KITEBUILDER.com NEWSLETTER –
NOVEMBER 2007
Welcome Fall… and welcome all
members of the kitebuilder.com community.
This is your ‘occasional’
newsletter from Kite Studio. I would
like to update you on some kite happenings and review a few items on sale this
month.
AMERICAN KITEFLIERS ASSOCIATION
CONVENTION
October 1-7 was the national AKA
convention in Ocean Shores, Washington.
The convention is ALWAYS a great week for all kinds of kiting. My main focus is running the Comprehensive
Kitemakers’ Competition and this year we had 96 entries in thirteen
categories. Kite Studio customers were
well represented and many walked away with an award. Congratulations to all winners and a special thumbs up to John
Pollock, winner of the 2007 AKA Grand Champion award.
If you missed the convention, you
can view a slide show HERE.
The scored results of the competition can be found on the AKA and kitebuilder websites.
If you DID attend the convention and if you DID enter the kitemakers’
competition, please help us improve the event next year by filling out THIS
SURVEY.
FORUM UPDATE
The kitebuilder forum has been very active. Current statistics show over 1900 members posting over 67,000
articles. If you want to learn about kitebuilding, the
kitebuilder.com forums are STILL the place to be. (make sure you register and log in to view all forums).
KITEBUILDER FORUM FLAG
Check THIS
out! Forum members have been requesting
an official feather flag for over a year.
I finally found time to create a design and
Cliff Quinn helped put it all together.
The plan will soon be available for download and Kite Studio will be
supplying the kits. Forum members will
be able to put their screen name on the bottom section and the blank portion is
for your imagination. Make the banner
unique with any graphic you dream. Take a close look at the shape; imagine two
(or more) of these banners side by side. They fit together! Included in the kit
will be pieces of Velcro. When forum members get together at a festival, the
feather flags can also be "put together" to form one large display.
The flag represents the forum coming together just like the forum joins
kitebuilder's around the world. I can’t
wait to see the longest display. Stay
tuned to the website as more info becomes available.
KITES ON TV
Mark your calendar and tune into
the HISTORY CHANNEL on November 21. The program, Monsterquest,
reveals the truth of legendary monster sightings around the world. On November 21, they
investigate the validity of large bird sightings… Quoting from the website:
“Native Americans have long
revered huge birds called Thunderbirds. There was a rash of giant bird
sightings in Illinois, Texas and Alaska back in the 1970's. A giant bird with a
15-foot wingspan allegedly attacked a small child in Illinois. Could there
really be a giant bird or is it mass hysteria? Take a scientific journey and
follow the many eyewitnesses' accounts across the country and examine the most
compelling evidence.”
Cliff Quinn designed and created
a large bird kite for the episode and Barb Meyer flew it in front of the camera
crew. More information HERE
KNOWLEDGE BASE
Have you seen our Wiki? Dubbed
the “Kitebuilders’ Knowledge Base”, it is basically a kitebuilders' encyclopedia that archives
information on all things related to kitebuilding, including plans and reference material. The system grows every day
because it is interactive - YOU can add information, text, and pictures. In
addition, if you have a kite plan but need a place to store it online, contact Steve
and he will create a page for you… for free.
Check it out HERE
KITE STUDIO SALE ITEMS
LINE
LIQUIDATION: Chop, Chop, Chop… that is what has been happening to the price
of our bulk 3,000 foot line spools since October. I began by putting all spools on sale for $20.00 with notice that
I would be reducing the price by $1.00 every two weeks until the end of
2007. We are now at $17.00 and selling
out of many colors. If there is a color
or strength you want, don’t wait! I try
to keep the website up to date but there are no guarantees for tomorrow. You WILL NOT find a better deal anywhere on
the net. Some of this line has a regular retail price of $75.00! If there are any spools left in 2008, I will
say right now with certainty, the price will be higher than it is today. Add a couple to your line bag TODAY.
POLYMAX Z-42: We’ve been waiting on this for a long time
and it is finally here. Chalenge’s new
line of 42 gram/square meter polyester.
We now have red, white, and blue at prices you’ve come to expect at Kite
Studio… as low as $3.40/yard. Save even
more when you purchase the RWB 15 yard sample pack at $50.00.
NYLON 1.5:
Continuing the red, white, and blue theme, until supplies last, we are offering
North’s 1.5 ounce nylon at $3.00/yard… stock up now for winter kite and banner
building!
NYLON 65: We’ve been selling this ripstop all year and
the stock levels are getting low. But
your price is still $3.00 per yard. The
fabric is 60” wide, and really good quality.
It has a softer feel than our regular .75 ounce nylon but still works
great for kites, ground displays, and fabric architecture. Because of its “soft hand” it is ideal for
soft kites. And at three bucks a yard, how can you go wrong? Click HERE
for fabric selections, and then click on the color for more information. Only six colors left.
SAMPLE
PACKS: We started selling these this year and they have been a real
hit. For $50.00 you get an assortment
of either .75 or 1.5 (your choice) ripstop nylon. You can’t specify colors, but I promise 1-3 yards of ten
different colors. That means your pack
can contain up to 30 yards of top quality fabric! Makes a great Christmas gift too!
WRAPPED
GRAPHITE: Since 1992, Avia
Sport has been setting the standard with G-Force &
Excel wrapped graphite tubes. Kite Studio has been growing with
Avia for over fifteen years and we continue our relationship by
offering all their products to you at our lowest possible prices.
Until supplies last, Avia has chosen to reduce stock levels on all G-Force and
Excel tubes and has cut our cost. Kite Studio reacts to this change by
passing the savings to you. So, for a limited time, you have a rare
opportunity to save 20%. Take advantage of this now, you will not find a
better deal.
KITEBUILDER GEAR: Have you noticed the addition of our new shirts, hats,
and buttons? We partnered with
zazzle.com to provide many new customizable items. Pick a shirt and change colors, fonts, and graphics to suite your
taste… or just purchase the way it is
presented. Either way, a new
kitebuilder shirt will make a great addition to your kiting wardrobe. Show off your favorite hobby!
GIFT
CERTIFICATES: The holiday season is almost here, are you
ready? Remember Kite Studio gift
certificates for all your kitebuilding friends. Easy to order and they last until 2009.
KITE STUDIO SUPPLIES:
As always, we continue to offer the best prices in the
country for one stop shopping for kite fabric, framework, and fittings. If
there is anything you are looking for and cannot find in our catalog, give me a call
at 610-395-3560. If your matter is urgent, call my cell at 610-533-3528. I also
have many items not listed in our catalog and our on-site machine shop can make
almost any fitting that you can imagine.
AKA REMINDER:
If you are a member of the American Kitefliers Association
you can enjoy a 10% discount off all our regular prices… but you have to tell
us! When you place an online order, be sure to include your AKA number and
expiration date in the comment section during checkout. If you are not a
member, you can join online HERE.
When you sign up, remember who referred you…
I again thank you for your continued support and I wish
all of you a wonderful (and windy) Holiday season. Go build a kite!
Steve Ferrel
Measure once, buy twice! 
------------------------------------------------------
To automatically receive this newsletter you can subscribe to the list by
logging into your Kite Studio
account with your email address and password HERE. To UNSUBSCRIBE from the list, please log
into your account, then go to “my account” and
change your settings.
------------------------------------------------------