February '09 Newsletter

I can't believe it's almost the end of January already! Wow this year is flying by faster than imaginable.

I've been busy busy busy making plans and lists and brainstorming ideas for the upcoming

National Scrapbook Weekend
Crop Around The Clock
May 2nd & 3rd, 2009.

That's only 14 short weeks away! I'll be sending out registration forms this weekend. If you would like one sent to you leave a comment on this post and I will forward one to you when they are available.

*** Put on your thinking cap too ..... I'm still brainstorming ideas and the more input I get the better! ***


My website http://www.kdann.myctmh.com/ has been 'new and improved' and now has some new and improved technical issues and my 2009 calendar pages have been wiped clean. I've entered upcoming crop dates numerous times but they don't want to stay put so for now please don't refer to the calendar on my website for crop info. Below is the information on upcoming crops.


Upcoming Dates to Remember

Crop: Saturday January 31st **that's THIS weekend! 10am to 10pm

Cost: $10 includes a few scrapping goodies, use of my stamps/inks/tools and a quick product demo and stamping technique class featuring a few of my favorite things including one of my new fav tools that I don't know how I ever lived without.

As usual, coffee & snacks are provided. (I'm hoping to have some yummy leftovers from my Epicure party the night before to bring along. Mmmmmm ) Bring your own lunch/supper - there is a full kitchen available.

Who will be this month's Mystery Hostess? All orders placed on or before the day of crop will be entered to receive the hostess rewards for the day. *If you cannot attend but would like to place an order, please contact me by Friday afternoon to be eligible to be the Mystery Hostess.

Can't make it to crop? Be sure to check out my blog next week for an online version of the class.


Mark your calendars for crop dates on:

February 21st - Class info: Scallops are a hot new trend lately and I'll show you some products and tips and tricks for making and using scallops on your layouts and cards.

March 21st - Class info: Extreme Makeover - Chipboard Edition. Come check out what you can do with a few products and tools to make your chipboard alphabets and accents POP!

*Please contact me to let me know you will be attending crops. It makes setting up easier when I know how many people to expect and so I have enough product on hand for everyone.
January Crop Attendance: Christine, Marlene, Hazel, Heather D, Judi, Anita, Heather C, Anne,
(if you aren't on the list and will be joining us please let me know )

Sales, Specials and Other News


Key To My Heart (click to view National Papercrafting Month/Key to My Heart info)

There are just a few days left of National Papercrafting Month. January 31st is your last chance to get the Key To My Heart special. My set arrived a couple days ago and I have to say.....WOW!!!!!
The paper is even more delicious in person and the stamp set leaves me speechless.
More details are also posted here on my blog and I'll be posting some artwork today as well.


Stamp of The Month (click to view past/present/future stamp of the month sets and artwork)

Don't forget the time-limited January Stamp of the Month set available until the 31st This calendar stamp set has limitless potential. What an original way to 'date' the event featured in a layout with a calendar image and the date circled.

February Stamp of the Month (available from Feb 1-28) features Easter egg shapes in a huge variety of patterns and designs. Again the potential of this set is limited only by your imagination.


Celebrate Good Times

Starting February 3rd (which just happens to be my birthday) until the 28th, everyone who purchases MyAcrylics stamp sets totaling $31.25 or more (K-size customized, Stamp of the Month, and any discounted retired sets excluded), will receive a totally cool, custom-designed B-size stamp set, appropriately titled "Good Times." It's a celebration-themed set, with a variety of fun party icons and sentiments like "let's party" and "hip hip hooray" that are oh, so versatile. The reason we are celebrating is that 2009 marks 25 years of business for Jeanette Lynton, founder and CEO of Close To My Heart and that is definitely something to celebrate.

Discontinued Items at a Discount

Any remaining stock of items that were discontinued on December 31st have now been added to my website. You can find these remaining items in the DISCOUNTED section of the shopping cart and are available while supplies last. You will notice there are NO stamp sets listed on this discounted section. Due to the fact that the Good Times special features stamp sets, in order to avoid any confusion, discontinued stamp sets left in stock will not go into the discounted section until after the end of February when the Good times special has ended.



~ Kirsten

Welcome 2009

Wishing you all a Happy New Year!

I've never really gotten into making a list of resolutions for the New Year but for some reason I feel like setting a few scrapping related 'goals' for 2009. For the last couple years I've felt less than productive when it comes to my scrapbooking and I've been trying to think of reasons why. In the past I've participated in challenges with some sort of goal-oriented end result and they really forced me to sit down and get to it rather than just think about it.

While reading my latest issue of Creating Keepsakes, I came across an article that really interested me. The idea surrounds the concept of taking at least ONE picture EVERY DAY for the entire year and then scrapping them. The album pages are broken down by week so that at the end of the year you would have 52 pages and a record of the day to day happenings of your life. I've fallen in love with this idea. I may not actually go so far as do make the weekly pages with what happened each day of the week etc but I'm totally into the taking the every-day pictures part. I tend to forget about taking pictures unless there is a specific event going on (and even then I forget too).

There was a time that I used to scrap almost daily even if it was only for 15mins at a time. It was my 'me-time', my time to relax and unwind. To re-spark my creativity and get myself scrapping I'm going to set a goal to make at least one layout (either one or two pages) each week this year - aside from any pages I may make specifically for demonstration purposes and/or pages completed at crop days.

While I'm setting goals for this year, I just thought of another one. PRINTING pictures. Since going digital a few years ago, my computer has filled up with beautiful photos but I rarely take the time to get them printed. I'm making it a goal to have photos printed at least once a month this year. I figure if I'm making at least one scrapbook page a week this year the photo albums I store my pictues in will empty out quickly so I'll need to replace those scrapped photos with a whole new batch of memories waiting to be scrapped.

So, there they are. My 3 scrapping related goals for 2009:

1. Take at least one daily-life picture every day.
2. Make the time to scrap at least one layout each week.
3. Have a batch of pictures printed each month.
and all of those add up to a 4th goal........
4. Have a scrapping good year!

What are your scrapping goals for 2009 ?

Twas the Night Before Christmas.....17 Years ago

This layout was one I did for a contest sponsored by 3M a few years ago. The theme of the contest was Weddings and I fell in love with this CTMH paper pack. The paper has since been discontinued but my hubby secretly bought me a small supply of it right before it disappeared so I could recreate this layout (I had to send in the original layout for the contest and knew it would not be returned to me...very hard to part with it after all the hours I put into it)

Order Update

Finally - after the backlog caused by the US Thanksgiving holiday and issues with UPS/Purolator (don't get me started) all outstanding orders arrived last night. Took a bit to unpack, ohhh and ahhh over all the product...that wasn't for moi...sort and repack everyones orders. I'll be playing Santa today and delivering them.

Reminder that you have until the 20th (that's this coming Saturday) to place a final order for the year through me. Items on the 'retired list' are available until December 31st - after that any remaining stock usually gets put in the discounted section of my websites' shopping cart but product goes fast once it hits that list so there are no guarantees. Most likely retiring stamp sets will not be on the discounted list since they are made as ordered rather than pre-made and kept in stock. Also after December 31, prices for many products will be going up so if you are in a frugal mood and want to shop before the price increase now's the time to do it.

2009 Crop Dates Confirmed

Crop Dates for the first half of '09 are confirmed. Mark your calendar & tell your friends.

Minerva Hall

10am to 10pm

Coffee, snacks provided

Full Kitchen Available

BYO lunch/supper*

*occasionally we will potluck supper so check with me the week before crop for details if you are interested

Saturday January 31st

Saturday February 21st

Saturday March 21st

No Crop in April because.........

May 2nd and 3rd is

National Scrapbook Month

Crop Around The Clock

registration opens in January.

National Papercraft Month Special Starts Tomorrow!!!

KEY TO MY HEART ~ The Kit

This gorgeous packet features all four of Close To My Heart’s new exclusive colors— Tulip, Sorbet, Juniper, and Crème Brulee—in a variety of patterns, stripes, polka dots, flourishes, and slightly distressed designs. The packet includes 12 B&T Duos™ papers (2 each of 6 designs) and 10 cardstocks (2 each of 3 colors plus four neutrals).

The E-size stamp set is brimming with elegant, Victorian-style images including grand flourishes, heart shapes, a large key and keyhole, and more—beautifully complemented by heartfelt sentiments and even a classy journaling box. The Key to My Heart set will be a treasured addition to your stamp set collection.

For Customers:
From December 16, 2008–January 31, 2009, customers may receive the Key to My Heart kit using the following purchasing options:
Option 1: Make a minimum purchase of $160 and get the kit FREE.
Option 2: Make a minimum $90 qualifying purchase and get the kit for $25.
Option 3: Purchase the kit for $59.95

For Hostesses:
From December 16, 2008—January 31, 2009, hostesses with Gathering sales totals of $500 or more get the kit FREE.

For New Consultants:
New Consultants who join Close To My Heart between January 1–31 receive the Key to My Heart kit FREE with accepted enrollment. The kit will ship with the New Consultant Kit.

Tax is assessed on the actual amount paid for the item. For Gathering and Individual Orders, shipping and handling is charged based on the full retail value of the item. For MyCTMH orders, shipping/handling is charged based on the weight of the item and is calculated at the time of order. The amount paid for Key to My Heart items count for order totals towards earning Stamp Of The Month discounts and also count towards gathering sales totals. Stamp of the Month discount totals do not count towards minimums to receive the Key To My Heart at a discount or free.

KEY TO MY HEART ~ The Contest

The National Papercrafting Month celebration will include a contest—open to customers, Consultants, and the general public—focusing on items that can be made using Close To My Heart products and papers. These might include the My Creations™ Mini Album, Artboard, Display Album, Circle Album, Memory Showcase, or Memory Keeper box; the Braggin’ Tags™ Mini Album; the Monthly Calendar; or other products of your choice. The base of the papercrafted project can include products that are not sold by Close To My Heart (i.e. a lunch box, clock, yard sign, etc.) but all paper, inks, stamps, and embellishments must be Close To My Heart product. Papers used in contest entries do not have to be the Key To My Heart Level 2 paper packet; they may be any Close To My Heart papers you wish to use! Decorate them to your heart’s content—then let us see what you’ve done!
Because of the variety of projects available, the contest will be divided into three categories of items: small (6” x 6” or smaller), medium (between 6” x 6” and 12” x 12”), and large (anything larger than 12” x 12”). Here are the rules and prize information:

Entrants are asked to submit one to three photos of their artwork, ensuring that the photos(s) adequately showcase the papercrafting item they are submitting.

Entries can use any Close To My Heart paper packet, including the exclusive Key to My Heart paper packet, and must use only Close To My Heart products for embellishing the artwork.

The base product for the papercrafted item can include items that are not exclusive to Close To My Heart.

You may submit only one entry per size category (small, medium, or large).

The deadline for submitting entries is February 15, 2009.

Close To My Heart judges will select five finalists in each category, and they will be contacted no later than February 20, 2009. Each finalist will receive a free My Acrylix® stamp set of their choice (excluding Stamp of the Month, E-size, or K [customized] sets). They will be required to mail in their entries in order to be considered for grand prize recognition.

One grand prize will be awarded in each size category from the five finalists. The grand prize per winner per category is $300 US in Close To My Heart products.

The 15 finalist entries will be returned to the entrants after the grand prize winners are announced.

By sending in their entries, the contestants agree to allow Close To My Heart to reproduce, photograph, and/or publish the winning entries in any medium that Close To My Heart deems appropriate.

Warm Winter Wishes

Brrrrr! Baby it's cold outside. I spent a little time in the scrap room today and came up with this little card - a little cuppa hot chocolate from me to you. Stay Warm!

Stamps: D1159 Coffee Shop; D1280 Spot on Backgrounds; D1268 January Word Puzzle.
Paper: X5671 White Daisy Textured Cardstock; x5747 Chocolate Textured Cardstock; X7103B Aspen Level 2 Paper Pack.
Ink: Z2111 Chocolate; Z2160 Twilight.
Accessories: Z400 White Daisy SassyStrands; Z1281 Spring Craft Buttons; Z1100 Cocoa Grosgrain Ribbon; Z308 Liquide Applique. ** the sprinkles on the hot chocolate "foam"...that's coffee grounds. Tim Hortons to be exact but you can use the brand of your choice. :0)