Bead Fest Santa Fe, FREE Pass!!

Hi everyone, especially Bead Fest Santa Fe attendees...

I've got you set up here with a FREE invitation to visit Bead Fest Santa Fe. The show is fast approaching and will be held from March 18-21, 2010 at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center and La Fonda Hotel. If you can come on preview night, March 18th, you will get first dibs on EVERYTHING. We will be opened from 5-9p.m. and I'm at the Convention Center, Booth #208!!

So save some money on admission to spend at the show and print out the following FREE pass below to the upcoming Bead Fest show. (Right click on image and save on your desktop to print out!) If you are planning to attend more than one day, you'll need to fill out this pass for EACH day!

I will have lots of Botanicals, the tools (PPT), tool wraps, my book, pearls and Italian mesh with a few other surprises too. We'll be including our Botanical silk corsage bracelet tutorial and idea sheet as a free giveaway with every Botanical bead purchase! We will also be introducing our NEW larger tool and bead wraps for metal clay and polymer clay artists in our signature Japanese fabrics, all handmade by my sister Sandy! There will be limited quantities but you'll get a chance to see the wonderful new fabrics we've added to our limited edition tool wrap line in Santa Fe!

So come for the fun and the beads - to chat and to see - be inspired and be enamoured, etc. Make sure you visit my booth too, #208! Then stay a bit longer for some great Southwest dining!

I'll see everyone in Santa Fe!

Lisa

Developing the Tri-Fold Tool and Bead Wraps

The Story Behind the Tri-Fold Tool and Bead Wraps

The classy logo above was designed with the help of my friend, Michael Brown, a man with many artistic talents, one of which is being an award winning graphic artist. He is currently studying at the University of California at Berkley and took time out of his schedule to help me create our signature logo.

I selected the colors for the final label and here is what they represent to me. The red color for "Kan" symbolizes good fortune and prosperity in many Asian cultures. While the gold color for "designs" symbolizes the richness of the Japanese culture and aesthethics that influence many of my designs. The gold also compliments the many gold outlined fabrics we select for our wraps. The white color for "made in the usa" represents purity and the fact that these wraps are made proudly in the USA. The black color for the label background represents the visual balance when the three other colors are combined. These colors are also represented in my show display with similar meanings.

What do we "Kan"s know about manufacturing these tool and bead wraps? Am I not a jewelry designer, glass bead maker, and writer with an ex-engineer status? What else do I have up these sleeves of mine. (looking up sleeves)

Uhmmm... I won't tell if you won't!

My sister Sandy and I have combined our knowledge to develop these wraps. Sandy loves to sew and I love COLOR/texture/textiles. It was very clear that the introduction of this line would have the influence of Japanese print fabrics and aesthetics which has come to greatly influence my work. We may also venture into Victorian and Art Nouveau fabric prints. These historical eras also influence my design sensibilities. And it is with these influences that we present the Kan Designs signature "look". It is all about quality and functionality as well as the careful balance between price and affordability. These wraps are cut and sewn one at a time by ONE person, Sandy. I warned her that she will need to bring along a staff soon once the line takes off. We have many ideas of other wrap ideas to introduce this year. There are so many beautiful fabrics we have yet to explore! How utterly exciting to see the product being created from start to finish. By manufacturing in house, we have more control on the quality.

We learned our skills from our master sensei - otherwise known as Dad. My parents operated textile manufacturing facilities throughout the 80's to late 90's for a few Los Angeles based clothing design firms. These firms supplied high end fashions and ready to wear designs to fine department stores. My father is a master tailor who is mostly self-taught. He can look at any outfit and recreate it. His skills were highly sought after for creating production samples for the showroom. My parents have since retired from production work and operating the manufacturing facility. However, we still have access to much of the machinery required.

Aha!

Aaaah...

Of course... huh?

Now do you see how we came to design these tool wraps... let me summarize the events of the last few years culminating to where we are now!

The engineer becomes a glass bead maker... who begins to do silversmithing and wireworking...who begins to seed bead on a challenge from a customer... who gives up engineering... then begins to write... writes a book... continues to write articles... then uncovers precision engineering tools that will make everyone's wirework even more EXCELLENT... next becomes the exclusive distributor of said tools to the bead and jewelry field...

Uhmmm... there's more...

Then goes back into time and rediscovers her family's roots in textile manufacturing to introduce an innovative beautiful tool and bead wrap design with her sister. The connection is finally clear... (this girl gets herself in a lot of trouble it seems!)

Maybe the Kan sisters DO know something about manufacturing and developing beautiful tool and bead wraps. Do you see the progression of events?

*****

Below is a sampling of the new Robert Kaufman fabrics for our next wrap launch in Santa Fe. Seven of the fabrics below will be converted to both the small and medium wraps. Ooooh...

Also, check out the five new fabrics from Kona Bay waiting to be converted to beautiful tool wraps too but will be launched in May or April. Sandy does need time off to sleep you know.

In Santa Fe we will have more of the small and less of the medium size so if you come early you get first dibs. The fabrics in the launch will be on the website catalog. So as to not kill Sandy from sewing, sewing and sewing... we are launching select fabrics each month or show. She can only sew so fast and makes every one of the wraps on her "off" hours while holding a full time job working for the City of Los Angeles. How does she do that?

Well, we inherited our extreme work ethic from our parents!. I handle all other logistics for the wraps like ordering and selecting the beautiful fabrics. I get to work directly with the manufacturers, research and ogle lots of beautiful textiles! I also serve as the "slave driver" to ensure we have sufficient stock for the online store, the shows and wholesale accounts.

Five new fabrics from Kona Bay with closeups

(with more on the way!)

What?

Why yes...

Confessions...

Okay...

You are probably wondering...

or not...

what happened to me for the last few months? Why the silence on the blog and did I fall down into a bottomless pit!

Yowza... Ouch!

Uhmmm...

I must confess... it was a crazy year, 2008... good and bad things happened... mostly great things. The book release, the tv interviews, the traveling, beaders' emails, launching the PPT, new opportunities emerging, etc.

The bad? having a necklace stolen at the Philly show ranks up there, then a week later my dog Amber passed. A month later her father Sensei passed because his heart was also broken. That makes two family deaths a month a part! How did I survive that time? It was not easy, I must say. I had and have a tender spot in my heart for my pets. They were like kids to me and acted like ones too! Somewhat spoiled and always indulged with treats! I can't help it, that's my nature being one born in the Year of the Dog.

So you must excuse my silence. My heart was in the right place when I walked with Sara in San Diego for the Breast Cancer Walk for the Cure. Heart broken by the doggies gone to heaven but heart awakened by the love all my fellow walkers exhibited enduring with their pains and aches. That sprang ankle I endured towards the end was worth all the anguish. Thank goodness for the Black Diamond walking stick I had the forethought to carry along!

And then... what there is more?

Yes, more confessions... I needed a break from "da beads"... in order to renew myself to create again.

What? You think I always live the bead life? Well maybe so in my dreams but I HAD TO take a break from the beads for nearly a month to recoup and indulge in my annual winter weakness for fiber. Eeek... it is true, I am guilty... of letting these hands wander... to be soothed by woolies.

... and diverting my attentions from those beads to YARN! I started coveting wonderful fibers this winter having a love of wools and silks to begin knitting more seriously. I'm self-taught from books and magazines and love a good challenge. Knitting can be challenging as I delve into more complex patterns! I hope to someday be able to knit my own garments. Interweave and Knitting Daily! you are partially to blame for my renewed interest! So, what's on my needles now? I'm working on a HUGE hexagon blanket that will take me a year to finish. The larger the project, the more exciting it is to me.

I will share some of my knitted creations on the blog later when I have time to photograph the "finished objects". I find working with fibers a good tease to my hunger and my passion for "color, texture and creativity". So I figured now that I have more yarns than I have time to knit, I would take my fibers on the road. I'm going to give myself a challenge this year and see how many handknitted gifts I can make on just my road trips. There's something special about making beautiful things with one's own hands. I intend to knit all my family members something this year! Besides I always need to keep my hands busy working on something creative or I'll simply go crazy. I don't like to take seedbeading on the road because I like to have accessibility to LOTS of colors and it will be more of a hassle to pack. This also dissuades me from buying too many beads because do I really need more beads? Uhmmm... well, maybe I need all the new 15/o delicas in my stash.

Besides that, in December my sister Sandy and I jump started our Japanese fabric tool wrap concept to launch in Tucson 2009. You'll have to check out what we are up to for those who own or will own the PPT tools. We're working on other wrap ideas to launch mid-year too. All this and designing/beading/writing the Designer of the Year projects for Beadwork Magazine has kept me quite busy. But now that the first show of the year rolls closer, I'm back to thinking and making beads. Eeek do I have enough beads? Probably not as I feel the guilty pleasures of woolies calling my fingers even now, but I must be strong and stay focused on "da beads".

There's still much to do around here for Tucson so I will just say that I will be back to blogging, photographying, writing and sharing in 2009. I'm taking the trusty Powershot G9 to Tucson. You'll hear from me periodically, maybe even from the road. But if I am silent for long durations it's because I am hard at work on something new and fantastic... stay tuned!

For those who are visiting Tucson, drop by the Manning House Beadshow, I'm exhibiting in the Silverbell Gallery G21. My booth is located right off the entrance from the rear parking lot and I'm across the lady's room from my buddy Marsha Neal Studio. The show will also be holding a raffle for attendees so don't forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a copy of Bead Romantique. We're opened late on opening day... until 7 p.m. so shop until you drop, otherwise 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Visit the website for more details and to register. So, see ya there! Let's have some FUN!

Website Back Online

Hello again,

After a phonecall to the folks at Yahoo, the website is back online.

I will update the webpage after Thanksgiving but wanted to let everyone know that as of today, the entire first shipment of the Japanese Professional Precision Tools are SOLD OUT. This is phenomenal as most of the publicity on these tools have been through the excellent reviews in Beadwork, Stringing, Step by Step Wire, Step by Step Beads and from the editors of Bead and Button through their forums. Word of mouth raving comments from all of you to your beadstores or friends have made the launching of this product a success.

Unfortunately those who waited to order for Christmas, will have to wait a little longer. In order to maintain affordability the second shipment (smaller than the first) shipped from Japan by sea two Friday's ago. My Japanese business partner indicates generally the shipment takes anywhere from 30-40 days to arrive. My fingers are crossed it gets here before the holidays but because of the overwhelming response I have opted to extend the promo price of $125 for those who want to pre-order and pay for the tools from the second shipment. Otherwise, once the shipment arrives, more than likely the price will be from $135 to $140, dependent on any custom fees. I think for the value and quality even this price is quite affordable.

So, I am sorry we are sold out but I promise the tools will be worth the wait. Please email me to be placed on the waiting list and order from the second shipment. There are only 60 kits in the second shipment and the third shipment will not arrive until late January for Tucson. Due to the expense in importing product and the volatility of world economies these days, I am being watchful in each shipment. This is to ensure that the costs to you remain affordable. Thank you for enjoying these tools and please show your friends your tools.

Next, when I started importing these tools, my intention was to eventually have a beautiful Japanese tool bag to carry them in. We set that project aside to see how you would like the tools but because of the rapid sell out of the first shipment we will bring the prototyping back online. I hope to have a tool bag design by early 2009 and then go into production. Once this is ready, I will post on the website. If you want to be notified via email on the bag's availability, just send me an email.

Thank you again everyone for loving these tools!
Lisa

PPT has ARRIVED!!

Yes, the Japanese Professional Precision Tools are indeed in my living room NOW. All TWENTY boxes. My worker ants and I will be diligently packing ALL preorders to ship out this Saturday before I leave for Milwaukee.

It has been a HUGE learning experience getting these tools from Japan to the USA. There were material shortages that delayed production of our flush cutter and after two months of waiting, I am so relieved the first shipment is finally here and has safely arrived. Now I can say I am officially an importer registered with US Customs and Treasury Departments. I even have my own freight forwarder and customs broker. With that being said, I am still one woman, with very supportive family members, running this operation. So, I don't want to hear from those who say "I can't do this or that". Persistence, anything can be done if you put your mind to it. I'm not saying everything will be easy but hard work never killed anyone. So put some muscle into your next project, small or large.

We'll it's time for this girl to get some much deserved rest - a good night's sleep - for a busy tomorrow. Tomorrow the sun will shine even brighter!

Joyful,

Lisa

P.S. And if I can get that "evil" bracelet woman taken care of, I will be that much more happier! Thanks S.K. (if you are reading) for helping me in that endeavor. I'm counting on you! (wink)

PPT is Almost Here ...

Countdown, the first shipment of the Japanese Professional Precision tools are being delivered from my freight forwarder TOMORROW. In the past week and a half, I have learned a LOT about fluctuating exchange rates, wiring money, US Customs, freight forwarding, duty fees and how extremely expensive it is to import product into the USA. Custom fees are where the US government gets it's revenue, second only to income taxes from the IRS. Woohoo. Yes indeed, I feel GREAT being able to help the US government and economy in my own special way!!

When I first got my hands on the round nose and chain nose pliers in late February, thanks to a gift from my friends at Ezel Findings, I NEVER imagined I would become the exclusive importer of these Japanese tools. I'm a beadmaker, jewelry designer, beader, metalsmith and author but tool importer? Well I am an ex-electrical engineer so I knew good tools when I felt these in my hands. It was instant LOVE at first touch! I KNEW I had to have them ALL and thus launched my quest to complete my set of five tools with the missing three pliers (bent nose, flat nose and flush cutter). I tracked down a Japanese friend who happened to know the factory manager. What a small world full of connections. I truly believe these RED handled tools FOUND ME as I didn't look for them.

In order to get a good price to complete my own set, I had to order a small sampling of these tools which I originally intended to gift to good friends, selling the remainder few extra sets. I didn't WANT to become a tool importer but the tools wanted me to! I began to realize that although I knew NOTHING about importing product, MORE designers would benefit from these tools than just me and a mere 24 others! (my original sample order arrived right before Bead Expo Portland in March). So within a few short weeks through my Japanese friend we were able to negotiate the exclusive US distribution. I still had NO idea what I was getting myself into. I had to forecast possible future sales. This is why I decided to take pre-orders at the recent bead shows, beginning at Bead Expo Portland. I needed to gauge how popular these would be by just demoing the pliers and letting people feel them.

Once you feel these pliers in your hands you will instantly realize why they are indeed special. Once you see them in person, you will note the ultra fine jaws that are not available in any other pliers in the market today. So, the orders came from these show demos with NO real notification to the industry and half of the first shipment has sold. I still have a nice quantity for Bead and Button orders and forecasting for the next 6 months will happen very soon. So, this is how fast everything happened and why you did not read about these tools in my book, Bead Romantique. Now the real work begins.

In future months, you will start seeing product features on these innovative tools in key magazines. The first feature will appear in the August issue of Step by Step Wire. I will post the feature on the blog later as this is SO EXCITING. My first official ad for the PPT will also appear in this issue. The Interweave team has been playing with the tools for the last few weeks and I'm sitting on the edge of my seat waiting to read what they think!

With this feature and ad, I hope more will come to know how special indeed these tools are and how hard I've worked to bring them to the U.S. Having NEVER imported anything until now and because of my recent experiences, I appreciate all those Suppliers whom I know import more products than I. Wowza! So here's to these tools and let's see them ROCK the wire artist community. Don't forget to think about these tools for gifts to anyone who loves to use fine tools as they are not limited to jewelry designers only! Xmas is going to be here faster than you know.

I only sell these in kit form but will be offering the pliers to bead stores soon, who will offer them individually. If you can't find these tools at your local beadstore (have them contact me to bring them there!) and don't need the whole set, you can find them at the San Gabriel Bead Company who can ship them to you. You really CAN use every single one of these tools, so if you are a completist like me, then you'll want them ALL eventually. The introductory price ($125) may not last after the first shipment sells out. I will have to gauge the exchange rate situation and make a judgment how long the promotional price can last. I believe in bringing a great value to everyone and do not promote any product I don't believe in or use personally. So you know I will try my best to keep prices reasonable. And, even at the retail price of $150, you will find that these five tools are a bargain in this quality which can't be beat. If you can find similar ultra fine tools for lower prices - SHOW ME! I do not know of ANY pliers like these, available in the US, which are made with Japanese cutlery grade Stainless Steel.

In the next few days, my family (THANK GOODNESS, I need all the help I can get!) will help pack ALL the pre-orders to ship out by this Saturday. Then I am off to the Bead and Button Show to demo these in person! I won't have computer access all next week but I'll be armed with my Powershot G9, so I'll report on all my adventures when I return through my camera! It's a crazy time here, as you can well imagine.

In Anticipation and Relief
The Shipment is Finally
Arriving!
Here at last! Here at last!
Lisa

Show Stop: March 27-30, 2008: Bead Expo Portland

(click on any photos for an enlarged view)

Aaaah! I am up early this morning, recovering from a cold, yes, but energized nonetheless full of ideas and new opportunities of which I shall share with you folks soon. I like to keep the mystery up of what I am up to but all is well. Aren't surprises fun?

If I had more hours in the day I would be posting more frequently on this blog. I so enjoy writing and sharing part of my life with my fellow beaders and artists. Magic is happening in the background and this year you will see the fruits of my labor!! I'm rebuilding old connections and making new ones, loving every moment of this busy life I lead!

Travel back in time with me to the second Show Stop of this year, Bead Expo Portland, through my camera lens. I tried to take as many photos as I could in Portland to share with you all but I was using THAT Kodak camera "for now" since I haven't had time to play with the new Canon Powershot G9. (The Nikon 995 stays home safe! I have SO many toys!) My new "baby" and toy is feeling sad these days because when it arrived a MONTH ago, I just opened it up to make sure it could power on. YES! I have been THAT busy. You know me, I can never help myself to those electronic gadgets but it's been a bit crazy launching the book and new Japanese tools (more on the new tool kit in another post, after the upcoming Miami trip, as it is an engineer's dream and a wire artist's friend!). I have so much news to share with you all that I am bursting with excitement. I must pace myself and post on the blog periodically so I may focus on the many projects running in parallel.



Team Interweave in their 2008 signature BLUE T-shirts welcomes you as you register for your show passes or sign up for classes. The big case to the left of this photo showcases some of the featured classes that were offered in Portland by internationally known instructors. Interweave is MY publisher for Bead Romantique. I have not met anyone "yet" at Interweave that was not sociable and nice to 'hang out' with. I am NOT saying this only because they are my publishers but everyone is on TOP of their game there. It takes a lot to impress me and I would not say this about ANYONE unless it was true.

Portland was my book launch! This was the first weekend that Bead Romantique was available to beaders. The book has been on Amazon and other book clubs, on pre-order status since mid November 2007. I "finally" had the opportunity to show this book to everyone. In Tucson earlier this year, I only had a mockup of the cover. Everyone kept on picking up the display thinking it was a book. We had to SURPRISE you for Bead Expo Portland. It was so very exciting to launch the book in Portland.

There were many firsts for me on this trip. It was my first time in Portland, my first time launching my first book, my first time showing my new gadget - a 15" digital picture frame, my first time launching an innovative and exclusive Japanese tool kit, my first time meeting my new PUBLISHER, Mr. Stephen Koenig (a very nice guy I enjoyed teasing because he didn't bring enough books to Portland and we SOLD OUT 72 books by Saturday. Sorry my fellow beaders on late Saturday and Sunday! but you can order your copy from Amazon or through me too! This is the FIRST time in Interweave history that a newly launched book has SOLD OUT at their show! Woohoo, I'm dancing in my seat. I am simply THRILLED and thank all of you for your kind words regarding my first book. Enjoy the book, the history and projects! Okay, Steve if you are reading this... "hi" and THANK YOU to Team Interweave! See you in September!!), my first time conducting demos "every" day etc. Lots of firsts that will go down in my life as memorable from this trip. I am a very sentimental person. Without the good folks at Interweave, I would have been just any designer and/or writer without a book to share my design sensibilities and love of the craft with beaders worldwide. Interweave ROCKS!! I love teaching through my writing because I can reach more people than in a classroom setting. Come with me as I discover, learn, grow and thrive in my future endeavors. Come learn with me through Bead Romantique.

In front of Hall A, where we exhibited was this HUGE golden pendulum. With my vivid imagination, I can see the below photo as a possible Thursday Tease photo. Can you see the the photo translated into bead, glass or metal? I CAN. I'll have a nice Thursday Tease to share early as I'll be flying off to Miami Wednesday! With my crazy imagination, I considered what would happen if the HUGE (humongous!) sphere would suddenly break free. Notice I am shooting the photo at a distance and using my telephoto lens. Hey with this vivid imagination do you think I would want to stand RIGHT under the pendulum. Ouch! Anyhow back to Bead Expo Portland.

Every morning I walked from the hotel to the convention center. Remember I am training for my Susan G. Komen walk in November (DON'T forget to support my fundraising efforts, if you can!) so I was walking everywhere and hauling 70lb luggage. One of the luggages going to Portland was 82 LBS! It's funny that the Budget rental car attendants offered to help me load and unload my car but I told them "hey I may be a small Chinese girl, but I need my workout". They stood back and watched me lift all four luggages into the SUV. I took the opportunity to tell them I was a beadmaker and writer as I love sharing my adventures in the bead world, with anyone who has an eager ear. (Can't run away from me now! I love to talk and talk and TALK (as well as write!) about creativity and BEADS!)

By November, I will be so much stronger and hopefully back to the fit/healthy self I once was. YES! I parked my rental SUV (yes I had FOUR huge luggages for my corner booth!) at the convention center and left it there ALL week. It was good exercise even walking in the light rain that is synonymous to the Pacific Northwest. The air was so fresh and cleansing compared to "smoggy" Southern California. I love the Pacific Northwest for it's natural beauty but this California girl was missing the sunshine. I'm such a wimp but was prepared with a long jacket, wool scarf, umbrella and even HAT!

Guess what? All the photos with that darn Kodak inside the exhibit did not come out well. I was so busy (not that I didn't remember) with the show that I didn't even snap a photo of my booth with the cool digital frame. I will do much better at the next show. I spent my free time in the mornings before the show, pre-signing THE book.



Every day 12-1p.m. I did demos on the Pearl Mesh bracelet at my booth with Vintaj, Italian Mesh, Artistic Wire, My $5 pearls and the NEW fantabulous Japanese Plier kit!! (on pre-order status and the FIRST large shipment will be at the Los Angeles port mid to end of May!) Some attendees were able to snatch up the first 18 kits. I shall share the technical details of these lovely and BEAUTIFUL pliers with you after Miami. So much to share with you all. YES these pliers are BEAUTIFUL if pliers can be beautiful. They are in the signature Lisa Kan "black and red". No the factory did not design these pliers in my booth's color schemes. As "luck" (color red) would have it, these pliers found me - I didn't look for them. The last thing on my mind was to become a tool distributor. But I HAD TO SHARE THIS great product with you all. So I am learning how to import and wire transfer money to Japan, learning about how far I can take the falling US dollar versus the Yen, learning about how to package and market an innovative tool, learning about the technology of the Japanese stainless steel standard AISI 420 aka SUS420J2 and MUCH MORE. I LOVE IT, learning new things, especially if it is technical info. I'm a nerd and a geek at heart still. I'll probably get a bit too technical next, so I'll end the Japanese plier topic here for the meantime and focus on the tools exclusively later in a future post.

The pliers DESERVE to have it's own post. The product is "PPT" Professional Precision Tools Made in Japan. I am the EXCLUSIVE US Distributor. I thought of calling it "PPP" Professional Precision Pliers but there is a wonderful flush cutter in the kit, so "PPT" it is! I know good tools when I feel them in my hands. Tools are an extension of our hands. If you can find a better and finer set of tools in the market TODAY for the detailed wire artist, I challenge you. I will GIVE you a free bead if you win! I am confident that you have never seen these in the jewelry industry because these tools are used for integrated circuit (IC) and surface mount technology (SMT) prototyping. AHA! Yes, going to engineering school at Cal Poly Pomona has not been lost in my new life as a bead artist! These tools are designed by engineers for engineers and as an EX-engineer I'm loving it that I can bring them to you at an AFFORDABLE price! I'll tell a story later about the "plier challenge" in Portland later. All I will say now is that I won the plier challenge (Hi "El Jean" yes I am talking about YOU and the plier challenge! Your plier kit is on the way!)

The next post, if I have time later today, will be photos of Portland. I was able to fly in early on Wednesday March 26th and drove around downtown a bit to find snacks for the show before setting up the booth. I love Trader Joe's and seek out one if the city I'm visiting has one! It was BEAUTIFUL even in the rain. I also spotted some interesting architecture and nature to capture. Even with that Kodak, the photos came out beautifully. When you have such inspiration before you, it is evident in the pictures!! I will return to Portland NEXT year September! See you then Portland!

I can't wait and no rain will STOP this SoCal girl from enjoying the city!


Until next time... thank you for joining me on my SECOND Show Stop this fabulous year, 2008! More photos of Portland soon.