Sunday, July 29, 2012

Project Life the CTMH way!

Summer is in full swing here, and we are really having a blast!  Before long, though, the kids will be back in school, and life will resume the routine of early mornings, volunteering, homework and carting kids to and fro.  What's a scrapbooker to do?  How will we find time to keep up with our scrapbooks when our schedule is so crunched?

I've got a great solution, and I hope you'll join me!  I've chosen to keep a running record of our year by doing a Project 365 using Close to My Heart papers and our wonderful Work In Progress Binder! 

So - what exactly IS Project 365?  It's a concept that was popularized by Becky Higgins, to keep a running journal of our days, weeks or months.  Using 4x6 pocket photo protectors that fit into a standard 12x12 album, we add pre-made journaling cards, photos and embellished cardstock pieces to keep a running record of our journey. 

What makes this system so simple is that everything is pre-cut and ready to go.  We just jot down a few notes on a journal card at the end of the day or week, pop in some photos, add an embellished card to a pocket, and DONE.  No worries about layouts or color coordinating our photos and paper - everything is all set to go before we need it.  We just tell the story as it unfolds. 

Join me in September at a special workshop to cut ALL of our papers, get them stamped and embellished, and decorate our Project 365 Box!!  We'll use this box to store all of our 4x6 cards and keep them handy. 

This workshop is FREE when you preorder your supplies (or when you purchase $50 in products from me in August).  Please contact me by Aug 28 and I'll have your things waiting for you, or you can order them online at www.deequarles.ctmh.com and have them shipped directly to you.  Make sure to allow at least 2 weeks for your package to arrive!  (it doesn't usually take that long, though!)

You'll have two opportunities to attend this workshop - please choose either Sunday September 16th at 2pm, or Tuesday September 18 at noon.  If neither of these dates work for you, or you need an evening time, drop me an email and I'll make a workshop time just for you!  I want everyone to be able to have a chance to make their scrapbooking FASTER, SIMPLER, EASIER. 
 
Here's what you'll need for the Workshop:
Your choice of any paper packet ($9.95)
Your choice of Stickease or Embellishment Pack  - $4.95 to $5.95
12x12 Chocolate Legacy Work in Progress Album - Z1348 - $15.95
Horizontal Memory Protector Photo Storage Pages - 4113 - $8.95
OR Vertical Memory Protector Pages - Z1324 - $8.95
My Creations Recipe Box - Z1322 - $6.95
Black or Cocoa Exclusive Inks Alcohol Markers (Z2430 or Z2433) - 2 for $5.95
Or your choice of Color for journaling
This will get you started and keep you going for about 3 months of weekly journaling if you use one full page per week. That's 12 pages, double-sided, for a total of 24 weeks.  Not bad for about $50!

When you purchase the supplies, you'll also qualify to purchase the August Stamp of the Month for just $5! 

Friday, July 27, 2012

Cricut Artiste Bundle - What a DEAL!!!

Now that I've had a chance to take a good look at this cartridge, I had to share what a great deal this is!  Most Cricut cartridges sell for $30 - $50 these days, and they have between 50 and 700 images on them.  Most of the cartridges have feature keys for different parts of the same image; or a tag, card and shadow of the same image, so they have far fewer than 700 images. 



NOT ARTISTE!!  It has so much on it!  Shapes, cupcake wrappers, boxes, cards, tags, titles, envelopes, puzzles...  Even if the shape is layered, most of the layers can be used alone on other projects, so that makes this cartridge an exceptional value. 

The Artiste cartridge has so many 3-D items on it that it needs a SEPARATE BOOKLET for them all!  The cartridge comes with the standard handbook, but there's also another booklet that shows how to put the 3-D items together.  What a great idea!

Here's a link to the Cricut site to see what's included on this cartridge:  http://www.cricut.com/res/handbooks/Artiste_Handbook_web.pdf

And here's the additional booklet for assembly instructions:
http://www.cricut.com/res/handbooks/Artiste_instruction%20booklet_web.pdf

You might think that $99 is a lot to pay for a single cartridge.  You could be right.  But, how many cartridges would you need to purchase to have the same images that Artiste has? 

Cupcake Wrappers - $30
Tags, Bags, Boxes - $50
Flower Shoppe - $30
Happy Hauntings - $40
Father's Day - $30
Paper Lace - $40
Font cartridge - $30-$50
Forever Young (purses) - $30-$40
And MORE.

I'll give you a rundown of the items in the 3-D booklet:


purses - 3 different ones (to hold candy or gift cards)
"house" box - has a 4-sided roof - great for a housewarming gift or diorama, toys for kids
flower top box - petals of flower form the top closure
Tim Horton's or Munchkin box
Box that has a handle on top, top flaps go over handle (like a take-out box)
Box with a lid that has a cut-out - like for a cupcake to fit inside!  Or an ornament!
another purse
cone with scalloped top - to hold candy or flowers
pages and cover for a mini album
envelopes for cards
3-d pop-up cards - "love" and "hello"
decorative cut-out sides on a box
milk carton
magazine file (make in card size to hold a stack of cards as a gift)
match box
triangle box (there are 2!) - shown with the new  Christmas papers papers as "trees"
rosettes - 7 different edges
another mini-album!
mailbox!
flowerpot
bows
cardbox
I'm not even halfway through the booklet!!!

PLUS - an upper and lowercase alphabet!!  You'll LOVE this cartridge!  And, it also comes with 3 coordinating stamp sets, and 3 sheets of Dimensional Elements (chipboard) shapes that coordinate with the cartridge.  You're going to have so much fun with this cartridge that the rest of your cartridges will get jealous!

Special Offer:

From now through August 5, 2012, you can purchase this great bundle from me for just $99 including shipping and tax.  Pick it up locally, and that's all you'll pay.  If you need me to ship it to you, there's an additional shipping charge - I only charge you what the Post Office charges me, between $6 and $9.  Please email me for details on this offer!  (Contact me by email or phone to order, online website will charge full price for shipping/tax.) 


Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Going, Going, GONE......

Is there something in our Spring/Summer Idea Book that you've had your eye on?  NOW is the time to get it!  When our new Idea Book products become available on August 1, the Spring / Summer products will no longer be available!!

All of our markers and the re-inkers for retired colors are going fast!!  Check my website at www.deequarles.ctmh.com for current inventory.  If you see it online, it is available to order.  If you don't see it, it's already gone!!  Don't delay....

The following products are scheduled to be retired from the CTMH product line and are not pictured in the Autumn/Winter 2012 Idea Book.
All of our How-To Books have been retired and are sold out.

Paper Packs/Stickease/Complements
· Cruisin’ Paper Pack X7154B
· Cruisin’ Complements Foil Images X7154C
· Elemental Paper Pack X7141B
· Elemental Complements Dimensional Elements X7141C
· Footloose Paper Pack X7151B
· Footloose Complements Dimensional Elements X7151C
· Lucy Paper Pack X7149B
· Lucy Complements Glittery Rub-Ons X7149C
· Roxie Paper Pack X7140B
· Roxie My Stickease Assortment X7140C
· Sonoma Paper Pack X7143B
· Sonoma My Stickease Assortment X7143C
· Superhero Paper Pack X7152B
· Superhero Complements Rub-Ons X7152C
· Typeset Paper Pack X7139B
· Typeset Complements Canvas Shapes X7139C

Workshops on the Go
· WOTG Cruisin’ Kit
· WOTG Florentine Kit
· WOTG Footloose Kit
· WOTG Lucy Kit
· WOTG Pemberley Kit
· WOTG Stella Kit
· WOTG Superhero Kit
· WOTG Victory Kit

Stamp Sets:
A1095 Always Remember
A1099 Angel Sent
A1107 A Twinkle
A1108 A Flitter
A1109 A Sip
A1110 A Timber
A1113 A Game
A1115 A Holiday
B1356 St. Nick
B1359 Fright Night
B1361 Tannenbaum
B1362 Tag The Occasion
B1381 Holiday Cheer
B1393 Joyful Jar
B1394 John 3:16
C1379 Holiday Commentary
C1382 Holiday Commentary – Spanish
C1383 Holiday Commentary – French
C1401 Friendship Alphabet Small
C1408 Live Inspired
C1419 Harvest Home
C1420 Snow Days
C1423 Captured Moments
C1424 Nature’s Gift
C1425 Month By Month
C1426 Thanksgiving
C1427 I Believe
C1429 Party Pennants
C1465 Unscripted
C1468 Winter Joy
C1470 Gnome Garden
C1471 Happy Clusters
C1472 Bundled Buddies
D1136 Giggle Caps
D1137 Giggle Lowercase
D1267 Rustic Numbers
D1306 Treasure Life
D1308 All Decked Out
D1373 Childhood Portrait
D1384 Snow Flurries
D1386 Save The Date
D1387 Made With Love
D1397 Save The Date – French
D1398 Save The Date – Spanish
D1401 Authentic
D1436 The Present
D1437 Party Animal
D1446 Adorn-able
D1449 Father Christmas
D1493 Fill In The Blank – Holiday
D1499 Live Your Style
E1002 Rustic Alphabet
E1006 Baroque Alphabet
E1011 Headline Alphabet Large
E1016 Friendship Alphabet Large

Papers/Inks/Reinkers
(Cardstock, inkpads, and reinkers are all included. Check your Idea Book for item numbers.)
**Some re-inkers are already gone!**
· Amethyst
· Baby Pink
· Brown Bag
· Dutch Blue
· Garden Green
· Garnet
· Grey Flannel
· Grey Wool
· Heavenly Blue
· Holiday Red
· Key Lime
· Lilac Mist
· Moonstruck
· Pansy Purple
· Parchment
· Petal
· Spring Iris
· Sunflower
· Sunkiss Yellow
· Sunny Yellow
· Taffy
· Tulip
· Vanilla Cream
· Vineyard Berry

Other Cardstock
· Colonial White 6-pack X5901
· White Daisy 6-pack X5900

Cards
· Clear Cards 4-1/4” x 5-1/2”
· Clear Cards 4-1/2”

Albums/Accessories
· Quick Pic Album-Dark Chocolate Z1406
· Quick Pic Album-Dark Cranberry Z1405
· Quick Pic Album-Outdoor Denim Z1404
· Snapease Album System 12×12 Z4110

Embellishments
· Bitty Brads Basic Assortment Z1367
· Bitty Brads Metal Assortment Z1368
· Bitty Buds Assorment Z1690
· Bottle Caps Z1691
· Canvas Badge Buttons Z1397
· Clear Sparkles Z1104
· Color Ready Irresistibles- Lots of Dots Z1261
· Comic Badge Buttons Z1688
· Dimensional Elements-Ornaments Z1337
· Heirloom Assorment Z1635
· Hinges Z1402
· Mini-Medley Accents-Honey Z1488
· Mini-Medley Accents-Pacifica Z1698
· Mini-Medley Accents-Sunset Z1338
· Mini-Medley-Tulip Z1320
· Photo Hangers Z1403
· Ribbon-Designer Pink Collection Z1384
· Ribbon-Sw. Lf. Stitched Grosgrain (bulk) Z1383
· Seaside Wooden Shapes Z1693 (sold out)

My Creations Products
· My Creations A-Door-Ables Z1321
· My Creations All Sorts Mini Album Z1224
· My Creations Cube Z1152
· My Creations Mix & Mingle Album Z1334

Tools/Organization
· Craft Tray 1764
· Distressing Kit Z1299 (sold out)
· Dotto Dots Dispenser 1766
· Dotto Dots Dispenser-Refill 1767
· Double Scrubber Z1163
· Euro Personal Paper Trimmer Z338
· Euro Replacement Blades Z339
· Euro Replacement Blade/Scoring Z340
· Microfiber Cloth Z1006
· My Legacy Writer Black Pen Set 4275
· Shoulder Tote Z4204 (sold out)

Monday, July 23, 2012

New Workshops

The new Workshops from Close to My Heart are great!  You get all of the supplies needed to complete your projects and a wonderful How-To guide that shows you exactly how to make it.  Using quality supplies from CTMH will kick your artsy creativity up a notch! 

What a great way to spend an afternoon - and when you're done, you'll have something beautiful to display or share with family and friends. 


You can make either of these projects as a Workshop with me, and I'll help you put everything together step by step, and give you tips and pointers along the way.  Want to get together with a friend or two to chat and craft?  Contact me and I'd be happy to set up a private workshop just for you and your friends.  Make it a Gathering Workshop, and you'll earn Hostess Credits to boot!

Friday, July 20, 2012

OPEN HOUSE August 5 ! ! ! !

The new Idea Books are here!!  I can't believe how awesome the new products are - the artwork is amazing!  The Art Team at Close to My Heart has really outdone themselves this time!

Want to see for yourself?  Come to my

OPEN HOUSE
August 5, 2012 from 2 pm to 5 pm

I'll have the NEW Cricut Artiste Cartridge bundle - see it, try it, love it!  Special pricing now through August 5 - just $99 includes shipping, handling and taxes! (email for details)

Make something special at the two Make and Take Creative Stations! You'll love how creative you can be! 

You'll have a chance to win several door prizes, including a Grand Prize - $25 worth of FREE Close to My Heart products! 

Sign up for a workshop, a club or a class for more chances to win!   Make plans to Host a Gathering and get even more chances! 

See my flyer here for more information!

Please RSVP.

(link takes you to GoogleDocs - if you prefer to have this flyer emailed to you, please drop me a note!)

Become a Consultant in August!

Do you love to scrapbook?  Do you like to show others how to do things, or share your passion?  Do you enjoy meeting new people?  How would you like to get a discount on everything you buy for yourself, and earn money doing what you love? 

YOU can become a Consultant for only $49 ! ! !

There are two new Consultant Kits available  starting today!  The first one is the “Essentials Kit” and it's only $49!  It includes all of the items shown in the photo below and is worth over $130!


You can also add to the basic kit - The “Master Kit” includes all of the items above plus lots of extra goodies to help you get your business off to a great start! This kit is $99 and has approximately $280 worth of products.


August 2012 Special Offer for New Consultants!

If you join Close to My Heart as a new Consultant in August, you'll receive the Damask Tote Bag for FREE (retail value $50)!  This offer is only available while supplies last, and is good for both the $49 and $99 New Consultant Kits. This awesome, coated-canvas tote can be slung over the shoulder, across the chest, or worn as a backpack.

This offer is available from August 1, 2012 through August 31, 2012 or while supplies last! 


Become a Close to My Heart Independent Consultant in August, and you can have all that AND a cool tote bag to put your Close to My Heart supplies in!  If you've ever considered becoming a consultant for ANY company, talk to me.  I would love to tell you all about the great experiences I've had with Close to My Heart, and tell you what you need to know about becoming a Consultant yourself.  Join for the discount, join for the friendships, join for the income, join for the Cruises!  Join for the Totebag! 

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Sneak Peek - August Stamp of the Month

You're going to LOVE this stamp set!  August's Stamp of the Month is absolutely stunning - it's an antique inspired brocade set of 5 stamps called Baroque Borders.  It's distressed a little to keep the edges soft and keep the image from overpowering your work.  Perfect for backgrounds on scrapbook pages, make your own paper for cards, or use the images by themselves as focal points or accents to your artwork!  Love this set!



 You can get this set ONLY during the month of August!  Regular purchase price is $17.95, but if you purchase $50 or more from our new Idea Book (coming August 1!) you can get this set for just $5 bucks! 

Someone asked me if ALL of our stamps come packaged in the envelopes with the carrier sheets - so I thought I'd pass along a little info about My Acrylix stamps while I'm answering her question.  YES - all of our stamps come packaged in a sturdy plastic envelope that's lightly frosted so that your fingerprints don't show but you can clearly see the set inside.  I LOVE this feature! 



All of the envelopes are the same size about 6 1/2" square, except for the large alphabet stamp sets.  Those come in an 8 1/2" by 11" envelope with holes to fit into a standard loose-leaf binder that you can purchase at any office supply store.  I keep mine in a drawer with my Idea Book, though!

Before Close to My Heart, I had several plastic storage boxes filled with various "clear" stamp sets.  They were all different sizes, from different manufacturers, and many were still in their cellophane wrapper to protect them from dust (or because I just hadn't used them). 

Now, my stamps all fit perfectly and neatly into a storage container.  They are organized and easy to look through for the set that I need for my project.  I can find ANY stamp set in under a minute, and then get back to my project without delay.  I've put all of my sets into our My Acrylix Organizers (Z1038) so that I can stack them up next to my desk.  Each Organizer holds 15 sets.  You can see them here:  http://deequarles.ctmh.com/Retail/Product.aspx?ItemID=3662&CatalogID=164

Another tip:  The sets come packaged with a color-coded front sheet, an instruction sheet on the back of that, a layer of foam to cushion the stamps, and a printed clear carrier sheet that the stamps stick to.  The envelope seals with a snap in the center of the "back" of the envelope.  I flip my contents around so that the clear front (without the flap) shows the stamp set.  It makes the stamps easier to see when I'm looking for a certain stamp, and I also have the set name in the upper right corner this way. 

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Cricut Artiste from CTMH!

Just a quick post to show you the new Cricut Artiste cartridge!  Oh My GOSH!  It's got so much stuff crammed into it, I can't believe they put all that on a single cartridge!  Here's the handbook:

http://www.cricut.com/res/handbooks/artiste_handbook_web.pdf

I'm offering a SPECIAL price from now through my Open House on August 5th - $99* includes shipping, handling and tax - if you live in NC, that's a $15 savings!  You'll get the cartridge, 3 D-sized stamp sets and 3 sheets of Dimensional Elements that coordinate with this cartridge!

To order, just email or call me.  I can get it ordered for you right away and have it in your hot little hands in about a week!



* This Special is only available through me by email or phone - not through my online website.  If the cartridge must be mailed to you, please add $9 to help cover postal fees - thanks!

Friday, July 13, 2012

Convention News - Great Changes!

Changes are so exciting!  Close to My Heart releases a new Idea Book every 6 months, and our new book is going LIVE on August 1! 

One thing that's changing is that we will now have a color palette that is 40 colors instead of 60.  We're getting 6 new colors, and we'll be saying goodbye to these favorites:

Retiring Colors List
Grey Wool
Grey Flannel
Vanilla Cream
Parchment
Brown Bag
Baby Pink
Taffy
Sunkiss Yellow
Key Lime
Heavenly Blue
Lilac Mist
Amethyst
Holiday Red
Sunflower
Sunny Yellow
Dutch Blue
Moonstruck
Vineyard Berry
Tulip
Garden Green
Spring Iris
Petal
Garnet
Pansy Purple

So, if you love those colors, order them before the current selection runs out!  If you need reinkers, the time to buy is now.  We will no longer be carrying these colors once the new Idea Book is released on August 1.


Monday, July 9, 2012

Get It While It Lasts!

We're well into the second week of this fantastic offer from Close to My Heart!  Have you seen what's up for grabs with a $75 online purchase this week? 



From July 11 through the 15th or while supplies last, My Reflections Fanfare Paper Packet AND a coordinating Fanfare Level 2 assortment, a $17.90 value is yours FREE when you purchase qualifying product from my online site at www.deequarles.ctmh.com.  Once the supply sells out, it's gone.  There is no replacement, so order early!  

Upon checkout, if the Fanfare paper pack is still available, you will be prompted to add it to your order. 

Join the Gathering exclusively for this special, and you could win the Hostess Rewards for the Online Gathering!  Someone has to win it - it might as well be YOU!  To JOIN this Mystery Hostess Gathering, simply go to my online ordering site, then look in the lower right-corner.  Just click "JOIN" and it will automatically add your order to the gathering.  You'll still get FAST shipping directly to you as soon as you place your order. 

If you are the winner of this Mystery Hostess Rewards drawing, I will contact you by email as soon as the Gathering closes so that you can choose your FREE PRODUCTS!

Just a reminder, our new Idea Book is coming soon.  In order to make room for products, some of the current products may not be available much longer.  If you want to get Superhero, Footloose, Lucy or Cruisin' - these items are in short supply and will not be carried forward into the new book.  The Seaside Wooden Shapes to match the Footloose paper pack are no longer available.  I would expect other items to slowly be phased out as this is the end of the catalog cycle.  Don't delay if you want the best selection!

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Dinner Menu Board

Are you always answering the question, "What's for Dinner?" Do you get tired of trying to remember what meals your family hasn't had in awhile? Are you looking to get together with a great group of crafters and make something FUN and USEFUL? Look no further!

We'll make a Menu board that you can hang in your kitchen or dining room to let everyone know "What's for Dinner" This workshop comes complete with all of the supplies you'll need to create a pretty and functional menu display - except the recipes!



Each menu board has 7 magnets for the days of the week, 25 blank Meal Tags, a magnetic box to hold the meal tags when they aren't on the menu, and a notepad to write down important ingredients or your shopping list ("buy wine and cheese"). You write down the meals that your family loves the most, and change them as needed. It's a great way to keep track of what you've had for dinner, and make sure you have what you need for the rest of the week!

The workshop will be held on Friday evening, July 27, 2012 from 6:30 pm to 9:00 at my home in Cary.  Please email me for directions.

Menu board background colors are either sunset and cocoa with Lagoon lettering (in sample shown) ; or creme brulee, lagoon, and olive (from the Footloose paper pack, as used in the Beachy Layout). If you have a cardstock that you prefer to use for your base color, please contact me with that information and I'll try to coordinate your colors with you.

To ensure that I have enough supplies for all attendees, I'm asking for payment via Paypal when you RSVP. Simply let me know your email address and I will send you a Paypal invoice. I can also register you by email if you prefer to pay by check, money order or in person by cash. Attendees who have not paid within 5 days of the workshop will be removed from the list to make room for those on the waiting list. If you are unable to attend the workshop, I will hold your supply kit and you can pick it up at your convenience. You are welcome to make arrangements with me to complete it.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Perfect Pairs are here!

So - how are you beating the heat this month?  It's just gotten hotter and hotter, with no end in sight!  It's a perfect time to stay inside and scrap all those pictures from barbecues, pool parties and Christmas!  To make things easier on you, Close to My Heart is offering Perfect Pairs!  You can shop online to get this special offer, and you won't even need to get into your roasting hot car to do it! 



So, what are Perfect Pairs?  Throughout the month of July, we’ll have several different product pairings consisting of a favorite My Reflections® paper pack with a corresponding Complement or accessory kit that you’ll be able to get for free!  Each pair will be available for only a limited time, and only while supplies last, so when you see one that you want, act quickly!  All you need to do is place an order of $75 or more in full-priced retail products on my shopping website, and you’ll be able to receive that day’s “perfect pair” for free!

Which Perfect Pair you receive depends on when you shop.   Get more information here

Start shopping now!  Just order from my online shopping website - it's totally secure and easy to use!  Add the products you want to your shopping cart, check out, and they'll be shipped directly to you! 

Here's the link!  www.deequarles.ctmh.com