Thank God for an amazing first Day!

Well, today was super FABulous. The store was so busy and I was able to see some of my fave old customers and meet some wonderful new ones too! We stayed busy all day and even sold out of tons of stuff. I think that Taylor and I took down 25 or so hooks that were empty. It was a great feeling. I owe God all of the glory and I thank him so much for the blessing.

Here are some pictures from the Grand Opening. I forgot to take pictures, of course, during the day. I ended up taking a few while friends and family were visiting later in the day!








Like I said, it was a great day. We had lots of people do the Make-n-Take. I got tons of beautiful flowers from my boo, my parents, Mim and Pa Paw (Shane's grandparents) Mrs. Linda (Shane's mom), and my neighbors at the E School! Thank you to everyone for the flowers! They are all beautiful and the store smells lovely now! The inspiration was flowing so much that my brother even created a Make-n-Take. He will never live that down. :)

I had a blast today and it was almost weird to be able to live my dream for the day. The crazy part is that I get to keep on doing it! Well, I am off to place a couple more orders. I am hoping to receive Webster's Pages and Scrap Within Reach tomorrow. I will definately post tomorrow to show you what comes in.

By the way, Mrs. Kelly Mize won the Pretty Little Studio giveaway today! Congratulations to you Kelly and thanks so much for your business!

Here is a little project that I completed using Parisian Anthology. Enjoy!


Hope your day was inspirational too!

Much love,
Ash

HOLEY MOLEY!

HOLEY MOLEY!

Tomorrow is the day! I can hardly even believe it! Tomorrow is the day that Inspire opens! It is still very surreal to me and I can hardly even believe I get the opportunity to live out my dreams.

I am very blessed to have this awesome opportunity. I feel that this store was definately a gift from God. Ultimately, it is still his. I pray that he continues to bless it and have his way with it.

We will open the doors at 10am tomorrow morning. The Make-n-Takes will begin at around 11 when my lovely helper Miss Taylor gets here from her morning shift at school. :) I can't wait for you all to see this lil store. I hope that you all love it! It is definately a huge chunk of me and my heart so I hope you enjoy!

I must give a blog shot out to everyone that helped to get Inspire ready to open! From painting, to hanging slatwall, to just being a support system for me through this craziness, these peeps have really put in their time! Thanks so much to:

My Mom
My Dad
My Boo (Shane Michael)
Copeland
Blake
My Paw Paw
My Maw Maw
Candice
Allyson
Dough
Jason
Kasi
Madelyn (yes she cleaned gondalas with a Clorox wipe)
Hayden

Thank you guys so much for the work that you put in here at the store. I know that you could have been doing a lot of other things with your time and I really appreciate it! I could not have done it alone. I love you all very much!

Oh, I also wanted to try and give some directions to the store because some people were saying that their GPS thingies were not pulling the store up.

If you know where the Walgreens is on the corner of Canal Blvd and Hwy 308 in Thibodaux, that is where I will start. There is a Walgreens right there and then if you travel towards Labidieville on Hwy 308, there is a big Rouses supermarket right after the Walgreens. After the Rouses, there is a Capital One Bank (just a drive-thru). Right after the Capital One, there is a street called Laura Drive. Go down Laura Drive and you will see a lil shopping center/strip mall thing. Inspire is right in the center of it (Suite D). Our sign will not be up on the building. However, there will probably be a sign in the grass with some balloons to help! If you have any trouble finding it, call the store (985-227-9970) and we will help!

Okay guys, I am going to head out now. I have lots of last minute things to do to make sure things are in order for tomorrow.

I really hope to see you all soon!

Much of my love,
Ash

10 things...

Okay so I know that the blog is supposed to be strictly about the store, but, I am going nuts and I need to change it up a little bit!

One of my favorite things to do, if I have the time, is to look for visual inspiration online. Visual inspiration can be found in scrapbooking layouts, photos, fashion, and even home decor. All of these things inspire my layouts/projects and sometimes just put a spark of creativity in my brain.

I used to do this post called 10 things I love Wednesday on my personal blog. Elsie Flannagan does 10 things I love Sunday and I know Vera started to do that too! I really want to start 10 things I love Wednesday on the store's blog now. I think it would be a good change of pace from just the daily store info. I also think it is so fun to look at.

So, here I go. Here are 10 little things that I am lovin up this Wednesday!

Number 1!
This nursery! I love this little nursery. I love the use of color. I also love the way all of the simple things have made this room so stinkin pretty!


Number 2!
Fall, Fall, and Fall! I absolutely love the season of Fall. I am not a fan of New Year's and I am not a fan of the cliche resolutions that New Year's brings. I always tend to treat fall like my New Year's holiday. I find myself making new life decisions, new habits, promises to myself, and general improvements to make my life and myself better when Fall comes around. I love the smell, the feeling, the weather, and the fashion. There is just something about it that is magic!




Number 3!
These wedding photos. I mean seriously, could this wedding be any cuter...i think not!



Number 4!
This cardigan and this scarf. I am ordering them as soon as i pay myself my first paycheck. I can't wait to switch my wardrobe to Fall and Winter. I HATE summer clothes!


Number 5!
Old letters! I love using old letters in my layouts/projects. I also love reading them. It is so intersting to read about a different life during a different time!


Number 6!
These old photos of Elvis. I love how playful they are. They are precious. He's not looking too bad either! :)


Number 7!
Parisian Anthology! This is what happens when the ladies of House of 3 team up with Pink Paislee. They make magic. This line is so pretty. I just got it in yesterday and I have made a vow to create something with it before my head hits the pillow tonite. I'm definately thinking a dress form. Here's just a taste!




Number 8!
This FAB vintage inspired sign with this oh so true quote. I definately think this is my quote for the day. I am on my third latte!


Number 9!
Perfect Oatmeal! This is my breakfast every morning. It is yummy! And, if you are on a health kick, it is only 1 Weight Watchers point.


Number 10!
These boots! They are the bomb diggity. Aw man I can't wait to throw on my tights and boots!


Well, there you have it. Those are 10 things that I love right now!

I gotta get back to entering inventory. The cutest stuff just arrived. (yeah, the Fedex man was a lil late today...he got lost) I'll give you a hint..it starts with October and ends with Afternoon! Pump the Party! It's just the summer line. The others have been ordered and should be shipping soon!

Oh, did I mention there are only five days till we open! Yikes!

Ash

Come in, Make em, and take em

Hey guys! Are you all getting excited? It's only 7 days till we open. I'm pumped but there is still much to do. I have been working on wedding stuff so I am going to have to kick it into high gear this week! Here are some peeks at the Make-n-Takes going on during our opening week!

On Monday, September 20th:
Come in and Make a cute little hanger from a paint stick. You will paint it, stamp it, embellish it, and even play a little with some gesso, which I love!


On Friday, September 24th:
Come in and Make this little piece of wood decor. You will get to choose from a variety of wood pieces and chipboard pieces to customize your piece. You will also learn a cool little inking technique!


On Saturday, September 25th:
Come in and make this fabric flower. Even if you know how to make them already, who cares. You can never have too many of these cute little things. You will have your choice of

hair clip:


magnet:


or pin:


Also on Saturday, you can make this precious little wooden frame. You will get to play with some old dictionary paper, distress ink, and the fabulous Luminere paint! Then, take it home to embellish it and make it even better!


Well, guys there you have it! Those are the Make-n-Takes that we will be offering here at Inspire. Just one more reason to come in and hang out! There are still spots available for cropping so e-mail or call to sign up! Also, don't forget about our bomb diggity classes. You needa get signed up for those too! Okay, let me get back to work! Hope to see you all soon!

Much love,
Ash

Sooo umm what are you gonna have in the store??

So, I have been hearing this question a lot lately. I am going to answer it. Here is a list of the companies that are in the store right now. Please keep in mind that, from some of these companies, there is a lot and, from some of these companies, there is a little.

-Jenni Bowlin
-Technique Tuesday
-Studio Calico
-Pretty Little Studio
-Elle's Studio
-Basic Grey
-Cosmo Cricket
-Hambly
-Maya Road
-Prima
-GCD Studios
-Girls' Paperie
-Tim Holtz
-Melissa Frances
-Sassafras
-Crate Paper
-7 gypsies
-Crafter's Workshop

Here are the companies that I am waiting for:
-Teresa Collins
-Glitz
-Webster's Pages
-Graphic 45
-Pink Paislee
-Stampers Anonymous
-American Crafts
-Scrap Within Reach
-October Afternoon
-More Cosmo
-More Tim Holtz
-More Prima

Some of these companies will be here before we open and the rest will be on their way. I am so excited with the products that the store is carrying and I hope that you will be too. Here are some sneek peeks!







Yes, I know that the pics are hazy and not that easy to see...that's the point. To see the store, you have to come to the store.

Of course, there are a few vintage trinkets that I have picked up on my many flea market trips for sale in the store. There are also lots of layouts and projects for your viewing pleasure. I am working on adding more as often as I can.


I am a very busy little worker here at the store making sure that everything gets done before we open. Here are some behind the scenes photos of my work spaces.



If you look closely...there is wedding paperwork piled in with that. Yea, I know, I should be doing strictly store stuff. But, the wedding is very quickly on its way and I my planning is not! :)

Well, I'm off to do a little more work then hit the sack. I am going to try to get the day started with a run pretty early tomorrow. I will hopefully be able to post sneek peeks at the make-n-takes tomorrow! See you guys soon!

Much love,
Ash

Change of Plans!

Okay guys! I am so sorry to tell you that the opening of the store has been moved! I know, I know, I posted last night that there were only 7days left till the opening and I was super excited. However, I found out today that the shipments that were supposed to come in this week are not going to be in until next week! Since I want to be able to provide the best possible Grand Opening and the most quality products possible for that opening, I am going to have to move the opening to Monday, September 20. The Grand Opening will now be on Friday, September 24 and Saturday, September 25. All of the giveaways, make-n-takes, and crop details will remain the same. The rest of the calendar for September will remain the same too!

I am so sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you. However, look on the bright side, now you have one more week to save your pennies, find a sitter, and open a new credit card so that your husband doesn't know how much you spend. Also, if you wanted to attend Scrapfest and were bummed because you thought you wouldn't be able to attend Inspire's Grand Opening, now you can go to both! Yipee!

Here is a copy of the adjusted calendar!


I hope that you can all attend now and I hope to get some phone calls and e-mails from all of you signing up to crop! Remember, there will be tons of treats to eat and drink for the Grand Opening. You don't wanna miss it!

Thanks for your continued love and support!
Ash

Only 7 more days??? What!!!

Oh my God!! I can hardly believe it! The store is opening in only 7 more days. I have been here like a busy little bee trying to get everything ready. There is still tons to do but it will all be done once that first customer walks through the door. Hmmm...I wonder who the first customer will be.

Anyways, I am waiting on some product to come in this week. I surely hope everything gets here when it is supposed to. Even though there is some pretty bangin stuff in the store, I am so anxious and I want everything to get here before we open. Too bad all of these huge scrapbooking companies don't see the importance of this like I do. Lol!

Remember guys, call the store or e-mail us to sign up to crop for the Grand Opening! You don't want to miss this opportunity. The Grand Opening is all about the croppers and the shoppers. I will be taking very good care of the croppers. There will be tons of giveaways and challenges for all of those peeps who sign up to crop! If you have tried calling or plan on trying to call to sign up, please keep in mind that I am not at the store any set hours. I am usually here throughout the night and into the morning. If I don't answer, please e-mail the store @ inspirescrapboutique@gmail.com.

I am working on all of the Make-n-Takes tonite and I will be posting pictures to show you the great things that you will be able to make and then take...DUH! We will be offering Make-n-Takes on Monday, Friday, and Saturday!

Hope to see you guys in the store soon! I will be updating you on the things that will be happening all this week so stay tuned!

Lata to my peeps!
Ash