Cheers to You!

Since we're celebrating love this month, why not bask in the people we love most: our readers!  As you know, each Eat Your Peas book is based on a promise from the giver to the receiver to be there through times both good and bad, and we've often marveled at how far that promise can travel.  We call this proliferation of affection the Circle of Peas.  It all starts with one book:

“The title (Eat Your Peas for New Moms) jumped right out at me because when my daughter was 8 years old she would come home from school saying ‘we’re not having peas are we?’  She hated peas and her father would make her clean her plate!  Everything in the book applied to her and since she is expecting her fourth child and is extremely ecstatic about it, I wanted to remind her how very much she is loved."  

A mother gives her daughter a book, and the daughter is inspired to send one back:  

"For Valentine's Day, my daughter gave me the book Eat Your Peas for Mothers.  She has always been so thoughtful from when she was little.  I've been going through some hard times.  I feel lonely and depressed.  I keep this little book of love by my bed.  I read it often.  I cry a lot, but feel loved.  I decided that when my grand daughter gets older, I'm giving this little book of love to her to give to her mother and hope that she will always feel as loved as I do." 

After receiving a Peas gift, readers are often inspired to give books or notepads to friends and colleagues:

"I'm the one who is honored to have the opportunity to give such inspiring gifts to teachers and friends.  I love your gifts.  People need to be lifted up and inspired these days.  The world is changing too fast and not for the better so once again I'm the one who is honored.  Your thought provoking gifts are a blessing.  God bless you and your work." 

Or sometimes, the message is for yourself:

“I’m so happy with Cheryl’s products.  They’re simply THE BEST!  What a beautiful spirit Cheryl has—it really shines through in the titles and texts she’s chosen and the illustrations are beautiful.  Sandy has a real gift.  I truly enjoy each and every aspect of these lovely gift items.  My order included gifts for others as well as gifts for ME!  Special thanks to Cheryl for the copy of Eat Your Peas for Me.  I love reading it to myself aloud every day.”

With each gift, the Circle of Peas continues, drawing in loved ones new and old, and sending stories of hope and renewal home to us.

Love is in the Air

Ladies and gentlemen, it's that time of year again:  The time when stores are covered in pink hearts, aisles are crowded with decadent chocolates, and florists outdo themselves with gorgeous bouquets.  Yes, that's right, it's nearly Valentine's Day!  For me, this means forgetting all sense of moderation in the presence of candy hearts, but for most people, it's about celebrating the one they love (I say "one" rather than "person" on behalf of those pets who get treats full of love on Feb 14th!). 

The book that best encapsulates that Valentine's spirit is Cheryl's ode to her husband Mark, Eat Your Peas for Sweethearts:

Cheryl dedicates the book to Mark, "for the laughter, the joy and the journey.  We truly are two peas in a pod."  (Insert your awwwww here.)  Presenting the happy couple:

Wait, those are peas!  Close, but not quite the couple, though the resemblance to their smiling faces is uncanny.  Here we go:



Cheryl really hits the pea in the pod in this book when it comes to the wonder of finding that special someone...

...and the joy of realizing true love brings out the best in both parties:



Not to mention the power of that certain spark, friendship caught on fire.  Or, as Mark Twain puts it, "Love is the irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired."

Wishing you fireworks this February...

Finding A Way Back to Love

With Valentine’s Day approaching, it seemed like the perfect time to shine some light on an oft overlooked title from our Heart and Soul Collection, Can We Try Again? 

Though not as well known as the Eat Your Peas series, CWTA was actually one of the first books Cheryl ever wrote, preceded only by To Let You Know I Care.  Subtitled Finding A Way Back to Love, it’s a love letter for an estranged relationship, acknowledging the difficulties the couple is facing while expressing a desire to renew and restore their love.

CWTA features beautiful black and white photography by Orin Rutchick against crisp white pages with simple, honest messages of hope and longing.

Models Susan Wagner and Dan Hogan portray a couple in search of renewal...

with scenes shot at local parks and inside Anoka's own historic Ticknor Hill Bed and Breakfast.

Cheryl describes the book as "an artful invitation to risk the repair of love."

Valentine's Day may only come once a year, but there's no reason one can't celebrate and renew their love any day of the week.  Why not try again?

Compassionate Hearts

This February, we're introducing a new line inspired by Cheryl's sister, Darlene, who for over 30 years struggled with cancer and heart disease.  It's a series of 12 greeting cards called the Compassionate Heart Collection.  We're honored to be able to donate a portion of the proceeds to CaringBridge.org.  If you've never visited, it's an online community connecting friends and family during health challenges.  Darlene's entries are especially inspiring, depicting a strong woman who retained hope and a sense of humor throughout struggles most of us can't imagine.  You can read her journal entries at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/darlenehauff


Here's a sneak peek of the new line!

Inside message: You'll never be less than perfect in my eyes.

Inside message: Sending you my love and prayers. 

The best part of introducing any new product line is the opportunity to receive feedback on how each message has impacted someone's life, whether it restored a relationship, gave the recipient hope, or just made someone laugh when they really needed it.  The Compassionate Heart Collection is especially dear to us, and we hope you'll love it, too.  

Some Assembly Required

Prior to my employment at Gently Spoken, I held the uninformed belief that most items you see on store shelves are manufactured by machines.  After all, are we not living in the 21st century?  Weren't we supposed to have flying cars and robots by now?  How else could a whole row of uniform products be produced?

Soon after my arrival, I learned the answer to just what (or, more accurately, "who") exactly would be assembling these fine products: me!  (Well, not just me; more like a whole team of mes!) 

This is our Sweet Peas of Inspiration for New Moms affirmation can, not seen on our shelves or in our catalogs for a while:

During the yearly rite of inventory, we discovered some miscellaneous parts for these beauties, allowing me to assemble a few more for some lucky customers. 


The warehouse is home to many treasures.

This is a very scaled down version of assembly, compared with what's usually involved in rolling out a new line, but I thought I'd give you an idea of how one of our products is made.  A few big steps are missing here, like the actual sizing and ordering of the cans, design of the wraps and affirmation cards, adhesion of the wraps to the cans, etc etc! 

Each Sweet Pea can comes with 31 affirmation cards (or "peas") inside.  Careful consideration is given to the order in which the cards are stacked.

Something is needed to hold all those little cards in place, and that's where shred comes in!

Colored shred is a fun and fairly easy way to fill up space and add a bit of spring to your creations, but I'll warn you now: you will be finding pieces of it on the carpet for seemingly ages afterward!

After an afternoon of unwrapping empty cans, stuffing said cans with shred, setting a stack of cards inside, then adding a bit more shred before capping them off, I had created this satisfying tower of completed Sweet Peas:

These are the very last of the last Sweet Peas cans, so if you're looking for a sweet gift for a new mom, contact us soon before they're gone!

Today's the Day. It's on the Calendar.

I just learned that today, January 13th, is Make Your Dreams Come True Day! Who knew such a thing existed? I like the idea of this day, because it’s not directly linked to the need to buy greeting cards or send flowers (Not that there’s anything wrong with cards or flowers! We have plenty of both around here.).

And this is just the shelf where we keep our reports!

Instead, it’s about being given a reason to reach for, work for or ask for what you really want in life.  (Along those lines, if someone wants to send me a quilted Chanel bag, it would make my dreams come true!)

A lot of what we create at Gently Spoken is about encouraging people to live their lives to the fullest and trust in their own ability to make their dreams come true.  You couldn't ask for a more positive environment.

Earlier this season, a very nice couple in the store was telling me about their vision boards.  They have a wall filled with big bulletin boards dedicated to positive, inspiring messages that correspond to their goals for the future.  Luckily, I had some Scatter Joy cards that were a perfect fit.

Cheryl has something similar to the vision board idea plastered across the back of her desk:

She also wrote a message for me apropos of my ill advised afternoon desire for white chocolate mocha and the inevitable sugar crash that follows:

Why not consider every day was Make Your Dreams Come True Day?  You never know what could be just around the corner...

T

Spring is in the Air

The weather outside may indeed be frightful, but spring has come to Gently Spoken with Cheryl's new displays!



Yes, we possess more artificial veggies than any other shop on Main Street!



The soap you see beside EYP for Daughters is ridiculously delicious smelling.

My favorite part: the peas are wearing rings!



We're feeling warm and fuzzy inside as well thanks to this sweet testimonial from a new reader:

"A few years ago I became very depressed.  I live away from my parents, since college, and am on my own.  In the time of my deepest depression I pushed everyone in my life out of it.  My mother felt helpless as I wouldn't answer her phone calls.  She had to do something, she was not able to let go when I needed her to.  So she started sending me the Eat Your Peas Seeds for the Soul every week.  I got a little card in the mail about once a week with an Eat Your Peas message. She'd write on them to personalize or put a "we" instead of an "i".

I am not sure why I didn't keep all of them, or when I started keeping some of them, or even why.  But they cover my fridge and are tucked away with my sentimental cards.

I wanted to just let you know that those cards were able to keep a connection with my mother and I, and did make a great difference in that period in my life.  I am reminded of that and how they made me feel, every time I see them.  I hope, when I have my own children one day, to be able to do that for my children as my mother did for me if they are ever sad or down.

So, thank you, for creating such beautiful things to touch others lives. They had a huge impact on me."

Stories like this are why I love packing up orders for our customers; you just never know who's going to receive them and what kind of impact a few kind words can have on a person who's feeling lost and lonely.