The Golden Rule...

As I was {trying} to fall asleep last night, I was a bit disappointed with myself for not having today's blog post already written...or, if you really want to know the truth, yesterday's blog post as well. It was a Monday - and I had a busy weekend - that was/is my justification. So, I had thoughts racing through my mind and I wrote a really sweet post in my dream, let's see if I can transfer it {to e-paper, is that a word?} this morning. Don't hold your breath, I could intertwine a couple of stories because there are three zillion fighting for prime space in my head. :)

My mother always uttered the golden rule - "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." To this day I can still hear her soft voice echoing those words. She also taught me to "Use your eyes and not your mouth" when looking for a lost treasure...and honestly, the two above statements were often spoken in the same breath. This was usually when I was accusing one of my siblings for stealing my pretend phone or calculator, which meant I could no longer play "Mary Kay" with my friends {you know, answer the phone, and pretend to be Mary Kay, not put make-up on each other - I was destined for business from the start}.

At any rate, I was going over a couple of new Collections {yes, in my head} set for release this Spring, and checking the Collection names we have chosen against current or previous lines we've released. I couldn't help but smile when whispering "Loyal", "Genuine", "Delightful"...I love how we name our Collections. It's always a fun process, Bret and I will sit down and lay out a few collections in advance - we chicken-scratch a few ideas on one of the many whiteboards in the office, and then over the next few days, we stare at them in passing and then eventually we yell out ideas across the office. Keep in mind, we don't have private offices or walls in our office - only half-walls, so we could hang pictures, of course, not for privacy. Needless to say, somedays it's loud in here!

 (Warning: I climbed up onto a landing we have and attempted to take a few photos, don't laugh at my photography skills, please!)

 (Bret in his office...sorry these photos are really bad...)

(Looking down into part of Melodee's office, one of our meeting areas and then my office is through the walkway - messy desk!)

(Looking down in the opposite direction - a work-station area and another view into Bret's office)

I remember the day we named Loyal - we were actually sitting in Bret's office, and he was taken back to memories of his childhood and what he recalled wanting to be remembered for. He was kind, cute, athletic, friendly, sensitive, fun, etc...but he told me he always wanted for something to think of him as loyal and dependable. He also instantly thought of his son, Christian, and a few of the amazing traits he possesses, and it was the beginning of the this fabulous collection - the ideas began flowing, and our "Loyal" collection was officially named. 

We wrote the paragraph describing the Collection for our Winter Catalog, and I love flipping through the catalog {our very first "official" catalog [insert big grin]}, and reading the little snippets which correlate to each Collection. I'll try to copy and paste snippets of the catalog here, because I know not many of you have ever seen our catalog...

It has been said before, but I think it worth mentioning again, we wanted to name our Collections based on the feeling or emotion you may feel when looking at the designs or using one of our Collections to preserve a moment in you or your loved one's life. Although our 12x12 adhesive cardstock "Details" sheet really "themes" the line, we decided to design our papers to be beautiful and interchangeable, not too theme-atic. Just as our "Genuine" Collection is denim-inspired, the theme is friendship - and as we stated in the catalog - denim and friendship go hand in hand...your tried & true pair of jeans and your tried & true best friend. It's just a match made in heaven.

So, now that I've written all of this, I realize I have completely gone off on a tangent and my dream from last night is no where to be mentioned in this blog post...I guess I'll try to tie it in quickly so you don't feel like you are spending your whole day reading this post!

The golden rule and my mother - we hope as you use our products you will feel the connection and find the perfect photo, card, photo frame, shoe box to alter, etc., where you can create something special to pass onto a friend or loved one. It's akin to the "one good deed goes a long way" and "paying it forward" so you too, will someday receive the help or surprise from a friend. As we create product, the joy associated with seeing our papers, die cuts and stickers used to showcase a project you have worked on for yourself or someone else, is overwhelming. It is one of my favorite things to sit down, go through our monthly challenge entries or comment on projects you have posted to our Facebook page. We truly do love what we "do" and we are thrilled to be a part of your past, present and future.

Thank you for your continued words of encouragement and support, we are out there and loving every minute of it!

All the best,

Sam