Jump for Joy!

March is an excellent time to book your own Close To My Heart Gathering. From March 1st to 31st, Gatherings that reach the $250 sales level will jump to the next higher Hostess Rewards Level.

What does that mean for you? Additional free products and discounts!

Normally, at the $250 level Hostesses enjoy $40 in free product and 50% off one item. During March, Hostesses at this level will receive $60 in free product and 50% off one item. And it just keeps going up! Reach the $350 level and receive $80 in free product and 50% off two items!



Collection One: Chantilly



The 50% off Reward is great for purchasing big ticket items like organizers and E-size stamps. But you can also use your 50% off Reward to purchase one of four Hostess Collections.

 

Hostess Collections are a selection of coordinating products that have been put together for you and are only available to Hostesses. The collections feature paper packets and My Stickease, three or more stamp sets, embellishments, My Creations products, acrylic blocks, inks and more.



Collection Two: For Always



 Check out page three of the Idea Book for details on each Collection.



Remember, you don't have to have people over to host a Gathering. Try an Online Gathering and invite friends and family from anywhere in Canada. Products are ordered online, shipped directly to the customers and each sale counts towards your Gathering total.



Call me today to book your Gathering!

Collection Three: Buzz and Bumble



Collection Four: Surf's Up















Clean and Simple

This week's Heart 2 Heart Challenge is Clean and Simple. Of course, I immediately thought of my new favourite Studio J layout, wasabi.

This layout has a simple design, and it was also simple to create:
1. Select Chantilly paper pack.
2. Select Picture Perfect pattern.
3. Select Kit Mix 1.
4. Rotate the left hand page so the photo strip runs horizontally.
5. Flip the left and right pages.
6. Under the paper tab, select the yellow paper and drag it over the large outside circle. Double click on the yellow paper/large outside circle to bring up the editing box and rotate the paper so it is running the same way as on the left side of the page. Select the colour box and change the colour to Pondorosa Pine.
7. Rotate the green/inner circle paper.
8. Double click on the background cardstock to bring up the editing box and select the colour box and change the colour to Whisper.
9. Use the Quick Title Tool to add your title and place over the photo strip on the left hand page.
10. Double click on a ribbon and change the colour to Pear.
11. Double click on a brad and change the colour to Pondorosa Pine.
12. Delete buttons.
13. Delete journaling boxes.
14. Add photos.
15. Add journaling boxes/captions to photos and to inner circle.

Voila! A simple and clean Studio J layout with high impact.

Try Studio J today for FREE! Just visit my website, click on the Products tab and select Studio J Online Scrapbooking. Create an account and start creating your own Studio J pages. It's free to use any of the patterns and tools--you don't pay until you check out!

Now is a great time to try Studio J! Until March 15th, all Studio J layouts are only $5.

Happy Scrapping!

Digital Favourites

I could not wait to take advantage of this month's Studio J offer! Only $5 per layout!!

I tend to create my Studio J layouts over time, save them, wait for a sale to come along then purchase them. You can save your Studio J layouts for up to 90 days and Close To My Heart will email you before you layouts expire, so you never lose your work.

Here are some of my favourite new layouts using Studio J.

 Believe it or not, Wasabi was made using the bright and feminine Chantilly papers. The large patterned paper was originally Buttercup (yellow), but I changed it to Pondorosa Pine (dark green) for a monochromatic feel. I wanted the papers and embellishments to be simple and have a sort of zen feeling so that the photos would shine.

Surf's Up is of course the perfect line to use for swimming photos! Or beach photos. Retro summer. The list goes on and on....

To create the journaling area, I resized a scalloped sticker accent to the maximum size, then pasted it over and over to cover the entire block. I then pulled some forward and sent some back to get a nice layering affect. Next, I simply added a journaling box over the stickers, typed my text and selected "none" for the paper.

Rumpus was created using the new Wishes and Fishes kit which is only available on Studio J. The theme of these papers is baby boy (or baby girl), but the patterns are generic enough to use for almost any theme. I liked the high energy of this mix of papers as well as the sweet embellishments.

You know I'll never give up traditional, paper scrapbooking, but I also love the ease of use, time savings and fabulous results I get with Studio J.

It's free to try! Create and account, upload your photos and experiment with the papers, stickers and embellishments!! Have fun!

The Big Reveal!

The Spring/Summer 2013 Idea Book is finally here! For your own paper copy, send me an email--or join me at the Book Launch tonight at the Newcastle Town Hall.

Today is also the first day you can order the February Stamp of the Month Home Sweet Home.

And just for Studio J scrappers, today the $5 Studio J Layout sale begins! 

Today is a great day to shop and scrap with Close To My Heart!

Sneak Peek: A Few of My Favourite Things

There are so many new and exciting products available in the Spring/Summer 2013 Idea Book. Here's my Top Ten List of Must-Have Items!

1. Ribbons and Washi Tape: There are several beautiful new ribbons to add you your collection and they coordinate wonderfully with the new paper collections. Outdoor Denim Chevron Ribbon, Hollyhock Zipper Lace and Shimmer Trim with add a little something special to your cards and pages. There is also a new Slate Polka-Dot Washi Tape! Washi Tape is one of the most popular new items to hit the scrapbooking world. This paper tape is fun and versatile.
2. Keyboard Kraft Alphabet and Tiny Type Epoxy Alphabet: For those of us who love letter stickers, these two new offerings will delight. Both come as a 12" x 6" self-adhesive sheets. The Keyboard Kraft Alphabet consists of uppercase letters, numbers, symbols and punctuation and the Tiny Type Epoxy Alphabet contains a tiny alphabet in Outdoor Denim.
3. My Creations: For those of us who like scrapping off the page, there is a whole new lineup of My Creations items: 6" x 6" Canvas Display, Muslin Drawstring Bags, Clear Treat Tubes, Clear Pillow Boxes, Paper Pouches (small and large) and a Kraft Container. Whether you're making loot bags for a party, a package to wrap a special gift or a display piece, the My Creations items give you limitless possibilities.
4. Cardstock Combo Packs: Back by popular demand! You can now get entire colour families in a single cardstock pack. The Combo Packs come in Basics, Enchantment, Adventure and Whimsy and contain two sheets each of the ten colours in the colour family. This is a great way to stock up!
5. Glitter Paper: This paper really shines! Available in two colour packs, Brown & Tan and Black & Grey, the Glitter Paper Packs come with three sheets of 12" x 12" papers that are cardstock weight and Cricut compatible.
6. Studio J Exclusive Kits: Two--Just for you! You'll love the Studio J exclusive kits, Wishes and Fishes, featuring both a baby boy and a baby girl option. The different colours of the papers in the kit create a completely different look to fit  your photos.
7. Studio J Express Collections: There are two new Express Collections to save you time and money. Getaway is perfect for creating a travel album and Sports is great for preserving the memories of your budding athlete.
8. Holiday Stamps: CTMH has come out with a whole new range of holiday stamps. Celebrating Easter? Easter Wishes and Hoppy Easter are super for creating whimsical cards and embellishments. Mom and Dad (or Grandma and Grandpa) will love a special handmade card using the Perfect Fit--Mom or Perfect Fit--Dad stamp sets. It's still not too late for Valentine's Day! Whip up special Valentines in not time with the Affection stamp set.
9. Quick Cards: There are a variety inexpensive, A-size stamp sets to make beautiful cards quickly and simply--just add ink! Dragonfly and Bumble Bee coordinate with the Buzz and Bumble paper line; Cozy Cat is an adorable way to tell someone you love they're the cat's meow; three different Focus stamps (Focus on a Friend, Focus on You and Focus on the Little Things) make a dramatic statement.
10. Storage: Every scrapbooker faces the problem of where to store all her stuff! With the last Idea Book, CTMH came out with a small and medium organizer for storing blocks, inks, ribbons and embellishments. Now, CTMH is offering a large storage container that is perfectly sized to hold up to 40 My Acrylix stamp sets! You can also order Tabbed Dividers (that come with coordinating labels) to fit inside the large organizer to help you organize your stamps.

Are you excited to see the new Idea Book and all these awesome products? Come back to my blog tomorrow for the big reveal! You also find out about the February Stamp of the Month and the Studio J promotion.

Sneak Peek: Studio J

Studio J Online Design Software: More to Love!

You've taken the photos. Now keep the memories!

What kind of fantasies will you create today? With Studio J, creativity is right at your fingertips! From ready-made Express Collections, featuring 10 themed layouts each (plus cover and back pages), to customised pages, you can make beautiful layouts with embellishments, My Stickease accents, and unique papers and colour combinations.

Many of the Close To My Heart classic scrapbooking products you've grown to love are also available in Studio J. In just a few easy clicks, your personally designed layouts or speedy Express Collections layouts will be on their way to your mailbox!

More for Your Money

There are many fabulous benefits to using Studio J to preserve your memories:

• Low pricing of just $6.95 per two-page layout--that's less than $3.50 per page!
• Professionally designed kits and patterns
• Exclusive colours, My Stickease assortments ,and patterned papers available
• Free layout JPG files with purchase of printed layouts
• Standalone JPG files only $2.95 each

Studio J 5-Packs

Great for gift-giving, each pack includes 5 two-page layouts plus shipping and handling for only $47.95.

Learn How To Create Studio J Layouts!

You can learn great tips and techniques for creating professional Studio J layouts by watching our video series Love You Layout. Visit my website and click on Ideas and Inspiration > CTMH TV > Love You Layout and follow along!

February Special!

Now is the best time to try Studio J. During February, all Studio J layouts are only $5!!

Create a free online account, upload your photos and start exploring Studio J.

Sneak Peek: Cricut Collections

Cricut Artiste Collection

Two Cricut collections for double the fun! Both Artiste and Art Philosophy collections include a cartridge with 700 images, three exclusive My Acrylix D-size stamp sets, and three 12" x 9" sheets of Dimensional Elements in coordinating shapes.

The Art Philosophy collection includes basic, fundamental shapes that you can use year-round on a variety of projects.

The Artiste collection takes your artwork to a higher level with 3-D items, cards, and party favours! Assembling your projects is simple with the easy-to-follow assembly guide included with the Artiste collection.

You can combine all of the coordinating parts of our Cricut collections to create projects that are sure to astound! Cut a shape using one of our Cricut cartridges, stamp on it using one of the coordinating My Acrylix stamp images, and attach it to a matching Dimensional Element for a harmonious accent to any card, layout or home decor item.

Choose one or both for hours of creative crafting!

Scattered throughout the Idea Book are numerous My Acrylix stamp images outlined in red. This means that stamp has a corresponding image on the Cricut Art Philosophy or Artiste cartridge. Simply use the correct cartridge to cut the matching shape using the size setting indicated on the stamp's carrier sheet, and then stamp your image on the shape!

Watch these videos demonstrating the Cricut Art Philosophy and Artiste collections:
Art Philosophy Collection
Artiste Collection
Cricut Cards and Envelopes
Easy Party Planning with Cricut
Coordinating with Cricut Cuts