Ring in the New Year

Happy New Year

I hope your 2018 was a smashing success, with goals achieved and wishes granted. If not, then I hope 2019 sets you on your way to meeting those dreams.

The last quarter of 2018 had me a bit under. I had a surgery that kept me away from my craft room and my main computer. I had pre-cut some cards and scrapbook pages, but it's a lot harder to craft in a recliner than I expected. haha. And blogging from a tablet, for-get that.

Thank you to those who stuck with me, and visited and showed me their crafted goodies. It was so nice to share your creativeness, even while my muse went on vacation.

News from the Close to My Heart scene - January brings a new catalog, new special goodies, and of course, new stamps. It's the beginning of the company's 35th year -wow. And my 5th (also wow).

January is National Papercrafting Month - and CTMH has put together a gorgeous Magnolia Frame Kit - it's designed to make a word frame, but you can add photos, art, whatever you want to frame-it-up.

In preparation for Valentine's Day - Happy Hearts abound.. a special heart and love themed scrapbook workshop kit - Heart Happy

And the Heart Happy Everyday Life Album kit

And don't forget the January Stamp of the Month - everyone should have this one:

Card Captions - with something for every card. 

Place a $50 order and you can add this on for just $5.

May... National Scrapbooking Month, Dads, Vacations, Here Comes Summer!

We all pretty much see May as the herald of Summer. For many of us the weather has already turned warm, though here in the northeast, it feels more like spring. I'm a little behind in presenting the offerings from Close to My Heart, and I apologize. Family stuff.

But speaking of family, and upcoming vacations, get ready to show off those photos in the most flattering light! CTMH has got a set up for you! Just for National Scrapbooking Month; Postcard Perfect! And it IS perfectly summery. The Postcard Perfect Bundle includes a paper pack, stamp set, complements, coordinating paper, vellum, and 12" x 12" memory protectors. 

Just look at those tropical patterns, the colors, the flowers. I am so looking forward to working with this set!

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For those special scrapbook pages and cards to honor your dad, granddad, or father to be, there is the "Dad is Rad" workshop. The workshop kit contains a special stamp set, cardstock, embellishments and instructions to create three scrapbook pages and four cards.

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And as always, don't forget our Stamp of the Month! May's SotM is called Classic Summer Bash  and features all the refreshment that a jar of citrus punch or lemonade can offer. Ink up your next BBQ invites with this tasty set. Click the link above for all the details.

If you are interested in any of these sets, please click a link to order, or click here to visit my website to contact me for more information about becoming a consultant or hosting a gathering (not to order, I cannot accept direct orders). Thank you for visiting, you are a blessing to me.

April snow squalls... bring... Fab Sales?

What a crazy winter we've had here in the northeast! It's the first week in April and we just had snow (with a little more expected next week!) I think the seasons are shifting on us.

Meanwhile, March roared in like a lion and passed so fast that I completely missed it. Maybe that's why it's still snowing.

Back to April, I hope everyone had a Happy Easter, filled with Family, Friends, bunnies, eggs, and most of all. memory making. I hope you took lots of photos, and I hope you will get them printed sooner than later! If you do not create your own scrapbooks, get them created via one of the online options (Persnickety Prints, Shutterfly, etc). As I read recently, no one is going to pass down a CD of photos. So get those albums made!

For those of you who enjoy creating your own scrapbooks, Close to My Heart is having a Friday sale every week in April. Called Fab Faves; select items will be offered at 25% off each week for 24 hours.

So mark this link, Fab Faves! and check back each week! 

Another Fab deal in April - if you have been considering joining the Close to My Heart team as a consultant... this is a Fab time to do it! The Fab Four  - in addition to the great consultant kit and the $50 in CTMH Cash that you get to purchase the supplies that work best for your business - if you sign up during April you will receive the next four Stamp of the Month sets FREE (a $71.80 retail value). Check out this link for more information.

Aren't the Stamp of the Month sets cute!! Gotta grab 'em all, and what an easy way? Join my team!

Let the Monsters Come!

Halloween is almost here! Do you have your scrapbook pages ready for those precious shots of your family’s costumes? The front porch all decked out with jack-o-lanterns and scarecrows?

Close to My Heart’s Cats N Bats paper pack is the perfect blend of spooky fun and colorful pop. Just look at the ideas below. Scrapbook layouts, party invitations, cards, décor… I’m sure you can think of more.

CatsN Bats Paper Pack - $9.95 – X7224B 

Cats N Bats ScrapbookingWorkshop Your Way kit – G1136 - $27.95 - includes patterened paper pack, coordinating cardstock, Cats n Bats complements, Cats n Bats Dots, and Black Shimmer Trim.

Falling for Fall

OK... yeah, I know, the title souns a bit cliche... but Fall is one of my favorite seasons. I love the colors changing in the trees, the crispness in the air, changing over the wardrobe. I love the seasons of change in general. It feels like an opportunity to make changes. Clean out rooms, closets, drawers.

This year will be a little different, there won't be as many leaves in our backyard to watch change and fall... we had most of our "woods" cleared out behind our house this summer. It was always very mushy back there, and a few larger trees were uncomfortably close to the house. We felt this would give an opportunity for the ground to dry out and us to let a few of the smaller trees fill out, plus clear off the big ones that were hanging over the deck. Downside, not as much color this fall.

I'll have to make my own color with my lovely inks. On the upside, I won't have to rake all that up and burn, mulch, or bag it.

September also brings Back to School, kids starting new schools, plans for upcoming holidays and the new Close to My Heart Holiday Expressions mini catalog.

Inside you will find all beautiful papers and stamps and embellishments to help make your holiday crafting easy and amazing!

Here's a peek at some of the fun papers!

Falling for you

Cats and Bats

Beary Christm

Silver and Gold

It's also National Stamping Month and there's a very special Stamp and Card making kit you can buy just this month. The kit creates twelve foil framed, interactive cards, that are stamped with multi layered stamps. You can also buy the stamp set and the card bases separately, but if you buy the kit, you will save 20%, and you can buy more card bases to make more cards when you finish your first kit. Don't be fooled, there are a LOT of stamps in this set!

You can order this lovely kit, or any of the papers above, along with complementary stamps and embellishments, on my Personal Business Site. You can also use this site to contact me and leave me a message with any questions or comments you have.

Happy 4th!

I hope you all are having a fabulous 4th of July (long) weekend!! If it's anything like around here, there are already fireworks (legal or not) going off all around your neighborhood. Stay safe!

My life in June was crazy, and I missed out on 2 specials at Close to My Heart. The Album special and the Cardstock special. I think that was the universe's way of telling me to use what I have before filling my shelves with more... pffft on the universe, what does it know about crafters? lol I did manage to get emails out to all my regulars, so that was something at least...

Now it's July... and there are things you Close to My Heart fans need to know, or be reminded of if you don't already know. July is the last month for the Annual Inspirations 2016-17 Idea book, and there is a Stampaganza going on.

So here's the skinny... a whole lot of the Idea Book is retiring at the end of the month (you can find out what's retiring by visiting this section of my OBA), after July, bye bye.

BUT.. on the flip side of that is... if there are any stamp sets that you wanted, this is the month to get them! For the entire month, buy any two stamp sets (M-, A-, B-, C-, D-, or E-size) at full retail price and get a third stamp set of equal or lesser value FREE! Add stamp sets to your cart and qualifying sets will automatically be free!

In addition - an exclusive stamp set of 22 stamps just for Stampaganza - the January Word Puzzle set, is available for $17.95. While it's hot and humid outside, you can be stamping with thoughts of cool January.

Don't miss this opportunity to nab those stamp sets you've had your eye on. Just like the fireworks on the 4th, July will be fleeting and so will this Stampaganza! 

Contact your CTMH Consultant if you have any questions. (or click here if you need a consultant)

It's a Flash Sale - starting at 5pm EDT

Close to My Heart is having a One Day Flash Sale! 

This sale will feature a 30% discount on selected products and product bundles from Annual Inspirations and Seasonal Expressions 1.

It Starts at 3pm MDT (2:00 pm PDT; 4:00 pm CDT; 5:00 pm EDT) and ending at that same time on Saturday, April 8.

You can visit my OBA to see the items on sale. Place your order before the deadline to get the special pricing or bundles. 

Just Crazy Blessed Team Blog Hop - Uptown & All About the Gold Fundamentals

Welcome to the Just Crazy Blessed Team Blog Hop!!! Thanks for joining us today! All of August and September, we are showing products from the new Close to My Heart Annual Inspirations catalog. I hope you enjoy this little peek at our creations.

This blog hop is a great big circle so you can start wherever you want and continue through to see all the wonderful artwork incorporating the week's theme, by clicking the next or previous buttons at the end of this post. If you are coming from XXX's Blog, you are on the right track!

This week we are highlighting  the "Uptown" and "All about the Gold" Fundamentals. 

The "All About the Gold" Fundamentals is an amazing set of 6 see-through overlays with gold foil designs. They make a great contrast to the black and white of the Uptown set. When you turn them over, they show silver through the plastic, and that makes a nice complement to either the black or the whisper side of the Uptown papers. 

The "Uptown" Fundamentals are some great basics to have in your stash. Three in black and white on one side, and Whisper and white on the other, and one in gold foil and white stripe. There are also two vellums in the pack; one with a subtle white diagonal, and the other with a gold confetti pattern (when you turn it over, it looks silver). You get two of each pattern for 12 sheets in the pack.

 I created a simple Thank You card with the Uptown paper pack using the My Acrylix "All the Thanks" stamp set. Another great basic to have on hand. Four different, simple Thank Yous, perfect for any occasion, from gifts, to thanking someone for house-sitting.

I made this card as an idea for use as a thank you after a long visit. I used the whisper side of the word background paper, then used the journaling pen to fill in two of the words, to make them stand out. It took a steady hand, and patience. :)

The products used to make this card:

White Cards and Envelopes, value pack (50) - X254 - $14.95

Black cardstock - 24 sheet pack - 1386 - $14.50

Uptown Fundamentals - Z3263 - $14.95

All the Thanks My Acrylix stamps - B1536 - $9.95

Journaling Pen - Z1979 - $3.25

Thank you for joining us on the blog hop!

If you would like to know more about the special this month at Close to My Heart, please continue to scroll down. If you would like to continue on, please use the buttons below to continue on the Just Crazy Blessed Blog Hop. I hope you enjoy what Janna has to share next!

There's only a few more days to get the Basically the Best Deal on Close to My Heart's New Fundamentals Paper Packs - 

If you take advantage of the above deal, you qualify for the Stamp of the Month, Purrfect Halloween, for only $5

Just Crazy Blessed Team Blog Hop - Whimsy Fundamentals

Welcome to the Just Crazy Blessed Team Blog Hop!!! Thanks for joining us today! All of August and September, we are showing products from the new Close to My Heart Annual Inspirations catalog. I hope you enjoy this little peek at our new goodies.

This blog hop is a great big circle so you can start wherever you want and continue through to see all the wonderful artwork incorporating the week's theme, by clicking the next or previous buttons at the end of this post. If you are coming from Danielle's Blog, you are on the right track!

This week we are highlighting the Whimsy Fundamentals, and once I started playing with them, I just couldn't stop. I love the sherbet colors of this paper pack. It's bright and cheerful, and can be used so many ways, from Birthdays to Baby and Wedding showers. I paired this fresh paper with the Birthday Sparkles Stamp set (Paper and Stamp set images shown below the card pictures) and made 4 different Birthday cards. Because… always need Birthday cards on hand, right? 

This first card is really simple, but got raves from my "review board". Tone on tone with Smoothie card stock backing a bit of White Daisy with the image on it. I used a blending pen to grab a bit of Smoothie Ink and fill in the "You", and finished off the card with some White and Gold Ribbon.

For this card, I used the 'sparkles' stamp that comes with the set to stamp a texture all over a piece of Sorbet card stock,  then layered it with Juniper card stock and the green dotted paper from the Whimsy Fundamentals. A piece of Glacier behind the White Daisy with the greeting embellished with a few Bitsy Sparkles and it's done.

I really liked the pattern going on here, and wanted to use all four colors in a card. This is two papers with both sides showing. I added a piece of Juniper card stock and Black Shimmer Trim, and along the bottom, the soft Canary Stripe.

I had really been eyeing a paper in the pack that looks like all over watercolor. It's SO pretty! There are 4 colors of this; Sweet Leaf, Crystal Blue, Canary, and Smoothie. I finally was inspired by the blue. I created the clouds and the balloons using images from the CTMH Cricut Artistry cartridge, in White Daisy, Sweet Leaf, Smoothie Stripe, and Canary Stripe. I used Canary card stock behind the sentiment on White Daisy. I raised the balloons and sentiment with Thin Foam Mounting Tape.

There are more papers in the Whimsy Fundamentals that I haven't gotten to yet, but will soon, I am sure. There is SO much in the new catalog, there aren't enough hours in the day...

Look at ALL the paper you get in just ONE pack! Two Sheets EACH of these double-sided patterns!

Thank you for joining us on the blog hop!

If you would like to know more about the products I used in my creations above, please continue to scroll down. If you would like to continue on, please use the buttons below to continue on the Just Crazy Blessed Blog Hop. I hope you enjoy what Michelle at My Flights of Fancy has to share next!

Close to My Heart Products used in cards pictured above (and links to them):
Whimsy Fundamentals Paper pack - Z3255 - $19.95Whimsy Card Stock Combo pack - X5940 - $14.50Birthday Sparkles B-Stamp Set - B1537 - $9.95White Cards/Envelopes Value Pack (50) - X254 - $14.50Bitty Sparkles - Z1263 - $2.95Black Shimmer Trim - Z1809 - $4.95White and Gold Ribbon - Z3189 - $5.95Exclusives Ink in colors below - $6.95 (until the end of August)Black, Smoothie, Sweet Leafe, Canary (colors used for distress edging)If you have any questions about these products, or would like more information about becoming a Close to My Heart consultant, please let me know and I will contact you within 24 hours. Thank you for stopping by.

Summertime and the deals are easy!

Sooo, here it is June again already! I hope you all are excited to be receiving your Happy Times paper and stamps if you haven't already. It really is such pretty paper. SO many people loved it, that it ran out!!

So, June brings us a new yummy deal from Close to My Heart! How about a Flash Sale? Every weekend, starting on Friday, CTMH will have bundles available for purchase. The sales will run from 3pm MDT Friday until 3pm MDT Monday every weekend in June. Bundles are only available while they last! So, watch the countdown and be sure not to miss the deals!

Since it's summertime, I want to point out one of our fabulous current paper packs - Calypso! It's featured in the current Seasonal Expressions mini- catalog. Below is a photo of a couple ways to use this fun, bright, summery paper. 

The flamingos on the card are created with the "Tickled Pink"  My Acrylix® Stamp Set, which is also in the current Seasonal Expressions 2-mini catalog. And there is a coordinating die set that will perfectly cut those cute birds out, saving you the fussy-cutting.

Of course, I won't leave you without letting you know about this month's Stamp of The Month... The Long Way Home. A D-sized My Acrylix® stamp set, you can purchase it for $17.95 USD, or for $5 USD with any $50 purchase. Fabulous for those Travel scrapbooking pages, or some fun cards.

I hope you are as excited as I am about the June goodies from Close to My Heart, and will contact your consultant as soon as possible. If you don't have a consultant, I would love to be yours! You can leave me a message, or get straight to shopping on my OBA here. 

Oh so Worth it.

First of all... the question on everyone's mind... who stole spring? Personally, I think Old Man Winter realized he kind of slacked off in some parts of the U.S and wants the chance to catch up, so he's blockading Miss Spring from coming on board. While that's a fun mental picture, this continued cold with teasers of nice weather is getting old. Fast.

Meanwhile, in my crafting world, Close to My Heart is offering a wonderful opportunity for those of you who have been considering joining the team (or even want to sign on to get the discount). Joining in April is only $75!  Just in time, as the New Seasonal Expressions catalog debuts next month. If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact me for more information. I'd love to have you on my team!

Of course, opportunities aside, Close to My Heart has another fun Stamp of the Month available in April. This one is really 'focused' on good times and great for scrapbooking.
It's called 'Life in Pictures'  - Here's a great piece created by one of the many talented people at the CTMH office.

So many great ways to use this Stamp of the Month Set! I've got plans to use that Polaroid stamp on some old scrapbook pages in some fun colors, just like the ones we could get back then. This IS a limited time set, and it's available for $17.95 (it's a D size set), or for $5 with an order of $50 or more. Click on the link above, and snap it up, then smile for the cameras!

Last, but certainly not least, April is the last month for the Seasonal Expressions 1 mini catalog.  Please do take a long look through, and be sure you've got plenty of any embellishments or papers that you fell in love with since January. Don't count on them coming up in the clearance section, if you love them, chances are, a lot of other people do too! We've already sold out of the Springtime Wishes thin cuts (at the end of March!).

It's StampaGanza-tastic!

Ok, so that title is a little over the top. I blame it on the beginnings of Spring Fever! It's been such a strange winter here in the north-east, I'm ready to be done with it. Bring on the budding trees and flowers!

But... It really is StampaGanza... from Close to My Heart anyway. For the whole month of March, when you buy two stamp sets, you can get a third one for FREE! Yes, I dared to say the "F" word - FREE! (disclaimer, lowest price stamp set will be the free one).
So, pull out that wish list you've had tucked in your journal, by the computer, or in your catalog, and go here, and bulk up your stamp stash!

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So I haven't been terribly creative lately; though I DID manage to put together a massive 36-card workshop designed my my wonderful upline Susan Williams (shout out, fist bump, she's awesome!).
I haven't "quite" finished it yet, because, silly me, I had forgotten to order the embellishments on my last order. Which causes me to point out... it's a great idea to ALWAYS have some extra embellishments on hand. I always order the new paper packs, because I never know what project I might be inspired to do, but I sometimes slack on ordering the embellishments. And this is where it leads. To not having them when I want them for a project. So, no pictures of it yet, though you can see it on her site if you are interested (she takes Much better pictures than I do - I'm learning).

However, I DO have a photo of the Adorable card I made with March's Stamp of the Month set "Sunshine Birdies" (yes, I think it's a touch out of focus). I just LOVE this set. This was for a set of baby shower thank you notes. It was just too perfect. (And they were appreciated). My materials list for this card is below the stamp set image. The "Thank you" stamp is from the 'Candlelight Garden' set, a past SOTM.

This stamp set is fabulous for coloring with our Shin-Han Twin Touch markers, Watercolor Paints, or Watercolor Pencils. 

For the card, I used; CTMH Exclusive Cardstock in Pixie, Pear and White Daisy, paper from the Kaleidoscope paper pack,  CTMH Exclusive Inks in Pixie, Pear and Gypsy, and a non-CTMH white card base with a deco edge.

The Stamp of the Month is only available in March, for $17.95 USD. Or, with a $50 (or more) purchase, you can buy this sweet set for only $5. If you'd like this or any other stamp set, or materials, please visit my OBA (Online Business Address), to make a secure purchase. If you have any questions or comments, please drop me a note, I'll answer as soon as possible.

Happy Spring and Happy Stamping!