Thursday, April 28, 2016

April 30 - Some Products Are Retiring

This is a reminder that the last day to order from the mini Idea Book Seasonal Expressions 1 is April 30.


Many of the items in Seasonal Expressions 1 will no longer be available to purchase on May 1 and the supply of some items has already been depleted, however there are a few items that will remain available because they will be featured in either Seasonal Expressions 2 or Annual Inspirations 2016–2017. The following items will in future Idea Books and available to order after April 30:
However, many of the stamp sets in Seasonal Expressions 1 are retiring and cannot be ordered on or after May 1. I posted the retiring stamps list on the Retiring April 30, 2016 page and on March 2.

If there are items in Seasonal Expressions 1 that you would like, place your order in the next day or two. Some items that have already sold out: Workshops Your Way Charlotte Scrapbooking Kit, Charlotte Paper Pack, the Springtime Wishes Thin Cuts, Spring Critters Thin Cuts.

If you are ready to place an order or would like to research any product, the Shop Now button will take you there.


If you have any product or promotion questions, do not hesitate to email me. You will also find me on Facebook at Brenda's Paper Crafts.
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Monday, April 18, 2016

Land of the Free Shadow Box

You may recall my posts from February and March sharing that I would have a table at the 2016 Community Showcase held at the SVE High School. I am an Independent Consultant with Close To My Heart and was at the Showcase to display CTMH products and share product information with attendees.

At the Showcase I met Carol who asked if I would donate something for a raffle to benefit Wounded Warriors in Action. They are raising funds for the Newfield White Tail Deer Hunt.

This is the shadow box I created for the raffle:


I found my inspiration on Facebook where many shadow boxes have been shared. The red and blue cardstock is from Hobby Lobby. The flowers were cut using an image from the Cricut® Art Philosophy Collection (Z3171) available exclusively from Close To My Heart. The white cardstock was from my stash; it is Bazzill cardstock I purchased to use with the Cricut® Imagine I purchased during the World Launch. The shadow box is from Michaels. I am unsure where I purchased the white vinyl; the gold vinyl is from VinylEase. I found the eagle SVG at http://www.clker.com/clipart-2639.html. Unfortunately I am unable to find any notes or browser history about where I found the stars for the flag. The font is from the Cricut® Disney® Pooh Font Set - Marker.

If you are in the Newfield, NY area and would like more information about the fundraiser (pig roast, raffle, book sale), send me an email with your contact info and I will put you in contact with the event organizers.

I hope you and those attending the fundraiser like the shadow box I created. Thank you for visiting today.
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Saturday, April 16, 2016

5 Ways to Use Instalife™ City Limits

In this video Monica shows us 5 Ways to Use Instalife™ City Limits. Please take note that in the video Monica shows us items that will no longer be available after April 30, 2016 and tells how to win some Instalife™ products by visiting Close To My Heart on Instagram.



The CTMH description of the video "Learn about five different ways to use our Instalife™ City Limits cards. For more artwork inspiration, visit our blog at makeitfromyourheart.com. Show us how you use Instalife™ by using the hashtag #ctmhinstalife."

For your reference after watching the videos, the five ways are:
  1. Traditional Mini Album
  2. Mother’s Day Gift
  3. Father’s Day Cards
  4. Everyday Life™ Album
  5. Traditional Scrapbooking
You will find still photos of each project shown in the video and the Recipes (supply list) on the Make It From Your Heart blog.

Items featured in the video are:
Other products shown in the video are:
When sharing artwork you create using the Instalife™ line on social media, please use the hastag #ctmhinstalife.

Send me an email if you have questions about the Instalife™ line or any CTMH product. When you are ready to place an order, the Shop Now button will take you there.


Please follow me on Facebook at Brenda's Paper Crafts for additional updates.
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Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Why I Became A CTMH Consultant

Welcome to the Why I Became A CTMH Consultant Blog Hop. Some may call it What Is Your Why, that is, why we became or continue to be a CTMH consultant. This month there are almost 20 bloggers participating in the hop. If blog hopping is new to you, we try to keep it simple, just keep clicking on the link to the next blog (typically near the bottom of the post) to visit the next stop. Blog hops are circular so visiting the next blog will take you back to where you started.


You should have arrived here from ***Priscilla's Paperie by Priscilla Gotham***. If you get lost along the way, Melinda Everitt keeps a list of participants on her blog at If You Bling It.

If you are considering becoming a Close To My Heart Independent Consultant, April 2016 is the time to. This month is Baby, I’m Worth It! and it has never been a better time to join. The consultant kit is at a new lower price and when you submit $350 in personal sales within your first 30 days (the 30-day period begins five days after the New Consultant Kit ships to US addresses), you get your choice of either a FREE Cricut® collection or $100 in Select Product Credit—and that’s in addition to the Straight To The Top start-up bonus that you’ll earn along the way! If you have questions about becoming a consultant, contact the CTMH Independent Consultant you have been working with and if you are not working with one, feel free to contact me.

The Art Philosophy Cricut® collection is the reason I joined in March 2012. When I signed up the Art Philosophy collection had been available for a few months and new Consultants were able to get it for free. I heard wonderful things about the cartridge and thought "why not get it for free while getting some great supplies". I did not think I would remain a Consultant, but I love the products and get to sample many of them one month before they are available to the general public, I have met some wonderful people and attended some great events despite pushing myself out of my comfort zone by attending local business events and craft fairs to meet new customers.

The cartridges allow us to make create gifts and home décor items in addition to cards and scrapbook pages. For my project I created this "magazine file" filled with four cards though I will make more cards because there is plenty of room in the "file".


The cards were inspired by page 42 of Annual Inspirations 2015-16.


I used a mix of first and second generation stamping on the cards. I also mixed stitching with needle and thread and faux stitching with the journaling pen. Finally I tried different embossing folders and two different sizes of matting behind the stamping. I should not have photographed the cards on top of the enveloped because I makes it look like I did not attach the parts and pieces straight. Lesson learned.

Another project I created recently, this time with the Art Philosophy Cricut® collection, is the Rosette Birthday Card project on page 9 of the handbook.


Before you head to ***Lauren Moore's CTMH Craftings***, the supplies I used to create my project are listed below.

All supplies are from Close To My Heart except where noted:
If you are not working with a CTMH Independent Consultant yet, you may purchase all of the supplies I used at my Online Business Address.

I love to hear what people think of my projects, so if you have a moment I would be delighted if you would leave a comment. So you do not have to scroll back up, the next stop on the hop is ***Lauren Moore's CTMH Craftings***.

I hope you are enjoying the hop.
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Friday, April 1, 2016

Life In Pictures April 2016 SOTM Blog Hop

Welcome to the April 2016 SOTM Blog Hop featuring the stamp set Life In Pictures. This month there are almost 30 bloggers sharing projects they created with Life In Pictures. If blog hopping is new to you, we try to keep it simple, just keep clicking on the link to the next blog (typically near the bottom of the post) to visit the next stop. Blog hops are circular so visiting the next blog will take you back to where you started.


The SOTM for April 2016, Life In Pictures, is a D-size set of 13 stamps that is $5 with a qualifying purchase. Alternatively you may purchase it for $17.95. Recommended CTMH My Acrylix® Blocks for this stamp set are: 1" x 3.5" (Y1002), 2" x 2" (Y1003) and 3" x 3" (Y1006). The stamps in the Life In Pictures set are:


You should have arrived here from ***Michelle's Handmade World by Michelle Battitori***. If you get lost along the way, Melinda Everitt keeps a list of participants on her blog at If You Bling It.

For this hop I created a mini album using cuts from Artiste. The first photo is the album cover. In addition to the SOTM, I used the Family Love stamp set to embellish the flap and Etched Alphabet to "write" the area we were visiting.


This album has layered pages so you can peek ahead at what is coming up and look back to the inside cover.




The album above was cut at the sizes recommended in the Artiste Handbook which is a height of 3". While I was printing photos to fit the pages I thought most people would want to use a standard size photo, especially now that Studio J is retiring at the end of the month. I played with the sizes in Design Space and was able to cut the larger album from 3 sheets of 12" x 12" cardstock using a 12" x 12" mat. I did not have to adjust where I put the cardstock on the mat to "fudge" and make my Explore think the cut would fit.


This photo is to show you how a 4" x 6" photo looks on the larger album.


I think this is a great way to create something memorable for each member of a Scout troop, sports team or other group without spending too much on supplies. In fact, creating the album could be an activity the group members do together.

I have to say I am sorry that I did not get the album completed. This has been a particularly busy time. I had to start physical therapy for my foot. I aggravated a bone spur while traveling for work and I came down with one of the worst colds I have ever had. Most nights this week I saw every hour overnight because nothing I tried would control my cough. I hope I am on the downside of this cold and I will be sleeping better again tonight. I fear the foot will take a bit longer.

Before you head to ***Jean McNulty's Stamping Maui***, the supplies I used to create my project are listed below.

All supplies are from Close To My Heart except where noted:
If you are not working with a CTMH Independent Consultant yet, you may purchase all of the supplies I used at my Online Business Address.

Before you leave I would be delighted if you left me a comment letting me know what you think of my project. So you do not have to scroll back up, the next stop on the hop is ***Jean McNulty's Stamping Maui***.

Thank you for hopping with us. I hope you are finding much inspiration.
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April 2016 CTMH News

The April 2016 Stamp of the Month is Life in Pictures


Life in Pictures (S1604) is an exclusive D-size set of 13 stamps that is only available for purchase during the month of April 2016. The stamp set can be yours for $5 when you place an order of $50 or more in qualifying Close To My Heart products. Alternatively it is available at $17.95. Recommended CTMH My Acrylix® Blocks for this stamp set are: 1" x 3½" (Y1002), 2" x 2" (Y1003) and 3" x 3" (Y1006).

Items created by CTMH Corporate artists with the stamp set are this one-page layout and album cover:



If you would like a list of the products used to create the above items, you will find the information in the Recipes for Seasonal Expressions 1, a PDF file that lists the products used to make the samples in the Seasonal Expressions 1 so you may re-create projects at home. I am participating in a Life in Pictures blog hop this month; you will find my post tomorrow. Please visit my Pinterest Board CTMH 2016 04 Apr SOTM Life in Pictures for additional ideas using this stamp set.

April 2016: Baby, You're Worth It!


If you would like to earn money and rewards through your love of scrapbooking and stamping, April is the perfect time to join Close To My Heart. When you sign up as a new Consultant with CTMH you already get:
  • New Consultant Kit with essential supplies for only $75; the list of New Consultant Kit contents can be found here
  • $50 in Select Product Credit to spend on additional supplies
  • The chance to earn Straight To The Top start-up rewards
And only during April, you can also earn your choice to a FREE Cricut® collection or an additional $100 in Select Product Credit when you submit $350 in personal sales within your first 30 days. If a former Consultant's 3-month waiting period has passed and they are eligible to sign up during April they can receive the reward if the sales requirement is met. The 30-day period begins five days after the New Consultant Kit has been shipped. The time to sign up is between 9:00 am MDT on April 1 to 11:59 pm MDT on April 30, 2016.

If you have questions about becoming or being a Consultant, I am participating in a blog hop where we share What Is Our Why (or send me a message - link below). Please join us on April 7 to read the reasons why we became Close To My Heart Consultants.

Seasonal Expressions 1 is Valid to April 30, 2016


Typically items featured in the thinner, supplemental idea books like Seasonal Expressions 1 are only available during the time frame the idea book is valid, in this case until April 30, 2016. You may recall I posted a list of Seasonal Expressions 1 stamp sets that are retiring in early March. Because the items listed below will be featured in either Seasonal Expressions 2 or Annual Inspirations 2016-2017, they will remain available for purchase even after Seasonal Expressions 1 retires:
If there are items in Seasonal Expressions 1 that you would like and they are not listed above you should place your order on or before April 30. You may want to order earlier as once the stock runs out, as it did with the Springtime Wishes Thin Cuts, items could be retired before Seasonal Expressions 1 catalog ends. We are being told that the inventory of Spring Critters Thin Cuts is at a level where Corporate is predicting it will sell out before April 30.

Studio J® Retiring April 30

As I mentioned on January 21, Studio J® is retiring on April 30, 2016. I encourage you to create your pages and get your final orders in early this month. I have not read an update that states the supply of photo paper is a concern, but I would hate for any technology issues to prevent you from being able to place. I do recall that during a Studio J® Flash Sale in July 2015 the promotion had to be extended because increased traffic on the site caused the system to respond slower than people were used to. An extension after the retirement date is probably unlikely.

If you are ready to place an order or would like to research any product, the Shop Now button will take you there.


If you have any product or promotion questions, do not hesitate to email me. You will also find me on Facebook at Brenda's Paper Crafts. Thank you for visiting today.
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