News

HERE COMES AUTUMN!

I hope you had a wonderful summer. We have been so busy here in the office! The first thing I would like to do is let everyone know the pattern packets that have been released as of this week! Cindi will make an official announcement on the website, but I figured the newsletter would be a good chance for me to let everyone know ahead of time! She will have photos along with the titles so you can see the actual design! They are as follows:

1E     Autumn Charm
10A Cheep Housing
28E   Let it Snow
40D   Snowy Trails
44A   Vintage Collection

I have new patterns that will be submitted for conventions, but at the same time; they can be taught by my certified teachers, as well as being taught by me! As a matter of fact, we have booked the Clarion Hotel here in Buffalo for a special seminar scheduled for December 1^st and 2^nd. Cindi has details on the website if you are interested. This will be the last seminar of the year.

FAMILY NEWS!

As of December 1^st my husband Ralph is retiring from EDS! We have a lot of plans for him in the business! We are looking forward to his assistance with things like the website [the forum needs constant removal of “trash” postings that we haven’t figured out how to filter as of yet]. Cindi and I have been so busy with traveling and mail orders; she has a hard time going in to clean up those offensive postings. I figure it would be a good job for Ralph to do a few times a day along with trying to fix this problem!

We had a very small family reunion this August. My sisters and brother along with their families came in with my parents and we spent several days catching up! We have not all been together in over 10 years. With us all over the US, it is hard to schedule time together. It was so wonderful and the time went by way too fast.

BUSINESS NEWS!

I have been associated with KopyKake for well over 15 years, and we have had a wonderful working relationship. The projectors that they manufacture for me are a really BIG part of my technique and classes. You have noticed over the years that brush prices have gone up, glass prices have changed and even paint and spray prices fluctuate. This is common in the industry, and now- projector prices will rise. We have not had a price change in all of the years I have been working with KopyKake. As of November 1^st, they raised my pricing by 15.00. We have not passed this increase onto our customers as of yet. If you are thinking about making a purchase of one of these machines, do not wait too long! I am not sure when we are going to make the price change effective, but it will probably be in the not too distant future. We are discussing how much of an increase we will add. Most of you have purchased your machine at the special we offer at seminars and trade shows, so even if the prices rise, they will still have that special pricing offered; it will be just a bit higher.

CLASSROOM REMINDER!

I have mentioned this in all of my seminars, but so may people are not aware of this fact, so I want to mention it in this newsletter to hopefully reach students before they come to take a class with me! When and if you sign up to take a seminar with me whether it be a class through a chapter, shop, or at convention you always are welcome to bring a camera, tape recorder, or video recorder into my classroom. My goal or objective as a teacher is to arm you with as much information and experience with my technique as possible. When I demonstrate taking the tech pen apart and filling it or cleaning it, so many people tell me that they cannot remember the steps. A small tape recorder or video recorder will allow you to capture those tricks I incorporate in my seminars. Reviewing them later, when you are trying to mentally go through the steps I outlined; will be a lot less stressful! PLEASE keep this in mind when preparing to come to class with me. You should always ask your instructor if this is allowed, there are not a lot of us teachers that allow this to be done, so just do not assume it is acceptable.

CERTIFICATION SEMINAR SCHEDULED

Cindi and I have just secured a date and location for the next certification after the New Year. When my husband and I finalized his retirement plans, we discussed my holding certifications in other areas than my home town. Now that we will be spending more time together, it will not be as hard for me to travel and be gone for 5-6 days holding certification in other parts of the US and Canada. The first one for after January is scheduled for March 12^th through the 16^thin Buffalo, NY. Details will be posted to the website very soon. I was asked to hold a certification in Branson MO, so that will be put onto the calendar as well.

Just a bit of info on the program- we are still screening people that want to participate in this teacher training. The location of teachers and their activity level is part of this screening. I do not want to put too many active teachers in one location. There is a 50 mile limit at this time. If a teacher wants to participate, he or she cannot be within this radius of another ACTIVE teacher. Many people have taken the certification, but are not actively teaching. This will be taken into consideration. Our goal is to reach as many people as possible to share this method with. My teachers that are active are doing a wonderful job of getting the word out. Please email or call us for more information if you are interested in joining us!

IN CLOSING

I want to thank everyone that has kept in touch with us for your kindness and support. As we are looking forward to the New Year, I hope to share more tricks with you, and as I learn more of these secrets myself, I want to pass them on to everyone! I am still learning, and as teachers we cannot stop exploring new avenues for creating!

Please keep in touch, visit the forum, and add your thoughts. With my traveling as much as I am, this is a great way to communicate with each other when I am not around to answer questions. I apologize for the junk postings that are there right now, but I am sure we can figure out a way to eliminate them. Please be patient…December 1^{st
[and Ralph]} is right around the corner!! (:o)

Love and God Bless!

Mary, Cindi, Lynn, and soon; Ralph!