The magic of gift tags

Do you realize the magic of gift tags? I make them to attach them to gifts of course but I also make them a little extra special when I don't have time to make a greeting card. Great time-saver, right? I have found that if you add a little sparkle or bling to a gift tag, the recipient of the gift will hardly notice there is no card attached. And with Christmas just around the corner (I know hard to believe, right?) I need all the time saving magic I can get!

October's stamp of the month, "Share the magic" is a great set for making gift tags. It has a "to" and "from" stamp which is just perfect for tags for any occasion. Plus, with this set you're ready for Christmas stamping for cards, gift wrapping paper or decorations.

You can buy this stamp set for only $26.95 or you can earn it for free (for Close To My Heart sales of $117.50 or more). Take a look at some of the beautiful pieces you can make with it. Remember, this set is only available until October 31, 2010. Email me by October 28 to place your order.

Have you seen this? The new Close To My Heart Idea Book is here!

I've been away on my honeymoon which is very exciting but this is also an exciting time of year for YOU! It's exciting because the new Idea Book is out! What does that mean for you? Lots of new products to get excited about. There are fun papers and stamps to help you can plan projects around Halloween and Christmas (I know, Christmas already?).

There are some wonderful tips and techniques shown in this book too. Stay tuned for news about my craft clubs coming up where we will try some of them out.

You can view this Idea Book online by clicking here. If you would like to order an Idea Book and get it shipped to you, send me an email.

Hey Sis! This one's for you.

It's still strange for me to get used to the idea that I have a sister (in-law), but I do and I'm grateful for that. She emailed me today and said that she loves this idea of the Project 365 but feels that her life is pretty routine so there isn't much that's new in her life to take photos of every day.

Say whaaaat?

Yeah, that was my reaction too! I would be willing to bet dollars to donuts that there is something different about each day, even those days of routine, that is worth taking a picture of.

Here are a few ideas to think about:

• What you ate for dinner
• Filling up for gas (don't you think a picture of the price of gas would be fun to see in 5, 10, 20 years?)
• The shoes you wore
• The bottle of shampoo (toothpaste, deodorant) you used
• The sunset
• The phone/computer you used
• The coffee cup you use every morning
• Who you ate with at lunch/dinner
• Your debit card/credit card

Going to the bank and withdrawing money, brushing your teeth, filling up the car with gas may all seem to be "routine" but don't you think they tell the story of you? In a few months, years, decades, they will have changed and while they may seem routine now, you might get a kick out of seeing them at a later time.

I challenge you (yes, you Sis, and all my other readers) to think outside the box if you're taking on Project 365. If you feel life is routine, use that to your advantage to take photos of the every day objects you use and let that tell the story of you.

Project 365, and counting...

Dear readers, I've missed you! I know I've been away for a while but I'm back and I can't wait to share lots of exciting projects and ideas that I've been doing lately!

What I want to tell you about today is Project 365. Have you heard about it? The concept is simple, you take one photo every day for a year. I've realized as a scrapbooker that I often record/document the milestone events. I'm glad I have a way of looking back through my albums and remembering those special times, but I realized that there are things that happen every day that I am missing in those albums. And yet, I believe our memory is filled with those little moments.

When Taylor McKnight started taking a photo a day on January 1st, 2004, he never imagined the project would not only serve as a way to remember a year, but also help him understand what was important to him in his life. Whether it was his relationships, his career, or his fashion sense, recording a photo a day for a whole year left him with a rich visual history of his life.

From http://content.photojojo.com/tutorials/project-365-take-a-photo-a-day/

I figured a good time to start was when I got married, which was this past July so I've started the project. I don't plan to post every photo on this blog but I will keep you up to date on my journey through this project. If you want to join me in doing Project 365, I'd love to hear from you!

Cherish the Moment - Stamp of the month!
This month's stamp is such a versatile stamp set, it's great for making card invitations, birthday cards, thank you cards...the list goes on! Plus it's interactive because you can use a marker (a Close To My Heart marker, of course!) to check off the occasion that suits your purpose.

See the stamp that has "happy" at the top? You can check off "birthday" or "anniversary" or "day" and make it applicable to your purpose for stamping!

You can also use this stamp set for scrapbooking...want a few more ideas? Check out this artwork from Close To My Heart!

One of my favourite Close To My Heart bloggers (and consultants) created some artwork using our clear cards. See her artwork here.

If you love this stamp set, remember you can get it at a great discount or even earn it for free! Contact me to find out how! It's only available until May 31st.

When life is a bowl of cherries, scrapbook it! (Sneak peak)
If you're like me, new papers and new products make you giddy. Well, just wait until you get a load of the new Close To My Heart idea book!! It comes out May 1st and it is filled with delicious cherry-themed papers, stamps and accessories. Everything is coordinated, as usual, making it super easy to "slap" your pages together (sorry, inside joke from my last Crafty Club). May 1st is when the Summer Idea Book goes live and you will be able to view it right here on my blog.

In the meantime, just to wet your whistle, I thought I'd share a photo of some of the Cherry-O products. Cherry-O uses the CTMH color mix of Tulip, Blush, Chocolate, Sweet Leaf, Crystal Blue and Colonial White. Yummy!


In the meantime, there are so many wonderful products available RIGHT NOW through CTMH. You can view the current Idea Book (Spring 2010) by clicking here.

YOU ROCK!

You do, you really do. You know what else rocks? This month's workshop kit. The paper pack is called "You Rock" and I posted about it a few posts back.

I wanted to finish my sample before the workshop this month and I was amazed how quickly I got it done! Honestly, I probably spent roughly an hour putting it together. That's super fast. Plus, I feel like I hardly used much of the paper pack. There is so much left over and I have a new stamp set from the kit too! The only thing I have left to do with the layout is the journalling. I'm so thrilled with how it turned out, I wanted to share with you. Check it out!

Also, keep in mind, I only used the "basic" kit option so I could add even more embellishments with the "best" kit option but the nice thing is that it is optional.

Interested in doing this workshop with me? Email me to set a date and time.

Hello spring!

Spring is here and with spring comes flowers. That's the theme of April's stamp of the month.
Mother's Day is around the corner and you could use these stamps to make a terrific card for a special mom in your life.

The fun things about these stamps too is that you can colour them in which opens up the possibilities of projects you could make!

Email me to order this stamp! It's only around until the end of the month.

Crafty Club
Last month I had a great time with a few gals who participated in my Crafty Club. I've decided to take one evening a month and offer a "make and take" (a small project). I'll provide the supplies and it only takes about 30-45 minutes. The cost for the make and take is $5 or free with an order of $30 of Close To My Heart products. Then you can stay after the 'make and take' and chat. We enjoyed a glass of wine last time which was a great way to spend a Friday evening.

Here's our project. To make the monkey we used a special technique called "resist embossing." We used the stamp set "Life's A Jungle."

Do you like this monkey card? Would you like me to show you and your friends how to make it? Contact me to schedule your own Home Gathering.

Get started in scrapbooking!
Have you thought about scrapbooking but just didn't know where to start? Trust me, I know the feeling. Don't be overwhelmed. It's just like anything, take it in baby steps.

Step 1: Think about a recent event or special person you would like to scrapbook. Pick just one!
Step 2: Print 4-6 photos of your chosen topic.
Step 3: Email me to book a workshop.
Step 4: Attend workshop (bring your photos) and let me guide you through your first scrapbook.
Step 5: Brag to your friends about finishing your first scrapbook in a few hours! Even your scrapbooking friends will be jealous!

For all the beginners reading this, I'll let you in on a little secret, even "experienced" scrapbookers like this type of workshop because you can finish a layout in no time at all!

Here's this month's workshop. It's called You Rock!
If scrapbooking isn't your thing, you can use the same paper for cards!

Workshop prices range from $35.50 to $46.50. Email me to find out the dates available for this workshop. Workshop prices range from $35.50 to $46.50 CAD.