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)

Live Beautifully, Live positively...

A very quick update tonight - I'm about a week behind. There's a new mini catalog with so much to share, and I've been trying to create samples. Meanwhile, May is National Scrapbooking Month - and to celebrate, Close to My Heart has put together an absolutely lovely paper pack this year. Check this:

Look at this lovely paper pack! It's the limited edition pack for May ONLY to celebrate National Scrapbooking month. And not just a paper pack, but a precious stamp set as well, with gorgeous full bloom roses!

And... a Cut-Above kit, with everything pre-cut and ready for your photos, including page protectors! It will make 5 two page layouts, and comes with 6 page protectors.

Or... how about an album bundle? An album, page protectors, journaling pen, Cut-Above kit, and adhesive! Just add photos and your album is practically done!

So many Memories.... So Little Time....

We never seem to have enough time to capture our memories. Well, this month, Close to My Heart is making that a little bit easier for you. How about “15-Minute Memories”? Grab your photos, one of our Cut-Above® layout kits and create a beautiful 2 page scrapbook layout in no time (or less time than usual), plus 2 pocket pages.

And, for all of April 2017, they are half price!

Each layout kit includes two printed 12” x 12” printed base pages, die cut paper pieces (even photos mats), title and embellishment stickers, 12 pocket cards, 2 12” x 12” memory protectors, 2 pocket style memory protectors, and assembly instructions. That’s everything you will need other than your photos, journaling pen, and adhesive.

Watch this video to see how fast they go together! 

One more reminder: April is the last month for the Seasonal Expressions 1 items!

That includes all the items from the following collections:

Dreamin' Big Paper Pack

Some Kinda Wonderful Paper Pack

Hello Lovely Paper Pack

Sugar Rush Paper Pack

Some Items are already sold out (Dreamin’ Big Thin cuts bundle, Sugar Rush Scrapbooking Kit L ), so be sure to check soon if there is anything you want! It’s all “while supplies last” until April 30th.

You can order any of these things by clicking the links, or clicking here to go to my OBA and browsing the entire line of Close to My Heart products.

~ ~ ~

Have you ever thought about becoming a consultant? Whether you want to make it a business, or simply get a discount on your own purchases for your hobby, becoming a Close to My Heart consultant is extremely flexible, you can do a little or a lot. April is a fantastic month to join my team, You'll get all the fun of ordering from the Seasonal Expressions 1 catalog, plus the first look at Seasonal Expressions 2 (it will come in your consultant kit). A box filled with product and business starters, plus $50 in product credit for you to choose which products you feel will best help you grow your business. 

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!).

October Already?

Oh my, where did September go? I had so many plans of things to make and share... and then I got hit with a cold. The cough from that cold lingered for most of the month, and if you've ever tried to stamp or craft when you are having random coughing fits, you know it's nearly impossible. So the month just slid by and here it is October! I am SO not ready for Halloween! And it is pretty much my favorite holilday!

But, I will share a couple of quick updates from Close to My Heart; the Stamp of the Month (called Twinkle) this month is Christmas themed (because if you make your own cards, or are thinking about scrap book pages, NOW is the time to work on them.. December will be too late!).

And if you've been considering signing up with Close to My Heart, this is a Great month to do so! This month, in addition to the new consultant kit that just started going out, CTMH is giving all newly signed consultants the bag that consultants got when they attended convention!! I am jealous! I couldn't attend convention, and that is one cute bag! If you'd like more information, drop me an email at marion.strauser@gmail.com and I will be happy to tell you more about the opportunity. I'd love to have you on our team!

I've been crafting some recently, mostly for a craft show I participated in last weekend. It was the first time I put my cards up for sale en masse. Let's just say,  it was either too early in the season, or that venue wasn't the right audience. I had a few last minute hiccups with my printer that meant I couldn't promote Close to My Heart the way I planned. But I learned a LOT, and will be much better prepared for the next one, whenever that may be. :)

I saved my new papers though, and all that manic card-making did fuel my imaginative juices, so be prepared to see some fun stuff in the weeks ahead. I need a week to recover, and then I am sure my brain will start to see Cricut cuts and card patterns again. :)

Until next time, I hope you are paper-crafting too!

It's Here, It's here!

The new catalog is finally here!

I’m so excited! I wish I could show you every single page right here in the blog! The papers are so pretty, the new inks are so vibrant, the new stamps… it’s all just so…

But what I can do is give you the link to a downloadable pdf of the new idea books. The 2015-2016 Annual Inspirations and HolidayExpressions catalogs. You can copy them to your desktop (or somewhere on your computer) and browse them at your leisure. Or, you can have a gathering with me, and I will send you your very own real copy.

Check out a sampling of the wonderful new Hostess stamp sets that Close to My Heart is offering.

 

And September is National Stamping Month! Close to My Heart is celebrating with three special sets of stamps. One each for traditional scrapbookers, card makers, and pocket scrappers. Of course, all three sets can be used in any way that we paper crafters can think of. They are available for $13.95 (USD) each, or all three sets for $34.95 (USD) (save $6.90). You can find out more here.

Don’t miss our lovely Stamp of the Month, Paper Garden. I just love this set. It’s available for $17.95 (USD), or you can get it for only $5.00 (USD) with any purchase of $50.00 (USD) or more in Close to My Heart products. (see the red lines around some of the images? That means they coordinate with images from one of CTMH's exclusive Cricut cartridges. In this case, our newest one, Artistry.)

I’ll be posting some projects made with these sets within the next week.

Contact your Close to My Heart consultant to see or purchase any of these or other CTMH products. If you don’t have a consultant, I’d love to be yours. If you’d like to become a consultant, I’d love to have you on my team, please contact me to find out more about the opportunity.