Friday, January 9, 2015

Retiring Stamp Sets

I was going to post a Christmas card today (there are 50 Weeks Until Christmas 2015), but I just learned that there are some stamp sets retiring on January 31, 2015. I wanted to give you plenty of time to look the retiring list over and decide if there are any that you would like to purchase prior to the end of the month.

Four of the retiring sets are from Jeanette's Stamp Archive. They were reintroduced in the Spring/Summer 2014 Idea Book. They are favorites from days gone by and were original hand-drawn stamps by Jeanette Lynton (CTMH Founder and CEO). The stamps from yesteryear are: Friendly Thoughts (A1154), Flower Confetti (A1156), Happy Hive (B1445) and Coming Up Roses (C1579).

The retiring stamp sets are:

A1124 A Tree
A1139 Congrats Graduate
A1141 Be Still
A1154 Friendly Thoughts
A1156 Flower Confetti
B1418 Love Doily
B1423 Hoppy Easter
B1439 Dreamer
B1440 Fancy Fair
B1441 Buggy Love
B1444 Greatest Love
B1445 Happy Hive
B1450 Owls
C1571 You're the Best
C1573 Do Your Best
C1574 Believe in Yourself
C1577 Mother's Day
C1579 Coming Up Roses
C1583 Robot Family
D1547 Paper Doll
D1579 Windy Day
M1035 Newlyweds
M1036 Perfect Polka-Dot Day
M1037 Balloons
M1038 Shooting Star
M1039 Good Job Stencil
M1040 Parasol
M1041 Hi
M1042 Colored Egg

Because I am a visual person and like to see all of the retiring stamps on one page (mostly), I created the CTMH Retiring January 31, 2015 Pinterest Board will all of these stamps sets on it. They are also shown on my OBA under Retiring Items.

If there are any retiring stamp sets you would like to purchase, the Shop Now button will take you to my Online Business Address where you can make a purchase. Your purchases provides me the time and encouragement to continue to create samples and cheat sheets.


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.

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Love This from This Moment

I do not make New Year's Resolutions as people traditionally think of them. I find when I try to "force" myself to do things that I feel a little trapped by them and my goals tend to not work out. However, I did think it would be nice if I tried to create something each week using the current month's SOTM. So, without further ado, this is the card I came up with for this week:


Sometimes I look at it and think it is too simple, but overall I think I like this card. Are you wondering where the solid Hollyhock stamped heart came from? I placed the stamp on the block upside down and stamped the back. Next time I think I will make my Cricut® cut just a bit larger. What do you think?

Supplies all from CTMH except where noted:
If you would like to create a similar card, you may purchase the supplies I used at my online business address.

Finally, I am slowly creating a Cricut® Design Space file for each CTMH stamp set that is Cricut® Compatible. Check out the link in the green bar above to go to the Cricut® Compatible Stamp Sets page to find the CDS files that are currently available. If there is a stamp set that you need a Cricut® Design Space file for please leave a comment below and I will bump that stamp set to the top of my list.

Thanks again for visiting today. I love to hear what people think of my crafty projects so please leave a comment if you have a minute. Tomorrow I hope to have a Christmas card to share with you.

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

National Papercrafting Month Year >> Noted Paper Kit

During the month of January 2015, Close To My Heart is celebrating National Papercrafting Month with the Year >> Noted Paper Kit.


As I mentioned at the beginning of the month, From January 1 through January 31 when your qualifying purchase is $50, you can add the Year >> Noted paper kit to your order for only $5. Or, for an additional $5, or a total of $10, you can also add a My Creations™ Kraft Mini Book (Z3044) which was introduced on page 31 of Seasonal Expressions 1.


Here is a video that shows the collection and offers ideas for using the Year >> Noted Paper Kit:



You will find photos of the second layout featured in the video on CTMH's Make It From Your Heart blog on the It's Your Year post.

Here is a close-up of the stamp set:


I think the stamps would coordinate well with the My Acrylix® stamp set You're the Bomb (C1617) and with the January 2015 SOTM This Moment (S1501).

Suggested Exclusive Inks™ Pads to use with the kit: Champagne (Z2174), Desert Sand (Z2118), Flaxen (Z2642), Glacier (Z2641), Sorbet (Z2164) and Slate (Z2173), however the layouts on the CTMH It's Your Day post also used Whisper (Z2172), Black (Z2105) and Olive (Z2137) along with VersaMark™ Ink (Z891), Ranger™ Princess Gold Embossing Powder (Z2066) and a Craft Heater (Z555).

The exclusive Year >> Noted paper kit has a retail value of over $24 USD and is only available in January 2015 while supplies last. The kit is perfect for creating goals for the upcoming year or creating a time capsule of your 2015 experiences by completing the mini album and sealing it with the large golden seal included on the sticker sheet. I think this would be a great idea for recording a child's year and then sealing it to open on a future milestone birthday. Or scrapbooking the first year of marriage and then opening it on a future anniversary. What a treasure either would be for future generations.

My Pinterest Board CTMH PROMO Year >> Noted has additional ideas for using this paper kit and stamp set.

Did you see my last post when I participated in the Year >> Noted National Papercrafting Month Blog Hop? If not, I hope you will have some time to complete the hop. I always find my fellow Consultants/Bloggers offer plenty of inspiration.

When you are ready to order Close To My Heart products I hope you will choose to order from my Online Business Address. 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.

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Year >> Noted Blog Hop

Welcome to the National Papercrafting Month Year >> Noted Blog Hop. For this hop there are more than 20 bloggers participating.


You should have arrived here from ***Jenny Gilbert's blog The Creative Heart***. If you get lost along the way, a complete list of participants can be found at Melinda Everitt's If You Bling It.

I have to warn you - my post has many photos. I have kept the photos small on the post, but if you would like to see a larger image, click on any photo to see more details.

Here are some PML style cards I created with the included cardstock and stamps and the Artfully Sent cartridge. Three are "single-sided", meaning I planned to place a photo back-to-back with the PML card in the mini album.


Two cards are intended to be double-sided, but I ended up needing a space for a 4" x 3" photo so you cannot see the back of the PML style card created with the light blue cardstock in the mini album.



Here are some of the cards and photos in the mini album:



When I did not have a 4" x 6" photo for a page, I used a piece of the B&T Duos™ behind the 4" x 3" photos.







I was looking through my Picture My Life™ Hopscotch cards and they look great with Year >> Noted.


Since I created this album for my mom, I left the journaling spots ready for her notes. I also am still debating about how I want to decorate the front cover. I am sure I will have plenty of additional ideas after I complete the hop.

Before you visit the next blog on the hop, ***Angela White's Luvz 2 Scrapbook***, additional information about how my project was created follows.

Supplies all from CTMH except where noted:
If you are not already working with a CTMH Independent Consultant, you may purchase all of the supplies I used at my online business address.

Thanks again for visiting today. I love to hear what people think of my creations; please leave a comment if you have a minute. So you do not have to scroll up, the next stop on the hop is ***Angela White's Luvz 2 Scrapbook***.

The Basics of Cricut® Artfully Sent

If you have the Cricut® Artfully Sent collection and are still getting comfortable with the available features, this video should assist. You will notice that she (Jill) mentions "videos" so I hope additional clips will become available for us to share with you.



The CTMH Corp. description of Cricut® Artfully Sent: The Basics is "Let Close To My Heart show you how to get the most out of your Cricut® Artfully Sent collection."

Some tips shared in the video:
  • The Base keys are always a letter, a number, an envelope or a liner.
  • The function keys are:
    • pop-up (in the handbook the top row of four images shown in shades of pink) - from left to right: base card, pop-up design and two icons to decorate the card
    • scene cards (in the handbook the two images on the left in the second row of images shown in shades of green)
    • sentiment cards (in the handbook the two images on the right in the second row of images shown in yellow and purple)
    • sleeve and overlay cards (in the handbook the two images on the left in the bottom row of images shown in lime green and pink)
    • pocket cards (in the handbook the two images on the right in the bottom row of images shown in shades of purple) - designed as Picture My Life™ cards so they come in a 3" x 4" and a 4" x 6" size
Here is a page from the handbook identifying items shown in the video:



Cards shown in the video include:








If you are ready to order Close To My Heart products I hope you will visit my Online Business Address by clicking the Shop Now button.


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.

Saturday, January 3, 2015

December Giveaway Winner

You might remember on November 30, 2014 I posted a giveaway for those that ordered from my between December 1 and December 31. The details were:


December Giveaway

Finally, anyone that purchases from me between December 1 and December 31 will have their name put into a drawing for your choice of one the following new in the package stamp sets: Real Life (B1431), Love This (B1432) or A Friend Like You (B1410; retired). Your name will be entered for every $20 (before tax and shipping) you spend and, just like the Deal of the Decade, there is no limit on the number of times your name can be entered. Shop my OBA anytime. I will complete the drawing on January 2 and post the results here on January 3, 2015.



I have completed the drawing and [Listen to a drum roll in your head] the winner is:

Kathy S.

Congratulations!!

Thank you to everyone that supported me in my CTMH endeavors in 2014. I hope that when you are looking for cardmaking and scrapbooking supplies and inspiration that you will allow me to be your CTMH Independent Consultant.

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.

Friday, January 2, 2015

51 Weeks Until Christmas 2015

You probably are cringing reading the title of my post. You might still have Christmas decorations to put away, might still have friends or family visiting (or are visiting friends or family) or are still cleaning up from your celebrations, but time marches on. I cannot express how much I wish we could stop time, even if just for a little bit. I have been off from my job that pays the bills since Christmas Day and it has been wonderful getting to do my own thing (including getting organized a bit, but not enough) and craft a little (but again, not enough). Oh, how I wish the clock would get stuck at any daylight hour tomorrow.


The holly and music image, printed on Georgia Pacific white cardstock, is actually from an embroidery company that offers patterns for machine and hand embroidery. The image is Yuletide Revelry - Music from Urban Threads. I have to admit when I was looking for the link to share with you I saw a few other designs I would love to use in my cardmaking. I discovered Urban Threads because my mother has an embroidery machine and when we purchased some designs for her to use we purchased a few I could use too. The image was colored using Lyra Rembrandt 72 Polycolor Fine Art Coloured Pencils for Artists.

I layered the colored image on paper from Rob and Bob Studio™ Holiday Slab V from Provo Craft (yes, it's been in my stash for awhile) which was layered on a white pre-cut and scored card base also from my stash.

The Joy stamp is in Let's Be Jolly from Unity Stamp Company. It was stamped with Ruby Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad (Z2170) from CTMH. The ribbon is Holly Berry in the Winter Bundle from 3 Girl JAM. The ribbon is individually hand dyed 100% Rayon, but it looks like velvet in the photo (IMO anyway). I used a Memory Book Mini Glue Dots™ (Z341) to attach the ribbon to the card.

I hope you enjoy my card and thank you for stopping by today. You will also find me on Facebook at Brenda's Paper Crafts. I would love it if you liked my page. I promise I will not fill your newsfeed.

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

This Moment January 2015 SOTM Blog Hop

Welcome to the This Moment January 2015 Close To My Heart Stamp Of The Month Blog Hop. This month there are about 60 bloggers participating. If you are new to hopping, grab your favorite beverage, click the link (typically near the bottom of each post) that will take you to the next blog and enjoy the creative projects from everyone.


You should have arrived here from ***Judy Faye Garner's blog Judy Faye's Place***. If you ever get lost along the way, a complete list of participants will always be found at Melinda Everitt's If You Bling It.

The SOTM for January 2015, This Moment, is a D-size set of 12 stamps that is only $5 with a qualifying purchase.


Recommended CTMH My Acrylix® Blocks for this stamp set are: 1" x 1" (Y1000), 2" x 2" (Y1003), 3" x 3" (Y1006) and 2" x 3½" (Y1009).

I tried to do something unexpected with this stamp set for this month's hop and I hope you like it.


Before you visit the next blog on the hop, ***Lilian Yeh's The Leaf Studio***, additional information about how my project was created is below.

I created my own mask by using the Arrow Line Border from Artbooking. I resized it, duplicated it and used the slice function in Cricut® Design Space so I had strips with 4 and 3 arrows then I duplicated the strips some more then welded them. I used Heidi Swapp Color Shine Mustard to spritz because I did not have any Honey Exclusive Inks™ Re-Inker. Here is a close-up of that area of the scrapbooking page:


I used a technique we used at the CTMH Fall Album Retreat in October 2013 and layered two ampersands to create the illusion of a shadow (in the absence of a shadow die cut).

Supplies for my layout (all from CTMH except where noted):
I love to read your comments so if you have a moment, please leave a message before heading to ***Lilian Yeh's The Leaf Studio***.

CTMH January 2015 Stamp Of the Month: This Moment

The Close To My Heart January 2015 Stamp of the Month is This Moment


This Moment (S1501) is an exclusive D-size stamp set of 12 stamps that you can only purchase during the month of January 2015. 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 you can purchase it for $17.95.  Recommended CTMH My Acrylix® Blocks are: 1" x 1" (Y1000), 2" x 2" (Y1003), 3" x 3" (Y1006) and 2" x 3½" (Y1009).

Items created with the stamp set by CTMH Corporate artists are the mini album and treat bags pictured below:



If you would like a list of the products used to create the above items, you will find the information in the Recipes (clicking the link will open a PDF in a new tab), a booklet that works hand-in-hand with the Idea Book to provide details to re-create any projects at home. Also check my Pinterest Board CTMH 2015 01 Jan SOTM This Moment for additional ideas using this stamp set.

Please stop back tomorrow for the This Moment Stamp of the Month Blog Hop.

January 2015 also brings us National Papercrafting Month


From January 1 through January 31 when your qualifying purchase is $50, you can add the Year >> Noted paper kit to your order for only $5. Or, for an additional $5, you can also add a My Creations™ Kraft Mini Book (Z3044) which was introduced on page 31 of Seasonal Expressions 1.

The following items are included in, and most are exclusive to, the Year >> Noted paper kit:
  • One My Acrylix® Year >> Noted Stamp Set (C-size)
  • Two sheets of Year >> Noted B&T Duos™ Papers
  • One sheet of Light Blue Cardstock
  • One Sheet of Light Pink Cardstock
  • Two sheets of White Daisy Cardstock
  • One Golden Foil Sticker Sheet
The exclusive Year >> Noted paper kit has a retail value of over $24 USD and is only available in January 2015 while supplies last. The kit is perfect for creating goals for the upcoming year or creating a time capsule of your 2015 experiences by completing the mini album and sealing it with the large golden seal included on the sticker sheet. I think this would be a great idea for recording a child's year and then sealing it to open on a future milestone birthday. Or scrapbooking the first year of marriage and then opening it on a future anniversary. What a treasure either would be for future generations.

My Pinterest Board CTMH PROMO Year >> Noted will have additional ideas for using this paper kit and stamp set.

Please stop back on January 7 for the Year >> Noted National Papercrafting Month Blog Hop.

New Studio J® Express Collection for Your Holiday Photos

From January 1 through February 28 there will be a new Studio J® Express Collection designed by CTMH studio artists with your holiday photos in mind. This limited edition collection has 10 pre-designed layouts plus a cover and last page featuring designs from the Yuletide Carol paper packet. There are 65 photo wells to accommodate many holiday photos. Try to set aside some time on New Years Day to select the photos you would like to use so you have plenty of time to create your layouts before this Express Collection disappears when the clock strikes 11:59pm on February 28.

Extra Hostess Rewards in January 2015

Also available during the month of January are Extra Hostess Rewards. When your On-Line and/or Home Gathering sales reach at least $350 you can earn additional Hostess Rewards. Typically when a Gathering sales total is $350 you can earn $60 in rewards, but for January you will earn $90. There are also increased rewards for higher sales totals. If you would like to book an on-line or home gathering during the month of January, please contact me ASAP.

Free Idea Books
From now until January 31 when you order on my OBA you will have the option to add one free copy each of Annual Inspirations and Seasonal Expressions 1 to your order. The books not only showcase CTMH products, but include beautiful artwork, tips and QR codes that link you to CTMH videos. Add them to your order even if you have these Idea Books. You can pass your new copy to friends or family you would like to share your love of papercrafting with (or who are constantly borrowing your books).

New CTMH Newsletter
If you were subscribed to the Celebrate Your Creativity newsletter directly from CTMH, you should have received an email to confirm your interest in to continuing your subscription to the new Close To My Heart email newsletter (this is a different newsletter than I have been sending). If you receive the newsletter and no longer want to subscribe, there are instructions to remove your name from the mailing at the bottom of each newsletter.

Thank you for you support in 2014. When you are ready to order Close To My Heart products I hope you will allow me to be your Consultant. 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.

Monday, December 29, 2014

Brushed Have a Happy Day

I am not a girly girl, I wear blue jeans and comfortable shirts or sweaters every day, but I love the Brushed paper kit from CTMH. I also love to create easy, yet beautiful, cards. At least I hope you think my card is beautiful.

It is a little hard to tell from the photo, but I used first and second generation stamping on the center panel.


All products used are from Close To My Heart:


There are less than 72 hours remaining to take advantage of Deal of the Decade which allows you to purchase C- and D-sized stamp sets shown in Annual Inspirations for only $10 each when you have a $50 qualifying purchase. Additional details, including a list of eligible stamps, can be found here. The Have a Happy Day stamp set could be yours for only $10, a savings of $7.95, if you purchase it during the Deal of the Decade promotion.


Click the Shop with me link if you are ready place an order. If you would like to learn how you can earn free and 50% off products, email me with your contact information so we may discuss your hosting an in-home or on-line gathering.

You will also find me on Facebook at Brenda's Paper Crafts.