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28 December 2010

Looking for Inspiration?

If you're looking for ideas for your Close To My Heart products, check out Big Red Scraps.  It's an online community dedicated totally to all things Close To My Heart.

If you've got a certain stamp set or paper packet you're looking for ideas for, you can even search the gallery by its name and see all the ideas for it on one page. 

Check it out!

15 December 2010

Christmas Card time!

I am FINALLY done making my Christmas cards.  I did 68 this year.  Whew!  I don't normally do that many, but every 5 years I do everyone.  This year was extra special because I wanted to send pictures from my son's wedding this summer to those who could not make it or who I thought might like a couple of them.  (Yeah, I'm a proud mama!)

I based this card on one by K Werner who based her card on this one.  I just couldn't leave the original design alone and had to add inking to the white edges and around the stamped circle images.  It still wasn't sitting right with me so I punched out circles and mounted the images inside the circles leaving enough space so the background showed through a bit.  A little bling in the middle of each snowflake and I was finally happy with the end result.


Supplies:
Stamp sets:
B1194 Music of Winter (retired)
B1357 All the Best (Mistletoe Workshop on the Go exclusive stamp set)
Cardstock:  Sweet Leaf, White Daisy
Inks: Cranberry, Clover Meadow
Ribbon: Cranberry Grosgrain
Embellishments:  Z1104 Sparkles

This one is a simple one and I just had no creative ideas so lifted it from Vicki Wizniuk who lifted Andrea Walford.  I changed mine out a bit because I didn't want the bulk of the buttons so just stapled my ribbon to the card instead.  I didn't add the bling along the scallops, either, opting instead to just use a punch that included holes in the scallops so the background shows through.


Supplies:
Stamp Sets:
D1384 Snow Flurries (sentiment)
Ribbon: Cranberry Grosgrain
Ink: Black
Cardstock: White Daisy, Cranberry, New England Ivy, Olive

Vicki Wizniuk proved inspiration for this one, too.  She is amazingly talented on her own but she also has an amazing talent for finding other amazing talent.  So ... I CASEd Vicki and she CASEd Connie Collins who CASEd it from a card she saw in Paper Crafts Holiday Cards & More (vol. 5).
                                       

Supplies:
Cardstock: Colonial White, Ponderosa Pine
Patterned Paper: X5802 Holiday
Stamp Sets:
C1379 Holiday Commentary

This one was totally lifted from the founder and CEO of Close To My Heart, Jeanette Lynton



Supplies:
Cardstock: Chocolate, Colonial White
Patterned Paper: X7130B Mistletoe
Stamp Sets:
C1379 Holiday Commentary
B1357 All the Best (Mistletoe Workshop on the Go exclusive stamp set)

All the designs were lifted in whole or in part from somewhere and I've given credit where I remembered where the idea came from.  I was just not feeling inspired this year and it was getting down to crunch time.  I am not ashamed of using the talents of other amazing crafters!  My name is Lisa and I am a CASEr!

Isn't it amazing how one good idea can spread from person to person and each one puts their own spin on it? 

Which one will YOU get if you're on my list?  You'll just have to wait and see!  :-)

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to everyone!

05 December 2010

December Newsletter

Happy Holidays Everyone! Christmas is almost upon us. Are you ready? LOL

I'm going to make it short and sweet this month.

1. Plenty for Twenty Campaign
During the month of December, if you place an order of $20 or more on my website, will be rewarded with a popular, retired D-size stamp set for FREE!!! Talk about getting more for your money – the free stamp set is valued at $26.95. CTMH is sure you’ll be thrilled with the set they pick out for you. They are also including free shipping and handling and taxes on the free stamp set! Need more information? See the flyer!

2. Idea Books
I went over this last month but it bears repeating ... the Autumn/Winter Idea book will be valid until the end of January since the new Spring/Summer does not start until February 1.

3. January promotion
January will have it’s own mini catalog! Here is the link to the pdf version of it but will probably be ordering hard copies and get them out to you (mini idea books will be given to select clients as I will only be ordering 10).

Answers to FAQ about the January promotion:
1. Stamp sets in the mini are only available at the discounted price IF you purchase the January Workshop on the Go Kit.
2. Stamp sets in the mini can be purchased at the regular prices listed as well.
3. To receive the January Stamp of the Month set FREE you can either:
a. purchase the WOTG kit and FOUR or more items from the mini
b. purchase items from the mini and/or Autumn/Winter Idea Book totalling $117.50 or more (before shipping and taxes).
c. See chart in the mini (page 5) for how to qualify for savings of 25%, 50% or 75% off on the January Stamp of the Month. Otherwise, the chart available in your Autumn/Winter Idea book would apply (page 109).
4.  Promotion runs 1 January 2011 to 31 January 2011.
If you have any questions, email me!

4. Prices are falling!
CTMH has notified Canadian Consultants that because of our stronger dollar, prices on the majority of items will be going down! This means product prices will fall but it also means that qualifying purchases totals for the Stamps of the Month and Hostess Rewards will be going down, too. As an example, as of January 1, 2011, to qualify for the Stamp of the Month FREE, you only need to spend $110.95. That is $6.55 less than now! You’ll definitely be getting more for your money! Yay!

5. Girls Night Out!
Some of you have told me that you did not receive last month’s newsletter so this bears mentioning again, as well.

Every woman deserves at least one day a month to do something for herself without kids or a husband interrupting. Don’t you agree? We barely have time to do our normal household duties let alone time to pursue hobbies. Well here’s your chance. And it is PG-13. LOL

I would love to start a Scrapbook Club for sometime in February. If you are interested in joining here are a few of the details:

- a minimum of 5 (FIVE) Club members is required to start a club.
- you would be required to purchase a minimum of $25.00 each month for 6 months (or 7 if there is seven people in the Club).
- each month a different person will be considered Hostess. As the monthly Hostess all that is required is you bring a treat to nibble on during “recess”. That’s it! I provide coffee, tea or water and all classes will take place in my home. No worries about keeping your house clean!
- during the month you are Hostess, you will receive a minimum of $30 in free product. If sales are higher, you could get more product free!
- all Club members will receive any Idea Book/Catalogs that are brought out during the Club period for FREE.
- each month we will create different paper craft items (supplies for all projects are included in your Club ‘membership’) Projects will vary but will always be papercraft related – scrapbook pages, cards, 3D items, altered items, home decor items, and I’m always open to suggestions if there is something paper-crafty you’d like to try!
- NOTE: Because my husband is a shift worker, Club nights cannot be held on one particular day each month. Most Clubs typically run on the 3rd Tuesday or 2nd Monday of each month, as an example. Because of my husband’s varying shifts, I am not able to set dates in that way. What I am proposing is to do is, say, during the first week of each month but the day of the week would vary from month to month, depending on his shifts. Since there won't be a fixed date each month, I will have a makeup date within about 2 weeks of the original date for those who cannot make it to the original Club night. 

This gives you a general idea of what the Club is about but if you’re interested in more in-depth details, email me and I will send you more information – the fine print, per se. LOL

That’s it for now ... I hope you all have a wonderful holdiay season and that the New Year brings all that you could wish for you and your families!