Goodbye 2013!!!

It's New Year's Eve! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends, and received some fun crafting supplies to play with in 2014! I also hope you all are planning safe travels this evening and through tomorrow as we all celebrate ringing out the old and in with the new!

2013 has been an amazing year for me, and I could not feel more blessed! I also cannot wait to see what 2014 has in store for me and my family as more fun and exciting things continue to happen! Plus I get to share even more projects, workshops, and Close to My Heart goodies with you all!

   First, though, we need to recognize that December is almost over in a few short hours! There's so much to take advantage of before we say hello to January! If you have not had a chance to order the December stamp-of-the-month yet, it's now or never! "Special Care" is only $5 with a qualifying purchase of $50 or more! Here is a refresher of those cute and adorable images:

   Today also marks the last day to order from the "Holidays from the Heart Gift Guide"! I have used many of the stamps, papers, embellishments, and workshops from the gift guide, and have fallen in LOVE with all of it! There are so many uses for these cute products! You may peruse the gift guide HERE to make sure you have gotten your hands on all your heart's desires before they're gone!

   You also have a few hours left to download the December Christmas tags FREEBIE from the Rediscover series! You can find the download here; Candid Captures' Online Shop.

 
   Last, but not least, today is the last day to take advantage of my gift certificate promotion! This is the perfect opportunity to get those end of the year gifts or even birthday gifts for next year! Plus, remember you get bonus bucks to spend on fun CTMH supplies in the month of February! Check out more details under the Promotions and Specials tab, and Contact Me to order your gift certificates today!

Starting tomorrow there are new promotions and exciting announcements to help kick-off 2014! I hope you all have a very Happy New Year, and I cannot wait to share more CTMH with you in 2014! Happy Crafting everyone, and until next time:

 Here's to life, love, and creativity!

Holiday Run Around and New Consultant Kit!

   I am sorry it has taken me so long to get this posted to the blog! I have been running non-stop since the week of Thanksgiving, and barely have had time to stop and think! I am so behind for Christmas, too! My family Christmas is this weekend and my decorations are only 1/2 up, I still have a majority of my family to shop for, and I haven't even started organizing and making my Christmas card list! There's still time, right?

   I also never had a chance to post the project pictures from December's Workshop Wednesday: Stamp Camp! The three techniques we worked on that day were heat embossing, Rock-n-Roll stamping, and stamp clustering (which we have used in other workshops previously). Here are the examples of the techniques in action:

This card was done using the heat embossing technique in metallic gold/silver mix (to create an Antiqued Gold look). Then I sponged Twilight Blue across the card to mimic snow flurries.

This card was also done using heat embossing using both gold and silver powders. However, I used Versamark on black cardstock for this card to give it a bigger contrast with the metallic colors! The stamp set used for this card was "Magical Days" from the "Holidays from the Heart" gift guide!

This card was also an example of heat embossing using similar techniques as the above card. However, on this card I chose to repeat a border pattern to make my own background paper. Then I sprinkled the gold and silver embossing powders in graduating patterns to blend it across the card. Lastly, I sanded the edges of the black banner and stamped the sentiment in Colonial White pigment ink to give a chalkboard effect. I loved the way it turned out, but decided a little more bling couldn't hurt! So I added Bitty Clear Sparkle Gems in the centers of a few of the snowflakes for added sparkle!

This card was used as an example of the "rock-n-roll" technique using two different colors! The leaves in the wreath were inked in Autumn Terracotta then "rolled" in Ruby ink along the edges to give a two-toned looked to the image. The paper pieces and background piece are from the Huntington paper pack.

This card was a simple example of stamp clustering using multiple colors! I chose a few of the patterns from the Charming Chevrons stamp set. Then I laid them out to line up my spacing and "picked up" the images I wanted to "group" together in a cluster (in the first case it was the large chevron with the small chevron stamped in Lagoon ink). Then on a separate block I picked up the other "cluster" (the zig zag chevron and the circles chevron stamped in Smokey Plum). Once I stamped my pattern I then filled any gaps in the spacing with the small thin chevron in Buttercup ink! The clustering effect allows you to make your own patterned background or to group stamps together to stamp all at once!

This is my second example (a little more detailed) of stamp clustering! To make this card I first stamped the circle images from the Perfect Fit-Holidays stamp set in Slate ink. Then I place a couple snowflakes on my block and stamped those throughout my card in Twilight ink. It still did not feel finished so I stamped the sentiment in the corner in New England Ivy, and the flurry swirls in Bamboo over the rest of the images! I like how it turned out even though the stamps all came from different stamp sets!

   Again, I'm sorry it took me so long to get those photos up to show you! I definitely am playing post-holidays catch up! I hope you enjoyed perusing these cute cards, though!

   I have other fun and exciting news to share as well! I received the Spring/Summer 2014 Idea Book this week! This means that anyone on Candid Captures' Catalog Mailing List will be receiving their copy the first couple weeks of January! The Idea Books go live to the public (and online) starting February 1st! I have been perusing the new product lines already, and LOVE the color schemes coming out (teals, yellows, grays, and browns.....oh my!).

   Close to My Heart also released the new Consultant Kit for anyone interested in joining the company and starting their own business as a hobbyist or consultant! Any new consultants that sign up starting January 1st will receive the new Consultant Kit complete with new products from the Spring/Summer 2014 Idea Book, business materials, and exclusive products for only $99! There's over $300 of products and materials in this kit, and it is FABULOUS! I'm jealous because I cannot get this kit, and I love the stamps and Skylark Workshop that comes with it!

New Consultant Kit! Available January 1-June 30th, 2014!

   New Consultants can also gets this kit for FREE by earning their Straight to the Top sales goal in the first 3 months that they are with the company! That's $300 of products for FREE just for sharing your love and passion of paper crafting with your friends and family! It's an amazing deal, and a wonderful way to kick off the new year! If you would like to learn more information about becoming a CTMH consultant, Contact Me and I would love to share my experience with you! If you are ready to sign up and become a consultant, simply click Join My Team on January 1st to get started with this great company!

   I hope you are all as excited as I am to get your hands on the new Idea Book! The new products look so beautiful and trendy! I am already starting to plan workshops and classes involving these fun products! Keep checking back for the 2014 Event Calendars to be posted!

   Lastly, let's not forget there is still time to order from the Autumn/Winter 2013 Idea Book and the "Holidays from the Heart" Winter Mini-Book! The Holiday Gift Guide will only be available until December 31st, though, so plan your orders accordingly, and Contact Me for any assistance placing your order before the new year! The "Retiring Items" are also going very quickly! You can check for products that will no longer be available in the Spring/Summer 2013 Idea Book on Candid Captures Online Shop. Let me know if you have any questions, or are looking for something in particular!

   I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas, and I look forward to seeing all of you in the new year! Happy Crafting, and until next time:

Here's to life, love, and creativity!

Final days to order for Christmas delivery!

   I hate to say it, but there's only 16 days until Christmas! This means that this Wednesday is the final day to get your CTMH orders submitted in time for Christmas delivery!

   I will be putting in an order this week, Wednesday at the latest! So Contact Me today to get all your holiday shopping items checked off! 

   I hope you all had a great weekend! I am decorating all day today and trying to clean the house at the same time!

This is from 2009, but I love it so much I had to share!

Have a warm and wonderful week! Until next time;

Here's to life, love, and creativity!

Major Updates and New Clearance Items!

   Happy Friday, everyone! I have some major updates to report to you today! Some huge things were just made known to us from corporate! First off, there are a LOT of new clearance items in the "While Supplies Last" section of Candid Captures' Online shopping site! Check it out today because these new items will not last long! You can order online anytime and have it shipped to your home directly! It is an easy and great system! So go grab your SUPER discounted goodies today to kick off your weekend!

* more updates listed below*

   Now for the updates: I just found out these new updates EARLY this morning (had a bit of insomnia around 2AM). I wanted to pass these updates onto you guys so you were up-to-speed on all the new changes:

1. Memory Protectors™ 50-Pack Shortage
The 50-pack of Memory Protectors™ has seen a dramatic increase in sales in the past weeks since it was listed it on the retired list—in the first week of December alone CTMH has sold as many of this item as they normally sell in a month! Unfortunately, CTMH is not in a position to support this product selling at such an unprecedented rate. They have determined that in order to avoid a complete outage of Memory Protectors, the 50-pack must be discontinued. Item Z4115 will be made permanently unavailable at 11:59 pm (MST) on Friday, December 6. UPDATE: As of 8AM this morning, CTMH has sold out of all 50 pack Memory Protectors. This item is now officially discontinued and retired. The 10 pack Memory Protectors are still available for purchase for $8.95 a pack.

**Candid Captures has ordered extra 50 pack Memory Protectors ahead of time to accommodate any Album Value Pack orders coming in this month and next! Do not worry if you wanted to still take advantage of this special deal, all items listed in the value pack are still available at the discounted price!**

2. New Paper Trimmer Option Available
There is a new option for a paper trimmer: the more compact Euro Personal Paper Trimmer. This item, Z338 can be viewed in the shopping section of Candid Captures' Online Shopping Site and purchased for $29.95. Replacement blades we offer are designed to work with both the Z1783 Surecut™ Deluxe Craft Paper Trimmer and the Z338 Euro Personal Paper Trimmer.


3. Small Organizer Temporarily Unavailable
Item Z4138 Small Organizer has been placed on extended backorder. This means the item will be unavailable to order until we have more in stock, which we expect will be at the end of December. If you were planning on ordering this item, Contact Me, and I will put you on my waiting list!

4. Corporate Office Holiday Closures
The corporate office will be closed at the following times through December and January:
December 17 beginning at 12:00 pm (MST)
December 24–25
January 1

   All Christmas orders must be placed by December 10th in order to get them in time for the holiday! Contact me today to place your holiday orders or to order the perfect stocking stuffer; a CTMH gift certificate! Enjoy your Friday, everyone! Until next time,

Here's to life, love, and creativity!

"Rediscover Joy" Freebie and a Giveaway!!!

   I hope this finds you all enjoying the beginning of December so far! As I type this, it is snowing big, fat, fluffy snowflakes outside! I love it! It's so pretty! This probably means I should finish my decorating before the inches start piling on! Oh well....I will enjoy the scenery for now! :)

   With the beginning of the month comes the beginning of a new FREEBIE download from CTMH's Rediscover series! This month CTMH's theme is "Rediscover Joy", and the download features cute Christmas tags to use for this season's gifts! You can download these FREE, printable tags on my online shopping site, Candid Captures Shop! Make sure you get yours downloaded before it expires at the end of the month!

   There is also a CTMH giveaway on the company's founder, Jeanette Lynton's, blog! She is giving away a Workshop On the Go kit of your choice! You can enter by leaving a comment on her blog, Facebook, or YouTube by December 31st to win! Make sure you enter and see rules of the contest under the blog post, "All Play and No Work" contest (posted November 30th)!

  
   Lastly, there is only a week and a half left to take advantage of the "Picture My Life" promotion by signing up to be on my team! Close to My Heart is an amazing company to work for, and the commitment to sell is very minimal (compared to many other direct sales companies). You only need to sell the equivalent of $75 a month to make a base commission of 22% on your sales and hold the title of "Independent Consultant". However, there's always the possibly of increasing your sales commissions, earning free products based on sales, and earning incentive trips to very fun vacation destinations based on yearly sales! Plus, if you sign up right now and sell $300 in product by March 31st (that's still only $75 a month), you will qualify for your choice of one of the brand new, soon-to-be-released, "Picture My Life" project kits for FREE (a retail value of $24.95)! 

   On top of all that, you will have signed up before the release of the Spring/Summer 2014 Idea Book & Catalog, so you will be one of the first to see all the new products coming out in February 2014! It's a great way to continue to get the products you love for a discount, plus you can share your passion for paper crafting with others very easily as a consultant! Join My Team today to get started with your consultant kit FULL of goodies (deeply discounted to you as a new consultant) or Contact Me to ask more about this amazing opportunity! What do you have to lose? Awesome Company! Awesome Products! Awesome Opportunity! Get started today!

   Have a wonderful rest of your week, and until next time;

Here's to life, love, and creativity!

Delightful December!

   Welcome to the first day of December! I LOVE December! Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday, and this time of year is so inspiring and full of joy! I soak it all up! Plus the first signs of snow, the amazing food and decorations.......it's just beautiful! I love it all!

   The first day of December means the first day to show you the awesome stamp-of-the-month, "Special Care"! This cute stamp set has awesome tags with phrases on them for decorating home decor, finishing cute layouts, and making fun cards! I am definitely into the "tag" trend right now, so this is perfect! Here's a peek at it:

   December also brings with it (typically) lots of pictures! I know I tend to take the most pictures over the Christmas holiday; especially of my adorable nieces and nephews opening their gifts! So I decided to offer Candid Captures' Album Value Pack a whole month earlier than previously announced! Plus, who doesn't like a good deal in time for Cyber Monday?!?!?
 
   So I bet you would love to know what all comes in this amazing Album Value Pack! Well get ready for this awesome deal because this is what comes in the kit:

1.) Your choice in color of one of CTMH's My Legacy Faux Leather Albums (pg. 135)
2.) A 50 pack of our fantastic 12"x12" Memory Page Protectors (Z4115)
3.) Your choice of one of the following additional packs:
      a.) 15 of the 4"x6" Flip Flaps (Z4114) and the 12" Assortment Flip Flaps (Z1325)
            or
      b.) 10 of either the Horizontal (4113) or the Vertical (Z1324) Memory Protector Pocket Pages
4.) A complete set of CTMH's 12"x12" Spine Expanders (Z4120)
5.) and 12 of the 1/2" Extender Posts (1010A)

   If you were to order all of these items separately, it would cost you $75.80 retail (including S&H and tax). However, if you order these items in the Album Value Pack during the months of December or January, you can get all of this for only $66.70 (including S&H and tax)! That's a savings of 12% off the retail value!
 
   You can only get this Album Value Pack when you order through me so make sure you Contact Me today to get your hands on this amazing offer during the months of December and January!!

   I am super excited to bring this new promotion to you all! If you would like to see any of these products before you purchase the kit, contact me to set up a product meeting! I would love to show you this great product bundle! Happy Cyber Monday shopping, everyone, and until next time:

Here's to life, love, and creativity!

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

   I hope everyone had a wonderful and relaxing Thanksgiving! We had my family up visiting and enjoying the holiday with us! So of course we made too much food and had a ton of fun!

   However, it now means that November is nearing to a close, and with that means a last chance at the cute November stamp-of-the-month, Illuminate! Today is the last day to get this adorable and versatile stamp set in your collection! You have until midnight tonight to order online or you can contact me to get your SOTM added to your qualifying order! All orders submitted to me need to be received by December 3rd in order to qualify, though! Don't delay in getting this stamp set today!

  The "Holidays from the Heart" gift guide and the "Picture My Life" consultant promotion will still be continuing into December, but plan ahead because shipping will be slightly delayed with holiday shoppers ordering fast and quick!

   The other promotion still going on in December is Candid Captures' gift certificate promotion! It's the perfect gift for your special crafters, but also comes with a special bonus just for you! Through December 2013, for every gift certificate purchase of $50, you receive a special $10 gift certificate for yourself to use in the month of February (when the new Spring/Summer 2014 Idea Book is released!). So that's $10 of FREE product for EVERY $50 you give! A little "Merry Christmas" gift for yourself to use on NEW products!!

   It is an amazing deal, but only available when you order your gift certificates through Candid Captures before December 31st! Stock up on your gift certificates for the holidays or even for upcoming birthdays in 2014! Either way, you still get your extra $10 to use in February! Contact me today to get your orders started before the holidays!

   Here's to another amazing month come and gone, with one of my favorite months on the horizon! Stay tuned for more special, promotions, and sneak peeks coming up in December! Until next time:

Here's to life, love, and creativity!

"Picture My Life" Scrapbooking Program

   Here is my LONG overdue post about the "Picture My Life" consultant promotion! You still have a couple weeks to sign up, so check out all the information below to get the scoop!

   November is the start of a new consultant promotion from Close to My Heart! Now is the perfect time to sign up to be a CTMH Consultant! Not only do you get great products for 22-30% off every time you order, but the new consultant kit of your choice (Essentials Kit for $49 or the Master Kit for $99) comes with a BRAND NEW, never-been-seen product package that is releasing in the Spring/Summer 2014 catalog! I will give you a quick clue....the new product package is for quick and easy scrapbooking using minimal supplies for maximum results! A CTMH twist on a Project life-esque system called "Picture My Life"!

   When you join my Candid Captures team from November 1 to December 15 and submit qualifying
personal sales* by March 31st, 2014, you’ll receive a stunning new product, the Picture My Life scrapbooking program absolutely FREE (retail value $24.95)! Select from eight awesome and trendy themes, from vacation to friendship to childhood; each featuring 122 double-sided cards plus 10 unique Memory Protectors to put it all together! Here are some sneak peeks at the new kits releasing February 1st, 2014:

Here are details about the "Picture My Life" program from Close to My Heart directly:

   "This [scrapbooking] program comes in eight themes, all based on the gorgeous designs of some of our most popular paper packets. Whether you choose to embrace a single theme or mix and match for a truly unique look, you’ll love the ease, affordability, and beauty of the Picture My Life programs. Your own photos are all you need to add to make astounding artwork—in no time at all!"

    "Each program has a theme, from childhood to friendship to travel, but because we have ensured sufficient variety in design and style of each you can easily apply the cards to other themes. Say you love the palette and designs of the Babycakes program but wish to apply a “family” theme—go ahead! It’s one of the unique differentiators and possibilities of the program! With a large quantity of product in each program you will be able to craft creative arrangements all your own. Each program includes 122 double-sided cards plus 10 unique Memory Protectors™ to capture life as it happens, and their versatility and gorgeous designs will transform your albums into masterpieces. On one side of each card is space for journaling, and on the other you’ll find artistic sentiments and icons. Each program is designed to accommodate approximately 100 photos in your included Memory Protectors, so with a balance of photos and cards, you’ll finish with about 20 remaining cards. That means you have plenty of choice and flexibility in which cards you choose to include, making it uniquely yours! Of course, you can easily use more or fewer photos in your project to suit your story’s needs."

   Unique to Picture My Life is the included 12" × 12" double-sided cover page with each individual program, using a beautiful My Reflections™ pattern. True to Close To My Heart standards, the cover page offers a finished and cohesive look to your project with its featured high-quality design. The Picture My Life program is so versatile that you’ll find dozens of other ways to incorporate it into your papercrafting. Use the cards to expand other projects you’ve started! For example, if you just got back from the trip of a lifetime and wonder how you will capture all the details, mix the Picture My Life cards with your photos to extend your scrapbook pages. Choose your very favorite photos to scrapbook on 12" × 12" two-page layouts then use coordinating Picture My Life cards and your remaining photos to document the rest of your trip in minutes."

   "This program is yet another new, fresh addition and option for memory keepers to preserve their memories. The cards enhance the scrapbooking experience—making it even more fun—and they work brilliantly in mini albums, My Crush™ books, as journaling cards on your 12" × 12" classic scrapbook pages, or as gift cards and tags."

   I hope you're as excited about this as I am! I would love to have you join my creative team to get started as a CTMH consultant! There's no obligation to sell, and you do not need to keep products on hand! It's such a great company to be a part of, and who wouldn't want all the great goodies? Contact me today to sign up for my team and to learn more about this awesome opportunity or click Join My Team to start filling out my short and quick application form today!

   Here is a quick video talking more about this promotion and showing all the Picture My Life programs together:

 

   I cannot wait to get my hands on this amazing new product! Let me know if you have any questions or would like to get started with your papercrafting career today! Until next time:

Here's to life, love, and creativity!

*New Consultants must submit $300 in qualifying orders by March 31st, 2014 to receive this FREE offer. That's only $60 a month that you need to sell from November-March! It's THAT easy!*

It's Friday!

   Another week gone by.....these holidays are creeping up awfully fast! I am super excited, though, to spend our first holiday season in our new house! I already started pre-planning the decorating in my mind, but I refuse to put up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving! I just cannot do it! However, Pinterest is starting to temp me otherwise!

   Enough thinking about Christmas! I have big announcements today that demand more attention! Let's first talk about a few new things with Close to My Heart, and then we'll talk about the upcoming December Workshop with yours truly, Candid Captures!

   Yesterday, CTMH re-vamped the Online Shopping sites to show what the upcoming "Retired Items" will be for Spring/Summer 2014! I love this because now you can shop for the retired items online in one place in order to get all your favorites before they are gone! Simply go to Candid Captures' Online Shopping site, click on "shop" at the top of the page, scroll down through the shopping categories on the left toward the bottom where you can click on "Retiring Items". This will bring up an area where all the items can be found! No more searching through the whole site! Start adding your favorites to your cart, ship them directly to your house, and start enjoying these "last chance" goodies!

   These items will no longer be available in the Spring/Summer 2014 Idea Book & Catalog. So stock up now before they are all gone! Here are some images of the items that CTMH is retiring at the end of January:

   There are some good items on there, so start shopping online or Contact Me today to get your "Retiring Items" now!

   The next item you should check out today, if you have not already this month, is the FREE Subway Art download from Close to My Heart! This is part of the Rediscover series that CTMH has been doing for the duration of the Autumn/Winter 2013 Idea Book! This download is only available until the end of November, so make sure you download it this weekend!

    You can find the download on Candid Captures Online Shopping site as well! This free download would be perfect as a title card on a layout, a card background for a "Just Because" card, or as a "Picture My Life" 3x4 or 4x6 card! It is super cute, but act fast because the end of November is approaching quickly!

   The last thing I have for you today is more information for December's Workshop Wednesday! December's Workshop Wednesday is on the 2nd Wednesday of the month, the 11th, from 12-2pm and again from 6-8pm! This is a special "Stamp Camp" Workshop where we will be focusing on a few stamping techniques, tips, and tricks!

   We will be playing with embossing techniques, "Rock-n-Roll" techniques, and stamp clustering! Even if you already use these techniques in your every day stamping, this workshop will show and teach some more new and fun ideas to help inspire you on your next project! This workshop is only $5 and will include 3 cards using all 3 techniques! I will try and post pictures of a couple examples of these technique-y cards over the weekend, so check back soon! Workshops are starting to fill up fast, so make sure and RSVP for your seat today! Children 10 and older are welcome to participate with a parent or guardian!

   I cannot wait so show you these fun techniques right before the holidays! Plus it is always fun to get together and start creating fun projects! Make sure and Contact Me to RSVP by December 4th for this fun and special workshop event!

   I hope this finds you all doing well and enjoying your Friday! Have a wonderful weekend, and until next time:

Here's to life, love, and creativity!

Manic Monday!

   I have a lot of of fun things to share with you today! First of all, thank you to Jessica and Heather this last week for hosting a couple of awesome gatherings! Jessica's party was two Sundays ago, and she chose to make fun and festive paper ornaments as her "make-n-take" project! Jess earned a TON of free product at her party! I cannot wait to see what she makes with it all! Here are a couple pictures from that gathering:

Rosette ornaments using the Sparkle & Shine paper pack

All the ladies and their finished projects!

   I had such a great time, ladies! Thank you so much for having me! I look forward to making more trips down there to get our paper crafting on!

   Heather's party was this past Saturday, and she chose to make a super cute holiday card as her "make-n-take" project! Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures during the party. So here is a picture of the project we worked on at the gathering instead:

Holiday card featuring Sparkle & Shine paper, "Trim the Tree" stamp set, and "Perfect Fit-Holidays" stamp set!

   Heather also earned awesome freebies at her gathering and hit all her goals, too! Thank you to all the ladies that attended Heather's party! I always have a ton of fun with you girls, and I cannot wait to plan more fun get-togethers with you all!

   If you would like to book a gathering with Candid Captures, Contact me today to get started earning your free products and planning your girls night out!  

   For those of you that could not join us for the Sparkle & Shine Mini-Album Workshop last week, there is good news! I have a few extra kits still available for purchase and shipping! Here is what the mini-album looks like:

See more pictures on this previous post.

   The album is pre-cut and pre-stamped and comes with assembly instructions for $10. Shipping and Handling is $5.50 for anywhere in the United States (if you live close you may also arrange for pick-up or drop-off)! I also used the Sparkle & Shine Complements set to complete my album. You may purchase your own Sparkle & Shine chipboard embellishments with your kit for only $6.88 (which includes shipping, handling, and tax!). That's a total of $22.38 for this awesome 10 page mini album to be shipped to your door! :) Contact Me today get to yours now!

   Lastly (I told you there was a lot today!), I wanted to share with you the Studio J layouts I completed and ordered last Thursday! I cannot wait to see these beauties in person! They were so much fun to create, and were SUPER reasonable to order and print (about $3.50/page!!!)! If you are unfamiliar with Studio J, you NEED to check it out here. It is a free program to use, and you can play around with current paper collections as well as past collections that you no longer can order! All you need is your CTMH online log-in. If you do not have one yet, you can create one and start playing right away! It's really quick and easy, and you can come back to your projects over-and-over without cluttering up your space (.....umm...like my craft room) or without purchasing a TON of products just to complete one layout spread (....yay crafting hoarders unite!!)!

Here are the 3 layouts I ordered:

I had a preview of this project in an early post, but this is the completed 2-page layout using the digital Sarita paper line and complements! I love how it turned out with all the colors!

This is my cute niece getting a sink bath one of the times I was back home visiting my parents. I used the digital Claire papers and complements to complete this 2-page layout! I plan on adding some bubble stickers I have after I receive the printed version to give it a more kid bath feel!

I am SUPER excited about these "layouts"! See below for more information and how to create your own Christmas photo cards!

   As promised, I want to tell you how to make your very own (and SUPER cheap) Holiday Photo Cards using Studio J! I scrap-lifted this idea from a pin on Pinterest I saw last week from Jen Patrick, a director with CTMH! I was so excited I could not WAIT to start playing with this idea!

   This is how I did it (not sure if this is the easiest way, but it worked for me)! When you log into Studio J, click on Create New Project --> Upload Photos Later --> Create your own custom layout --> Sparkle & Shine digital kit --> Continue. Now you need to select your layout style. I wanted to be able to size and add pictures where I wanted, so I selected the "No Limits" layout pattern --> Continue. The next window will prompt you for a kit mix. It does not matter what you select because you are designing your layout from scratch. So click one and select continue! Now to the designing!

   I added four 4"x8" journaling boxes to each page. I arranged them to get the maximum amount per page with a 4"x4" space open in the upper right corners. I used journaling boxes because you can add papers and writing to these to customize them for what you want! Then I added 3 1/2"x3 1/2" photo areas to each journaling box. If you want it to be perfectly aligned and the same, make one photo card, select the journaling box and photo area together, copy it, and paste it all over your page! You could make them all the same photo card or all different (like mine!). It's completely up to you!

  Last, I embellished my photo cards using the digital Sparkle & Shine complements, titles, and quotes! I love how they turned out, and I cannot wait to use this same idea for party invitations! The options are endless! All you have to do is design it using your favorite products! Now here's the even better part! Each photo card ends up costing around $1.00 each, and is a quality print on quality paper! You cannot beat that price ANYWHERE! I love it!

   If you have any questions on using Studio J, or how to purchase layouts to start your holiday photo cards, Contact Me today and I will help you get started! Also, if you would like me to design your family's holiday photo cards this year using Studio J, Contact Me to arrange pricing and details!

   I hope you felt inspired and excited to see all these fun goodies on the blog today! I cannot wait to work on more projects to share with you! Until next time:

Here's to life, love, and creativity!

Happy Friday, Paper Crafters!

   As many of you know, I have been going going going lately! I finally had the last two days to sort-of catch up on life, but that doesn't mean I'm completely caught up! Just a little closer!

   I know I still owe you a post on the latest Consultant Promotion, "Picture My Life"! It is in "draft" mode still, but I am hoping to have it completed and updated by Sunday! Trust me, though, it's worth all this waiting to see a few awesome new products coming out this Spring! Here's an awesome video giving sneak peeks at these new "Picture My Life" kits, and for any of my old "Creative Memories" consultants looking to continue their passion in a paper crafting business! Contact Me today to join my team and start your own business now!

   

   So much is going on right now, that I just had to share with you today! For those of you that have not heard....Candid Captures is running a gift certificate promotion for the holidays! Starting November 1st - December 31st, 2013, for every gift certificate purchase of $50, you receive a special $10 gift certificate for yourself to use in the month of February (when the new Spring/Summer 2014 Idea Book is released!). So that's $10 of FREE product for EVERY $50 you give! A little "Merry Christmas" gift for yourself to use on NEW products!!

   It is an amazing deal, but only available when you order your gift certificates through Candid Captures before December 31st! Stock up on your gift certificates for the holidays or even for upcoming birthdays in 2014! Either way, you still get your extra $10 to use in February! Contact me today to get your orders started before the holidays!

   While we are talking about the holidays, I wanted to let you know what the ordering schedule is going to be like! For anyone needing to place orders for Christmas, I am requesting all Christmas orders be received by December 11th at the latest! That way it gives me time to get your goodies to you and enough time for shipping (considering it's the busiest time of year for shipping)!

   Close to My Heart's corporate office with be closed November 28-29th for Thanksgiving, during the afternoon of December 17th for an employee party, and December 24-25th for Christmas! So please plan accordingly if you have orders to place during these busy holiday times!

   Last update for today is about one of our fantastic products! The Memory Page Protectors are going to be increasing in price for the Spring/Summer 2014 Idea Book! Production costs have increased, and so CTMH had to respond by increasing the prices of these items! The official price has not been released yet, but it sounds like it will be a small reasonable increase!

   If you would like to stock up on these page protectors before the price increase, though, visit Candid Captures Online Shop to order yours online or Contact Me to place your order before January 31st! 

   I hope all of you have had a wonderful week so far! Check back here on Monday for some project inspiration and fun tips and tricks for completing those holiday photo cards! :) I cannot WAIT to show you! Until next time;

Here's to life, love, and creativity!

Mini Album Workshop

   I am so excited to share November's Wednesday Workshop with you! I had a ton of fun designing this project for the month, so I really hope you enjoy these sneak peeks! This event will be held at my house on the 2nd Wednesday of the month from 12-2:00pm and again from 6-8:00pm! We will be making a mini album using the new "Sparkle and Shine" paper pack and the Artbooking Cricut Cartridge! The cost of this workshop is only $10 per person and includes all the pre-cut pages and embellishments ready for assembly! Attendees may want to bring holiday or Christmas photos to arrange in their mini albums to complete the album the day of the workshop. However, bringing your photos is not mandatory to attend the workshop!

Cover of the Sparkle & Shine Mini Album

Pages 1 and 2 of the Sparkle & Shine Mini Album ( I still need to finish my journaling on these pages)

Pages 3 and 4 of the Sparkle & Shine Mini Album

Pages 5 and 6 of the Sparkle & Shine Mini Album (more journaling to complete yet)

Pages 7 and 8 of the Sparkle & Shine Mini Album (page 8 is a pocket page!)

   There will also be Sparkle & Shine Complements Dimensional Elements available for purchase during the workshop to help attendees embellish and complete their albums! The cost for the Complements is $6.88 ($5.95 + shipping & handling + tax). These are two 6"x12" pages full of chipboard die-cut pieces that match the Sparkle & Shine papers perfectly! They are super cute and really easy to use and layer, and I used many of these pieces in my example mini album (as you can see in the picture peeks)! 

   Anyone unable to attend the workshop, but wanting to purchase the workshop may contact me through email, phone, or Facebook to place their order for a kit!

   Please RSVP for the workshop using the "Contact Me" tab or on the Facebook page by November 11th! I look forward to seeing you all in a little over a week!

   I also will have more details and information posted soon on the "Picture My Life" promotion! I wanted to have it up this last weekend, but we have been busy since we have been here in Florida! Keep checking back, though, as more information will be posted throughout the week! Until next time:

Here's to life, love, and creativity!