a big BH update

Hi friend!

It’s been a minute! 

Sooooo yeah. Yep. Yes ma’am. It’s a long one — LOL! Go ahead and grab your favorite beverage and curl up for this read because when it’s been FOUR months since my last email, you'd better believe there’s a LOT to catch up on! Believe it or not, I’m actually holding back on sooooo many details I WANT to share, so this is shorter than it COULD be! You’re welcome. ; )

Here’s an update on each area of the business and what’s going on and where we are with things! You know I love a good list. Let’s do this!

PHYSICAL PROJECT LIFE® PRODUCT.

This is the longest explanation and the question we’re asked the most.

Over the past couple years we’ve seen a huge decline in the sales of the physical Project Life product that we’ve been offering for nearly a decade now. Regardless of the “reasons” for this, it’s a very classic situation of supply + demand. The demand dropped significantly so we can no longer justify the mass production. The pause button has been pushed on all NEW production of NEW Project Life products. We do have quite a lot of existing inventory available for purchase and you can find a huge selection in our shop, on Amazon, and at scrapbook.com

The international component of our business (in terms of physical product availability) has ALWAYS been very challenging and as much as I wish our products could be more available for everyone around the whole world, we just don’t have a solution for that. We understand that our physical products are very difficult to obtain outside of the U.S. and we’re very sorry about that.Are you worried about what will still be available or which items will ultimately run out? Then go get it, sister! I’m actually serious. Get what you think you’ll need. There are soooooo many different items available! You may wonder — how much of which item is left and how long will it last? Well, that’ll obviously be a different answer for every single item. Will existing products that sell out be restocked? Like I said, production is on hold. Is it possible that if a certain “staple” item runs out, we *might* be able to justify the manufacturing and restocking of that item? Maaaaaybe?? Hard to say, honestly. For right now, it’s a no.

For example: You may have noticed that we are out of a few of our neutral 12x12 album colors. Our hope has always been to carry a full collection of all 12 colors of faux leather albums that we started with, but over the years and with the ways things have evolved, our manufacturing partner (American Crafts) has chosen to discontinue some of our album colors. Black, Grey and Cobalt were some of the first colors to sell out and we no longer carry those colors.

NOTEWORTHY: There IS a staple item that was sold out for a while and just got restocked on Friday because we reordered those Grey 10x10 Albums months ago and they just showed up! So that’s exciting! Go grab your 10x10 products HERE — exclusive in our shop! And keep an eye on my Instagram stories this week because I’ll share more about that.We do have quite a bit of many of our items though, and I feel like so much of our inventory will be available for a while. It’s just too hard to say which ones. I will work with my team to figure out what might be selling out sooner than later, and I’ll do my best to share “low inventory updates” on my Instagram stories.

DIGITAL PROJECT LIFE.

For those who love to scrapbook with their computer, it’s all still there — Project Life templates and collections — and it’s all found at DigitalProjectLife.com, including new Project Life collections on a regular basis, the ability to print your digital pages, and even our scanning service. We are no longer doing the remote photo organizing service, as it wasn’t scalable enough to make sense (but we’re glad we tried it and I know Laurie helped some very happy customers!).

PROJECT LIFE APP.

The app is not going away. It’s still very much the awesome sauce game-changing app that you know it to be. We are still releasing monthly-ish updates and new collections on a regular basis. Another update just happened a few days ago! We still offer the very best printing on the planet directly through the app. Print your pages and photo books, friend! Also — we have been dreaming of ways to make the app even more amazing so keep on keepin’ on! The app party is going to keep getting better. If it’s been a while since telling your friends about the app (because hello — it’s FREE!) … we wouldn’t be mad if you did that.  ; )

SIMPLE NOTEBOOKS.

 We were getting low on inventory with just a couple of designs in the shop, but we (and you) neeeed more — am I right ?!?! Yes, we plan to design and launch more new notebooks this year!

STONE WRAP.

It cuts like buttah! We’re all still obsessed. We have a lot in the shop that is still available! But I don’t know that we’ll keep producing this or release more patterns. We love love love the product, but it’s not feeling like the thing we’re supposed to prioritize within our brand right now.

PODCAST.

You may or may not have noticed that even during my “Summer Pause” of really scaling back on running a business for a few months, the podcast didn’t skip a beat. Every single Wednesday, we release a new episode of the podcast and it’s being listened to around the globe (which blows my mind)! We have over 656,000 listens now and nearly 500 reviews on iTunes! The podcast work and everything related to it brings me tremendous joy and satisfaction and deep feelings of connection and clarity. I am humbled and so grateful to know it’s having a very personal and positive impact on so many lives. You can find  “Cultivate a Good Life” on iTunes or wherever you listen to podcasts.

BH CLASSROOM.

Oh, how I love teaching. It’s been a huge part of my entire 23-year career. We all love the Classroom! We love our students! We haven’t skipped a beat with our yearbook students in sharing continued inspiration with them every single week. We took that yearbook class down before the summer, but our Photo Tips + Workflow course is still available and incredibly valuable, so if you’re not already in the classroom with us, check out the short promo video HERE, use BECKY10 at checkout to save $10 off your seat, and get ready to be inspired. Do we plan to produce and offer more courses? Possibly. Like I said, I super love teaching. It’s also a massive labor of love to develop a high quality course so as soon as I’m ready to invest myself in another project like that, I’ll be all in!

LIVE EVENTS.

We put on a “first of its kind” live event in May and it was an incredibly special experience for me, Kari, Wendy, and Becky. I left that day feeling like I wanted to do more live events and even take it on the road. And then … I took some time to step away from all the intensity that comes with running a business, gained some fresh perspective, and now I feel like hosting live events isn’t what I’m supposed to focus on right now. So is it possible that one day we might consider that again? Sure! But for now, it’s sitting to the side.

There is one live event coming up that’s not “our” event, but Becky Proudfit (who cohosts the podcast with me) and I are totally crashing the party and bringing along many friends! You’re all invited, but I think there are literally only like 3 spots left at this very moment! We are hosting a week at Movara Fitness Resort November 3-9 in southern Utah. To learn what this is all about, go to the saved highlights on my Instagram and watch “Movara.” It’ll all make sense. It’s going to be incredible.

SOCIAL MEDIA.

Right after a totally unexpected experience with an anxiety attack in early May, I took nearly 2 weeks away from social media as part of a much needed re-set. I did a 10-day social media fast last fall so taking a break wasn’t all that unusual. I actually think taking a week or so away, a couple times a year, may be something I keep up with. Those breaks are meaningful. And I still love social media. I’m regularly in the stories (on Instagram) and I still post something that I feel will add value to your life, just about every day on Instagram and Facebook.

I also started a new Instagram account — @higgins.home! Two days after we moved into our new house in June (Yes! That finally happened!), I was struck with inspiration to do this as a hobby … simply to have fun and because I’m already a documenter and a sharer and am totally loving settling into our new home so it all just made so much sense. This week I’m doing a HUGE giveaway all week long on that account in honor of 10K followers already and it’s just so stinking fun!

THE TEAM.

I love each of them so much! Everyone is well. Other than a couple times that we got together to share a meal and catch up as friends, we haven’t had a team meeting all summer … and as weird as it has felt for all of us, it was part of the big pause I needed. Wheels are still in motion. Things still happen behind the scenes that you’d never know are still going on. We did push the pause button on all NEW initiatives which made most of our work schedules simmer down a bit over the summer (which, let’s be honest, was kinda nice) … but we’ll soon be getting together for our first team meeting in MONTHS and we’re so excited about it. It’ll be so good to reconnect and catch up on everything and figure out where we want to go from here on some things. Plus, I’m planning to make some yumminess for the meeting! We have a shared love of all things delicious.

BIRTHDAY MONTH.

Many of you have been a part of our community for a long time and you know we have a verrrry good time celebrating with you guys all October long … every single year. THIS year is our 10th birthday!! That’s a BIG deal and we’re already dreaming up fun ways to celebrate with you … so get excited!

PERSONAL WELLBEING.

It’s worth a mention here because, to be honest, how I’m personally doing (physically, mentally, emotionally) is crazy integral in the business, whether I like it or not.  ; )  I mentioned earlier about an anxiety attack. If you missed my sharing about that, listen to Episode 037 of the podcast where I share the whole experience very candidly and very openly. It has felt important for me to share about all of this for reasons that I don’t even have to understand. But one thing I’ve learned is that a lot of people see themselves in at least part of my story … and that alone makes it worth it for me to be so vulnerable and open in my sharing.

So yes. I’m doing well. Really, really well. Better than ever, actually! Stepping back, pushing pause, doing more things that set my soul on fire instead of conforming to external demands, and taking care of myself have been incredibly instrumental in my ability to gain the clarity that I have needed and have provided for me the most beautiful and intentional kind of re-set that has been one of the biggest blessings and most beautiful growing seasons of my whole life. I am grateful. I am happy. I’ve always been a grateful and happy person, but it looks a little different right now and I have a bit more of a sparkle in my eye as I press forward in my life with refreshed perspective on everything … including the role of this work in my life.

PERSONAL DOCUMENTING PROJECTS.

I have never stopped being a documenter. That pause button has NOT been pushed. I’m keeping up with our family yearbook using the Project Life App and it still brings me tremendous joy. I have very exciting plans to do some catching up on my kids’ physical albums when the dust settles a bit more from this big move and when I have a large surface to spread some things out. (We still don’t have a desk in our home office, let alone a dining table)! Also, my wheels have been turning about other documenting projects that have my soul stirring in exciting ways … but I won’t be sharing any details about that until I get to work on these ideas and figure out some things for myself FIRST. Then, of course, I’ll be sharing anything and everything that I feel will provide you with valuable inspiration. You KNOW I will!

MY FAMILY.

My people. My loves. This isn’t the place to gush about them. They know how I feel about them. But in the spirit of sharing updates, my family is doing well. David and I have absolutely loved bringing our creativity, practicality, solution-based ideas, and good taste TOGETHER on the home project. It’s a lot of work and so much fun and the best part is that we’re in it together. I don’t take that blessing for granted.

Porter is in 11th grade, on the swim team, and showing us his muscles every day. Claire is in 8th grade, desperate to be done with school uniforms, and working on finding the perfect song to sing at the upcoming musical auditions. Crew is in 5th grade, reads about a book a day, and continues to provide tech support for anyone who asks (or doesn’t ask). Motherhood continues to challenge me AND is the source of so much joy in my life … and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

This is the part where I was going to include a casual family selfie and holy smokes, you guys! I don’t have one family selfie from the summer! I gotta make that right … stat! Goal of the week. I’m not even kidding. This picture with my man will suffice.

Okay. Time to wrap up! Do you still have questions? Possibly. Could any aspect of anything I just covered CHANGE? Yep! Will we keep evolving around here? You know it. Will I continue to have an open heart + open mind about how all of this will continue to shift? More than ever! It’s kind of my favorite thing right now. It’d be weird if things stayed exactly the same. That’s just not how we should exist. I always talk about how evolution is a beautiful thing, but this year of LIVING that belief more than ever has been extraordinary.

You know what else is extraordinary? Your loyalty. Your investment in me and my team and this brand. Your support and your ways of showing up mean more to me than you’ll ever know. The evidence shows in the fact that you made it all the way to the end of this blog post — LOL! I love you dearly and the next email will be significantly shorter — promise!