Moments Matter

January Newsletter

2012-01-01T18:51:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!!!
Sorry for my lack of communication the last couple of months! I had a little accident at work and ended up with tendonitis in my left wrist. The thought of plunking away one fingered through a whole newsletter didn’t really excite me. J

Idea Books!

The Spring/Summer 2012 Idea Books are here! I’ve already pored through mine a few times and have a wish list written out! Yep, I’m a nerd! LOL

Since I only get a limited amount, anyone who has purchased product from me or on my CTMH website in the last 12 months will be receiving an Idea Book for FREE. If you haven’t purchased product from me in the past year and want an Idea Book, the cost for one will be what I pay for them, to cover my expense ($2.50). If you place an order out of the book in the future, the $2.50 will be deducted from that order.

Canadian Exchange Rate for 2012

Good news for Canadians! The 2012 Canadian pricing matches the US dollar for dollar, bringing lower product prices and adjustments to certain compensation plan components. The new Canadian pricing goes into effect for both customers and Consultants January 1, 2012.

That means that anything you order in January from the Autumn/Winter 2011 Idea Book will adjust on January 1, 2012, to the 2012 Canadian pricing! If you`ve been putting off getting something during the last month of this Idea Book, now is a great time!

December–January Constant Campaign – Rock the Block

When you place a minimum order of $25 from the Autumn/Winter 2011 Idea Book, you can get two valuable new products for just $15: the My Creations® Collage Cubes (a Spring/Summer 2012 sneak-peek product!) and the exclusive My Acrylix® Rock the Block E-size stamp set (available only during this promotion). This Rock the Block promotion represents a retail savings of almost $30! You're going to love the collage cubes and the Rock the Block stamp set, which work together for interactive, fashionable fun!

Dates: Offer valid December 19, 2011–January 31, 2012.

Viewthe Flyer

January 2012 Studio J® Members-Only Constant Campaign - A Perfect 10!

January is free layout month for Studio J® members! For every 9 custom-printed Studio J layouts you buy, you’ll receive the 10th layout free. To receive the discount, just add 10 or more layouts to your cart. You’ll see a discount reflected in your order total. And you can totally take advantage of this promotion by ordering in multiples of 10. Buy 9, get 1 free. Buy 18, get 2 free. Buy 27, get 3 free. And so on! If you’re not a member yet, now’s a great time to join!

Dates: Offer valid January 1, 2012–January 31, 2012.

Viewthe Flyer.

New Idea Book Promotion – only through me!

During the month of January only, pre-order and pay for FIVE paper packs and get the SIXTH one for FREE! ($9.95 retail value).

Pick and pay for your five paper packs and choose another paper pack for free! It can even be one of the ones you’ve already chosen if there is one you want two of.

Paper packs will be ordered on February 1, 2011 when the new Idea Books go live for customers.

(Taxes and shipping are charged on the full retail price of all items, including free items.)

October 2011 Newsletter

2011-10-07T10:57:00.000-07:00

October 2011 Stamp of the Month - "Holiday Magic":

With a minimum qualifying purchase of only $55, get your D-size Stamp of the Month set for just $5.50 CAN! You can also get this stamp set at the full retail price of $19.95 if you prefer. Contact me!

Idea Book Correction:
The 12" x 12" Quick Pic albums (item numbers Z1404, Z1405, Z1406) are incorrectly listed in the Autumn/Winter 2011 Idea Book as including 10 Memory Protectors®. Memory Protectors are not included with the 12" x 12" Quick Pic albums. Please update your Idea Books.

Retiring Product Line Announced

The following product lines from the current Idea Book will not be available in the Spring/Summer 2012 Idea Book:

Color-Ready products:

X1406 Color-Ready Hodge Podge Alphabet

X5749 Color-Ready Oxford Alphabet

8 1/2" x 11" cardstock:

X1411 8 1/2" x 11" Colonial White Cardstock

X1412 8 1/2" x 11" Black Cardstock

Brayer:

Z616 Rubber Brayer

Eyelets:

Z1228 Soft Set Eyelets Black & White Daisy Collection

Z1229 Soft Set Eyelets Chocolate & Colonial White Collection

Z1208 Soft Set Eyelet Tool

Z1245 Eyelet Tool Replacement Punches

They will continue to stock all of these items with the exception of the eyelets and eyelet tool through the end of January. The eyelets and eyelet tool (including replacement punches) are available only while supplies last; however, if sales levels remain as they are today, they will not run short. Once the Spring/Summer 2012 Idea Book goes live, any excess inventory of the retiring items listed above will be available online at a discount in the “While Supplies Last” category.

October Constant Campaign: New Consultants Get Free Add-On with Kit Purchase

New Consultants who enroll with Close To My Heart and purchase a New Consultant Kit in October will receive one FREE add-on collection valued at up to $140. To see the add-ons you can choose from, check out Page 5 of the Autumn/Winter 2011 Idea Book. If you've ever thought of becoming a CTMH Consultant, this would be a great time! To sign up with my team, click HERE.

Hostess Rewards for Individual Shoppers

CTMH just wanted to put the word out regarding Hostess Rewards for individual customers as there has been some confusion in the last couple months since this new option came into effect. Customers who make orders totaling $165 or more are eligible for Hostess Rewards when their Consultant places the order. Hostess Rewards are not available to individual shoppers through their Consultant’s websites.

FOR SALE!

2011-08-27T19:33:00.000-07:00

There's a new tab at the top of this page!

I have a seperate blog for items I have for sale from my personal stash. They are either used, duplicates, retired and/or no longer suit my 'style'. (Sometimes just because I need the room! LOL)

The links are all for Close To My Heart products so if you want to check it out, click the Tab!

A month late but ....

2011-08-21T11:33:00.000-07:00

I am slipping more than I thought ... I had still not posted the DT projects for May! Why didn't you tell me??? (On a side note, I didn't give the ladies any supplies for June, so there will be no June DT projects posted. *sigh* I'm actually giving them the summer off so you won't see them again until the end of September.)

(ETA: I am truly losing my mind. I thought I had posted this but then noticed today (8/21) that I had just clicked SAVE and not POST so it never posted! So, technically, the post title is wrong too but not changing it. Argh!)

The girls played with the Miracles paper pack papers, Love Letters rub-ons, and the Kraft Color Ready Borders! They did their usual magic, of course, and wowed me with their creativity. :-)

Irma's!

Gorgeous, yes? I love how she used some of the borders to create a frill along the top of her pennants. Inpsired!

Nikki's!

Nikki has a great slap-scrap style, as she calls it! All the little touches really bring it together.

She also did a card for us! Loving the little details. :-)

Treasure Life for charity

2011-08-21T11:22:00.000-07:00

I made a set of cards for a charity ball that is occuring next month here in the city. They have an auction and a couple of friends of mine attend and asked if our stamping group would be interested in making some cards to donate.

Of course we said, "Yes!" I forgot to bring mine for show and tell on stamp club night but the card sets from the other girls were amazing! Mine seem plain in comparison but that is the look I was going for. :-)

I used the "Treasure Life" stamp set (it is soooo versatile!). I have seen various versions of this card on different blogs so I really don't know who to give credit to. I decided on different colors for each different sentiment, just to mix things up a little.

There are sparkles along the top edge of the black ones but didn't place the card properly to see them in the picture. (I messed up on two of the black ones when drawing the borders on the card so had to embellish the ooopsies!)

I made a total of 20 cards, 4 of each color/sentiment with matching envelopes and I'm going to put them in two groups of 10. Now I just have to make boxes to put them in!

Supplies (all CTMH unless specified)

Stamp Sets:

D1306 - Treasure Life

D1283 - Say it in Style

Cardstock:

White Daisy

Inks and markers:

Lagoon

Black

Cranberry

Pacifica

Pansy Purple

Embellishments:

Z1290 - Sparkles

The new Idea Book/Catalog is live!

2011-08-01T14:11:00.000-07:00

The Fall/Winter Idea Book is now live and I am loving so much about this Idea Book.

Normally there are one or two paper packs in each new Idea Book that are not my style but all EIGHT new ones in this one are on my wish list! I can hear my wallet in my purse quivering in fear as I type this! LOL

There are some exciting changes in this book, including an exclusive to Close To My Heart Cricut Cartridge called Art Philosophy! Keep reading for more details on that.

Here are some of the highlights of Idea Book and policy changes that I've come across so far that come into effect as of today:

New Shipping Rules (effective 1 August 2011)

Close To My Heart is simplifying and standardizing shipping costs for online and Consultant orders, making it easier to remember and estimate costs. Effective 1 August 2011, shipping rates for online purchases (excluding StudioJ.com orders) will be a standard percentage of the order’s retail total. This means that MyCTMH and EZInvite online orders will be 10% of your total retail order OR $10, whichever is greater. So, if you’ve ever held back from ordering from my website because of the shipping costs, this will no longer be a factor. It will be the same as if you were ordering directly from me! ($10 max. does not apply to Gathering orders, only Individual orders. All Gathering orders are 10% shipping only.)

August Stamp of the Month:

Stamp images:

Project ideas using the August SOTM:

August 2011 Campaign #1 – Extra! Extra!

Close To My Heart has updated the Stamp of the Month program. Beginning 1 August 2011, when you place an order of $55 or more, you are eligible to purchase the Stamp of the Month set for just $5.50. (more on this later on when I go through the Idea Book highlights with you...). To celebrate the launch of the new program, they are throwing in a little something extra: a FREE bonus stamp set! In August, when you place an order of $55 or more AND purchase the Stamp of the Month for the $5.50, you will receive the My Acrylix Typeface A-size stamp set FREE!!! Think of this as two promotions in one. View the flyer HERE to see what each of the stamp sets looks like. View the Stamp of the Month flyer for August HERE.

Stamp set image (along with the August SOTM):

Project ideas using the bonus stamp set:

National Stamping Month (August 2011 Campaign #2)

To celebrate National Stamping Month in September, CTMH is offering their first-ever double stamp set! You can get the exclusive My Acrylix Pair-a-Phrase double stamp set FREE when you place an order of $82 or more from August 15th through September 30th, 2011. You’ll love this double set – two D-size sets in one envelope – which includes lots of clever phrases and coordinating images you’ll use in your handmade cards all year long. The double set has a retail value of $39.90. Have double the fun stamping during National Stamping Month with the new Pair-a-Phrase double stamp set! Click HERE to view the flyer and see what the stamp sets look like. If you order $164 as a qualifying order, you would receive TWO of the double stamp sets FREE!

Stamp set images:

Project ideas for the NSM stamp sets:

Yes, you can!!!! No, I am not running for president of the United States. LOL

Yes, you can take advantage of BOTH of the promotions from Close To My Heart when they overlap in August from 15 August to 30 August. Providing you meet the qualifications for both, you CAN get both promotions.

If you do meet the qualifications, you would receive the bonus stamp set when you purchase the August Stamp of the Month for $5.50 with a $50 or more purchase AND the two D-size stamps sets for spending more than $82. That would mean THREE stamp sets FREE for spending the $82 or more!!! A retail value of $47.65.

Price Correction

The price of the White Daisy (1385) and Colonial White (1388) cardstock 24-packs (page 8) was incorrectly listed in the Autumn/Winter 2011 Idea Book. The correct price for these two items is $10.50 per pack. All other cardstock packs are priced correctly. I think I’ve changed all the Idea Books but just in case I missed one, please correct your copy of the book.

NEW IDEA BOOKS!!!!

I will be delivering/mailing your copies to you as soon as possible! I only brought in 25 Idea Books this time around because I was getting stuck with too many leftovers when I was ordering in 50, so my regular customers get first dibs on them. If you have not ordered from me in the past year, contact me and one can be yours for only $2.44. (This will be re-imbursded to you when you place an order from this Idea Book through me and will be subtracted from your order total).

Here are some of the changes and highlights for you:

CRICUT ART PHILOSOPHY COLLECTION!!!!!

This is my favorite thing in the Idea Book! Close To My Heart has teamed up with Provocraft and we now have an EXCLUSIVE to CTMH cartridge for your Cricut machine! See the flyer HERE!

Sample of some of the images available on the cartridge

- This innovative collection brings together an exclusive Cricut cartridge packed with versatile and innovating shapes, three coordinating My Acrylix D-size stamp sets, and three coordinating 9”x12” sheets of white Dimensional Elements chipboard die-cuts. Since the cartridge shapes, stamp images, and Dimensional Elements all complement each other, it’s a snap to cut a shape, stamp on it, and then layer it on a Dimensional Element to really make it pop.

- The Cricut Art Philosophy Collection (including the cartridge, stamp sets, and Dimensional Elements) is available for $109.95 (retail value is $140.00)

- While going through the Idea Book you will see some stamp sets that have a red outline around some of the stamp images. These stamp images coordinate with one of the images on the cartridge! The carrier sheet for the stamp image will show the size of the dial size to use on your Cricut machine.

- The cartridge includes over 700 images – including a font, shapes and 3-D items!

HOSTESS REWARDS:

Hostess Rewards have been expanded to include more items, including the Workshops on the Go kits! Also now included is the My Reflections Complements and Studio J memberships and 5-packs. (Complements are

new items added to go with various My Reflections Level 2 paper packets. Some of these paper packets now co-ordinate with other items beside My Stickease sticker sheets. They are listed on the same page as the paper packets and this idea book includes some with dimensional elements, canvas stickers and rub-ons! While they may have other similar Dimensional Elements, canvas or rub-on products, only the products labeled “Complements” are included on the select product list.)

NEW CONSULTANT KIT:

The New Consultant Kit has been reconfigured. The new kit has a lower price = only $99 for the kit, with three add-on collections available for just $40 each. The kits includes both business and crafting products, while the add-on collections offer new Consultants the opportunity to add to these products with both classic and Studio J products at a value ranging from 53% to 71% off. If you’ve been thinking of becoming a consultant and were holding off because of the previous configuration of the kit, this is a great new option.

Click HERE to sign up now!

STAMP PADS, MARKERS AND REINKERS:

Stamp pads, markers and reinkers are now only sold individually. They are no longer available in combo packs.

CARDSTOCK:

- Several of the 24-packs of cardstock will no longer be available and will be retired. The majority of them are available in the combo packs or in the new shade packs. See page 8-9 in the Idea Book for what is available. If there is a 24-pack you’ve been wanting, get your order in to me before the end of July.

- There are 5 combo packs available. Each combo pack matches up with a ‘season’ (Winter, Autumn, Spring, Summer and Neutral). Each one includes either 24-8 1/2`` x 11`` sheets (2 each of 12 colors) for $13.50 or 24- 12``x12`` sheets (2 each of 12 colors) for $16.50

- There are 15 Cardstock Shade packs available. They give you three harmonious colors in one convenient package. Each pack includes 12 sheets of 12``x12`` cardstock (4 each of the three colors) for $8.75

PATTERNED PAPER PACKS:

- There are EIGHT new paper packets in the Idea Book. They have also retained four of the paper packets from the previous Idea Book (Sophia, Mayberry, Lucky and Fanfare).

- My Reflections Level 2 paper packets are now a lower price with fewer papers included in each packet. This more consumable size and price allows you to use up a kit while minimizing waste.

- The cardstock included with the paper packs coordinate with the kit colors, rather than focusing on providing neutrals.

- The B&T Duos paper has been updated in weight, layout and design. The new papers are heavier and thicker. Since they are now cardstock weight and will support a fully embellished layout, they can be used as bases for layouts.

- The original copyright symbol has been removed from the printed papers and has been replaced with a removable 1/2” wide zip strip along the top. The reverse side of the zip-strip is printed with a decorative border or sentiments and can be used as a border or other element to complement your artwork.

- The new papers have a distinct design on each side of the paper instead of a monochromatic version of the design. They still have the same white core that makes them perfect for tearing, sanding and distressing.

STAMP SETS:

- Stamp images are now shown at 100% of their size – actual size! I love this! So much easier to know what the real size will be now.

- Prices on stamp sets has decreased!

- You’ll notice that there are fewer stamp sets in this Idea Book. CTMH has found that customers prefer to buy new stamp sets they have never seen before and that they tend to purchase those sets featured prominently in artwork. They decided to slightly reduce the number of past stamp sets returning to each Idea Book from previous books in order to make room for plenty of art to highlight each set. Providing extra artwork and more project ideas, in combination with a lower price point, will spur your creativity without draining your wallet. Remember, you can always purchase My Acrylix stamp sets featured in the previous Idea Book and the current Idea Book. This way you are always able to purchase “off-season” sets that you may be interested in.

WORKSHOPS ON THE GO:

- Workshops on the Go guides now feature step-by-step instructions to complete one two-page scrapbook layout, with directions on how to find online guidance for an additional two-page layout using your remaining supplies, plus a bonus project such as a set of cards or a 3-D item. The focus of the Workshops on the Go program remains the same: to provide you with a set of easy-to-complete artwork using an exclusive stamp set, a Level 2 paper packet, and some coordinating accessories—all in one convenient kit. The workshop kits and associated artwork are now found in the Idea Book near the Level 2 paper packet that the specific workshop supports. The contents of the workshop kits have been updated as well.

- In addition to the cardstock in the paper packet, each kit also includes two extra sheets of neutral-colored cardstock. This information is not included in the Autumn/Winter 2011 Idea Book.

- The stamp set has increased in size, going from a B-size to a C-size set. The workshop kit continues to include one or two full-package accessories plus a workshop guide, and the price remains the same ($33.50)!!!!

- Two of the WOTG projects (noted in the Idea Book) require the use of the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge; however, six do not use the cartridge in artwork.

STAMP OF THE MONTH:

- The Stamp of the Month program has been updated (as mentioned earlier) but want to go over the details more... CTMH has simplified the Stamp of the Month program so that even more people can take advantage of it! Now you can purchase the Stamp of the Month set for only $5.50 CAN when you spend $55. And yes, you can still purchase the sets at full retail with no qualifying purchase required. Previously when you spent $55, the Stamp of the Month price was more than twice what it is now! More customers can snag a stamp set at a much lower price!

- They have also provided some additional resources to help you create artwork similar to that seen in the Idea Book for each Stamp of the Month set. They’ve provided supply lists in the Idea Book containing products totaling around $55—the amount needed to get the stamp set for just $5.50. While they do not list every single item needed, these supply lists help you choose coordinating products and complete beautiful projects with them.

- They're also sending you to the website for additional tips for creating projects similar to the ones spotlighted in the Idea Book. This will inspire you to create wonderful projects, such as layouts or cards or 3-D items. Also, when you visit the Campaigns & Promotions tab of closetomyheart.com, you’ll find helpful tips and techniques for the Stamp of the Month projects along with a complete recipe list and images of each piece of artwork.

- Stamp of the Month project online resources will be available for one year from the date it is released. For example, the October 2011 Stamp of the Month project online resources will be available through October 2012.

NEWSLETTER:

Want to receive my monthly newsletter? In it you will get updates on what is new with Close To My Heart, any promotions going on through CTMH
AND
any specials and coupons I am offering to my customers. I sometimes have really great specials available only through me and only to those who receive my newsletter.

Email me if you want to have your name added to the list!

Inspired by .....a month's worth! Ack!

2011-07-02T22:13:00.000-07:00

A month? Seriously? It's been that long since my last post? *sigh* The faster I go, the behinder I get. My apologies. I've been working on a commissioned album and I am really struggling with it. It's harder than I thought creating something for someone I really don't know. :-)

Anyhoooo ..... that's not your problem! Your here for the good stuff and here it is....

Inspired by .... June 5 - 11
1. Happily Ever After card by Debbie.
2. Congratulations card by Karen at Karen's Creations
3. Lovely card by Leisa at Big Red Scraps
4. Family layout by Karla at Life is Good
5. Journey, Dream, Love card by Dena at Stampin' Mim

Inspired by ... June 12 - 18
1. Celebrate card
2. Happy Father's Day card
3. Follow Your Dreams journal
4. With Great Love card
All the above items were created by Vicki at Wizard's Hangout. I didn't realize all the ones I had save for this week were from Vicki until I had opened all the links! :-) Go Vicki!

Inspired by ..... June 19 - 25
1. I love you sew much card by Lorrinda at Isn't That Sweet?
2. Smile card by Karen at Karen's Creations
3. Fancy pin card by Dena at Stampin' Mim
4. Happy Birthday card by Vicki at Wizard's Hangout
5. Thank You card by Vicki again.

Inspired by ..... June 26 - July 2
1. 4x4 cards by Karen at Karen's Creations
2. A True Friend card by Vicki at Wizard's Hangout

Inspired by Six .....(May 29 - June 4)

2011-06-06T19:15:00.000-07:00

Another week has flown by ... Life could slow down a little and I would not complain one bit! LOL

Here are this week's inspirations .. in no particular order, of course.

1. Creative Butterflies Notecards by Leisa at Big Red Scraps. Love the colors she used on this card.
2. Wedding Cake card by Leisa at Big Red Scraps. Very cute ... CASE or not.
3. Follow Your Dreams card by Aaron at Booth #32. Loving the dimension and how she used the stamp set on this one.
4. Time To Follow Your Dreams card by Aaron at Booth #32. Scroll down to see a larger version of the card in the first picture. LOVE the stamp set with the You and Me kit! (I think I've mentioned that a time or two. LOL)
5. My Journal journal by Lisa at Lisa's Creative Corner. This journal is just too stinkin' cute for words!
6. Know That I Care card by Dena at Stampin' Mim. Simple card but so cute, too!

DT stuff will be posted in the next couple of days :-) Stay tuned!

6x6 Thank You Card

2011-05-29T17:40:00.000-07:00

If you ask me, one can never have enough "Happy Birthday" and "Thank You" cards so I decided it was time to add to my collection of "Thank You" ones the other day.

I based the card on a Becky Fleck card sketch from March of 2011. I love how it turned out for the most part. I really should have inked the edges of the patterned paper I used on the background to make it pop more against the cardstock base. Oh well ... Note to self: Lay the paper on the cardstock BEFORE adhering it next time to see if inking is needed.

This shot shows you the tiny bits of bling a little bit better on the card. I had originally put an opaque on every second piece of 'lace' that jutted out BUT there were an odd number of pieces jutting out so there were two spaces left and it looked silly. Another "Note to self" moment! Argh!

Supplies (all CTMH unless specified):

Cardstock:

Bamboo, Vanilla Cream and Black

Patterned Paper:

X7132B Bliss Level 2

Stamp Sets:

C1461 Salutation Seals

D1472 Simple Sentiments

Embellishments:

Z1336 Pearl Opaques

Other:

Black Ink

1.25" circle punch (Stampin' Up)

Card instructions:
1. Cut Bamboo 12x12 cardstock in half and score that piece in 1/2 so you end up with a 6x6 card base.
2. Cut Bliss pattened paper sheet into a 5.5"x5.5" square. Ink edges (LOL) with Black Ink and adhere to card base front.
3. Cut a 5" circle from Black cardstock.
4. Cut a 4.5" circle from Bamboo cardstock. Stamp with lace edge image from Simple Memories stamp set. Ink edges of circle and adhere to black circle. Mount on card base.
5. Stamp "Thank You" image from Salutation Seals stamp set on Vanilla Cream cardstock and punch out using 1.25" circle punch (or with scissors). Ink edge. Adhere to center of round lace image.

6. Adhere Pearl Opaques to each lace piece of image.

New Clearance Items ....

2011-05-29T16:53:00.000-07:00

Close To My Heart has added a bunch more items to the "While Supplies Last" section of Consultant's blogs! Check them out:

Stardust Flexi Labels

Colonial White Edge Anchors

1/4" Colonial White Ricrac

White Daisy Paper Flowers

Pretty Pins

Bella Level 2 Stickease Assortment

Adventure Dimensional Elements

White Daisy Crochet Flowers

Chocolate Ribbon Rounds Collection

Click on the "Discounted Products" icon to the right to see everything in the "While Supplies Last" section.

NOTE: I will be putting in an order on June 5th for some of these items so if there is anything you want, and you're local, we can combine our order (s) and save on shipping. If I get enough people interested and we have enough of an order to get the Stamp of the Month free, I will draw from everyone who is in on the order with me and that person can have the Stamp of the Month that is earned. :-)

Payment must be made to me before I order, though, so you have a little time to let me know.

Inspired by Eight ... (May 22 - 28)

2011-05-29T16:03:00.000-07:00

I know, I know .... it's not Inspired by Five this week. LOL

I've decided just to call it by what it is each week. Some weeks I only find three or four projects that wow me, other weeks (like this week), it is eight! I've changed the name of the labels viewable in the sidebar to just "Inspired by ..." so all the Inspired By postings show in the same spot if you click on it to see the past ones.

While I am only posting eight this week, I originally had THIRTEEN posts saved to show you but had to narrow it down. :-) It was a very creative week in blog-world.

So as usual, and in no particular order, here is this week's inspirations:

1. Cards using the Miracle paper pack by Denise at Inspired by Heart. I love what she did with this pack of papers. Such beautiful cards. (Note: The kit she links to is not available anymore. There IS a Miracle paper pack available, though. It does not have the die cut papers in it. Everything else can be purchased seperately, though.)
ETA: I also just realized that the date of her post is from May 2010 not 2011. My mistake. Ooops! Still beauiful work ....
2. Spray pen cards by Marie at Ison Cre8tions. Embossing resist plus our spray pens = stunning cards.
3. Dream card by Annette at Annette's Creative Journey. I LOVE how she used the "You and Me" kit (only available for TWO MORE DAYS) and did a card instead of a layout. (See #4 for what else she has done with this great kit and it's stamp set).
4. Create Album by Annette at Annette's Creative Journey. I am soooo going to lift this and make one. I *heart* it so much!
5. Live Inspired card by Leisa at Big Red Scraps. I love the stamp set that has this sentiment on it. Love it, I tell you. :-)
6. Happy Birthday card by Karen at Karen's Creations. Pleated paper, bling and one of the blossoms from the Pink Collection ribbons ... need I say more?
7. Celebrate Card from Karen at Karen's Creations. Another use for the "You and Me" kit from this month. You can really see the versatility of it and Karen rocked this card.
8. Home Sweet Home card by Brenda at Stamp.Scrap.Create. She did a fab job on the paper piecing using the Stamp of the Month for this month (click on the "Stamp of the Month" icon at right to see this set and how to get it). I just got my set last week and cannot wait to try this technique.

That's it for this week. Next week's post is already shaping up to be a good one.

Time is running out!

2011-05-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

Click on the picture above to watch a video that tells you more about the You and Me Kit from Close To My Heart.

This kit is only available until 31 May 2011 so you only have another 9 days to get your order in. Spend $55 (Can.) and you can buy this kit for only $16.50. You can also buy the kit outright for only $38.95 if you want.

Want to see the flyer after you've watched the video? Click HERE.

If you've been thinking about joining the Close To My Heart family, you can get your starter kit for 1/2 off right now, until the end of May, AND you get the You and Me Kit for FREE with your kit! That will give you tons of product for only $70. The retail price for everything you would receive is $283.55!!! You can't lose!

Click HERE to join my team and take advantage of the great deal that's only available until 31 May 2011.

Questions? Email me!

Inspired by Five ..... (May 15 - 21)

2011-05-22T12:13:00.000-07:00

I only found four things this week for you! Boo! Sorry. If you count the last one as multiples again, though, it is five. Kinda like last week. LOL

Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Ice Cream Cone card by Leisa of Big Red Scraps.
2. Harvest Love card by Leisa of Big Red Scraps.
3. You and Me cards (multiple cards) by Aaron of Booth #32.
4. (and 5?) Cards and Layout by Jeanette of jeanettelynton.com.

See you later!

Desk Set with Instructions

2011-05-22T12:02:00.000-07:00

I craft once a month with a wonderful group of ladies! Usually one of the group each month brings something paper crafted for the whole group. Last month a bunch of them brought paper crafty goodies with Easter themes for everyone in the group. A couple of us decided we needed to do something this month since we didn't bring anything last month. :-)

The month got away from me, of course, and when the reminder about group night showed up, panic mode set it. It was then a race to find something quick and easy but fun to make for them.

This is what I came up with:

A personalized post-it note holder - pretty and functional.

It's a quick project that is also useful. I found this idea on another blog but made it my own. The original project has a ribbon tied around the top above the post-it note pad but I decided to just put a line of bling on it, just above the monogram. I love the more simplistic look it gives.

If you've got a dollar store near you, that is the best place to find the 4x6 acrylic frames that are used for this.

You can see from the side view how it would sit on your desk.

I just cut a 4x6 pieces of the Sophia papers - which happened to go so well with the colors of the post-it note packs I picked up. I opted not to buy dollar store post it notes for this as they never seem to come apart or stick as well as the name brand ones.

Anyway ... slide the paper into the photo frame.

I then cut mats for the monogram pieces that closely matched the color of the post-it notes. Mine measure 2.25x2.25 inches. The monograms are then stamped onto 2x2 inch pieces of White Daisy cardstock and the edges of each piece are inked. The stamp set I used on this one is the Bohemian Alphabet, which I love. The swirl (and flower I stamped onto each post-it note pad) is in the same stamp set! Bonus!

I adhered the post-it note pad to the acrylic frame using our Tombow Adhesive, just running a strip along the top of the back of the pad. I mounted it, leaving a 1/4 inch space along the bottom and right hand side of the frame. (You could also, maybe, just remove the brown paper backing of the post-it notes and adhere it using the post-it note's adhesive so once the pad is used up, it would be easier to add a replacement. I didn't think of that until just now, of course! *LOL*)

The monogram square/mat is then mounted, centered in the space to the left of the pad, using the top edge of the pad as the top border.

Just add some bling in a straight line centered above the monogram and you're done! I mounted mine so the bottom of the bling was about even with the top of the note pad. Well, as close as I could eye-ball it, anyway! LOL

Inspired by Five ..... (May 8 - 14)

2011-05-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

Better late than never again ... lol

Had no problem picking these five projects to share with you this week. :-)

1. Bird Notecard by Leisa Hubley at Big Red Scraps
2. Happy Moments Journal by Aaron at Booth #32
3. Happily Ever After Card by Debbie Carriere of Scrappin' My Heart Out
4. and 5. Birthday Wishes and Create Art Journal by Jeanette Lynton at jeanettelynton.com

I know that's kind of cheating but I loved them both. :-) More to come!

New Items Listed in "While Supplies Last" Section

2011-05-18T20:00:00.000-07:00

Some fun new items have been listed in the "While Supplies Last" section on the sites of Close To My Heart Consultants .... Here are the ones I noticed this last time around.

1. Edge Anchors Rustic Collection

2. Mini Medley Accents Spring Blossom Collection

3. Mini Medley Accents Shades of Chocolate

4. Mini Medley Accents Autumn Garden Collection

5. Heartfelt Whimsy Die Cuts

6. Soft Suede Pinwheel Die Cuts

Lots of other items are there, too, so check it out. Fabulous deals to be had. :-) (Shhhh. There's a lovely box on it's way to my house as I type this.... LOL)

May Newsletter

2011-05-08T23:49:00.000-07:00

They say April showers bring May flowers. We didn't get much 'showers' in April but the flowers are FINALLY starting to bloom around here. :-)

MAY 2011 STAMP OF THE MONTH

The Stamp of the Month for May is so cute and I have come across several creations that make me think I really need this stamp set.

Yep, I really think I do! Click on the Stamp of the Month icon on the right to see more details on this adorable set and how you can get it at a discount or even FREE! My favorite word. LOL

NATIONAL SCRAPBOOKING MONTH

(May 1 - 31 only)

May is National Scrapbooking Month and Close To My Heart has put a great kit together to mark the ocassion. They always put something great together for National Scrapbooking Month so I wasn't surprised that I loved this kit so much. I have one in my hot little hands right now and cannot wait to play. The colors are great and so me - so is the stamp set that comes with it!!!!

Click on the above picture to check out the flyer and see how you, too, can get this great kit and what comes in it, regular price or at a discount.

Just in case you miss it while drooling over the layouts they've included instructions for - the double sided patterned papers in this kit are cardstock weight!!! Oh, yeah!

JOIN MY TEAM!

If you've ever thought of becoming a Close To My Heart Consultant, now is a REALLY great time.

If you join Close To My Heart during the month of May, you get your Consultant kit at 50% OFF.

That is an amazing deal. Your Consultant kit would normally be $140 (CAN) but can be yours for only $70. Everything you need to start your home based business and lots of great product as well.

And there is more ... Join Close To My Heart during May and as well as the 50% discount on your kit, you will get one of the National Scrapbooking Month kits (a $38.95 value).

Interested? Click on the "Join My Team" icon to the right to join now.

Inspired by Five ... (April 24 - May 7)

2011-05-08T23:10:00.000-07:00

I am covering TWO WEEKS this time around since I am behind (and only had four selections for the week of April 24-30).

For April 24 - 30:

1. Cards by Jeanette Lynton, CTMH founder on jeanettelynton.com
2. Sympathy Card by Lisa Stenz of Lisa's Creative Corner
3. Birthday Card by Leisa Hubley of Big Red Scraps
4. Birthday Card by Vicki Wizniuk of Wizard's Hangout

For May 1 - 7:

For this week I had NINE items saved and really had a hard time narrowing it down to just five. :-)

1. Chairs to you card by Aaron of Booth #32
2. Notecard Box Set by Lisa Stenz of Lisa's Creative Corner
3. Thank You card by Dena of Stampin' Mim
4. Purse Card Set by Vicki Wizniuk of Wizard's Hangout
5. Thank You card by Vicki Wizniuk of Wizard's Hangout

I hope you enjoy these creations as much as I did.

April DT Projects

2011-05-08T22:52:00.000-07:00

These ladies amaze me month after month. How about you???

For April, I gave each of them papers from the Sophia Level 2 Paper Pack (X7131B), Blush Buttons (Z1370), White Daisy Ric Rac, Pearl Opaques (Z1336), and Hollyhock Ribbon from the Hollyhock Ribbon Collection.

Their challenge was to create something, anything BUT it had to have a minimum of two circles included in it. I think they went above and beyond with that part of the challenge. :-)

Here are Nikki's creations. A plethora of cards that are super cute and bright and definitely would bring a smile to anyone who receives one.

Here is Irma's creation for the month.

An uber cute Easter treat holder. She also used the March Stamp of the Month, Sensational Season, inside and out. Adorable.

For May, I have given them papers from the Miracle Level 2 paper packet as well as some of the Kraft borders. I forgot to write down the rest so it will be a surprise to me too once they've completed their May creation. LOL No challenge for them for May, though, but it will be a layout that they will be working on.

Inspired by Five ..... (April 17 - 23)

2011-04-27T17:26:00.000-07:00

Better late than never! :-)

In no particular order, here are some projects that really popped out at me this week:

1. Clean and Simple Thanks card by Leisa at Big Red Scraps
2. Level 1 Layouts by Christine at Create with Christine
3. Sympathy Card by Lisa at Lisa's Creative Corner
4. Happy Birthday card by Ruth at Stamp Off, Eh!
5. Celebrate card by Vicki at Wizard's Hangout.

Have a fabulous day!

Inspired by Five ..... (April 3 - 10)

2011-04-13T19:39:00.000-07:00

Better late than never .... :-)

1. April Showers Bring May Flowers Card at Lisa's Creative Corner
2. Card Set with Box by Vicki at Wizard's Hangout
3. Baby Steps card by Judy at Just Judy Designs
4. Vintage Sympathy Butterflies by Julie at Paper Pleasing Ideas
5. Friendship Card by Andrea at Sunny Stampin'

March Challenge Winner!

2011-04-04T17:46:00.000-07:00

The person who won the March Challenge for the stamp of the month set, Sensational Seasons, is Kathy!

Congratulations, Kathy! Drop me a line or FB me on a convenient time to get it to you. :-)

The Groom

2011-04-03T17:46:00.000-07:00

Here is the layout I did for the March Challenge that I posted HERE. The first picture is the sketch I chose from the ones listed on PageMaps and the second is the layout I did. I turned the sketch 90 degrees right to better accomodate the photo.

I don't really care for the end result - it's not what I had envisioned when I started this layout. It's done, though, and it's time to move on. LOL!

My photomerge in Photoshop Elements blended the layout funky so I just took a picture of the layout in the end so it's not the best 'true to life' colors since my camera does NOT like taking photos indoors. It's still better than the scanned version, though! :-)

Anyhooo.... I combined the March Challenge with the one I gave the DT ladies ... I used Bliss and incorporated green into the layout.

Supplies Used (All CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Cardstock: Garden Green, Grey Flannel

Patterned Paper: Bliss Level 2 Paper Pack

Inks/Markers: Garden Green, Grey Flannel

Punches: Fiskars

Ribbon: (Basic Grey)

Chipboard: Irresistables Villa Chipboard Die-cuts

Staples: (Office Depot)

Letter Stickers: (Basic Grey - Perhaps)

March DT Projects

2011-04-03T14:06:00.000-07:00

For March, I gave the ladies:
- Bliss Level 2 Paper Pack papers with coordinating cardstock
- Filigree Charms

- Irresistibles™ Villa Chipboard Die-Cuts

Their challenge for the month (and since March has St. Patrick's Day) was to use GREEN on their layout as well. :-)

As per usual, they both kicked some butt with their creations:

Irma's:

Irma wasn't sure about this one but I am loving it. :-) She's her own worst citic but she's got more talent in her pinkie than I do in my whole body.

Lots of texture on this layout. She cut the title using her diecut machine and popped the "whoo's". The pleasted patterned paper adds even more dimension. Distressed edges give added interest.

Loving how the journaling strips run vertically rather than horizontally.

Nikki's:

Nikki has been doing a fair amount of heritage pages and it really reminds me of why we scrapbook. I need to start working on more of my own heritage pages. My family history is what got me started scrapbooking and I've lost touch with that aspect of the hobby over the years.

She did two this month! Love it!

Embossing her accents gives some texture and added interest. Layering them gives even more bang for her buck.

More embossing. Pure fun.

Fussy cutting one the stamped images and popping the columns adds some interest to the page.

Ink distressing is one of my fave techniques as it really gives seperation from other elements and helps it stand out.

In April they will be playing with the Sophia Level 2 Paper Pack, some Blush buttons, white daisy ricrak, pearl opaques and hollyhock ribbon.

Their challenge? They need to use a MINIMUM of 2 circles on whatever they decide to create with their supplies. :-)

Inspired by Five ..... (March 27 - April 2)

2011-04-03T13:36:00.000-07:00

No list for this week. !!! I didn't have five creations bookmarked for this week and it's not Inspired by Five when there are only two creations featured! LOL So, just going to skip this week's inspirations and continue on ....

Inspired by Five ..... (March 20 - 26)

2011-03-29T19:06:00.000-07:00

And in no particular order .....

1. Circle Card by Aaron at Booth #32 - loving the pop of blue with the Bliss paper packet's neutral colors. I truly think ANY color would work with this paper. I may have to test that theory. LOL
2. Tea Time card also from Aaron at Booth #32 - makes me want to pull out my Tea Time stamp set. :-)
3. Lace card by Julie at Paper Pleasing Ideas - so elegant and can be used for so many occasions. I "may" have enough border punches to do this. *snort*
4. Baby Dresser card by Lorrinda at Isn't That Sweet? - I've seen stair step cards with the dresser theme before and I am loving this version of a dresser card, too. With another nephew due in April, I may just be making one of these.
5. Gratitude card by Jill at Jill's Card Creations - simple, elegant and love the pop of color.

Inspired by Five ..... (March 13-19)

2011-03-20T23:25:00.000-07:00

Okay! This week I managed to get five projects from five different people. Yay! Spreading the love around!

In no particular order:

1. Believe in Yourself card by Leisa Hubley at Big Red Scraps. Loving the rolled roses! I soooo have to try those ... Leisa has perfected the technique.
2. Designer Tissue Boxes by Lorrinda at Isn't That Sweet? Awesome idea since I've yet to find a tissue box or tissue box cover that goes with my bathroom. I'm going to make one!
3. Card Box by Lisa Stenz at Lisa's Creative Corner. So pretty and versatile. Loving our blossom ribbon.
4. Bliss card by Chat at Me, My Stamps and I. Love the color combo and the stamp set. So my style.
5. Believe in Yourself card by Vicki Wizniuk at Wizard's Hangout. Sparkly butterflies ... 'nough said!

Inspired by Five ... (March 6 - 12)

2011-03-13T22:59:00.000-07:00

Here is this week's choices. I've been digging up more CTMH blogs to peruse and bookmark the ones that really inspire me that I want to follow so stay tuned for some new names in the coming weeks. :-)

In no particular order:

1. Thanks card by Jill Hilliard of Jill's Card Creations. Love the simplicity of this one.
2. Thinking of You card by Debbie Henderson of Debbie's Designs. I love the purple
and she gives a good tip for how she hid the adhesive for the vellum.

The next three are from Leisa Hubley from Big Red Scraps ... she rocked her mojo this week!

3. Birdhouse Bliss card
4. Lace and Butterflies card
5. Cupcake card

That's all for now! Have a great week and am hoping to have a few of my own projects to post by the end of the week. :-)

Thank You Card

2011-03-10T19:20:00.000-08:00

I made this card for last month's challenge and forgot to post it! Argh! :-)

I used the same papers (More to Adore - retired) as I had given the DT girls and the only thing non-paper is the brad in the center of the flower. I even made the flower using the scallop punch. FUN!

Inspired by Five ..... (Feb 27 - Mar 5)

2011-03-06T15:49:00.000-08:00

Welcome to another week of what has inspired me! Did it go as fast for you as it did for me? *whew* Hubby is off doing his hobby today, so I think once I post this, I'm going to do some cutting and pasting ... besides, I've already made two loaves of banana bread and some banana muffins today. I'm done being domestic! LOL

In no particular order:

1. Tea Time in Pink card by Leisa Hubley of Big Red Scraps - super cute and the popped teacup really makes a difference.
2. Artistic Etchings card by Judy May of Just Judy Designs - I love all things vintage and this definitely speaks to me. Black, White, Cream and Red ... classic!
3. H2H Color Challenge card by Lisa Stenz of Lisa's Creative Corner - It's purple ... what can I say? Simple elegance.
4. Sympathy card by Lisa Stenz of Lisa's Creative Corner - Beautiful butterflies and embossing. May be CASEing this one as a friend just lost her mom. :-(
5. Baja Bliss card by Lynn of LW Designs - loving the color combo and the rock and roll technique on the stamps she used.

Did you notice there were two Lisa's on today's post? (Albeit with different spellings). I am grateful to have two such amazing ladies sharing their talents with the blog world AND they are also CTMH consultants. Is it a coincidence that we share the same name and company? Hmmmm ......

February DT Projects ... I heart these girls!

2011-03-02T17:00:00.000-08:00

For February's DT projects, I dug through my stash and gave the girls some papers that I've had a long while .... Do you remember the More To Adore paper packs? If you don't, keep reading ... :-)

I also, since February is the month Valentine's Day falls into, gave them the challenge of making cards plus gave them the Petit Perks stamps set from the current Idea Book to use and this is what they came up with ...

Nikki is first this month ...

She made NINE cards plus a box to hold them all! She took this challenge and really rolled with it. Divine!

Is that not super cute? The little pink bow really wows me.

Love how she hung a tag from her sheer ribbon that she threaded loosely through holes punched in the heart strip.

Love using stamps to create patterned paper.

Ahhh ... inking and torn edges. Distressing is my fave thing to do. And she did both. I heart this .. plus heat embossing the heart image. :-)

More backgroung stamping ..

And again. I am loving the fold-down corner on this one, as well.

Bling! Works for me. LOL One of my fave border punches was used, too. Nice!

What's not to love? Seriously! Hand made ribbon slider ... fun!

Loving how she used the photo turns to point in different directions on this. Really ties the two hearts together.

Did she run with this or what? A wonderful addition to the blog as always. :-)

Irma's turn ... ! Three awesome cards with techniques galore!

Aren't they pretty? Keep reading!

Loving how she cut the patterned paper into small squares and did a patchwork quilt with them, stamping on the plain pink cardstock and them popping it with a cut-out stamped image. Using a white gel pen to make the faux stitching really brings it all together.

Loving what she did with the ribbons on this one. Really brings something else to the card. :-) Edge distressing the mats on the stamped images really works for me too!

Where do I start on this one! Wowzers! Edge distressing, a torn paper flower, fussy cutting and a scalloped card ... I'm on overload! LOL So many fun things on this one, I will let you stare and find it all. :-)

These girls amaze me each and every month ... How about you?

Next month they will be playing with the Bliss paper packet and since March is the month for St. Patrick's Day, their challenge is to add GREEN to the papers as a pop color. I am sure to be blown away again!

March Challenge!

2011-03-02T15:58:00.000-08:00

Okay girls! Hope your mojo is running in high gear this month! :-)

You know how I LOVE sketches ... (No! Me?) ... so this month you are going to choose your own sketch and create your masterpiece.

For the Scrapbookers:

Choose one sketch from Page Maps designer Becky Fleck's blog for March. Click HERE to see your options.

I want to see which sketch you chose as well as what you created using the sketch.

For the Cardmakers:

Choose one sketch from Page Maps designer Becky Fleck's blog for March. Click HERE to see your options. (A minimum of three (3) cards required for entry into the draw ... can be all the same or different. It's up to you.)

I want to see which sketch you chose as well as what you created using the sketch.

OR

Use THIS CARD for inspiration for either a card or layout. Leisa (who is amazingly talented and has been featured on SEVERAL of my Inspired by Five posts) has graciously given me permission to use her card for you to use for inpiration. I am sure you'll be seeing more of her stunning work in my future Inspired by Five posts.

Leisa, aside from her blog, also runs a Forum site for CTMH creations and would love to have you join up, I am sure. There is a forum, gallery and challenges galore for you all to be inspired by. Check out Big Red Scraps HERE. (psst! I am on there, too!)

This month's prize:

This month I will be giving away the Stamp of the Month for March. Check it out on my website. It's super cute!

To enter the challenge:

1. Post a comment on this post with a link to your project.
2. Email me a picture or scan of your project.
3. Post photos of your project on my Facebook group, CTMH with Lisa. It's open to everyone!

Winner will be drawn randomly from all entries completed. Each layout you complete (or three cards) will count as one entry. You are welcome to enter more than once. :-)

Inspired by Five ... (Feb 20 - 26)

2011-03-02T15:39:00.000-08:00

I am currently organizing the blogs I've been wanting to check out and bookmark for inspiration as I am trying to find blogs that contain all or a majority of their projects using CTMH products and stamps. Even though it's super easy to transform projects from blogs that use other products, I just love ours and want you to be isnpired by all the loveliness that is out there in blogland using our amazing products. :-)

Stay tuned ... !

Here are five projects for the week that inspired me ... in no particular order.

1. Krazy for Kraft Borders - a card by Leisa Hubley of Big Red Scraps. Love her creative use of this product. It's definitely on my next order!
2. Bliss Altered Note Book - an altered notebook by Deanna of De Stampin' Corner. This color combination is one of my all-time faves!
3. Weeks of Wonder: Don't Cry for Me! - a few projects by Jeanette Lynton (CTMH founder) but am seriously loving the second card shown. The partial ruffle around the circle is super cute! Try the technique she is showcasing, too!
4. Elegant Soiree Bliss Card - a card by Julie of Julie's Stamping Spot. There's that color combination again! LOL
5. Simply Simple 41 - a card by Chat on Me, My Stamps and I. Loving how the gold and red pop against all that white. Simple but wow!

I was featured on Crafty Storage!

2011-02-23T11:49:00.000-08:00

I am soooo excited! My post about my craft room caught the eye of the people at the Crafty Storage blog and they contacted me about posting my room on their blog.

Check it out!

:-)

Inspired by Five ... (Feb 13 - 19)

2011-02-22T19:25:00.000-08:00

Here we are ... late again! Not so bad this time,though. :-)

Haven't had as much surfing time this week but hope to catch up tomorrow. Yay for days off.

1. Week of Wonder by Jeannette Lynton, CTMH founder
2. A Little Bit French by Marelle Taylor
3. Life is a Matter of Moments by Lynn at Queen's Scene
4. Love You Card by Jamie Harder at A Happy Scrappy Place
5. Concord and Pear by Chat at Me, My Stamps and I

Don't forget, CTMH has such a wide variety of gorgeous papers and stamp sets that ANY layout or card can easily be adapted using our amazing products. You just need to think outside the box!

Inspired by Five .... (Jan 31 - Feb 12)

2011-02-16T18:50:00.000-08:00

I don't know where the time went or what happened to the week so this is a combination of two weeks of inspiration :-)

1. Vive la Verve on Kristin's Craft Corner
2. Summer by the Sea on It's All About Stamping
3. Sophia Birthday on Wizard's Hangout
4. Sheet Music and Butterflies on Big Red Scraps
5. Stamping 411 Sketch Challenge on Stamps, Paper, Glitter!

Enjoy!

February 2011 Challenge

2011-02-13T18:49:00.000-08:00

I wasn't going to do a challenge post this month because I'm soooo late in getting it done. I changed my mind though so am just going to do a sketch challenge. I had another idea for a challenge but I'm not going to have time to get it all together - so sketch challenge only this month! :-)

No prize this month ... purely for the enjoyment of creating something beautiful to add to your albums.

The Layout Sketch:

This sketch is by Karan Gerber ... check out her blog HERE.

The Card Sketch:

This sketch is from the Twisted Sketches blog.

Have fun creating with these! I would love to see your artwork (CTMH products or not!)

Show me:
1. Comment on this post with a link to your artwork.
2. Post your photo(s) to my CTMH group on Facebook. Anyone can join or post to the group!
3. Send me a photo of your creation by email.

Apologies .... and January DT projects reveal

2011-02-13T17:27:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!

My apologies for not getting this up sooner but life is busy here at my house. My hubby has been on holidays for the last 12 days so I tend to spend more time with him when I can. With our varying shifts, there are times we may not see each other for more than an hour a day so we enjoy our time together when we can.

I am also back to working 40 hours a week in a different department. It may be permanent but it may not. Time will tell. I love the hours (home by 4:15pm) so keeping my fingers crossed that it lasts a while longer. If I get switched back, I will go back to 32 hours again and have three days off each week again.

Anyhoooo ... on to the talented projects completed by the lovely ladies who have blessed me with their time and creativity to help me make my blog look pretty! After giving them a break over Christmas, they came back with a bang!

Their 'assignment' for January was to complete one of the January Challenges ....

First up will be Irma this time ... She decided to do two of the challenges in one layout!

She did a great job on the sketch version and she took on the flower challenge by cutting one petal off to create sort of a butterfly shape. She then stamped them with (retired) CTMH butterfly stamps and used flower stamen and sparkles to create the body.

She also did a lot of distressing, some machine stitching and also some clear embossing on the scalloped border (which you can see much better in the second photo).

For her title she used her cricut and cut the title out 7 times and then layered them on top of each other and distressing the edges to give the look of a chipboard title. Fun!

Nikki did a bang-up job on the sketch as well!

She repeatedly stamped a sentiment around the edge of her circle of cardstock and popped her stamped circle embellishment (in lower right corner) to give it some added height. She highlighted it even more by adding a button to the center. :-)

The butterflies by her title? Die-cutted and silhouetted! Super cute!

I love that they both added extra butterflies to hightlight the beautiful patterned paper of the Wings paper pack! Not biased at all by the fact that I LOVE butterflies!

For next month .... their assignment is to use the papers and such I gave them to create cards. Stay tuned!

The Bride (and a winner!)

2011-02-04T15:14:00.000-08:00

I did this layout for my step-daughter's wedding album and LOVE how it turned out. The Wings paper pack is sooooo my style. Anything with butterflies is alright in my books.

This layout is also based on the sketch for the January 2011 Challenge that I had posted. I turned the sketch upside down to make it work better for how I wanted it to look. :-)

Supplies Used (All CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Cardstock: Black, Vineyard Berry, Juniper

Patterned Paper: Wings Level 2 paper pack

Inks: Black

Punches: Martha Stewart Corner Punch, Stampin' Up and Fiskars

Bling: Queen and Co. and Kaiserkraft

Flowers: Prima

Stamp Sets:

E1019 Bohemian Alphabet

B1269 Journaling Jots (retired)

PS: Since I promised a winner ....

The winner of the random drawing for the 100+ sheets of CTMH patterned paper is

Kathy C!

Congratulations, Kathy! I will be contacting you soon to get your papers to you. :-)

To see some of the layouts that were shared on FB, check out CTMH with Lisa and click on Photos

It's Live!

2011-02-01T21:21:00.000-08:00

As of today, the NEW Spring / Summer Idea Book/Catalog is live! So many new and exciting things are contained inside. My wish list grows every time I leaf through it. :-)

One of the best things about the new Idea Book/Catalog? It has EIGHT paper lines in it this time. EIGHT!

Here is some artwork that showcases all of the fabulous new papers in the Idea Book. Something for everyone in this one. (Click on the phots to see the different patterns that are available for each collection.)

WINGS

This is Wings ... LOVE this one and was so stoked that it was the one used for the January Mini Catalog. I can see me using this one a lot ... well, a lot more than I actually have already! :-)

BLISS

Bliss is exactly how this paper line makes me feel. I can see a large stash of this one in my near future. The designers at head office were definitely thinking of me when they designed this one.

FANFARE

Bright and fun and oh, so summer!

LUCKY

Do you feel lucky, punk? Well, do you? LOL (Sorry ... channeling my inner Eastwood.) This is a perfect paper set for scrapping all those pictures from when my son was younger.

MAYBERRY

Sunshine, flowers, and picnics. Life is good (and so is this paper set.)

MIRACLE

Miracles do happen as proven by the fact that Head Office brought this Constant Campaign paper set back and included it in the Idea Book. I loved this one then and still do. Happy to have the opportunity to increase my stash of it.

SOPHIA

So soft and pretty. Makes me wish I had girls to scrapbook ... but I'll be grabbing some anyway. There's always granddaughters maybe someday. lol

SWEETHEART

February is the month of Love and what better way to showcase that than with this

fun paper pack.

Speaking of love ... I am loving the Stamp Of The Month set for this month. The artwork created above is stunning! The actual stamp set is shown below.

Need to get your hands on one of these New Idea Books? Email me!

Inspired by Five (Jan 23 - 29)

2011-01-30T15:32:00.000-08:00

Okay ... here they are. In no particular order. Five projects that I found this week that I just LOVE.

1. More Bliss at Big Red Scraps
2. Pinwheel Cards at Big Red Scraps
3. Lamp Cards at Inking Idaho
4. Bathtime layout by Kristine Davidson
5. Always layout by Kristine Davidson

Are they not all just fabulous??? It was really hard narrowing it down to five this week. Even harder than last week. :-)

Linky Blog Hop!

2011-01-29T11:27:00.000-08:00

Tresa Black is hosting a Linky Blog Hop, along with other fellow Close To My Heart Consultants, to give you a sneek peek of stamp sets and products in the brand new Spring / Summer Idea Book/Catalog.

The new Idea Book/Catalog will be available for viewing online on 1 February 2011. I must say I am liking a LOT of the new items, stamp sets, and papers in it and I have a very loooooong wish list. I take hours going through each new book, poring over projects and circling items I would like to own. I got through it at least a half dozen times when it first comes out and every time I see something I didn't notice before.

If you're like me, and would like a copy in your hands (rather than viewing it online), drop me a line at my Email Address and for only $2.28 plus shipping, one can be yours! (Plus I take the purchase price off your first order from me, so it's technically free!!!!)

Now on to the Linky Blog Hop! (No drooling on keyboards, please!)

Inspired by Five ... (Jan 16 - 22)

2011-01-23T12:00:00.000-08:00

I visit a TON of blogs every week and have so many ideas bookmarked in my Favorites that I want to CASE in some way and I thought I would share some of them with you. I am going to keep it to my top five, though, so it's manageable. I usually bookmark about four times that many! LOL

They are from all types of stampers, papercrafters and fellow CTMH Consultants. I find that even ideas from other stamping companies can translate so well to our CTMH products that I save them all, with ideas on which stamp sets or papers would really make the project my own.

I am going to 'try' and make it a weekly post but it may be every two weeks. We'll see how it goes.

1. Sneak Peek at Bliss by Leisa Hubley from Big Red Scraps
2. Birthday Wishes by Debbie Henderson from Debbie's Designs
3. Cards Cards Cards from Just My Scrapbook
4. Elegant Thoughts by Lynn from LW Designs
5. Thinking of You by Kerin Sylvester from Stamps, Paper, Glitter!

My Craft Area - A Work in Progress

2011-01-17T19:27:00.000-08:00

Over at the Heart 2 Heart CTMH Challenge Blog the challenge is all about organization this time around so here we go on the grand tour of my scrap room.

This room belonged to my son when he lived at home. Once he moved out, we stripped it and redid it, including taking out the close that used to be inside the door. It really cut into the dimensions of the room and I really wanted the extra space.

This first picture shows the view from my doorway. The workstation in the middle of the room is made from the modular units you can get at Michaels. I bought them at 40% and 50% off over a period of time until I had enough. We assembled them and place them back to back to create a work surface for me to stand at. There are a total of 16 units, 8 on each side. My hubby and I added a piece on the top because it wasn't quite high enough. It gives extra storage, too, so I can put my paper trimmers etc in there as the spaces (three) run straight across the top. (Better seen in a later photo. The top measures 57" x 31.5" and it is 3 feet high. I also got a bar stool to sit on as my feet get sore quite quickly, though I prefer to scrap standing.

And from the next corner. You can't really see it because I forgot to move my office chair but you can, over the top of the chair back, see a basket with CTMH stamp sets in it .... Well, that basket is sitting on top of 6 My Acrylix organizers and there is another two on the floor next to that stack. :-)

The brown desk holds my computer, printer, phone ... There is another piece not in the photo but it has my Silhouette and Cuttlebug on it. (You can see it in the next picture)

And from the next corner. My ink carousel is in the way but hubby added a shelf onto the stand my water jug (offering hot and cold water) is on and I have my Cricut there, along with my embossing gun (that you can kind of see the tip of). See that stack of paper on the desk in the bottom right corner? That is 134 sheets I am offering up as part of my own challenge this month. It's on this blog if you want to check it out.

Under the water cooler is all of my embossing folders and Sizzix dies.

And the next corner. That white spot is NOT from forgetting to paint that section. LOL It is a foam core board that I have notched and use as a backdrop to take photos of my projects.

More photos ... lol These units are from the closet storage section at Zellers and got them when they were all on sale. I "may" get doors for the top section, too, but have not decided for sure yet. I am not done organizing and sorting all my stuff so if I get get it organized well enough and it looks nice, I may leave them open. They'll probably hold all of my My Acrylix organizers anyway. :-) The unit on the far left has baskets for my punches that don't hang on the rod and the doors have all my old scrappy magazines that I am slowly geting through and tearing out the ideas I like. Those are going into binders - it will save me a TON of space and I can use it for something else.

All the middle sections under the windows hold misc altering stuff (boxes, tins, tubes etc) as well as my bags and such for storing stuff in.

The unit on the right holds - for now - my flowers. They look tidy now that I've sorted and purged. That shelf is a LOT fuller than it looks! No more room. There are more flowers in the basket next to the two My Acrylix organizers that are there. The rest of the section holds CDs, family history stuff, address books and blank CDs.

These two units I got at Canadian Tire several years ago. The wire racks hold all my CTMH cardstock and I have our cardstock samples hanging from the spots that corresponds to the cardstock on the shelf. At first I thought this was a good idea but they hang too low so if I need something out of one of the drawers, I have to hold them out of the way to close the drawers. Time to rethink this .... hmmmm.

The next row is my TV and stereo and the drawers hold embossing powders, paints, my stamping blocks, glitter, hand punches, misc. tools and such. A work in progress still.

The next row down is all my patterned paper housed in Cropper Hopper paper keepers. Yes, there is a LOT of it. I LOVE me some patterned paper!!!!

All my CTMH paper packs are in the one furthest on the right, in alphabetical order so I can find them easier. Yep, a little anal. :-)

The bottom row holds Iris craft containers from Michaels that have all of my alphabets (stickers, chipboard, rubons etc), bling, stickers, chipboards, felt, diecuts, transparencies, rubons.

My fab hubby made me this ribbon organizer and most of my ribbon is on dowels behind those lovely strands that are hanging down. Eventually I want to put doors or something over this. Eventually.

This is the right hand side of my work table. This is where I will have all my personal scrapping stuff eventually. Most of the drawers have stuff just thrown in there until I can get around to finish sorting etc it all. I've been purging as I go and listing my excess on a seperate blog so it's taking some time.

This side of the work table will be for all of my CTMH business items etc. Easier to keep everyting seperated out. Once I am done sorting and etc., of course.

Well, that's it for now! The basic bones are exactly how I want them, I just need to finish sorting and organizing - a little at a time.

Altered Notepad using Wings

2011-01-16T22:34:00.000-08:00

This is the best shot I could get of the interior. My camera does not like white so changed out the background behind the notepad and that's as good as it gets. LOL

I've been wanting to do one of these for a while now. I've seen several versions on various blogs so I don't know who to give credit to but they all influenced me in some way.

I borrowed the interior of Chiaki's second notepad (scroll down if you click on the link) where she made a little pocket on the interior of her folder. I covered mine with patterned paper, though.

My folder dimenstions for cutting and scoring are different, too, as I had different sized note pads than she did so had to design my own template.

I am absolutely in LOVE with the new Wings paper pack and bought one back in December before it was available to the general public (because I'm special ... but actually because I am a Consultant and we get to get our hot little hands on new items one month before our customers). I have another set on the way and HOPE it will be here tomorrow. LOL

Anyway .... when I saw this notepad folder by Jen (Roxybonds), I knew for sure that I wanted to do something almost identical.

I love the new butterfly stamp from the January Stamp of the Month. I am all about butterflies!!! I covered my stamp in Juniper ink, then daubed on Vineyard Berry down the body and some of the wings, then daubed Black on the outside edges.

I didn't add any bling or use ribbon on the cover like Jen did but substituted a border punched piece of patterned paper. I also wanted a way to close the pad, so added a piece of ribbon that I could tie if I wanted.

The sentiment on the front is from the Wings Workshop on the Go, exclusive to the kit, and I can't wait to use the other images from this set on a future project. Definitely my style. :-)

Supplies Used (All CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Cardstock: Black, Colonial White

Patterned Paper: Wings Level 2

Inks: Juniper, Vineyard Berry, Black

Border Punch: Stampin' Up
Ribbon: Michaels

Stamp Sets:

D1452 Find Your Style (Jan 2011 SOTM)

B1376 Wings Workshop exclusive

Discounted Items!

2011-01-16T10:41:00.000-08:00

You really need to go and check out the Discounted section from Close To My Heart! They've added quite a bit of new stuff since the last time I looked.

Hurry over (click on Discounted Products icon at right) as they are only there while supplies last! Except for two items, everything is 50% or more off.

New items I've noticed in the last week:

- card kits
- Stickease Assortment sticker sets
- Level One and Level Two paper packs

There's even a pack of Textured 12x12 cardstock on there if you're running low on some summer colors. :-)

Blog Candy!

2011-01-07T13:08:00.000-08:00

A fellow CTMH consultant is celebrating one year as a blogger and is giving away a TON of stuff to someone. You really have to check out the post to see all of the stuff that is going to be included.

Run, don't walk to Isn't That Sweet? to get your chance to win.

January 2011 Challenge

2011-01-02T15:54:00.000-08:00

Was November and December crazy busy or was it just me? I know it normally is but it seemed worse this year for some reason.

I know I sure didn't get the challenge done that was due the end of December ... lol. No one did, actually, so I am going to use the same prize package for January. I think it's a good one. Who doesn't need more patterned paper?

Here it is again:

TWO (sometimes FOUR) sheets of EVERY Close To My Heart paper pack that I have, including any from Constant Campaigns that I've ordered as well !!!

I've gone through all of my paper packs from CTMH and the winner will receive 134 pieces of patterned paper!

Here are the paper pack sheets that will be included (I ended up putting in FOUR sheets of ones I had multiple packs of):

Aspen - 4

Bella - 2

Best Friends - 2

Boom-Di-Ada - 2

Caboodle - 2

Caprice - 4

Cherry-O - 2

Elegant Bouquet - 4

Emporium - 4

Evensong - 2

Felicity - 4

Floral Impressions - 4

Floral Tapestry - 2

Free Spirit - 4

Good Times - 2

Grace - 4

Heirloom - 4

Holiday - 2

Jingle - 4

Key to my Heart - 4

Life Delights - 4

Magnifique - 2

Miracle - 4

Mistletoe - 4

Moon Doggie - 2

More to Adore - 2

Notebook - 4

Olivia - 4

Passages - 2

Perfect Day - 4

Sarsaparilla - 2

Silhouette - 4

Splendor - 2

Sweet Home - 4

That's Amore - 2

Tickled Pink - 2

Tinkerin' - 2

Topstitch - 2

Twitterpted - 2

Unforgettable - 2

Veranda - 4

Victorian Elegance - 2

Vintage Travel - 2

Whoops-A-Daisy - 2

Zippidee - 2

Now, on to the challenge:

As always ... a sketch. I loved this one from last month so am using it again this month since I didn't get it done anyway.

Sketch by Stacy Cohen on the Pencillines blog.

For those of you who are cardmakers (you need to make THREE cards using this sketch), here is your sketch:

Sketch by Becky Fleck of Page Maps.

Use your stash of flowers in a different way on a layout. I want to see some creativity here, ladies! (I went through my stash of flowers the other day ... OBSCENE! I am going to try and do this one as well as the sketch one.)

You have until midnight on 5 February 2011 to complete the challenge. You get one entry per layout you do (or per three cards for cardmakers).

Three ways to enter:

1. Email me your completed projects

2. Post your photos to my CTMH Group on Facebook (open group that anyone can join)

3. Comment on this post with a link to your completed project.

Winner will be chosen by random drawing on 6 February 2011 using random.org. (Each entry will be assigned a number in the order they are posted/received by me and those numbers will be used in the random draw.)

Looking for Inspiration?

2010-12-28T16:10:00.000-08:00

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!

Christmas Card time!

2010-12-15T21:43:00.000-08:00

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!

December Newsletter

2010-12-05T13:51:00.000-08:00

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!

"Thank You"

2010-11-21T23:02:00.000-08:00

I made a couple of these as a "Thank You" for some clients of mine who recently ordered from me. I don't typically like working with oranges and yellows but am really happy how these turned out.

The cards are based on a card by K Werner. She is incredibly talented.

Supplies used:

Cardstock: CTMH - Honey, Autumn Terracotta, and Chocolate

Inks: CTMH - Chocolate

Ribbon: CTMH - Chocolate Grosgrain

Stamp Sets:

D1444 A Little Thanks (November 2010 Stamp of the Month) (sentiment and images)

Thanks for looking and happy crafting!

CASE'd card

2010-11-20T22:00:00.000-08:00

I had posted some Christmas cards on my personal blog that I had made at a Christmas Card Workshop I attended and I loved one of them so much, I thought I would copy it using my CTMH stuff! I love seeing how similar yet different they turned out.

Here is the original:

And here is the copy of it using CTMH product:

See that shoe in the background? I LOVE the bling on it. It is actually a wine bottle stand shaped as a stiletto high heeled shoe! LOVE the zebra print on it, the bling and sheer ribbon. When we got them in at work, I knew I had to have it. Just because! LOL I was so worried it would sell out before my break but there was one of two left when I went. Happy girl! There's another style there, with leopard prints on them. Rawr!

Anyway ..... LOL ... more about the card. I think I should have tipped the star a bit so it wasn't so up and down and would give it a more natural look, but too late. I thought about adding some bling, too, but will see how many Christmas cards I get done before it's time to mail them out. :-)

Happy crafting - I am off to create a couple of "Thank You" cards for a couple of customers! :-)

Supplies used:

Cardstock: CTMH Cranberry and New England Ivy

Inks: CTMH Cranberry and New England Ivy

Border Punch: Stampin' Up

Stamp Sets: all CTMH

B1361 Tannenbaum (sentiment)

D1308 All Decked Out (snow swirls)

D1320 Shining Star (stars)

New Art & Soul Episode is up!

2010-11-18T11:39:00.000-08:00

The new episode of Art & Soul is up. Go check it out by clicking on the Art & Soul icon to the right.

Need a little inspiration this season? You’ll find there! Get amazing shading and dimension using the stamp stenciling technique. Save time and money making holiday creations using a circle punch and any one of a number of stamp sets. And trim the tree with beautiful Dimensional Elements Ornaments. It’s all right there on Art & Soul®!

Another Challenge Prize Update .... (last one ... promise!)

2010-11-18T11:19:00.000-08:00

I've updated the post about the prize for the November / December Challenge with the grand total of how many pieces of paper will be included in the prize. :-)

October Design Team projects

2010-11-14T12:01:00.000-08:00

This month the girls were given:

X7128B Olivia patterned papers

Z1349 Shimmer Designer Brads and

Z1102 Colonial White Grograin Ribbon

As usual, they both rocked their projects! I didn't give them a challenge this time, though, and just told them to do what they wanted.

Nikkis' creation:

Nikki also used one of her stamp sets, C1408 Live Inspired, on her page and having the bird on a transparency really helps it pop. I love that she used paper tearing - one of my fave techniques. Her kids are always so photogenic, too!

Irma's creation:

Love how she used an easel type card on the top of the boxes. The Shimmer Brads as stoppers are really played up by the sparkles on the stars. Fun!

Challenge Prize Update!

2010-11-13T11:04:00.000-08:00

Okay .... was looking at my 'collection' of paper today and though I am loathe to admit it, I have OBSCENE amounts of patterned paper. OBSCENE, I tell you!

So, in order to reduce the amount of what I have, the winner of the November/December challenge (done by random drawing of all entries), will receive ....

Wait for it .....

TWO sheets of EVERY Close To My Heart paper pack that I have, including any from Constant Campaigns that I've ordered as well !!!

I haven't counted how many different packs I have, but I am pretty sure you will end up with over 50 sheets of patterned paper.

Good luck to everyone!

ETA: I counted my paper packs after posting this and I have over 40 paper packs! See? Told you I had obscene amounts of PP. And that's just the CTMH ones! LOL

Anyway, I have multiples of some paper packs so I am going to make the prize

100 SHEETS of CTMH patterned paper.

PLUS, if I get more than FIVE people who complete my challenge this month, I will add a CTMH stamp set to the mix. :-)

ETA #2:

Okay, I've gone through all of my paper packs from CTMH and the winner will receive 134 pieces of patterned paper!

Here are the paper pack sheets that will be included (I ended up putting in FOUR sheets of ones I had multiple packs of):

Aspen - 4
Bella - 2
Best Friends - 2
Boom-Di-Ada - 2
Caboodle - 2
Caprice - 4
Cherry-O - 2
Elegant Bouquet - 4
Emporium - 4
Evensong - 2
Felicity - 4
Floral Impressions - 4
Floral Tapestry - 2
Free Spirit - 4
Good Times - 2
Grace - 4
Heirloom - 4
Holiday - 2
Jingle - 4
Key to my Heart - 4
Life Delights - 4
Magnifique - 2
Miracle - 4
Mistletoe - 4
Moon Doggie - 2
More to Adore - 2
Notebook - 4
Olivia - 4
Passages - 2
Perfect Day - 4
Sarsaparilla - 2
Silhouette - 4
Splendor - 2
Sweet Home - 4
That's Amore - 2
Tickled Pink - 2
Tinkerin' - 2
Topstitch - 2
Twitterpted - 2
Unforgettable - 2
Veranda - 4
Victorian Elegance - 2
Vintage Travel - 2
Whoops-A-Daisy - 2
Zippidee - 2

November/December Challenge

2010-11-11T17:33:00.000-08:00

Hi girls!

So late getting this posted but life is crazy and I couldn't even begin to tell you what I've been doing that makes it seem that way. The time change has really thrown my body for a loop this time around, too! I just cannot seem to get enough rest and I feel tired ALL the time. Getting through a day is a struggle lately.

So, this month's challenge is late (November is 1/2 over already!) so am going to combine it with December and give something extra special away at the end of the year. I don't know what yet, though. I haven't thought that far ahead. It will be FAB, though. Anything CTMH is fab. LOL

Am going to continue to give you choices, too, again. I LOVE LOVE LOVE sketches so I think that will be a staple every month. Not everyone feels that way, though, I am sure, so will add one or two other options each time as well.

The Sketch from Stacy Cohen which I got off the Pencil Lines blog back in 2009:

Create a layout but using patterned paper you have created using stamps.

Create a layout using the technique that won the Blog Candy earlier this month by random drawing. Once of Carmen's fave techniques is to clear emboss ... try it out!

How to enter:

- comment on this post with a link to your layout.

- send a photo of your project to me via email

- join my Facebook group : CTMH with Lisa and post your photo in the photo section

Winner will be chosen my random drawing of all entries - one entry per completed challenge. If you do the challenge more than once, you'll get more entries. Entries are due by midnight on December 31, 2010. Will do a random drawing of all entries using Random.org. Good luck to you all!

ETA: I've decided on the prize for the month and you can see the details in a post HERE.

My favorite product ...

2010-11-11T16:18:00.000-08:00

CTMH is having a contest right now on Facebook for $50 (US) worth of CTMH product. All you have to do is blog about your favorite product. Wahoo!

As hard as it is for me to pick just ONE (everything is AMAZING - the stamps are second to none, the papers are gorgeous, the inks so vibrant), the first thing that popped into my mind is our Liquid Glass. This stuff is super versatile. I even used it recently to fix Christmas decoration that had been given to me by my boss because they had broken in transit to the store I work at and we couldnt sell them. I had tried my hot glue gun first but it really left the ornament looking repaired and the gaps from the glue super visible.

I don't know what I was thinking when Liquid Glass has done the trick for me before. LOL The ornaments are looking brand new now ... and free is a good thing!

Other uses for Liquid Glass:

- use to attach page embellishments
- cover the top of a brad and then dip into glitter for a sparkly brad
- use as a water effect on pages and cards ... give the look of raindrops and such
- make a dull metal object look shiny
- use to highlight patterns on paper etc
- use on a photo to make an object stand out
- cover stickers to give them some dimension
- add some reinker to give it color and use as a stained glass effect
- fill a concho with items you'd like to preserve and then fill in with Liquid Glass
- trace words with it
- repair objects around the house!

I'm sure there are tons more ways to use it but this gives you a general idea of its versatility.

Try some Liquid Glass on your next project!

Late --- but I have a winner!

2010-11-02T13:22:00.000-07:00

Sorry this is late, ladies! I was a bad blogger and forgot to do the draw until today. Argh!

Without further ado, the winner is:

The second person to post was Carmen and she said:

Congratulations, Carmen! Will be contacting you to arrange delivery. :-)

Happy Anniversary to me! (Blog Candy)

2010-10-26T13:41:00.000-07:00

Friday marks the second anniversary of the day I signed up as a Close To My Heart Consultant! Wow ... two years already. Time really does fly when you're having fun!

So, in honor of my anniversary, I am giving away some gifts!

I have an extra Stamp of the month for this month coming ... uber cute! ... that I am going to give away to one lucky reader. Since it's my SECOND anniversary, I am going to make the blog candy TWO things. Not sure what the second item will be, yet, but will think of something fun for you and post it later.

To have your name entered in the Blog Candy drawing, just comment at the end of this post telling me your favorite scrapbooking or card making technique. That's all you have to do!

On Halloween night, I will do a random drawing of one lucky person from all entries using Random.org.

Good luck!

ETA:

Well, I have decided on the second item for you. :-)

I am also including the SOTM from LAST month! I am not a huge Halloween fan, so this stamp set was going to go into my For Sale pile. I may as well give it to the winner! I am sure there is a Halloween fan or two out there! :-)

Sorry for the bad picture .... didn't have one saved from last month so had to go searching and borrowed this one from a blog.

I got creative!

2010-10-21T00:46:00.000-07:00

I am getting a head start on my Xmas card making this year so you'll be seeing some cards posted over the next little while.

I made 6 of these cards using our Star Spangled Banner and Black cardstock.

The border stamp is from D1225 Jingle Borders and the sentiment is from A1110 A Timber.

The black strip is embossed in white and punched with a border punch.

The card is actually based on this card by K Werner. I made the card landscape style rather than portrait style so left the ribbon off. It looked too plain without the ribbon so that is why I decided to do the border punch on.

If you're like me and scrap 12x12 you know that when you cut down your 12x12 into an 8.5x11 you are left with that strip of cardstock that is 3.5 inches wide. I am REALLY trying to use my scraps up now so decided to make co-ordinating gift tags! I love how they turned out!

Hope you like them and thanks for the inspiration, Kristina. You rock!

New Art and Soul Episode is up and inspiring!

2010-10-20T18:36:00.000-07:00

Click on the photo to see this month's Art and Soul Episode. You won't be sorry!

You’ll fall head over heels for the techniques featured in this episode! Add subtle texture and a variety of colors with tissue stamping; create layouts, cards, mini albums, and home décor with Flip Flaps™; and learn how to cluster embellishments and move or resize them in Studio J®. With all this inspiration, you’ll be unstoppable in all your autumn artwork, so tune in now!

September Design Team Projects

2010-10-11T22:35:00.000-07:00

For September the girls were given products from the Magnifique collection of papers. My favorite of all the paper packs in the Idea Book!!!

They were given papers from the X7127B Level 2 Magnifique Paper Pack

Z1136 White Daisy Mini Medley Accents Collection

and Z1335 Opaques Licorice Adhesive Gems

Here is the layout from Nikki. I love what she did with the products! Using strips of cardstock to frame both her photo and the page is fun and her photo is amazing, too!

This is Irma's double page spread. Love the stitching on it and the paper hat is adorable. So cute!

I can't wait to see what they come up with for October!!!

A Virtual Gathering - Earn FREE product!!!

2010-10-04T23:32:00.000-07:00

I'm testing out our new way of having a Gathering by having a Virtual Gathering. No one has to worry about inviting anyone into their homes. Everyone shops from the comfort of their own homes. (Not comfortable shopping online? You can email me your order and I will add you manually to the Gathering once you pay me.)

Sending out invites to all my regular clients for sure. If you're interested in joining us, drop me a line and I'll add you in or send you more details.

The best part? You could earn some free stuff!

I don't want to keep all the goodies for myself so I will be doing a random drawing from everyone who orders during the Gathering period and places an order over $25. If the Gathering sales are high enough, I will draw more than one name!!

The great thing is that this month (from October 1 to 31 only), for any Gathering that reaches a minimum sales total of $500 or more, CTMH will bump up the rewards one level. Instead of getting $95 in free product and one item at 50% off, they will be giving $115 in FREE product and TWO items at 50% off.

There are still rewards for levels below $500 so no worries ... a Gathering of only $175 will still receive $30 in Free product so will definitely be selecting someone to win (unless no one decides to play along with me ...lol). Each Gathering only needs a minimum of two orders to qualify and I will be ordering something for sure. (Because I don't have enough stuff to last a lifetime already ...LMAO!)

Join me! Email me with your name and you can play along with us! The more we get, the more rewards and the more names I can draw for free stuff!

Want to do your own Gathering or Virtual Gathering? I can help you out with that, too!

October Challenge

2010-10-04T23:08:00.000-07:00

Happy Fall everyone! The leaves are turning amazing colors around here. It makes me happy. Love fall!

I am giving you a couple of challenges to choose from this month. Pick one to do and you could win a package of last month's promotion: Triple Play!!!

One of the three mini albums you can make using the Triple Play kit!

Your first option is to use this sketch ... I LOVE sketches! They really get my scrapping mojo flowing. (Sketch from the So Sketchy blog)

Create a layout using FIVE different patterned papers on the layout.

Post a link to your creation in the comments section OR post a picture in the photo section of my CTMH with Lisa group on Facebook.

Can't wait to see your creations!

No September Challenge

2010-09-18T12:45:00.000-07:00

Since I am so far behind that I think I am first, I am not posting a challenge this month. Summer was so busy for everyone that no one had time for the last two anyway and with back to school this month and getting used to a school routine again, I decided to give it a rest this month. :-)

I will be back with a new Challenge in October ... and don't forget Oct 2 is National Card Making Day!

I had hoped to have something fun going on for that day but turns out I have to work even though I had asked for it off. Boooooo! Ah well. Gotta pay for my ~~addiction~~ hobby one way or another. :-)

August DT Projects

2010-09-18T12:40:00.000-07:00

This month I gave the girls:

X7126C - Passages Level 2 papers

Z1318 - Passages Epoxy Clips

Z1309 - 4 1/2" Assortment clear cards

and told them to go to town!

This is what Irma did for you! She cut the clear cards apart and linked them together using hinges to make this super cute photo stand.

Nikki stuck with the cards as they are and incorporated a couple of the CTMH stamp sets. Her first one, adding in D1217 - Free Spirit and for the second one she used Cherish the Moment (May 2010 Stamp of the Month). They both turned out so cute and the word circles fits inside the round card perfectly!!! Great idea.

I can't wait to see what they do with Septembers stuff! Let's just say it will be

Magnifique! LOL

July DT Projects ...

2010-09-03T13:14:00.000-07:00

For this month, the girls were given papers from the X7125B Zippidee paper packet line along with some co-ordinating accessories. :-) I also challenged them to 'alter' something and here is what they came up with!!!

These are from Nikki. Awesome scrappy pages about her boys fishing along with some detail shots. Super cute! She took some of the Dimensional elements and inked and stamped them as her form of altering. :-)

Here is Irma's project for the month. She took an old tea bag box and made it something totally new and ca-ute!!!! Great way to repurpose something that would just get tossed out! Plus she used the leftovers to make a matching mini book!

Are these girls amazing or what??? So lucky to have them on my team!

Last day for the $2, $4, $6 for 8 Sale!

2010-08-11T19:56:00.000-07:00

Okay everyone. If you haven't taken advantage of the sale so far, today is your last chance!

Check out the details HERE! There is still some great stuff left. :-)

August Challenge!!

2010-08-04T12:16:00.000-07:00

Okay ladies ... give Nikki a run for her money this month!

The challenge this month is to use SEWING on a layout. Real or faux ... so long as there is some type of 'stitching', it counts!

The prize this month is an Emporium Level Two Paper Pack I love this pack. :-)

$2, $4, $6 for 8 Sale! (August 4 -11 only)

2010-08-04T12:11:00.000-07:00

My online store is up and running and it's the only way to get these great deals being offered by Close To My Heart this time around!

From August 4th to 11th get select:

My Stickease stickers for TWO DOLLARS
Level One Paper Packs for FOUR DOLLARS
Level Two Paper Packs for SIX DOLLARS

Shop early for the best selection as all items listed are while supplies last! It's not limited to one per item, either. If you want five of the one line of paper packs, you can get five! Amazing! I definitely have my faves that I doubled up on. :-)

Check it out HERE!!!!

All purchases from this sale count towards the Stamp of the Month as well. When you're ready to check out, scroll all the way to the bottom to see how much of a discount you qualify for with your current total. It may even be free!!!

With this sale you can also shop from the rest of the online store as well .... you are not limited to only the sale items. You could end up with a FREE Stamp of the Month.

Like I said, shop early for the best selection ... you don't want to miss out on this one.

Have a great day!!!

July Challenge Winner!

2010-08-02T11:08:00.000-07:00

The winner of the Christmas in July challenge was ......

NIKKI!!!!

She's the only one who played this month .... you guys are letting her get away with all the goodies! LOL

Congrats Nikki!

Will give you your goodies at Stamp Night if that's okay?

DT Creations for June 2010 - Nikki

2010-07-08T19:32:00.000-07:00

These girls rock it out of the park month after month! This time around they were given papers and cardstock from the X7124B Splendor paper packet collection, and some brads from the Z1215 Autumn Harvest Assortment, and one of the Petite Perks stamp sets from the current Idea Book. :-)

Now for Nikki - she got super ambitious and did a mini album, including acrylic pages!!! Go Nikki!!

DT Creations for June 2010 - Irma

2010-07-08T19:23:00.000-07:00

These girls rock it out of the park month after month! This time around they were given papers and cardstock from the Splendor collection, and some brads from the Harvest Assortment, and one of the Petite Perks stamp sets from the current Idea Book. :-)

Irma made these super cute cards with their goodies. I gave them a little challenge to do some embossing this time around and she's embossed the polka dots on the HI. LOVE these.

(ETA: I missed it but she also dry embossed the edges of the cards and the little butterflies are all heat-embossed with Versamark and white embossing powder on Vellum... Sorry, Irma!!!)

July 2010 Challenge

2010-07-08T18:59:00.000-07:00

CHRISTMAS IN JULY!!!!

You hear that everywhere this time of year so why not here? LOL

This month, I would LOVE to see THREE CHRISTMAS CARDS (minimum) from you. They should all be different from one another. Other than that ... no rules.

To enter, just complete the challenge then

1. EMAIL me with the pictures
2. Join my CTMH with Lisa Facebook group and post your pics there
3. Leave a comment below with a link to where your pictures are uploaded.

I haven't decided on a prize yet but it's always something with a retail value of $25 or more so totally worth it, IMHO. :-)

You have until midnight on July 31 to get your entries in. Winner is chosen by random drawing.

And the winner is .....

2010-07-08T18:52:00.000-07:00

NO ONE!

Nobody completed the June challenge this time around. (Including me ....lol) So, there is no winner for last month AND I get to keep all the yummy goodies I bought last month from the June promo to myself ... mwahahahahaha. Mine! All mine! (That includes the box I received today that I bought on the last day of June that I was going to include in the list).

I know ... summer is crazy but I am an optimist at heart so I am going to do a July Challenge anyway - seperate to this post.

I also have the DT's amazing work to post later on .....

June Challenge update

2010-06-26T11:42:00.000-07:00

The second Goodie Box I ordered arrived so have added the items in it to the June Challenge so the choices you have to choose from are now at 40 !!

If you haven't, check out the original post HERE ....

Another Goodie Box today

2010-06-26T11:08:00.000-07:00

Another great Goodie Box today! Wahoo!

Got both of the ones I ordered and they had some really great stuff in them! So happy!

Today's box has $93.95 worth of product in it for only $46.95(that's a discount of 50%, people!!!!)

Check it out HERE ! and let me know if you order one! You won't regret it if you do :-)

Don't forget to check EVERYDAY at her site to see what's been posted ... don't wait for me to let you know. There is some awesome stuff flying out of the warehouse and I don't want you to miss out.

Only 4 more days until this promotion is over!

PS: I actually scrapped! Some of you have seen the finished products and will get picture posted sometime in the next two or three days! :-)

June Challenge Update

2010-06-22T21:11:00.000-07:00

I received one of the Goodie Boxes I ordered! Yay!

I've added all the items in the box plus the other already listed stuff under the June Challenge so more for the Challenge winner to choose from!

Remember: $25.00 worth of items (or a D size stamp set listed) to the winner. You have until midnight on July 2 to get your entries in.

For Challenge details, go HERE!

Another Goodie Box

2010-06-21T18:09:00.000-07:00

Another great Goodie Box today! Wahoo!

Got the first one I ordered and it's got some really great stuff in it! So happy!

Today's box has $235.50 worth of product in it for only $93.94 (that's a discount of 60%, people!!!!)

Check it out HERE ! and let me know if you order one! You won't regret it if you do :-)

June Challenge update

2010-06-16T12:43:00.000-07:00

I've updated the June Challenge post (HERE) to show the items I've purchased so far and their values. I may even let the June Challenge winner decide which items they want as their prize (up to a retail value of $25.00!!!

To win you have to play along, though!!!

Another great Goodie Box!!!

2010-06-16T12:16:00.000-07:00

Today's Jackpot June item is another Goodie Box! You really need to grab one of these ... they are sooo much fun to get! Seriously!

You can get yourself one by visiting JoAnn's site. Don't forget to let me know if you do so she can keep track of it for me. :-)

FYI: These are only while supplies last and only today for this sized one ... get 'em while you can! Almost $300 worth of scrappy goodness for only $117.50 plus s/h and taxes.

Jackpot June Goodie Box!!!

2010-06-12T16:47:00.000-07:00

Today's deal is another Goodie Box! Check it out on JoAnn's site.

Don't forget to let me know if you order one so she can keep track of what she owes me, though. She's so great for doing this for me!

June Challenge

2010-06-08T08:20:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know you're all out there! Play along. You know you're always behind in your scrapping so this is a great way to get something done AND you could win something, too!

This month's challenge is ...

Since my son is getting married next month, I want to see something wedding inspired.

How to enter the drawing:

1. Post a comment at the end of this post with a link to your artwork
2. Post the pics in my Facebook group: CTMH with Lisa
3. Email me the photo(s)

Easy!

I've done stamp sets as prizes the last couple months so this month I am offering up something that I will be purchasing during the month of June as part of the June Jackpot promotion.

So far I've purchased (and it could be any of the these things (minimum totalling $25.00 retail value) ... will add to it as I purchase more. I may even let YOU choose which ones you want .... up to the $25.00 retail value. I've listed the retail value after each item).

1. Dimensional Elements - Simple Numbers ($5.75)
2. Dimensional Elements - Perennials ($5.75)
3. Dimensional Elements - Framed In ($5.75)
4. Dimensional Elements - Booksmart ($5.75)
5. Dimensional Elements - Fresh Shapes ($5.75)
6. Make a Wish stamp set - a cute birthday themed B-size stamp set ($16.50)

Goodie Box #1

7. Just Blooms - Summer Posies ($10.50)
8. Level 1 Scrapbooking Kit - Abundance ($11.50)
9. 6 sheets of cardstock diecut flowers and 9 sheets of coordinating cardstock ($7.50)
10. Dimensional Elements - Perennials ($5.75)
11. Simply Snapshots - Sweet Pea ($10.50)
12. My Stickease - Abundance ($5.75)
13. Nature's Ambiance Rubons ($11.50)
14. Simply Snapshots - Boom-di-ada ($10.50)
15. Inkspot - Sunflower ($2.50)
16. C1276 - Adventure stamp set ($22.50)
17. D1271 - April Word Puzzle stamp set ($26.95)
18. D1219 - My Farm stamp set ($26.95)

Goodie Box #2

19. 100pk brads ( $5.75)
20. Heartfelt Whimsy Diecuts (3 sheets of diecut felt images) ($15.00)
21. Level 1 Notebook Scrapbooking Kit ($11.50)
22. Level 1 Sweet Home Scrapbooking Kit ($11.50)
23. 3 sheets of diecut flowers with 12 sheets of coordinating cardstock ($7.50)
24. Love Letters rubons - 3 sheets ($11.50)
25. My Stickease - Notebook ($5.75)
26. Love Story rubosn - 3 sheets ($11.50)
27. My Stickease - Sweet Home ($5.75)
28. 2pc set 6x6 album protectors ($2.75)
29. 24 pack 8.5x11 black cardstock ($9.25)
30. Simply Snapshots - You Rock ($10.50)
31. C1203 - Charm Uppercase stamp set ($22.50)
32. C1191 - Calendar stamp set ($22.50)
33. D1377 - Around the Block stamp set ($26.95)
34. D1342 - World's Best Dad ($26.95)
35. B1260 - Let Us Adore Him ($16.50)
36. Z400 - White Daisy Sassy Strands ($6.50)
37. 20yds of Black 3/8 inch grosgrain ribbon ($8.25)
38. 20yds of Colonial White 3/8 inch grosgrain ribbon ($8.25)
39. 25yds of White Daisy 5/8 inch organdy ribbon ($8.25)
40. Ink spot - Hollyhock
PS: There was also two other items in the box but they were well over $25.00 retail so have not listed them.

May Challenge Winner

2010-06-08T08:08:00.000-07:00

The winner of May's challenge .... Making a monochromatic layout is ...

NIKKI!

She wins the Stamp of the Month from May! Congrats Nikki! (I will bring it to Stamp Class for you unless I see you before then!) Nikki was the only one to complete the challenge this month so good for her!

Today's Jackpot June item

2010-06-08T08:05:00.000-07:00

is another Goodie Box!!!! They are always so much fun to get .... Christmas in June, I tell ya!

Check out the box today ... HERE. If you pick one up, let me know so I can let JoAnn know to track the commission of it for me since I don't have a website anymore. She's been ever so kind as to offer up her site so you all don't miss out on this promo.

May DT Layouts

2010-06-07T19:26:00.000-07:00

The girls outdid themselves this month ... and I suck! LOL I am not done my layout as hoped but it's not my fault (well, not totally...lol). I've been sick for the last three days. Still not 100% and off to the doc on Wednesday as there is no improvement in my cough at all.

Anyhooo .... this time I gave the girls a challenge .... to scrap a layout of themselves as children. They did mahvelous!

Because it's Irma's birthday today (HAPPY BIRTHDAY IRMA!!!) I am going to show you her layouts first.... Irma got ambitious and did a double page layout AND a single one, too! Yay Irma!

Nikki outdid herself as well. She did the layout PLUS a 'magazine' holder style card holder. Awesome stuff!

This month the girls were given cardstock and papers from the X7123B Cherry-O paper packet and some items from the Z1320 Mini-Medley Accents Tulip Collection. I think I gave them some Z1088 Chocolate Waxy Flax, too, but not sure! I should write this stuff down! LMAO!

Either way, they rocked it!

Today's Jackpot June item

2010-06-07T18:24:00.000-07:00

Today's Jackpot June jackpot item is super cute ... perfect for all those birthdays that start happening around this time of year!

Check it out HERE! Don't forget to let me know you ordered so JoAnn can track it for me ... :-)

Off to get one for myself .... I'm going to order them all so I am guaranteed to get the FREE item. LOL

Not sure what I mean? Because I am ordering each of the items on sale today, I am guaranteed the FREE item. I don't have to take a chance that I don't order the Jackpot item. So, today, because I ordered $20 in Dimensional Elements, I am getting a CUTE stamp set (valued at $16.50 for FREE). Check out the original post about Jackpot June for more details if you haven't read it yet.

Have a great one!

(PS I KNOW I'm late posting the layouts from May and the new June Challenge but I've not been well the last couple days. Mine is not finished and I've honestly not felt like scrapping or doing much of anything the last couple days or so. Sorry. Will get them up ASAP! Down in my crafty room now! LOL)

Mystery Box today!

2010-06-04T17:06:00.000-07:00

Today's item for Jackpot June is one of the Mystery Boxes! Check it out HERE! (Don't forget to let me know if you order one so I can let JoAnn know).

JACKPOT JUNE!!!!

2010-06-03T14:15:00.000-07:00

Hit the jackpot and win free products OR grab loaded goodie boxes at 50% off or more. Enjoy two types of deal days in June!

I no longer have a CTMH website, but a fellow Consultant, JoAnn Morin, has offered her site for your use! (I'll still get my commission so no worries there!) Just let me know by EMAIL so I can let her know who to track for me!

Here is the link to her site! Don't forget to check it every day and see what surprises are there during this campaign!

Check out the flyer HERE.

CAMPAIGN DETAILS:

Dates: June 1, 2010 at 9:00 AM – July 1, 2010 at 8:00 AM

Featured Products: A huge variety of Close To My Heart products at great discounts or even FREE!

In June, take advantage of a different deal each day only on MyCTMH® websites. Click on the Jackpot June link to see each day's deal. Each day will either be a Jackpot day or a Goodie Box day. Deals will run for 23 hours: from 9:00 am (MDT) to 8:00 am (MDT) the following day, while supplies last. (The hour between 8:00 am and 9:00 am will be used to finalize all pending transactions, clear the queue, and launch the next deal.)

On Jackpot days, 5 products will be offered for sale at special discounted prices. On each Jackpot day, we've selected one of the 5 products to be the Jackpot item for that day, but you won't know which one it is (isn't it exciting!). If you happen to order the Jackpot item, lucky you! We'll reward you with a fabulous Close To My Heart jackpot, which may be one FREE product or a bundle of several FREE products! For those of you who aren't risk-takers, you'll want to purchase all 5 items to guarantee you'll hit the Jackpot!

If you purchase multiple quantities of the Jackpot item, you'll receive multiple products FREE. So, buy as many as you'd like of each item—there's no limit—and you could be a big winner!

The free items will be featured on the Jackpot June shopping page, alongside the 5 discounted products. We'll send your FREE items with the products you've ordered—and we'll pay the shipping/handling for your free items! Special shipping is offered on the discounted products you purchase: just $0.99 US / $1.99 CAN for each item.

So, how do you know if you've hit the Jackpot? Each day we'll announce what the Jackpot item was for the previous day on www.facebook.com/closetomyheart and at www.closetomyheart.com.

On Goodie Box days, you will be able to purchase a Goodie Box filled with wonderful Close To My Heart products at 50% or more off retail value. The Goodie Box contents will vary by day (we're not revealing specifics but you'll be thrilled!) and will include favorite current and retired stamp sets, paper packets, embellishments, and other great scrapbooking, stamping, and cardmaking items.

We have made every effort to differentiate the Goodie Box offerings by date so you can purchase boxes on different dates and receive a wide variety of products. The prices of the boxes will vary but each will be at least 50% off retail value. The higher the box price, the greater your savings from the original retail value. We're also offering discounted shipping.

Important Notes: In order to give shoppers the best possible deal on products and shipping, Jackpot June purchases must include ONLY Jackpot June items (the Goodie Box or the discounted items) and nothing else. This will streamline the shipment of orders and is also how we’re able to offer discounted shipping for this exciting promotion. This means:

On Goodie Box days, only one Goodie Box and no other items may be checked out in a single transaction.

On Jackpot days, only the discounted items may be checked out in one transaction; no limit on discounted items per transaction.

How much is shipping/handling for the Jackpot days deals?

Discounted shipping/handling will be $0.99 US / $1.99 CAN for each item purchased. So if you purchase 5 items, you will be charged $4.95/ $9.95 for shipping/handling. No shipping/handling is charged for the free Jackpot item(s).

How much is shipping/handling for the Goodie Box deals?

Discounted shipping/handling rates will vary depending on the size and weight of the Goodie Box.

For the US, shipping for a Goodie Box will range from $7.00 US to $9.00 US.
For Canada, shipping for a Goodie Box will range from $13.00 CAN to $20.00 CAN.
For AK/HI/PR/GU, shipping for a Goodie Box will range from $11.00 US to $22.50 US.
For APO/FPO, shipping of a Goodie Box will range from $8.50 US to $17.50 US each.

Is this offer available while supplies last?

Each day's offer is good for that day only while supplies last. We specifically selected items with ample quantities on hand to make shopping a relaxed experience. We encourage shoppers to come throughout the day for a smoother shopping experience rather than “racing to the doors” each day at 9:00 am.

When will Jackpot offers be available and when will Goodie Box offers be available?

That is the beauty of the Jackpot June promotion—you never know what you are going to get until each day at 9:00 am (MDT)! Check the MyCTMH® site daily for offers. Deals end at 8:00 am (MDT) the following day or while supplies last. There will be one hour (8:00 am–9:00 am) with no offer as we get ready for the next deal.

Have fun with this!

Lisa

Close To My Heart is a winner (times three!)

2010-06-03T13:22:00.000-07:00

I just thought I would share this with you .... It's a great company and it's so great to see the results of Jeannette's passion.

Check it out HERE!

Art and Soul!!!! New one posted ....

2010-05-27T11:07:00.000-07:00

We’ve gathered techniques and projects for the guys in your life. This episode highlights how to give your paper a leather look, a great gift idea for Father’s Day, and using overstamping for “x-treme” movement and depth. You’ll also get tips on making Fancy Fuzz™ even fancier, and see just how the quick-title tool works in Studio J™. Watch now for some awesome (and manly) inspiration!

To watch ... click on the Art and Soul icon at right!

Remember this?

2010-05-27T10:14:00.000-07:00

Remember this post? I finally remember who did the first card that I cased! LOL

The lovely and talented Lisa Stenz!!! Check out the original here....

Candy!!!

2010-05-26T17:43:00.000-07:00

Melissa, over at Creating from the Heart, is giving away some blog candy and it's a doozy!

I'm not going to tell you what it is or put a picture up ... you just gotta go see for yourself! I'm not joking! GO!

Blog Candy from Debbie

2010-05-18T16:39:00.000-07:00

If you like blog candy you have got to check this out! Its Debbie's birthday and she's giving away presents ....!

I really want those Copics! lol

Wedding Favors

2010-05-14T16:54:00.000-07:00

The final product for my son and soon-to-be daughter's wedding in July.

Her colors are purple and blue and the Pansy Purple was the perfect match for what she'd chosen. :-)

The box is similar to a 2-4-6-8 box, except I adapted it to be 2 inches front and back and only 1.5 inches on the sides, with a flap up top. Similar to the 2-5-7-10 box on SCS. I can't take all the credit for it. LOL

The stamp set used is Enjoy Every Moment (C1395). Her bouquet is going to have lilies in them so this stamp came out at the best time!

Everything is CTMH except the punches. The circles and scalloped circle are from SU. The edge punch for the flap is Threading Waters from Fiskars. I *heart* that punch!

Also used Colonial White CS and Z2141Pansy Purple ink for the stamping.

Each guest's name will be in the circle on the tag and the name of the Bride and Groom with their wedding date will run up the side of the rectangle the lilies are on.

Inside will be tulle filled with Misty Mints ... my son's choice for the candy. :-)

Did you notice ... because I didn't!

2010-05-08T21:42:00.001-07:00

I had no idea until I got my Keynotes (the CTMH Consultant magazine) that they've reduced prices on several items in the Idea Book for the Summer 2010 book!!!

You can tell which ones they are because they will have two prices listed and the higher price will be crossed out. Some of them are REALLY reduced!

They also said, it is "while supplies last" on them so once they are gone for this Idea Book, they are gone. They didn't specify if it was forever gone, or just for this Idea Book so don't ask! LOL

Just thought I would share that with you in case you hadn't noticed, like me. I just buy. I don't really look at the prices so this was a very nice surprise to have pointed out to me.

If something is reduced that's been on your Wish List, now might be the best time to get it.

Ship me off an email if you want to order them now .... just in case! I'll be putting in my order this month for sure for some of them. I LOVE a good deal.

April Challenge Winner!

2010-05-05T18:42:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Irma for winning the April Challenge! She wins the choice of one of my brand new stamp sets! I hear she's working on next month's challenge so you'd best give her a run for her money girls and get your entries in!!!!!!

Congrats again Irma! I will be emailing you!