Thursday, November 30, 2017

Through The Year SOTM with Silver & Gold Papers

This month the CTMH Corporate Artists created some wonderful items using the November SOTM, Through The Year, and the featured paper, Silver & Gold.


This artwork is in addition the artwork published in Holiday Expressions. The Corporate Artists created this single-page layout, two cards and a 3-D picture frame.

If you would like to create something similar, the required supplies are:



Please click on the images above if they are too small to read; if you would like a PDF of the recipes, you will find it here.

I had hoped to create something inspired by these addition recipes, but time got away from me this month. Fingers crossed for next month.

Sunday, November 26, 2017

Cyber Monday Sale

On Monday, November 27 there will be a one-day flash sale on my Consultant website to celebrate Cyber Monday!


The sale will give you a chance to get a 30% discount on individual Workspace Wonder™ items and a 40% discount on select bundles of Workspace Wonder items!

To see which items will be included in this sale, visit the Promotions Page — in the green bar at the top of my Consultant website — any time during the sale.

The Cyber Monday sale starts November 27, 2017 at midnight MST (that's 2:00 am EST) and will end 11:59 pm MST (1:59 am EST) on that same day. Sale prices are only available on orders placed through my Consultant website during these times. All discounted items ordered as part of this sale count towards Stamp of the Month and Hostess Rewards qualifying order totals.

As usual with discounted items, shipping and handling will be based on the full retail value of sale items. All the items included in the sale are only available while supplies last—so be sure to get your orders in before items sell out or the sale ends!

The Corporate Office be emailing all newsletter subscribers at the beginning of the sale. If you do not subscribe to the Corporate newsletter, there is still time to sign up.

Friday, November 24, 2017

The Black Friday Sale is On!

The one-day flash sale on my Consultant website is on!


Today only you can get a 50% discount on several Cut Above® Layout Kits. The current Cut Above® Layout Kits are:

Cut Above® Layout Kit—The Story Begins (Baby Girl) - Z3383

Cut Above® Layout Kit—The Story Begins (Baby Boy) - Z3382

Cut Above® Layout Kit—Noelle - Z4052

Some past kits discounted for today only are:

Cut Above® Layout Kit— Live Beautifully - CC1212A

Cut Above® Layout Kit—Little One - Z3320

Cut Above® Layout Kit—Party Time - Z3330

Cut Above® Layout Kit—Adventure - Z3331

Be sure to order the Layout Kits you like before they are gone. The offer is only valid Friday, November 24, 2017 until 11:59pm MST (November 25 1:59am EST) while supplies last. Please note that shipping is assessed on the full retail value of the products.

Happy shopping!

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Black Friday Flash Sale

On Black Friday there will be a one-day flash sale on my Consultant website to celebrate one of the busiest shopping days of the year!


To see which items will be included in this sale, visit the Promotions Page — in the green bar at the top of my Consultant website — any time during the sale.

The sale will give you a chance to get a 50% discount on all of the currently available Cut Above® Layout Kits. This includes our current kits as well as a selection of layout kits that were previously available. Some of these kits are only available in low quantities, so be sure to place your orders early!

The current Cut Above® Layout Kits are:

Cut Above® Layout Kit—The Story Begins (Baby Girl) - Z3383

Cut Above® Layout Kit—The Story Begins (Baby Boy) - Z3382

Cut Above® Layout Kit—Noelle - Z4052

I do not know what past kits will be included in this sale, but I find a few past kits when I search for Cut Above layout (on the first page).

This sale starts at 12:00 am MST (that's 2:00 am EST) on November 24 and will end on that same day at 11:59 pm MST (1:59 am EST). Sale prices are only available on orders placed through my Consultant website during these times. All items ordered as part of this sale count towards Stamp of the Month and Hostess Rewards qualifying order totals.

As an additional bonus, when you buy the Cut Above Layout Kit—The Story Begins kits (Baby Boy or Baby Girl), you are eligible for additional savings. As shown in the Annual Inspirations Idea Book, when you purchase one of these kits, you can purchase a My Legacy™ album of your choice at 30% off! That means that during this 1-day only sale, you can purchase these Cut Above Layout Kits at 50% off AND purchase a My Legacy album at 30% off. What incredible savings!

As usual with discounted items, shipping and handling will be based on the full retail value of sale items. All the items included in the sale are only available while supplies last, and there is no grace period for placing orders—so be sure to get your orders in before the sale ends!

The Corporate office will be emailing all newsletter subscribers at the beginning of the sale to let them know when it has started.

I know there will be a Cyber Monday sale. It will begin at 12:00 am MST (that's 2:00 am EST) on Monday, November 27, and end at 11:59 pm MST (that's 1:59 am EST) the same day. As soon as I learn more about Cyber Monday, I will post that here.

I do not know more than what I shared above, but if you have questions, I will do my best to answer them. Please use the contact form to the right to reach me.

Thank you and have wonderful Thanksgiving!

Friday, November 17, 2017

Disaster Relief Stamp Set: Stronger Together Retiring Nov. 30

CTMH Consultants were informed in our weekly update that the The Stronger Together relief stamp set (C1617) will be retiring on November 30.

Stronger Together (C1716)

The Corporate office said they have been amazed at the amount we have been able to raise together through sales of this stamp set and are pleased to know that we have been able to contribute those funds to the important relief work going on in multiple locations. If you are still interested in purchasing this set in order to donate the proceeds to the Red Cross, be sure your orders are placed before 11:59 pm (MST) on November 30.

Thank you!

Thursday, November 16, 2017

Just for FUN Blog Hop

Welcome to the Close To My Heart Just for FUN! Blog Hop. This month there are about 20 bloggers sharing projects they created with CTMH Fundamentals. If blog hopping is new to you, we try to keep it easy: just keep clicking on the link to the next blog (typically near the bottom of the post) to visit the next stop. Our blog hop is circular so visiting the next blog will take you back to where you started.


You should have arrived here from ***Michele Rowley's Evergreen Memories***. If you get lost along the way, Melinda Everitt keeps a list of participants on her blog at If You Bling It.

I continue to have fun creating cards with cuts from the Flower Market cartridge; if you visit my blog regularly, you probably have seen my previous projects inspired by the Mini Cricut® Flowers post at Make It From Your Heart—the Close To My Heart Corporate Blog. For this card I used papers from three different Fundamental Paper Packets.


As I did when creating the Christmas card I shared last week, I started to shape the flowers using a the rounded end of one of the Cricut® Tools with the embossing mat and then used the smaller ball of the tool that is included in the Piercing & Embossing Tool Kit. Starting with a larger ball/less fine tool reduces the chance of ripping the papers.

Before you visit ***Snips, Snaps, and Scraps by Kathy Burrows***, the supplies I used to create my project are listed below.

All supplies are from Close To My Heart except where noted:
If you do not have a CTMH Independent Consultant, you may purchase all of the supplies I used on my Consultant website. Before you leave I would be delighted if you left me a comment letting me know what you think of this thank you card. Thanks for hopping with us!

So you do not have to scroll back up, the next stop on the hop is ***Snips, Snaps, and Scraps by Kathy Burrows***.

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Fall Grapevine Wreath

This fall wreath is inspired by the wreath on the Usher in a New Season post on the Make It From Your Heart CTMH blog.

I wanted to make the wreath, but I knew time would be tight, so I asked my niece if she would be interested in making and having this wreath to display in her home. I made the cuts and provided the supplies and my niece assembled it.



I kept the cuts fairly true to those listed in the Corporate blog post, except if I had a little bit of paper or cardstock left, I would make a couple of extra cuts to use up the paper.

I include the Design Space files I used below. I split the cuts into a few different files because I was having trouble cutting. I am not sure if I was having Bluetooth or Internet connection problems or if there were too many elements on my virtual mat, but once I split the design into a few mats most of my cutting issues were resolved.

All supplies are from Close To My Heart except where noted:
My niece and I hope that you like this wreath inspired by Usher in a New Season.

Friday, November 10, 2017

Close To My Heart Christmas Card Blog Hop

Welcome to the Close To My Heart Christmas Card Blog Hop. This month there are about 20 bloggers sharing Christmas Cards created with CTMH items. If blog hopping is new to you, we try to keep it easy: just keep clicking on the link to the next blog (typically near the bottom of the post) to visit the next stop. Our blog hop is circular so visiting the next blog will take you back to where you started.


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

I am still inspired by the Mini Cricut® Flowers post at Make It From Your Heart—the Close To My Heart Corporate Blog so I keep looking at the images on Flower Market for additional ways to create cards. I thought the Poinsettia would be perfect for this hop.


I started to shape the flowers using a the rounded end of one of the Cricut® Tools with the embossing mat and then used the smaller ball of the tool that is included in the Piercing & Embossing Tool Kit. Starting with a larger ball/less fine tool reduces the chance of ripping the papers.

Before you visit ***Melissa Robinson's My Heartfelt Sentiments***, the supplies I used to create my project are listed below.

All supplies are from Close To My Heart except where noted:
If you do not have a CTMH Independent Consultant, you may purchase all of the supplies I used on my Consultant website. Before you leave I would be delighted if you left me a comment letting me know what you think of this Christmas card. Thanks for hopping with us!

So you do not have to scroll back up, the next stop on the hop is ***Melissa Robinson's My Heartfelt Sentiments***.

Friday, November 3, 2017

Flower Market Thank You

I have been wanting to create a card like this since August when I first saw the Mini Cricut® Flowers post at Make It From Your Heart—the Close To My Heart Corporate Blog. For my first attempt, I kept my card very similar to the card on the blog


I ended up not using the smallest wreaths listed on the recipe for this card. Instead I cut extras of the larger options. I cut the greenery apart with scissors to try to create a balance around the sentiment.

All supplies are from Close To My Heart except where noted:
I hope you like my version of this card. Thanks for visiting today.

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Through The Year CTMH SOTM Blog Hop

Welcome to the November 2017 Stamp Of The Month Blog Hop featuring the stamp set Through the Year. This month there are about 20 bloggers sharing projects they created with the CTMH SOTM. If blog hopping is new to you, we try to keep it easy: just keep clicking on the link to the next blog (typically near the bottom of the post) to visit the next stop. Our blog hop is circular so visiting the next blog will take you back to where you started.


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


I did not use my 2017 planner faithfully. I did not transfer all birthdays and anniversaries into it, so those events were often catching up with me. This stamp set inspired me to create a reminder book – something than can sit on a desk or shelf at home where all family members can see (and use it).

The size and shape of my reminder book is inspired by the 2017 CTMH planner and in fact I recycled some of the elements from the planner. If you had a 2017 Planner, you can use the Everyday Life™ Album you kept it in (if you did not have a 2017 there are still some available; see the links below). Or you can update to the new Blush version (Z9996). I also reused the tabbed divider pages from my planner.

This was a hard project to photograph so I also took some snaps with the pages not in the album.

The introduction page was inspired by the cover page of Make It from Your Heart™ Volume 3 (9043). I created two versions of the cover page. This one uses the font from You Are Here and a Basic Shapes Heart. The cover pages can be mixed and matched or tailored for your family or recipient if you are making a gift.


Now that I see it in a photo, I think the "Family of" seems very formal and I might change my cover page. Maybe it was because I was watching a genealogy show when working on this project. {smiles}


I also created a version of the cover page that uses an image from Aritste and words created (welded) with the Artbooking font that you would cut from cardstock rather than write everything with a pen (see the Design Space link below–both options are in the same file).

In addition to the month name, I stamped one of the icons from the stamp set that we often associate with that time of year.


I did not add numbers to my reminder pages so it can be customized to allow for many birthdays or anniversaries clustered around a handful of days or a week. For example, in my family we have a couple of anniversaries and birthdays the last week of December.

I was able to create double-sized pages. So you can see both sides, here is the back of January and the front of February.


Here are a few tips for cutting and drawing the lines:
  1. After clicking "Make It", move the pages down both virtual mats to the 1" mark.
  2. Select the second mat before clicking continue–this will draw the lines on the cardstock then cut the page. Add the cardstock to the mat and a pen to the pen holder then insert the mat and press go.
  3. When this page is complete, do not remove the page from the mat, only remove the excess cardstock. Mark the corners of the page so you know where to place it when you flip the cardstock over. If you use a Pilot pen, the marks will disappear over time (I had to create new marks when I resumed working on my project the next day).
  4. Flip the cardstock over and align it between marks.
  5. Remove the pen from the holder. Since you need the writing attached to something, for the second side I set the cut lines to score lines, but you do not need the score tool.
  6. Insert the mat and press go. The mat will move around while the machine thinks it is scoring (it will follow the edges of the page and the "hole punches". The machine will pause while you insert the pen. Press go and the lines will be added. I had a bit of a problem getting the pen inserted correctly at this stage and it happened more than once so I think it could happen to you. If it does, pause the machine and try reinserting the pen again. At the end, don't remove the mat, but remove the pen and press go again (scoring, pausing, inserting the pen, drawing the lines). When the lines are complete–even if there are more lines to draw, pause, press the button to unload the mat and cancel the rest of the cut. I cancel once all of the lines are drawn because re-drawing them makes them thicker and darker (see the 4th line down on the back of the January page above).
If any of the above information is not clear, please leave a comment and I will try to come up with a better way to describe it.

The first two pages of my reminder book.


I forgot to photograph this, but if you are very organized you could add the 4" × 6" or 6" × 8" Memory Protectors™ to your reminder book to store the cards you created in advance. Or, if making this as a gift, you could include a variety of cards for the recipients to send to those celebrating events.

Before you visit ***The Inky Scrapper by Haley Dyer***, the supplies I used to create my project are listed below.

All supplies are from Close To My Heart except where noted:
I think this is a great gift idea for a new couple. This would be a great way for the spouses to combine family birthdays and anniversaries into one location so family harmony can be kept. I think it should be a wedding gift rather than a shower gift so remembering important dates does not fall on one partner. {insert big grin ― we all know it sometimes happens} I am sure that you will find plenty of inspiration on our hop, but I want to tell you another reason why you may want to purchase the November 2017 SOTM; this stamp set will be used in the Through The Year Calendar Kit which will be available in December. When complete, the calendar pages created with the kit are:


If you do not have a CTMH Independent Consultant, you may purchase all of the supplies I used on my Consultant website. Before you leave I would be delighted if you left me a comment letting me know what you think of this book to keep track of family birthdays and anniversaries. Thanks for hopping with us! So you do not have to scroll back up, the next stop on the hop is ***The Inky Scrapper by Haley Dyer***.

November 2017 CTMH News

Hello November! This is one of my favorite times of year. I love Thanksgiving dinner. We are usually invited to my aunt and uncle's and make a dish (typically Wild Rice Floret Bake from Taste of Home) and dessert to share. Thank goodness my cousin and aunt like to cook. I usually eat too much, but the food is always excellent so it is hard to worry about portion size.

Please grab your favorite beverage because I have much news to share this month.

The November 2017 Stamp of the Month is Through the Year


Through the Year (S1711) is an exclusive D-size set of 28 stamps that is only available for purchase during the month of November 2017. The stamp set can be yours for $5 when you place an order of $50 or more in qualifying Close To My Heart products (and you qualify for additional sets at $5 for each $50 you spend). Alternatively it is available at $17.95. Recommended CTMH My Acrylix® Blocks for this stamp set are: 1" x 1" (Y1000), 1" x 3½" (Y1002) and 2" x 2" (Y1003).

CTMH Corporate Artists created this two-page layout using the Through the Year stamp set.


If you would like a list of the products used to create the above items, you will find the information in the Recipes for Holiday Expressions, a PDF file that lists the products used to make the samples in the Seasonal Expressions 2 so you may re-create projects at home. I am participating in a Through the Year blog hop this month; you will find my post here tomorrow. Please visit my CTMH 2017 11 Nov SOTM Through The Year Pinterest Board for additional ideas using the Through the Year stamp set.

The December 2017 Through the Year Calendar Kit (see my Monthly Specials page for details) will use the November 2017 Though the Year SOTM.

Through the Year Calendar Kit
available December 2017

If creating this calendar interests you, you can purchase the November SOTM this month for $5 with a qualifying order or you may purchase it at the usual price of $17.95. In December there are kits available with and without the November SOTM, but the price difference reflects the full SOTM price of $17.95.

November 2017 — Just for FUN


There are two ways to save on the Fundamentals during November. Individual Fundamentals products are 30% off the retail price. Fundamentals bundle containing the Fundamental paper packet, Complements, AND ribbon, are 40% off the retail price! To save space here, I posted a table of the Fundamentals options on my Monthly Specials page.

When you host a party that reaches the third level of Hostess Rewards or higher, hostesses will receive a FREE Fundamentals bundle of their choice—that’s up to a value of $37.85.

Anyone who becomes a Close To My Heart Consultant in November will receive a FREE Fundamentals bundle of their choice in their New Consultant Kit, totally free!

If you would like to host a Gathering or become a CTMH Consultant, please reach out to me via the contact form to the right.

November 2017 - Black Friday and Cyber Monday

We’ve been told that Corporate has big plans for Black Friday on November 24 and Cyber Monday on November 27—but they have not given us any details yet. We have been told that we will receive more details on these events in the days before they go live. When I learn something I will post the information here and will probably send a quick (additional) newsletter at that time.

Corporate will also probably send a message the day the sale prices are posted. If you would like to receive the Corporate newsletter, please see my post How To Sign Up For the Monthly CTMH Newsletter. I am signed up for it and I promise they do not share your email and they do not send too many messages each month. I typically only receive one message per month, but during specials, like Flash Sales, there are more messages, but this happens only a few times each year.

Help CTMH Decorate a Tree - ornaments due by November 10

Close To My Heart is participating in the annual Utah Festival of Trees, an event that raises money for the children at Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, and they are inviting Consultants, their teams and customers to participate. Companies and individuals donate beautifully decorated trees, which are then auctioned, with the money benefiting the hospital. Viewing these elaborate trees while they are on display for the public is quite a holiday tradition for many locals.

Help CTMH deck out their tree with beautiful papercrafted decorations made using the Silver & Gold paper suite. Ornaments can be any style, but should not be smaller than 2" and no larger than 6". Ornaments can use store-bought elements (actual ornament balls or hooks, metal or plastic bases, or other pieces) that can be decorated with the Silver & Gold collection. Ornaments can also include silver or gold glitter paper, shimmer trim, foil sheets, vellum, stamping, etc.

The deadline for sending in your ornaments is November 10, 2017. If you would like to contribute, please be sure that your ornaments arrive at the Home Office by this date. Ship your ornaments to 1199 West 700 South, Pleasant Grove, Utah 84062.

CTMH would love to see their tree decorated with beautiful and unique works of art so that their tree can represent the caring hearts of talented papercrafters from all around the world!

Holiday Expressions 2017


We are two months into the valid period for Holiday Expressions and there are only two months remaining. As you browse the idea book look for the icons that gives us a hint about products that will be available after December 31:

If you do not see a right pointing arrow next to a product you are safe in believing that the item will not be available for purchase after December 31; since items without the arrow are typically while supplies last it it is possible that they could sell out before December 31.

If you are ready to place an order or would like to read more about a 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.