Shopping (or even more Miscellaneous!)

Good evening from So. Florida! Hope your day was good. We had a wonderfully huge breakfast at a local place called The Frogpond. Their omelets are so large, we each brought over half of ours home. I had a Western Omelet and it was positively delicious. Great coffee too.

After taking the granddogs outside for a little break, we went to my all-time favorite JoAnn's Store. It's about an hour away from where DD lives now - but close to where she used to live. It's probably one of the biggest, nicest & well stocked of any JoAnn Store I've ever been in. Did we take coupons? Of _course_ we did. Three of them! Then while I wandered, DH & DD went off to another store. He came back to see if I had finished, so I was able to give him a nice deep edge MS punch that I don't have. He used one coupon. Lots of the DCWV paper packs were on sale 40% off, and of course I need more paper (NOT). But hey, one can't pass up a sale. I also found some things I liked in the art department. Last night I watched a Youtube showing how THoltz uses reinker & also the distress paints to fill his palette plates, lets the medium dry, then rehydrates it. It keeps like this forever, he said.  Well, his palettes are not too cheap. I found two $5.99 covered palettes (36 wells in each) that hold cake water colors. Decided I can prise out the cakes if I don't want 'em, use the palettes for the reinker/paint techniques. You know I'm always trying to get better with the water coloring effort. I used a coupon on a large MS deep edge punch, but there was one more that I found. The very nice salesclerk let me use 2 coupons, but rang them up as a separate order. I guess she felt sorry for me when she found out I was a traveler and we don't have such a nice store in my area! Some checkout people would not have been so nice, but my thought is: the store is still making $$$, so why not???But I know rules are rules so I don't argue with the sales staff about such.

When we were here at Christmas I couldn't find any 'local' stamp places. This morning while waiting to leave for the day, I googled scrapbook/stamp stores near our area. A couple turned up, and one was about half hour away. DD suggested that we best call to be sure it was still open...so she did that. Yes, they were. We hit JoAnn's first, as it was the longest distance from home, and the stamp store was open until 8pm tonight. Very carefully wrote down the address & phone number. Later this afternoon, we're on our way to the stamp store, and I can't find the address (nor do I remember it!). Fortunately DD had used her cell to call earlier, so the number was still available, and she called to find out the address. There's no 'free parking', and I only had 2 quarters on me..so that got us 30 minute parking time. Once I got inside, and saw the lovely goodness, I had to ask one of the staff to change some bills, cause I _knew_ I'd be there more than 30 minutes.

The store is called Whimso Doodle, in St. Petersburg and it was very well stocked, organized, and the 2 lady staffers were most helpful. They didn't have a great variety of stamps (no Memory Box dies either, which you know I love!), but lots of Tim Holtz stamps/products, Dian Reavely stamps/products, Stampendous/Deep Red/Hero Arts, etc.  and I was able to find some new stencils for using with Dylusions. (along with a bunch of other stuff!). Also found some neat embossing effects supplies, Acrylic Silks - which are new to me, and .., _more paper packs_. I am trying to confine myself to getting 6x6 packs because I can work with them easier. I'm not so adept with the larger designs. Of course I only scratched the surface of what the store stocked, so if you are in the St. Petersburg area, by all means, plan a visit. You won't be disappointed. I think it is probably more of a scrappers' store than a stampers' store, BUT - there's plenty for a cardmaker!

Thanks for joining me today. I just tried to pay some reciprocal visits, and now I think I'll go out to sit and enjoy some good breezes. Ya'll come back when you can. Hugs