New Idea Book Premieres

September... signals the end of Summer, for many Back-to-School shopping has been done and the kids have slipped on their backpacks and posed for their First-Day-of-School photos on the doorstep. Or you've dropped them off at the dorm with boxes and pillows and said a teary-eyed goodbye as they take their first steps into adult-hood and college.

Before those memories fade, make notes while the photos are being developed, so that when you create those precious pages for your album, they are filled not only with pictures, but your words, and perhaps the points of view from your children as well.

Close to My Heart has a fabulous Special in September; You've Got Class. It includes 7 special Tru-Fit Folios, folders which fit inside the top-loading memory protectors and can hold drawings, class essays, grade reports, or extra photos.


September is also the time when Close to My Heart's New Idea Book Launches! The 2018 Holiday Expressions catalog is live as of September 1 and you can view it online here. If you'd like a copy of your own, you can add one to your online order, or contact me and order one.

I won't spoil the surprise by going through the entire catalog, but will tell you the new papers are lovely, the new ink colors are bright and fabulous and you will love the new embellishments!
However, here are a few of the treats you can expect:

 

The Color Palette - Amazing... One big family of Color 

Plus, if you look closely, you will see some of the new Thin-Cuts, cuts from the new digital Cricut cartridge, and some of the fun embellishments.

 Color of the Year - Sugarplum - this photo does NOT do the color justice!

Available in our Exclusive Ink, Pigment Ink, Shimmer Brush!, Cardstock and Glitter Paper.

Another September Special - More Magical! 

How about a Kit-of-the-Month program? 

Yep, we've got one. Craft with Heart - featuring Cut Above layout kits.

Keep your creativity flowing with Close To My Heart’s Craft with Heart™ club, where you receive regular deliveries of project kits that will keep you connected with your passion.

Available in subscriptions monthly, every 4 months, or yearly, you choose what works best for you and your crafting muse. 

So much more, but I will save some for my next post. Check out the Stamp of the Month page to see what the $5 special is this month. It's perfect to help you get a jump start on your seasonal cards.

Thank you for stopping by, you bless me with your support.

The New Seasonal Expressions catalog is here! Happy New Year!

The new Seasonal Expressions catalog is here, and with it come fresh papers, stamps, coordinating die-cuts, embellishments, complements, new organizational tools and a welcome breath of spring! (Something we could all use right now on these cold days) Check out this gorgeous cover art!

With every new catalog comes new papers: Let me make the introductions,

Chelsea Gardens - a pretty floral in soft greens and blues, perfect for those spring projects.

Making Waves - bright purple and teal with a mermaid theme

Stargazer - another bright theme, this time in blue and red.

Gimme Some Sugar - A fun theme in pinks and mints. 

All of these papers are available in paper packs, and Workshops for both scrapbooking and cardmaking. There are coordinating complements and ribbons as well as sequins or cork shapes or acrylic dots (depending on the kit). See the "Kits" section for more information.

In addition to the new kits and paper packs, Close to My Heart has re-designed it's traveling organizational system. Called Designer Travel, the system is modular, which means that the set-up is easier to lift than the previous one, and because it's modular, you can purchase the pieces as you need them, or only the ones you need. Though to be honest, if you attend crops, you will want them all.

There are inserts to hold paper, inks, markers, stamp sets, stamp blocks, and tools. You can use hostess rewards towards a special bundle of the set.

Speaking of hostess rewards, hostess only stamp sets are back! Hostess rewards start when your party reaches $150, and they just go up from there.

January's Stamp of the month - Bloom and Grow - is so pretty - it pairs beautifully with the Chelsa Gardens paper:

Each month you can purchase a new D-size stamp set, available for one month only, for just $5. When you place an order of $50 or more in Close To My Heart products, you qualify for this special Stamp of the Month pricing.

You can order any of the items listed above by clicking on the links listed, or by visiting my website here. Thank you for dropping by, I hope you will visit again. 

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!

Get Ready, It's Coming!

Before you know it, the new year will be here! The November Stamp of the Month, Cheers - 2016! is all about celebrating the incoming New Year. It's great for scrapbook pages, as well as for making cards for those who don't (or didn't get around to) sending out December Holiday cards. My sister has been sending New Year cards for years now. I keep saying I am going to adopt the idea, but I just love Christmas stamps... anyway... Cheers!

Some images from the Close to My Heart website:

This stamp set just screams for using some glitter paper or shimmer trim, lots of sparkle and sequins.

What a great way to send off some holiday photos to family and friends, or remember the New Year's Day Dreams you plan with your family.

Speaking of PLANNING... Stay tuned... in the next week or two, definitely before the end of the month... Close to My Heart is introducing a Planner! I'm really excited about this. I'm a little late spreading the news (it was on the CTMH Blog on November 2, 2015), but I will surely not be when it's available! It was previewed at the AustralAsia convention to rave reviews, and has been the buzz of the CTMH Facebook groups ever since. There will be a package deal to start with, so definitely mark it in your current planner to be ready to jump on this opportunity!

This month there is a fabulous special going on for scrapbookers! The Simply Fundamental Scrapbooking Bundles are available only the month of November, and will give you a great jump start on your holiday and 2016 scrapbooking. Here's all you get in a bundle ($71.80 USD):

• Album of your choice (D-ring or Post-bound)
• Paper Fundamentals Enchantment (1 pack)
• Fundamental Stickers Enchantment Pack (1 pack)
• Fundamental Assortment Peacock (1 pack)
• White Daisy Cardstock (3 sheets)
• Memory Protectors™ Value Pack (1 pack Side Load or 1 pack Top Load) 

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Today I finally opened my White Pines paper pack and made some Christmas cards. 

I recently got the "Believe in Christmas" My Acrylix Stamp Set, available in the Holiday Expressions catalog. I love all the sayings. After much staring at the paper pack, and Pinterest, I finally came up with this - which was inspired by... nothing I saw, lol. 

I laid all 3 sentiments on one block and stamped them at an angle in Chocolate ink on one edge of Colonial White cardstock, then again down the other side, offsetting them so they were next to a different saying. I used a small pine branch from another set in Fern ink to add a little color to that piece of cardstock, then I layered it onto a piece of Cranberry cardstock. 

I stamped the banner in gold pigment ink on a cut out banner and heat embossed it with antique gold embossing powder (it looks chocolate in this photo). 

I used the "Seasons" stamp set that comes with the Art Philosophy Cricut Collection to stamp the tree. I topped off one tree with a small wooden partridge (or maybe it's a dove?), and the other with a star, just for variation. And I gave one of the trees and the banner some dimension with foam tape. The banner and trees were cut out of Colonial White cardstock using my Cricut Expression and Art Philosophy and Artistry cartridges.

Finally, I doodled around the edge in black (I wish I had used brown), and added some gold sequins for ornaments on the tree.

There are other really pretty papers in this pack, and I plan to create some scrapbook pages soon. The complements that are available are so cute! White Pines set.

May is National Scrapbooking Month!

May is National Scrap-booking Month.

As you know, I haven't been actively scrapping. This month’s Stamp Of The Month (Just Sayin') is designed for scrap-booking, so I felt I should create a photo layout.

 
I needed some inspiration, so I took a Blog Hop tour. If you've never been on a blog hop, they are a great way to be inspired! (the way it works is you start with one blog, and it will link you to the next one in the hop. And they are all using the same stamp or papers for that "hop"). Here’s where I usually start: If you Bling It.   

I also love to blog hop to see how others are using the stamp set. They’ll look at the same stamps in TOTALLY different ways! For example; I had never thought of flipping the stamp over and sticking it ‘design side’ to the acrylic block. (though it was a totally “duh” moment as soon as I read it). You’ll get the same shape as a stamp, without the design… a couple of the bloggers did that in their designs. BRILLIANT! And not something you can do with wood-block stamps. And of course, it only works with symmetrical stamps (like many of the shapes in this stamp set). I love new techniques!

This month's stamp set: These are not only great images for photo layouts. They are great on cards, adding a little extra to a set of pocket pages, gift bags, all those little things that we paper crafters come up with. As every month, the Stamp of the Month set is $17.95 or $5 with a $50 purchase. 

Anyway, you're probably wanting to see the full pictures of my project... and here I have been keeping you waiting. Well, I got SO much inspiration, I created a photo layout page with leftover Blossom paper from the pages I worked on before. Then I made a card, definitely getting inspiration from several of the cards I saw along the blog hop (thank you ladies!). I used my Cricut to cut out a slew of 1 inch triangles and 1 inch circles, and then stamped them up using Pear, Honey, and Smoothie Exclusive Inks. I ended up using some of the circles on the photo layout, and the triangles on the card. (I have a bunch of each left, still un-stamped, for other projects).

Once I started stamping elements to use on this layout, I really went crazy, I stamped all of them in several colors and then chose the one that I liked best. I have lots left that I can use on other projects.

Something I saw done on one layout (by Angela White of www.luvz2scrapbook.com) was to use the Liquid Glass over the stamped elements to make your own enamel look pieces for your layouts. Angela had made quite a few for her page, and it was really stunning. The other idea I saw was on jd designs blog, to use the 1 inch clear epoxy done stickers (that are meant for finishing off DIY bottlecap embellishments) on the circles to make your own "flair". Either way it's done, they look great! I recommend a to visit their blogs!

After I was done with my photo layout, I was still full of ideas from the Blog Hop, so I went ahead and made this card:

I purposely left the exact sentiment of the card blank. It could be a birthday, baby congrats, thank you, promotion, graduation, anything. I used the "This Day" stamp from the February SOTM "Choose Happy", but there are many small sayings in the catalog that would fit.

Here's a complete list of the materials used in the projects above:

Both:

May SoTM  - Just Sayin' S1505 - $17.95 (or $5 with a $50 order)

Exclusive Inks, Pear, Honey, Smoothie - $5.95 each

Daisy White Cardstock 1388 - $9.50 (24 sheet pack)

Sequin embellishments - Coral Reef- Z3042 - $3.95

Marvey Uchida Journaling Pen Z1979 - $3.25

'You & Me' Scrap-book Layout:

Blossom Paper pack - X7196 - $9.95

Kraft Cardstock Z1375 - $9.50 (24 sheet pack)

Han Shin Touch Alcohol Marker - Sap Green - Z2463 - $5.95

'This Day' Card:

Pear Cardstock - X5935 $14.50 (Adventure Paper pack - 2 ea of 10 colors)

Gold Shimmer Trim - Z1985 - $4.95

Pick up your own Stamp of the Month for only $17.95 OR get it for only $5 with a $50 purchase! Be sure to contact your Close To My Heart Independent Consultant before the end of May.  If you don't already have a consultant, I'd love to be yours.  You can find details on the "Stamp of the Month" by clicking on the "Stamp of the Month" at top of the page on the right or purchase your SOTM here. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Coming up next will be The Taste of Summer papers - a very Special Paper pack only being offered by CTMH this month! They are perfect for creating layouts to memorialize those sweet summer memories. Or to create some bright and cheerful cards to send off to make someone's day!



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I feel like I won...

A quick, short update this morning. I got my Deal of the Day box last week, unpacked it, oooh and ahhhd over it, took pictures of it, and then got busy this week with babysitting and fighting a sore-throat-stuffy-nose head cold (on top of working). But, that aside, here's the picture of the lot that I promised:

Look at all those goodies! It felt like Christmas when I opened the box and started pulling little packages out. Mostly because I hadn't picked any of it, but was pleased with it all. There is a nice mix of retired and current items, I got some tools, paper, two kits, and plenty of embellishments. Some types that I had looked at in the catalog but not seriously thought about ordering. There are some groupings that I can put together, which is nice, because I can coordinate some cards, or scrapbook layouts. And my very first thought upon seeing it all laid out was, "I want to order another one"... Hahahaha. I haven't yet, and there's only a week left.

So, I'm reminding you too, if you like the looks of this (this was a $150 Grab Bag), that the April Deal of the Day is only going to last until April 30! And it is SO easy to get in on! Simply go to my Close to My Heart shopping page after 3pm Mountain Time, order ANY one item at regular price (need a new adhesive, we have that), and you will be prompted to order the deal of the day. And you can order as many Deals as you want! The deal's price is different every day.

If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments section.