Big News!!!

Guess what!?! Close to My Heart is teaming up with Cricut to come out with an exclusive cartridge that is going to WOW you! Check it out! I'm so very, very excited!

Celebrating America!

Check out this fun layout with a patriotic flare. Just grab your Fanfare paper packet, July stamp of the month called "American Celebration", and your Magic book and you can create this too!

These pictures were taken when we hiked up to Stewart Falls in Utah with some extended family. See the focal point photo...that is a glacier that they are standing on! Yup! At least 6 feet of packed snow and ice in the middle of the summer! Who would have imagined? Good thing we got a picture to scrapbook. :)

Happy summer!

Sweet Treats Anyone?

Looking for a cute party favor? Or a fun treat for a friend? Then check out these adorable Hershey Nugget Purses. They are so cute and easy!

Supplies:

• Cardstock, paper and ribbon as desired
• Brads
• Hershey Nugget chocolates of course!

Directions:

Start with a 3x6 piece of cardstock. Follow the pattern below and score on the lines, cutting on the solid lines. Cut off the two shaded 1” x ½” side pieces at the top to make the flap. Then decorate! Glue the sides together as you fold it and put it together. I like to add a brad to the middle front to hold the top flap down when it is closed. Add a “handle” made of ribbon and you are done. Each purse holds 2 Hershey Nuggets. So cute and super easy!

New York, New York!

This New York layout is so fun and easy to create in Studio J! One of the cool techniques on this page is the photo divided up in to four squares on the right page. To replicate this look, select photo with a single subject and quite a bit of background space. Drop the same photo into each of the four wells. Scale the photos up to at least 200%, using the same percentage on each. Then arrange the photos to appear as a single photo by scooting each photo over so that only one corner is visible. Presto! It looks like one photo! Love, love, love this technique!

Beautiful Badge Buttons

I love our canvas badge buttons! They are adhesive backed making them easy to attach. Plus, you can stamp on them, sponge ink of them, and create cool objects with them! On this Mayberry card, I used a canvas badge button to create an apple! Here’s how:

Supplies:

Mayberry paper packet

Mayberry Workshop on the Go stamp set

Olive and Smoothie ink pads

Chocolate waxy flax

Directions:

Ink a stamp that is larger than the badge button with Smoothie ink (or use olive ink if you want a green apple!). The stamp can have any pattern desired. I used the pear stamp included in the set because I loved the pattern on it! Now stamp on the button, rolling down around the edges (the edges are curved on the button so if you don’t roll down around the edge you accidentally only stamp on the center of the button). Now take a sponge and add some extra sponged ink around the edges to make them look darker and more dimensional. To complete the apple, stamp some leaves and cut out. To make the stem, take 4 shorts pieces of chocolate waxy flax and twist them together. Attach onto the card with a glue dot. Just peel off the adhesive paper-backing and attach! It’s that easy!

Gotta Love Hemp!

Want a different look with hemp? Just tie it in a knot then fray the edges! How simple is that? I LOVE using hemp on my cards...the texture is fabulous, it's so easy to use, and hemp is super inexpensive!

My Peeps Layout

I love this layout! I really liked the polaroid look of the pictures to give the layout a fun personality. To recreate this look, add a horizontal text box across the bottom of each photo mat and click on the color picker to make it white, just like the photo mat. That's it! Simple! {Helpful tip: Get a shadow on the polaroid portion to make it look dimensional by making sure the "text box" you added overlaps the photo.}

Love Your Layout!

Close to My Heart has a brand new webshow called Love Your Layout! Each month there will be new video showing you a fun layout you can create in Studio J. Open up Studio J and create the same layout just be following along step-by-step! I really do LOVE this layout! :)

Celebrate National Scrapbooking Month!

When you place an order of $50 or more in Close to My Heart products in the month of May, you can get the exclusive You & Me scrapbooking kit for the discount price of just $15—that’s more than half off the retail value! You’ll create two fully embellished two-page layouts using the new cardstock-weight B&T Duos® papers, D-size stamp set, accessories, and instructions. You can also purchase the kit at full retail for $34.95 with no minimum purchase required. Become a Close To My Heart Consultant during May and we’ll include a You & Me kit for free* as part of your New Consultant Kit. Contact me today to get the celebration started.

Bliss

This beautiful card was made by my talented friend Shelly. It's "Blissfully" beautiful! (The paper collection is called Bliss! Perfect!). Thanks for inspiring me Shelly.

Studio J Step-by-Step

Tried Studio J yet? Well, now is a great time, because here is a wonderful step-by-step tutorial that will walk you through the basics in a snap! In just 7 minutes you will see how fast and easy it is to use Studio J! Have fun!

Hope for Japan!

Our hearts go out to the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and like so many of you, we’re eager to help. From now until April 30, when you purchase the exclusive “Hope for Japan” A-size stamp set (A1118) for the special price of only $5, Close To My Heart will donate 100% of the profits to the American Red Cross’ efforts in Japan. This stamp set has a retail value of $7.95 US but is available to you at a great discount, with the profits going toward helping this urgent, important cause. Email me to order or visit my website at www.tracy.myctmh.com. Together we can make a difference!

Best Stamps on the Block!

At Close To My Heart, we know we've got the best clear stamps and blocks—and we’ll prove it! Throughout March, when you buy your favorite My Acrylix® stamps, we’ll give you a free My Acrylix block. Not only will you have the best stamps on the block, you’ll have the best block, too! Just purchase $25 in stamps and you can choose from two of our most versatile block sizes: 3" × 3" (Y1006) or 2" × 61⁄2" (Y1010). Ask your me for an Idea Book so you can start shopping now!

Versatile Ribbon!

Love, love, love this new Designer Ribbon Pink Collection! This new rosette ribbon is my favorite. At first I thought it was too cute to cut and play with! But, after watching this video I just had to jump in and play with it. Now I think it's too cute not too! :)

Valentine M&M Treats

Supplies:

• Sweetheart paper packet
• Hollyhock and Baby Pink ink pads
• Heart stamps (there are a variety of fabulous new sets to choose from in the Spring/Summer Idea Book)
• 1 ¼” circle punch
• Scallop punch
• White ribbon collection
• Clear Sparkles
• 1x8 cellophane bags (I purchased mine at: www.gtbag.com; “Ultra Clear Lip and Tape 1x8 bags")

Directions:

1. These sweet little M&M treats are simple to make. I love simple Valentines treat because I tend to have to make them in mass my kids’ friends, neighbors etc! Your children can even help! To get started, have your kids fill the 1x8 cellophane bags with M&M’s. I like to make a pattern, but they can get creative if they would like.

2. Now, use the 1 ¼” circle punch to punch a white cardstock circle. Stamp your desired heart with Hollyhock ink. Sponge the edges with Baby Pink ink.

3. Mount the circle on Hollyhock cardstock. Now punch a scalloped circle out of floral paper from the Sweetheart paper packet. Add the heart circle in the middle of the scalloped circle.

Add a sparkle to the center of your heart. Now, punch a hole at the top, and thread white organza ribbon through it to tie it to the M&M tube. That’s it! Sweet and Simple!

The New Spring/Summer 2011 Idea Book is Here!!

Close to My Heart is starting a new system for their Idea Books that I love. Instead of new books three times a year, there will be new books twice a year (but packed with twice as much new goodies! It's gorgeous!). So this Spring/Summer book that was released this month will cover February through July. Then in August there will be a new Fall/Winter Idea Book that will go until the end of next January.

This issue is packed with 8 brand new paper themes, complete with the perfect accessories, new albums, new buttons and other bling, and more! And the artwork ideas are amazing!I really love these new catalogs...and I hope you love it too! Email me for your copy today!

Krafty, Kool, and Kolorful!

Check out this cool video about some fun ways to use our new Kraft borders! LOVE it!

Pretty Pins...what a treat!

I went to a wonderful Team Builders Conference in Salt Lake this past weekend, and look how awesome CTMH is!!! Each one of us received a beautiful handmade pin that was unique! I love it so much! Hmmm...I'm thinking these pins will be fun for a workshop soon....what do you think? :)

Spray Pen Unplugged

Close to My Heart has a fabulous new product called the Spray Pen. It's so much fun to use! Check out this video created by Close to My Heart's very own art department on how to use it! Get ready to have fun!

Love Getting Surprises!

My dear friend Kim surprised me by giving me two beautiful cards! Ahhh...it made my day! Thanks Kim...you are awesome! I will have to pay it forward and now send someone else two cards and keep the love going. :)