A website that covers the Chinese Zodiac “suggests that 2020, the year of the Metal Rat, looks to be a year that is filled with growth and accomplishments.” I am still processing that. Professionally, I am working on growing BloomingDaisiesCrafts as I check off boxes on my business plan as I adapt to the challenges of 2020 and diversify my product to meet my customers’ needs and fulfill requests. The year of the Metal Rat is being fulfilled. Creatively, it was going along well and then I hit a snag. Get comfortable, this rant is long.
It has been a little over one month since I finished my second Covid Challenge piece, “Rub-a-
Dub Penguins”. Once it was completed, I packed it and “Stay Calm and Pretend It’s Friday” up with my coupon and headed to the local Big Box craft store to have them framed.
“Stay Calm and Pretend It’s Friday” is of a size that allows a simple matte and a standard size frame. The clerk behind the framing counter told me they would mount it in the frame with the matte for free! Nice! With that assurance, I left it (with the frame that I had purchased) instead of waiting for the matte to be cut and doing it myself.
I knew that “Rub-a-Dub Penguins” would need a custom size frame and matte. It was my plan to use my coupon for this special order.
I was given a completion date of September 26. And, so I waited. Finally, I called on September 30 for a status. “Oh! Yes, they are done. You should have gotten a message from us.” Nope. However, I was excited to get them back, so my husband and I drove over to pick them up.
As I mentioned in my October 2 blog, the “Stay Calm” was framed without the matte that I had paid for. The conversation upon opening the wrapping:
Me: “Um, where’s the matte?”
Clerk: “You didn’t order a matte.”
Me: “Oh yes, I did.”
Clerk: “Oh. We’ll fix that.”
Unfortunately, the “Rub-a-Dub Penguin” picture did not fare well either. It was crooked in the frame –horribly crooked. WHAT? Again, with a “so sorry!” I assured that they would fix it and call or email me when the reframing had been completed.
The store had them until October 10 (two additional weeks), when my husband and I took the initiative and stopped in to find out the status because I had not heard from them. No call. No text. No email. In this technologically advanced age, is there any excuse for not notifying a customer?
First out is the Stay Calm picture – still, no matte.
Me: “Where’s the matte?”
Clerk: “Oh, let me call the manager.”
Clerk, after a brief phone call: “He said he emailed you that if they put a matte in, it would take away some of the side stitches.”
Me, checking my email on my phone: “Nope, no email at all.”
Clerk: “Oh I’m sure he did.”
So, yes, I must be an idiot that doesn’t understand email as I stand in front of you.
Now to unveil “Rub-a-Dub Penguins”…it’s straight but the matte has been cut in such a way that my initials and year certainly stand out. Sigh. Not what I asked for. I’m not naming names but I will not visit that framing department again.
I wish I could say that this experience was unique to me be but I’m sure we’ve all experienced this. And while I am I’m not happy with the frame job, I have made the decision to be happy with the projects. They are already hanging in the spots that I picked for them and I enjoy seeing them.
Our grand baby, Number 6, came into the world on October 12 – the day that would have been my father’s 96th birthday if he were still with us. It is worth noting that we are a blended family and while she wouldn’t have shared blood with my dad, he would have loved her as his own. We will be going to meet her and visit her sister and parents soon! I can not wait. Her quilt is being quilted. I’ll post pictures of it after she gets it as I want her to be surprised. ☺
I am you sure you have seen that I have been hard at work on the BloomingDaisiesCrafts website and on new product!
Once I learned that I could arrange product, I have been categorizing some more of the product line. This week the emphasis was on Grime Guards.
There are no less than eight Halloween fabrics to choose from in Grime Guards including three or four that would be good year around. Feline lovers will love the Black Cat pattern!
Fall in love with the autumn products! Patterns include rich colors, footballs, and turkeys! And, you will want to pair yours with the new Sunflower Minnie NeedleMinder! Too cute!
In moving stuff around, I discovered that some of the “Nightmare Before Christmas” had dropped off the product line. You can rediscover it with me!
Speaking of Christmas, new product is being posted nearly every week like the jumping snowman Needle Minder pictured above. Who doesn’t love snowmen? Then you will want to look at the Christmas Snowman Grime Guard. Or take a look at the Speckled Dust Cover with a surprise character inside!
Comments