I've actually had this blog post up in my browser for several weeks...I'd start it but then I'd get distracted or busy with something else and forget to come back and finish it. :P
I've been working a lot in my office the last several weekends. We have two metal file cabinets in the office closet and I've been working on scanning everything so we can shred the paper documents. We're wanting to do a lot of decluttering, and I decided to start there since it's been something I've wanted to do for, like, ever. I think once I have the file cabinets emptied, I'm going to move them downstairs and then put all the "scrapbook stuff" in them...which I've also been keeping in the closet in my office. My goal is to get that closet cleaned out (or mostly cleaned out) and expand the space in my office. I haven't decided how I'll rearrange yet since it'll still be quite awhile before I get that closet completely cleaned out...but I'm looking forward to changing things up. I also need to get the shelves that I'm going to be using in the basement so I can get that all squared away. I'm going to be using Aubry's old bedroom as storage. Between our stuff and Johnny's mom's stuff (she moved to a care home in Washington back in 2019) we have a lot to get organized and I want to use vertical space as much as possible.
I took a break from organizing my office this past weekend to work on some new stuff CandiMaker stuff. I have another personalized name sticker sheet that I'm working on right now. I've worked on bookmarks off and on...but so far, I'm still putting those on hold. I really want my magnetic bookmarks to have the full magnet backing--because that is the type of magnetic bookmark that I prefer using myself--but the best way I've found to do that so far is manually lining up the die-cut magnets with the die-cut bookmarks which is hard to get perfectly straight...not to mention the fact that it takes more time. So...I may revisit the magnetic bookmarks at some point, but right now I have other things I want to get done first. I still haven't even finished my website yet. :P
I had to restock most of my supplies in January. While I was at it, I also decided to change the laminating sheets that I've been using. I started using Oraguard 210 glossy in August 2023. It worked well for awhile, but the last several packages from Creative Craft Vinyl have had very poor quality control. The last 250 sheet package I ordered had more than 120 sheets with imperfections and debris under the laminate. I was already using Oraguard 215 matte for my door sign stickers and magnets, so I decided to switch to Oraguard 215 glossy instead and I'm really loving the change. They have a much higher quality look and feel to them...and very few sheets had imperfections, thank goodness.
January 2026 was quite a bit busier than January 2025. Actually, I had more orders in January 2026 than I did each month of 2025 until July. I'm interested to see how this month goes. Last year, February was the only month that I didn't get at least 100 orders...I'm hoping this February will continue the trend and be better than last year. The first week, so far, is a little better...so we'll see how the rest of the month goes.
I'm sure I've talked about this before, but I definitely appreciate how supportive Johnny is. It makes a world of difference as a business owner to have someone who doesn't criticize. He frequently tells me how proud he is of me and that he admires how well I'm able to run my business. The first several years, I wasn't even making a profit after expenses (mostly because I had a lot of larger equipment purchases to get started and trying out different materials and things) but he has never once been critical at all. And now I'm actually making a profit that continues to grow each year...and my income even allows for me to upgrade or replace equipment when needed and still come out ahead for the year. It just feels really good not only to be successful, but to have a husband who is always in my corner.
I've been working on taxes a lot over the past month. I've already filed my dad and grandma's taxes, doing my mom's taxes tomorrow, and then I'm doing Ashlyn's taxes this weekend. I haven't talked to Aubry yet about her taxes. I've already finished our taxes, I just haven't filed them yet. I've been waiting for the best time to pay our federal taxes. Johnny has missed some work lately because of his health issues flaring up, so I want to wait and make sure he'll have a full paycheck when I file and pay the taxes. I had to wait for Johnny's W-2 to finally be posted, but I've had my portion of the taxes done since, like, the beginning of January. :P I keep a running spreadsheet of all my business income and expenses as I go so all I have to do is plug the numbers in and I'm done. This is the first year that my home office deduction and carry-over didn't cancel out my profit.