I'm Just "Dotty For You"!

National Scrapbooking Month has come early at Close To My Heart! And in true form, they are offering a FANTASTIC special for a limited time only, and while supplies last! It's the "Dotty For You" Paper Pack, and you can get yours starting right now! This gorgeous package of 24 double-sided, cardstock-weight papers has 12 different patterns (2 sheets of each) on the front, and a fantastic polka-dot pattern on the backs - in six different colors! There is no limit to the things you can do with this diverse array of paper. How can you get a hold of it? There are THREE ways:

First, place an order of just $35 in products from the Spring/Summer 2012 Idea Book, and you can add the Dotty For You Paper Packet (valued at $19.95) for just $5.00!
Second, as a Hostess, you will receive the Dotty For You Paper Packet for FREE when your Gathering sales total $400 or more (excluding tax, S&H, and Operation Smile donations).
Third, anyone signing up as a new Consultant between April 1 and May 31 will receive a Dotty Paper Packet for FREE with their new Consultant Kit.

I have had a lot of fun creating with this paper - and I'm not done! But here is what I have done so far:

I really liked the layout that is pictured on the idea sheet that is included in the paper pack...so I copied it using my own title, photos, and embellishments. It's a great way to use up any scraps you have left over from all the other projects you're going to make with this kit!

This card was also featured on the idea sheet that comes with the paper packet. I thought it was really cool how the cloud with the heart was cut out of the patterned paper and used as the focal point on the card - very cute! The "Love Life" stamp set was also used on this card.

Yet one more card from the idea sheet (I loved their ideas!). I didn't have the same supplies as they did, so I improvised and created my own embellishment using the "Enjoy!" stamp set. I just love that butterfly paper!

Those of you who attended my "Flowers" workshop will recognize the ribbon-twisted flower that is the focal point on this card. I love the yellow & grey striped paper paired with the Sweet Leaf green cardstock.

Lastly, a bright & fun card using yet another flower technique from my "Flowers" workshop. This time I used a strip of one of the patterned papers to create the accordian-fold flower. Aren't these patterns fun?!

I hope these artwork samples give you a head-start and a creative boost in creating your own pieces of art with this paper packet. Remember that you can order online ANYTIME from my website at http://funforyou.ctmh.com. Enjoy!

Flip Flap™ Fun!

Have you ever found yourself with a ton of pictures that you'd like to be able to put on one layout, but there's no way you have the room? That happens to me all the time! Well, believe it or not, there is a way to get more photos into your layouts - with Flip Flaps™! Close To My Heart has several different sizes of these wonder-products, but my favorite is the 12" Assortment. What are Flip Flaps, anyway? Well, they are Memory Protectors® (page protectors) that are smaller than your page and have a strip of adhesive on one edge in order for you to attach it to your layout. The 12" assortment from CTMH looks like this:

There are three different widths in the assortment - 4", 6", and 8". The adhesive strip is along the 12" side. These are great because you can add whole other sections to your layout - not just extra pictures. Let me show you how I used them on a layout about one of our camping trips.

This first shot shows what the layout looks like before you "open it up":

Let's start with the left-hand page and lift the 4" Flip Flap that is attached to the right side:

Now we have revealed two journalling blocks that were hidden. Now let's lift the 8" Flip Flap attached to the left side:

Wow - there's another large photograph and the rest of the layout's title.The best part is, we didn't even have to remove the page from its original sleeve to see these added sections. Now let's close this up and move to the right-hand page. This page was done using two 6" Flip Flaps. We'll lift the top one first:

With that one lift of the flap, we revealed seven more photos! Now let's lift the bottom flap:

Wow! That's seven more photos! And all of it fit on one 12" x 12" spread. So, where we originally had eight photos on our two-page spread, with the addition of the 4 Flip Flaps, we now have twenty-four! This is definitely a fantastic product! I would love to see what you do with Flip Flaps! Until next time - have fun Flapping!

Have You Played With Studio J?

OK, I may be a bit biased, but I am LOVING using Close To My Heart's online scrapbooking tool, Studio J! It has allowed me to complete whole albums in a day that would have taken me months...who am I trying to kid...years to complete with traditional scrapbooking. And being a Studio J Member allows me access to Exclusive paper packs and TONS of additional layout templates. If you haven't tried it yet, watch the following video to see just how easy and fun it is - and it costs NOTHING to just play!



Here are just a few of the layouts that I have created using Studio J:

OK, I'd better stop! Can you tell I LOVE it?! I could go on & on - but I think you get the idea. Head over to my new & improved website at http://funforyou.ctmh.com, open the drop-down menu under "Products", and hit "Studio J". Then start playing!

If you ever have any questions about any of the CTMH line of products, please do not hesitate to contact me! I will be happy to answer all of your questions. Have fun!

Fun With Flowers!

We had so much fun learning four new flower-making techniques at my latest workshop last weekend. A couple of them were a little challenging, but we persevered and created four wonderful cards with our beautiful blooms. Let me share with you what we did:

This first card uses the wrapped ribbon flower technique. We used white grosgrain ribbon (3/8" wide) and a 2" "Gluber" (manufactured by Cosmo Cricket) to create the flower. Starting from the center, twist the ribbon as you press it onto the adhesive surface of the Gluber, creating a spiral, and covering the entire surface of the circle. Tuck the ribbon's end under the Gluber (so it sticks to the underside), peel off the plastic backing, and adhere to your card. It takes some patience to create this flower, but it's super cute and so versitile with all of the different colors, patterns and styles of ribbon there are!

This next one is the accordian-fold flower. We used an 8.25" long by 1" wide strip of white cardstock, which we stamped, inked the edges of, then scored at 1/4" increments along the entire length. Accordian-fold the strip and adhere the ends together to form a ring (be sure when adhereing the ends together that they match up just like another fold in the pattern - you don't want any stray flaps or folds). The tricky part here is getting the top of the ring scrunched together, then pushed down into the center, while pulling the bottom of the ring outwards, to create the flower. Here's a quick visual to help explain:

Once you get to this point, you will have to adhere the flower to a circle of cardstock - otherwise, it will keep springing up on you. We just used a 1" circle of cardstock and a hot glue gun. Stick the flower onto the circle so that the 1" circle of cardstock is on the back. We glued a brad into the center of our flowers (the "feet" of the brad were too short to poke through the back of the flower), but you could use any number of buttons or bling that you'd like. Now you can adhere your flower to your card.

While we had the hot glue gun sparked up, we created our next flower using a cut from the "Art Philosophy" Cricut cartridge. There are several different flower styles to choose from on the cartridge, but I thought this one looked the most "beachy". After cutting the flower out on the Cricut at 3.5", we started at the outer end of the spiral, and wrapped continuously toward the center around a thick lollipop stick (this will give you a nice, tight wrap). When you reach the center, pull the stick out and let the flower uncoil a bit. Put hot glue on the center circle (built into the flower design), and press your wrapped sides down onto it. After the glue is set, press down each set of petals, starting with the outer-most layer and working your way in, until you get the look you want. Adhere the flower to you card.

Last, but not least, was the tissue paper flower. This was very easy and created a stunningly realistic carnation. All you need is 15 sheets (or layers...you can fold one sheet many times to get 15 layers) of tissue paper, a brad, a 2" scallop circle die, and a die-cut machine (i.e. - Sizzix Big Shot). I originally tried this using my 2" scallop circle hand-held punch, but it kept tearing the tissue (even after putting the tissue between cardstock), so I borrowed a friend's Big Shot and aquired the die from my local craft store. Once you have your 15 layers of tissue, fold them in half, unfold, turn 90 degrees, fold in half and unfold again. This is done to simply find the center of the circle. Once found, poke the brad through the center and secure at the back (it doesn't matter what you use for a brad - you won't see it in the final product). Starting with the top layer of tissue, gather it up and crinkle it into the center around the brad - don't push it down into a ball - just crinkle towards the center. Do this for each layer, being careful to do just one layer at a time. When you're finished, you will have something that resembles a closed flower bud...which begs for us to help it bloom! All that's left to do is press outward on the layers of tissue until the flower emerges. I used my piercing tool to help me separate some of the layers and spread them out. Once you have your flower just the way you like it, adhere to your card. Beautiful!

Now that you're all expert flower-makers, I hope that you can join us for my next workshop on Sunday, March 18th from 1-4pm! Contact me for all the details!

A Fancy Valentine

Just in time for Valentine's Day, I'm going to show you a cool technique that is featured in the new Close To My Heart Spring-Summer 2012 Idea Book. The example they use in the book is with trees, but since it's Valentine season, I thought I would use the same technique with a heart. You can try it with any shape you'd like! Here's what you need to do:

First, you'll want to create your card base and cut a shape out of the front for a "window". I used my "Art Philosophy" Cricut cartridge to cut a card with a heart-shaped window. The "Art Philosophy" cartridge has many different cards on it that you can cut this way (BIG time-saver!).

Next, I used "Art Philosophy" again to cut a flower background from Blush cardstock. This shape should be the same size or smaller than the front of your card. There are also several different backgrounds/"doilies" to choose from on the "Art Philosophy" cartridge.

Three - Choose a contrasting-colored cardstock to mount your background to. It should be only slightly smaller than the front of your card. I used Tulip cardstock for mine.

After gluing your background shape to the contrasting cardstock piece, you're going to adhere the whole thing to the inside-front cover of your card, so that the design faces out, and shows through the window in the front of the card. (NOTE: If you are going to ink around the edges of your cut "window", or stamp on the front of your card, do so BEFORE adhering the background to the inside-front of the card.)

After that, it's just a matter of embellishing! I inked the edges of the heart with Tulip Ink. I used heart stamps from the "Card Chatter - Love" stamp set on the white cardstock with Baby Pink and Blush ink. Then I cut the scalloped circle (from the "Art Philosophy" cartridge) from Tulip cardstock and painted it with a light coating of Create-a-Shade Pearl Paint. I adhered it to the front and placed a pearl Opaque inside each of the holes. Lastly, I tied white organza ribbon with red ricrac around the front of the card (hint: make a slice in the fold of the card where you want the ribbon to be and thread it through to go around the front). And...voila! A gorgeous card for your Valentine! Try out different window shapes, colors, and backgrounds to see what you can come up with! Happy Valentine's Day!

OK people - listen up. Close To My Heart has a lot of really cool and incredible promotions, but this one takes the cake! "Five for Free" is an opportunity for you to get TEN Studio J Layouts for the price of FIVE! That's right - for each Studio J 5-Pack that you purchase in February, you will get a second 5-Pack for FREE! That works out to just $2.75 per page - with FREE SHIPPING!  Think of the gorgeous layouts you could create - and get caught up on! And imagine what an incredible and thoughtful gift this would make! Buy one for yourself, and give the other to a friend or family member! At just $55 for the 5-Pack (or in this case, 10-Pack!), even current Members will save with "Five for Free"! Call, email me, or order ONLINE today to be sure you get yours!

Here is a sampling of the layouts I completed a few days ago using Studio J:

These were photos from our Disney cruise in November.

This was the room we stayed in when we went to Hartford, CT for the Lego Kids Fest in early December. I just LOVE how this layout came out - the paper colors compliment the photos so perfectly!

This is my favorite Christmas layout from this year - and it wasn't even Christmas! I love the contrast between the white background and the brown paper and ribbon. Mmmm...makes me feel warm & fuzzy just looking at it.

Studio J 5-packs are the perfect way to try Studio J for the first time. Try it out, fall in love, then come back & purchase a membership so you can get 50% off the price of your layouts, PLUS access to Members-ONLY kits and patterns. Have fun!

Close To My Heart February Stamp of the Month

Wow! February already! I always love the beginning of a new month, because that means all new stuff from Close To My Heart - including a new Stamp of the Month!

With this great stamp set, you can finally make cards that are from more people than just you! I had fun making three different cards with this set - and using three BRAND NEW Paper Packs from the JUST RELEASED Spring-Summer 2012 Idea Book! Check them out:

 This card uses the new "Florentine" paper pack. What a great card (valentine!) for a mom, dad, grandparents, or anyone from the kids - the three blue hearts are tucked behind the blue square, which I made into a pocket to hold them. How cute would it be if the kids had a short message on the back of each one! I love it.

This card uses the NEW "Lucy" paper pack, along with its coordinating "Complements Glittery Rub-ons". In the center of the flower rub-on, I placed a self-adhesive glitter flower from the NEW "Bitty Buds Assortment" (it's adorable!!)

This last card uses the NEW "Pemberley" paper pack. The large star was cut from the "Art Philosophy" Cricut cartridge, then stamped with a stamp from the "Diverse Backgrounds" set (I love background stamps).

Those were fun! Keep watching for more artwork using BRAND NEW PRODUCTS from the Spring-Summer 2012 Idea Book, along with more incredible specials and deals this month ONLY! Happy February!