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!