Close To My Heart 2014 Goals and 2013 Review

2013 has been a fantastic year for paper crafting in Jacksonville!  I have made so many great new friends since I moved here and started my endeavor with Close To My Heart.  What started out as a small group with 3 attendees at the first meeting has grown and blossomed to include 65 other paper crafters from NE Florida.  Here are some of the incredible things that have happened...

• I started the year not knowing anyone in the area and now have met so many wonderful women that share my love of scrapbooking, stamping and card making!
• 3 members of Scrapbook, Stamp & Socialize have grown to 65!
• Once a month meetings at my apartment clubhouse have turned into twice a month meetings at 2 different Jacksonville area libraries!

2014 is definitely going to continue on this upwardly moving path!  I have so many plans in the works.  Here are a few of my goals...

• I would love to sign up other Close To My Heart consultants in the area to build a team in and around Jacksonville.  Please contact me if you would like to learn more about the training that I will provide as well as great the income and friendship potential!
• More workshops!!  Our group loves to make cards and do workshops together.  I want to have at least 1 per quarter.
• More blog posts of my artwork.
• More personal scrapbooking!

I'm looking forward to a creative 2014!  I love the new 2014 Spring/Summer Idea Book and can't wait to share the new patterns and project with you throughout the upcoming year.

I wish you a peaceful, joyful, and happy new year filled with paper, ink, glitter and glue!

Close To My Heart 2014 Spring/Summer Idea Book PREVIEW!!

Close To My Heart 2014 Spring/Summer Idea Book!!

New post with photos added 1/14/14!  Click HERE!
Merry Christmas, everyone!  My present to you is a small sneak peek of the "hot off the press" 2014 Spring/Summer Idea Book from Close To My Heart!

I believe that you will absolutely fall in love with the color combinations and themes found in this brand new catalog.  I am so excited to share what I have found out so far.  I'll have copies to give out to my customers during our Scrapbook, Stamp and Socialize January crops and be taking orders in advance of the February 1st official reveal.

There will be 7 new collections!!  That's right, brand new paper packets with coordinating inks, stamps, and embellishments to create with!  So you can get started thinking about which inks that you might need, I've listed the collection name and coordinating colors for you right here!

Skylark

• Bamboo
• Desert Sand
• Juniper
• Kraft
• Lagoon
• Skylark Yellow
• Sweet Leaf
• White Daisy

Ivy Lane

• Bamboo
• Blush
• Hollyhock
• Ivy Lane Green
• Ivy Lane Purple

Ariana

• Ariana Coral
• Ariana Green
• Ariana Grey
• Crystal Blue
• Outdoor Denim
• White Daisy

Balloon Ride

• Cashmere
• Colonial White
• Creme Brulee
• Crystal Blue 
• Juniper
• Saddle
• Sky
• Sorbet

Jubilee

• Cashmere
• Cocoa
• Colonial White
• Cranberry
• Honey
• Indian Corn Blue
• Kraft
• Sweet Leaf
• Topiary

Timberline

• Bamboo
• Chocolate
• Colonial White
• Goldrush
• Lagoon
• Ponderosa Pine
• Twilight

Lollydoodle

• Cocoa
• Cotton Candy
• Juniper
• Pear
• Slate
• Sorbet
• Whisper
• White Daisy

I would recommend picking 2 collections to order that have a coordinating color.  This will allow you to order 1 ink pad that goes with 2 paper packets and give you the ability to mix and match.  For instance, the delicate green of Sweet Leaf can be found in both Skylark and Jubilee.  Sorbet, an orange shade is featured in Balloon Ride as well as Lollydoodle.  The light, creamy shade of Bamboo is found in 3 collections; Skylark, Ivy Lane, and Timberline.

I also recommend getting an extra pack of neutral cardstock to extend your paper collections.  This trick allows for the use of White Daisy or Colonial White as the background of your 12 x 12 layouts, while stretching your color and patterned papers.  At only $9.50 for 24 sheets, it's a great way to stretch your scrapbooking dollars.

Are you getting excited already?!  I can't wait to place my order and share these gorgeous collections with you over the next 7 months!

I look forward, with great excitement, to paper crafting in 2014!

Scrapbook, Stamp & Socialize Holiday Cookie Swap and Social

This weekend, we held the First Annual Holiday Cookie Swap and Social for our Scrapbook, Stamp & Socialize group in Jacksonville.  It was such a fun time filled with games, a Create & Take, and of course cookies!  There were 8 paper crafters that attended this first time event.  

The rules were simple...

Bake:  Each guest will choose their favorite cookie recipe and bake 1/2 dozen for each confirmed guest, plus 1 dozen extra to share at the party.

Bring:  Separately package each 1/2 dozen cookies that you will be sharing. Please bring the dozen to share on a platter or plate for the cookie buffet table.

Print:  Please bring copies of your recipe to share.  Each package should include a copy of the recipe.

Swap:  Each guest will get to take home 1/2 dozen of each cookie!

If 12 people sign up, each person will make 7 dozen cookies; 6 dozen will be split up into 1/2 dozen package and 1 dozen will be to sample at the swap!

Just look at this spread of goodies!  We had appetizers as well as cookies to munch on.  Our hostess also provided a hot cocoa bar and other assorted beverages.

There was a table set up for all of the fabulous baked treats that we were going to take home.  Everyone had packaged their treats to share in pretty boxes or bags that included the recipe of how to make them.

We played games such as Christmas Trivia and Gingerbread Cookie Word Scramble.  We also did a lot of talking about paper crafting!  There is even a plan in the works for the group to do a field trip to a local stamp store.

Finally, as a Create & Take we stamped white gift bags with snowflakes and make a gift tag in the shape of an ornament using the CTMH Frosted paper collection.  Watch for pictures and instructions for this project in an upcoming post.

Happy Holidays!

CTMH Laughing Lola Matchbook Style Post It Note Holder

CTMH Laughing Lola Matchbook Style Post It Note Holder

For November, I have featured the Laughing Lola paper packet from Close To My Heart in the Create & Take that my Scrapbook, Stamp and Socialize group have done together.  You can view the cute gift bags that we made earlier in the month here. 

I enjoy designing or discovering simple, easy projects that can be made together as a group. This project was a happy discovery found on the Splitcoaststampers website.  However, I needed to make mine fit a 3" x 3" Post-It note page, so I modified the measurements a bit.

• For the cover; cut a piece of Gypsy cardstock to a 8 3/4" by 3 1/8" rectangle.  Score it at 3 3/8", 3 3/4" and 7 3/4".

• Fold where you scored.  Staple once at the short fold about 1/4" in at the center point.  Hide the staple with a 3 1/8" x 1/2' strip of coordinating patterned paper.  I used the zip strip from the top of one of the B&T papers in the Laughing Lola pack.

• Adhere your Post-It note pad to the base, lining it up with the other 2 score lines.

• To decorate the top, cut a 2 3/4" x 2 3/4" square in Laughing Lola Gold cardstock.  Then cut an accent square in a coordinating B&T paper at 2 5/8" x 2 5/8" and adhere on top of your cardstock for a layered effect.

• I also used my CTMH Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge to cut out a decorative shape in White Daisy cardstock (page 26) <Shape1> and Black cardstock for the border (page 26) <Layer, Shape1>.

• I stamped the sentiment "A Note For You" from the Just For You stamp set and finished it with a couple of Sparkles from the Black & Gray assortment.

A quick, easy, and very pretty gift for anyone with a desk!  This would make a wonderful stocking stuffer or present for a teacher.