One-day Flash Sale!

My blog has been super quiet.  Yes, I am preparing for a big party which is tomorrow!  A lot of decor items to be made and I'm busy for that.  After that expect a few fun Easter cards!

I'm excited to share that Close to My Heart is holding another one-day flash sale.  It will start today at 3pm MDT and end at the same time tomorrow.  It's just ONE day.  You'll see a lot of product bundles from Annual Inspirations and Seasonal Expressions 1 at 30% discount!  Woohoo!

Click here to start browsing and when the clock hits 3pm, shop here!

Happy shopping!

March promotions

It is a little late but better than never. :p

Let's look at the promotions offered by Close to My Heart this month:

First up it's the Stamp of the Month:

It is nice and sweet.  Not only is it good for your friends who are tea drinkers but you could use it for Thank you cards and Mother's Day cards!

Some projects that may inspire you:

This set will be great for us to practice coloring using your favorite medium!

The second campaign is Cut it Out!

Yes, you've read it right!  All thin cuts are 25% off this month.  What a steal!

Click here to start shopping!

National Papercrafting Month is here!

I hope everyone had a great holiday season.  I surely did enjoy the company of my family.  We also went to Lego land and had a blast!

It's 2017 and National Papercrafting Month is here!  To celebrate the joy of papercrafting, Close to My Heart has designed a beautiful Welcome Home wreath kit.  The kit comes with pre-cut pieces we can pop out and attach to the sturdy chipboard wreath base.  I've made two of these already.  Mine looks like this:

I have yet decided whether I want to put it at home or at my office.

You may think that I could put one at home and one at my office, but actually, I've made the other one with my 4 year old niece!  That tells you how easy it is to put this together.  It's a fun family activity too!

There are four ways to get this beautiful wreath:

1. Buy it for $18.95—no qualifying purchase required!
2. Get it for free with a qualifying $60 purchase!*
3. Get it for free by hosting a party that reaches the second level of Hostess Rewards.
4. Get it for free when you sign up to be a Consultant

Want to learn more about it?  Watch the informative video below:


 

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Thanksgiving (and Black Friday sales details)

For those in the United States, Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm thankful for the opportunity to have this platform to share my creations.  I'm thankful for others who share their wonderful cards, layouts and the like.  I'm thankful for all the great supplies available to us.  I know that I am so used to having all these but I can't take these for granted.

I've moved to my new place and craft supplies are still sitting in boxes.  Can't wait to open them up but this is the time I want to spend with friends and family.  Blog posts will resume after that.

Have to heard that Close to My Heart is having a Black Friday Special?

This year, the Black Friday Special features mystery boxes of retired products available at deep discounts.  There are different priced boxes, starting at $35 all the way up to $150.  Such a great opportunity to save big!  If you have not tried Close to My Heart products, it is the perfect opportunity to get the products at a discount and try them out!

The sale starts at 12:00 am (MST) on Friday, and will only last for 24 hours, while supplies last.  Love this amazing deal?  Grab as many boxes as you like!  There's no limit!  Further, the price you pay for the mystery box counts toward earning the discounted Stamp of the Month.  Hooray!

Click here to start shopping!

Happy Thanksgiving and happy shopping!

September promotions

Hello everyone and happy friday!

September has flown by and today marks the last day to get the great deals from Close to My Heart:

1.  Stamp of the Month



It's a beautiful fall/Thanksgiving set.  You can get it at $5 if you place an order of over $50 qualifying products.

2.  Create Kindness Campaign

The fabulous Create Kindness card kit was sold out.  But the card bases and stamp sets are still available so you could buy just the components and continue the celebration!
I really like that the stamp sets can be bought a la carte.  If you like to make a gift to a fellow crafter, they are perfect!  Oh so cute and great price point!

Thanks for stopping by!

September is National Stamping Month

Let's celebrate National Stamping Month!

In this month, Close to My Heart has various promotions:

1.  We have a new Stamp of the Month, called Blessed Beyond Measure:

2.  Create Kindness Promotion:

Use hand stamped cards to create a little more kindness!  This kit includes pre-printed card bases with envelopes, 8 exclusive M-size stamp sets, a block and an Archival Black mini pigment ink pad, all packed snugly in the My Acrylix Mini Stamp Organizer.

3.  The new Holiday Expressions is here!

Browse this delicious catalog here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Purr-fect Halloween

Let's take a look at the great Purr-fect Halloween stamp set, which is the Stamp of the Month of August:



I love that you could mix and match the images to personalize it!  Imagine you could put the different greetings in the label, different hats and eyes for the cat.  How fun!

Let's look at these great examples made by Close to My Heart Corporation:

Thanks for stopping by!

Magical

Today marks my first day of vacation.  Yay!

I'm flying out early but I'd like to share a great video done by Close to My Heart showing you the paper pack Magical is fun and versatile:

You can see the Magical papers here as well.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Happy weekend!

For those in the US, I wish you a Happy long weekend!  Unfortunately I am at work this weekend (except on Monday) so I am not enjoying it as much as I wish.

It's July already and I have no idea that we are already in the second half of 2016!

In July there are two specials at Close to My Heart:

First up is Stamp of the Month:



It's absolutely a great set! In fact I think it is the one I like the most among all Stamps of the Month in the current catalog!

I like tags and tabs and there are several of them in this set.  How nice!  They are really handy when I'm scrapbooking or making mini-albums.  Adding a tab at the corner of a photo makes a big difference.  Those little details make a page a lot more sophisticated.

Tabs and tags are also great for layering and creating clusters.  Look at how it's used on the cover of this album:

The Hello tab sits on top of the ledger tag and a banner, and also vertical elements made of foil tape and twine.  Doesn't it draw more of your attention?

Another plus of this set is that many of the images coordinate with Cricut Artistry.  No need to fussy cut images!  Yay!  For those of you who love using planners, the tiny images will be perfect.  

Another promotion is Early Bird Sign Up Special:

During this month, if you sign up to become a consultant at Close to My Heart, you get your choice of a FREE Fundamentals paper packet bundled with its coordinating Complements.  These new products are not released until August 2016.  So sign up today and get them first!  In addition, you get $50 in Select Product Credit to spend on more new products, such as new stamps, paper packs and cardstock and more.  Learn more about it here.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Happy Monday!

Happy Monday!  More craft-related things to share today!

1.  Close to My Heart Flash Sale - It is closing in just a few hours.  Hurry!  These great deals go up on Friday at 3pm (MT) and end on Monday at 3pm (MT).  Snatch them quickly!  I really like the Picture My Life Bundles here and here.  Now that I'm tempted to get the embellishments here too!  I love these embellishments because they are generic enough to put on all types of project.  I like versatile products!

2.  The Long Way Home is this month's stamp of the month.



This set is perfect for your summer trips/camping.

3.  #AlltheAlbums campaign is extended through July 31!  You now have more time to save 25% on your purchase on any My Legacy Album.  I like D-ring albums more than post-bound albums, for the convenience of course!  My favorite is the My Legacy Black D-ring album   and I also like the Slate Circles D-ring album.

Thanks for stopping by!

Update

I'm still diligently applying warm compress on my eyes to minimize the discomfort.  I feel the pain every time I blink.  :(  If in a week it still does not get better I'll go to see an ophthalmologist and decide whether I'll undergo another surgery.

While I'm looking forward to weekend where I can reduce time to spend on the screen, I want to share a few things with you.

1.  Check out the Flash Sale at Close to My Heart that starts at 3pm MT every Friday in the month of June. These awesome deals do not last long.  They will be removed at 3pm MT the following monday.  If you see something you like, snap it immediately!  My favorite are the picture my life kits here and here.  I have been asked what I like to do with those PML cards while I do not do much pocket scrapbooking.  I like to use them on my layouts and cards!  I like to use them for journaling!

2.  Check out the ideas of how to use the Flash Sale items on the Close to My Heart blog.  This week, the artists at Close to My Heart corporate shared some ideas to use the Display Tray.  Great artwork and inspiration source!

3.  Being an organization addict, I am always looking for *better* ways to organize.  I recommend these videos by Tiffany on Totally Tiffany.  I have seen her products but have never used or even purchased them.  Yet I have learned several tricks on organizing different things.  One thing I've tried and really like is the paper organization.  I used to throw all scraps in a bin and the pile never gets used.  Now I'm putting them in rainbow order as suggested and it's so much easier to find the right color of scraps and it makes me happy that the scraps are actually being used!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Happy Times

I've made a couple of layouts using the May special packet Happy Times but the pictures I took were awful.  :(

I'm hoping to take pictures of them again during the day when natural light is available.

Meanwhile, let's watch a video about Happy Times:


 Thanks for stopping by!

Happy National Scrapbooking Month!

May is National Scrapbooking Month and Close to My Heart is offering an exciting promotion!
With a qualifying purchase of $60, you can get the exclusive Happy Times paper packet for FREE!  The floral designs, ombre backgrounds, gold foil details featured in this paper packet are more than gorgeous!

If you like, you can purchase this exclusive paper pack at full retail price at $14.95 with no purchase requirement.  There is a coordinating D-size stamp set, Happy Times that coordinates with this fun paper packet, which you can purchase for $17.95.  Such a great time to treat yourself to some beautiful new paper and stamp!

Starting today, we have a new Stamp of the Month.  It's called Celebrate with Cake.  It is so versatile for all cardmakers!  You could build your own cake, create banners and color them using your favorite medium and more!

Another great promotion is that throughout this month, you can get 25% off from the Close to my Heart My Legacy albums.  It's $8.50 off per album!  If you have many loose pages that are waiting for a new home, this is the promotion for you!  My favorite is the Black D-Ring album.  I always prefer D-Ring album for the ease of use.  But if you mind the gap between the left and the right pages, you'll want a post-bound album.

The most exciting thing is Seasonal Expressions 2 is officially live today!  Woohoo!  Check out the new products here.  It is a great mini catalog and you'll love it!

Thanks for stopping by!

An Update

Happy Friday!

A few reminders while we approach to the end of the month.

1)  Sadly, Studio J will be discontinued by the end of April 2016.  If you have purchased those 5-packs or layouts but haven't used them, please do so immediately.  After April 30, 2016, we won't be able to access it anymore.

2)  Life in Pictures, this month's Stamp of the Month will discontinue April 30, 2016 as well.  Below is a card and a layout I made earlier this month using this set:

Camera motifs can be used on ALL sorts of projects.  Don't miss this one. :)

3)  Baby, I'm Worth It promotion will also end by April 30, 2016.  Before then, if you sign up as a consultant, not only will you get your beautiful New Consultant Kit at a new, lower price, but when you submit $350 in personal sales within the first 30 days, you get your choice of either a FREE Cricut collection or $100 in Select Product Credit, that's in addition to the Straight To The Top start-up bonus you'll earn!  If you are on the fence, don't wait any longer.  This is the best time!

4)  Most of the products shown in the Seasonal Expressions 1 will retire by the end of this month.  Unlike before where Cricut compatible stamp sets will carry forward, Close to My Heart has changed its policy and decided to retire them as the next Seasonal Expressions becomes live.  So if you have been debating about certain products, don't wait too long!  My favorite is the Charlotte paper pack/Workshops Your Way.  The neutral colors are so versatile!  Love it!

I'm off to finish my Studio J layouts.  Have a great weekend!

Quick update

Happy Friday!

I am just back from heaven where I was having fun with my niece and nephew!  Needless to say I didn't have time to craft at all but I wouldn't trade that for anything.  It was very sweet of R, my little niece, that was asking for me after I had left, and kept asking where I was and when I would return.  That little sweetheart!

My little nephew J just turned one and he has a veracious appetite.  I fed him with a full bowl of cereal, then a full cup of yogurt and he still wanted to have more.  I heard that he would throw a tantrum if you start cleaning the table while he's still hungry.  That didn't happen to me.  LOL.

I am back to share the April deals from Close to My Heart.

First, you can't pass up the cute stamp of the month:

I've a quick card here if you'd like some inspiration.

These camera images are also good for scrapbooking purposes:

If you'd like to have a great focal image on the front cover of your album:

Stamp of the Month is always a bargain.  When you place an order of $50 or more, you only pay $5 for this special stamp set.  But if you wish, you could pay the full price of $17.95 for this set.

Another great deal in this month is called Baby I'm Worth It:

Signing up as a new Consultant with Close To My Heart during April is more rewarding than ever. Not only does your new Team member will you get a beautiful New Consultant Kit at a new, lower price, but when you submit $350 in personal sales within your first 30 days*, you gets your choice of either a FREE Cricut® collection or $100 in Select Product Credit—and that’s in addition to the Straight To The Top start-up bonus that you’ll earn along the way!

So if earning money—and rewards—through your love of scrapbooking and stamping sounds like a dream job, then now is the perfect time to join Close To My Heart. 

* The 30-day period begins five days (US) or ten days (CA) after the New Consultant Kit has been shipped.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Hello Paradise!

Breaking news!

To make Stampaganza 2016 even more exciting, Close to My Heart is offering a stamp set that is only available through the end of this month.  The stamp set is called Hello Paradise, which isn't the happiest name you've heard?

The stamp set features images that are suitable for beach, summer vacation and the like:

Close to My heart has even prepared instructions to help us use this stamp set to create many layouts.  The instructions will be available for download next week.

I have a soft spot for solid images because of the many fun techniques you can play with them - ombre effect, stamp kissing, etc.  I haven't been to the beach (and summer vacation won't be beach-themed this year) but I definitely want to get this set for the techniques.  In addition, I really like the words "enjoy the journey" and "Life is an adventure" because they can be used on birthday cards, retirement cards and such.  I  am on the kick on using alternative greetings on cards, to make it more unexpected and fun.

Don't forget Stampaganza is ending on March 31, 2016.  It is really the best deal of all times - buy two get one free!  If you'd like me to help you get the most bang for your buck, I'll be more than happy to oblige.

Thanks for stopping by!

Stampaganza returns!

During March, buy any two stamp sets and get a third FREE! You can earn multiple free stamp sets on a single order, too, because for each two sets you purchase at full price, you can get a third of equal or lesser value free! That is a savings of up to $29.95 USD! Start submitting your orders immediately and let the fun begin!

You're my TYPE of friend!

The February promotions at Close to My Heart end today, before which I'd like to share a card that I made out from the promotion set:

Inspired by the challenge at Always Playing with Paper, I wanted to make a masculine card.  To match with the theme of travelling I have used the Regatta paper packet which has a nautical theme. Do you see the tone-on-tone waves in the blue background paper?

I can't really explain why I used that floral patterned paper on a masculine card.  It was definitely something outside of my comfort zone but I'm glad I did it!  The floral pattern is not too over-powering and I like that some red complements with the dark blue background nicely.

The Stamp of the Month promotion also ends today.  Snatch it before it's gone!

This card is linking up to:
Amusing Challenge - Anything Goes
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
Always Playing with Paper - Masculine inspiration

Thanks for stopping by!

Oh Happy Day

It was my first time using the thin cuts from Close to My Heart when I was creating this card:

I've learned that when I make cards, it would be nice if it can serve as a multi-purpose one.  For instance, this one says "Oh Happy Day" could be used for a birthday card or other occasion for celebration.  And this one has the color scheme and patterns that's good for guys of various age groups.  Isn't that nice?  I should try making more cards like this one!

Guess what I used this card for?  It was a Valentine's Day card.  I wanted to make something other than the traditional red and hearts and the stamp set My Anchor from Close to My Heart inspired me to try something new!  It has sentiments that say "I love our adventures together", "I'd lost without you", "You're my anchor", which are all great form a V-day card, don't you think?  Click here to see the images of this set.

I also have the coordinating dies for this set.  I love that the dies come in the same package as the stamp set, so storage won't be a problem (uniform packaging makes organization much easier!).  The other thing I appreciate a lot is the magnetic sheet that comes with it.  So thoughtful!  Oh one more thing, the dies were already separated, so we don't need to cut them apart for use!  I have bought dies from other companies where the dies are attached together.  I don't mind cutting them apart, but just a bit concerned that the tiny little connecting pieces would go all over the place.  Close to My Heart has done an awesome job in packaging its dies!  Yay!

If you'd like to know more about its products, you can find more information here.

My card is entering the following:
Craft your passion - anything goes
Love to Scrap - Anything goes
Addicted to stamps - die cuts
Stamping Sensations - Anything goes

Thanks for stopping by!

Colorful birthday card

A quick post here to share a kid's birthday card.  I used Balloon Animals, the current Stamp of the Month and Brushstrokes to create this card:

Because the balloon giraffe is a solid image, I think stamping it in black against a colorful background would make it pop and sure it did!  I used the brushstroke image with a rainbow of colors: Pixie, Sunset, Canary, Pear, Glacier and Gypsy.  Oh yes, there are only six colors in my rainbow.  That is a better proportion for the giraffe!

My card is linking up to the following:
DoubleClick - Happy Birthday
Seize the Birthday - Birthday themed
Brown Sugar - Anything Goes
Chocolate, Coffee and Cards - Anything Goes
Crafting with Friends - Anything Goes
Heart 2 Heart - Party Animals

Happy Crafting and have a great weekend!