Join Close to My Heart in October and get a FREE Ad-On!

Everyone knows that joining Close to My Heart is a great way to meet new people, make lasting friendships, and share your love of paper crafting.  But did you also know how great a deal it is?  When you become a Close to My Heart Consultant...you are investing in YOU!  For just $99, you get a wonderful business kit and creative products to launch your career!  Over $280 in retail value!

Click here to join my team!

The basic kit includes:
-Read Me First Letter
-Current Idea Books (10)
-You are Welcome Here bochures
-The Rewards Come Now hostess brochures
-Studio J Brochures
-Hostess rewards order forms
-Customer order forms
-Studio J customer order forms
-Studio J membership card
-Sudio J 5-pack cards
-Close To My Heart color wheel
-Autumn/Winter 2011 B&T Duos sampler
-Cello bags
-Petite Perks Loveable incentive stamp set
-My Acrylix Wonderful You incenive stamp set
-Double Scrubber
-My Acrylix spritz cleaner
-Bonding Memories glue
-Sponge
-Liquid Glass
-Micro-tip scissors
-Black My Legacy faux leather album
-My Creations memory game
-Workshop on the Go Typeset kit
-Typeset Complement canvas shapes
-Milepost shapes
-Juniper exclusive inks pad
-Bamboo exclusive inks pad
-Creme Brulee exclusive inks pad
-My Acrylix Trinity Alpphabet stamp set
-My Acrylix Vintage Type stamp set
-2" x 3 1/2" My Acrylix block

-3" x 3" My Acrylix block

During the month of October, when you join my team, you will get your choice of one of the below add-ons for FREE!

The Roxie Add-On Collection is an $80 retail value that sells for $40

It includes:

-Workshop on the Go Roxie kit

-Rhinestone Desighner brads

-Foundry pin clips

-My Acrylix Instant Memories stamp set

-My Acrylix Unscripted stamp set

-Tulip exclusive ink pad

-Cocoa exclusive ink pad

-2 x 6 1/2 My Acrylix block

The Elemental Add-On Collection is an $80 retail value that sells for $40.

It includes:

-Worksop on the Go Elemental kit

-Dimensional Elements Banners

-Decor Journaling Spots

-My Acrylix Love Life stamp set

-My Acrylix Happy Clusters stamp set

-Olive exclusive ink pad

-Desert Sand exclusive ink pad

The Studio J Add-On Collection is a $130 retail value that sells for $40.

It includes:

-12-month Studio J membership

-5 Studio J layouts

Acid Free- Lignin Free- Buffered

Have you ever seen these terms on your scrap-booking supplies, and wondered what they meant?  Well, here's the lowdown....

Acid is a substance that dissolves things - it eats them away.  Acid is added to paper to make it easier to write on.   Unfortunately, this same beneficial acid can eat away at your photos over time.  In many older photo albums the photo itself has been eaten through and the picture even obliterated over time.  In some older albums, the photo itself has protected the paper it was mounted on and not the other way around!  If you want a photo to last into another generation, you should choose "acid free, lignin free, buffered" scrap-booking elements like the ones you can buy at Close To My Heart.
 
Lignin is a substance that occurs naturally in wood.  Paper is made out of wood.  Lignin makes paper stronger.  It is a biodegradable substance though, so over time it breaks down, turns brittle and changes color to yellow and eventually brown.  If you have ever kept a newspaper article for a couple of years, you know what I mean as it becomes very brittle and yellow.  Newspaper is about 98% lignin free!  I always scan my precious newspaper articles, and print them out on CTMH cardstock so I can add it to my scrap-booking pages.  I also make sure my other scrap-booking elements are lignin free if I want my project to last through the years without becoming brittle and yellowed.

When paper is Buffered it means an alkaline substance has been added to it to reduce the effect of the acid content in it.  So buffered paper will be safer for your memorabilia.  However, some people say alkaline substances can also weaken paper.  Certainly there seem to be fewer buffered paper products out there on sale for use in scrapbooks. You can find them though on my webpage at CTMH.  More commonly you just find acid and lignin free products though.
 

LAST CHANCE! GREAT BARGAINS!

Make sure you check out all the awsome bargains you can find at Close To My Heart...getting rid of old stuff and making making way for the NEW!

These are the cute Christmas ornaments from last year for cardmaking and adding bling to your scrapbook pages... click here to get them while they last.

Journaling for Scrapbooks-girls

A girl is...

Innocence playing in the mud,

Beauty standing on its head, and

Motherhood dragging a doll by the foot.

~~Allan Beck

Journaling for Scrapbooks-angels

We are each of us angels with only one wing,

and we can only fly by embracing one another.

~~Luciano de Crescenzo

Journaling for Scrapbooks-zoo visit

All the animals we love to see

The lion, the zebra, and the bear under the tree

Blue birds, red birds, orange birds and more

Snakes, turtles, and monkeys galore!

Journaling for Scrapbooks-ultrasound pics

I heard the sound of your heart,

And my own heart skipped a beat.

There you were moving around,

In your safe and quiet retreat.

I think I saw your button nose.

Or was that your right ear?

Either way, I know that I

Will hold you near and dear.

I want to tickle those little feet,

That kick me night and day

I want to hear your coo and cry

I want to watch you play.

A picture may be worth

A thousand words or more,

But I just cant't wait to hold

The little baby I adore.

~~Aparna Dyer

Journaling for Scrapbooks-baby/child sleeping

Watching you sleep,

Watching you breathe,

A peaceful end to

Another playful day.

More than a glowing sunset,

More than the shining stars,

You, my little one,

Take my breath away.

~~Crystal Dawn Perry

When your little one is sleeping is one of the easiest times to take a picture.

Learn how to multi-layer stamp

One of the hardest things to do with stamps is multi-layer stamping. But with Close to my Heart Clear stamps, it's so easy. Here's a quick video to show you how. Click here to check out the stamp in the video in better detail.

I love this beautiful pumpkin stamp for thanksgivingstamp for Thanksgiving. I don't think you can tell from the image, but the overlay stamp has a lot of words, like:

Harvest

Plentiful

Smells Good

Leaves

Family

Pumpkin

Cinnamon

Stuffing

So Grateful

and my favorite, "Ymmmmmm"

And, with the reduced pricing, this stamp set is only $9.95...a great deal to "Give Thanks" for!

Your can purchase it today, or see it in better detail by clicking "here"

Journaling for Scrapbooks-smile

I used to listen to the weather,

But lately I don't seem to care.

Sunshine an rain no longer matter

Except in the expression you wear.

When raindrops dare to dampen

The sweet windows of your soul,

Washing away your tender tears

Is my most important goal.

And when the sunshine reappears

In your charming, disarming smile,

I know I'll save that warming image,

In my eternal memory file.

~~Aparna Dyer



This seems like a nice quote for either a wedding layout, or even a baby layout.

Journaling for Scrapbooks-dreams for a son

Empty out those pockets, Son

The ones you filled with dreams

This morning, they were empty

Now they're bursting at the seams.

What have you found to save today?

What magic can you share?

Tell Mommy what you dreamed about

The what and when and where.

What treasures have you gathered, Son?

Collected on your way

To all those special places

You travel in a day

Did you catch a speedy rocket

To a distant shiny star

And packet rocks when leaving

To keep as your memoirs?

Did you hike into the mountains

And chance to meet a bear

Then use your trusty water gun

To give that bear a scare?

Did you hop a railroad car in town

Then travel far away

And bring that pretty flower back

To give to me today?

Empty out your pockets, Son

Thery're bursting at the seams

And speak of your adventures, dear

Tell Mommy of your dreams.

~~Brenda Darlene Kijowski

With my son signing up for the Army yesterday, I was looking for a special poem to do a scrapbook page for him.  This one seems most fitting for him...I hope he always follows his dreams, and brings back some "treasures" to share with me.