Friday, July 31, 2015

Studio J Sale Extended!






Close To My Heart has had a tremendous response to the Studio J flash sale. The increased traffic is causing the system to respond a bit more slowly than you are probably used to. In an effort to alleviate some of that traffic, we are extending the sale through Monday, August 3 at 11:59 pm (MDT). But don't wait until then to get your order in—submit yours as early as you can so that you can take advantage of this phenomenal deal on Studio J layouts.

I am personally taking advantage of the great price of only $5 per layout. I returned from Summer vacation with over 100 pictures. It would cost much more for me in printer ink alone just to print all the photos I have.

Plus, starting tomorrow, you can order some brand new products. Check back here tomorrow for more details!!

Monday, July 27, 2015

Make Someone Smile

Purchase a T-shirt and literally make someone smile!


Close To My Heart is partnered with Operation Smile™, an organization that provides free, life-changing surgery that repairs smiles and reshapes lives, one child at a time. Since 2008, Close To My Heart has provided support to change the lives of over 1,500 children and their families.

You can purchase these stylish, brand new t-shirts starting at $25 and wear it with pride, knowing that $10 of every shirt purchase is donated toward Operation Smile. These shirts are exclusive to Close To My Heart and represent the company’s mission to celebrate life and share what matters. Show your support for Operation Smile and order yours today. Your donation will help change the lives of children all over the world, one smile at a time!

Your business with Close To My Heart makes a big difference in the life of a child. You can also purchase the Happy Everything stamp set until the end of August!



You can place your order with me or online here.

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Life is Worth...


I love this new video from Close To My Heart. It truly reflects so many of the reasons that I chose this company as a customer at first, then as a consultant for the next 8 years.

Mission Statement: At Close To My Heart, we believe in capturing and preserving memories and helping you celebrate the relationships that matter most.

Monday, July 20, 2015

Life is an Adventure

So far I have shown you ways to use the Stamp of the Month on cards. Today I will show you how this stamp set can also be used on a layout.

I chose to use up some older Later Sk8r papers with some coordinating cardstocks. I kept the layout very simple and opposite of what I normally do, I left some white space in the center of the pages. I used the sentiments on both pages and also used that frame to spotlight a couple of the photographs on the right page. A glittery title and some really old metal hinges finishes the page.






Life is an adventure, be sure to record the memories!

Also remember that this month you can get the Life is Wonderful stamp set for free! Check the Current Specials tab at the top of this blog for more details!

Friday, July 17, 2015

Flash Sale on Studio J




Do you have an account full of Studio J® layouts waiting to be printed? How about a big photo order you keep meaning to make? Well, now is the time to log in to Studio J and order all your layouts and photos! From July 15, 2015, 9:00 am MDT to July 31, 2015, 5:00 pm MDT all layouts in Studio J are only $5.00!

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

The Scrap Room Renovation Layout

I have been working in my newly renovated scrapbooking room for a couple of weeks now. I'm adjusting to the various changes, but can say that I really love having everything organized again. The wood floors make me so happy every time I walk into the room and I'm very conscious about caring for them. A great way to remember all the hard work that went into renovating this room (and keeping it nice) was to create a layout about the transformation!

I held nothing back in creating this layout. I made it a true reflection of what this space means to me and feels like. The colors and embellishments in the layout represent my new room. I used lots of bits and pieces that I rediscovered through the clean up process.

 When looking at the layout as a whole, your eye moves from left to right, starting with a before picture and moving through to the after photo. It also flows in a rainbow color scheme with pops of black & white, as do several areas of my scrapbook room. {ribbon, storage bins, Heidi Swapp color shine bottles, markers & inks}

{left page}

{right page}


I used one of the Heidi Swapp color shine templates, not as a template to spray mist, but literally the template! I added a color shine heart misted with sweet cherry and attached some ancient Basic Grey ribbons. A little FABulous stamped in black at the top from CTMH Happiness Lives Here, Design Decor Framed Art stamp set.


New and old patterned paper banners with some fun Washi tape.


More Washi tape used as labels and embellishments galore.


A cluster of stamps from an Operation Smile stamp set and Documenting Moments. More bright colors with a pop of black!


Here I used a Jillibean Soup "hello" photo frame, Heidi Swapp color shine "love" heart and a mix of papers and embellishments.


And finally, a Heidi Swapp color shine label card misted in teal and mint green with the date stamped in black. A zip strip with a great message and a few more buttons and twine finish this page.

Now I will always remember the love and hard work that went into creating the space, 
where I CREATE!

Monday, July 13, 2015

Hostess Rewards, Tagged with Love and Savings

This month with a $25 purchase of any stamps at retail price, you can choose one of the Hostess Rewards stamps for only $5. This includes the stamps shown in both the Annual Inspirations book and the Seasonal Expressions 2 book.

Did you ever need a quick tag to attach to a gift bag or present? The Tagged with Love stamp set is just the cutie for the job! Found on page 4 of the Seasonal Expression 2 book, this stamp has 3 different tag shapes and 6 fun sentiments to go with them. You could only tag someone you love before if you were a Hostess, so don't pass up this deal!



Friday, July 10, 2015

Hostess Hexagons

If hexagons make you happy, do they make you double happy when they're only $5?

You can choose any Hostess Rewards stamp set for only $5 with a qualifying order this month. You might just choose the Happy Hexagons stamp on page 6 of the Annual Inspirations book. Normally only available to Hostesses, it can be yours to play with and create many happy projects!



See more details on July's special by clicking the current specials tab at the top.


Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Always Remember This Day

For some reason I found myself reaching for this month's Stamp of the Month for another wedding card. There is just something about it that really spoke to me.

I changed the stamp slightly by masking part of the phrase and replacing some other words. Instead of it saying "always remember something" I made it say, "always remember this day". I found the other words "this day" ironically on the Finding the Words stamp set (D1646).

I suppose that is my wish for the young couple getting married, because when I look back on my wedding day it seems to be such a blur!



Get the July Stamp of the Month for FREE with qualifying order. See the current specials tab for details.

Monday, July 6, 2015

Hostess Rewards Stamp only $5 ~ Sweet!

Don't forget that this month only Close To My Heart is offering the Stamp of the Month for free with qualifying order. However, if that doesn't appeal to you there is another option!

Only in July you can get one of the Hostess Rewards stamps for just $5. Here is one of the options you may consider!


Sweet As Sugar is the first Hostess Reward featured in the Annual Inspirations book, page 5. Normally only Hostesses could purchase this stamp for $10 with a qualifying order. Now you can get this sweet stamp for just $5 with the purchase of $25 of any regular retail stamps.

This is the first Hostess Reward stamp I purchased myself. Those apothecary jars are adorable and not just great for candy. See my post here where I used them to hold some haunted Halloween skulls!




Saturday, July 4, 2015

Celebrate America!



I hope you are enjoying a happy and safe celebration today!

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Life is Wonderful Together

I made this card quite some time ago for my cousin who was getting married. My card was inspired by the colors and earthy feel of her invitation. I never remember to use that burlap ribbon more often, I just love it!


I used the big frame included on the stamp along with a couple phrases and the arrow. I hand cut the "wonderful" to make it pop off rather than blending with the surrounding frame.

Life is Wonderful, especially when you can get a stamp set for free. Don't forget about the monthly special, check out the current specials tab at the top.

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Jump on it July

As most of you know, Close To My Heart offers a stamp every month at a discounted price of $5 with a qualifying order. With no exceptions, they are offering a lovely, wonderful stamp set this month called Life is Wonderful! The twist however, is this month's stamp could be FREE!


When you place an order in July (1-31) for $25 of any current, retail priced stamps, you can get the Stamp of the Month for FREE.

Not interested in this month's stamp? With this special if you choose not to get the Stamp of the Month for free then you may select any one Hostess Rewards stamp set. Previously only offered to Hostesses, you can now choose one from either the Annual Inspirations book or the Seasonal Expressions 2 book for only $5!

What a great deal! Interested in more details or to order please see the "current specials" tab at the top!

Be sure to check back here all month long to see how I used the stamp of the month on my projects.