A long overdue post and a BIG announcement. . .

I've been thinking a lot lately about passion. Thinking about what happens when there's passion behind what you do each day and what happens when it's no longer there.

The truth is I have spent the past couple of years pursuing new passions. I have been on the road, buying and selling vintage and antique goods - and loving every minute of it. I have been presenting at the Country Living Fairs on creative re-purposing, sharing my home and spaces, and creating with different mediums and in different ways than I ever have before.

But this all means I have been leaving something behind.

I spent more than 12 years in the scrapbooking industry, 6+ building my own brands and retail website. I saw and experienced a lot of passion and excitement in this industry, but I've also seen a lot of changes. Change isn't necessarily a bad thing, but when those changes move in a different direction than you are feeling led, it just doesn't work anymore.

So here is my big announcement about what is ending, but read until the end to see what is to come . .

Beginning January 2015, we will no longer be continuing with the scrapbook themed kits on our website, JBSMercantile. This means that after December, there will no longer be a monthly Papercrafting Kit, Artisan Kit or Antiquarian Kit, nor will there be a Design Team (or Design Team gallery). We will be having a huge JBS product and past kit sale in December, and only a few of these items will remain for sale on the site in January. You will however continue to see us at a few of the scrapbook conventions on the east coast in 2015.

Change is hard - but I have a lot of great things in store for the new year!

We will be continuing with the Crafted Kit (as a membership or as a one-month purchase) into the New Year, whereas many of these kits will have a Papercrafting base. We will also be deleting and adding new products to the general store and our Flea Market will continue to get bigger and better as well. But what I'm most excited about is the introduction of a new monthly addition for which we will begin teasing in December. For now however, I can tell you that if you loved our Antiquarian Kit, this addition will make your heart flutter!

So as we plan for January, here are a few things you need to know -

• If you have a current subscription to the Papercrafting Kit, this will no longer be valid in January and monthly billing for this kit will cease.
• If you have a current subscription to the Crafted Kit, this will remain intact as this kit will be continuing to be billed and shipped from January 2015 on.
• The gallery section of our website will be removed in January. This means that any images from the gallery that you would like to have as reference need to be cut and pasted to your personal PC by then. We will continue to offer great ideas as well as providing a space for you to do so on all of our social media outlets.

To say I am thankful for all of you who have shopped our site and shows for the past several years (many of you having monthly subscriptions since the beginning) is an understatement. None of this would have worked and will not work without you and I am forever and eternally grateful. What I can tell you is that I'm committed to working with passion and to bringing you a product(s) that I would love to buy, and projects that I would love to create. That is my pledge for 2015. I hope you will come along for the ride! Stay tuned  -