Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Twas the Night Before Christmas.....17 Years ago


This layout was one I did for a contest sponsored by 3M a few years ago. The theme of the contest was Weddings and I fell in love with this CTMH paper pack. The paper has since been discontinued but my hubby secretly bought me a small supply of it right before it disappeared so I could recreate this layout (I had to send in the original layout for the contest and knew it would not be returned to me...very hard to part with it after all the hours I put into it)

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Order Update

Finally - after the backlog caused by the US Thanksgiving holiday and issues with UPS/Purolator (don't get me started) all outstanding orders arrived last night. Took a bit to unpack, ohhh and ahhh over all the product...that wasn't for moi...sort and repack everyones orders. I'll be playing Santa today and delivering them.

Reminder that you have until the 20th (that's this coming Saturday) to place a final order for the year through me. Items on the 'retired list' are available until December 31st - after that any remaining stock usually gets put in the discounted section of my websites' shopping cart but product goes fast once it hits that list so there are no guarantees. Most likely retiring stamp sets will not be on the discounted list since they are made as ordered rather than pre-made and kept in stock. Also after December 31, prices for many products will be going up so if you are in a frugal mood and want to shop before the price increase now's the time to do it.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

2009 Crop Dates Confirmed

Crop Dates for the first half of '09 are confirmed. Mark your calendar & tell your friends.


Minerva Hall
10am to 10pm
Coffee, snacks provided
Full Kitchen Available
BYO lunch/supper*
*occasionally we will potluck supper so check with me the week before crop for details if you are interested

Saturday January 31st
Saturday February 21st
Saturday March 21st
No Crop in April because.........

May 2nd and 3rd is
National Scrapbook Month
Crop Around The Clock
registration opens in January.

Monday, December 15, 2008

National Papercraft Month Special Starts Tomorrow!!!

KEY TO MY HEART ~ The Kit



This gorgeous packet features all four of Close To My Heart’s new exclusive colors— Tulip, Sorbet, Juniper, and Crème Brulee—in a variety of patterns, stripes, polka dots, flourishes, and slightly distressed designs. The packet includes 12 B&T Duos™ papers (2 each of 6 designs) and 10 cardstocks (2 each of 3 colors plus four neutrals).

The E-size stamp set is brimming with elegant, Victorian-style images including grand flourishes, heart shapes, a large key and keyhole, and more—beautifully complemented by heartfelt sentiments and even a classy journaling box. The Key to My Heart set will be a treasured addition to your stamp set collection.

For Customers:
From December 16, 2008–January 31, 2009, customers may receive the Key to My Heart kit using the following purchasing options:
Option 1: Make a minimum purchase of $160 and get the kit FREE.
Option 2: Make a minimum $90 qualifying purchase and get the kit for $25.
Option 3: Purchase the kit for $59.95

For Hostesses:
From December 16, 2008—January 31, 2009, hostesses with Gathering sales totals of $500 or more get the kit FREE.

For New Consultants:
New Consultants who join Close To My Heart between January 1–31 receive the Key to My Heart kit FREE with accepted enrollment. The kit will ship with the New Consultant Kit.

Tax is assessed on the actual amount paid for the item. For Gathering and Individual Orders, shipping and handling is charged based on the full retail value of the item. For MyCTMH orders, shipping/handling is charged based on the weight of the item and is calculated at the time of order. The amount paid for Key to My Heart items count for order totals towards earning Stamp Of The Month discounts and also count towards gathering sales totals. Stamp of the Month discount totals do not count towards minimums to receive the Key To My Heart at a discount or free.


KEY TO MY HEART ~ The Contest


The National Papercrafting Month celebration will include a contest—open to customers, Consultants, and the general public—focusing on items that can be made using Close To My Heart products and papers. These might include the My Creations™ Mini Album, Artboard, Display Album, Circle Album, Memory Showcase, or Memory Keeper box; the Braggin’ Tags™ Mini Album; the Monthly Calendar; or other products of your choice. The base of the papercrafted project can include products that are not sold by Close To My Heart (i.e. a lunch box, clock, yard sign, etc.) but all paper, inks, stamps, and embellishments must be Close To My Heart product. Papers used in contest entries do not have to be the Key To My Heart Level 2 paper packet; they may be any Close To My Heart papers you wish to use! Decorate them to your heart’s content—then let us see what you’ve done!
Because of the variety of projects available, the contest will be divided into three categories of items: small (6” x 6” or smaller), medium (between 6” x 6” and 12” x 12”), and large (anything larger than 12” x 12”). Here are the rules and prize information:

Entrants are asked to submit one to three photos of their artwork, ensuring that the photos(s) adequately showcase the papercrafting item they are submitting.

Entries can use any Close To My Heart paper packet, including the exclusive Key to My Heart paper packet, and must use only Close To My Heart products for embellishing the artwork.

The base product for the papercrafted item can include items that are not exclusive to Close To My Heart.

You may submit only one entry per size category (small, medium, or large).

The deadline for submitting entries is February 15, 2009.

Close To My Heart judges will select five finalists in each category, and they will be contacted no later than February 20, 2009. Each finalist will receive a free My Acrylix® stamp set of their choice (excluding Stamp of the Month, E-size, or K [customized] sets). They will be required to mail in their entries in order to be considered for grand prize recognition.

One grand prize will be awarded in each size category from the five finalists. The grand prize per winner per category is $300 US in Close To My Heart products.

The 15 finalist entries will be returned to the entrants after the grand prize winners are announced.

By sending in their entries, the contestants agree to allow Close To My Heart to reproduce, photograph, and/or publish the winning entries in any medium that Close To My Heart deems appropriate.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Warm Winter Wishes

Brrrrr! Baby it's cold outside. I spent a little time in the scrap room today and came up with this little card - a little cuppa hot chocolate from me to you. Stay Warm!


Stamps: D1159 Coffee Shop; D1280 Spot on Backgrounds; D1268 January Word Puzzle.
Paper: X5671 White Daisy Textured Cardstock; x5747 Chocolate Textured Cardstock; X7103B Aspen Level 2 Paper Pack.
Ink: Z2111 Chocolate; Z2160 Twilight.
Accessories: Z400 White Daisy SassyStrands; Z1281 Spring Craft Buttons; Z1100 Cocoa Grosgrain Ribbon; Z308 Liquide Applique. ** the sprinkles on the hot chocolate "foam"...that's coffee grounds. Tim Hortons to be exact but you can use the brand of your choice. :0)

Friday, December 5, 2008

Spring 2009 Idea Books Have Arrived!!!

FIFTY of these little beauties arrived on Wednesday afternoon and they are looking for homes.

A New Blog For Me

Well here it is. My official scrapping blog. Now that Close To My Heart has given the official go-ahead to use a blog as a means of communication and promotion for my scrapbook business I guess there's nothing stopping me now. I've popped around a few other CTMH related blogs the past few days and have some wonderful ideas on how to set up my own blog. One that really caught my eye was to list the stamp sets, paper packs and techniques used on artwork as labels so that if you are looking for ideas on a particular item, it will be easy to search for it. That being said, I guess I need to get into my scraproom and create ooodles of samples for my blog..... and with my new camera in hand, I can take pictures of my art work and easily upload them. Are you excited? I know I am. To start off the art work frenzie - here is a layout I did this summer for my mom's album using pics my sister sent her of my beautiful neice and my new great neice.