Huge Clearance Sale!

Help, I'm buried in fabulous Close To My Heart Products!

Come to my house on Thursday, 12/30 from 4 to 8 PM and get discounts up to 65% off! Click here for all the details and to RSVP!

Base and Shade Stamping

Creating dramatic images on your stamped artwork is so easy when you use crystal clear Close To My Heart Base and Shade Stamps.








The Something Special stamp set used to create this card is shown to the left. The flower image is created by stamping one on top of the other using a darker and lighter inks to create depth and texture in the image.
Here's how:

1) Stamp the bottom right flower image using the lighter ink onto your project. I used Close To My Heart's Blush ink.







2) Stamp the top right flower stamp image using the darker ink right on top of the lighter flower image. I used Close To My Heart's Hollyhock ink. It's easy to line up the images because you can see through the crystal clear acrylic block and stamp!

Would you like to have a card kit to create this card? Here's how:
1) Click on the word comment below and type in your comments then
2) Email me your US Postal Service address to LindaSDOTS@yahoo.com and I'll send you a card kit to create this card. Offer available while supplies last, so act quickly.

This stamp set is available for purchase. Call me at 408 265-4147 and ask for the Something Special stamp set!

Using a Reverse Mask to Color Line Images

Step 1: Stamp image twice on post it notes or scratch paper.










Step 2: Cut out different parts of each image on the post it notes.












Step 3: Stamp image on your "final project."

Step 4: Cover the "final project" with one of the post-it notes with one part of the image cut out. Using a sponge texture tool, sponge ink on the exposed portion of the image. Remove the post it note.








Step 5: Repeat step 4 for all portions of the image you've cut out. And your final image will be colored perfectly and have a soft "stuffed animal" look.

For a full project sheet Click Here!

Decorated Napkins

It's super easy to create decorative napkins. Select several stamps and stamp along the edge of the napkins in coordinating colors.

Holiday Hostess Gift

Wrap a stack of napkins with a stripe of coordinating B&T paper and wrap with a ribbon to make a nice hostess gift!

Thanksgiving Place Card Goodie Holder

Thanksgiving Place Card/Goodie Holder

Create this fun project to enhance your Thanksgiving Table this year. Click here to view the instruction sheet!

Mistletoe Clear Cards Playshop; October 6!

Create truly unique Christmas Cards this year using Close To My Heart's Clear Cards! Elegant wintry images featured on these festive cards create irresistible "eye candy" you'll be delighted to share. Join us on Wednesday, October 6 at 7 PM at my house in San Jose. Click here for all the details and how to RSVP!

Flip Flaps Give You More Space on Your Page

Close To My Heart's Brand New 12" Flip Flaps give you so much more space to work with. These 12" pockets adhere to your page using the adhesive strip on the flap. This page shows the Flip Flap open, exposing the normally hidden journally and the extra photo. When the Flip Flap is closed, the Title appears (see picture below).

12" Flip Flaps Give You More Creative Options!

Here the Flip Flap is closed showing the page title. This essentially gives me 4 more inches on my page to add just a little bit more scrapbooking without creating another 2 page layout!

12" Flip Flaps are available starting September 1: Item number Z1325, Memory Protectors Flip Flaps (8 per package: 4 - 6"x12", 2 - 4" x 12" and 2 - 8" x 12") for ONLY $3.95!

Sponge Stamping

Sponge Stamping is a fun and easy technique that adds softness and depth to your artwork. As you can see it makes a very beautiful butterfly, and you can also use it on flowers, balloons, whimsical bus and lots lots more! Just let you imagination run wild! Here's how it's done:

Supplies: stamps, ink pads and sponge daubers

Directions:

1. Start with 2 ink colors. Once you get the feel for using two ink colors, experiment with 3 or more.


2. Tap you sponge dauber ion your ink pad. Then pat it on your stamp in the desired area. Repeat with the next color. In the sample, I inked the center butterfly with Hollyhock ink in the center and Clover Meadow on the outside, slight overlapping at the edges. The butterflies on the top and bottom are sponged with a single ink color.


3. I recommend cleaning the stamp between "inkings." That's it! Have fun!
   
   

Using Photo Hangers

Step 1: Poke hole in the ribbon using a piercing tool.

Step 2: Attach photo hanger witha brad by pushing it through the hole. Secure the brad by folding down the prongs on the reverse side.

Step 3: Wrap the ribbonaround the back of your project and serure it by tying a knot through the photo hanger on the front.

Supply list:

Photo hanger, piercing tool and grosgrain ribbon

Just Blooms White Paper Flowers are the BEST!

Here are some fun ideas:

1) Customize your flowers to match your artwork by sponging with ink.

2) Add a brad or button in the center to make flowers "pop!"

3) Apply a few drops of Liquid Glass to create "dew drops!"

You will love playing with this fun embellishment!

Eighth Grade Graduation!

It was so much more fun to scrapbook when my kids enjoyed having their pictures taken! Oh well, it's good to have Evan ready to take on High School!

Unique Clear Cards Playshop

Unique, Creative and Surprisingly Simple! Close To My Heart's Brand New Clear Cards decorated for Summer Splendor!

I offered this playshop at my home early in June and it was so poplar, that I'm offering it again! Gather a group of your friends together for some Summer Fun and create these 4 striking cards! You'll learn new techniques too! Just $12.95* per person pre-paid.

Call Today as my schedule is really filling up! 408 265-4147

*Tax, Shipping and Handling added to all playshop orders.

Get Your Goodie Box Today!

Wednesday, June 2 is a Goodie Box Day!

Get a box filled with popular products at 50% or more off the retail value. Plus you'll get a deal on shipping/handling too!. Purchase the June 2nd Goodie Box today (retail value $200) for only $80!

This is a great way to stock up on Gifts for your paper crafting and scrapbooking loved ones, too.

Click here to get yours now! This offer is available only while supplies last and will be snatched up quickly!

Relief Sanding

Step 1: Choose a distinctive but thin shape such as a spiral clip

Step 2 Place shape under cardstock and sand lightly to bring out the imjpression in the white core.

Technique Supply List:

Spiral Clip or other emelishment of chice

White core Cardstock

Sanding kit

Inspiration! Where do you get yours?

I gave my husband tickets to see Wicked for his birthday yesterday so I used the Wicked picture to the left for inspiration. Fun!

Splendor Flower Card

Created with Splendor papaer, Cherished Flourishes Stamp set.

And it's so fun to make! Want to learn how? Schedule your own Close To My Heart gathering and you and your guests can make it for FREE! Call me for your first choice of dates!

Shop for New Summer Close To My Heart Products in Vacaville, California:
Saturday, May 8, 2010!


I am excited to announce that I will be a vendor at the Scrap Again in Vacaville, CA Saturday, May 8 and YOU can come shop while I'm there!

Shopping is Open To the Public!

Saturday, May 8

Hampton Inn Suites

800 Mason St, Vacaville, CA 95688

10 AM to 6 PM

YES! Scrap Again still has a few spots available so come and scrap with us! Call Randi Fien at (707) 592-9278; email her at Info@ScrapAgain.com or visit the website at http://www.scrapagain.com/.

Bonus: You pay NO Shipping & Handling!

Yes, I'll have lots of Brand New Items from the Summer 2010 Idea Book (available 5/1/10). Choose from hundreds of Close To My Heart's Premium Quality Products including Albums, Papers, Stickers, Stamp Sets, Inks, Workshop Kits, perfectly coordinating Embellishments, Tools, plus lots, lots more!

BONUS: Purchase your own copy of the Summer 2010 Idea Book for just $3 or get it for FREE with your $25 purchase!

BONUS: FREE Make & Take while supplies last!

BONUS: Many Sale Items will also be available.

Shopping is open to the public so if your family is looking for the perfect Mother's Day Gift, send them in with your wish list (visit my website at http://Linda.MyCTMH.com click on Products to view the catalog on-line)!!

Studio J is Finally Here!

Studio J is here TODAY!!!!
Click Here
or go to http://linda.myctmh.com/ and click on Studio J on the left side to give it a try!

You've been waiting and the day if finally here! YIPPEE!!!

Studio J is up and ready to use, and you will be delighted with how easy and fun it is!

There is NOTHING to purchase, download, or update to use the software. The FULL VERSION is available to use for FREE - and you only ever pay for the layouts you want to purchase!

Even better - you work in 2 pages layouts with paper that perfectly matches and coordinates with your existing Close To My Heart papers, stickers, stamps, inks and embellishments! Place traditional and studio layouts side by side in your album and you'll hardly notice a difference!

Journalling is so easy to add by typing it in. You can choose different fonts and the program will automatically fit it into the journalling space, so type as little or as much as you want!

And, because your layouts arrive as separate pages, you can put them ANYWHERE in your scrapbook you want them. The pages are bound forever in a printed book (like Snapfish or Winkflash); you can rearrange your pages just like with traditional scrapping.

For those that love the feeling of texture and layers of traditional scrapping, you can add flowers, ribbons and brads to your printed pages when they arrive. But you don't HAVE to. Studio J layouts look just as fantastic with the studio embellishments AND you can color coordinate them with the click of a button. Try finding a coordinating ribbon, brad and button THAT fast in your scrapbook supplies - I dare you! :)

I've create 5 Studio J layouts and each one took me LESS than 30 minutes! Are you ready to FINALLY get caught up on your scrapbooking? Plus you won't have any wasted prints from Costco. Not only is resizing images a breeze - but you can choose color, black & white or sepia with just a click. It is Faster, Simpler and Easier and best of all Super Fun!

One last thing! Close To My Heart is offering FREE page protectors with the purchase of 5 or more layouts, and FREE SHIPPING with the purchase of 10 or more layouts.

Cherry-O Free Make and Take Project!

I love doing free Make and Take projects at my home gatherings. This darling Cherry-O card is the project I'm featuring in May 2010! You and your guests will get to use Close To My Heart's brand new Cherry-O paper and discover the Rock 'n Roll Stamping technique!

I have two dates left for home gatherings in May so if you'd like to schedule a fun girl's night out and make this charming card for free, contact me right away at 408 265-4147.

Remember, at a May home gathering, you and your guests will also have the opportunity to take advantage of the Miracle Kit special too (click here for details)!

Perfect For Spring Time Scrapbooking!

A Miracle Awaits You!
Get this incredible kit beginning Thursday, April 15!

You’ll love our pretty Miracle kit designed exclusively for National Scrapbooking Month in May.THIS CHARMING SCRAPBOOKING KIT FEATURING spring-inspired colors and floral patterns is miraculously easy to assemble with no stamping required. The Full Color Instruction Brochure will guide you through easily creating 2 beautiful 2-page layouts.

There are several ways to snatch this fashionable Miracle kit at a great discount or even FREE*:

• Purchase the kit outright for $19.95* (CC1009).

• Place a minimum order of $40 and purchase the kit for only $10* (CC1009A).

• Place a minimum order of $60 and purchase the kit for only $5* (CC1009B).

• Sign up as a new Consultant between May 1–31 and receive a kit FREE!

• Host a Home Gathering between April 15–May 31 with minimum sales of $300 and receive a kit FREE!

Amaze yourself and your friends during National Scrapbooking Month in May with gorgeous layouts you create using our Miracle kit. Talk to your Consultant today!

Miracle Kit Contents:
5 – Colonial White Cardstock

1 – Bamboo Cardstock

1 – Floral B&T Duos® Paper

1 – Stripe B&T Duos® Paper 1 – Crystal Blue B&T Duos® Die-Cut

1 – Sweet Leaf B&T Duos® Die-Cut

1 – 6" × 12" My Stickease® Assortment

1 – 6" × 9" Irresistibles™ Chipboard Die-Cuts (this is a NEW product!)

1 – Mini-Medley Accents Colonial White Collection

12" Colonial White Waxy Flax

3 – 4" × 6" Memory Protectors® Flip Flaps™

2 – Sponge Wedges

1 –Full Color Instruction Brochure for 4 pages!Colors: Sweet Leaf, Olive, Crystal Blue, Bamboo

* Tax and shipping/handling apply. Offer valid April 15—May 31, 2010. Limit ofone discounted-price kit per order. Available for a limited time while supplies last. Qualifying minimum purchases do not include Studio J™ orders.

Fear of Photos!

I've noticed that as my children become teenagers, they are less and less happy about having their pictures taken. Perhaps this is "normal." But as a scrapbooker, I am mourning the loss of photo opportunities that used to be as abundant as sunshine in California! Do you have this problem? Have you found a solution on how to help teenagers tolerate having their photos taken? I'd love to hear it! Share your comments below and see other people's comments as well!

Sparkles and Butterflies!

Sparkles!

Here's a clever use I discovered for Sparkles (aka: self adhesive rhinestones): use sparkles for butterfly bodies!

I've created the "motion" of the butterfly across the card using a flourish stamp.

And aren't the latest Just Blooms Paper Flowers Spring Blossom Collection beautiful (the set includes three colors of butterflies & 2 flower styles in 3 sizes)? I've customized the flowers and butterfly by sponging Sorbet ink on the edges.

Supplies used (all Close To My Heart products):

Z1104 Clear Sparkles (72 items per pack!)
Z1266 Just Blooms Paper Flowers Spring Blossom Collection (contains 105 items including butterflies, 2 flower styles in several sizes & 3 colors!)
Z1126 Designer Ribbon Rounds -- Colonial White Collection
X7121B Caboodle Paper Packet
D1212 Playful Flourishes Stamp Set
Z2153 Sweet Leaf Exclusive Inks Pad
Z2164 Sorbet Exclusives Inks Pad
Z1090 Foam Texture Tools
X254 Cards and Envelopes White Value Pack

Create Your Own Paydays!

Have you ever been a waitress? When you go to work you know you'll have money in your pocket at the end of your shift, right? The same is true as a Close To My Heart consultant. Pick the number of paydays you want a month, then schedule that many shows! Simple. And this is the Ideal Time to get started, too. You'll receive an extra 4 Stamp Sets in your kit (value $91.80) when you sign up between now and March 31 at midnight Utah time (that's 11 PM California time); plus there is a fantastic special starting April 15th to help you get your business off to a great start! Call me, Linda at 408 265-4147 or click here for more details.

Chipboard Shaker Box

Chipboard Shaker Box

© 2008 CTMH Co. All rights reserved.All designs original.

Step 1 Cover a chipboard square with paper. Line edges with foam strips, leaving no open gaps.
Step 2 Cover another square with paper, replacing the center with a transparency. Fill bottom square with embellishments and adhere the two squares together using the foam strips.
Technique Supply List
· Dimensional Elements Basic Shapes
· Cardstock or B&T Duos™ Paper
· 3-D Foam Squares
· Transparency
· Embellishments

Texture Tools are Terrific!



Tap your choice of the 4 Texture Tools* into your ink pad, then onto your project to create a variety of interesting textures from soft & even to sharp & angular. In this example, create a dotted pattern by 1) pressing the texture tool onto the paper then 2) twisting to create the textured dot shapes shown.



One of my favorite ways to use the foam texture tool to brush the edges of my paper to create a soft sponged look as shown on the center rectangle on the above Veranda card.

The handles help protect your hands from ink and the flat bottoms allow you to stand the tools between uses.


*Item Z1298, Texture Tools, $9.95; http://linda.myctmh.com/

Scrapbook Expo!

Scrapbook Expo is coming to Pleasanton, CA this Friday, March 19 and Saturday, March 20! Make the Close To My Heart booth your first stop to see all the hottest Close To My Heart products, including:

• The new Snapease Album System that makes adding pages to your albums easier than ever before! Plus, we will have My Legacy Albums, memory protectors and photo storage pages available for purchase that day!



• Flip Flaps that enable you to put even more pictures on each page!



• The latest Papers, Workshops on the Go and Coordinating Stamp Sets including Veranda, Topstitch, You Rock and Caboodle!



• The hottest Embellishments including Tiny Tabs, Filigree Charms, Top Coats and Dimensional Elements in Color.



• 11 Different Make & Takes in the Booth AND at the Crop, featuring a variety of techniques including Decorative Paper Piercing, Paper Distressing, Stamping Techniques, Paper Flowers, Sponging, Waterbrush and so much more!>> Sales and Specials.



• Plus, receive a Free Idea Book with your $25 (pre tax) purchase.Show Bonus: pay NO shipping & handling on your purchases!

To learn more about attending Scrapbook Expo, including pre-registration and directions; visit their website at http://www.scrapbookexpo.com/BA-10/Index.asp

Dare To Dream

More Money In Your Pocket without Abandoning Your Kids to a Babysitter!

If you are passionate about scrapbooking and stamping and love to share your passion with others, then NOW is the time to consider the opportunity to be a Close To My Heart Consultant at a 75% discount (see coupon below)! As a consultant you decide how many paydays you want each month! Plus enjoy the chance to earn recognition, awards, Incentive Trips and much, much more! Close To My Heart offers 24/7 on-line creative and business training plus lots of other on-line resources! Call me to find out if this is the right opportunity for you: (408) 265-4147

Close To My Heart is just about to introduce an exceptional Digital Scrapbooking Product, "Studio J®" that will revolutionize digital scrapbooking forever! Your customers will NOT need to purchase software or maintain their own 12 x 12 printer. Anyone will be able to use Studio J® for FREE and only pay for the layouts they create and love. Catch this wave now as a Close To My Heart consultant as lots more people will be scrapbooking when they discover how easy it is with Studio J!® Click here to learn more about Studio J®!

When you join my team you will have access to personal training from me including: individual and group coaching and monthly team meetings. Our team members have the opportunity to participate at Scrapbook Expo twice a year -- an exceptional way to meet new and enthusiastic customers.

As a 6 time incentive trip earner, Certified Strategy Coach, Advisory Board Alumni and Convention, Leadership and Training Academy Trainer, you will receive exceptional support at every level! Here's how one New Team Member put it:

"I want to honestly share how impressed I am with Linda's level of support and encouragement. I knew that when I planned on joining the CTMH family, that my upline selection would be an important one, and you are exceeding ALL my expectations...so a big thank you!" Heather S

Click on Your Opportunities to sign up or call me at (408) 265-4147 and discover how you can become a part of an exceptional community of like-minded, sharing and support consultants!