So much product, So little time!!

Did you hear that Close to my Heart is switching from three catalogs a year to two? The new catalog is going to be thicker and PACKED with so many wonderful goodies your head will spin!

In the meantime, that means a lot has to go and go it will. Everything you see here is on the retired list which means it will be gone by the end of 2010. Don't miss out on your favorites. Find them here, while supplies last. MY WEBSITE

Z1214 Brads Summer Carnival
Z1216 Brads Winter Cozy
Z1212 Brads Spring Harmony
Z1220 Twinkle Brads Jolly
Z1218 Brads Basic
Z1213 Brads Spring Blossom
Z1217 Brads Metal
Z1219 Brads Essential
Z1215 Brads Autumn Harvest
Z1317 Designer Brads Splendor
Z1036 Clear Inspirations Clear Buttons
Z1155 Craft Buttons Clear
Z1282 Craft Buttons Summer
Z1283 Craft Buttons Autumn
Z1281 Craft Buttons Spring
Z1206 Craft Buttons Basics
Z1284 Craft Buttons Winter
Z1285 Craft Buttons Holiday
X5750 Color-Ready Alphabets Bold
Z1115 Dimensional Elements Simple Numbers
Z1019 Dimensional Elements Fresh Shapes
Z1139 Dimensional Elements Perennials
Z1047 Dimensional Elements Simple Alphabets Upper
Z1048 Dimensional Elements Simple Alphabets Lower
Z1230 Dimensional Elements In Color Organic Buttons
Z1145 HeartFelt Die-Cuts Whimsy
Z1162 Foam Die-Cuts Numbers
Z1158 Dimensional Elements In Color Adventure
Z1159 Badge Buttons
Z1150 Stardust Flexi Labels
Z1148 Pretty Pins
Z1210 HeartFelt Wonder
Z1053 Clear Inspirations Tags
Z1270 Soft Suede Pin Wheels
Z1272 Top Coats Rockin
Z1033 Just Blooms Big Pinks
Z822 Just Blooms Summer Posies
X1407 Journaling Spots Love Always
X1409 Journaling Spots Journey
Z1315 Fancy Fuzz Zippidee
Z1318 Marks Passages
Z1319 Opaques Cherry-O
Z1287 Edge Anchors Rustic
Z1286 Edge Anchors Vintage
Z1161 FoundryTabs
Z293 Photo Hangers
X285 Metal Rimmed Tags Circles
Z291 Hinge Pack
Z1032 Metal Rimmed Tags Flowers
Z1288 Edge Anchors Heritage
Z1035 Edge Anchors Cottage
Z1271 Tiny Tabs
Z1136 Mini Medley White Daisy
Z1121 Mini Medley Holiday
Z1119 Mini Medley Autumn Garden
Z1118 Mini Medley Spring Blossom
Z1120 Mini Medley Winter Cozy
X1408 Fancy Cuts Borders
Z1041 Expressives Font CD Volume II
X1405 Fancy Cuts Botanicals
X301 Weekly Calendar
Z1165 Mini Album Kraft with Jute
Z1117 My Creations Acrylic Mini Album
Z1132 My Pages Talk Voice Recorder
Z1291 My Creations Artboard
Z1052 Designer Ribbon Ricrac
Z1095 Embroidery Floss Yellow & Orange Assortment
Z1034 Designer Ribbon Black
Z1099 Bulk Twill 3/8
Z1122 Designer Ribbon Hollyhock
Z1138 Designer Ribbon Blush
Z1127 Designer Ribbon Chocolate
Z100 Organdy White Daisy 5/8
Z1123 Designer Ribbon Sorbet
Z1124 Designer Ribbon Heavenly Blue
Z209 OrgandyWhiteDaisy3/8
Z1131 Designer Ribbon Crème Brulee
Z1129 Designer Ribbon Outdoor Denim
Z1101 Bulk Black Grosgrain 3/8
Z1128 Waxy Flax Blush
Z1087 Waxy Flax Sunflower
Z1222 Glitter Rub-Ons Winter Cheer
Z1098 Rub-Ons Love Letters
Z1153 Rub-Ons All-Out Adventure
Z1135 Rub-Ons Love Story
Z1097 Rub-Ons Nature's Ambiance
Z1221 Glitter Rub-ons Remarks
Z4108 Snapease Album System 6x6
Z4109 Snapease Album System 9x9
Z4125 My Legacy Album Protectors 6x6
Z4124 My Legacy Album Protectors 9x9
Z4117 12x12 Four Pocket Photo Storage Pages (10)
Z4116 Memory Protector Value Pack Matte 12x12 (50)
Z4123 My Legacy Album Protectors 12x12
Z4118 Memory Protector Clear 9x9 (10)
4112 Memory Protectors Clear 6x6 (10)
Z4130 Spine Expanders 9x9 (10)
Z1251 My Legacy Linen Album Black 6x6
Z1197 My Legacy Linen Album Dark Cocoa 9x9
Z1200 My Legacy Linen Album Dark Cocoa 6x6
1154 My Legacy Album Leather English Tan 12X12
1155 My Legacy Album Simulated Dark Blue 12X12
1159 My Legacy Album Simulated Black 12X12
Z1250 My Legacy Linen Album Black 9x9
1153 My Legacy Album Leather Black 12X12
Z1201 My Legacy Linen Album Hollyhock 12x12
Z1188 My Legacy Linen Album Black 12x12
Z1184 My Legacy Linen Album Outdoor Denim 12x12
Z1196 My Legacy Linen Album Dark Cocoa 12x12
Z1183 My Legacy Linen Album Garden Green 12X12
Z1182 My Legacy Linen Album Cranberry 12x12
1151 My Legacy Album Leather Burgundy 12X12
Z902 Soft Chalks Spring
Z903 Soft Chalks Summer
Z904 Soft Chalks Autumn
Z905 Soft Chalks Winter
Z650 Embossing Powder Clover Meadow
Z651 Embossing Powder Star Spangled Blue
Z653 Embossing Powder Sunny Yellow
Z2309 Marker Bubblegum
Z2338 Marker Orange
Z2313 Marker Clover Meadow
Z2329 Marker Hydrangea
Z2312 Marker Citrus Leaf
Z2336 Marker Ocean
Z2358 Marker Watermelon
Z2349 Marker Star Spangled Blue
Z1556 Marker Set Summer Celebration
Z1551 Marker Set Summer Carnival
Z2249 Reinker Star Spangled Blue
Z2209 Reinker Bubblegum
Z2229 Reinker Hydrangea
Z2236 Reinker Ocean
Z2238 Reinker Orange
Z2258 Reinker Watermelon
Z2212 Reinker Citrus Leaf
Z2213 Reinker Clover Meadow
Z2112 Stamp Pad Citrus Leaf
Z2138 Stamp Pad Orange
Z2109 Stamp Pad Bubblegum
Z2158 Stamp Pad Watermelon
Z2136 Stamp Pad Ocean
Z2113 Stamp Pad Clover Meadow
Z2129 Stamp Pad Hydrangea
Z2149 Stamp Pad Star Spangled Blue
Z1566 Stamp Pad Set Summer Celebration
Z1561 Stamp Pad Set Summer Carnival
Z801 Ribbon Round Organizer
Z4202 Rolling Carryall
Z183 My Accents Organizer
X5671 Textured Cardstock White Daisy
1228 Cardstock 12x12 Citrus Leaf
1281 Cardstock 12x12 Orange
X5681 Textured Cardstock Spring Harmony
X5702 Cardstock Combo 8.5x11 Summer Celebration
X5665 Cardstock 9x9 White Daisy (24)
1229 Cardstock 12x12 Clover MeadowX5745 Textured Cardstock Summer Celebration
X1412 Cardstock 8.5x11 Black
1231 Cardstock 12x12 Bubblegum
X5688 Cardstock Combo 8.5x11 Summer Carnival
1226 Cardstock 12x12 Watermelon
X5683 Cardstock Combo 12X12 Summer Carnival
1233 Cardstock 12x12 Star Spangled Blue
X1411 Cardstock 8.5x11 Colonial White
X5697 Cardstock Combo 12x12 Summer Celebration
X5807 Creative Basics Animal Cookies
X5808 Creative Basics Jingle
X5806 Creative Basics Emporium
X5810 Creative Basics Cherry-O
X5809 Creative Basics Vernada
X8623 Around The Holidays My Originals Card Kit
X8624 Bits & Pieces My Originals Card Kit
X8622 Its Your Day My Originals Card Kit
X8621 Hello Birdie My Originals Card Kit
X8616 Lets Get Together My Originals Card Kit
X8619 Happy Everything My Originals Card Kit
X8618 Cute As A Button My Originals Card Kit
X8625 Sugar & Spice My Originals Card Kit
X7100A My Reflections Perfect Day Level 1
X7100B My Reflections Perfect Day Paper Packet
X7100C Perfect Day My Stickease
X7103A My Reflections Aspen Level 1
X7103C Aspen My Stickease
X7103B My Reflections Aspen Paper Packet
X7097C Game On My Stickease
X7097A My Reflections Game On Level 1 Kit
X7097B My Reflections Game On Paper Packet
X7101A My Reflections Magic Moments Level 1
X7101B My Reflections Magic Moments Paper Packet
X7101C Magic Moments My Stickease
X7104A My Reflections Evensong Level 1
X7104B My Reflections Evensong Paper Packet
X7104C Evensong My Stickease
X7081C Majestic Blue My Stickease
X7081A My Reflections Majestic Blue Level 1
X7081B My Reflections Majestic Blue Paper Packet
X7102A My Reflections Notebook Level 1
X7102C Notebook My Stickease
X7102B My Reflections Notebook Paper Packet
X7116C Sweet Home My Stickease
X7116B My Reflections Sweet Home Paper Packet
X7116A My Reflections Sweet Home Level 1
X7070A My Reflections Simple Pleasures Level 1
X7070B My Reflections Simple Pleasures Paper Packet
X7070C Simple Pleasures My Stickease
X7075A My Reflections More To Adore Level 1
X7075C More To Adore My Stickease
X7075B My Reflections More To Adore Paper Packet
X7095A My Reflections Boom-Di-Ada Level 1 Kit
X7095C Boom-Di-Ada MyStickease
X7095B My Reflections Boom-Di-Ada Paper Packet
X7117C Grace My Stickease
X7117A My Reflections Grace Level 1
X7117B My Reflections Grace Paper Packet
X7110C Back Country My Stickease
X7110A My Reflections Back Country Level 1
X7110B My Reflections Back Country Paper Packet
X7115A My Reflections Jingle Level 1
X7115B My Reflections Jingle Paper Packet
X7115C Jingle My Stickease
X7118C Twitterpated My Stickease
X7118B My Reflections Twitterpated Paper Packet
X7118A My Reflections Twitterpated Level 1
X7098C Sarsaparilla My Stickease
X7098A My Reflections Sarsaparilla Level 1 Kit
X7098B My Reflections Sarsaparilla Paper Packet
X7092B My Reflections Good Times Paper Packet
X7092C Good Times My Stickease
X7092A My Reflections Good Times Level 1
X7106A My Reflections Unforgettable Level 1
X7106C Unforgettable My Stickease
X7106B My Reflections Unforgettable Paper Packet
X7096A My Reflections Blue Ribbon Level 1 Kit
X7096B My Reflections Blue Ribbon Paper Packet
X7096C Blue Ribbon My Stickease
X7114C Bella My Stickease
X7114A My Reflections Bella Level 1
X7114B My Reflections Bella Paper Packet
X7107C That's Amore My Stickease
X7107A My Reflections That's Amore Level 1
X7107B My Reflections That’s Amore Paper Packet
X7091A My Reflections It’s a Guy Thing Level 1
X7091B My Reflections It’s a Guy Thing Paper Packet
X7091C It's A Guy Thing My Stickease
X7111A My Reflections Moon Doggie Level 1
X7111B My Reflections Moon Doggie Paper Packet
X7111C Moon Doggie My Stickease
X7112C Animal Cookies My Stickease
X7112A My Reflections Animal Cookies Level 1
X7112B My Reflections Animal Cookies Paper Packet
X7105A My Reflections Emporium Level 1
X7105B My Reflections Emporium Paper Packet
X7105C Emporium My Stickease
X7119A My Reflections Veranda Level 1
X7119C Veranda My Stickease
X7119B My Reflections Veranda Paper Packet
X7113A My Reflections Tinkerin Level 1
X7113C Tinkerin My Stickease
X7113B My Reflections Tinkerin Paper Packet
X7090A My Reflections Silhouette Level 1
X7090C Silhouette My Stickease
X7090B My Reflections Silhouette Paper Packet
X7109C Stardust My Stickease
X7109B My Reflections Stardust Paper Packet
X7109A My Reflections Stardust Level 1
X7108A My Reflections Daydream Level 1
X7108B My Reflections Daydream Paper Packet
X7108C Daydream My Stickease
X7122C You Rock My Stickease
X7122A My Reflections You Rock Level 1
X7122B My Reflections You Rock Paper Packet
X7125C My Stickease Zippidee
X7125B My Reflections Zippidee Paper Packet
X7125A My Reflections Zippidee Level 1 Kit
X7123A My Reflections Cherry-O Level 1 Kit
X7123C My Stickease Cherry-O
X7123B My Reflections Cherry-O Paper Packet
X7120C Topstitch My Stickease
X7120B My Reflections Topstitch Paper Packet
X7120A My Reflections Topstitch Level 1
X7126B My Reflections Passages Paper Packet
X7126C My Stickease Passages
X7126A My Reflections Passages Level 1 Kit
X7124A My Reflections Splendor Level 1 Kit
X7124C My Stickease Splendor
X7124B My Reflections Splendor Paper Packet
X7121C Caboodle My Stickease
X7121B My Reflections Caboodle Paper Packet
X7121A My Reflections Caboodle Level 1
X5748 My Stickease Journaling Prompts Seasons
X5746 My Stickease Journaling Prompts About Me
X8535 Simply Snapshots Grace
X8536 Simply Snapshots You Rock
X8534 Simply Snapshots Moon Doggie
X8533 Simply Snapshots That's Amore
Z727 EZ Chalk Applicators
Z728 Soft Chalk Eraser
Z1205 Tweezers
B1212 Little Treasures
B1225 Solos A
B1226 Solos B
B1227 Solos C
B1228 Solos D
B1229 Solos E
B1230 Solos F
B1231 Solos G
B1232 Solos H
B1233 Solos I
B1234 Solos J
B1235 Solos K
B1236 Solos L
B1237 Solos M
B1238 Solos N
B1239 Solos O
B1240 Solos P
B1241 Solos Q
B1242 Solos R
B1243 Solos S
B1244 Solos T
B1245 Solos U
B1246 Solos V
B1247 Solos W
B1248 Solos X
B1249 Solos Y
B1250 Solos Z
B1269 Journaling Jots
B1286 Solos 1
B1287 Solos 2
B1288 Solos 3
B1289 Solos 4
B1290 Solos 5
B1291 Solos 6
B1292 Solos 7
B1293 Solos 8
B1294 Solos 9
B1295 Solos 0
B1296 Joy Forever
B1297 Heartfelt
B1298 Be Happy
B1305 Yeehaw
B1306 Cottage Floral
B1307 Whimsical Wings
B1308 Remember This
B1311 Summer Sweetness
B1314 Inspiration
B1315 Code It
B1316 Coffee Stain
B1318 Magic Moments
B1320 Adoration
B1321 Reach for the Stars
B1326 He Is Risen
B1327 Struck by Love
B1328 Backwoods
B1329 Shore is Fun
B1330 Surprise
B1331 Ocean Treasure
B1334 Enjoy the Journey
B1342 In the Game­-Wrestling
B1344 In the Game-Lacrosse
B1345 Forever in Love
C1220 You're Special
C1234 Simple Stitches
C1257 Happy Birthday
C1277 Catch Of The Day
C1278 Library Cards
C1288 Playful Petals
C1291 Gift Of Love
C1293 Wonderful Season
C1297 Lovely Lace
C1299 Butterfly Kiss
C1300 Just Like You
C1304 Sans Alphabet
C1307 Western Flourishes
C1308 Be True
C1310 Happiness
C1311 Lucky Stars
C1313 Celebration Bouquet
C1315 Hero's Pride
C1316 Dog's Life
C1317 Paw Print
C1322 Gratitude
C1323 Whooo Loves You
C1326 Frosty Borders
C1336 You're Adored
C1341 Motherhood
C1343 Happy Endings
C1344 Peace, Joy, and Harmony
C1347 Ms. on the Go
C1348 Ravishing Roses
C1352 You Are Beautiful
C1357 Botanical Borders
C1358 Surf's Up
C1367 Lights, Camera, Action
C1388 Rock Star
C1389 So Sweet
C1392 In the Game-Soccer
C1393 In the Game-Play Ball
C1400 Encore
C1410 Fruitful Delight
C1412 Freedom
C1413 Go Green
D1011 In The Wild
D1128 Holiday Jubilee
D1194 All My Love
D1200 Adorable Backgrounds
D1201 Frame Of Mind
D1204 Delight In Everything
D1207 Vintage Postcard
D1208 Ticket Tags
D1212 Playful Flourishes
D1214 Spice Of Life
D1217 Free Spirit
D1221 Delightful Alphabet
D1227 Legendary Moments
D1237 Star Struck
D1248 Flower Child
D1249 Baby Miracles
D1250 Extreme Caps
D1251 Brilliant Backgrounds
D1252 Checklist
D1255 Thoughts Of You
D1259 Eastertime
D1260 Endless Love
D1261 Simple Beauty
D1262 Express Postage
D1263 Blooming Flourishes
D1276 Vintage USA
D1281 Footprints
D1284 With Love
D1285 Life's A Jungle
D1286 Today's Date
D1292 Home of the Free
D1293 Enjoy Your Journey
D1294 Play Time
D1302 Winter Memories
D1304 Life's Creation
D1316 Bon Voyage
D1329 Noteworthy
D1331 Dream Wishes
D1334 Reminisce
D1338 Bird Basics
D1343 Love Language
D1344 Ms. Gardener
D1345 Ms. Sweetheart
D1351 You've Got Flair
D1358 Childhood
D1362 Happy Healing
D1389 Ornate Ornaments-English
D1390 Ornate Ornaments-French
D1391 Ornate Ornaments-Spanish
D1405 Leave Your Mark
D1412 Noted Backgrounds
D1429 Vegetable Garden
D1430 Theme Park
E1008 Stitch Alphabet
E1009 Building Block Alphabet

Thanks and Merry Christmas!

First off I'd like to thank everyone who read and signed up for my Twelve Days of Christmas newsletter. Here are most of the tags I made for the tutorials. I hope you all enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed creating them.



I want to wish you a wonderful Christmas today and nothing but blessings for the coming year. Here's a little music to get you started. Be sure to check out how Jose Feliciano turns his guitar strings into a drum on Little Drummer Boy.

Last Day for the 12 Days of Christmas

Today is the last day I'll be sending out the TWELVE newsletters! If you still wanted to get those (filled with a tutorial a day, used stamps for sale, specials and offers) you must sign up TODAY to get all 12. I won't be sending them out again until next year and then they'll be all new ones. To sign up, just look at the upper right of my blog for the signup blog. I will send out all 12 to you today! It has been so fun to make these up every day and I hope you've all enjoyed them.



Don't forget there is still time to contribute to the Mittens for Kids collection. We are up to 20 mittens given, would love to get to 50 so I'm going to extend this after Christmas so that we can give some needy children something to warm up their hands. Please contribute on the paypal link if you can't send actually mittens. Just $1.00 will buy a pair.

Jeanette Lynton's Blog

I don't normally like to send you off to visit other blogs (I want to keep you here!!) but I just wanted to share the cutest ideas I saw on Jeanette Lynton's blog. She is the owner of Close to my Heart and actually takes time out to write her own blog. It's always filled with wonderful art and ideas and heartfelt words. Each Monday she posts a new set of art projects and I just fell in love with these. Please check it out RIGHT HERE and have a great day!

By the way, if you FALL IN LOVE with the All Decked Out stamp set she used, you can order it right here on my website and get a free $22.95 stamp set too! If you are nervous about which stamp set they might send you as your free one, subscribe to my newsetter on the upper right of my blog here and find out how I can ease your mind about that.

12 Days of Christmas - Just Four Days Left

If you haven't signed up for my newsletter you are missing out on the 12 Days of Christmas tutorials and specials I've been sending out. It's not too late. Sign up today in the box at the upper right of my blog and I'll catch you up with all the Christmas emails you missed.

The products I can't live without

I was given an assignment in a group I'm in to list the Close to my Heart products I can't live without. Now this is the kind of writing task that I love!

1. Imagine - I don't know how many of you have tried our "how-to" books but I truly can't scrapbook or make cards without them. After scrapbooking for 13 years now I have seen every sketch book under the sun but these ones are soooooo much better. I just love how they give me exact measurements. I'm not much of a perfectionist anymore but I still have the tendency sometimes and this just caters to that characteristic. I love all of our idea books but Imagine is definitely my favorite.

2. Studio J - I'm sure if you've been watching any of my posts for the past couple of months you can see that I am into Studio J. I am a traditional scrapbooker all the way but there is nothing easier or faster than to be able to do all the same things with the click of a mouse! As a consultant I was given the opportunity to get a year's membership at a super low price and with my discount I pay about $2.50 per page. You can't beat that.

3. My Reflections Paper Kits - Hello, my name is Barbra Otten and I am a paperaholic. I can never get enough and our papers are so wonderful because everything matches!

4. Say It In Style Stamp Set - I've said it before and I'll say it again, this is my most used stamp set. Check it out and you'll see why.

5. Flip Flaps - It took several months before I finally put together my own layout using Flip Flaps but once I did I was hooked. Check out how they are used with a real layout HERE.

6. Sparkles - Who doesn't like a little bling? I have especially grown fond of these lately because they make my Christmas tags look so cool. Here's an example below, if you missed out on my Twelve Days of Christmas newsletter where I show how to make this tag, it's not too late. Just sign up at the upper right of my blog and I'll get you up to date.

7. My Creations Memory Showcase, the 6 x 6 size - I have altered this item more than any other I'm positive. This book is so easy to put apart, holds 8 photos at least and makes a great gift. "Nuff said."

8. Micro-tip scissors - These are sharp, stay sharp and get into those little tight spots that need cutting.

9. Tombow Mono Adhesive - After years of looking for just the right adhesive, I finally found it with Tombow. It holds though embossed pages, textured papers and doesn't let go. Do not take my Tombow away!!

10. Foam Tools - Now I realize that a lot of my customers make fun of the fact that I distress everything but it does seem that when they try it, they see why!! I use the foam tools that Close to my Heart sells for my distressing. It helps keep my hands clean (most of the time) and adds a more subtle, soft look to my distressing. Can't live without them!

So, that's basically it although there are probably enough other products I also need but I limited it to twelves THIS TIME! I'd love to hear what you can't live without. If you have seen something on my list that you have to have, make sure you take advantage of our Plenty for Twenty special before the month ends and get yourself a free stamp set too!

Embarrassing Moments in Scrapbooking

It's Sunday and quiet so I was thinking it might be funny to show off some of the very first layouts I ever did over 12 years ago! I was a self-taught scrapbooker and I started with an idea to do one album for my newborn son. He was my third and, believe it or not, I did my very first layout the week after he was born. It was amazing I was awake enough to even think about crafting.

These layouts will show you that I made every beginner mistake there is! I bought all those patterned scissors and used them on everything including photos (and back then I didn't save negatives) ruining them forever. Look at the horrendous cutting on these photos. Remember all those premade pages that we thought were so easy. Just plunk your photos down and you're done. Ick.

Patchwork "quilting" pages were big back then too. What noone told me was that the pictures were supposed to be the star of the show, not the background. Poor little Sam gets totally lost on this busy paper.

Here's another look at those patterned scissors at work. Remember when we were all big on silhouetting our photos? How about those floating stickers, not "grounded" at all, just flying all over the page. I remember being so proud of this layout. It just makes me laugh now!

Can you look at this layout and not wonder if I was colorblind? Wow, sticker sneeze, bright colors, wild patterns. Is there even a child on this page? Why did I think diecuts and stickers deserved more attention than my son?

I would love to hear about and even see some of your very first pages if you're willing to share. Send me a jpeg to my email address and I'll share it on my blog. Come on, I know I'm not the only one who is embarrassed by my beginner pages. Let's all laugh together! caldreamin05@comcast.net

A Chance to Give

This has been on my sidebar but I wanted to make sure you all saw it so I'm reposting it here.

A few years back I was working as a substitute teacher and was called to a particular pre-school class in Benton Harbor frequently. I was very saddened to see that so many of the children did not have mittens. Because of our cold Michigan winters, any child who didn't have mittens had to stay inside instead of playing. The teacher did her best to help out by having a box of mismatched mittens in the classroom but there weren't enough of them. After seeing that I called up a bunch of my friends and asked them all to send me any gloves and mittens that their children had outgrown. They sent plenty and, for that class year at least, the children were all able to go out.

Though I no longer sub, I think about that school often and this year I wanted to do the same thing. My circle of friends has grown immensely due to Close to my Heart so this time I'm asking all of you to help these children out. Most of you have just experienced, and are still experiencing the first big winter storm here in Michigan. Can you imagine how cold this little children's hands are going to be this winter? Do you have any used or new mittens you'd be willing to send to help them out? If not, would you be willing to spare a dollar (which is all it takes to buy a pair of mittens these days) to allow me to buy the mittens for you?

I'm going to be posting a mitten thermometer on my blog to show our progress throughout the next 12 days. I will take all the mittens collected to one of the schools in Benton Harbor so the children will have them when they return from Christmas break. Everyone who contributes will have their first name and last initial posted on my blog under the thermometer as a thank you. I'd love to see us collect 50 pairs of mittens during these next 12 days. Below is a paypal link so that giving is only a click away. Thank you all so much!

MITTEN COLLECTION ADDRESS: FOR ACTUAL MITTENS OR TO SEND A CHECK OR MONEY ORDER, SEND TO:

BARBRA OTTEN 1247 W. JOHN BEERS ROAD, STEVENSVILLE, MI 49127

A different kind of consultant

I know that not everyone out there wants to be the type of consultant who does home parties. In fact, some people don't even do the traditional scrapbooking, they are into digital. Does this sound like you? What if all of your friends are into digital scrapbooking? Why should you sign up to be a Close to my Heart consultant?

Well, there are some excellent reasons to still sign up. You can be a consultant and only sell Studio J. Just imagine it, no trips to customer's houses to do parties, nothing to prepare, all you do is just show people how to scrapbook with Studio J (and that's easy), let them sign up for our reasonably priced memberships and your job is done! For every layout and membership they purchase you get a commission! How many jobs are that easy?

Another benefit is that when you sign up for your own Studio J membership (part of your beginner kit) you can get all of your own digital pages at an even bigger discount than your customers. Mine run me about $2.50 a page!!! If this sounds like something you are interested in learning more about, CLICK HERE and scroll down towards the bottom of the enrollment page to see what you'll get for your sign up fee. If you want to go the Studio J route, sign up for the year's membership and the website for a year so your friends can access Studio J there. You still get to choose one more item too!! You are free to call or email me (info above in the title block) and we can talk about it!!

What a Day - Santa's Workshop!

After having to postpone my Santa's Workshop due to weather we finally had it yesterday ALL DAY LONG, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Great friends got together and made an altered acrylic box, Christmas bags and tags, Christmas ornaments and accordian albums. I will take photos of the projects we made as I unpack the car so stay tuned today as I add them to this post.

In the meantime, don't forget that Plenty for Twenty is going on. You can spend just $20 and get a FREE $22.95 stamp set for free on my website http://barbraotten.myctmh.com.

This card box was made using Splendor paper and our My Acrylix organizer. A couple of quick hints when making these. Use glue dots on the four corners of the completed pieces before putting on box to really stick it well. I find that darker paper sets look best on these boxes, my friend, Marilyn, made hers with Magnifique and it was truly "magnifique!" You can make the dividers say anything you want, categorize but types of card, by months you want to send them, even alphabetically.





Here's a bag from the "tags and bags" class. The paper is Evensong and the stamp set is Adorn-able. To see directions you must sign up for my newsletter at the upper right of my blog.

Need some Christmas Spirit?

For those of you who know me, you know that I LOVE HALL AND OATES! To help get you in the Christmas spirit, check out Live from Daryl's House tonight at 8:00 EST and enjoy some wonderful Christmas music from Daryl Hall and Jose Feliciano. Feliz Navidad!

For those who are coming here to comment from my newsletter, here's a question for you: What gets you in the Christmas spirit?

Studio J layouts from the Double J Ranch

Here's some more fun layouts from my family's time at the Double J ranch. Each of these layouts took me about only 15 minutes to complete!

Express Yourself

I just love stamp sets that encourage people and this is another one. We all need to express ourselves once in awhile, don't we? This card is made with our new special paper but you have to subscribe to my email to find out more about it. Sign up on the upper right of this blog. Also, this is the day I start my 12 Days of Christmas newsletters, a special and a tutorial every single day up to Christmas. Don't miss out.

To make this card, cut your cardstock color of choice 5 1/2 by 4 inches. I distressed and dry embossed lines horizontally on my card and then sanded them. That's up to you. The strip on the right hand side is cardstock, cut 5 1/2 by 1/4 inch. The pattern paper strip to the left of it is cut 5 1/2 by 1 inches. Glue those down to your card as shown after distressing. The Express Yourself saying is stamped on a cardstock block cut 1 3/4 by 1 3/4 inch. The vineyard berry paper it's laying on is cut 2 1/4 by 1 inch and the colonial white cardstock it's laying on is cut 3 by 1 1/2 inch. Glue down the largest white paper first about a 1/2 inch down from the top with the right hand side flush to the long patterned strip. Put the vineyard berry paper flush with the strip too right in the center of the cardstock. Stamp your saying on your smallest white paper and glue that down on the vineyard berry cardstock flush with the skinniest strip of paper. Tie a bow and glue that down as shown. Stamp a flower and add a brad, cut out and use a glue dot to attach to ribbon. Add two black brads to the lower left of card. Attach the entire card to an 8 1/2 by 5 1/2 piece of cardstock that you've folded in half. Easy!! Oh, you're wondering about the pink splotches? You need to subscribe to my newsletter to find out about that!

Is it snowing where you are?

Check out the update of my artwork I've completed since this morning at the end of this post. More to come later today!

I was supposed to have my Santa's Workshop today but threats of a big winter storm has caused me to move it to Wednesday instead. Of course, cancelling my plans will for sure make the storm a mild one, right?

Anyway, today I will be staying in, how about you? Do you take advantage of situations like this to get some scrapbooking or cardmaking in? I do. Since I do scrapbooking and cardmaking for a living I sometimes don't have a lot of time to do my own so I have to make plans to do just that.

Women are givers, we are always putting ourselves to the back of the line, aren't we? I know that even when cooking I will make my meal last after everyone else has theirs. Thank goodness that we are like that because the world would come to a complete stop without the women in the world but the truth is, we do need to take time out for ourselves.

So, my challenge for you today is to treat yourself to something that makes you happy, whether it's scrapbooking, cardmaking or even going to the movies. Whatever it takes to put a smile on your face will work. Since I know a lot of my readers are going to be hit with snow today, give that as an excuse to give yourself an early Christmas present and do what you want to do for a change.

I'd love to hear about what you come up with. Please comment here so we can share treating ourselves.

Also, before I forget, I'm about to start my 12 days of Christmas newsletter series. I will start it tomorrow, on the 13th. There will be twelve days of newsletters with tutorials, sales and even a collection of something special to give to some preschoolers. You won't want to miss it. Sign up at the top right hand side of this page if you aren't already on my newsletter. If you are, you will automatically be put into a special 12 days of Christmas newsletter list.

UPDATE: 3:54 P.M. and I've finished a project. What do you think of this altered My Acrylix Organizer? It's easy to change it into a card box. Here are the measurements for each part.

Front: Cardstock 6 1/4" by 4 1/4"

Pattern paper 2" by 4"

Pattern paper 2" by 4"

Cardstock circle 2"

Cardstock circle 2 1/2"

Decorations are Stickease.

Top: To cover up the Close to my Heart logo, cut a piece of pattern paper 5" by 2" and decorate with Stickease.

Side: You will need to make two of everything below, one for each side.

Cardstock 6" by 4"

Pattern paper (2) 1 x 6

Pattern paper 1 x 6

Cardstock circles (2) 1 1/2"

Cardstock circles (2) 2"

Decorate with Stickease.

Back: Cardstock 6" by 4 1/4", dry emboss lines if you like.

Pattern paper 5 1/2" by 3 1/2"

Cardstock 1 1/2" by 6"

Pattern paper 1" by 6"

Inside: Cut 12 of these.

Cardstock 6" by 5"

Pattern paper 6" by 5"

Cardstock tabs 2 1/2" by 2 1/2"

Glue pattern paper to bottom of cardstock, stagger tabs so that you can flip through them easily. Stamp labels on them. To find out about this particular paper set you

need to subscribe to my newsletter at the top right of my blog! Have fun!!

Here's the second project I completed today. It's a 2 page layout with some new awesome paper. More about it in my newsletter.

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Studio J Testimonial

"A dear friend had invited me to come along on a VIP concert experience. It was two amazing days and I had no idea how to repay her. She said all she wanted were the pictures I took placed in a photo album. I figured ok, I can do that. I had some pictures that I was fairly happy with but I wasn't all that impressed with them. I wanted her to have something really special. Along comes Ms. Barbra Otten with this Studio J online scrapbooking idea. I had seen some of her work with it and loved it. So, I picked out about 50 pictures and sent them to her by email. One day later....the results were absolutely incredible. I literally welled up with tears. These pictures that were once mediocre and less than impressive, were suddenly filled with life and jumping off the pages. They were so gorgeous and captured the moments so beautifully, I couldn't get over it. Are you kidding? These are my photos? All I have to do is add journaling? YES, that is all I had to do. Nothing could've been more simple and I now have the most cherished gift to give my friend. I am so thrilled with it. I can't wait to give it to her. Barbra...you and Studio J are lifesavers. I am anticipating giving this gift more than anything else this Christmas." - Jill Wilson, El Paso, IL

Would you like me to make up beautiful album pages with your photos? Call or email me and together we'll make your own precious gift. (989) 906-6420 caldreamin05@comcast.net