Hey, QuicKutz Fans! I recently hit the road to spread the QK love throughout the 'Land of 10,000 Lakes'.
At the
airport I saddled up a 2006 Mercury Sable (which felt more like something my
dad would drive) and road off into the sunset.
My first
stop brought me about 85 miles north of Minneapolis to a place called Waite
Park. This little town is home to a BIG scrapbook store by the name of 'Crafts
Direct'. I was extremely impressed by the sheer size of the place. I recommend
anyone living in northern MN to come see this store if given the
chance. They recently brought in the Silhouette line and are having amazing
success with it. I anticipate them soon expanding into many more QK products in
the near future. I arrived at the store Friday afternoon and held a little
Silhouette employee training session. The girls were very nice and we had some
fun with a little glass etching project. I was back the next morning for
in-store demos. The customers seemed to really enjoy seeing the Silhouette in
action.
Then I hit
the road southbound for a 3-hour jaunt that landed me in beautiful Rochester!!
(I call it beautiful since I know that most of you reading this are Rochester
citizens.) This is where I would spend the remainder of my weekend...the next
22 hours, to be exact.
My first
stop was Rochester Scrapbooking Company.
I swung by the store for a couple hours and spent some time with Nancy,
Anna, and their wonderful customers! We showed off the Silhouette,
answered questions and, of course, gave away some free QuicKutz.
Next stop,
the Ramada hotel for a Rockin' Retreat with VIP Scrapbooking. I realized shortly after arriving, that this
store is appropriately named. Everyone in attendance was made to feel like a
Very Important Person, from the gourmet dinner, to the prizes and Make &
Takes. I was thoroughly impressed with VIP. After finishing a delicious dinner,
I set up the Silhouette for a quick demo and a Glass Etching Make & Take.
Everyone had the chance to etch initials into their own custom
goblet. It took about 3 hours to get everyone through, but everyone seemed
pleased with the result (except Vanessa since I only messed hers up 3 times!!)
At one point I "accidently" tasted the Etchall solution. After hours
of using the stuff, I couldn't help myself. Just take my word for it...despite
the resemblance, it's nothing like vanilla yogurt. We frolicked and played long
into the night, but by about 11 o'clock, I was fried. So, off to the hotel room
I went and to crash.
Day 3 took
me back to Rochester Scrapbooking
Company. Actually it took me about 20 miles outside Rochester to
the lovely Miracle Ranch for the RSC retreat. This was the perfect destination
for a traditional retreat. I felt like I was 12 years old again
and back in girl’s camp...uh...you know what I mean. The log cabins, the
forest setting and the babbling stream made for a fabulous backdrop. We enjoyed
a hearty breakfast and then settled down in the lodge for some good ole fashion
scrappin'...After an hour of tech support to get a laptop running...I was
finally able to do some Silhouette demos (thanks for your patience ladies). As always,
the Silhouette stole the show and made the Cricut look as feeble and limited as
always. That led to another product giveaway culminating in a $100 QK
shopping spree from RSC! A fun time was had by all...but especially by the
bunny girls:)
I left the Miracle Ranch on a beeline to make my flight on time. I got on the road 2 hours before my flight departed 80 miles away. Thanks to cruise control and a miraculous absence of Highway patrolmen, I made it with just a few minutes to spare. I'm still feeling a little guilty for going 95 in a 60 the whole way, on a Sunday no less!!! I had a layover in Denver, but the flight was the most violent experience since Pulp Fiction. The turbulence was beyond compare and my weak stomach still hasn't recovered. To make a long story short, I finally made it home at 2am and here I am.
Theron
