This week’s Project Life Photography theme is to capture what you see outside your door or window.

Whether at home, school, work; how does the world look from where you are?

This is a great way to capture the change in seasons as well.

Here is a photo from this past fall from our back door.

and here is a shot from just today in the middle of one of our mildest winters.

We are enjoying a long weekend here in Alberta as we celebrate “Family Day” on Monday.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Want to share these Project Life Photography Themes?

Project Life plastics have cleared customs and have arrived at the warehouse! YAHOO!

We may get a few pre-orders out today, but the majority will be shipped starting next week.

Thank you for your patience!

The Core Kits (in all 4 Editions) are still on target for May 2012.

We are also bringing all the Binders back as well, we are just waiting for an estimated date before we make them available for Pre-Order!

Thank you to each and everyone of you! Project Life is a HUGE SUCCESS in Canada thanks to YOU!

UK/Europe Shipping Update:

I just thought I would share a  quick stat with you.

In just 7 business days we have processed just over 50% of all the orders between Feb 1-8th.

All those orders were from the 1st day alone! That is HUGE!

We begin, on Monday, working through the balance of those orders from Feb 2-8th and the ones that have come in since the 8th.

We estimate it will take another 6 – 7 Business days to complete the shipping of the Feb 2-8th orders and only 2 business days to catch up on the rest.

Thank you for your patience as we have been working very diligently to get orders shipped.

Huge kudos to the warehouse staff for making Project Life a priority this past week and in the weeks ahead.

New Items for Pre-Order in Europe:

I am excited to announce that beginning this weekend we are accepting pre-orders on the two new Project Life products -

Photo Pocket Pages Variety Pack 2 (40 Design A and 20 Design D) – Big Pack of 60
Photo Pocket Pages 12×12 (Big Pack of 60)

We expect them to be in stock in May 2012!

Additional Countries We Now Ship To:

So thrilled to have the following countries added to the European Shop -

• Russia
• Ukraine
• Israel
• Turkey
• Uzbekistan

We are adding more over the coming weeks

Thank you once again for your business and making Project Life such a success in Europe!

Pre-Orders and Shipping Information

About 80% of customer service requests are about pre-orders and shipping, so to help clarify I have linked to a couple pages that layout the details

Project Life Pre-Orders

Shipping Information

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

I will be posting the Project Life Photography Theme over the weekend

Happy Valentine’s Day!

This week’s Project Life Photography theme is to capture or document the things you love best about you and your family. Character traits, little quirks, the way they smile, etc

Have a wonderful week spreading the LOVE!

Want to share these Project Life Photography Themes?

We celebrated the life of one of our dearest Uncles and all the sacrifices he made. He was a World War II veteran and although he didn’t share much about those horrific years, it is only because he wanted us to remember it was for our freedom and the wonderful life we get to live.

We even heard from a man who, at the time was only a young boy, but he still clearly remembers the day that the Canadian troops marched in and freed their town in the Netherlands. He is FOREVER grateful for the sacrifices made by our soliders.

The impact of my Uncle’s wasn’t just felt here at home.

The following poem was read during the service and I would like to share it with you.

Just a Common Soldier

He was getting old and paunchy and his hair was falling fast,

And he sat around the Legion, telling stories of the past,

Of a war that he had fought in and the deeds that he had done,

In the exploits with his buddies, tbey were heroes every one.

And though sometimes to his neighbours, his tales became a joke,

All his legion buddies listened, for they knew whereof he spoke,

But we will hear his tails no longer, for old Bill has passed away,

And the world is a little poorer, for a soldier died today.

He will not be mourned by many, just his children and his Wife,

For he lived an ordinary and quite uneventful life,

Held a job and raised a family, quietly going his own way,

And the world will not note his passing, although a soldier died today.

When politicians leave this earth, their bodies lie in state,

While thousands note their passing and proclaim that they were great,

Papers tell their whole life stories, from the time that they were young,

But the passing of a soldier goes unnoticed and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution to the welfare of our land,

A guy who breaks his promises and cons his fellow man.

Or the ordinary fellow who, in times of war and strife,

Goes off to serve his Country and offers up his life.

A politician’s stipend and the style in which he lives,

are sometimes disproportionate to the service that be gives.

While the ordinary soldier, who offers up his all,

Is paid off with a medal and perhaps a pension small.

It is so easy to forget them for it was so long ago,

That the old Bills of our Country went to battle, but we know,

it was not the politicians, with their compromise and ploys,

who won for us the freedom that this Country now enjoys.

Should you find yourself in danger, with your enemies at hand,

Would you want a politician with his ever-changing stand?

Or would you prefer a soldier who has sworn to defend

His home, his kin and Country and would fight until the end?

He was just a common soldier and his ranks are growing thin,

But his presence should remind us we may need his like again,

For when Countries are in conflict, then we find the soldiers part,

Is to clean up all the troubles that tbe politicians start.

If we cannot do him honour while he is here to hear the praise,

Then at least let us give him homage at the ending of his days,

Perhaps just a simple headline in a paper that would say,

Our Country is in mourning for a soldier died today.

Lest We Forget

Project Life Photo Pocket Pages and Dividers

The Project Life plastics that have been out of stock and that you have waiting for so patiently have arrived in Canada. **HAPPY DANCE**

The shipment is in Canadian Customs!  Realistically, I see it getting processed through Monday or Tuesday. Although I am willing to be pleasantly surprised **grin**

As long as everything goes smoothly through customs we could start shipping as early as Thursday or Friday of next week. Fingers crossed! We have a large number of pre-orders to work through, so your patience is appreciated.

As per usual you will receive an email with your tracking information once your order is shipped.

Project Life Core Kit Update

As you know we are bringing back all of the Core Kits in all 4 Editions!

To be on the safe side we are saying May 2012 before we start shipping.

If you have included a Project Life Core Kit (any Edition) on your order, please remember your entire order is being held until all the stock to fill it, is in the warehouse. Click here to learn more about our Pre-Order policy.

Project Life Edition Binder Update

I know many of you are anxious to hear when we will be bringing back the Project Life Binders in all four Editions. Well it is in the works, but I do not have an estimated date yet. As soon as I know, I will make them available for Pre-Order in the shop as well as make an announcement, here on the blog.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Project Life is shipping in the UK and Europe!

We have been working over the past 36 hours to receive the stock and begin processing orders. Orders began to ship today!

As explained earlier, we will fill the orders on a first come first serve basis. We have a tonne of orders to work through so it will take a few days to get caught up.

A huge thank you to our warehouse staff for the amazing pace they have been working at to get this up and running so quickly!

AND a big Thank You once again to each of you for your patience as we have officially launched Project Life into the UK and Europe. I really do appreciate each of you!

I am also excited to announce that we will be adding more countries, like Russia, Ukraine, Israel and others in the area over the next week or two.

Cobalt and Clementine Update

Clementine and Cobalt Editions as well as the Signature Binders are still on schedule for March 2012. Of course I will give a more definite date once the shipment has arrived at UK customs and cleared it and any other inspections that may need to be done.

Pre-Orders on New Variety Pack 2 and Big Pack of 12×12

Becky Higgins is introducing the *New* Variety Pack 2 (pack of 60) as well as the Big Pack of 12×12.

We will be offering Pre-Orders on those items sometime next week (aiming for Wednesday). We are just trying to nail down some arrival estimates.

Learn More About Pre-Orders

Not sure what Pre-Orders are all about?

Or maybe you have included Pre-Ordered items in your order, (or on a 2nd or 3rd order).

I have posted a new page giving you all the details about Project Life Pre-Orders. The ability to offer Pre-Orders is one of the biggest reasons we launched our own warehouse, along with getting Project Life product to you faster in the future.

Canadian Customer Update!

I have not forgotten about all of you as I have been focused on the UK/Europe over the last couple weeks.

I will post an update tomorrow on the blog about the status of the pre-ordered plastics as well as the Core Kits!

I hope you had a fantastic weekend.

This is just a quick note to give everyone the latest news about Project Life stock availability in Canada and UK & Europe.

First for Canada and other International customers who order direct from our Canadian shop

The restocking of all our plastics is on target for mid-February. We expect the shipment in Canada late this week. As long as Canadian Customs is as efficient as they have been in the past. we expect we will be able to start shipping by February 16th or 17th.

Now for UK and Europe

Orders have been streaming in so fast, it is hard to believe! I have been working through the weekend to contact those who may have some different shipping options as we added some more options on Friday afternoon. It has been good to go through each order, I feel like I am getting to know each of you personally. I am about 90 % done and I am completing the rest of the order reviews today.

The shipment cleared UK customs last week, and was then scheduled to be unloaded from the container on Thursday. However UK Port Health step in and grab our shipment with a number of others and decided to do a random inspection.  YIPPEE!

I just received word this morning that they released the shipment and are now allowing our shippers to unload the container and get the product to the warehouse.

Thankfully this has only delayed us by one day. We had aimed to start shipping on February 7th, however it will now be the 8th.

We are starting with the earliest orders first and will work through them all based on a first come first served basis.

The Clementine and Cobalt Editions have moved very quickly and most of the initial shipment, scheduled to arrive in March 2012, has already sold out. Becky is printing more stock and I expect to have them in stock in May 2012.

I am also going to be bringing the new Photo Pocket Pages  Variety Pack 2 (Big Pack) as well as the 12×12 Page Protector (Big Pack of 60) later in the spring. We will be making them available for pre-order very soon.

Okay, so I am back to emails

Have a great day!

I hope you had a fantastic week!

Mine was crazy, but great as we launched Project Life into ALL of Europe! How exciting!

Now to this week’s Project Life Photography Theme – well it is two parts!

First, take photos of your surroundings. Where you live is beautiful. Capture that!

Secondly, Remember To Breathe

When life gets hectic and it does for all of us at some point or another, remember to BREATHE!

This video was done by our local travel association, so I thought I would share. I will be burning it to a CD and putting it into my album using Design E photo pocket pages.

Remember to Breathe!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Want to share these Project Life Photography Themes?

Thank you so much for making the 2012 launch into the UK and Europe such a HUGE success! I am truly excited to be bring you this wonderful product and a concept that is helping thousands document their stories, beautifully and simply.

Due to the overwhelming response we have already sold out of a few items. Don’t worry, more of EVERYTHING is coming as soon as we can get it off the press. And as I have mentioned before, the Cobalt and Clementine are already on their way!

I have been answering a tonne of emails and want to address a couple of concerns.

I want to make sure I am as transparent as possible, as always.

So let me explain the VAT and shipping. When we were dealing with Amazon, they required that we offered a single price. I know most countries outside the UK were charged extra for shipping by Amazon.co.uk, but everything else was hidden in the price.

Now that we have our own warehouse, we can let you know how much of your purchase is product cost, how much is tax and how much is shipping.

Let me give you an example:

Through Amazon.co.uk

Core Kit
Binder
Cardstock
Dividers
Big Pack of Design A

the total cost for a person in mainland UK was going to be 96.95 (includes shipping and VAT)

Here is how that breaks down now, through our warehouse

Product = 73.95
shipping = 6.50
VAT (20%) =  16.09

Total  = 96.54

We are reviewing some of the small to mid-size order packaging options to see if we can find a more ideal shipping price. If we can, I will be sure to make adjustments.

I apologize to those on the Isle of Man, I had thought we had included you with our shipping options, however I’ve been told you need to be listed as a separate country (just like Northern Ireland or Scotland). We are getting that resolved for tomorrow afternoon.

Here are the 3 biggest reasons that NOW was the right time to move to our own warehouse:

1. We can offer pre-orders, which in turn, helps us make sure we have enough product produced. Plus with Pre-Orders we can guarantee you are going to get what you want when it arrives. No worries about beating the clock or your neighbour to place your order.

2. We can offer non-EU countries the opportunity to order closer to home. Customers in Norway, for example have to wait 6-9 weeks for their order to arrive from the Canadian warehouse. Now they will be able to order and have it delivered in under 2 weeks. It also allows us to continue to grow Project Life to other surrounding countries without having to have them go through the Canadian shop.

3. Your product is in your hands faster! We can ship it direct to the UK warehouse without having to re-route it through Canada for processing. Now you will get new products at the same or close to the same time as North American customers.

Unfortunately the downside to this move is for those of you who were given gift cards for Christmas in anticipation of purchasing on Amazon.co.uk. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.

Thank you to all of you for your patience as we worked to bring Project Life directly to you. I really appreciate each of you!

I have a HUGE announcement!

I know the wait for Project Life has been making you CRAZY!

So here it is:

We are going to be distributing Project Life through our very own warehouse in the UK!

Yes, that is right, it will NOT be available via Amazon.co.uk.

That means starting on Feb 1 at 4:00 p.m. GMT everyone in Europe (including non-EU countries, like Norway!) will be able to place their orders and PRE-ORDERS for Becky Higgins Project Life. That is TODAY everyone!

Our warehouse staff is preparing everything now and will receive the shipment before the weekend as I just was informed that it cleared UK customs last night. THANK GOODNESS!  That means we start shipping on MONDAY TUESDAY, February 7th!

So here are all the details:

You will go to this page on my website where I have set up a store specifically for YOU, our European customers. You will make your selection of items and make your payment using PayPal.

Once paid your order will be transmitted to the warehouse and starting Tuesday, February 7th, will be filled/shipped the next day. To anywhere in EUROPE.

If you PRE-ORDER items (indicated with a green tab on the product image), your entire order will be held until all items are in stock to fill your order. So if you do not want your whole order held, then please place 2 separate orders.

Why the last minute switch?

You may be asking?

First of all let me explain that this change of plan came upon us very suddenly. Although Amazon.co.uk is a fantastic company and have been great to work with, the delays and hoops to jump through were crazy and causing all of you (and me) to be frustrated, disappointed and even a little annoyed.

We got your comments and emails. We listened, we understood and put ourselves very much in your shoes.

When we were informed this past weekend that the shipment had still not cleared customs, we took the opportunity to change how we did this. SCRAMBLE does not even come close to the last 48 hours as we secured a warehouse and set up a shopping cart and researched shipping. But it is done. It is ready for you!

Going forward what does this mean for European customers?

#1 (and the biggest reason we made this change) you will see your product MUCH sooner. We will no longer have to route it through the Canadian warehouse for re-labelling. We will be able to ship it direct to the UK warehouse with out delays.

#2 (a very close second, I might add) Pre-Orders! You will now be able pre-order any future releases of Becky Higgins Project Life products. No worries about missing out! We have you covered!

Alright, so as I said, this will be launched TODAY, February 1st, at 4:00 p.m. GMT, so make sure you check it out.

ACKK! I am so excited! This is HUGE I am telling ya! Please tell your friends and family about this. We don’t want anyone to miss out anymore.

Thank you for your patience and sticking it out with me. I know it has been hard and even disappointing, but no more!

Thank you for sharing in my excitement to be making Project Life a part of your everyday documenting.

Big *HUGS*