Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Shocked and Furious

Appearances can be deceiving. This looks like a jack-o-lantern platter that I got at a thrift store for $1.99. It is, but it's also a souvenir of a very negative thrifting experience, something that will remind me to never shop at a particular shop again.

If this post is visible, this means that my email to the overseeing organization has gone unanswered. Services to Enhance Potential (STEP) operates Tried and True Thrift Stores in Wayne and Southgate, MI and employs several adults with disabilities. It's a shop we supported and visited when we could, but not any longer - our last visit was, decidedly, our final one.

On Wednesday, August 24th, my husband and I visited the Tried and True thrift shop in Wayne, MI. On this visit, I didn't fine many items that I wanted, but I had to have the platter pictured here. While we were in the part of the store with the register, we witnessed an employee who appeared to be a manager of some kind berating the other staff. (When we discussed this incident in the car, I found that both my husband and I had determined at this point that we probably wouldn't return.)

A sweet young girl, A-- (name withheld for privacy), checked us out and asked the woman for help with a bag. The woman held open a bag and A-- tried to insert the plate we'd purchased; however, the plate was in a box with an open side and the plate slipped out and fell. The plate wasn't damaged, and we were not upset by this; however, the woman slapped her pretty hard on the shoulder and yelled at her, and I thought the girl was going to cry. We were kind of in shock, or I would have yelled at the manager, but all I could do was assure A-- that there was no harm done and everything was fine.

I beat up myself for awhile afterwards for not yelling at the manager, but later realized that if she would strike an employee in our presence, who knew what she'd do in retaliation after we were gone. Instead, as soon as we got home, I fired off an email to the address listed on their website. I'm writing this post on Friday, but am giving them until Wednesday to respond in some way. Since you're seeing this, they did not respond and I'm going to be taking steps to report this incident to whatever licensing board I can find.

Read More......

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Smash Book - Follow-up Pics

My book is ready for smashing!

  • I made the little case to go with my tablet, but it wasn't quite big enough for everything I needed to carry (reading glasses, microfiber cloth & earphones). I made a replacement for it today and was wondering what to do with the old one. Well, the strap needed to be shortened about an inch and it fit my Smash Book perfectly!
  • The orange polka-dot Washi Paper Tape is from Cute Tape, which had great shipping prices (<$2), and comparable prices on the tape. The green roll is from a pack I got at Michael's Crafts (Martha Stewart line?).
  • The squirrel clips are from Jet Pens.

Read More......

Smash Book


My Smash Book arrived this afternoon. I got the orange one, because it's the "simple" version and you can't see the interior pages before ordering. One of my two favorite colors is orange, so that was also a factor. I'm a little bummed that the pen/glue stick combos only come in black, pink and blue, and none of my faves, but it's still a new venture. If all goes well, I'm sure they'll come up with more.

These actually premiered in the spring, but I'm a bit out of the loop, since I don't scrapbook anymore (these books are big with scrapbookers), but when I heard about them, several thoughts went through my head:
  • I could probably make one. But they're only $12.99 each, so it wouldn't hurt to get the official one and try it out.
  • This would be a good exercise to get away from all things digital. Nothing wrong with digital, but I'm online a lot. I used to be the person who collected ephemera: ticket stubs, fortune cookie slips, etc.. Mostly, I kept it in a box, but sometimes I stuck it up on bulletin boards, etc. I can't remember the last time I held onto a movie ticket.
  • I am SO getting one for my niece for Giftmas. Maybe my nephew, too. (She's 13 & he's 9.) It's good to have plans for a couple of gifts already.
 This book seems very solid and well-put-together. If I felt the need to make my own, it wouldn't be to save money (time is worth money and it would take a lot of time to make one), but if I wanted a highly customized version, then it might be fun.

The thing is...I'm a little intimidated by it. Where do I start? What do I put in it? I'm going to spend a little time on the blog to get some inspiration.

There's a demo video, if you want to see more. Once I stop holding my breath and start smashing stuff into the book, I'll post again.

Read More......

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Reopening the Etsy shop for a limited time

I've temporarily opened my Etsy shop and have added a variety of items, mostly related to crafting. Here are just a few items:

Bag and Pouch Mosaic 1

I've also added some button stitch markers and twine dispensers. All purchases of knitting-related items come with a free stitch marker. Thanks for looking!

Read More......