Calendar Update

September - October CALENDAR UPDATE

Friday, September 2 -- Open Crop

Tuesday,September 6 --  Two page Scrapbook Workshop

Thursday, September 15-- Six Page Scrapbook Workshop - featuring Jeepers Creepers Paper packet

Friday, September 30  -- Something New!  Cardmaker's BUNCO Party

Friday, October 7 -- Open Crop

Tuesday, October 11 --  Rustic Home All Occasion Card Workshop - Fall themes

Saturday, October 15 -- All Day Rustic Home - 10 page workshop Swan Lake Paper packet

Tuesday, October 25  -- Something New!  Scrapbooker's BUNCO Party

Click on name of event on the calendar visible on my blog to see details about time, materials needed, what we'll be making

For Card workshops -  Please bring your own scissors, stamp scrubber, adhesive, and pop dots and a 12" paper trimmer if you have one.  Most materials will be precut, however, you may want to do some trimming.

For Scrapbook workshops - Bring basic scrapbooking tool kit including paper trimmer, scissors, adhesives

Contact me if you have any questions.

Calypso - 6 page workshop

August 2016 - CTMH Calypso

6 page Scrap Workshop

The Calypso Paper pack is available through the end of August.  If you are interested in ordering the Calypso paper pack and Calypso complement pack , you can order here.  

Ok, so this is actually 10 pages!  I still had paper left over after I finished 6 pages, so I kept going!

The full workshop includes Cricut cuts and stamping.

If you are interested in the workshop, 
please contact me before August 31st.

New Product - Open House

Close To My Heart

New Product Release Party

Scrapbooking - Pocket Scrapbooking - Card Making
Thursday, August 25th, 4 - 8PM

Can't make this date - Repeat on Sat. 8/27 - 10AM - 2 PM

·       New product give-away drawings
·      Touch and feel the new products with make-n-takes
·      See the paper packs included in this month's special
·      See samples of the workshops for the fall
·      Bring a friend (new to me or CTMH) - 3 tickets for drawings
·      Sign up for workshops - 1 ticket
·      Find out and sign up for my September CTMH Bunco Party
·      Place an order - get a free idea book

• Get 5 tickets and a free idea books with any of the following

·      Join my Hostess Club - get free hostess gifts once in the next season
·      Host a home gathering (your home or mine)
·      Host a Facebook or EZ Invite Online Party

Just come! 

It will be a lot of fun!

RSVP by August 24 to get 2 tickets for free product drawings

Annual Inspirations New Product Blog Hop

Welcome to the Close To My Heart 

2016 - 2017 Annual Inspirations

New Product Blog Hop

In this blog hop, each participating consultant is featuring one or more products 

from our newly released idea book.  

I'm sure you are going to want to make your rounds in this blog hop to find out what exciting and fun stamping and scrapboooking products are in store for us this season.  

If you have never participated in a blog hop before, it is one big circle of ideas to see as you go from blog to blog.  If you are starting here, just look for the link at the end of my post to see where to go for the next stop.  If you are coming from Gina's blog you are on the right path.

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Since scrapbooking is my passion and favorite pastime, I chose to do a layout featuring papers from the new Enchantment Fundamental paper pack and the School K-6 Complements.  I'm currently working on my grandson's book from the past year, so I did a Kindergarten layout.  (Normally I don't photograph my layouts in photo protectors, however to show the flip flaps and the page pocket plus protector, it works out better that way.)

Here's the Page Pocket Plus Protector - design 1 that fits as an insert in the layout.

Here you can see how well the insert fits into the layout.

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One set of  new products I was most pleased to see were the additional new memory page pocket plus protectors and the new individual packs of flip flaps with vertical and horizontal tape strips.   

Since I almost always have more pictures than I have room for that I want to include as keepsakes or to tell my story, I was thrilled to find the inserts that I can use for additional pictures, journaling or Picture My Life elements. Both my customers and I have been wishing for individual packs of 4x4 flip flaps, so even though I didn't use them on this layout, you can be assured they will be a hot item in my future layouts and workshops.

New Products Used: click links to go to the Annual Inspirations Idea Book to see more detail and information.

Enchantment Fundamentals Paper Packet

School K- 6 Complements

Page Pocket Plus Protector - Design 1

I am super excited about these pocket memory protectors (inserts) since they also come in other configurations for pictures other than 4 x 6.

You can shop or see the new catalog on my website now.  If you are interested in getting your own copy, contact your own consultant.  If you don't have one, I would be happy to be yours.  Just contact me!

I am looking forward to seeing what the other consultants on this hop will be showcasing.  Everyone has her own favorites and it is always great inspiration to see what others have created.  So join me as we venture on.  Our next stop on this blog hop is Brenda's blog.  

If for some reason you get lost along the way, you can find the complete blog hop list here to get back into the loop.

New Idea Book - New Products

It's here!

The new Annual Inspirations 

book for 2016 - 2017

Contact me to get your copy now or plan to stop drop in for my New Product Showcases

Thursday, August 25 - 4 to 8 pm

or 
Saturday, August 27 - 10am to 2 pm

• Touch and feel the new products when you do some make-n-takes
• See the paper packs included in this month's special
• See samples of the workshops for the fall
• Bring a friend (new to me or CTMH) - get three extra tickets for free product drawings
• Sign up for workshops
• Find out and sign up for my September CTMH Bunco Party
• Host a home gathering (your home or mine)  
• Host a Facebook or EZ Invite Online Party 
• Join my Hostess Club and receive one month out of the next season to receive free hostess gifts

Just come!  It will be a lot of fun!
RSVP by August 24 to get extra tickets for my free product drawings

August Stamp of the Month - Purr-fect Halloween

Close To My Heart 

August Stamp of the Month 

Blog Hop

This month we are featuring a cute, whimsical stamp set that will be fun for card making or scrapbooking.  Even though it has Halloween sentiments, there are many other possibilities that I'm sure you'll see as you make your rounds on this blog hop.    It's one big circle of ideas, as you go from blog to blog.  If you are starting here, just look for the link at the end of my post to see where to go for the next stop.  If you are coming from Dana Kesslers's blog, you are on the right path. 

I've been waiting to work with a stamp with some open space to try a little Zentangle - which is a brand name for doodling patterns.  I'm sure there's more to it, and obviously I have a lot more to learn about Zentangle, but I just decided to give it a try with this stamp set.  I also used another stamp set to create one of my cards to incorporate the look of the latest coloring craze.

On this card, I used the Ornate Blossoms Stamp set (D1687) to create the coloring book type pattern.  I stamped the cat in black first, then I stamped the pattern with Bamboo ink.  Next came the journaling pen to trace the pattern, and then fussy cutting the kitty to put her on the card.  Her eyes and the other embellishments on this card are Bitty Sparkles.  Oh, yes, and did you notice the new paper and ribbon.  It's from our brand new idea book, just released today!

The kitty on this card is filled in with  my own doodles as is the border.

One more card using my own doodles.

Supplies used:  Click on each link to find these in the catalog

Stamp Sets - Purr-fect Halloween, Ornate Blossoms

Card bases - CTMH White Value Pack

Cardstock - Black

Patterned Paper - Adventure Fundamentals - Tangerine and Pansy.  (Background display paper is Willow.)

Pens and Pencils - CTMH Water color pencil was used to outline the letters on the first card and the journaling pen that CTMH offers

Inks:  Momento Black, Bamboo 

Embellishments - Bitty Sparkles and Black with Gold edged ribbon is from the the new Uptown Ribbon Pack 

Thanks for stopping by to see the fun I had creating with this new stamp set which is available only through the month of August for $17.95  -- or better yet, just $5 with a $50 purchase available through your CTMH consultant or on my website.  (PS -- I'd love to be your consultant!)

Be sure to see all the other consultants on this hop.  I'm sure you'll see lots of new product along with other fun ways to use this stamp set.  Your next stop is Brenda Lapp's blog .  

If you somehow get disconnected, you can find the complete list of  blog hop participants here to get back in the loop.