Thursday, December 30, 2010

Day 5, Shop Hop Sale, Vintage Designs Promo Details, Samples & CHA News!

Hi Everyone,

Tomorrow will be the last day of our annual Shop Hop Sale which runs until midnight Jan 31/10. Each year we take part in this event and offer fun specials with free shipping all week in our online store. Plus – every customer will be emailed a special download link to some free goodies that will be on our new Creating with Vintage Designs CD's! See samples below

Besides getting the link to the digital promo, any orders over $15.00 placed today will also receive a free sheet of our Valentine Love Stickers and orders over $50.00 can choose 1 item between 19 of our Small Clear Art Stamp Sets or 9 Vintage Booklets! * Please add your choice to message box in online store if you qualify.


Today is also the last day to enter our Contest by submitting one or more of your favorite projects using any of our products! I'm going to post the entries on Friday and will announce two $25.00 gift certificate winners. Please email your entries to me at: sandy@craftysecrets.com

I want to show you some samples DT leader Vicki Chrisman made today using designs included in our free promo that all Shop Hop orders will be emailed. There are 8 separate files in the download. I've held off emailing it out as I wanted to show some ideas first of what you can do. Vicki just opened the Damask jpg file and printed the design on white cardstock for this LO and used other supplies from her craft room along with paper from our Classic Paper Pad, assorted Artsy Banner stamps and our ABC Top Hat Alphabet stamps.


Here she printed the same damask design onto some colored cardstock. Imagine the black on red for Christmas or Valentines and the versatility to print on various mediums such as fabric or vellum! Most photoshop type programs will also allow you to change the black to a custom color. There will be several designs on the first CD; Creating with Vintage Papers including more damasks, sheet music, text, florals, etc. as well as basic instructions, inspiring samples and tips & tricks. Available for sale mid February with a Typography and Image CD's to follow.


All of the new CD's we are working on will also include templates and patterns for creating all sorts of fun projects. On the free download there is a card template for a A4 size bulky cards as well. You can print the template on the back of any pattern paper or cardstock you have printed to make it easy to cut out.

  On this sample, Vicki printed the Aged Birdy Sheet Music on white paper to decorate a plain book cover and added ribbon and a rose. There is a jpg and a png of this design on the download. Both file types will be on these CD's as digi scrappers like png files because you can make them transparent. See png files explained on Wikipedia.


Here are a few more peeks and some of the design are in both card and page size.


This has been a crazy hectic week with our sale, limited staff and working on new product releases and I apologize for not emailing every person back.

NEWS: This will be our first time not to attending the CHA Wholesale Show in Los Angeles as I've decided to take a stand and protest the high drayage charges and other excessive exhibitor costs. (over $700.00 drayage just to bring 2 skids from the shipping door to our booth), not to mention the shipping from WA to CA and back, airfare, hotel, staff, etc. seems a bit ridiculous. We are going invest the savings into several promotions to help retailers.

We’ve been exhibitors at the show for 7 years so this was not an easy decision. We will be hosting a Crafty Secrets Online Wholesale Trade show Jan 17 to Feb 2, 2011 with fabulous Show Specials, free printable projects, an online class, videos and more! I would be so grateful if you passed the date on to your favorite retailer!

We do really want to support the retailers we sell to, so you can also buy our products from your favorite retailer and fax or email us a receipt (before Jan 1, 2011) and we will email you the free digital download file.

Okay, to finish off I have a fantastic sample to share with you that DT member Pam Hooten just sent me.  Look at the rooster card she created with our new Farm Chicks Clear Art Stamp Set! You can see the card and get the details HERE on Pam's Blog.



See you again tomorrow!

Sandy Redburn

Owner
Crafty Secrets

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This Blog: http://heartwarmingvintage.blogspot.com
Our Website: www.craftysecrets.com
Toll Free Phone or Fax 1-888 597-8898
Local Phone 604 597-8817

Crafty Secrets Head Office
15430 78 A Ave.,
Surrey, BC V3S 8R4

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250 H. Street, #436
Blaine, WA 98230

14 comments:

Kathy/NorthCarolina said...

Sandy....I just love everything CS does. Sorry to hear you won't be at CHA this year. I've told so many of my friends about your products. I don't have a local retailer, but I do love that Shopatron! Happy New Year!

Linda said...

So sorry to hear you won't be attending CHA, but I certainly understand. With those added cost, you have no other choice but to increase the prices of your products. With the economy the way it is I am not so sure increase prices on your products would be a wise thing to do. I applaude you and your company. Their is no reason for the cost to be so enormous. Everyone wants to make all the money they can on any and every convention. I understand this is the only way some make their living as well, but still. Hope you have a very prosporious New Year!!

Cynthia said...

The Vintage CD samples are so inspiring. Thanks for sharing them! I'm looking forward to playing with these files. I hope to visit my LSS tomorrow in Anchorage (Stamp Attic)and will be sure to share your online convention dates. I like to support our local retailers as well.

Linda S. said...

Dear Sandy,
I wanted to write to offer my support on your decision not to attend CHA next year. I'm sure it was a very difficult decision. My craft budget is being stretched thin for the coming year, so I will appreciate any and all savings you can offer your customers.
Linda S. in NE

miss He said...

Hi Sandy,
I placed an order online on this Monday (12/27) for the special sale, but i never received any email for the special download link from Creating with Vintage Designs CD that you mentioned in the post. Can you email the link to me, or I will receive it with my order?
Anyway, Happy New Year to you!

Julia said...

Dear Sandy,
Just wanted to say kudos for boycotting the excessive exhibition costs...companies in other industries are facing the same issues. As a manager responsible for our attendance at shows in the cable television industry, I know the financial challenges for small companies wanting to exhibit at these shows--although we are a mid-sized company, the cost/benefit of attending shows in some markets has become untenable. Unfortunately, LA, Chicago, and Orlando are some of the highest. We have even purchased furniture and accessories and donated them after the show, rather than paying more to rent.

My husband, a small manufacturer in his industry, has opted to forego shows for the same reason that you have...and use the savings to help keep down costs for his customers. Sometimes our only vote is with our dollar.

Thanks and much success in 2011!
Julia

Angela said...

I love your products and wish our store Mangelsen's in Omaha still carried them.
I don't know if you realized your blog shows the sale til 1/31/11 rather than 12/31/10. Also when I go to shopping cart it still shows s&h - is there a special promo code to use in the checkout to remove the s&h?

debbiek said...

I applaud you Sandy in your decision not to attend the winter CHA show. Those prices are insane! I love your products and wish you the best. My local retailer has started carrying your items and I'm THRILLED to pieces over it. Best wishes to you and your company. Your design team is outstanding too;)

Gail said...

$700?? You've GOT to be kidding me! that's way too high! Good for you. I'm sure it was a hard decision. LOVE LOVE LOVE the print! so beautiful!

Anonymous said...

I HIGHLY respect your decision to not attend CHA for the reasons you stated. I teach paper art classes and the high cost of everything, everywhere, is insane! My class enrollments have declined over the last several years, because of the terrible economy. People who would normally travel to my classes are not able to afford to travel much anymore- retired people who once used the interest funds from their CDs for recreation now need the extra funds just to live.
I am in constant seek of ways to re-invent myself in the paper crafting world. I love your company and your designs and the fact I can find those beautiful papers every year. I never tire of the beautiful classic design or the good value they provide to me in my designs. Thank you!
-Becs Middleton

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Peggy Houston, TX said...

I support your position on CHA and say kuddos for taking a position. That's what we have to do when things get out of hand. Now I'm going to put my $ behind you!

Quilts by Grammy said...

I absolutely LOVE THE SAMPLES!! Can't wait to see your email updates every time I get them :)
Hoping I win the ALiCE SET!!!

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