For our inaugural "10th year" event, we had booked Justin Timberlake for an appearance (he loves to emboss!) but what with the break-up and all...well, his heart wasn't going to be in it and if we can't have 100% of Justin, really, what's the point?

So, instead, on Wednesday, January 10th, with any purchase, you will receive a pre- sewn, ready-to-decorate paper bag book, along with an assortment of pre-cut 6x6 decorative paper. (One per customer.) This is a great beginning to a fun project that goes together quickly. We will have a number of the finished books here as samples. And remember, its free! So come in and help us start the tenth-year celebration.

In addition, there will be a one-day 75% off sale..we will rearrrange the store a bit so that the sale items are right up front. We are making room for all the new stuff that I am going to order at the winter CHA show (That's the buyers' show in Anaheim, CA at the end of the month.) There will be lots of new and different items in this sale area...definitely worth a look!! It will happen on Wednesday, January 10th-- one day only. And remember, on Wednesdays, we are open until 9 pm.

We will be here come rain or come snow. Plan to get here early before anything even gets started. Or, wait til it's all over. Either way, Wednesday will be a very good day to drop in on us here at AbsolutelyEverything!

Usually nothing stirs a mom's heart more than the prospect of making, or "helping" to make 24 or 25 valentine cards. And we usually hear the night before they are due into school that "darling" wants to participate this year. (Sometimes, there's even a box that needs to be created!)

So, as in past years, this year I will again be putting together what we call a "Class Pack" to help in that specific situation. From the class pack you will be able to make 25 similar valentines. We actually create the design for you. There will be multiple options, some quick & easy, others more elaborate and fancy. Some will include the stamp and ink. Others may have a punch in them. All will have 25 cards and envelopes.

You will see these packs begin to appear on the shelves around January 17th. That's one month before Valentine's day. Pre-reservations will be accepted.

On Saturday, January 13th, Jenn Shurkus will be here for 2 classes and a free demo. The demo will run from noon to 1 pm. All who come to the demo will have their names entered for a prize drawing.

There will also be a prize given out, randomly, in each of the classes. If you come to the demo and like what you see and would like to stay for the class, Jenn has agreed to accept any last-minute sign-ups.

Amuse Rubber stamps are simply drawn images that lend themselves to quick and easy, yet elegant, cards or projects. This whole line makes a nice addition to our collection.

It was a real treat to have an unplanned visit with Bernie Berlin, author and artist. Bernie wrote the book Artist Trading Cards Workshop and, in fact, brought along quite a few of her own cards to share with us. She also demo'ed a cool technique for creating art from magazine pages. If you missed this visit with Bernie, be sure to mark your calendars for her return visit in April, on the weekend of the 21-22- 23. Her samples will be arriving shortly. Watch future e mail letters for updates with the details of her classes. Sign-ups will start as soon as the samples arrive.

We invite everyone of you to participate in the upcoming "Art Show #10, so-called because it is a celebration of ten years in business and ten years in art!!! Here's how it works. You design and create an artful work:scrapbook page, mini-book, altered book layout, altered canvas, artful canvas, lamp (Lamp??, really??) table, clothing, gloves, hat, purse, suitcase, art box...I could go on for a very long time. Suffice it to say, we will accept any artful endeavor(with the possible exception of a repeat of the naked blow-up doll that we received in our last contest in the old store. We finally had to let the air out after a 5 year old boy was poking his finger strategically.) So, as you can see (almost) anything goes.

Please keep your finished piece at home until June 15th. We will hang the art show, or position it, or display it, beginning the week of June18th. And we will keep it up over the whole summer. At the end of the summer all art pieces will be returned to the owners. We are hoping that lots of visitors from out- of-town will stop by to see the show.

We would love to have you help us celebrate our first ten years in business. Please come in and ask us any questions about this. We can even get you started with some good ideas. (OK, really they are great ideas!)

.

January is always a good time for resolutions (making them, that is...not necessarily keeping them.) But in the spirit of being successful in what we attempt, I offer the following organizational ideas.

Let's get the photos organized this year. Get that bag/box out from under the bed. Pick one of those snowy days to do this.

Here's what you can have on hand ahead of time to make this go quickly and end up with a usable system: permanent marker, white address labels, any type of photo storage boxes ,or, about 30- 6 x 9 manila envelopes.

Now, the easiest thing to do is just to be chronological. Set the photos in the year they belong to. Guess when necessary. You probably won't be far off. Do this by simply making piles. Once you have all of, say, 1985 (some of us are a little more behind than others...) put them into a manila env, use 2 or 3, or more if necessary, label the outside (on the address label)with the year.

For now, put these manila envelopes into a large bin or drawer. At this point, the best place to start is with the most recent photos. If you do them now, (put them into scrapbooks, make mini-books as gifts, use in altered art) and then do each roll of film as it comes into the house, you will never get further behind!!!

Now, you can set a goal. At least you know where all the photos are. My goal for this project, once I get sorted, is to do a holiday album. Then I will do a little more chronologically, then another special project, maybe a canvas for one of the boys' rooms. Then, more chronological stuff. This way, I don't feel like I cannot do anything else until I am finished with the whole chronological thing

It's amazing how overwhelming it is to have photos everywhere, yet want them all together in a book so the family can enjoy them. After all, that's probably the reason we took the photos in the first place. Give this a try. I'll touch base with you next month to see how it's going, and maybe offer some more ideas.

At the show that I am attending in CA, at the end of this month, I will make it a special project to look for some good and inexpensive photo storage systems. Upon my return, I will pass the info on to all of you and we can, and we will, get organized in 2007!!

So, just picture me, on the floor of my den, surrounded by boxes and boxes and bags of photos, all different sizes, colors, and shapes. Some of them are even bent! or torn! Yikes. I am not going out to fancy dinners, Broadway shows, hollywood premieres. I am not off on a ski trip, down in the Bahamas, or off to hike the Andes(its summer there). I am sitting on the floor, sorting photos and planning my next great art project with these very photos. So, it's January 8th today. My goal--fully sorted by February 28th (where's leap year when you need it??) Join me- -we have 8 weeks or so. And remember, you are not alone in this. Many of us are doing it!!

Wow, that was a long "idea." So, no pressure, there is plenty of time to get this done. Do a little each week. Don't sort out the photos within each year, just put it in the pile and go on to the next photo. We'll cross that bridge later.