Get your mini banner FREE in June!

Receive a free My Creations^® mini banner in June! Make it a “banner” day by placing a $25 order that includes a qualifying stamp set to receive your free mini banner. The mini banner includes 10 chipboard pennants in 4 different shapes with 9 jump rings for hanging. Use the mini banner as a decoration for your parties and get-togethers this summer for many “banner” days!

Dates: Offer valid June 1–30, 2013.

CTMH Thank You stamp set to help Oklahoma Tornado Victims

Close To My Heart is making a new Autumn/Winter 2013 stamp set, A True Thank You, available immediately and will donate 100% of the profits from sales of the set from May 23 through June 30 to the American Red Cross to aid the Oklahoma victims. Help us provide relief to those affected by the devastating Oklahoma tornado by purchasing A True Thank You stamp set for $2.95 (M1029) today!

*Offer valid May 23–June 30, 2013. No limit per order.

Missed the PJ Party NO WAY!

So fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Okay so its NOT TOO LATE, Big Picture Classes are archiving the video and project downloads so you can still go get yours!  Also if you are looking for any of the project materials tonight head to heatherplotzke.ctmh.com

PJ Party reminder!!!! Not to late to sign up

Close To My Heart is teaming up with Big Picture Classes to bring you a live webcast with step-by-step instructions for making this Happy Thoughts kraft container. The FREE webcast will air Thursday, May 30 from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm (MDT). During the presentation, you’ll learn to make several projects from a variety of sponsors, including Close To My Heart’s Happy Thoughts kraft container, as the presenter walks you through the steps.  Anyone with an Internet connection can watch, so be sure to tell your customers to order their project supplies in advance and then tune in!
The Pajama Party class will be available for FREE at BigPictureClasses.com on May 30. If you would like to interact on the message board, participate in live chat, post to the gallery, download handouts, or enter any contests, you will need to log in to the Pajama Party “classroom” by creating a free account on the Big Picture Classes website.

If you don't have your project goodies go ahead and watch anyways!  Should be amazing tips!

Express collections with Studio J

We all know how much I love the ease of Studio J layouts.  They can be so ornate or as simple as I prefer.  Now I can get a professionally designed, yet still customizable layout down in minutes by using the Studio J Express Collection sets. 

This layout from the Express collection was perfect my daughter's field trip, so why reinvent the wheel when this was so amazing already. 

All I had to do was drop in my photos and enter the journalling...minutes and this perfect layout was done!

May 2013 Studio J Love Your Layout

Page Protector insert tip and tricks

 My customer and friend, Nancy Cady made this great hybrid album celebrating her Mom's birthday.  Her Layouts ranged from traditional to Studio J to photo insert page protectors (shown here).  I love, love, love, how Nancy lightly slit the empty plastic spacing between photos of these older style protectors, and slid in B&T papers for decoration and journalling.

 Photo insert page protectors are available in vertical and horizontal 10 packs at heatherplotzke.ctmh.com

Studio J easy with My Stickease

I love how easy Studio J is to customize by layering My Stickease to get exactly the look you are after.

I made this layout in around 15 mins.

DREAM POP Paper Set - time and supplies running low. Get yours now

Get the exclusive paper packet for only $10 when you spend $35!

In honor of National Scrapbooking Month, you can get the yummy Dream Pop paper packet for only $10 when you spend $35 in May (valued at $19.95 retail)! This exclusive paper packet includes 12 cardstock sheets as well as 12 B&T Duos^® papers that were specifically designed for this promotion only—you can’t get these sweet colors and patterns anywhere else!

Start National Scrapbooking Month off right with a unique paper packet at a bargain price and get your creative juices flowing! Also, consider hosting this month: Hostesses receive one paper packet free with qualifying May Gathering sales totals of $400 or more.

There is a full workshop guide that I will send you for FREE with purchase of paper kit.

*Shipping/handling and tax apply. Not available for purchase at full retail. Offer valid May 1–31, 2013, while supplies last. Qualifying purchases must be current, retail-priced product.

Dates: Offer valid May 1–31, 2013.

Close To My Heart (CTMH) and Big Picture Classes team up for a FREE online Pajama Party Class

Close To My Heart is teaming up with Big Picture Classes to bring you a live webcast with step-by-step instructions for making this Happy Thoughts kraft container. The FREE webcast will air Thursday, May 30 from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm (MDT). During the presentation, you’ll learn to make several projects from a variety of sponsors, including Close To My Heart’s Happy Thoughts kraft container, as the presenter walks you through the steps.  Anyone with an Internet connection can watch, so be sure to tell your customers to order their project supplies in advance and then tune in!
The Pajama Party class will be available for FREE at BigPictureClasses.com on May 30. If you would like to interact on the message board, participate in live chat, post to the gallery, download handouts, or enter any contests, you will need to log in to the Pajama Party “classroom” by creating a free account on the Big Picture Classes website.

To make our Happy Thoughts kraft container, you and your customers will want to have the following items—or similar products—on hand:

• My Acrylix^® Frame Flair Stamp Set (D1546)
• My Acrylix^® Happy Thoughts Stamp Set (C1536)
• Chantilly Paper Packet (need 1 sheet of B&T, X7163B)
• Crème Brulee Cardstock (need 1 sheet, X5754)
• Lagoon Cardstock (need 1 sheet, X5762)
• White Daisy Cardstock (need 1 sheet, 1385)
• Whisper Cardstock (need 1 sheet, X5929)
• Whisper Exclusive Inks^® Pad (Z2172)
• Lagoon Exclusive Inks^® Pad (Z2195)
• My Creations^® Kraft Container (Z1833)
• Baker’s Twine Neutral Assortment (need 3 yards, Z1701)
• Color-Ready Trinkets Wooden Shapes (Z1844)
• Sparkles Black & Grey Assortment (Z1754)
• 3-D Foam Tape (Z1151)
• Micro-Tip Scissors (Z534)
• Corner Rounder (Z578)
• Paper Trimmer (Z1783)
• My Acrylix^® Spritz Cleaner (1778)
• My Acrylix^® Stamp Scrubber (Z1782)
• 2" × 3½" My Acrylix^® Block (Y1009)
• 4" × 5" My Acrylix^® Block (Y1012)
• Cricut^® Art Philosophy Collection (Z1686)

Amazing new options in Studio J!

Okay, we all know I love me some Studio J.  I always think to myself this program just can't better...WRONG.  ITS NOW SO MUCH BETTER!!!!!!!!!  We now have the option to add, rotate, change sizes of PHOTO WELLS.  Here is a short video that will show you how it will work for you.

NOT a Studio J Scrapper...no problem.   How about using this new feature to get inexpensive prints of your photos.  The video will show you how too!

After the video head to heatherplotzke.ctmh.com, and click on the Studio J tab to get started playing!

Project Kits for sale

Dana Simone-Kurtz, of dsdoodles.blogspot.com fame, and I recently held a large, all day workshop.  We know that a lot of you out there aren't able to make our San Diego area events, and we wanted to give you the opportunity to still make some of the projects.  Here is a photo spread of the projects we have on hand and available to order as kits.  Let me know which you'd like and how many, and we'll get them boxed up and sent off to you for your crafting pleasure. For a full description of each project and cost let me know.

Upcoming Workshop! June 4th

My next workshop is scheduled for June 4th!  We will be making two full layouts and a card featuring CTMH's Clementine paper pack this month.  I'm super excited for you to see what I have cooked up for you.  Cost is $20, and Pre-registration is due by 5/24 so I can plan for enough kits.

Can't make it? Out of town?  No worries, you can still order a workshop kit and I will get it to you for the same cost, plus shipping.

Who's in?!?!?!  I know a few of you have already signed up and am excited to see you.

Papercupcakes Father's Day Key - Cricut Artiste Blog Hop

Welcome to this month's Cricut Artiste Papercupcakes Blog Hop.  If you came from Bren Yule's blog you are in the right place. This month's featured key comes from page 75 of the Artiste booklet, "Happy Father's Day".

When I saw this shirt card shape, all I could think about was the crazy Hawaiian style shirts my husband likes to wear.  So using Buzz and Bumble paper, I cut this shirt, quickly adding pieces of zipstrip for the button area and cuffs, then some mini pearls and I was all done.  On the inside of the card I added a small piece of cardstock for journalling.

Next in the hop is the always amazing Linda Taylor, I can't wait to see what she comes up with (she's one of my favorite people to scraplift from sshhhhhhh)

Vacation over! back to CTMH crafting

Alright everyone, I'm back promise.  As I mentioned I was taking a much needed family break for my hubby's homecoming.  It's crazy but he'll be home 2 weeks tomorrow already.  Still sometimes doesn't seem real.  Thanks for hanging with me.

But back to normal, or as normal as our house ever gets with 5 kids! Speaking of normal, here is a layout I did on Studio J using Zipadee papers  (great for vintage Disney look) showcasing a "Normal" day with Queen Kennedy.  She is GO at all times, and I think this layout did a pretty good job capturing that.

National Scrapbooking Month

Watch this video to see the paper kit you won't want to live without! Then hop over to heatherplotzke.ctmh.com to get yours today!

Vacation

Hi everyone I know things have been quiet on my crafty homefront here...I've been taking some time off from scrapbooking my memories to make some new ones.

We Thankfully welcomed home our Marine this past week!

Happy scrapping.