CTMH Deal of the Day Sunday, 14th June - White Daisy Sassy Strands FREE

Close to my Heart's Deal of the Day is a set of White Daisy Sassy Strands ($3.95 value!) FREE with any My Acrylix stamp purchase! Shown above is a 6x6 Accordian Chipboard album I made for a workshop last year where I used the Spring Harmony Sassy Strands for tag toppers and accents on the interior of the album.

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These fun and fluffy fibers can even be used for stitching on layouts (be sure your holes are big enough for the fiber to pass through without damaging the texture). On this Stardust layout below I used the Moonstruck fibers from the Summer Carnival Sassy Strand collection to add fan tails to my stars. Just make sure when you are poking holes to sew on your layouts that you make EVEN numbers of holes so your thread can pass UP and DOWN (yep, lesson learned)!

Close to my Heart (CTMH) Deal of the Day Sat. June 13th - Sweet Pea Simply Snapshots FREE ($8.95 value)!

Close to my Heart's Deal of the Day is a package of 12 Sweet Pea Simply Snapshots ($8.95 value!) FREE with the purchase of any A,B,C,D or E size Acrylix Stamp Set! Simply Snapshots are such a fun product to use! They are 9x9" and printed on both sides with two areas that perfectly fit 4x6" photos leaving a small mat behind them. There is a section for journaling and embellishing that you can rotate any direction to give different looks. If you use our clear 9x9 page protectors and a 9x9" album you'll have 24 pages (front and back of 12 sheets) for a total of 48 4x6" photos or you can do a larger/smaller photo over the area as seen in the Summer 09 Idea Book pages 50-51.

***Click HERE to shop my site and get your FREE package of Sweet Pea Simply Snaphots!***

My favorite use for the Simply Snapshots is making one of our a 9x9" chipboard accordian albums ($5.95) as seen above! On this one I used "Let's Get Together" Simply Snapshots and a matching Level 1 Paper Pack (Level 2 also works really well). I like to make a "Stamp Around" cover and a "Treasure Pocket" back page with Simply Snapshots on each of the interior pages. Done this way you can get the interior of 2 albums done with 1 package of Simply Snapshots. You can rotate the headers and there are two patters (front and back) to choose from for variations on design. If you add a matching 9x9 Memory Keeper Box ($6.95) you'll have an incredible custom gift that doesn't take long to make and will WOW any recipient! We have a large selection of Simply Snapshots to choose from to make albums for everything from new baby (Sweet Pea), Wedding (That's Amore or Silhouette), Graduation (Silhouette), Tropical or Beach Vacation (Moon Doggie), etc. There are 12 paper patterns to choose from to fit any occasion! So pick up your FREE package of Sweet Pea Simply Snapshots today and start playing!

CTMH Mystery Goodie Box - What I Received in Box #2!

Wow! I am LOVING these Mystery Goodie Boxes from Close to my Heart! They are jammed full of wonderful CTMH product that is worth EVEN MORE than they say it will have! Check out what I found on my doorstep today!

Paige's Mystery Goodies Box #2

- Life Delights Mini Album Kit (9x9 chipboard album with paper, stickease, ribbon and accessories to make a beautiful gift album) Retail Value $12.95 (just reduced from $17.95)

- Dimensional Elements Numbers: Retail Value $4.95

- Heartfelt Ribbon Collection: $9.95 (4 feet of ribbon on each of the 5 spools)

- Booking Set with 1x1 Block: Retail Value $15

- Clear Inspirations Ribbon Slides Precious: Retail Value $3.95

- Clear Inspirations Ribbon Slides Thank you: Retail Value $3.95

- D Size Stamp Set (Because of You): $22.95

- Jar of Chocolate and Bamboo Brads (both regular and bigger size): Retail Value $4.50

- 9x9 Memory Protectors Matte (set of 15): $5.50

- Mini Scallop Scissors: $2.00

- Level 2 Paper Pack (Abundance): $12.95

Retail Value: $98.65

Shipping at 7.95%: $7.84

Tax (mine is 8.6%): $9.16

Grand Total to purchase these separately: $115.65

What I Paid: $40.00

Shipping: $6.00

Tax: $3.96

Grand Total: $49.96

Total Savings: $65.69!

Now don't be sad if you missed out on Mystery Goodie Box #1 or Mystery Goodie Box #2, you still have the opportunity to get one or more of the 4 remaining Mystery Goodie Boxes! If you'd like to get on my e-mail list to receive notification when a Mystery Goodie Box is up for grabs, simply e-mail me at paigedolecki@yahoo.com with "Monthly Newsletter" in the title and I'll add you to my monthly newsletter list. This group is getting notice on each of the 6 days there is a Mystery Goodie Box available so they can grab their box and reap the savings!

I'm very impressed with the broad selection of items in these boxes - each box so far has been filled with a project, accessories, papers, stamps and even some tools in this one! Close to my Heart has made each one a terrific value with something for everyone! I can't wait to do a GRAND TOTAL OF SAVINGS at the end of this promotion to see how much I saved by getting these goodie boxes! And remember - if there is something in your box that you already have (I have a huge stamp collection and didn't have the 4 stamps I received) or if something just isn't your cup of tea, you'll have the opportunity to swap at the July SWAP AND CROP party! This is going to be a very fun event (for those that already know me - you know I never do something that I can't make fun) so don't miss out!

CTMH Deal of the Day FREE White Daisy Ricrac 3/8" ($6.95 value) - June 12th

Close to my Heart's Deal of the Day for Friday, 12 June is a 12 yard spool of White Daisy Ricrac 3/8" ($6.95 value!) FREE with any order of an A,B,C,D or E size Acrylix stamp set with reduced shipping of just $3! This sweet ribbon is used in our Animal Cookies workshop (click here to see the full workshop from my website) which is coming up in August. The bright colors in Animal Cookies and Tinkerin' really pop against the crisp white of this fun zigzaggy ribbon!

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Let me be your personal Close to my Heart consultant! Shop my site now by clicking here!

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How do I apply ricrac to my projects? I like to lay the ricrac down on a piece of scrap paper and run some Tombow down the back side. I then apply it to my project. There will be a bit of Tombow sticking out off the sides of the zigzags. You can then rub the excess Tombow off with your finger or with a White Polymer/Plastic Eraser you can find at your local office supply store. These erasers also work great for taking off excess chalk, excess watercolor pencil (before you use a blending pen) and for seasoning your stamps.

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When I season my stamps I lightly trace over the stamp with the white eraser then I ink the whole thing up in Bamboo and stamp on a piece of scrap. This gives it the first breaking in to remove any residue from manufacturing and kind of seals the stamp from excessive staining. When I go to use a stamp for the first time I rub it a bit on the ink pad of choice and might stamp off on scrap to make sure it is fully seasoned before stamping directly on my project. The seasoning makes your ink fully saturate the top surface of your stamp so you get a nice crisp clear image. Make sure you are using your foam from the inside of the stamp set or a VersaMat to stamp on so it has some "give" and the ink can reach all areas of the paper!

CTMH Deal of the Day - Thursday, 11 June FREE $7.95 value Craft Tray

Close to my Heart's Deal of the Day is something I use ALL THE TIME - our wonderful Craft Tray ($7.95 value) with built in funnel. When you are doing heat embossing, you stamp in the Versamark and then pour you embossing powder on the design over the craft tray. By taking out the little plug at the end you have a wonderful funnel for pouring all the powder that didn't stick back in the jar so you can keep embossing over and over! Its also great to use when you are putting lots of little accessories like small brads, sparkles, eyelets, etc. on to your piece as it is a way to corrall those things that love to drop on the floor and disappear in the carpet!

*****Shop my site now by clicking here!*****

To get this handy accessory for FREE ($7.95 value) simply purchase one A,B,C,D, or E size acrylix stamp set! Shipping will be reduced to just $3.00 for both items for a fabulous deal!

Purchase Deal a Day with B size stamp:
Stamp: $13.95
Free Tray: $0
Product Subtotal: $13.95
Shipping: $3.00
Tax (for me 8.6%) $2.14
Total: $19.09

Buying through me on a gathering for just these two items:
Stamp: $13.95
Tray: $7.95
Product Subtotal: $21.90
Shipping:$1.74
Tax: $2.03
Grand Total: $25.67

Total Savings: $6.58 and it gets delivered right to you door without waiting for my next order to go in! Terrific! If you don't already have one of these go order yours today!

CTMH Shipping on Mystery Box #2 - Lightening Fast!

I'm amazed at the shipping department at Close to my Heart! I placed an order right before lunch for Mystery Goodie Box #2 (of 6) and IT SHIPPED ALREADY! I'll have my pretty white box in my hot little hands on Friday this week! I'll take photos and share what I got/how much I saved with you all then.

There is still time tonight to get in on the action with Mystery Goodie Box #2 and get yourself a wonderful present so click on over to my site and grab your goodies before they're gone!

http://paige.myctmh.com/

There are 4 more of these boxes that will be up for grabs throughout the month so if you missed out on the first one or two there will still be opportunities for you to get our high quality products at incredible savings!

CTMH 50% Off Mystery Box #2 Wednesday, 10 June Deal of the Day!

Yipee! Today is Mystery Box #2 from Close to my Heart with $80 worth of Close to my Heart products for just $40 and reduced shipping of $6! This offer is good through 7AM Pacific Time on Thursday, 11 June OR UNTIL IT SELLS OUT. Mystery Box #1 SOLD OUT before dinner time in my area so don't wait and miss out! I know there were a lot of people who were really bummed out at what they missed when they found out what was in Box #1 so this one might sell out even faster than before! Click here to shop now!

Remember - each of the 6 days of boxes (2 down and 4 to go) have a different product focus so you can get a box on EVERY DAY and not get a bunch of repeats! Order with a friend - even on the same day there are variations in what you get which makes swapping with friends even more fun! Best of all, if you order a box through me you'll be invited to a special SWAP AND CROP PARTY in July where you can swap items you already had or just weren't your cup of tea with other lucky box owners! Its sure to be a fun party!

These boxes are so much fun to get! I was amazed at how much stuff was in my Day #1 Mystery Goodie Box - even more than they said there would be! Check out my post below to see what I received and how much I saved! I have a really big stamp collection (thank goodness for Acrylix with our amazing small storage space otherwise they'd be pushing me out of my craft room) and I didn't have ANY of the 3 stamps sent to me in Box #1! Happy shopping ladies!

CTMH Mystery Goodie Box - What I Received in Box #1

I'm so excited! My first Mystery Goodie Box arrived on my doorstep today filled with tons of goodies from Close to my Heart! This is what I got in my box BUT every box is different! Two people ordering on the same day aren't going to get the same box which makes ordering these and swapping with friends even more fun! Each of the 6 days boxes are offered (1 down and 5 to go) will have a different product focus so you can get one on each day and not get a lot of overlaps. Remember - if you order a box through me you'll be invited to a special SWAP and CROP party in July where you can trade any duplicates or things that aren't your cup of tea with another lucky box owner!

Enough chit-chat - let me "show you the money!":
Magic Moments Scrapbook Kit (a whole year of Level 1 layouts with stickease, ribbon, brads and page protectors - Retail value $34.95

Level 2 Sonata Paper Pack (I'm excited about this as its retired and I have a partial set and the stickease for concert pictures of my daughter) Retail Value: $12.95

My Child's Reflection 9x9 Kit (Retired - these were before my time as a consultant but they're like a 9x9 Level 1 kit with stickease, page protectors and journaling pages) Retail Value: $9.95
Dimensional Elements Basic Shapes - Retired Retail Value $5.95

Consultant Bulk Blush Ribbon with Colonial White Dots (I think its 20 yards) - (no longer available even for consultants) Retail Price: $12.95

B Size Birthday Scripts Stamp Set: $13.95

C Size Fluttering Frames Stamp Set: $18.95

D Size Floral Elements Stamp Set: $22.95

Total Retail Price: $132.60

Adding in tax and shipping to buy all this: $155.45

What I Paid: $60

Grand Total with Reduced shipping and Tax: $73.85

Total Savings: $81.60

CTMH Deal of the Day - June 9th Metal Rimmed Flower Tags

Close to my Heart's Deal of the Day is a set of 12 Metal Rimmed Flower Tags ($4.50 value!) for FREE with any A,B,C,D, or E size Acrylix stamp set! A package of these sweet little tags has 3 different sizes of flowers all with White Daisy paper in the center. You can stamp on the paper, sponge color, use chalks or even emboss as seen here. You can even remove the paper for a fun metal outline embellishment.

For this project I used our February Stamp of the Month Easter Eggs and created fun flowers and a butterfly for an Easter centerpiece. Each flower has a flower shaped Dimensional Element and/or a button with Sunflower Waxy Flax in the center. The butterfly has both sparkles and Sunflower Waxy Flax antenae. I used the largest size of Metal Rimmed Flower Tags to fit the seniment from Wonderful Charms ($13.95 has the cutest little critters including a snail, ant, worm and the little butterfly on the tag along with some tulips). I embossed the sentiment in black embossing powder and then used a sponge dauber to add Dutch Blue ink and a marker for the Watermelon colored butterfly. The base is an old perfume box and the sticks are all bamboo skewers so this fun little project was very frugal as well!

Materials Used:

Paper: Sunflower Textured Cardstock, Topiary Cardstock, Watermelon Textured Cardstock,W White Daisy Cardstock

Stamps: Easter Eggs, Wonderful Charms

Inks: Watermelon, Topiary, Dutch Blue, Hydrangea, Sunflower

Other: Metal Rimmed Flower Tags, Sparkles, Sunflower Waxy Flax, Summer Buttons

Dimensional Elements Perennials

CTMH Deal of the Day - June 8th Photo Marker!

Have you ever wanted to write directly on a photo? Maybe put the date or doodle a flourish on the side? Draw hearts around your sweetie like you were back in high school? How about putting the names on a group photo like a family reunion shot so your kids know who Great-Uncle Eddie is? Then Close to my Heart has just the product for you and for today only its FREE! Today's Deal of the Day is a Photo Marker ($2.50 value) from Close to my Heart FREE with any purchase of A, B, C, D, or E size Acrylix stamp set!

Shipping for the stamp set and the marker is reduced to just $3 for this promotion and it will be delivered to your door. Remember to keep checking my website at paige.myctmh.com to find out each day's special (posted at 8AM PT / 9AM MT)! If you want to be notified when a Mystery Goodie Box is available then signup for my monthly newsletter by sending me an e-mail at paigedolecki@yahoo.com and you'll be in the know when it comes to CTMH specials, limited time offers, workshops and product tips!

CTMH Deal of the Day Embroidery Floss in Oranges and Yellows!

CTMH's Deal of the Day for Sunday, 7 June is the Oranges and Yellows Embroidery Floss Collection ($3.25 value!) for FREE with purchase of any A,B,C,D, or E size Acrylix stamp set!

An extremely talented consultant K. Aaron Brown in Texas put together this card workshop and shared it on the consultant buletin board. This is my lifted version using the Oranges and Yellows Embroidery Floss. You can use them as ties, thread them through buttons or sew on your cards with these. They are color matched (each card tells you the colors they exactly match). A big thank you to Aaron for her generosity in sharing with other consultants. You can check out her blog here.

One of the wonderful perks of being a consultant for Close to my Heart is the AMAZING artwork that is shared on our private boards. With Consultant Starting Kits priced at just $99 for over $300 worth of product, its an affordable business to start. For people who just want a discount and don't want to sell its a great way to get a bunch of product to start and a very nice discount after that! Feel free to give me a shout if you are interested in more details! I'd love to have you on my team and help you achieve your goals whether you want to be a full business or a hobbiest! I intended to start as a hobbiest but loved having get togethers so much I quickly decided to make this my business!

Products Used:
Paper: Enchanted Level 2
Stamps: C1324 Spooky Smiles (one of my favorites!)
Inks: Goldrush, Black, Garden Green
Other: Oranges and Yellows Embroidery Floss, Autumn Soft Chalks, Garden Green Accessories Tube (now retired)

CTMH Deal of the Day June 6th - Designer Ribbon Rounds Chocolate Collection!

Today's Deal of the Day is a FREE Chocolate Designer Ribbon Rounds ($7.95 value!) with the purchase of any A,B,C,D or E size stamp! We used the Chocolate dotted organdy ribbon from this collection in our recent Stardust Kit of the Month Workshop. (You can see it on the left page as a picture hanger for the star cluster and in a couple of other spots.)

I love our Designer Ribbon Rounds because they perfectly coordinate with our inks, cardstock and paper packs. As with all our products the colors are consistent so coordinating and matching is a breeze! With my busy family of 5 anything that can make my life faster, easier or simpler is a winner!

I'm a more-bang-for-your-buck kind of gal so I thought today I'd show you exactly what a great deal our June Deal-A-Day promotion is for you wallet using the purchase of a B size alphabet solos stamp as an example!

Sally Stamper wants to buy:
B1243 Alphabet Solos S: $13.95
Z1127 Chocolate Designer Ribbon Rounds: $7.95
Regular Shipping from my website: $7.95
Tax (based on my rate of 8.6%): $2.57
Grand Total: $32.42

Sally Stamper takes advantage of today's deal to buy:
B1243 Alphabet Solos S: $13.95
Gets FREE Chocolate Designer Ribbon Rounds (value $7.95): $0.00
REDUCED SHIPPING ON THIS PROMOTION: $3.00
Tax: $1.46
Grand Total: $18.41

So make your list today of stamps you'd like to add to your tool box and take advantage of these great savings during our Deal-A-Day promotion! I know I could use the extra $14.01 in my wallet! Happy shopping!

My First CTMH 50% Goodie Box is on it way FIVE MORE CTMH BOXES TO COME!

Yippee! I'm so excited I just had to share that my first CTMH 50% off Goodie Box is on its way to me now! Talk about fast shipping - I just ordered it yesterday! I can't wait to see all the wonderful things I get - a $120 value for just $60! It will arrive on Tuesday so look for an "unveiling" here on my blog.

There are still 5 more Mystery Goodie Boxes to be had during our June Deal-A-Day special so make sure you are on the look out for the days they are available! Each day I'll post here what the Free item with purchase will be as well as try to give tips and pictures of uses for that product. On days we have Mystery Boxes I'll also send an e-mail to everyone on my mailing list to alert them of the GREAT DEAL to be had! If you aren't on my mailing list and would like to receive my monthly e-mail (I tell everyone about deals and specials from Close to my Heart, upcoming workshops, give tips and advice on our products, etc. in my monthly e-mail) then just leave me a comment with your e-mail address OR send me an e-mail at:

paigedolecki@yahoo.com

in your title say "CTMH MONTHLY NEWSLETTER" and I'll get you hooked up right away! I often add little contests and such to my website and my newsletters so its always fun to play along!

CTMH June 5th Deal of the Day - Autumn Daisy Paper Flowers (set of 75) FREE

Friday, 5th June's Deal of the Day is a tube of Aumtumn Daisy Paper Flowers (value $7.95!) from Close to my Heart for FREE with any A,B,C,D or E size Acrylix Stamp! With A sizes starting at just $10.95 this is a fabulous deal! Offer good until 8AM Saturday, 6th June.

Our Aumtumn Daisy collection of 75 flowers in two sizes comes in 3 colors - Hollyhock, Pansy Purple and White Daisy. On this card I used a smaller Hollyhock flower and a larger White Daisy flower that I sponged with Honey Ink to match the ribbon. The adorable lion was colored in using one of my all time favorite techniques - our color matched watercolor pencils and a blending pen!

Paper flowers are very versitile embellishments as you can ink them up to color match your project, stamp on them to give them patterns, paint them with Pearl Paint, layer them, put small dots of liquid glass on them to look like dew, etc. The list of things to do with these is as long as your imagination! I have a tube of every color we sell at home and I love these sweet little things!

Materials Used:

Paper: Hollyhock CS, Olive CS, White Daisy CS

Ink: Hollyhock, Black, Olive, Honey

Stamp Sets: C1257 Happy Birthday, D1285 Life's A Jungle

Other: Autumn Daisy Paper Flowers, Olive Big Brad, Watercolor Pencils, Blending Pen, Cuttlebug and unknown ribbon from stash

CTMH 50% Off Mystery Box Thursday, 4th June Deal of the Day

Whoo-hoo! Thursday, 4th June's Deal of the Day is a Mystery Box from Close to my Heart filled with $120 worth of product for just $60 and shipping is just $8! While we won't know exactly what is in the box, each of the 6 Mystery Box days will have a different product focus so you can order on all 6 days and not get a bunch of repeats. (Yay!) This Mystery Box will be available until 8AM MT on Friday, 5th June so don't miss out!

Remember, anyone who orders a Mystery Box through me will be invited to a special swap and crop in July! So if you get something in your boxes that you already have or if a product just isn't your cup of tea then you'll get the chance to swap it with someone else! So click here to start shopping!