Merry (belated) Christmas!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

to all of my creative friends!

Once again, the holiday season has been lovely, fun, interesting, and even challenging at times, to say the least! Ugh, that flu bug that's been going around is no joke! lol.

Now that my oldest two children are adults and in college, I'm especially grateful to have had them here at home with us. I LOVE having a "full house!!" (sometimes! lol).

It may have meant having a lot less "creative time" for me in my scrapbook room in recent weeks, but it also means more photos were taken and there are now more memories to save and share and add to my always growing collection!

I hope you and yours were able to enjoy making some new memories also! Whether you took just a few photos this season or a lot of photos, I encourage you to take a few minutes alone to reflect on the past few weeks and write down some of the good (and even not-so-good) things that made this holiday season memorable for you and your loved ones. If you enjoy writing, then write as much as you can. If you don't really care to write, then just jot out a quick list of things you appreciate and want to remember always.

These "notes" will become very helpful when you do 

finally get a chance to sit down and scrapbook these memories!

As the year 2017 winds down to a close, I wanted to

express my gratitude to the many amazing friends and customers who have been an important part of my life this year and for many years. My Close to my Heart business is so much more than just a business to me. It has provided me with the opportunity to connect with those who share a similar passion for creativity and making the world a more loving and beautiful place, one card and/or one scrapbook page at a time!

YOU are the heart of my business and the biggest reason why I love creating with and sharing Close to my Heart. THANK YOU for your friendship, for creating alongside me, and for supporting me with your purchases and interest in my many kits, classes, and events! I'm excited and looking forward to all of the creative time together 

that we have ahead of us in 2018!

Please mark your calendars now and plan to 
JOIN US at any or all of my Spring 2018 events!!

Through the Year Scrapbooking Workshop!!

I'm excited to be offering an incredible new workshop
that will give you a HUGE head-start towards completing
your first 24 beautiful 12x12 pages in the coming new year!
I'm trying something new that I've never done before, and
that is... I've purchased workshop instructions from another
consultant, the very talented, Susan Williams
(of justcrazyblessed.blogspot.com)

#1). because I just think her designs are fantastic,

and #2). to enable my local customers to complete

ALL of these fun and amazing pages with me!!

This is such a BIG workshop/project, that if you tried to sit down and complete all 24 of these pages at one time, you'd likely feel overwhelmed and get tired quickly, so my plan is to help you break it down into smaller "bite size" increments to help you enjoy the creative process, while still accomplishing a lot in less time! I'm encouraging everyone to "work at your own pace," with this kit, but if you want to get it done quickly (within a month or two), you do have that option also.

The total price for all of the materials required to complete these pages is $90 (that price does already include the tax and shipping). This may seem like a lot, but really, when you break it down, it's only $7.50 per two-page 12x12 embellished layout (or $3.75 per page). You can pay in full and receive all of your materials up front, or you can make payments in smaller increments, if you prefer to "pay as you go."

A $45 deposit for each participant is required and

then you will join me to create the first 3 layouts

(6 pages) that are intended to make pages suitable for

any of your January, February, and March photos.

Then, just pay $5 for each additional layout (9 more total!)

You can spread these payments out over the next 9 months
and create one layout per month for just $5 each month,

or complete the rest of your pages a few layouts at a time

each month, as your time and your funds allow.

As an added bonus, this workshop also includes a blank monthly wall calendar that you can customize and add your completed page (singles) to, then display them hanging on your wall throughout the year, before adding them into an album! There are even monthly page toppers that coordinate with the layouts that you can add to the top of each calendar page (shown in the first image below!) ...OR you can also just skip the calendar part if you want to ...it's completely flexible and all up to you!

Please contact me now to get started in

December or January 2018!!

(wouldn't this make a great Christmas

gift to you this year?!!)

Featured Paper Blog Hop - Beary Christmas!

So, I was supposed to be participating in
this awesome blog hop this morning,
but due to technical difficulties, my post
didn't go live when it was supposed to!
I'm sorry, and I hope it's okay that I still link
on to the last hopper and then direct you to the
beginning of the hop also so you can see
more beautiful "Beary Christmas" creations!

Welcome to our "Featured Paper Blog Hop"!

Today we are showcasing artwork that uses our

BEARY CHRISTMAS

paper pack, and features a variety of projects

created by talented Close to my Heart consultants.

If you are visiting from RAMONA's BLOG,

then you are on the right track.

So these are all of my creations using the
Workshops Your Way kit (item #G1137).
My goal was to try and stretch this kit to
make as many items as possible!

So I created the three workshop layouts,
as well as, the 8 cards (4 each of 2 designs,
but only the 2 designs are pictured here).
Then I used the left-over Picture My Life
cards to create 4 more pocket-style pages
and lastly, three more cards (using left-over
PML cards and stickers only, no stamping).

That's a lot of creativity from just one kit!!
Crazy, right?!!

 

I did add just a very little bit of colored cardstock
(black, fern, and pewter to add an extra pop of color
to some of my cards), some retired green ribbon
I had, 11 card bases and envelopes, and 4 pocket-style
memory protectors, that are not included in the kit.
I hope you are now inspired to try utilizing every
scrap of paper, every left-over sticker, and every single
embellishment included in your workshop kit(s)...
it's a fun challenge that I truly enjoyed!

Now you can start the blog hop from the
beginning by visiting CAROL's BLOG next!

Share a Smile in October!

Team up with the Punny Pals stamp set to make a difference!

With the purchase of every Punny Pals (D1751) stamp set, Close To My Heart donates $7.00 of the proceeds to Operation Smile™, an organization that provides surgeries to repair cleft lips and palates for children around the world.

To bring these stamp images to life, we’re offering a

coordinating set of Thin Cuts dies and an exclusive card kit! THIS MONTH ONLY!

The card kit includes the dies, card bases, envelopes, paper, and step-by-step instructions for creating 32 cards, and it is available at a discounted price! Create these delightful cards and use them to share smiles all around!

The Share a Smile card kit can also be yours for FREE when you become a Consultant in October or when you host a qualifying party. Contact me by phone/text message

760-220-06 or in-person this month to get yours!

Here's the link you can also use to order yours online now:

https://stampwithjen.closetomyheart.com/ctmh/promotions/campaigns/1710-share-a-smile.aspx

Lastly, mine just arrived, so I'm excited to share with you another image of what I just received (check out the full-color step-by-step instructions that are included with this kit)! YES!! I can't wait to start creating with this!

September Artwork featuring Cats & Bats!

So here are all of my latest
creations featuring the

CATS & BATS

paper collection!

...and I snuck in a few retired

paper scraps on the cards too

(can you spot them?).

First up, the four 12x12 layouts

I created using the

Workshops Your Way kit 

(G1136)...

There's still time to make

these layouts with me

($32 per pre-cut kit

to create 4-12x12

layouts like shown),

on the following dates:
Saturday 9/23 (6pm-9pm)
Friday 9/29 (6pm-9pm)
Monday 10/9 (9am-Noon)

(Non-local customers can request

a pre-cut "kit-to-go!" The cost of

postage is a little extra. Please

contact me for details).

Next, these are the pre-cut cards I'm offering
at our card-making classes this month!
Cards are make as many as you want for
$2 each (bring/use your own adhesive).

The technique we will focus on
learning and improving this time
is watercoloring, so bring your water
brush and paints if you have them
(or just come and use mine if you
need to) on the following dates:
Saturday 9/23 (6pm-9pm)
Friday 9/29 (6pm-9pm)
Monday 10/9 (9am-Noon)

Lastly, here's a fun "interactive" pop-up card

that I also have as one of our card class options
(using this month's National Stamping Month
"From the Heart" stamp set and card kit!)

This card folds flat for mailing in an envelope,

but when you pull the sliding tab, the front

pops up revealing a hidden message underneath:

Annual Inspirations New Product Blog Hop!

THANK YOU for stopping by to enjoy our

Annual Inspirations 2017

New Product Blog Hop!!

Today, 25 consultant artists are sharing artwork
they've created using NEW products

featured in the Annual Inspirations 2017 catalog

from Close to my Heart!

If you've just arrived here from KATHY's BLOG
then you are on the correct path.

 

One of the first stamp sets featured in the NEW

Annual Inspirations that I knew I just had to have is:

C1685 Inspire

Not only do I LOVE the pretty cursive font,

but each of the four sentiments are just awesome!!

In addition to C1685 Inspire,

I've also used the following list of supplies

to create this standard-size card:

D1741 Beautiful You stamp set

(use item# Z3384 to add 

the coordinating thin cuts)

Z3353 Basics Fundamentals paper packet

X5943 Enchantment cardstock (peacock)

Z3364 Basics Ribbon pack (gold ribbon)

Z3371 Gold Pearls (self-adhesive)

Z899 Black memento ink pad

Z2817 Crystal Blue stamp pad

Z2850 Fern stamp pad

Z2849 Peacock stamp pad

(1st and 2nd generation stamping)

Now you can continue on with the hop

and be inspired by more creative artwork

and ideas by visiting SHEILA's BLOG next.

Enjoy the hop!!

So Many Big Announcements!!

First, I'd like to say THANK YOU to my fellow consultant friends and the many customers who attended our recent "Triple Treat" Workshop (a multi-consultant event held three times a year!), on Saturday, July 15th at Rosita's Restaurant! Here are just a few of my favorite pictures that we took there. If you want to see even more photos of this event, I've shared them all in my "StampwithJen Creative Friends" Facebook group, so please check that out (and if you're not yet a member of this group and want to join,
please let me know so I can add you!)

Next, I still have quite a few pre-cut card designs
(ready to be stamped and assembled) 
left-over from this event, so if you missed out on being able to make any of these cute "No Worries" cards, I'm offering you another chance to come and create any/all of them with me for just $1.50 each! (while supplies last, first come, first serve, please RSVP)

on any of the following upcoming dates:

Friday 7/28 (6pm-9pm)

Saturday 7/29 (1pm-5pm)

Sunday 7/30 (1pm-5pm)

Monday 7/31 (9am-Noon)

Monday 8/7 (9am-Noon)

...and finally, I have a whole LOT of exciting events and

classes coming up in the next few months, so please

MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW and plan to 

JOIN US for all of the creative fun that you can!!

 Pre-order your Prickly Pear workshop kits (shown below)

by 7/31 or 8/11 to use during any of my August 2017
Create Dates (dates and times offered are listed near the
top of the column on the right side of this blog)!