It's the Little Things Ends February 28

The It's the Little Things special ends on February 28.

It's the Little Things

It's the Little Things features a collection of exclusive 6" x 6" papers, plus stickers, embellishments, stamp sets. There are three fun workshop projects, scrapbooking, cardmaking and a mini album, and it all comes to an end on February 28! The exclusive items featured in this special are all available while supplies last. Fortunately as I write this all items are still available, so, if this bright and fun collection caught your eye, be sure to place your order before the items are gone for good!

If you would like to see the cards and pages the workshops create, visit the It's the Little Things page on my eCommerce site and either view the Workshop Guides or visit each of the workshop pages, Cardmaking Workshop Kit, Scrapbooking Workshop Kit or Mini Album Workshop Kit, and click through the images there.

The three workshops were featured in Facebook Live events held on the Close To My Heart Facebook page last week. Somehow I missed the announcement before the events took place, but fortunately the recordings can still be viewed on the CTMH Facebook page. Watching the videos gives you a chance to create the projects along with the CTMH Home Office presenters and learn their tips and tricks. Here are links to the It's the Little Things events:

• Cardmaking Workshop
• Mini Album Workshop
• Scrapbooking Workshop

I tested the links in a Chrome window as a guest (go to the upper right where your picture (or initial) are, left click, and then left click on guest near the bottom) and I was able to scroll through the videos without having a Facebook account.

Have a great weekend!

Presidents Day Flash Sale

Presidents Day Flash Sale

I was about to shut down my computer and do some crafting this evening when I said to myself I'd better check the CTMH weekly update. Imagine my surprise when I learned there will be a Presidents Day Flash Sale.

Presidents Day Flash Sale

The Presidents Day Flash Sale begins at 5:00pm EST (3:00pm MST) on Friday, February 17. Deals, while supplies available, will be available through 1:59am EST on Tuesday, February 21 (that is 11:59pm MST on Monday, February 20)

There will be exclusive items and discounts up to 50% on a wide selection of current and retired products during the sale.

Please keep in mind that details that applied to previous flash sales that also apply to the Presidents Day Flash Sale:

• Sale prices are only available on orders placed on my Maker website.
• All discounted items count toward earning VIP Credit.
• All discounted items count towards Stamp of the Month qualification.
• Sale prices do not apply to VIP Credit purchases; that is, if you choose to redeem VIP Credit on sale items, you will be charged the full retail value for those items (so my suggestion is to save your VIP credits for a future order).
• Shipping and handling is based on the full retail value of the sale items.
• To see the items featured in the sale, visit the Flash Sale page on my Maker website during the sale.
• All offers are only available while supplies last, so be sure to get them in before the sale ends!
• I believe only a limited number of current products were set aside for the sale. Once CTMH sells through the allotted supply, I think those items will no longer be available. I also believe any current items that sell out during the sale will return to availability at their normal price when the sale has ended.

Subscribers to the Close To My Heart newsletter or Close To My Heart VIP newsletter will receive an email at the beginning of the sale to let them know when it has started.

Please shop early for the best selection.

Holiday Closure

The Close To My Heart Corporate Offices will be closed on Monday, February 20 observance of the US Presidents Day holiday. While the website will be open to download instructions and for placing orders, no orders will ship and customer service will be closed.

Systems Maintenance

On Wednesday, February 22 CTMH will be conducting systems maintenance from 8:00pm MST to midnight MST (that is 10:00pm EST February 22 to 2:00am EST February 23). During this maintenance window, ordering on my Maker website and downloading Workshop Guides may be unavailable. In addition, some of the images on this blog may not load.

I hope you will get an opportunity do some paper crafting this long (for some) weekend. Enjoy your weekend.

Year of the Rabbit

It is the Year of the Rabbit. And this rabbit is adorable.

Year of the Rabbit

The Year of the Rabbit stamp set was designed to celebrate the Chinese Zodiac calendar and is the second in Chinese Zodiac calendar series, following the 2022 Year of the Tiger.

Year of the Tiger

The Year of the Rabbit will be available on my Maker website indefinitely (and The Year of the Tiger is still available). Because it is manufactured in-house (in Utah), this stamp is not subject to the supply chain issues that we have become familiar with during the pandemic. 

Year of the Tiger flyer

You can download The Year of the Flyer here.

Year of the Rabbit Stamp Set (A1298)

Year of the Tiger Stamp Set (A1263)

Have a great first week of February 2023. 

February 2023 CTMH News

Happy February. Just in time for the groundhog to pop out and predict the weather, we are facing some of the coldest weather of the winter. Yikes! I am happy that I have the opportunity to work from home during the chill and will not have to walk from the parking lot to the building and back. In my option, the best place to be when the weather is not nice is inside playing with my crafty supplies. I hope you enjoy that too.

February 2023 Stamp Of The Month Springtime Borders

Springtime Borders—February Stamp of the Month (S2302)

Springtime Borders (S2302) is an exclusive D-Size set of 7 stamps. Springtime Borders is available only during the month of February 2023. The stamp set can be free for CTMH VIP Customers who place a qualifying order during February 2023. Those who are not CTMH VIP Customers can place a qualifying order and purchase the stamp set on the same order for only $5. Everyone qualifies for additional sets at $5 for each additional $50 spent on the same order. The February 2023 SOTM is also available for $19.95 with no other purchase required. The recommended CTMH My Acrylix® Block for this stamp set is: 1" × 6½" (Y1005).

The CTMH Art Department created two cards using Springtime Borders:

cards created with Springtime Borders—February Stamp of the Month (S2302)

Daisy, Daisy

Daisy, Daisy

This has to be one of my favorite specials since I became a CTMH Maker. Daisy, Daisy has gorgeous papers, a beautiful stamp set and a wonderful Thin Cut (the Thin Cuts were so popular during the three of so days of the Maker preview that they are not available to purchase on their own until the next shipment of Thin Cuts arrives later in February).

Details are in the three pages of this flyer (click on any image to get a better look):

Daisy, Daisy flyer page 1

Daisy, Daisy flyer page 2

Daisy, Daisy flyer page 3

A PDF of the flyer can be found here. Daisy, Daisy is available until March 31 2023 while supplies last.

It's the Little Things

It's the Little Things

It's the Little Things special continues to be available in February while supplies last. It's the Little Things includes your choice of three workshop kits: scrapbooking, cardmaking and a mini album or purchase a bundle of all three workshops. There are exclusive, workshop-specific stamp sets, scrapbooking and cardmaking stickers, die-cuts, embellishments and a 6" x 6" mix-in style paper packet. The flyer describes all of the options (click on any image for a larger view):

It's the Little Things flyer page 1	It's the Little Things flyer page 2
It's the Little Things flyer page 3	It's the Little Things flyer page 4
It's the Little Things flyer page 5	intentionally blank

You can also download a PDF of the flyer here. It’s the Little Things will be available from January 1 through February 28 while supplies last.

Now & Forever

Now & Forever

Now & Forever is also available in February while supplies last. While I think this is a very elegant collection, I paired a stamp or two with the January SOTM to create Valentine's cards (go back to the next two posts on my blog to see the cards). Several items are available individually and there is a Scrapbooking Workshop Kit and Cardmaking Workshop Kit.

Now & Forever Flyer - page 1	Now & Forever Flyer - page 2
Now & Forever Flyer - page 3	Now & Forever Flyer - page 4

If you would like a PDF of the Now & Forever Flyer, you will find it here. Now & Forever is available until February 28 while supplies last.

January–March 2023 Catalog

cover of January–March 2023 Catalog

February marks the second month of the January–March 2023 Catalog and all of the goodness you will find inside including three new collections: Are We There Yet?, Storybook, and Life's A Hoot. There is also a Mix-In Paper Packet that coordinates with the other papers and many new stamps and stamps + Thin Cuts. You will find the catalog here.

Stay warm during the cold snap this weekend. Hopefully this will be the worst of our cold winter temps. Try to get in some crafty time while you are keeping warm with your favorite hot beverage. Have a nice Valentine's Day and rest of February.

Frosty Days Cards

When I sent out to make Valentine's Day cards this year, I also worked on using any and all items in my craft stash. I looked at a stamp and just let my mind wander with ideas.

card created with S2301 Frosty Days

On the card above I used a few colors of Cosmic Shimmer Jamie Rodgers Pixie Sparkles to create the background. You cannot tell from the photo, but I stamped hearts from Frosty Days on the letters cut from Raspberry cardstock with the retired Block Alphabet Thin Cuts.

card created with S2301 Frosty Days

card created with S2301 Frosty Days

Lunch is over and I'm out of time to write more about how the cards were created. I will try to fill in more later. If you have questions, please contact me via the contact form to the right.

Have a great day!

Where Did January Go?

I am writing this the evening of January 30 and I am wondering where the past month went. If time flies this fast before retirement, what will time be like when I am able to retire?!

Before January ends and Frosty Days, the January 2023 Close To My Heart Stamp Of the Month, is no longer available, I wanted to share one of the four cards I created with this set.

card created with S2301 Frosty Days

As you can see, I used Frosty Days to create Valentine's cards for my great nieces and great nephew. The birds, squirrel and tree were stamped on White Daisy cardstock with the Intense Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad (Z4189) then colored with Watercolor Pencils (Z3630) and fussy cut. I cut a piece of scrap cardstock using the Hearts Slimline Thin Cuts (Z3992) and used it as a stencil on the White Daisy cardstock (1385) background. I used the retired Tattered Rose Distress Oxide™ Ink Pad with the Mini Ink Blending Tool (Z3886) to ink. I used some glitter glue from my stash (I am trying to stash bust) on some of the hearts that were "left over" from the Hearts Slimline, but you could use the Stickles™ Glitter Glue colors of your choice. I used the Mini Envelope Thin Cuts (Z3767) to cut a piece of Flamingo Cardstock (X6050). I attached the envelope so it looked like the bird was shaking hearts out of the envelope. I used a mix of Dual-tip Multi-bond Glue Pen (Z3441) and Thin 3-D Foam Tape (Z2060) to attach the hearts. The sentiment is from the Now & Forever Stamp Set (CC12224) and was stamped in Sangria or Scarlet; I am sorry, but I don't remember.

If I get a chance during my lunch break tomorrow, I will share the three other cards I created with this set.

In addition Frosty Days, Workshop Wow: Four Seasons is also ending tomorrow.

Workshop Wow: Four Seasons

Workshop Wow: Four Seasons was so popular that there are only a few options remaining, but whatever is left when the calendar flips to February 1, 2023 in Utah (MST) - where CTMH is headquartered - will no longer be available.

I hope you like my card. I'd be interested to hear what you think of it.

Enjoy this last day of January 2023

January 2023 CTMH News

Happy New Year! I am so amazed the 2022 is over and we are at the start of a new year. They say time seems to fly the older you get, but as fast as it seems to be going I think a year will be gone in the blink of an eye soon. I hope that you had a wonderful holiday, had the chance to spend time with family and friends and made many cherished memories.

January 2023 Stamp Of The Month Frosty Days

Frosty Days—January Stamp of the Month (S2301)

Frosty Days (S2301) is an exclusive D-Size set of 12 stamps. Frosty Days is available only during the month of January 2023. The stamp set can be free for CTMH VIP Customers who place a qualifying order during January 2023. Those who are not CTMH VIP Customers can place a qualifying order and purchase the stamp set on the same order for only $5. Everyone qualifies for additional sets at $5 for each additional $50 spent on the same order. The January 2023 SOTM is also available for $19.95 with no other purchase required. The recommended CTMH My Acrylix® Blocks for this stamp set are: 1" × 1" (Y1000), 2" × 2" (Y1003), 2" × 3½" (Y1009), 3" × 3" (Y1006), 4" × 4" (Y1017).

The CTMH Art Department created this layout using Frosty Days:

layout created with Frosty Days

It's the Little Things

It's the Little Things

Document the day-to-day moments that become cherished memories with the It's the Little Things special. It's the Little Things includes your choice of three workshop kits: scrapbooking, cardmaking and a mini album or purchase a bundle of all three workshops. There are exclusive, workshop-specific stamp sets, scrapbooking and cardmaking stickers, die-cuts, embellishments and a 6" x 6" mix-in style paper packet. The flyer describes all of the options (click on any image for a larger view):

It's the Little Things flyer page 1	It's the Little Things flyer page 2
It's the Little Things flyer page 3	It's the Little Things flyer page 4
It's the Little Things flyer page 5	intentionally blank

You can also download a PDF of the flyer here. It’s the Little Things will be available from January 1 through February 28 while supplies last.

Now & Forever

Now & Forever

I love the softer colors and feeling of the papers, stickers and embellishments in Now & Forever. Very elegant in my opinion and I am in love with this collection. As shown on pages 1 and 2 of the flyer, there are several items available individually while page 3 shows the Scrapbooking Workshop Kit and page 4 the Cardmaking Workshop Kit.

Now & Forever Flyer - page 1	Now & Forever Flyer - page 2
Now & Forever Flyer - page 3	Now & Forever Flyer - page 4

If you would like a PDF of the Now & Forever Flyer, you will find it here. Now & Forever is available until February 28 while supplies last.

Workshop Wow: Four Seasons

Workshop Wow: Four Seasons

Wow! I cannot believe I forgot to tell you about the Workshop Wow: Four Seasons special. The Winter option has been so popular that all of the options except the Scrapbooking Workshop Kit (without stamp + Thin Cuts) are gone. The Autumn Cardmaking Workshop Kit (without stamps or Thin Cuts) is also unavailable. Unfortunately the workshop kits will no longer be available, since the special will have concluded before more inventory of the affected items will arrive in the CTMH warehouse. The flyer is available here; I did not convert the flyer to images since I am running out of time to publish this post. The other workshops are available until January 31 or while supplies last.

February Album Retreat

February Album Retreat

Tickets for the February 2023 Album Retreat are on sale. The last day to order the bundle is January 10 (unless they sell out first). Read more about the Album Retreat here and purchase the bundle here. I have attended past album retreats and had a wonderful time. I look forward to have the time to attend in the (hopefully) near future.

January–March 2023 Catalog

cover of January–March 2023 Catalog

The January–March 2023 Catalog has three new collections: Are We There Yet?, Storybook, and Life's A Hoot as well as a Mix-In Paper Packet that coordinates with the other papers. There are many new stamps and stamps + Thin Cuts. On January 1 you will find the catalog here.

I hope 2023 is your best year yet!

Final Day of 2022 & Last Chance for Some CTMH Specials

It is so hard for me to believe, but today is the last of of 2022. 2022 has not been the best of years and I will be happy to see it in my rearview mirror soon. I spent the afternoon at the vet today because Dottie was not eating well and was very lethargic again so I thought it best to have her examined before she became worse (especially before the holiday). Fortunately all of her blood tests were in the normal range, but we are still giving her anti-nausea medicine to help her appetite. My fingers are crossed that a week of medicine will be the thing that put a spring back in Dottie's step.

Today is also the last day of the Close To My Heart specials shown below – that is, if stock is still available. The following specials end at 11:59pm MST on December 31, 2022 – that is 1:59am EST on January 1, 2023.

Seas & Greetings

Seas & Greetings

The VIP Kits, the Product Bundle (CC112210), the Paper Packet & Sticker Sheet (CC11221), the Paper Packet (CC11222) and the Beach Embellishments (CC11228) are gone, but the Coordinating Cardstock (CC11223), Beach stamp set (CC11224), Beach Stamp + Thin Cuts (CC11225), Winter stamp set (CC11226), Winter Stamp + Thin Cuts (CC11227) and Winter Embellishments (CC11229) are still available. 

If you are a VIP Member, ordered one of the VIP Workshop Kits: Beach Scrapbooking (VIP112), Winter Scrapbooking (VIP113) or Cardmaking Workshop (VIP114), and need the Workshop Guide, sign into your CTMH account and visit your Order History. Even though the list of orders do not look like links, if you click on the order number, the order information will open in a new tab and a link to the guide will be listed there.

From Me To You

From Me To You

I am writing this blog post as it is approaching midnight on December 30. I am double-checking links to the specials and see that all of the From Me To You options, individual stamp sets, the stamp set bundle and stamps plus Thin Cuts bundle are all still available (but only until 1:59am MST on January 1, 2023).

These Are the Days

These Are the Days

Create a 12-month calendar using the exclusive These Are the Days Cut Above® Layout Kit and stamp set. When 2023 is over, move the pages to an album to enjoy in the future.

Picture This Christmas

Picture This Christmas

With the Picture This Christmas special get your 2023 Christmas Cards done in January so you have the rest of 2023 to do other things. The cards and be made as shaker cards or not and you will be using the stamp set for years to come.

Stamp Of The Month Forest Critters

Forest Critters

Today is the last day to get the December 2022 SOTM Forest Critters. I love this stamp set. My mother likes it so much she gave one to my niece for Christmas. I used this stamp set for a Christmas Day birthday and for a holiday card (see both here). Those with a qualifying order will be prompted (see the green section under Promotional Items in your shopping cart) to add a SOTM for free (VIP Members who have not received a free SOTM in December yet) or for $5 to their cart before check out.

Enjoy ringing in the new year (I may be writing about the January 2023 specials at that time)!