VERY bad blogger!

I can't believe I haven't posted since mid-March!  Wow!  I was doing pretty good up until then, I think.  :-)

I've not done a lot of creative paper crafting in the last couple months.  I did start a monthly club and our first get-together was in April, though.  Will have to get the photos for those uploaded soon.  It's more work than I thought but I am loving it and I hope the girls are, too.  I just  need to learn to budget my time better! LOL

We get together in my home the first Tuesday of each month for 2-3 hours, depending on what we are working on. 

If you are interested in joining us (I can fit 2 more girls around my table), or want to play along long-distance, drop me a line and I will be more than happy to send you the particulars! 

Well, need to start prepping for my June club night so had best get going .... will post pictures of what we've done so far in the next couple of weeks.  Two different sets of company coming between today and the beginning of June, so not sure on how much free time I will have since I also have a job I gotta go to. Dang! 

Exciting News!

Every Close To My Heart Consultant now  has their own website you can order from! (I've always had one ... )

Close To My Heart has just opened up their new Online Business Address for all Consultants FREE of charge.  (Are they the best company or what?) There are so many great features that this provides us Consultants over the old websites.

My favorite one, so far, is the ability to have my Clubs and Workshops located on the main page of MY WEBSITE.  Anyone wanting to boost their sales when they are a hostess can send my web link to their friends/family and that person can just order off the website.  The hostess gets credit for the sale, upping their sales total for the night, even if their friend/family lives out of town.  That person gets their order shipped directly to them, too, so they don't have to wait for the night of the event if they don't want to.

Even if you are just a random person wanting to place an order on my site, you can help out someone you don't even know just by adding your own order to one of the events posted.  How is that for "Paying It Forward"???  :-)

My mind is spinning with the possibilities!!!  Stay tuned for more to come!

March Newsletter!

Just a quick, short newsletter this month.  

The New Club!

The new club starting in April if filling up fast! I only have room for one or two more people so if you’ve been procrastinating in getting back to me, time is running out. (Out of town spots are unlimited so if you’re from out of town and want to join, there is always a spot for you!

 

I’ve already put feelers out using online ads and such to see if I can fill the remaining chair/chairs at my table.

 

Don’t wait too long!

The Philosophy of Fun
March 2012 Constant Campaign

March is a great time to share Close To My Heart’s philosophy of fun! Become a Close To My Heart Consultant this month and receive a fabulous Cricut® Art Philosophy collection FREE!

If you already have the collection, you can choose to receive $100 in select product credit* instead. The collection, which retails for $99, is actually valued at over $124, adding incredible value to the New Consultant Kit. It’s time for everyone to embrace the philosophy of fun—Consultant and Cricut® fun!

Dates: Offer valid valid March 1 at 9:00 am (MST) – March 31 at 11:59 pm (MDT).

March Stamp of the Month

Purchase $50 or more and get the following stamp set for only $5.00 (plus taxes and shipping).

Buy the set without minimum purchase for only $17.95

Sample creations using the March Stamp of the Month:

Lisa

New Club!!!

Join the Club!

Joining a paper crafting club is a great way to:

- a night out away from the hubby and/or kids
- have fun
- learn new techniques
- crafting outside your comfort zone
- get stuff done
- a chance to do:
     - layouts
     - cards
     - home decor
     - 3D items
-        Earn FREE products
-        Win prizes
-        Meet new people
-        Tutorials of each project we make
-        Club only promotions
-        FREE idea book when it comes out
-        Discounts on any workshops I may hold

Regular Club Information:

-        A minimum of 4 people are needed for the club to a maximum of 7.  (Unlimited number of out-of-towners though).  If there is enough interest, I may start a second club, too.  It depends on the numbers (and my boss ... LOL).
-        A minimum purchase of $25.00 in CTMH product is required each month (though you’re welcome to go over that amount).
-        The hostess for the month will receive a minimum of $25 in FREE product (could be more depending on sales totals for the night.)
-        If you are not able to make it to club night, you are still required to make your monthly $25.00 purchase. The order needs to be made before 9pm on club nights. (Supplies and instructions for the night’s project(s) will be included with your order when it is delivered to you if you’re not able to make it to club night.)
-        I will provide beverages on club nights, hostesses are welcome to bring a treat if they like.
-        Hostesses may bring in outside orders on months it is their turn to hostess to bump up their sales totals.
-        CTMH usually only allows certain items in the Idea Books as free items for Hostesses but, for my club, you can put your Hostess Rewards amount towards ANYTHING in the Idea Book.  (If you go over your Hostess Rewards amount, taxes and shipping will apply to the overage amounts.)

Suggested basic supplies you'll need:

- paper trimmer (with a cutting and scoring blade is great)
- scoring tool if no scoring blade on your trimmer
- Adhesives:  tape style and wet glue
-        Small scissors
-        Black journaling pen

The fine print:

1.      Club will run for the number of months that there is a Hostess for.  If 4 people sign up, it will run for 4 months.  If 6 people sign up, it will run 6 months.  To be fair to everyone, you are committing to stay with the group for the entire length of the club. 

2.      Hostesses will be chosen on a first come, first serve basis.  The order you let me know you want to be part of the club is the order the Hostesses will fall. 

3.       My husband is a shift worker so Club nights will vary each month.  (Clubs usually meet, for example, on the third Tuesday of the month or the second Wednesday of the month and this does not work for my family).  Club nights will be held sometime during the first 10 days of the month. 

4.      There will be no club in December as it’s usually a crazy month for everyone.

5.      My home is a cat friendly home for those of you who may have allergies

6.      All dollar amounts quoted are BEFORE shipping and taxes

7.      All shipping charges are based on the retail value of discounted or free items.  (There are NO shipping charges or taxes on Hostess Rewards items).

8.      Payment for club orders is due on club night (unless previously arranged otherwise). 

9.      Payments accepted:

a.      Cash

b.      Check (if I know you)

c.      Paypal

d.      Visa

e.      Mastercard

(At your request I will keep you credit card on file for your convenience. I will only bill this card with your expressed permission and under no circumstances will this information leave my home or be shared with anyone else.)

10.   Club nights run from 7pm to about 10pm, depending on the project(s).

From outside of Kamloops????  Read on!

Want to be part of the club but don’t live in Kamloops to attend club nights?  No problem! 

-        All orders will be sent direct to you from the CTMH warehouse (unless it is less expensive to ship it myself to  you.)

-        Orders will still be due on or before the scheduled club night

-        Payment for your order will be due on or before the scheduled club night as well. (Unless otherwise agreed upon before the order and payment are due.)

-        Tutorial for the project(s) will be emailed to you once your order is paid for.  Project supplies will be mailed to you, either with your Hostess Reward items on your hostess month or every second month (whichever comes first) to save on postage costs.

-        Shipping will be 15% of the retail value of your order.  This means some months you will be overcharged and some months you will be undercharged for the actual cost of shipping.  I will track these and in November of each year, I will reimburse you if you have been overcharged when all your orders are taken into consideration.  If you haven’t been charged enough, Merry Christmas!!!!  J

I think I’ve covered everything but if you have any questions, email me and I will do my best to answer them.  This group is a work in progress. As situations come up I may not always know how to deal with them.  Please know that I will always welcome any and all advice, questions, comments and suggestions. Please do not hesitate to make suggestions on ways to make the group better.

What I also offer:

1.       Birthday benefits for regular customers

2.      Referral program – refer a friend and after they’ve placed their first order, you receive 10% off your next order

3.      Frequent shopper program – when your retail purchases reach $250, you will receive a gift from me as a Thank You!

February Newsletter and New Club(s)

New Club!!!! (or two)
I am signing people up for a new Club.  I anticipate the first month will be April.  I have room for a maximum of about 7 people.  I am sending the details in a separate email as it is quite lengthy.  Hope to hear from you!

New Website Address
CTMH has changed over their servers and as a result I have a new online CTMH website address!  If you have it bookmarked, it will automatically go to the new address but if you want to change it, the new address is: 

http://momentsmatter.myctmh.com/

 New Idea Book is Live!

The new Idea Book  is live as of February 1, 2012 and anything in it can now be ordered.  A reminder that stamp sets from the previous Idea Book are also still available if you missed out on any that are on your ‘must have’ list.

If you don’t have your copy yet, you can view the online version HERE. 

Want a copy you can earmark to your heart’s content?  I will mail one to you for $5.00 (that includes postage).  That $5.00 will be deducted from your first order total.  If you are local, the cost would be $2.50, also deducted from your first order total. 

February Stamp of the Month

The February Stamp of the Month is cute and very versatile.  It’s not all about the month of love and I love that.  See for yourself :

The stamp set can be yours for the full retail price of $17.95 or for only $5.00 with a $50 order (not including taxes and shipping). 

February Constant Campaign

Double your layouts with our Five for Free campaign! For each Studio J® 5-pack you purchase this February, you’ll get one free. Visit StudioJ.com for a set of instructions for creating five beautifully crafted layouts in Studio J, starting February 1, 2012 (9 am MST). 

Dates: Offer valid February 1, 2012–February 29, 2012. 

My January Special – Extended!

Since not everyone is into Digital Scrapbooking, I am extending my private promotion from last month.  (Plus I didn’t get the Idea Book to everyone early enough in the month for them to take advantage.  Ooops!). 

So from now until the end of this month, purchase FIVE paper packs and get a SIXTH one free!  Easy!

There are 12 paper packs to choose from – the eight new ones plus the four carried over from the previous Idea Book. 

If you’re wanting to take advantage of this, drop me an email with your choices and how you’d like to pay. Orders will be placed on March 1. 

Retiring Products

The Spring/Summer 2012 Idea Book is the last idea book the following products will be featured: 

How-To Books

Distressing Kit (full kit only)

Exclusive Inks® Markers

Cardstock Shade Packs

8 1/2" x 11" Cardstock Packs 

If you’re missing some of these items or are needing to complete your collection, it’s a good time to do so now.  Head office did not specify, but would assume this is a “while supplies last”.  I know I have many markers I am missing so had best start adding them to my orders.  J

January Newsletter

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

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!

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 ....

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

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