My Trip to Dick Blick and Famous DAVES, etc...

After work yesterday, Family and myself took a road trip to Dick Blicks!!!! ART Supplies!!!

I felt the need for some Faber Castell Pitt Pens, that Our Crowabout mentor Nancy B. has spoken about and blogged about. I read up on them and they are the BOMB! So I bit the Gasoline bullet and loaded up the miniVan and we drove the 30 something miles up to Wheaton to the Dick Blick store. It was heaven on EARTH--So many art supplies so little money....

I kept fairly close to the list I had made and only overspent a little. I got the great Pitt Pen below

and some micron pens. Also, Goldens matt medium-this time I am trying the liquid version, as I did not like the gel type I got this summer. I also picked up a 5 pack of canvas board for some bigger collage ( for ETSY store, maybe?), an 8"X8" stretched canvas-just because and some heavy coldpress watercolor paper for ATC cards.
Both Ryan and Brianna begged for and got large spiral bound drawing pads that were on sale for $4.98--Bri already drew JONAS BROTHERS stuff over a dozen pages!!!
I was so "high" on being there that I didn't blink, just said, "oh, yeah, sure, you can have it, what ever, oh look, more paint, more pens, mmmmmmmmm,ahhhh".
Anyway, made some great friends with the people at that Dick Blicks. The young girls who worked there were SO NICE. It has been MY recent experience that store clerks/associates in specialty stores or almost anywhere anymore are just not so nice. They have been patronizing or just plain ignore you if you are over 30. These young ladies were just so nice and helpful. They treated me like a person, instead of an irritation, which was refreshing. All my goofy questions were answered without a huge sigh of disgust-with a smile even. And they treated the kids very nicely too. All too soon, we had to leave--I am already planning my next trip up there.
OH--AND I got these cute little mini wooden clips by Cavallini & Co. I had to have em!

ADB-After Dick Blick--we went to Famous Dave' in Naperville, for dinner. We do not go out to dinner very often (McDonald's doesn't count). It was so nice to have some one wait on us, the kids had a great time. We shared Highs and lows and it that was nice since we all had Highs and no one had a low. Afterward, on the way home Joe and Ryan tried to spot Mercury and Venus on the horizon, but one turned out to be an airplane!!!! Then we made up a silly song about Pluto not being a planet any more and Ryan was so impressed with my ad lib rhyme. All in all it was a fun night. We got home early enough for me to unpack all my purchases, and play with my new pens. Ahhhhhh-HAPPY DAY. Below--Two great Kids