Happy But Not Happy?

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.
                                                                        William Arthur Ward

I got hooked on Stampington Magazines this summer and for the heck of it I searched on the internet to see where I might be able to purchase it when we got down to Sarasota.  I have one subscription, but I like going into the stores back home and deciding if I want a certain issue or not.  I found out there was a scrapbooking store not too far from where we stay in Florida. 

I finally called the other day to see if they carried some rubber stamps that I was looking for.  The girl on the phone said she wasn't sure and that they would be closing this Saturday.  CLOSING?  AS IN PERMANENTLY?  Yes, she told me and that everything has been marked down as far as they could go. 

So I got myself over to their store yesterday only to discover that there was practically nothing left.  I found out the sale had been going on for about a month.  I frantically searched the remaining items to see if there was anything I could use in my mixed media.  I'm also taking an online class with Christy Tomlinson called She Art Workshop 1 & 2 in which I create girls on canvas.  So for these classes I needed to find some smaller print paper that would make good dresses and pants.

I found three sheets of paper and vintage stamps...

And some acrylic stamps and rubons...

Then I spotted two large boxed on a table full of scrapbooking paper.  I asked her how much these were and she told me that they were all FREE.  FREE?  Oh my, I just had a go of it and look what all I found...

Even though I didn't see any, I still asked her about Stampington Magazines.  She told me they had stopped carrying them for a few months because they just weren't selling.  WEREN'T SELLING??  My Fly Tribe FB friends would all be having a heart attack if they heard this.  Most of them love Stampington's.  The girl at the shop said that with the economy the way it is, the prices for them were much too high and that most people couldn't afford them.  I almost had to agree, because I could buy a really good novel for the price of one magazine.  But it is so full of good ideas and info for me, that it's almost worth what I pay for them.

I had a bit of mixed feelings when I left.  I had found some items that were either free or nearly free, BUT now they would be closing shop and there were none around.  Other than Michael's and Joann's Fabric and Crafts, that's it for Sarasota.  No Hobby Lobby and no other scrapbooking stores.  She told me the closest ones are in Englewood or St. Petersburg, either one being too far too drive to.  Just Sad!