Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

Hi Everyone, we are officially closed...and what a ride it has been.  First of all I would like you to know how sorry I am that I was not able to sell the store and give you all a place to continue to share your creativity and love of stamping with your friends.  It was a  dream of mine to do so, but it just didn't work out.
I would like to say a special thanks to certain people.  First of all Joy....I don't know what I would have done over the years without your support and friendship, and your amazing ability to sell! A big thank you also to Gerry and Steph (Joy's husband and Son-in-law) for all those exhausting trips to Toronto trade shows.
A special thanks to Fran Laliberte who we lost last year to cancer. One of the most talented people I have ever met.
A special thanks to my instructors, Karen, Mary, Monica, Meg, Heather. Each one of you have brought so many different talents to the store that I feel extremely lucky to have had your support over the years,  as well as your friendship.  A special thank you to Karen for all the emotional support over difficult times and help with getting my "thoughts" in order when I needed to. :)
A special thank you to Krista who started out as a colleague and became a much treasured friend.  Your talent and support means so much to me.
A big and special thank you to my husband Richard who looked after all the "stuff" I hated looking after...the books...the bills...the day to day...and thank you for looking after me!

I don't know if I can properly express how much the past 17 years have meant to me....When I decided to open the store I wrote down my "vision" of what I wanted it to be.  How did people feel when they walked in the door?  Did they feel welcomed...was I able to call them by their names...was I supportive of their needs and able to answer their questions? How did they feel when they left....did they feel pressured to buy or were they happy with their purchases and confident they could come back and ask questions if they needed to?  All of these things were very important to me and I hope I was able to fulfill them.
What I didn't expect was your generosity and willingness to share, not only your stamping and card making ideas, but yourselves.  I feel extremely honoured that you chose to share a part of your personal life with me and that is a gift that I will always treasure.

I don't feel I am saying goodbye as you never know what life has in store for you. I am going to take some time to relax and wind down from a busy but wonderful 17.5 years.  I am keeping my website my blog, and my email address so you will always be able to get in touch with me.  And please do keep in touch!
You never know what can happen...I am not a stay at home person and I am very open to teaching so I will update this blog regularly.
Many, many, many Thanks
With Love and the greatest respect,
Heather