Saving Grace Enterprises is pleased to announce that we were named a semifinalist for the Idea Cafe Small Business “Al Mark’s Inventive Mind Grant”. There were 762 applicants who were narrowed down to 128, and we are pleased and excited to share that we have been named as one of the semi finalists.Francie Ward, CEO of IdeaCafe.com, explained that the semi-finalists for this grant, The Al Marks Inventive Mind Grant, “demonstrate an inventive approach which will inspire others who come to IdeaCafe.com seeking advice on starting and running a business, plus they have a plan to reach out and help others in some way.”

To celebrate, we are declaring this week (July 23 through July 30) “Inventive Mind week” at Saving Grace Enterprises. To celebrate in a way that can only be declared inventive, we have set a goal of creating 10 new products over the next 7 days. Some may be modifications of some of your favorite products, some may be a little crazy and silly, but, they will all be new. This is a mighty goal, we know, but, we are determined to produce 10 new high quality products that you will love!

Here’s where the fun comes in. One way we want to celebrate this terrific honor is by inventing for you and with you – our friends, clients, colleagues, and visitors. As you know, this is one of the things we thoroughly enjoy, and what’s more, it gives you the benefit of owning a beautiful piece of “useable art” that has been designed specifically for you – your life, your work, your play – your world!

If you have a suggestion or would like us to create a new product JUST FOR YOU, simply drop our founder and lead artist, Dee, an email (or give her a call), and we will work with you to create a product designed especially for your unique needs and your specifications.

On Monday, July 30, we will release our 10 new products for your viewing. Make sure to check them out!

The field of semi-finalists for this grant will be reduced to finalists and the winner will be determined by the vote of IdeaCafe.com’s 32,000 members worldwide and announced online on August 15, 2007, Idea Cafe’s 12th anniversary online.

Learn more about the Al Mark’s Inventive Mind Grant by visiting the small business grant center at Idea Cafe.

On behalf of the artists and staff of Saving Grace Enterprises, I would like to personally wish you and your family a very merry Christmas!

Because it’s important to take extra time to celebrate Christ’s birth, spend extra time with friends and family, and give our artists and staff a well deserved break, Saving Grace Enterprises has modified our hours this season as follows:

• Friday, December 22 – Tuesday December 26: Closed
• Wednesday December 27 – Thursday December 28: 10 am to 4 pm Eastern standard time (-1 hour for central standard time, -2 hours for mountain standard time, -3 hours for pacific standard time)
• Friday, December 29 – Monday, January 1: Closed

On January 2, we will resume our regular studio hours from 10 am to 5 pm Eastern standard time.

Fide forti fortuna,

Dee Phipps,
Lead Artist
Saving Grace Enterprises

Phone orders are quite popular around here, and, up to this point, we’ve always taken phone orders using our “tried and true” blank order forms – just like we use for taking in studio and show orders. However, we’ve realized that this is not the most efficient method for taking phone orders, either!

So, we’ve brought in a new system to take phone orders, and are very excited about the “update”. This will not change how you place your orders in person, on the phone, or online. However, it will make a difference (for us) in *taking* your orders.

We are rolling out this new system on Monday, September 18, 2006, and it may take some getting used to for us. So, we really appreciate your patience while we get used to this new system.

Again, this will not effect your ability to order online, in person, or over the phone. Nor will it effect your order. It will just make things a little more efficient “in house”, and I’m sure there will be a short period of adjustment time for us while we get used to using this new system.

Thanks so much for your patronage, and your patience! This new system will allow us to serve you better (particularly when you want to place an order that matches previous orders), and we are very excited to be able to make your experience even more enjoyable in the future!