Archive for January, 2009
Hello from Southern California! I’d say sunny California, but it’s been cold and I’ve been inside a convention center until dark every day, so we haven’t seen much sunlight. I’ve also just started to adjust to the time change…just in enough time to come home. One morning (at 4:45), Lani said "Are you awake?" "Yep." And so our day began. I also apparently need to go out of town to get a full night’s sleep. At home, there are so many things to do, I end up staying up much later than I should and only getting 5-6 hours of sleep per night. The first night we were here (after traveling all day), I slept for almost 10 hours. I think my body almost went into shock! We’re leaving this afternoon and I can’t wait to get home. I miss my family terribly and the kids haven’t handled me being gone very well (of course that might have something to do with them being tired – apparently Dad let them stay up until 11:09 on a school night!)
We have really had a great show. I think I use the term "kid in a candy store" every time I come to the CHA show, but it is so wonderful to walk around and see people’s creative interpretations made into such beautiful things. We’ve picked out over 200 new collections that we’ll be adding over the next six months. We’re going to be adding a bunch of new suppliers, such as Martha Stewart, Amanda Blu, Graphic 45, Queen & Co, Anna Griffin, Colorbök, Jillibean Soup, Mrs. Grossmans’s, Little Yellow Bicycle, Sports Solutions and WeR Memory Keepers.
However, the best part of the show was a new friendship I struck up with a designer. It’s one of those times that you meet someone you have tons in common with and feel like you’ve know each other forever. She has been working on a project for the past year that she says has helped her get the pictures of the everyday moments of her life out of her camera/computer and into a photo journal. She says it has made her a better (and happier) person, wife and mother and she’s going to help me do the same thing. I’ll keep you posted, but I think we’re all about to embark on a really meaningful journey together. I can’t wait!
We have 215 new products available this week. We have the St. Valentine collection from Cloud 9 Designs, the Winter Wishes collection from Carolee’s Creations and seven themed collections from Karen Foster. We’ve added some Sticko stickers from EK Success and of course, lots of travel and requests from the SYT designers. We have two designs that can be personalized – an aquarium die cut, with the name of your aquarium and a travel die cut that we made in "Orlando to Anaheim" in honor of our trip. Click here to see them all: http://www.scrapyourtrip.com/12809.html
We also have an additional 215 items on sale this week. The sale lasts until next Tuesday, February 3rd and is while quantities last. Click here to see the items at 25% off: http://www.scrapyourtrip.com/215sale1281009.html
As always, thanks for your business!
Julie Swatek, President
Scrap Your Trip®
www.ScrapYourTrip.com
‘cuz life is a trip worth scrappin’®
January 28th, 2009
It’s a great day to be an American. (It’s a cold day to be an American…it is currently 31 degrees in sunny Orlando, Florida!) One of the lines in yesterday’s Inauguration speech that really spoke to me was the following: "Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted – or for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things – some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom."
This is such a fitting quote as I leave this weekend to attend the Craft and Hobby Association (CHA) tradeshow in Anaheim, California. The craft industry…the entire scrapbooking phenomenon…is built upon "the risk-takers, the doers and the makers of things". It is entire industry of women and men who said one day, "I have an idea!" and acted on it. Women such as Lisa Bearnson, who started Creating Keepsakes magazine, Melody Ross of Chatterbox (remember the old journaling templates with the purple and yellow packaging?) and Stephanie Rahmatulla who drew some simple stick figures and started Me and My Big Ideas from her dining room table.
Winter CHA is where the manufacturers release their biggest product launches of the year. I’ve gotten quite a few sneak peeks and their creativity is in full swing! Is there anything specific you want me to look for? Specific products…themes…manufacturers? Please leave a comment on the blog (link below) and let me know. We’re going to print out all the blog comments to take with us on the plane to make our list of things to look for.
We have a total of 206 new items this week, including a brand new supplier – Cookbookin’. They have some really cute papers, stickers and brads to scrapbook one of my favorite subjects – food! We have the Be Mine Valentine’s collection from Reminisce and we also have a circus collection from Moxxie (since we went to the circus this past weekend. About halfway through, my 6-year old son Logan turned to me and said "Mommy, this isn’t a circus. It’s just a bunch of people dancing!” He was much happier when the tigers came out.) 
Both of these collections have coordinating Bazzill packs. We have a new travel collection from Momenta and lots of travel paper and die cuts from Scrap Your Trip, including four personalized die cuts (two for football, one for winter vacation and one for skiing).
What I’m most proud of is the Scrap Your Trip "Obama" collection. We made papers and die cuts specifically for the Inauguration (along with the ones we made for the Election). To me, this collection epitomizes what small business…being a "risk-taker, a doer and a maker of things"…is all about. It is so gratifying to have an idea and then be able to act on it. No "research and development"…no "focus group testing"…no "vote needed from the Board of Directors". Just an idea and the ability to make it happen. I hope it helps you scrapbook your memories of this great day in American history.
As always, thanks for your business.
Julie Swatek, President
Scrap Your Trip®
www.ScrapYourTrip.com
‘cuz life is a trip worth scrappin’®
Comments? Post them on the blog at http://blog.scrapyourtrip.com.
January 21st, 2009
When the dust has settled after Christmas, I always make the kids go through all their toys. An unwritten rule is that for every new toy they received, an old one needs to go. If we don’t do this, the toys start to take over the house. Sometimes, the toys that go are ones they never really played with much in the first place. Sometimes, they are ones that were absolute favorites, but have just been outgrown.
Managing the inventory of a scrapbook store is a lot like managing the kids’ toys. It’s called "inventory turns" and how well you do it is the number one factor that determines whether or not you can stay in business.
At least once a week we get an e-mail from a customer telling us their local scrapbook store has closed. It breaks my heart to hear that because I know how much passion and hard work it takes to run a business. But…a store can have the most passionate owner, the best classes, the most inspiring instructors, but if they can’t turn their inventory, they are going to go under. You may know a store that has the exact same stuff every time you go in there…never anything new. That’s because all the money is sitting on the shelf and there is none left over to get anything fresh.
It’s just like the toys. If my kids want a new Nintendo game, they have to take their old one to Game Stop and trade it in towards a new one.
We’re pretty good at "inventory turns", but I know we can do better. So, for 2009, just like with the toys, one new one in…one old one out. We have 171 new items added this week and 171 items on sale at a 25% discount. The items aren’t discontinued, just on sale . It helps you to scrapbook for less and it allows me to continue to bring you new products every week. I’m all about the win-win! (I’m also all about making sure Scrap Your Trip is still going strong on 1/1/2010 and wishing you another Happy New Year. I am well aware that 2009 is going to be challenging, but we are up for the challenge!)
We have lots of "fresh" items in our 171 new items this week. We have the Frosted collection from Reminisce, with some really cute penguins and polar bears and the Young & Active winter collection from Scrappin’ Sports & More. We also have three new collections from Creative Imaginations: Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, Sea World and Discovery Cove. We also have the new BasicGrey line: Bittersweet. I know Valentine’s Day is still a month away, but we wanted to have it early for any of you who are cardmakers. The SYT Designers have also started working on Valentine’s Day die cuts (we have a cute personalized bear this week), along with birthday, winter, hockey, general travel and more. Click here to see all the new items:
http://www.scrapyourtrip.com/11409.html.
As always, thanks for your business.
Julie Swatek, President
Scrap Your Trip®
www.ScrapYourTrip.com
‘cuz life is a trip worth scrappin’®
January 14th, 2009
"The days are long, but the years are short."
I read this quote many years ago, when I was pregnant with Lauren. As a first-time mom, whenever I would have a day that seemed like it stretched on for a week, I would think of this saying and try to remember how quickly the years were going to go. I was 32 by the time I had Lauren – old enough to know that when people said "I blinked and my child was in high school", they knew what they were talking about.
This has really been on my mind, with another year coming to an end. As I have gotten older, the years have started going by so much faster. On Christmas Day, after the excitement of the morning, my husband Tony and I ended up taking a nap. I woke up because I heard dishes clinking in the kitchen. "Oh no!" I thought to myself. "The kids never had lunch. They must be starving!" I hopped out of bed and went to the kitchen. There were my kids, sitting at the counter, eating. Lauren looked at me and grinned from ear to ear. "I made leftovers!" She had gotten them out of the fridge, put them on plates and microwaved them for both her and Logan. She had even gotten napkins and poured them both something to drink.
Where has the time gone? How could my baby, who was just born, be heating up leftovers for her and her brother?
I gave up making New Year’s Resolutions many years ago, but for 2009, I have set one intention: Be Present. I know I cannot slow down the passage of time. But I can live in the moment that I have, instead of wishing for one that has already past, or waiting for the next one to arrive.
This morning, as I was carrying each of the kids into our bedroom to watch TV before they started to get ready for school, I practiced being present. I was aware of how differently they both wake up…Lauren who sits straight up and starts rubbing her eyes…Logan who rolls onto all fours to push himself up. I felt their warm bodies, still sleepy and snuggly, and smelled the top of their heads, like moms do. It was a perfect start to my day.
I asked Tiffany make a die cut with this saying for me. Maybe it will work for one of your scrapbook pages too. It’s one of the 179 new products we have available this week. We have four new collections from Creative Imaginations: Rustic Retreat, Passion for Fashion, Emerald Isle and new additions to their Magic collection, along with new colors of glitter cardstock. We have a beautiful winter line from Best Creations and lots of SYT papers and die cuts to ring in the New Year. Our exclusive designs cover themes such as Disney, General Travel, Camping, New Year’s Australia, Italy, Winter, Rodeo Skiing, Climbing, Paintball, Casino, Crossword Puzzle, Gold Panning, Nepal, Skateboarding, Ice Skating, Exercise, New York and San Francisco.
We also have a custom Snowman 12 x 12 paper and a custom fortune cookie die cut. At last, your fortune can say whatever you want it to! Click here to see all the items: http://www.scrapyourtrip.com/10709.html.
As always, thanks for your business. Be Present!
January 7th, 2009
