CTMH Closing and Dates to Remember

As you know Close To My Heart sent an email to all Makers and Customers on February 27, 2024 announcing that CTMH will cease operations effective June 30, 2024.

This has been some hard news to process. We take for granted that our favorite products and brands will be around forever. I will fondly remember my time as a CTMH Maker, but look forward to seeing what is next for the craft industry.

As I've read (and reread) the Closure FAQ that CTMH prepared for Makers. From that FAQ I created this list of dates that VIP Customers need to keep in mind. Further below is information for all CTMH Customers.

Key CTMH VIP Customer information.

• If you paid your VIP renewal or signed up between June 1, 2023 and February 29, 2024, you should have received an email around 9pm Eastern on Friday, March 15. This message included information about a prorated refund or VIP Credit Refund amount, with a link to choose a your refund selection. If you have not acted yet, please make a selection by March 31. If you do not specify a preference, VIP Credits will be deposited in your account by April 15.
• If your VIP membership was set to renew March 1 or after, you were not charged the renewal fee, but you will remain a VIP Customer through April 30, 2024.
• You can continue to earn VIP Credit through April 30, 2024 (orders must be submitted by 11:59 MDT).
• You can redeem VIP Credit through May 31, 2024 (orders must be submitted by 11:59 MDT); unused VIP Credit expires on June 1, 2024.
• As of March 1, 2024, VIP Credit may be used on just about everything—including CC items that are part of current and ongoing specials. The only item VIP Credits may not be used on is  the Die-cutting & Embossing Machine (Z5038).

Some details that apply to all CTMH Customers.

• Stamp pads, re-inkers and albums started selling fast and some have already sold out. Some inventory of stamp pads and re-inkers are expected to return, but many other products have retired completely.
• Facebook groups for past Album Retreats are archived. Archived groups can still be accessed, but no new posts can be made, and no new members can be admitted into them. If you do not have the groups bookmarked, you can find the groups you are a member of by searching in the upper left corner. If you purchased an Album Retreat and are having trouble finding/accessing the Facebook group, please contact the Maker you purchased the Retreat from. That Maker can look up your order number and assist you with contacting the Corporate Office to get you added to the Facebook group.
• Due to the Closure announcement, CTMH anticipated in-house turnaround times would increase, and they have, though CTMH continues to make every effort to process all orders in a timely manner. I have orders from the beginning of March 2024 that I am waiting for too, so you are not alone. Thank you for your patience.
• There is a new stamp of the month coming on April 1. The set is called "Little Hedgehogs" (S2404) and there is an option with Thin Cuts (Z7148). 
• There is a new special beginning on March 29. The 2023–2024 color of the year, Journey, will be featured: the Joy in the Journey! Exclusive new Journey products, including a paper packet + sticker sheet and specialty cardstock will be featured. During the special, all other Journey products will also be available at discounted prices. The exclusive items and special prices will be available April 1–30, while supplies last. I posted more information on March 29.
• April 30 is the last day to order on my eCommerce website at https://brendalapp.closetomyheart.com/; after April 30 you will be able to place orders directly with CTMH at closetomyheart.com
• There is a new stamp of the month coming on May 1. The set is called "Soak Up The Sun". There is a version with the word "vacation" (S2025) and a version with "holiday" (S2405E) in place of "vacation".
• As of May 1 all sales will be final.
• June 15 is the last day to notify the Corporate office (ctmhoffice@closetomyheart.com) if you received a defective item or if something is missing from your order.
• June 15 is also the last day to download Workshop Guides from https://www.closetomyheart.com/ctmh/products/workshop-guides.aspx
• I did not see this addressed formally in the Closure FAQ, but I double-checked with the staff at the Corporate Office. June 15 is the last day to download Close To My Heart Digital Content (SVG files). You may have digital content in your account and not realize it. Some specials that came with digital content are the Countdown to Christmas Advent Calendar and Deck the Halls ornaments. I suggest downloading SVG files from your account as soon as you can so you can verify they work with your cutting machine.
• Content on the Close To My Heart Blog, http://blog.closetomyheart.com/, Instagram, YouTube and other Corporate social media pages will be available until June 30.
• Some images on my blog will disappear as product images are removed from the CTMH website. Photos of my completed projects will remain as long as the blog remains free for me to update. I will eventually do some clean up to remove broken CTMH image and video links. At that time, I will also remove flyers from past specials.

I encourage you to download any Workshop Guides you need and and Digital Art in your account (see my March 25 post if you need help finding the Digital Library) as soon as you can. When the  downloads are complete, please make sure you can open the PDF files and unzip the Digital Art. If you do not have a cutting machine with software yet, you can double-click on SVG files and view them in Microsoft Edge.

As I receive new information I will update this post, but I will not try to keep up with when products return to, and leave, inventory because inventory changes are happening with lightening speed.

Thank you for being Close To My Heart customers.