Wednesday 25 December 2019

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and all your loved ones!  I  wish you a year of story- telling and happy paper crafting!

Tuesday 5 November 2019

Getting ready for Dec 1st crop!

Hey there!  Just checking in.  I'm deep in the zone, making card kits for my Dec1st Crop/ Card Buffet.  You can make up to 20 cards as part of the Buffet and I have 12 of those prepped already!  Just another 10 or 12 to make and then onto the loot bags.  And, finally, when I have everyone's info from the registration forms, I can create the menu for lunch, dinner and the yummies.  Can't wait!!  See you there!

Sunday 20 October 2019

    First off, let me just say I hope you all had a GREAT Thanksgiving, and had a chance to get out and walk around in the the beautiful changing leaves (HINT HINT:  great chance to take some family picts to scrapbook in the winter).

    A reminder for the Locals that I am holding an all evening crop (not quite all day if it starts at noon, is it?) on Oct 27th, in Russell, at the Sports and Youth Center at 988 Concession St.  It runs from 12 to 8pm and for $40 you get a table to yourself, your evening meal and a loot bag.  Lunch is an optional $5.  There are options for a shared or second table too, and YES, there is Wifi!


    Also, it's just 2 more weeks to the end of Oct;  you know what that means- time is running out to get all the wonderful goodies highlighted in the Sept/ Oct Idea Book.  So you need to get Every Little Thing (see what I did there, LOL) that you want out of it before the witching hour on Halloween.  And you will definitely be kicking yourself when you go to scrap those beautiful Fall picts in deepest, darkest Winter and realize you didn't get Hawthorn after all!  This paper pack is probably in my Top 5 all time Favourite paper packs (or at least the last 10 years I've been a consultant w CTMH)! There are still sooo many stamps and dies I want out of this catty- Perk Up! stamp and Thin Cut, Layered Leaves Thin Cut, more Hawthorn papers, and those SUPER cute Safari animals (and Thin Cuts), to name just a few.


   And, don't forget that the Spooktacular Special will also go "POOF!" at the end of Oct. But you still have time to get all the cute and creepy Spooktacular products- the whole workshop kit, the 'fangtastic' stamp and Thin Cut bundle, the paper pack- with or without the sticker sheet and the coordinating cardstock pack.  And OMG (oh my ghoul!), the images on the stamp set are just too 'bewitching' to pass up!  Hurry to get yours before they're gone!


    BUT, if it's the end of the Sept/ Oct catty, then it must also mean the beginning of the Nov/ Dec catty!   Get ready for the Christmas and Winter Holiday seasons.  CTMH  will warm your heart with the whimsical Holly Jolly (and there's a special treat for all you Elf on the Shelf devotees!) and the more traditional but not your typical red/ green Cedars and Pines.  There are elves and reindeer and nutcrackers, pine boughs and holly and gingerbread houses and even something for those of you who celebrate the Season under palm trees while basking on the beach- Santa can surf too, right?!

   There's a great holiday special too available now, til the end of November- Holiday Cheer.  Your choice of ornaments or tags to make, a whimsical or traditional stamp you can use, or you can get BOTH for a special DIScounted price!  You can even order add on pieces.  And, each kit comes with Cricut images so you can cut more on your own in the future!  The Cricut IS NOT necessary to make these kits BUT you will need the Shaker card dies to complete parts of the tags and ornaments (think of it as a wonderful opportunity to gift yourself for an early Christmas).

    Along a similar theme, I am holding a Christmas Card Buffet and All- Day Crop on Dec 1st, in Russell, upstairs in the Arena, from 10-8.  For $45 Croppers will get a table, your evening meal and a loot bag (includes making 3 of the Cards from the Buffet), while Buffet-ers will get a table, your evening meal and be able to make UP TO 20 cards from the Buffet.  Additional cards will be $1.50 each, depending on availability.  Croppers will be able to partake of the Buffet for the $1.50/ card price and Buffet-ers will be invited to stay the day to complete their cards and other Christmas projects.  Lunch will be available for $5.  Wifi is also available.  Options to share a table or get a second one are also available (depending on space). 


   And, finally, I will be holding classes to make 2 cards and a 2 page layout with each of Cedars and Pines and Holly Jolly.  Classes are just $25 (check my FB page for dates and times), or if you're crunched for time and just can't make it, I can mail it to you (with this option you can order the needed stamp set or I can pre-stamp it for you) for the cost of postage.

    Well, I believe that's all the news for now.  Don't forget to place your orders for the outgoing Sept/ Oct catty items you're missing, and remember,  there's lots of available Specials to take advantage of, too.  I hope you get the opportunity to get out and enjoy the changing Fall foliage with your families (and take LOTS of photos!) and all the ghoulishly spooktacular creatures of Halloween!  And, don't forget, it's almost- but not quite- time to start your Christmas/ Holiday Season preparations. 

Keep capturing memories and keep on scrapbooking and crafting!  Cheers!

Monday 30 September 2019

                                                              What's Coming Up?

       Hello again! I hope you've all been very busy. What follows is a list of my upcoming events.

    1.  Hawthorn Layout and Card Class,                                                               Register by Oct 2nd
     Dates: Friday, Oct 18th, or Sunday, Ocy 20th.                                                Time: 7-9pm/ 1-3pm
     Cost: $25, includes what you need to make a basic 2 page layout that you stamp or embellish to make your own. Plus what you need to make 2 cards, all with the new Hawthorn paper. All you need to bring are your various adhesives and scissors.

      2. All Day Crop, Oct 27th, 12-8 pm                                            Registration due by Oct 16th      Where: Russell Sports and Youth Center                                          Cost: $40
What's included: 1 table to yourself, Loot bag, evening meal, Wifi, Free make'n'take.
An Optional sandwich platter lunch is available for an additional $5
Payments may be made by etransfer, credit card and cash on the day for in person purchases.
Registration form available HERE.  Just click on the banner to save the picture of the form.

   3.  Cedars and Pines Layout and Card Class                                       Cost: $25
   Registration and payment due by Oct 30th, for classes on Friday, Nov 15th @ 7pm and Sunday, Nov 17th @ 1pm.
Pictures to come.

   4.  Crop and Card Buffet, Dec 1st , 10am- 8pm
          Cost: $45                                                                                  Registration is due by Nov 19th.
          Where: Upstairs at the Russell Arena, elevator is available
You have the option to join Either the Crop OR the Christmas Card Buffet.
You get: 1 table to yourself and your evening meal. Free make'n'take. Wifi is available. Lunch will also be optional/ available for $5. Croppers will receive a loot bag, while Buffeters will be able to make UP TO 20 Christmas cards, with the option to make more, if available, for a small per card cost (plus a little surprise).
Flyer to come, or check my Facebook site- Newfie-Scrapper. Facebook.com for further details.


5. Possible Layout and Card class on Friday, Dec 13th and Sunday, Dec 15th. Cost will be $25. Registration will be due Nov 27th. Class will use the new Holly Jolly papers.


                                         I hope all my local peeps will be able to join me
                                                       for at least one of these events.
                                                                See you SOON!

{Sorry for the out of whack spacing; Blogger is being difficult}

Tuesday 24 September 2019

CTMH- Sept- Oct Mini Seasonal Catalogue- What you need to know

    What's new about this Seasonal catalogue, you may ask?  The biggest difference between previous minis/ Seasonals and this one is the length of time of its availability- only 2 months!!  What this means for you is if there's a product in the mini that you want, you will really need to buy it asap.  If- like me- there's a list of products you want then you'll have to build a budget, plan multiple orders and order strategically.  And something else to keep in mind, the minimum required order to qualify for a Stamp of the Month has gone up to $67.50 (in Canada) and the price of the stamp itself has been raised to $6.75 (in Ont, this means it will now cost $10.55 which is still a great deal at about a third of its regular price).

    What else is different?  Well, it seems this year leaves are a big deal.  Leaves show up in a variety of products; from Autumn Barn (D1888), in the Hostess Rewards section, throughout Hawthorn (I sooo love this paper pack, the designers really have a winner with this one!), including the H. scrapbooking stamp, D1873 (and Thin Cut bundle, Z3527), the H. Complements and Wood Shapes; in the sunflower stamp, Sunflower Sympathy (D1872) and including the Giving Thanks stamp (CC9192) of the Share the Season National Stamping Month Special, the October Stamp of the Month, Autumn Air and the spectacular Layered Leaves Thin Cuts dies (this one is HOT, it will be a small miracle if we don't run out of this one!).
D1888

Hawthorn


Layered Leaves Thin Cuts

D1872

Oct SOTM
    On to the Paper packs!  First up is Every Little Thing, a celebration of greens and blues, butterflies and flowers.  At first glance, it may appear very 'girlie' to you but there are enough dark hues to support even the ruffest and tuffest of 'boy' picts.  My friend and fellow consultant, Julie Carriere, was lucky enough to present this paper pack at the recent Convention in Utah.  She's a mother of 2 girls but she wanted to highlight the versatility of the pack by creating layouts all about boys.  She was able to create several layouts of boys being boys (see my boys!!), including a very muddy dirt bike racer- no butterflies here!


You'll find ELT available as a paper pack (X7248B), a cardstock set (X7248D), as Complements, vellum die cuts, as PML cards, as a Scrapbooking worksop and a card workshop.  New with this catalogue, you are able to purchase the paper pack with OR without a Sticker Sheet (X7248S).  And, this is a new product that will be available with paper packs going forward.  Also, if you have a look at the Cardmaking workshop, you'll see that Thin Cut dies are now INCLUDED!!  No more fussy cutting!!

    Next is Hawthorn!!  What can I say, I love it!  There's a definite 'cozy Fall' vibe coming from this paper pack.  The featured colors are all the colors of the turning leaves but with a solid grounding in Charcoal and Sapphire.  The Complements (X7249C) are printed on kraft- like paper and the coordinating embellishments are Wood Shapes (Z3543).  Images include classic cars and motorcycles, and deer's head to the aforementioned leaves.  The paper pack includes designs of leaves, plaid and corrigated cardboard.  Even the stamp from the card workshop brings on visions of layouts about a leaf- gathering stroll down a treed lane, surrounded by all the colors of Fall.  You'll need to stock up on this one for sure, as it's a very 'guy' paper too.  I can easily see this one making a return in a few years, under the Bring Back My Pack program.  But don't wait that long, it's only available til the end of October!



    Next up are the My Acrylix stamp sets.  You'll find a good mix of stamps in this mini.  From the expected Fall/ Autumn stamps, including Thanksgiving, pumpkins, sunflowers and Halloween themed stamps, to a variety of sentiments- hello, happy birthday, you're a survivor.  There's also a multi- lingual stamp- Just Married Banner (C1806)- which includes sentiments in English, French and Spanish.  And if you're big on animals and zoos/ safaris, then you MUST get African Safari (D1874), with the giraffe, rhino, zebra, elephant, lion and cheetah.  But hands down, the best stamp in the set is C1799- Perk Up!  It has a to-go coffee cup with paper collar and rim stain and is completed with the sentiments "I'm cocoa for you", "thanks a latte" and "happy Pumpkin Spice season"!!

    To round it all off, you'll now find the September Constant Campaign special- Share the Season included towards the end of the mini.  This is a new feature;  it is where you will find other, upcoming specials.  And like these time- limited specials, you will find the Stamp of the Months info at the end of the mini, also.

    So, that's the Sept/ October mini in a nutshell.  You can find the mini online here,  or the link is at the right also.  I hope this review will encourage you to pick up some of these products before they're gone, and inspire you to get out and take some photos of future, heart- warming memories, or to get in touch with an old friend with a hand- made card.    Either way, keep on crafting and have a colorful, cozy Fall!

Sunday 22 September 2019

Be Gentle with me- I'm trying this again. LOL

       I'm back, trying the blog thing again.  Hoping I can keep it going better than before.

       Check here for events (have a few coming up) and links  (have a few new ones).  Please feel free to post any questions you have about what you see here or Close To My Heart products and I will do the best I can to find you the right answers.

What's been happening the last few months at CTMH?
July saw Convention in Provo, Utah, where a number of Big announcements were made.
1. CTMH is moving into the Far East- specifically, Japan!!  Welcome to our fellow Japanese crafters!
WELCOME!

2. We'll now have a YEAR LONG Core Catalogue where you can find information about all the various programs (Cricut, subscriptions, Story by Stacy, Make It From Your Heart, etc), as well as products that will be available all year, the list of inks/ papers/ embellishments, etc.


3.  NEW Card Subscription, like the Scrapbooking subscription, you can order it as yearly, or part- yearly; it gets delivered DIRECTLY to YOU, it's filled with all the cards and die-cuts you'll need, as well as a super- versatile stamp set you can use on other projects!








4.  Cricut- SOOOOO many new goodies!
   - New digi cart, called Complete Creativity!!  Images pre-set for scrapbooking and cardmaking, and so much more!
   - All consultants- including ME!!- are now Cricut Affiliates, ie, you can purchase all your Cricut needs thru our link to Cricut.com (NOT Design Space)- look for the little green Cricut icon at the base of my CTMH shopping page.  (will attempt to add to the blog also)
   -  We now carry HTV and digi images (SVGs) to use on whatever you want, including our New HTV- friendly albums (new sizes available there too!!).  What's HTV?- Heat Transfer Vinyl.  And we carry a variety of colors, including glitter and metallics.  How do you apply it?  With a heat press tool, like the Cricut EasyPress2, available to you as a Hostess Rewards Exclusive, in 2 sizes- 9x9 or 12x10.

5.  We're now in partnership with Melissa Esplin, who's known for her expertise in calligraphy and lettering.  Are you one of the many that won't journal because you hate your handwriting?  We can now help you with that!  We offer a pen set and How-to booklet, showing you how to create beautiful calligraphy to use in all your projects. Too involved for you? We also have several stamp sets, created using Melissa's own calligraphy!

6. This is Stacy Julian's last year with us.  You will find all her best offerings, including the comprehensive StoryTeller, on pgs 16-23 of the Core catalogue.

7. New tools:  the Very New Tri-Blend markers by Spectrum Noir, Stickles glitter glue in a variety of colors, the Stamp Shammy (replaces the scrubbing brush) and a set of 3 Embossing pens!

8. The new Color of the Year is Julep- think darker than Mint and lighter than Clover.  It is available as ink (both dye and pigment!), cardstock, dye ink refill, glitter paper, Glitter gems, Shimmer brush, albums, velvet ribbon and sequins.
9. In addition to Julep, there are several other new colors.  They include: Sangria, Wisteria, Evergreen, Green Apple, Lemonade, Paprika and French Vanilla.  And our black has been updated, too.





10.  In addition to the yearly Core catalogue, we also have a mini catty.  This isn't new.  What is is the the time it's available- only 2 months!!  What this means for you?- you won't have time to get bored looking at the same products month after month;  there are only 2 new paper packs in each mini.  This also means that if there's something you really want, you should buy it, before it's GONE!  You'll also find the 2 Stamp of the Months advertised there, as well as any Big Event Specials, like for National Scrapbooking month, or National Papercrafting month.



11.  And, finally, if you go to my shopping site, you'll see that it's been revamped, to make it easier  for you to find just what you're looking for.