Saturday, March 28, 2015

Spring Fever = Spring Cleaning

I love Spring!  

I love the mild days, windows open, freshness of Spring.  Along with Spring comes Spring cleaning. 

 That can have a different meaning in the scrapbooking world.  Spring is when I do an equipment check with my Go To Supplies.  These are the supplies that I use for almost all of my projects so they feel the love every time I play. 

You are welcome to use my supplies as a check list to see of any of your workhorse supplies need replacing. 

First and foremost I can not begin to create without a Trimmer that is in good condition.  
Take a good look at your trimmer, is it still cutting straight lines?  Can you still see the grid lines?  When is the last time you changed the blade? 
 Gotcha there!
 When the cut lines start to look frayed it is time to change the blade.

Z1783 $34.95

Z1784  $7.95

Next up are my Micro Tip Scissors. 
 I love these scissors but they see the action.  They are great for all of that detail fussy cutting that we love to do.
  Did I happen to mention that they are Non-stick? 
 Even better!

Z1836  $13.95

If Non-Stick is not your thing then we also have regular Micro-Tips that are just as fantastic, in a non-stick kind of way and they are also a tad cheaper than the non-stick version.

Z534  $9.95

The next item could save your dining room table and the relationship with your mother in law that passed it down to you.

Is yours warped from heat embossing? Can you see the grid lines? How is the foam on the back - is it ink soaked from being a make shift foam mat for stamping? It might be time to replace your Versamat.

Z2045  $19.95

The next three items go together in my mind. They all have to do with stamping and inking.  

Exclusive Inks™ Re-Inker

Are your stamp pads getting a bit dry?  Did you know that you can re-ink them?  I have some stamp pads from 9 years ago that are still performing like new and all I do is keep them inked properly.  

We have all 40 CTMH colors in Re-inkers 
$4.95 each

Sponge Daubers

These little finger savers get worn out and need to be replaced from time to time. I have been known to give one a "hair cut" during a project but there is nothing like a fresh dauber on cardstock.

  3-pack   Z726  $4.50
12-pack   Z1938  $16.95

My Acrylix® Spritz Cleaner

The Spritz Cleaner is the best product to use to keep your Acrylix stamps in the best condition.  It also takes ink off of your finger (or elbows - don't ask) if you are in a stamping frenzy and do not want to take the time to wash your hands in between stamp images.
Are you running low on yours? 

I also keep an old rag slightly damp with the cleaner to wipe off my block edges when using light colored cardstock before stamping the images.  I am a messy stamper but the Spritz Cleaner helps me look like a pro.

Did you also know that once your bottle is empty they make great spray bottles for your homemade glimmer mist? I like to use my bottles when I am "spray" painting with Re-inkers
1778  $4.95

Last but not least - 

E-Z Dots® Adhesive

Our photos would be falling off the pages without adhesive!  Are you running low?  Is your dispenser looking a bit unloved?

3L® E-Z Dots® Adhesive - Refillable permanent adhesive on dot runner, 16 yards/15m.
Z3022  $7.95 each

Z3023  $4.50 each

Duck® Easy-Stick™ Adhesive - 4 – disposable permanent adhesive runners, 7 yards/6.5m each.

Z3033  $18.95

Reminder:



Seasonal Expressions 1 (December - March) will only be live for 3 more days.  The products in this mini catalog will not be available for purchase after March 31st or while supplies last.

April 1st

Seasonal Expressions 2 (April - August) will go live!
You do not want to miss what is in this little gem of a mini catalog.

Friday, March 27, 2015

April Workshop: Seaside


April 23, 2015
7pm to 9pm
1504 High Country Lane
Allen, Texas 75002
RSVP:  Email: jperry@myscraproom.net


Products To Pre-Order:
Workshops on the Go: Seaside Scrapbooking Kit
G1089  $29.95

Seaside Compliments
X7192C  $4.95

Other supplies that are needed:
Basic Kit (your personal supplies)
Paper Trimmer
Scissors
Adhesive 
3-D foam tape
My Acrylix Blocks (if you have them)
Piercing Tool


I will be dreaming about summer with these pages.  Bring your favorite summer beverage and let's play.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

System not working March 25th

I just wanted to send a quick note to let you know that the CTMH system will be on the blink March 25th.

* Online Ordering
* Studio J
* CTMH Websites

March 25th from 10:00 pm to 2:00 am (MDT) 

I know that system being out of order for 4 hours can be hard for some of us but routine maintenance is a good thing.

Monday, March 23, 2015

What Happens At Crop Night......

If you missed crop night last Saturday then you missed the fun. 

 Girl time, Chinese food and paper flying, oh, and digital images. Amy and I traded our SD cards to upload each others Seattle photos.  I think Amy will be working on these photos as a traditional album and I started the processing for a Studio J album.  

I did some quick photo editing and picked out the photos that I want to use in the album then sent them over to Studio J for upload.  While this was working I  finished the assembly of Kaela’s graduation announcements.  Needless to say it was another day of being covered in glitter. I love my life - how many other people get to spend their days covered in glitter?

I will post photos once the announcements are finished.
I was shocked to see that the assembly did not take all of the crop time and I was able to start working on the Seattle album also.  Here is a  screen shot of what I was able to accomplish.
Screen Shot 2015 03 23 at 1 36 08 PM

As you can see on the bottom of the screen shot I have 7 (2 page) layouts done so far.  I am working on my laptop so it is a bit harder because I use a Mac Air and the images are tiny on this machine.  The larger the screen the larger your images will be. 

 When I first thought out this project I was thinking that “Seattle” would be its own album but now that I am working on the pages I think I am going to change my mind from making a “Seattle” album to a “girls weekend” album to document all of up and coming adventures.  I think it would be nice to pull one album down and re-live our many adventures to come.

Amy spent her cropping time formatting and uploading a huge batch of slides to digital format.  So the keyboards were very busy with the two of us.  Jessica was working on her traditional cruise album.  She has made it to the Captain dinner and consider she mostly gets to work on her scrapping during crops she is moving at lighting speed. 

Our next Crop Night is April 11th. You will not want to miss the fun!


Workshop This Week

Do not forget that we are having the "Wanderful" Workshop 
on this  Thursday March 26, 2015.


I can not wait to see you! 

Friday, March 20, 2015

What did I do?

Someone remind me about this next time!  

Just Joking... I really am having fun making Kaela's graduation announcements but they are time consuming.  Here is what I have done so far....


I am pretty sure that I am finished cutting the "2015" with the Cricut.


I thought I better go ahead and address the envelopes just to get an idea about how many invitations I am really making.  So far so good but I am going to stop here for the over night to see if my brain tells me that I forgot someone.

I have the inserts printed, the 2015 cut, envelopes addressed.

Now I just have to assemble the cards - that is for Monday.

What am I doing for Crop Night Saturday you ask? 

 I will be working on a Studio J album for the Seattle trip I just finished last weekend.  I would love to get that done and printed in a flash.  

Come play with me! 

Oh and before I forget...

I am a committee member of the Allen After Prom Party for the high school this year. Prom will be April 25th.  If you notice that I am not "working" my business as much it is only because for the next month (ish) I will be busy helping to make this the best After Prom party there ever was. 

Thank you for understanding.

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Weekend in Seattle

There are times that I feel truly blessed.  You know that I was able to retire early last year so that I can spend more time with the family and travel with my husband more often (business trips) but last weekend I was also able to fulfill a wish that I have had since 2008.

Mike and I first went to Seattle in 2008 when he won a Microsoft programmers contest.  It was an all expenses paid trip to Seattle and an Alaskan Cruise.  BTW if you ever get the chance to travel on the Microsoft dime - they do it right!  We were pampered by the Microsoft people and Seattle made us feel very welcome.  While I was walking around alone or with Mike in the city I kept wishing that Amy could see what I was seeing.  The Public Market alone is worth the trip and I knew she would love it as much as me.

 Late last year I floated the idea of a girls weekend - just Amy & me in Seattle.  I was not sure if she would even want to go. She said YES!  Let the planning begin. I think she had as much fun planning our weekend as we had on the weekend. She also picked the perfect hotel!  

Here are some of the pics.



As you can see our hotel Inn at the Market is in the middle of everything!




We had a corner room and the windows opened! 


Amy is loving the rooftop. 




The Great Wheel is just a tad bigger than Amy thought it would be...


She walked my happy self right up all of these stairs.  Then I found the elevator for the rest of the way up (hee hee).

I love Grey's but do not need another coffee cup in this house so the photo will have to do. 

Then of course we have the final photo....


We had to wake up at the crack of dawn, on a Sunday and only then was the Original Starbuck empty.  Any other time there is a line out of the door with people trying to get in.  Yes it was worth it! 

Now we just have to find a place for the Second Annual Girls Weekend...

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Business Album

Never fear - I am still here... 

I spent the last couple of days (ok maybe a week) catching up on all of those errands I was not able to do during the great ice storm that came to visit.  Grocery shopping was  first on the list before the family moved out.  After putting my home back to it's normal self I looked and saw that it was close to my Seattle trip with Amy.  So of course I have spent a couple of days getting organized and packed for a girls only weekend with my bestie. 

Mike and Kaela are staying home because they have to work.  Amy and I fly out tomorrow and will be home on Monday.  I normally try to blog during my trips but decided this time I would just enjoy the time.  I can blog when I get home.

What have I done as far as scrapbooking?

Well I ordered my Professional Album (all about my CTMH business) from Studio J and it came in last night.  That is when I realized that I have never blogged those layouts.   

While in Boise, ID for the Thriving 30 event we were challenged to keep a professional album,  not only for our own enjoyment but also to show customers.  I remember sitting in the room thinking "that is a neat idea but there is NO WAY I am going to go backwards 9 years and scrap all of that".  Enter Studio J.... it took less than one hour to pull together all of the photos that I wanted to use and  make a professional album.  I am so happy I did this!

They are not in order....













 So I will have to take back my original thought about not wanting to make a professional album.  Not only will I take it back - I will keep this album going and add more pages as I get more photos.

As you can see - my 9 years with CTMH so far have been a blast.

note: I did not start documenting my business until about 3 years in.

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Recruiting on a Roll

Get your business rolling with beautiful organizational pieces from Close To My Heart

Thinking about joining Close To My Heart?

March is the month to do it! During the month of March*, new Consultants who enroll will receive a FREE shoulder tote (a retail value of over $26 USD) with their New Consultant Kit. 

Our New Consultant Kit is just $99 USD and includes nearly triple the retail value in products and supplies. Including your FREE shoulder tote, that is a savings of over $290 USD! 

Additionally, new Consultants who remit $300 (USD) worth of commissionable sales in their first 40 days after their New Consultant Kit ships will receive the rolling tote (a retail value of $149.95 USD) as a FREE bonus (not including shipping/handling)!

These organization pieces are designed to help you get your business rolling, but they are only available while supplies last, so hurry on over and join today!

*Offer valid while supplies last March 1-31, 2015. 
No tax will be charged on the free shoulder tote. The shoulder tote will ship with the New Consultant Kit. For more information on shipping/handling options for the New Consultant Kit, please contact your Independent Consultant. Shipping will not be charged if a shoulder tote is shipped separately from a kit checked out from a sponsoring Director. Shipping/handling will be charged on the full retail price of the bonus free rolling tote, if earned, based upon normal shipping/handling rates.

March Stamp of the Month



Available only March 1–31, 2015

Choose Happy SET OF 14
$17.95 USD

Purchase this D-size stamp set—available for one 
month only—for just $5 with your qualifying purchase. 

That’s over 70% off retail! Simply place an order of $50 
or more in Close To My Heart products to qualify for 
this special Stamp of the Month pricing.