.

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United with Ukraine

Sunday Was Quieter, But Intense

Sunday was a bit of a catch-up day. We certainly had customers. I had one gentleman I had been helping with Native American pottery come in. I had met him about two weeks ago, and he's a serious collector who was interested in several of the pots we had available. He ended up purchasing three, and that was a VERY nice sale. I was quite grateful. 


Sunday was slower, though. We didn't open until noon, and closed at 4:00 pm. Today we're back on "normal" schedule. We'll see how "Week 2" starts out. I miss being in daily contact with all of you, but it is what it is. *hugs*

United with Ukraine

A VERY Quick Post

Just popping in VERY quickly to say I'm still alive, and the sale is going REALLY well. But there's still a lot of time ahead of me before we lock the doors for the final time. A long-time customer and Ren Fest friend has jumped in to help us. She's come after her gils have left for school, and worked for most of the day jelping put product back onto the racks. SO IMPORTANT. i DON'T KNOW WHAT i WOULD DO WITHOUT HER. Right now, though, it's one day at a time. Don't worry about me if I don't post for a while. We're that busy. *Hugs* to all! Slava Ukraini.

United with Ukraine

Tools and Software - A Busy Weekend Moving Into a Busy Monday

Happy Monday to all. After my run this morning, I grabbed my point driver and set about anchoring the small kachina paintings I've been framing into their frames. I cut the glass on Saturday, so I was ready to finish things up. EXCEPT ... *sigh* ... the Framedriver tool I'm using doesn't have enough power to penetrate the frame. *sigh* I'm picking up my next frame on Wednesday. I'll have to ask Rook if he has any suggestions for me. It might just need a tension adjustment, but I'd like to get the pieces finished and ready to sell.


I know there is a tension adjustment knob at the back of the point driver. I may have to adjust that to get enough power for the points to insert into my frame.
I know there is a tension adjustment knob at the back of the point driver. I may have to adjust that to get enough power for the points to insert into my frame.
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United with Ukraine

LJ Idol and Framing - Closing the Shop Meant Making Some Decisions

I'm not a quitter, and I love a challenge (and a great group of competitors and friends), but I'm pulling out of LJ Idol effective immediately. With our trying to close the store this year, and the amount of sheer hours I'm having to put into the shop to make this happen, I simply don't have the time to write a quality piece for submission. I refuse to post anything but my best. So, my post for this week was my withdrawal notification, and I'm quite sad about that on the one hand, and a bit relieved on the other.


I'm both sad and happy at my decision to pull out of LJ Idol. I'm sad because I love the challenge of writing to Gary's themes (he's EVIL when it comes to his theme choices). I'm happy because I simply don't have the time for Idol this time around, and I can't feel guilty about that - it's purely a fact.
I'm both sad and happy at my decision to pull out of LJ Idol. I'm sad because I love the challenge of writing to Gary's themes (he's EVIL when it comes to his theme choices). I'm happy because I simply don't have the time for Idol this time around, and I can't feel guilty about that - it's purely a fact.
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United with Ukraine

It's Monday, It's Muggy and It's Hot - What Else is New? LJ Idol?

Happy Monday. It's the start of a new week of trials and tribulations. Guaranteed. I need to get going on getting items matted and shrink wrapped, but the time available for this is minimal, at best. I may have to start going in for several hours on Sunday mornings just to get everything moving. That won't make me super happy, but it might be exactly what it needs to be.


I'm feeling crunched for time and time is most definitely NOT on my side. There's too much to do and too little time in which to do it.
I'm feeling crunched for time and time is most definitely NOT on my side. There's too much to do and too little time in which to do it.
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United with Ukraine

Sometimes I'm a Stupid Git!

I was at the shop until almost 8:00 pm yesterday night, wrapping up this large Swarovski crystal order I'm sending to the West Coast. I got the day ended, then I started the sale, and finally had everything entered into the computer and was ready to plug in her credit card number, box the merch up, and send it on its' way today. EXCEPT ... like an idiot, I hadn't asked for, nor noticed that she hadn't included the three digit CVV number from the back of the credit card. *sigh*


The CVV number, three digits on Visa and MasterCard, four digits on AMEX, is the Card Verification Value number. (I bet you didn't know what CVV stood for, right?)
The CVV number, three digits on Visa and MasterCard, four digits on AMEX, is the Card Verification Value number. (I bet you didn't know what CVV stood for, right?)
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United with Ukraine

Life, Computers and Swimming - Little Complications

My desktop computer isn't operational today, so I'm stuck with the laptop. This makes things quite a bit less convenient for me. I think it's a minor problem - the ON/OFF switch isn't working properly. Hopefully my Computer Guru will be available to take a look at it. But I'll be writing my daily blog from the laptop for several days, probably, and it's not quite as "user friendly" to me as my desktop computer is.


My main computer setup is quite similar to this (and so is DH's setup - we have the same computer models that Dale built for us years ago). I think it's operating just fine, just the switch failed. It should be an easy fix, if he's got the time to deal with it. I'm "off" today, so driving it up to him in the far northern suburbs.
My main computer setup is quite similar to this (and so is DH's setup - we have the same computer models that Dale built for us years ago). I think it's operating just fine, just the switch failed. It should be an easy fix, if he's got the time to deal with it. I'm "off" today, so driving it up to him in the far northern suburbs.
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