Five for Free

Lucy

Sweet Pinks! The Lucy collection is all girl with pink and flowers mixed with a little bit of grey. This paper is all in the details and needs to be seen in person to see it's true beauty. Don't have girls? Think Valentine's Day!
Check out your February newsletter for details about a crop and workshops. You can also contact me for details.

The Lucy collection can be viewed on pages 26-31 of the Spring/Summer 2012 Idea Book.

February Stamp of the Month

February Stamp of the Month: Thoughtful Tidings
Available February 1-29, 2012
Retail Price $17.95
Spend $50+ and get the Stamp of the Month for $5.00

Spring/Summer 2012 Idea Book

The Spring/Summer 2012 Idea Book launches today!
This Idea Book is one of Close to My Heart's best yet. It is filled with new collections of products that are right on trend. The artwork is beautiful and begs to be "scrap-lifted".

Check out the new Idea Book online at: https://scrapbookwithkira.myctmh.com/MyCTMH/ProductHighlights.aspx?PageId=180

If you would like a paper copy of the Idea Book, let me know!

Wonderland

Let the snow fly! The Wonderland collection is exactly as the name describes- perfect for a winter wonderland! The papers are beautiful shades of blues, browns, and grays. The Snowflakes stamp set has coordinating cuts on the Cricut to make those images super easy to cut out before stamping. The Winter Joy stamp set is filled with beautiful silhouettes that is sure to make some amazing artwork. The element of this collection that I am most excited about are the Top Coats Icing Overlays. These are clear accents with designs printed on them with silver accents. Don't miss out on this beautiful collection!
Check out your January newsletter for details about a crop and any workshops. You can also contact me for details.

The Wonderland collection can be viewed on pages 56-61 of the Autumn/Winter 2011 Idea Book.

January Stamp of the Month

January Stamp of the Month: Little Reminder
Available January 1-31, 2012
Retail Price $17.95
Spend $50+ and get the Stamp of the Month for $5.00

Rock the Block!

When you place a minimum order of $25 from the Autumn/Winter 2011 Idea Book, you can get two valuable new products for just $15: the My Creations^® Collage Cubes (a Spring/Summer 2012 sneak-peek product!) and the exclusive My Acrylix^® Rock the Block E-size stamp set (available only during this promotion). This Rock the Block promotion represents a retail savings of almost $30! You're going to love the collage cubes and the Rock the Block stamp set, which work together for interactive, fashionable fun!

Rock the Block Video

Join the craze! When you place a minimum order of $25 from the Autumn/Winter 2011 Idea Book between December 19, 2011 and January 31, 2012, you can get two new products for just $15: the My Creations^® Collage Cubes (a Spring/Summer 2012 sneak-peek product!) and the exclusive My Acrylix^® Rock the Block E-size stamp set (available only during this promotion). That’s a retail savings of almost $30!
You’re going to love the way the collage cubes and the Rock the Block stamp set work together for interactive, 3-D fun. Watch this video to get more details from Kristine Widtfeldt, Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

Happy Holiday Card Set Video

The 'A Holiday' stamp set is super cute and also super in-expensive! At only $6.95, be sure to add it to your holiday list. It also coordinates with the Cricut!

Timesaving Gift Ideas

The gift-giving season can be an uplifting time of merriment and joy... but it can also feel a bit hectic. It’s nice to know you can count on Studio J^® to help you give meaningful gifts that don’t require a lot of time or money. Here are a few ideas to simplify your life and save time for both the giver and the receiver.

• Make one family layout and print multiple copies for everyone. (Time: 15–45 minutes) With Studio J, printing extra copies of a layout is as simple as changing the quantity on the checkout screen. Or, if you prefer, create one layout, then copy it into a new project as many times as you like and customize it for each recipient.
• Give a Studio J 5-pack along with a Quick Pic™ album. (Time: 5 minutes) Since a 5-pack includes free layouts, free shipping, and free Memory Protectors^®, it’s everything they’ll need to create a finished album!
• Present a loved one with a 3-month Studio J membership. (Time: 5 minutes) A 3-month membership costs just $30 and is the perfect way to help someone “get their feet wet” with Studio J and give them complete access to a product you love. Combine it with a 5-pack to make it an extra-special stocking stuffer!

So put on the holiday music, pour yourself some eggnog, and pull out your holiday gift list. Studio J is a great way to help you give the gift of memories—without taking much time!

Visit my Studio J page at: https://scrapbookwithkira.myctmh.com/Retail/StudioJLanding.aspx?PageId=185

Studio J: Love Your Layout

Believe

I am featuring the Believe collection during the month of December. This is the Close to My Heart Christmas line this year! It is very whimsical/cartoon looking and is right on trend with colors and other looks in the industry. I am liking that at least one side of the papers are individually able to be used for items other than Christmas.

This collection can be viewed on pages 50-55 of the Autumn/Winter Idea Book

December Stamp of the Month

December Stamp of the Month: Mad About You
Available December 1-31, 2011
Retail Price $17.95
Spend $50+ and get the Stamp of the Month for $5.00

Dreamin'

The Dreamin' Collection is one of my favorites from the Autumn/Winter Idea Book. I am featuring it during the month of November because of the beautiful autumn look. The papers are truly art in themselves with beautiful patterns of leaves, flowers, and dandelion seeds. The stamp sets coordinate perfectly and the Harvest Happiness stamp set even has coordinating shapes on the Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge to make cutting the leaf images even easier. This is a collection you won't want to miss!
Please see your November newsletter for details about this month's crop or contact me.

The Dreamin' Collection can be viewed on pages 32-37 of the Autumn/Winter Idea Book.

Holiday Wishes

When you place a minimum order of $25 in My Acrylix^® stamp sets in November, you can purchase a new D-size Holiday Wishes stamp set for only $5! That’s significant savings off the full retail value of $17.95. And here’s a bonus: many of the images in the set coordinate with our Cricut^® Art Philosophy cartridge for added cutting and stamping fun!

November Stamp of the Month

November Stamp of the Month: Cherish the Day
Available November 1-30, 2011
Retail Price $17.95
Spend $50+ and get the Stamp of the Month for $5.00

Adorable Owl Wall Hanging and Mobile

I love making home decor items! This is a super cute idea from Close to My Heart!


Home décor just took on a whole new level of cuteness! These quick and easy owl-themed projects are a great way to bring a smile to the faces of all who see them.

Canvas Wall Hanging

Create this paper-pieced owl—isn’t he a cutie?—then attach it to a 12" x 12" canvas (available at your local craft store). Here are some tips:

• Cut the pieces freehand or print some clip art from the Internet for a pattern. We used the flower stamp from My Acrylix^® Fill in the Blank (D1465) as a template for the feet, and used the
  1 1/4" circle punch (Z1311) to punch the eyes from Cocoa cardstock.
• We wanted to add Juniper to the artwork, so we added the Typeset Juniper damask B&T Duos^® paper to the Sorbet, Crème Brulee, and Olive B&T papers from Elemental.
• For the background, score a piece of 12” x 12” cardstock at
  1 1/4" intervals. Turn the paper over and lightly sand the ridges using a sanding block.
  • If the Sorbet background doesn’t match your particular color scheme, substitute Olive, Juniper, Desert Sand, Crème Brulee, or Cocoa cardstock for it.
• Attach the eyes, beak, wings, and belly to the body, using 3-D foam tape on the wings and beak. Be sure to outline the entire wings and beak with foam tape and add some in the middle to make sure it’s sturdy.
• Attach the finished owl body to the cardstock base then attach the whole thing to the canvas using Liquid Glass or Mod Podge.

Paper Mobile

Crafting this lightweight mobile is a cinch when you use two packages of Dimensional Element On Target (Z1226) chipboard circles, a 1 1/4" circle punch (Z1311), and the My Acrylix^® Hot Diggity (C1407) stamp set.

• Stamp owl five times each in Crème Brulee, Sorbet, and Juniper on Colonial White cardstock; trim. Turn cut-out image over and stamp on the blank side.
• Punch 10 pairs of circles each from Elemental (Crème Brulee and Sorbet) and Typeset (Juniper) B&T Duos papers. Attach pairs of matching circles together to hide back of B&T.
• Leaving space between each element, use a sewing machine to stitch through centers of circles or owls. Be sure to leave extra thread at the top.
• Take the largest scallop circle from each Dimensional Elements package and sponge surface with Sorbet ink. Sponge edges with Cocoa ink, if desired.
• Create the top of the mobile as follows:
  • Flip one of the scallop circles upside down so the sponged surface is facing away from you.
  • Tie bow in ribbon and secure ends with Liquid Glass to the white side of the Dimensional Element scallop circle. We used the dotted ribbon from the Designer Ribbon Colonial White collection (Z1126).
  • Use piercing tool to punch nine evenly spaced holes on the same white side of the Dimensional Elements scallop circle. Pull thread through each hole, starting under the circle on the sponged side; knot to secure.
  • Use Liquid Glass to attach second Dimensional Elements circle to first, placing white sides together and sandwiching thread ends and ribbon.
• Alternate idea: If you’d like to use more of your Dimensional Elements circles, simply incorporate them in the mobile by switching out some of the punched circles or stamped owls. All you’ll do is match up sizes from each package, sponge or cover them with B&T paper, attach thread to center of one on white side, and then attach the white sides together. Simple!

Pink Ribbon Card

Close to My Heart Products Used:
Roxie Level 2 Paper Packet
Colonial White Cards & Envelopes Value Pack
My Acrylix Always Remember Stamp Set
Blush Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
3D Foam Tape
Bitty Sparkles

Stocking Card

Recipe:
Card Maps June 2011 (pagemaps.com)

Close to My Heart Products Used:
My Acrylix Holiday Magic (October 2011 Stamp of the Month)
Elemental Level 2 Paper Packet
Mistletoe Level 2 Paper Packet (retired, I have sheets available)
Colonial White Cardstock
Kraft Cardstock
Cocoa Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
New England Ivy Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
Edge Distresser
Mocha Opaques
3D Foam Tape

Other Products Used:
Stampin' Up Top Note Sizzix Die

Scraps of Roxie Hope Card

I had fun making this card with little scraps of paper left over from my Roxie paper pack. This is a 3x3 card, so the pieces were pretty little!

Close to My Heart Products Used:
Roxie Level 2 Paper Pack
My Acrylix A Hope
Black Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
Vanilla Cream Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad- Pigment Based (I LOVE embossing with these ink pads. It turns out so well because the ink is so juicy!)
Clear Detail Embossing Powder
Silver Pearl Embossing Powder
1 1/4" Circle Punch

Other Products Used:
Stampin' Up 2" Scallop Circle Punch