I had made a decision to attend the Seattle Gift Show to meet my Northwest Reps for the first time and to see what the show was all about. Excited about this decision, I was anxious to find a reasonably-priced package to arrive at my destination point. Sure, I’ve used other dot com travel services in the past with no problems. But I hadn’t used this one. Why did I choose to use an unknown at this point? Was I caught up in the excitement or was it just pure plain stupidity?

I should have internalized those words a little more - “flight times between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. guaranteed same day arrival.” Wow, I was getting such a deal, round trip airfare from San Diego to Seattle, a two-night stay at a reasonable, well-known hotel, plus a two-day car rental all for about $400.00. Boy, oh boy, what a deal! How bad could it be, I thought as I submitted my request knowing that flight time and all pertinent information was not to be given until I had committed to the purchase. With a click of the mouse, I had done it. I had really done it. No turning back now.

The moment I had read the flight information, I could have kicked myself all the way to the airport and then back again. Under normal circumstances, a flight from San Diego to Seattle should have taken about two hours. Not this flight, not this time. Nine hours of travel was my gift for choosing to save money and to get that DEAL!

I started my travels from San Diego at 4:55 p.m. We then flew to Denver. There we had a about a 2-hour layover. After this layover, we were ready to travel to Seattle. We arrived in Seattle at about 11:40 p.m. But it gets worse.

I did not realize at the time that I booked this trip, that the car I had rented was not going to be waiting for me at the airport. Cold and tired and with luggage in hand, I had to wait for a shuttle to take me to the car rental agency. After waiting in line there, I was finally given a little car.

I didn’t even know that cars were manufactured with a crank-up knob (you know what I am talking about, the kind of manual hand crank handle you use to use to raise and lower windows before they became automatic) underneath the seat to adjust the height of the seat. As I tried to figure out this contraption, in the rain, I might add, I tried to adjust the side mirror by moving this knob and as I was making the adjustment, the knob came off in my hand.

Okay. Not real familiar with Seattle. Now, the task of finding my way from the airport to the hotel was at hand. People, I get lost in San Diego. And here I am driving this little hunk without a navigation system. I finally arrived at the hotel. By the time I walked through the threshold of my room, it was 1:45 a.m.

Great, I thought. I have to be up in about 5 hours to attend a trade show. How was I going to be perky and fresh and ready to greet the day and meet my sales reps. My trip home was no picnic either. But this time it only took me 5 hours instead of 9 hours to arrive at my destination point.

So, I basically had Friday as a full travel day and I paid for a hotel room for two nights even though I didn’t arrive to the hotel until 1:45 in the morning not to mention that I was totally exhausted from my travels and not exactly at my best for my day at the Seattle Gift Show. If you decide to use a dot com travel service, make sure you read between the lines.

At the end of my travels, I decided that I would have gladly paid double the price I paid to have arrived early, enjoyed the sights a bit, and gotten a good night’s rest. Sure, I saved a few dollars. But was it really worth it? I think NOT! All I have to say is Buyer Beware!

I am learning leaps and bounds about the whole “blogging” process. It has been explained to me that to get your blog further up in the ratings, it helps to join various blog entities. Technorati.com being one of them. Technorati 

I chose Tehnorati on the suggestion of my web guru Brian McCullough. He turned me on to blogging and is a firm believer in the whole blogging process. I must admit, now that I have a blog, I really, really enjoy it. It brings life to what I do and validates my company’s existence. Not a bad thing at all.

And while I am at it, I get to have my customers know me more than just a company name. I can add my own flair and style and create the kind of image I want to impart and the best thing about it, is that I realize that I really like to write. Which is a good things since I aspire to write at least once a week.

And so the story goes, a blog a day keeps the customers at bay. Thanks for laying your eyes on our words and we hope that we can keep you coming back.Technorati Profile

I  met her at the Los Angeles Textile Show in 2004.  She was a referral from my sister.  

So when I entered her booth, I found a competent and friendly sales rep that willingly listened to my needs and addressed them by patiently pulling out book after book of possible appliques.  Her excellent service did not stop there.  She meticulously noted which appliques I was interested in and had the company send me each applique beautifully presented and encased in plastic, which was used to keep the appliques in place.  Her attention to detail is impressive.  Little did I know then that . . . . 

Fast forward to 2007.  Okay.  I was looking to really beef up our applique collection.  Up to this point, I had been purchasing appliques that everyone else could purchase from several different trim companies.  Time to kick it up a notch and start to create our own look and our own image in the industry. 

I remembered the easy chemistry I shared with Karen Jacobson and I knew that when the time came for me to call her, I would be received with a welcoming voice.  And that is just what happened.  

I told Karen what my plans were.  I learned during our conversation that Karen had earned degrees from Pratt and Otis.  I also learned that Karen has 7 years of experience as a textile designer, showroom assistant and trim specialist and sales rep.  She knows the business well. 

What I really like about Karen is that she knows how to watch the bottom line.  If I want a certain look, she gives me several different options to achieve that look without breaking the bank.  And that’s what every business owner wants. 

Since that time, we have had the good fortune of welcoming Karen Jacobson, sales rep turned designer, to our design staff.  She takes our concepts and turns them into reality, a finished product, and does so with her own special flair.  We get all of this and have fun in the process. 

At the beginning of this New Year, we have had the wonderful pleasure of presenting 3 new exciting and exclusive collections to the Tiny Bundles’ line of quality baby clothing.  We have added a Custom Patch Collection, which features a few of the most popular nursery rhymes, a Double Patch Collection, layering of fun fabrics topped off with a fashion forward, cutting edge applique and an Animal Felties Collection, sweet felt animals and their associated food items.  Think dog, think bone.  Think elephant, think peanut, etc.  Each collection is unique in style and attracts a different audience.  

You can find all of these collections on our brand new web gallery located on our Tiny Bundles’ website at www.tinybundles.com. Come and see what we are talking about and why we are so excited and we invite you to visit often as we will continue to add fun new appliques to our newly established collections.   

With Karen a major player on our design staff, the future couldn’t be brighter.