Plenty for Twenty!

It's been a minute, and boy does time fly!  Once preparations for Halloween begin, the rest of the year seems to go by in a blink.  Forgive me for being absent so long, but have I got great news!

During the month of December, Close To My Heart is holding a promotion called "Plenty for Twenty"!  If you place an order on my website for just $20 (before tax and shipping), they will send you a FREE stamp set!  How cool is THAT?  It's like a nice present for yourself.   :)

Take some time this holiday season to really just relax and get done those things that make your heart sing -- one of mine is paper crafting!  I hope you'll get yours in, too.

Happy Scrapping!

Hello, October!

It's been a while since my last post -- I feel like I've been M.I.A. as I survived the busy summer with the kids and got very little scrapping done.  I cannot believe tomorrow is October 1st, but it brings a whole lot of new exciting things from Close To My Heart!

For starters, tomorrow marks the beginning of the earning period for the Hawaii Incentive Trip 2012!!  Consultants have the opportunity to earn a fabulous Hawaiian cruise for two and I am really planning on working toward this sweet trip!  I know hubby would enjoy it as well!

October also ushers in the "Jump for Joy" promotion!  Hostesses this month who host a gathering that totals $450 or more get to "jump" up a level in hostess rewards!  I think that's a nice deal!  I'm also planning for our October workshop, so stay tuned!

And there's that little thing called Halloween this month, too.  Get those cameras ready to capture all the cute costumes and check out Close To My Heart's cool "Hooligans" paper (below) for the perfect Halloween layouts.

Happy Scrapping!

New Art

The kids were gone all last weekend so I had the chance to catch up on some crafting.  Got some pages done and a few cards.  I used some Close To My Heart (what else?) stamp sets that have been waiting patiently for me to rediscover them and a red, green, and yellow color combination that screams summer!  I have way more to catch up on but it was nice making this little dent.  Enjoy!

Jumping With Joy!

Okay, I'm a little giddy!  I just got my big box of brand new Idea Books from the big brown truck today!  It's official: I will be going crazy ordering lots of new items from the Fall/Winter 2010 book, which officially becomes available to customers September 1!  Here's the cover -- sorry I can't show you more. :(

There is also some fun news ... now available is a promotion from CTMH that features paper packs and stickers at more than 50% off!  It's the lowest I've even seen them!  I will certainly be taking advantage of this offer as well.  The "$2, $4, $6 for 8 ... It's You We Appreciate!" promotion runs from August 4 - 11 and you can only access it through a consultant website.  Happy Shopping!

Cleaning Clutter

A girlfriend of mine calls it "the most wonderful time of the year" -- and no, it's not the holidays!  It's almost time to send the kids back to school!  Which means an influx of paperwork flooding into our homes each day.  What do you do with all the forms, flyers, pictures and various projects that make it to the kitchen counter?  If you're anything like me, you create stacks that grow over time until they're an eyesore and your husband begs you to tame them!  If that is the case, let me share with you some recent changes that have gone on in my home to clean the clutter:

One, said husband went out and bought me a square-shaped, plastic file box (about $9 from Wal-Mart), which you can easily decorate (another excuse to break out the crafting products) and takes up little space on your counter, desk or floor surface.

Two, I was offended at being called "messy" but quickly got over it and grabbed a marker to label the file folders the came inside the box.  I've got three children, so each child got three distinct file areas: important paperwork, homework/tests, and projects.  You can add other categories but these are great to start with.

Three, I tackled the stack!  I devoted a small chunk of time to going through each piece and really keeping what papers were important and what special artwork I'd like to save for the kids (should they want to see their childhood artwork later in life) and what I want to keep for scrapbooking!  And I am really proud of myself for letting go.

And I've pared down just in time for the new wave of documents and artwork coming home this school year.  But now it won't end up in a stack (fingers crossed) and they'll get trimmed before they grow out of control.  More on organizing photos and scrapbook supplies soon!

Let's Get Digital!

So, I used to be really skeptical of digital scrapbooking, thought it was a less creative way of producing layouts and wanted nothing to do with it.  But when Close To My Heart had a special offer for consultants to try its new digital program, Studio J, I gave it a whirl to see what all the hype was about.  I have to honestly say I LOVE Studio J!  Don't misunderstand -- I am a traditional scrapbooker at heart and will always love the process of creating using paper and that handmade touch.  But there are so many advantages to incorporating digital art into your repertoire. 

First, it's fast!  I did 10 layouts in a single afternoon.  Once I understood the program by doing on layout, the rest rolled easily.  Two, I could do it anywhere -- laying in bed, on the couch next to the kids, in the backyard watching them play (you can, too, assuming you have wireless internet).  Three, all the guesswork was taken away when I could simply choose what designs, papers and embellishments I wanted to use.  Choosing them was easy with click of a button.  Then I just dragged my photos from where they were stored on my computer (iPhoto, since I use a Mac) into the layouts and confirmed my designs.  It was like silly easy!

I think digital is also great for busy moms who don't have a lot of time to devote to getting those photos scrapped.  It also saves you from having to print everything at the photo shop.  I loved being able to enlarge photos with a click instead of ordering them from the store.  It's also great to use when "catching up" on LOTS of photos (vacations, birthday parties, or just a year's worth --or more-- of photos that are just sitting on cameras and computer discs).  And imagine making scrapbooks as gifts just by ordering multiple copies -- no more duplicating efforts!  Still want to get the feel of traditional crafting?  You can always add embellishments or other details to the finished printed page!

It's worth a try and Studio J is FREE to use.  You simply pay for what you print!  Check out my site for more details and see what I created below! 

Happy Scrapping!

Yep, these are all digital pages -- simply printed out like photographs.  And every paper that is available in the CTMH Idea Book (catalog) is available online through Studio J.  Give it a try today!

Father's Day Mini-Album

I had the opportunity to create this cute mini-album for a friend who wanted it as a Father's Day gift for her son-in-law. I used CTMH's Passages paper pack and the sturdy mini-album (with rings) to create it. I think it turned out pretty well and really showcased what a fun, loving dad he is! They are such a sweet family -- I really enjoyed making this.

Cards Galore

Recently, I've been bitten with the card-making bug and just have to turn every piece of cardstock I get my hands on into a beautiful greeting. I've even started making matching envelopes, although I am looking to redesign my technique on that one. Here are a few of the cards, mostly made using CTMH products and goodies. I think it's special to receive a handmade token, don't you?

I'm Blogging!

Well, I've officially started a blog for my passion of scrapbooking and card making. I was so inspired by other CTMH consultants' blogs that I was moved to start my own. I plan to chronicle my journey as I grow in my craft and I hope you'll follow along for the journey.

Happy Scrapping!