A few months ago, the company who had the suite next to ours decided to move out. We’re not out of space where we are now, but a little extra elbow room sure would be nice. So, expansion underway.
It’s been really interesting, because we’re working at the same time the construction crew is, but they have been fantastic! They understand how delicate and important our papers are, and they’ve taken lots of procautions and kept the dust close to zero.
I wanted to share a few "work in process" pictures. Can’t wait ’til you see the after!
My 42nd birthday discount is good for the rest of today, so if you are in need of an album, we’ve got ‘em at 42% off. Just enter coupon code ALBUM42 at checkout. (Coupon code expires at midnight, Eastern, May 29. Cannot be used on previous orders. One coupon code per order.)
Have a wonderful weekend! We’re spending my birthday at Disney. If you are an annual passholder, you can get a FastPass good for your whole family on your birthday. We should be "rided" out by the end of the day!
As always, thanks for your business.
Julie Swatek, President
Scrap Your Trip® www.ScrapYourTrip.com
‘cuz life is a trip worth scrappin’®
There used to be two bathrooms and a kitchen here!
Based on someone’s recommendation, I just started reading What I Know Now: Letters to My Younger Self. It’s a compilation of letters from well-know women later in their life to their younger selves. I turn 42 on Sunday, and I always get very reflective around my birthday. So I’ve been thinking for days…what would I tell my younger self? Here goes:
Dear Julie,
How exciting! You are 20 years old and have just moved from Missouri to Florida to do a spring semester internship with Walt Disney World. The next three months will be the most fun you ever have in your life.
What you don’t know, is that although you plan to now, you will not be moving back to Missouri. The life plan you had…the one to get your accounting degree, become a CPA and move to Kansas City? Yeah, not happening. Turns out the love of your life isn’t from Missouri after all (you’ll meet him in four years).
Here’s what I want you to know: Mom is going to be mad at you for years for not moving back home. Not going back to college now is a welcome break, but then you’re going to get a job in a CPA firm and realize what life as a CPA is going to be like. One day you will say to yourself, "If I have to do one more tax return, I’m going to scream!" That is the end of your college career and you’re not going to graduate. Yes, you. You are going to waste a lot of years of your life feeling like you are a failure.
But when you are 35, you are going to start a business that will be more successful than in your wildest dreams. A switch is going to flip the day you turn 40 and you will realize this is what you were meant to do. You know that saying "Life begins at 40" that you never understood as a kid? You will.
Your goal has always been to "make a difference in the world one person at a time". I know right now you have no idea how to do that. You will be able to do so through your business – employing retirees and single moms – giving kids not much older than you are now a good start and helping them become good employees – and helping people preserve the most important memories in their lives.
Soak up everything. Life is going to place wonderful teachers in your path. Some things you will learn through pain, but the lessons are still important. Everything in your life happens to you to teach you something. The sooner you figure that out, the better it will be. Oh, and stop buying those cheap black skirts and shoes…you’re spending a fortune. Here’s a lesson: quality costs less.
Here’s the most important lesson of all: you are enough.
Even at 42, I’m still working on that one, but maybe you can give me a head start.
I love you,
You at twenty
P.S. Ignore your college friends who call you "Casper the Friendly Ghost" since you never have a tan. At 42, you look 32, so thanks for all the sunblock!
What advice would you give to your younger self? Please post your advice on the blog. One thing I have learned as I’ve gotten older is that the people who’ve been there before me know what they’re talking about. I can’t wait to read all your advice!
We have 269 brand new items to choose from this week. This week’s collections include "Transatlantique" from a brand new supplier, Graphic 45; "Tropical Tango" and "Party" from KI Memories; Camping and Fishing from Carolee’s Creations; Soccer, "Lego Emergency", "Rock-A-Bye Baby boy & Girl" from Creative Imaginations; "Bon Voyage", Tropical Vacation Stickers, Lacrosse, Softball, Golf, Bowling and Swimming from Stamping Station; Soccer, Swimming, Lacrosse and Softball albums from MBI and EK Success stickers of birds, flowers, butterflies and space.
There are six new layouts for these collections in the Shop By Layout section.
The SYT designers were working on the following themes this week: Travel, Beach, Theme Park, Pool, Costa Rica, Germany, Scotland, Arizona, Virginia, Washington DC, Memorial Day, Air Force, Basketball, Swimming, Casino, Family, Shopping and of course, Scrapbooking!
We also have four custom die cuts this week: a custom plane banner (you know, the one’s that fly over the beach), a custom family road trip sign and custom boy and girl swimsuits.
Since it’s my birthday, we’re offering 42% off any album in the store. Just enter coupon code ALBUM42. The coupon code is good until midnight Friday 5/29. (One coupon per order. Offer not valid on previous orders or future orders. Coupons cannot be combined).
Congrats to last week’s winners of SYT VIP Discount Passes worth 30% off every order for the rest of the year! The winners, picked by random.org, are Traci Angel, Kim Espinosa and Catherine Maness. Ladies, your passes are on the way!
And remember, if you can’t find what you’re looking for, we can always make it custom just for you! Click here to see all our custom options: www.scrapyourtrip.com/custom.html.
As always, thanks for your business.
Julie Swatek, President
Scrap Your Trip® www.ScrapYourTrip.com
‘cuz life is a trip worth scrappin’®
Yipee! The un-official start to summer is here! Memorial Day Weekend. A time of picnics, BBQ, corn on the cob, uncovering the swimming pool, relaxation and gratutide for those who gave their life defending our freedoms.
In the Scrap Your Trip office yesterday, we decided to have a pre-Memorial Day lunch. We also celebrated the May birthdays with cake and a little craziness (see picture below).
How would you like a 30% discount on every order for the rest of the year? We’re giving away two SYT VIP Passes – just place an order of $100+ and you might be the winner! All orders placed before midnight tonight (May 22) are eligible.
Hope you have great weather for your Memorial Day Weekend plans. It’s been raining in Orlando all week and there is no end in sight. We need the rain, but I miss the sunshine!
Have a fun-filled, safe weekend!
As always, thanks for your business.
Julie Swatek, President
Scrap Your Trip® www.ScrapYourTrip.com
‘cuz life is a trip worth scrappin’®
LaToya (Order Processor), Sommer (Order Processor),
Laurie (Customer Care) and me (Julie) celebrate our
32 days. I have been sick for 32 days. I am tired of being sick. I just want to feel normal again.
I had a cold…that turned into an upper respiratory infection…that turned into acute bronchitis…that turned into asthmatic bronchitis. I have had three chest x-rays totaling $224.00. I have taken two courses of antibiotics, three different asthma medications and prescription strength cough suppressant totaling $458.26. I have been to the doctor seven times totaling $781.00. I even had to go the ER. That was $1898.00. Grand total? $3,361.26!
Now it might seem like I’m complaining. I’m really not. I have never been so grateful for my health in all my life. I can’t even imagine if this was my life forever. I know I am going to get better. For some people, this is their normal life.
I am also so grateful to be able to breathe, even though it’s still a little difficult and it still hurts a little bit. Kidney issues? You can go on dialysis. Inconvenient, but you can still live. Heart issues? Pacemaker. Again, inconvenient, but you can still live. Can’t breathe? Game over.
Since my lungs still aren’t back to normal, I went to see a lung specialist on Monday. Know what they told me? They think I’m having a "latent allergic reaction" to my cat. My cat? The one I’ve had for a year and a half? The fifth cat I’ve had in the past ten years? Seriously? You’ve got to be kidding me? I haven’t been able to breathe well for over a month since I’ve been so sick and you think it’s my cat?
I believe that things happen in our life to teach us things and it’s up to us to figure out what that is. This is what I have learned through all this mess.
1. Just because someone went to medical school doesn’t mean they are a good doctor. You can barely pass and still put that M.D. after your name.
2. On the flip side, there are some fantastic, caring people in the medical profession.
3. We have to be our own advocate for our health. Doctors can’t possibly know all that is going on with you during their 5-10 minute visit.
4. We have to trust that we know our own bodies. I ended up in the ER due to a reaction to the fast-acting inhaler they gave me. It’s called a "paradoxical bronchospasm" – instead of opening your airways, it has the opposite effect and closes them. The same thing happened to me two years ago when I used a fast-acting inhaler. My instinct told me not to take it – that I was going to have a reaction again. But somehow, when it comes to doctors, we think they know more about us than we know ourselves, so we follow their advice, even if it goes against what we think we should do. Why do we do that?
5. I am so grateful that I have good health insurance.
6. Husbands realize how much they love you and act really nice when they think you might die in the ER.
So, I’m glad to have learned these lessons, although I wish I could have coughed a little less while I was learning them! And who knows…I didn’t go to medical school, so maybe it is my cat! I’ll keep you posted.
We have some really cute new collections this week (out of our 270 new items) – Summer Daze from Flair; Jet Set from KI Memories; A La Carte from Kaiser Craft; Play Ball by Best Creations; Bionicle, Family Traditions, Baseball, Football and Basketball from Creative Imaginations; Baby Girl and Baby Boy from Reminisce, along with lots of new embellishments from EK Success. However, my favorite product of the week is the Glitter Cardstock from Best Creations. I don’t know how they did it, but the glitter doesn’t come off! We’ve been using it on quite a few die cuts lately and it is awesome!
The SYT designers were working on the following themes this week: Travel, Cruise, Summer, Ireland, Spain, Milan, Lithuania, Brazil, Nevada, Kentucky, South Dakota, Softball, Gymnastics, Bowling, Lacrosse, Birthday, Great Outdoors, Marines and Scrapbooking. We have a fantastic custom birthday border (using the cool glitter paper).
How would you like a SYT VIP Discount Pass worth 30% off all your orders for the rest of the year? We’re going to be giving away two of them! All orders over $100 between 5/20 and 5/22 will qualify. Lucy winners will be announced next Wednesday.
And remember, if you can’t find what you’re looking for, we can always make it custom just for you! Click here to see all our custom options: www.scrapyourtrip.com/custom.html.
As always, thanks for your business.
Julie Swatek, President
Scrap Your Trip® www.ScrapYourTrip.com
‘cuz life is a trip worth scrappin’®
I love Target. I can walk in there to grab a few things and walk out a few hundred dollars later with a whole cart full of things I just can’t live without that I didn’t even know about a few hours ago.
Well, now I love Target even more! They are giving away $3 million to 10 different charities later this month through their "Bullseye Gives" program. They are leaving it up to us to decide how much money they give each charity, based on votes on Target’s Facebook Page. So far, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, American Red Cross and the Salvation Army are in the lead, but all the charities are worthwhile. Operation Gratitude is one of the charities listed and we’ve raised money for them for the past few years. Click here to see what they are about: www.scrapyourtrip.com/operationgratitude.html.
You can vote once a day, every day, until May 25 for the charity of your choice. The voting is done on their Facebook page, so if you’re not a Facebook member, you’ll need to become one to vote. Click here to vote: www.facebook.com/target. Kudos to you, Target!
Today is the last day to get $15 worth of free SYT Branded products with an $85 purchase. Just put your stuff in the cart…add your $15 worth of SYT Branded products (the ones with SKU’s that start with SYT)…and enter coupon code 15FREE85. The coupon code is good until midnight tonight (Friday 5/15). (One coupon per order. Offer not valid on previous orders or future orders. Coupons cannot be combined).
Hope you have a good weekend! We have a fun-filled weekend planned. We’re cleaning the kids’ rooms! Don’t you wish you were me?
As always, thanks for your business.
Julie Swatek, President
Scrap Your Trip® www.ScrapYourTrip.com
‘cuz life is a trip worth scrappin’®
What a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend! I hope all the mommies out there had as wonderful of a weekend as I did!
It started out Friday with Mothers’ Day Tea at my son Logan’s Kindergarten class. Being the perpetually late person that I am, I walked in right at 1:30 when it started. Logan had a complete meltdown because he thought I wasn’t coming. (Note to self…need to be early to school events). After he calmed down, it was really nice. All the moms were in dresses and the kids made us little tea sandwiches (all by themselves). They sang us a song and gave us flower pots with flowers made out of their thumbprints and pictures (see pictures below). They each drew a picture of their mom and it was hanging on the board. We had to guess which one was us. What was really interesting about the picture that Logan drew of me was that he drew me with red fingernails. I used to have acrylic nails that I always painted red, but I haven’t worn red nail polish in over two years. Funny that it’s still how he thinks of me!
Sunday morning I was awakened by a knock at the door. Breakfast in bed! Lauren came up with the idea all on her own and made me pancakes with syrup. The cutest part was that she carried everything in on a cookie sheet! "I couldn’t find a silver platter. This is all I could find." she said. I thought it was the cutest thing ever!
They got me a jewelery set from my favorite store, Brighton and then off we went for a surprise. My husband Tony had me put an address into the GPS of the minivan and off we went. Surprise! Brunch at a "hip" downtown restaurant. Yummy! A little shopping afterwards…a new purse…what a great day!
We have over 250 brand new items to choose from this week. This week’s collections include a graduation collection from Carolee’s Creations, a Russian collection called "Mumma Bushka", complete with the little Russian dolls, two Asian collections: Asian Way from Creative Imaginations and Shanghai Vintage from Dove of the East, four new collections from Karen Foster; Water Fun, Picnic, Summer and Mother, Sports on Fire from Scrappin’ Sports & More, lots of EK stickers, including baby and Potty Training (boy or girl) from Moxxie and new page kits from Applegate Productions.
There are three new layouts for these collections in the Shop By Layout section.
The SYT designers were working on the following themes this week: Graduation, Travel, Cruise, Water Sports, France, Wales, Japan, Sweden, Turkey, Korea, New York, Boston, Georgia, Iowa, Beach, Summer, Pirates, Universal, Baseball, Hockey, Music, Army and Family Reunion. They also made some "gidgets" based on the suggestion of some of our forum members? What are "gidgets"? Basic shapes, but we’ll make them in any color you’d like. We also have two custom die cuts: a cruise porthole and a hockey jersey.
Looking for a deal on clear stamps? Creative Imaginations gave us a fantastic price and we’re passing it right on to you. The stamps normally sell for $8.00, but we have them for only $2.50.
Cynthia Harger, you are the winner of a fantastic goody basket! The picture is below, but it has an album, punches, paper, stickers, brads, alphabets, etc. Enjoy!
Want $15 worth of free SYT Branded products? It’s yours with an $85 purchase. Just put your stuff in the cart…add your $15 worth of SYT Branded products (the ones with SKU’s that start with SYT)…and enter coupon code 15FREE85. The coupon code is good until midnight Friday 5/15. (One coupon per order. Offer not valid on previous orders or future orders. Coupons cannot be combined).
And remember, if you can’t find what you’re looking for, we can always make it custom just for you! Click here to see all our custom options: www.scrapyourtrip.com/custom.html.
As always, thanks for your business.
Julie Swatek, President
Scrap Your Trip® www.ScrapYourTrip.com
‘cuz life is a trip worth scrappin’®
My mom sent me an e-mail with the most hilarious YouTube video in honor of Mother’s Day and I have to share. Whether you think of your own kids or your own mom, I’ll bet you can’t get through the three minutes of this video without laughing out loud at least once!
Want a chance to win a surprise goody basket filled with over $200 worth of scrapbook supplies? Every order over $75 by midnight tonight (May 8th) means you get one chance in the drawing. The winner will be announced next Wednesday.
Hope you have a great weekend. Happy Mother’s Day!
As always, thanks for your business!
Julie Swatek, President
Scrap Your Trip® www.ScrapYourTrip.com
‘cuz life is a trip worth scrappin’®
Lyrics:
Get up now
Get up now
Get up out of bed
Wash your face
Brush your teeth
Comb your sleepy head
Here’s your clothes
And your shoes
Hear the words I said
Get up now
Get up and make your bed
Are you hot?
Are you cold?
Are you wearing that?
Where’s your books and your lunch and your homework at?
Grab your coat and your gloves and your scarf and hat
Don’t forget you got to feed the cat
Eat your breakfast
The experts tell us it’s the most important meal of all Take your vitamins so you will grow up one day to be big and tall
Please remember the orthodontist will be seeing you at three today?
Don’t forget your piano lesson is this afternoon
So you must play
Don’t shovel
Chew slowly
But hurry
The bus is here
Be careful
Come back here
Did you wash behind your ears?
Play outside
Don’t play rough
Would you just play fair?
Be polite
Make a friend
Don’t forget to share
Work it out
Wait your turn
Never take a dare
Get along
Don’t make me come down there
Clean your room
Fold your clothes
Put your stuff away
Make your bed
Do it now
Do we have all day?
Were you born in a barn?
Would you like some hay
Can you even hear a word I say?
Answer the phone
Get Off the phone
Don’t sit so close
Turn it down
No texting at the table
No more computer time tonight
Your iPod’s my iPod if you don’t listen up
Where you going and with whom and what time do you think you’re coming home?
Saying thank you, please, excuse me
Makes you welcome everywhere you roam
You’ll appreciate my wisdom
Someday when you’re older and you’re grown
Can’t wait ’til you have a couple little children of your own
You’ll thank me for the counsel I gave you so willingly
But right now
I thank you NOT to roll your eyes at me
Close your mouth when you chew
Would appreciate
Take a bite
Maybe two
Of the stuff you hate
Use your fork
Do not you burp
Or I’ll set you straight
Eat the food I put upon your plate
Get an egg A, Get the door
Don’t get smart with me
Get a Grip
Get in here I’ll count to 3
Get a job
Get a life
Get a PhD
Get a dose of reality
I don’t care who started it
You’re grounded until your 36
Get your story straight
And tell the truth for once for heaven’s sake
And if all your friends jumped off a cliff
Would you jump too?
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said at least a thousand times before that
You’re too old to act this way
It must be your father’s DNA
Look at me when I am talking
Stand up straight when you walk
A place for everything
And everything must be in place
Stop crying or I’ll give you something real to cry about
Oh!
Brush your teeth
Wash your face
Get your PJs on
Get in bed
Get a hug
Say a prayer with Mom
Don’t forget
I love you
**KISS**
And tomorrow we will do this all again because a mom’s work never ends
You don’t need the reason why
Because
Because
Because
Because
I said so
I said so
I said so
I said so
I’m the Mom
The mom
The mom
The mom
The mom
Ta-da
Can you believe Mother’s Day is just around the corner? Seems like it was just Christmas! I think I’ve hit that age where time just seems to fly by.
I know it is flying by as far as my children go. They are 9 and 6 and it really doesn’t seem that long ago that they were born. People always say "They grow up in the blink of an eye" and boy is that true. The other day I realized that half of Lauren’s life living with us is over already. How can it be half over already?
I think the really tough part of motherhood is almost here. When babies are born and you are unsure of yourself and how to take care of this little life you’ve been given, it’s really hard. Then…every year as they get a little older…it gets a little easier. They can walk by themselves…tell you why they are crying…pack their own suitcase. And the day you can put the stroller away? Pure freedom!
But that means adolescence is right around the corner. And that’s when it starts getting hard again.
Last week, Lauren was crying inconsolably about her lack of friends at school. There are an odd number of girls in her class and she is the one left out. I tried everything I could think of to say to make her feel better, but nothing was working. Finally I said "Lauren, if I could fix this for you I would! But I can’t." "But I thought you said you could fix anything!" she cried back.
Right there. The moment I went from Wonder Mom…who can heal a boo-boo with a kiss and make everything in the world right…to a mere mortal.
I went to my room and then I cried inconsolably. It was the first time as a Mom that I couldn’t make everything better. That night, I truly understood the saying that you would take all the hurt for yourself if you could. I thought about all the times when I was an adolescent and hurt and how my Mom must have felt.
But just like the rest of motherhood, there is so much joy mixed in with the hurt. My baby boy lost his first tooth. He is so proud! I also hired Lauren to work at Scrap Your Trip…she’s the best file clerk I’ve had! (see pictures below)
It’s a wild, crazy, fun, hard, rewarding, sometimes painful job, but I wouldn’t trade motherhood for anything. And Mom, now I know what it was like for you when I was growing up. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Need scrapbook supplies for your Mother’s Day layouts? We’ve got ‘em! Cinco de Mayo? Got them too! Kentucky Derby? We’ve even got that!
This week’s collections include Starfish from Me And My Big Ideas (very fun and summery and colorful), Endless Summer by Momenta, En Route travel collection from SEI, Animal Crackers from Die Cuts with a View, Paris Vintage and Japan Journey from Dove of the East, and a Prom collection from Moxxie.
There are six new layouts for these collections in the Shop By Layout section.
The SYT designers were working on the following themes this week: Italy (wait until you see Jill’s Venetian mask!), Amsterdam, Aruba, Jamaica, Afghanistan, Alaska, Louisiana, Sea World, Graduation, Camping, Sports and Cheerleading.
We have custom die cut and custom paper for the Class of 2009 (or whatever year you need), along with a custom die cut for "I Survived the "___" Family Vacation".
Click here to see all the new items: www.scrapyourtrip.com/50609.html.
We also have 258 items on sale this week. Click here to see all the bargains: www.scrapyourtrip.com/clearance.html.
Our "surprise goody basket" was such a hit last month, we decided to do it again! Spend $75 by 11:59 Eastern May 8th, and we’ll enter your name in the drawing. It will be at least a $200 retail value (see picture below of our last winner’s goody basket). The winner will be announced in next Wednesday’s e-mail.
And remember, if you can’t find what you’re looking for, we can always make it custom just for you! Click here to see all our custom options: www.scrapyourtrip.com/custom.html.
As always, thanks for your business.
Julie Swatek, President
Scrap Your Trip® www.ScrapYourTrip.com
‘cuz life is a trip worth scrappin’®
Last winner’s goody basket
Lauren filing (she needs a ladder to get into the top drawer)
She’s really concentrating!
Logan lost his first tooth!
My baby Lauren
My baby Logan
One of the e-mail newsletters I get is The Archival Advisor Newsletter from the Image Permanence Institute. They are a "university-based, nonprofit research laboratory devoted to scientific research in the preservation of visual and other forms of recorded information". Basically they research how to preserve your photos. The following information was in their recent newsletter and I thought it was really timely considering tomorrow is National Scrapbook Day and I wanted to share it with you:
May 1st is MayDay
This is the annual day for professional archivists to review the condition of their facilities and collections and also to review their policies and their disaster plans. You can take on this spirit and reflect on the future of your own family history collection. Here are a few things you can do to make sure your stuff lasts.
Important things you can accomplish today:
While there are many things you can do to help preserve your personal memory collections, a few are easy and can be done right now without too much effort!
Check to see if all your albums are safely on their shelves and all loose photos are safely stored in envelopes or boxes.
Check your photos on display, and if they have started to fade, consider putting up a new image.
Make sure that your photos are stored in a cool, dry place.
Download all the photos you’ve been neglecting on your camera’s memory card.
Back up the files on your computer – and not just the image files!
If you’re not going to spend tomorrow scrapping, at least back up your photos!
Our National Scrapbook Day Sale is in full swing! The Creative Imaginations sale of 50% off select products is still going on – click here to check out all the items: www.scrapyourtrip.com/creativeimaginations50.html and we are offering a coupon for 20% off the rest of your order-enter coupon code NSD2009 at checkout. (Cannot be used on previous orders. Only one coupon per order. Coupons cannot be combined.)
I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
As always, thanks for your business!
Julie Swatek, President
Scrap Your Trip® www.ScrapYourTrip.com
‘cuz life is a trip worth scrappin’®
. It’s a compilation of letters from well-know women later in their life to their younger selves. I turn 42 on Sunday, and I always get very reflective around my birthday. So I’ve been thinking for days…what would I tell my younger self? Here goes:
Last winner’s goody basket
Lauren filing (she needs a ladder to get into the top drawer)
She’s really concentrating!
Logan lost his first tooth!
My baby Lauren
My baby Logan
