The scrapbook page that took me a year to finish
I found this page a few weeks ago, in pieces, sitting in a tray I had moved from my desk to a shelf to a drawer to a cupboard, pushing it further and further from my sight in hopes it would also be out of mind, I suppose. This is the layout I was working on when I received the email that Two Peas was closing. That was a year ago today.
Don’t worry, the date isn’t marked in my mind that dramatically. Timehop reminded me, of course.
That day wasn’t particularly nice and the days that followed had a fair amount of confusion. What is it that the kids say today? ‘All the feels?’ Yes. That’s what I had. It was a store and a job and yet I went through that whole disbelief, denial, bargaining, guilt, anger, depression stages of grief process, which from a distance is a little ridiculous. But I wasn’t from a distance. I was up close. Like finishing a Glitter Girl video close.
This time, when I came upon that nearly-finished layout on that tray, I didn’t push it further away and decided to complete it and get it into the album, so I guess that means I have reached the acceptance stage now. I still miss it. I miss the energy of the community and how I could pretty much always find something that appealed to the problem-solving side of my mind on the forums (hence the original format of the Glitter Girl episodes!) and I miss the inspiration of working with the team. Talented women in so many ways, from their beautiful pages to their unique perspectives on life and a great mix of humour and knowledge and just… that good stuff is what I choose to remember.
Outside of the Two Peas experience, this page made me laugh because the journaling was already in place. We took the cable car to attend the London Baby Show, my friend Laura with her baby and me with a giant bump, and I had done a lot of research about detergents that day. Random, I know, but I have heaps of trouble with reacting to detergents and it took me years to find a good system and I wanted to be as prepared as possible in case his skin was as sensitive as mine, but I kept hoping, quite vocally, that he would not inherit this trait and would laugh at my cupboard of carefully chosen soaps and shampoos.
Of course he inherited that. Of course he did. His skin is so sensitive, I have thermometers in every room because his skin gets upset if the temperature changes. I’m pretty sure he could break out over the wrong nursery rhyme. But hey, I can give you a mean monologue on surfactants should you ever need to know, and one day I’ll have to explain to him that he really isn’t the only child in the world who was allergic to bubble baths. I should probably get scripting that particular speech soon really. Maybe one day he’ll go through his own stages of grief at inheriting the worst of my genes, and I’ll cross my fingers that it ends in acceptance some time.
And yes, those are the two random thoughts in my mind that collided with this page that took me a year to finish, but hurrah: it is in my album now. Finally. Onward and upward we go.
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25 June 2015, 18:02
I think that anytime something that is so important in a person’s life ends, it’s natural to go through a grieving of sorts. It’s no surprise to me that you went through something especially with your connection to the site, the people, the team…
Anyway, you can tell Wonder Boy that there are at least 3 other kiddos who could never have bubble baths either…one boy and two girls. We never could find a soap or solution that worked. My son even had a bad reaction to play floam (have you heard of it? It’s like playdoh, but not) because of his sensitive skin. But he could play in the mud, and boy, did he!
25 June 2015, 18:04
Oh wow, only a year? I started scrapbooking in October and kept finding references to Two Peas everywhere but all I could find was that it was closed. I didn’t realize it was so recent. Good for you finally finishing the page.
25 June 2015, 18:34
oooh! this looks like a Best of Both Worlds kits. You put together the most amazing products! i’m glad to see that you were able to finish it at last.
25 June 2015, 19:02
Neither of you are alone; I have never had a bubble bath because my skin could never handle it.
I miss two peas as well, mostly I miss your amazing videos each week, they were a night time routine for my daughter and I each week.
25 June 2015, 19:39
I get the feels, too. I miss Two Peas and all of that creative energy in one place. I loved the monthly inspiration board and I would design a scrap booking kit from it each month. Of course, all that access to your alter-ego was awesome, too. Will you ever do the monthly (quarterly?) picks again? I was solo inspired there, too. Thanks for the reflection(s).
Anne-Liesse
25 June 2015, 20:07
Liam has super sensitive skin as well- and now that I think on it – he may have broken out upon hearing a disagreeable story. And I haven’t been brave enough to try bubble baths… So who knows. Love the layout- love you! That is all ❤️
25 June 2015, 21:26
I didn’t realize the demise of 2peas was so close to that of BigPictureClasses. I loved them both and, of course, Glitter Girl. It was those videos that brought me forward into a new era of scrapping and the concept of layering. I took all your classes at 2peas and over 100 at BPC and still mourn the loss of both sites. I feel the new BPC is not up to the standards of the old site and the wonderful community that once was is but a memory. I am so thankful for the classes you offer your site.
25 June 2015, 21:26
I didn’t realize the demise of 2peas was so close to that of BigPictureClasses. I loved them both and, of course, Glitter Girl. It was those videos that brought me forward into a new era of scrapping and the concept of layering. I took all your classes at 2peas and over 100 at BPC and still mourn the loss of both sites. I feel the new BPC is not up to the standards of the old site and the wonderful community that once was is but a memory. I am so thankful for the classes you offer your site.
25 June 2015, 23:26
I’ve never heard you speak of your feelings regarding two peas, thanks for sharing this. I miss the videos. Not all of the garden girls spoke to my style but it was a big part of my crafting that I still miss. FYI, I always enjoyed your videos and contributions. Thank you for the years of inspiration.
25 June 2015, 23:32
You described very well how I felt when I learned of 2Peas closing. I miss it still; there was so much (and varied) content there to enjoy. And I knew how to navigate the site well and could even figure out how to upload photos there (no small feat for me!) Thank you Shimelle for giving us a place to come for your ideas and inspiration. I do like the colors of this l/o and the round alphas in your title. Thanks again. Maria
25 June 2015, 23:38
P.S. I had sensitive skin when I was young and I remember using Ivory Soap and Grandpa’s Pine Tar Wonder Soap. Don’t know if you can still find it, but it helped my skin. Hope he outgrows his sensitivity. Maria
25 June 2015, 23:43
Shimelle, thanks for sharing both your thoughts! I had forgotten the exact date, but knew it was close. I, while not as close to it, still miss much about 2Peas. There is really nothing like it out there and I have had to adjust :) I loved your page and your story! Have a happy day!
26 June 2015, 02:07
So glad you got to finish the page. I was surprised at the sudden demise of 2 peas and miss your alter egos videos, glad to still have your website and classes.
26 June 2015, 08:13
Wow I can’t believe it’s been a year already. Thanks for taking the time to do this post – on a subject that must be hard to write about for you.
I’m glad you didn’t push this LO away one more time.
Oh, and I“m sorry about WB’s skin – maybe he’ll grow out of it one day?
26 June 2015, 09:03
I really cannot believe it has been a whole year since Two Peas closed! I am also working on a project that will be an “acceptance and move on” type of project. Thanks for always being an inspiration!
26 June 2015, 13:25
I too miss those talented ladies still… The diversity of the different styles in crafting was such an inspiration…
26 June 2015, 14:28
I miss Two Peas too. I scrapbooked for over 10 years before joining an online scrapbooking community and Two Peas was the one for me. I knew it instantly and had that where-have-you-been-all-my-scrappy-life feeling. I’ve tried other communities and while they’re nice, I still haven’t found one that fills the empty space left by Two Peas’s closing. I’m glad you finished your layout. Thank you for sharing it with us!
29 June 2015, 16:57
Wow what a cool layout I love that you did finish it :) I know when my dog died it took a long time to be able to scrap him again so I understand this feeling your going through. I do miss the Glitter Girl series and glad that it’s still available to see on youtube yet :)
6 July 2015, 19:40
This was such a great post, thank you so much for sharing it. I think we’ve all had something we’ve kept pushing away because the feelings were too much. Your feelings were not ridiculous! =)
Also, good luck with the bubble bath speech. ;-)
10 June 2023, 06:31
You did a great job.