The new year has started out with a bang for all of us at Two Peas, new company changes, some new site changes coming soon, new schedules for some and things popping up all over the place. Things have been chaotic since our return from our Holiday Break. Sick Kids and snow days always help to make things more crazy. I look forward to resuming our normal operating schedule very soon. I am sorry if any of you have experienced any difficulties as a result of the chaos.

We have a lot of plans for 2005. We start the year with some new company changes, some new shipping policies and a new area of the site that will be opening on the 1st of February. I can’t wait to get things rolling, to see all of the new things we have in store for Two Peas come alive. Jeff and I always seem to have more in the way of dreams and aspirations than we have time to get there. With each new year, I hope we will have more time to do these cool things we want to do for Two Peas.

With a lot of help from our awesome accounting team, I have a great budget plan for 2005 and am really excited to bring in a lot of new products. I have big hopes and plans to keep things in and rotating all the time. I am hoping to clear up a lot of the out of stock issues we have suffered in the past. I plan to keep a sharp eye on those staples that get used all the time as well as bring in the fresh exciting products in for all of us to enjoy. There should be a few new products and collections arriving this month. I have been very devoted to moving out inventory in the last 2 months, and I apologize for the lack of new products in the last month as I have been focused on this endeavor of mine. The warehouse has been bare and looks a little sad and lonely. Its emptiness has given us a great opportunity to clean, and reorganize the warehouse to the systems that we have been talking about for some time. But, I will admit that I am looking forward to seeing the walls bursting at the seams with new products again. The sea of papers and products is just an awesome vision.

February brings the CHA trade show and lots of new and exciting products. As always, we plan to have our Trade Show Preview and should have all kinds of new products to show you as they hit they show floor. It should be as exciting as it always is. I love going to the trade shows to see all the new products. It is rather like a small piece of heaven. Which is also what I consider my daily job of working in the warehouse at Two Peas. It is my very favorite part of this company. So many people are amazed to find out that I actually still work there in the warehouse, and I must say that it is my own piece of heaven. I truly enjoy pulling orders and being in contact with scrapbooking products all day long. Being surrounded by papers and other wonderful products is such a strong part of my life---thinking about it these last few months has brought on a surge of new excitement and commitment that I feel for Two Peas and this craft/hobby/art and the industry as a whole. I feel strongly that this will be a very good year for Two Peas in a Bucket, I look forward to living it with all of you on the site.

On to resolutions… I know, they are bad in so many ways. I always said I would not make a resolution at the new year, but I found myself making one this year. That I would devote a lot more time to scrapbooking. I don’t take enough time to scrapbook. I get too tangled up in the daily tasks that rule my world. But I am devoted to correcting this problem this year. I wish all of you best wishes and a chest full of newly discovered time to spend just scrapbooking.

Happy New Year to all of you.

 

"New products (Scenic Route Twills)" by Allison Kimball	"new 'diecuts with a view' quote stacks" by Jamie Waters
"new 'butcher blocks' paper -- 'what a wonderful world'" by Jamie Waters	"(yet another) Brand New Barbie - Dreamy Scrapper Line!" by Tracy Miller

We're slowing starting to get restock in this month and we have a lot more to come. We look forward to having things stocked again soon!
Some of the new items:

When did you start scrapbooking? How were you introduced to it?
I went down the wrong aisle at Michael's! I wanted to put together a little poster for Meredith's 1st birthday party. Then I spotted all that scrapbooking stuff! I was involved with my local Mom's Club at the time and some of the members there scrapped. I saw their work and thought it was a great way to do something with all of the photos I had in boxes. Little did I know that this little hobby would lead to even more photos!

What are your sources for inspiration?
I'm inspired by so many things - product packaging, magazine ads, tv commercials. But my primary inspiration is other scrappers. I look through magazines, the Peanut Gallery, and the Creating Garden all the time.

How do you get started on projects (layouts, etc)?
I find my best pages usually happen when I have a specific idea to start with - a picture that inspires me, a story I want to tell, or a product that I'm excited to use.

What things do you like to communicate through your work?
Just my love of my kids. That I enjoy my life most days. And that I tell I pretty good story and have very cute kids :)

What have been your biggest achievements or greatest layouts or moments with this hobby?
My biggest achievement is, hands down, being asked to be a Garden Girl. It's such a privilege to be part of this team. I was also proud to be a Hall of Fame "inductee" in 2003. The best thing about scrapping though is definitely the friends I've made. They are an important part of my life - I'm so grateful that this hobby brought them to me!

What kind of goals do you have with your scrapbooking?
I really want to become a better photographer. I'm working on that now.

Where do you scrap? Do you attend crops or conventions?
I scrap in my basement family room where I have my scrap area set up right next to my computer. I scrap...surf the net...scrap...check my email...it may be why my pages take so long!

Where does scrapbooking fit into your life? Do you scrap in the morning, evening, late night? when do you do your greatest work?
Some times I scrap during the day - especially on the mornings when both my daughters are in school. But I do most of my work at night. I usually have to walk away from my layouts for some period of time and then come back and finish them. I do something scrap-related pretty much everyday.

What does your family think of your scrapbooking?
They are very supportive. My husband loves that he was the subject of my first published page. And when we go to Barnes & Noble, Madelyn wants to know "Am I in any of these magazines??"