I am SO EXCITED!  Today is opening session of the 2013 CTMH Convention in sunny Florida!  For those who are unable or have chosen not to attend, you can catch the excitment via all manner of social media throughout the weekend.  Check Jeanette's blog, CTMH Facebook and Twitter #vivactmh and #ctmhdreamteam and the CTMH website ad well as the countless consultant blogs.  It's not the same as being here, but it will give you a taste and I'm sure you won't want to miss it next year!

In the mean time, here is my bi-monthly blog/newletter.

Cover  - not our ribbon but it coordinates so nicely! The B&T is from Studio J!  It's a Studio J exclusive paper called Splash Zone.  I put the paper into the "no limits" pattern and ordered it.  On some of the books I printed out the jpg.  This is Pages 1 and 2 pages 3 and 4 Back Cover Inserts that pull out of each of the paper pouches.  The stamp on the pull tab is from the Mexican Riviera Cruise Set    Here is a card from my July workshop. - last chance to use Claire  (Claire is out of stock now)

July Stamp of the Month Card

This is my July Stamp of the Month card - I used the marker techniques shown in the video on the CTMH website
https://orders.closetomyheart.com/CTMHConsultants/ToKnow/Marquee/post/2013/06/06/Better-Blending.aspx
I stamped the image with Black Stazon. It's embellished with Bulk 296 Bakers Twine - Hemp and Artisan Studs

This card was adapted from a card by Lori Miller - she used the Dream Pop papers
I re-made it using Later Sk8r

This is a card I did last year - it uses just cardstock and Cricut AP cuts
the base is made from a circle cut at 5 1/2 inches and folded in half
Cut a second one is Topiary and cut it in half (you get 2 cards from 1 circle)
the white scallop circle layer is cut at 5 inches - cut in half as well
the Hollyhock circle layer is cut at 4 1/2 inches - cut in half and sponged
the "seeds" are cut at 1/2 inch and covered with Liquid Glass.
The card fits in a standard letter size envelope.

Special offers for everyone, from Close to My Heart

This month is full of great special offerings for everyone, from Close to My Heart!

For our customers and consultants:

Let’s Get Patriotic
The patriotic stamp sets were made exclusively for this campaign and can only be purchased during June and July 2013.

One of the great perks of leadership is getting a hand stamped birthday card from CTMH.  Last week, I received this gorgeous card from CTMH!

One of the tasks I had on my "to do" list this week, was to mock up my samples for my June card classes so I can get them photographed and put on my June CTMH customer newsletter.  Yesterday was the day I set aside to stamp.....well, I don't know about you, but sometimes my creativity just can't be forced and I ended up with a bad case of stampers block.  I finally resorted to outright stamp lifting, tweaking and otherwise putting my own spin on the creativity of others.  At the end of a long evening I ended up with this huge mess that I have yet to clean up.  Look carefully and you can see that small piece of colored cardstock - that was my stamping area!  What you can't see is the mess on the floor too.  It can be a real challenge to come up with projects that are teachable in a group setting.  Can't be too time consuming, I have to have paper and accessories in  bulk, can use a stamp in just one color and for one project etc etc.  Below are a couple of the cards I'm teaching. By the way, I did finish all my samples that night.



This card came from Jeannette's blog.  The original artwork was created by Leanne Garner
I added Glitz Glitter to the wings of the bees and used  C1549 Buzz and Bumble Scrapbooking workshop and C1459  Stitched Together for the "fly lines" curving them when I put them on the blocks.  I also cut the card  base to 4 x 51/2 so can get 6 of the B&T pieces from 1 sheet and omitted the stitching.

This card is my tweak of a card by Jean Johnson using the June Stamp of the Month and a bit of For Always B&T.  I used Topiary cardstock for the leaves and stamped with Olive. I also cut the large flowers from white and black - stamped the black one with White Daisy Ink and added LOTS of bling. I also added  Topiary tendrils which come from C1508 Paisley Flair

  When I teach this card, I will pre stamp the white flower with black Stazon Ink so they can color it with the alcohol markers.  This way I don't need 2 stamp sets.

It's THAT time of year!

When I re-started my blog/team newsletter back in January, I shared with you my struggles with priorities.  Well.....it's time to test my strategy for not procrastinating and getting it ALL done without dropping one of the many balls I keep in the air!

Now is the BEST time....and Convention TEAM PARTY!

I'd like to wish all you Moms a Happy Mother's Day!  The day is still bitter sweet for me as I lost my amazing Mom 3 years ago.  I treasure her memory and the legacy she left through her scrapbooks.  It reminds me of the importance of what we do and offer our customers.  I hope you share your passion for memory keeping and paper crafting with those in your life!

Here is a fun find at Michael's for $6.49 they are 50% off this week - it's a 6x6 scrapbook page holder.  I thought it would be great to display cards or samples of our B&T's or embellishments.  Unfortunately our old 6x6 page protectors don't fit - the hole don't line up.  There are also 12x12 and 8x8 holders in a slightly different format.  The 8x8 is an easel style

I've been busy with preparations for our Team Party at convention.  I'm making special gifts for my 1st downline attendees so I don't have any of my own new artwork to share this week.  I thought I'd share some of my favorite artwork from other members of the team that are unique ways to use the Dream Pop paper packet.

This first one is from Michele Rowley from here in Washington.  She just returned from a trip to Japan where she found inspiration for this cute card.

Card by Michele Rowley

The two photos below were shared by Debi Squires on the CTMH Artwork board.  She used the resist technique by sponging the cardstock, she completely changed the character of the paper!  You will want to use a color that is darker than the cardstock and blends well - are next to each other on the color wheel.

By Team member, Debi Squires from Denver, CO. - as seen on the CTMH Artwork Board

I fell in love with the card below from the new Marker Magic video.  I did a "Print Screen" to capture the image.

From the Marquee Message: Marker Magic by Jill Broadbent  -watch it here:
https://orders.closetomyheart.com/CTMHConsultants/ToKnow/Marquee/post/2013/05/06/Marker-Magic.aspx

Increase your Sales with Dream Pop!

The view from my office window

Spring has finally sprung in my corner of the world - here in the Pacific Northwest, we are famous for all the rain we get - and for good reason!  This time of the year we celebrate when the sun finally comes out and with it, we are blessed with a riot of green and a multitude of colorful flowers.
As I sit here in my office I want to share with you the view out my window.  Each year the big cherry tree in my backyard greets the spring with a blanket of delicate white blooms that drift in the wind like snowflakes.  It is so fleeting and lasts just a few days.  Today, my husband and I are going on our annual trip to the see Mother Nature's artistry in the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.

Here is one of the cards from the CTMH workshop guide - below is my version

I made 5 tweaks to the original card to make it more "workshop friendly"
I used a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 white base card and cut the colored cardstock at 4 x 5 1/4 so that I can get 6 out of a 12x12 sheet
I created the card using 2 different cardstock colors to show the versatility& color coordination and have enough from 1 pack
I also cut the stars using the Cricut instead of using the Wood Tiny Trinkets -  I will show them those as an upsell item
I changed the Bakers Twine to Gray since it's available as a bulk item
I cut the B&T the opposite direction so that each piece is certain to contain all of the colors so that the colors make sense
I could have used a 1/2" strip of the Glitter paper instead of the Shimmer Trim and used it as a upsell item or vise-versa

Here is my May Stamp of the Month class card, inspired by Kelly Brandt

This beautiful card is from CTMH to commemorate my 22nd year with CTMH

I love this card inspired by Dawn Montagano.  I used the bulk Claire B&T and matted the "thought bubble"  I used Cricut Craft Room to change the shape of the mat piece to make it fit better.

This is a simply great card by Michele Kunigk.  It can be made with different paper packs and you can use up your scraps.
It would make a great demo card to show of our coordinating inks, cardstocks and B&T paper as well as our paper trimmer and how our stamps coordinate with the Cricut shapes.  Bulk sparkles help keep the cost to a minimum

What's Your Story?

Twenty Two Years with Close To My Heart

The first DOTS catalog - all the artwork was done by Jeanette

I just realized that this week marks my 22nd anniversary as a CTMH (DOTS) consultant!  When I signed up, the company was just 6 months old.  I was a stay-at-home mom with 2 kids ages 5 and 7 and I was looking for a way to earn $500 a month after expenses for the "extras".In those days, things were very different!  The company was known as DOTS - Dozens of Terrific Stamps.  One of my friends was having a party and shared the catalog with me.  I was in LOVE!  I loved all those rubberstamps and thought that embossing was magic! 

Participating in art swaps is the best way to quickly have new ideas to share with your customers.  This can be done through team meetings, at CTMH events such as Convention and Regionals or through the many online swaps on the CTMH bulletin board.  When the new Idea Books are released, I participate in a "board swap" coordinated by my upline, Karen Morris.  It is an honor to be part of this group of artists and I look forward to the day that my postman delivers the treasures!  I must say that I feel a lot of pressure to do my best work.  The consultants who participate are not only great artist, but they are also some of the top sellers in the company!  Here is some of the artwork (including mine).  

If you'd like to participate in one of our team meeting swaps, email me and I'll send you the details.

Awesome artwork by Cindy Herman - I love the pop of red on her 12x12 layout



My artwork using Chantilly


 



Surf's Up artwork by Lisa Combs. I love the simple elegance of her 2 standard cards in the upper right

 




A gorgeous card shared at the Oregon Team meeting  the "For Always" B&T is sponged!

Trinket wood heart that has been stamped in black with the polka dot
flower from C1540 Hello Blooms.  Small lettering with Keyboard Kraft
Alphabet - Grey sparkle in the middle of a button.



D1540 In the background stripe
stamped in White Daisy on Juniper CS
I took advantage of the slower drying time and
blended out the seam with a Kleenex

Red Glitter Gems in the center of Black buttons

Solid honeycomb stamp from C1537 Honeycomb stamped in Crystal Blue, Lagoon and Pacifica
Very graphic layout - out of my comfort zone!

Washi Tape banner on Bakers Twine- tedious but worth the effort! More wooden shapes and Kraft alphabet

Back of Bunny Box

Bunny Box created by Tracey Saunders
I taught this at my March classes and Washington Team meeting
Email me for handout



One of my cards featuring the April Stamp of the Month and Surfs Up for my April Card Class.  I LOVE our new
Glitter Paper, it cuts beautifully on the Cricut!  I cut it in narrow strips for this card so one sheet will do for all my classes.

Album Retreat and Much More!

My table mates - Michelle Nist - Studio J contest winner!
She and her customers ordered 603 Studio J Layouts in Feb.!
Me and my upline, Karen Morris.

March has been a great month!  I made it a priority to attend the CTMH Album Retreat March 14-16th in Salt Lake City, and what a treat it was!  The album that CTMH designed and we created during those 2 days taught me a lot about some of the new products that I hadn't even noticed before, much less used.I tried some scrapbooking styles and new techniques that took me outside my comfort zone.  I'm happy to report that although I didn't finish my album at the retreat, I did finish it when I got home!  My new mantra is "practice imperfection" and one of my favorite new saying that was shared by our keynote speaker, Stacy Julian is "Tell the negative committee that meets inside your head to sit down and shut up!" ~ Ann Bradford

 3 cards  - same layout, different paper.  Sorry the photo is blurry :o( I had a tough time coming up with a design for my card class with the March Stamp of the Month.. Here is what I settled on. I am in LOVE with Claire and the Girls Rock stamp set!!  This one is for my April Card Classes.

So far, So GREAT!

Hey everyone!  I'm super excited to be off to The CTMH Album Retreat in Salt Lake City!  I'm looking forward to spending time crafting with many of my CTMH sisters.  It's been interesting doing the "homework assignments"  which has been a journey of self exploration, what and who is important to me in my life.

Spring Cleaning!

Spring Cleaning.....

Here in my rainy corner of the world, tiny signs of spring are popping up all over.  I am so excited to see the spots of color in the crocuses and early blooming plum trees.  In reflection, I've loved creating with the new spring and summer papers in Cotton Candy, Pear and Ruby.  I'm also still in pursuit of getting my life, home and office whipped into shape.

Artwork and My Creations project designs by Michelle Johns using Chantilly papers

Artwork by Naomi Smith using Claire

Project and artwork designed by Marilyn Gossett

Naomi's January Card Class cards

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day to all of my CTMH family!

Last entry I shared a bit about my struggles with procrastination.  I find the best part and one of the hardest parts of my CTMH business is being my own boss. My success is up to me.

Stamp of the Month artwork by:
Tina, Lovell (SOM sentiment inside card) upper left, Jes Ballas upper right
 Linda Caler lower left,  Michele Rowley, lower right