August Creative Club

Help me kick off my brand-new Monthly Creative Club in August! We will be making the project pictured above using new products from the Autumn/Winter Idea Book. The project fee is $10, and you may choose one of two times to attend: Wednesday, August 24 at 7:00 p.m. or Saturday, August 27 at 9:00 a.m. Please RSVP to me by 8/10 (309-826-6705 or clearlyfromtheheart@gmail.com) to let me know if you are attending.

Here are the club details, also available on the Creative Club tab at the top of the page:

• You may join the club at any time and there is no commitment to stay in the club for any length of time or to place an order.
• There will be a small fee each month, depending on the project, for the supplies used for the projects we are making.
• Projects will range from cards to small gift items to scrapbook pages - and more!
• Each person who signs up for the club will have their name added to the hostess list. (For the first month, we will draw names to select the order. After August, new members' names will be placed at the bottom of the list.)
• You may participate even if you are not local. All members will receive an E-Z Invite by e-mail. If you are unable to attend, you may still place your monthly order so the hostess for that month will receive hostess rewards.
• You do not have to pre-pay, but please RSVP to me by the 10th of each month to reserve your spot.
• The person whose name is at the top of the list will receive the hostess rewards for that month.
• In order for your name to keep its "place" on the list, you must place a $25 minimum order whether you attend the class or not.
• If you do not place a $25+ order that month, your name will go to the bottom of the list.
• If you do place a $25+ order, your name continues to move up the list AND you will get $5 off your kit for the monthly class. (For example, if the class is $10 that month, your kit will be only $5. If the class is $5 that month, your kit will be FREE!)
• Long distance members pay an additional $5 per month to have their kits mailed to them.

Club members will also receive

• A free current Idea Book
• Free Hostess Rewards during your hosting month
• Opportunity to hold a home workshop, gathering, or catalog party to boost your hostess rewards
• $5 on all other workshops and classes while you are a member
• Lots of other freebies and surprises!

Contact me at clearlyfromtheheart@gmail.com for more information, to sign up for next month's class, or to order your club kit(s).

Check my blog calendar for dates and information about upcoming workshops, events, and special offers!

Doing the happy dance!

The Fed Ex man is one of my favorite persons in the whole world today! He brought me this lovely white box, filled with brand-new CTMH Autumn/Winter products!  (My other favorite person - husband Mark - brought me a big Diet Mt. Dew, so he's right up there with the Fed Ex guy.) Want to dig in to see what's in the box? Prepare to be impressed. I was!

Of course, the item I was most eager to get my crafty little hands on was the brand-new, exclusive CTMH® Cricut® Art Philosophy cartridge package. I was not disappointed - in fact, I was so excited that I was speechless!

Here are just a few of the 700 images included on this cartridge. By the way, the package includes the three stamp sets pictured above as well as three sheets of chipboard Dimensional Elements. The stamps have the size to cut noted on the carrier sheet - how cool is that?! This will be available for purchase on my website August 1.

One more peek, then I need to go play with my new stuff. Some of the new paper packets come with the traditional My Stickease®, but some have new My Complements® to coordinate with the gorgeous papers. This is the set that goes with Typeset. These are canvas adhesive elements. The color and texture are so exciting! I can hardly wait to get started!

See the texture? GORgeous! If you need me, I'll be in my scrap room.

Retiring Items

The following items will be retiring on August 1, once the new Idea Book is released. Please note that no colors of cardstock are retiring but will be repackaged. You can view the items on my website and can order from there, or you may also contact me at 309-826-6705 to place an order.


CTMH Items Retiring 8/1/11 -

Check out Kelly's work!

Kelly English-Triggs is giving away some gorgeous blog candy, and you'll definitely want to check it out! She is one talented lady - I promise that you'll be inspired. :) Hers is also a blog I have listed in "Some of my favorite blogs" on the right side of my page.

Stampin' All Day

Here comes Cricut!

One of the biggest, most exciting announcements made at the recent CTMH Convention was about the collaboration between Close To My Heart and Cricut for a brand-new, exclusive Art Philosophy cartridge! I am so excited about this amazing new product! The Cricut Art Philosophy Collection includes

• 1 - Cartridge (700 images: Font, Shapes, and 3-D Items)
• 3 - Coordinating My Acrylix D-size stamp sets
• 3 - Coordinating 9" x 12" Dimensional Elements Sheets (Tags, Mixed Shapes, Banners - also sold separately)

That's not all! (Do I sound like the guy on the infomercial?) Many My Acrylix Stamp Sets in the new Idea Book pair beautifully with images on the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge. Those images are marked with a red line around them in the Idea Book, and the exact cutting size is listed on the stamp carrier sheet. No guessing! Do you love the paper flowers that are currently so popular? This cartridge cuts the spirals to make several different flowers. I'm stalking the Fed-Ex guy, waiting for my order (with the cartridge!) to arrive. :)

If you're interested in this cool product, I'm now accepting pre-orders. This video shows many of the great features of the Art Philosophy cartridge:

Excited . . .

I've been pretty much glued to the computer over the past few days (except for when I was at work, of course!), checking Twitter, Facebook, and the CTMH Consultant Bulletin Board for updates happening at the annual CTMH Convention. It's always such an exciting time, and I have been priveleged to attend twice -- just not this year.

There are many exciting things happening and lots of updates (plus a ROCKIN' new Idea Book!), so I will be posting over a few days with the information.

One thing I'm really excited about is how easy it is to become a consultant. I made that decision almost nine years ago and have never regretted it. I took a short sabbatical while I was in college, but I didn't even last a year before I had to join again. I have made such great friends and gained so much. When I look back at how my scrapbooks and stamping have changed and improved, it's really exciting to think that I get paid to do what I love!

If you love to scrapbook, stamp, or both, this might be a great opportunity for you, too. You can check out the page on my blog called Join My Team! to see pictures of the newest consultant kit, or you can contact me through my Facebook page or by e-mail: clearlyfromtheheart@gmail.com if you have questions and would like to learn more.

July Blog Hop

Welcome to the July Blog Hop! Be sure to hop all the way around back to my blog to see all the beautiful projects by CTMH consultants. The hop is easy - after you've finished on one blog, look for the link to the next. If you came from Lela Norris' blog, you're on the right path.

I used the July SOTM, American Celebration, to create this page of my daughter and her fiancee at the fireworks this year on July 4th. I love this stamp set! The fireworks were jazzed up with sparkles.

Now you can hop on over to Michelle Powell's blog to see what she has made. Enjoy!

I'm in the Top Ten!

I'm pretty excited to have my Father's Day card selected as part of the Top Ten entries for June on the Heart 2 Heart Challenges blog! Check out the blog every Monday for a new challenge. It's very fun to play along!

Scrapbook Saturday: Fanfare WOTG

Kids grow up so fast, don't they? It seems like just a few years ago that these photos were taken, but the little guy in the pictures is now a 6-foot-tall 20 year old. He was our first son and had a fixation on trains. So we bought lots and lots of train "stuff." The overalls and jacket were a perfect fit for Michael! I get nostalgic when I scrapbook older photos, but it's so fun to remember how sweet he was when he was one.

I had to modify the right side page a little to make it work with my photos. The original layout called for the border to run across the bottom of the page, but my photos were a portrait orientation, so I rotated the page a quarter turn. That's one of the great things about the layouts from CTMH design books or workshops - they are very versatile! I also used the Foam Die-Cut Numbers rather than a stamped image since I wasn't going for a party feel to the page. I'm very happy with how the pages turned out!

To make these pages, you will need:
Fanfare Workshop on the Go
Cocktail Alphabet
Ink: Pacifica and Tulip
Foam Die-Cut Numbers (while supplies last)
2" Scalloped Circle Punch

More Bang for Your Buck

I don't know about you, but I'm trying to stretch every dollar these days. With everything from gas to food getting more expensive every day, it's wonderful to come across a great deal! So, in July if you spend just $50 in CTMH products, you get to choose a bonus item for just $1. Yep - more bang for your buck! Who doesn't love that!

Eligible $1 Bonus Items:
• Creative Basics® Mistletoe Collection (original retail: $8.95)
• Creative Basics® Animal Cookies Collection (original retail: $8.95)
• My Originals® Bits & Pieces Card Kit (original retail: $12.95)
• My Originals® It’s Your Day Card Kit (original retail: $12.95)
• My Originals® Around the Holidays Card Kit (original retail: $14.95)

Contact me to get more bang for YOUR buck! Or just visit my website.  

Happy July 4th!

I hope you're having a fun, safe Fourth of July as we celebrate America's freedom! Here's a patriotic banner to add to the festivities.

To make this banner, you will need the following CTMH items:

Paper: Fanfare Level 2 Paper Packet
Stamps: July SOTM - American Celebration
My Creations banner
Embellishments: Kraft Color-Ready Borders; Blue Assortment buttons; Red Assortment buttons; Blue Assortment ribbon; White Daisy grosgrain ribbon; White Waxy Flax; Dimensional Elements Solos (U, S, A); Dimensional Elements Stars
Ink colors: Pacifica; Cranberry

Let Freedom Ring!

Scrapbook Saturday: Mayberry WOTG

The stamp set that comes with the Mayberry Workshop on the Go is so stinkin' cute - I just love it! These pages were so fun to make, and the paper and stamps go perfectly with the photos from a field trip to the orchard.

The workshop kit comes with a newer embellishment from CTMH - Canvas Badge Buttons. The little canvas-covered discs are self-adhesive. You just stamp an image or a pattern on them and stick it on the page. Easy and oh, so cute! I also used the E-size alphabet, Token Alphabet, which is one of my new favorites! Our 1 1/4" circle punch works perfectly with the alphabet, almost like they were made for each other. :)

To make these pages, you will need:

Mayberry Workshop on the Go

Token Alphabet

Inks: Olive and Sorbet

1 1/4" circle punch

Studio J - Girls Day Out

I took advantage of the free JPG offered from CTMH during June to make this layout of my mom, my daughter, and me having a "Girls Day Out"! A fun new feature of Studio J is the stitching embellishment option. You can add all kinds of stitches along the edges, and there are also stitched shapes and banners. Super fun!