The 2012 Spring/Summer catalog is now available. I have a limited number to give away to hostesses of Home Gatherings (along with other special gifts!) A Close to My Heart Home Gathering can be quick and easy and a really fun way to get together with your friends. A little wine, a little chocolate, a lot of smiles. 

To access the Spring/Summer Idea Book online, click here:  http://www.closetomyheart.com/Home/Products/Online_Idea_Book.aspx?i=4224 or on the cover of the book to the left. You can order on line, or call me to see if I already have a gathering order going in. Better yet, we can arrange your own gathering so you can get your order at a discount!

Kits for Disney-themed Layouts

One of my friends asked which {studio j} kit I used for a Disneyland-themed layout, so here's one I made up recently with colors you typically see around Mickey...like his black ears and white gloves, and Minnie's red polka dots. This is the "Giggles and Grins" kit. The sparkles are made of several layers of My Stickease in red, yellow, and black. They, and the red and yellow dots behind Mickey's silhouette are covering up things I really didn't want to highlight, like the heads of unknown audience members sitting between us and the stage at the Billy Hill and The Hillbillies show. (photo: upper left) Those guys are so funny!

I've also used the "Fanfare" kit for Disney layouts because the colorway is similar. Primary colors are so joyful, but if you are looking for princess colors, there are plenty of pastel kits available, too. In addition, there are ample opportunities to change paper colors to any of the 64 colors in the Close to My Heart palette. One of the benefits of assembling the {studio j} 12x12 pages in your album is that you can also add traditional scrapbook pages and hybrid pages where you add your own embellishments (your Key to the Kingdom, a character autograph, etc.).  

{studio j} Tutorial for February

Here's a new How To video for {studio j} techniques. It's fun to customize your pages. This quick tutorial for February shows just how easy it is to use {studio j} to make your digital scrapbook pages. Trust me when I say the finished silver-halide processed 12 x 12 prints are fabulous!

Five means TEN = TWENTY !!

Five layouts means TEN pages, and five Memory Protectors and FREE shipping. So "Five for Free" means TWENTY pages for the price of ten. How can you go wrong? You can't. I am so excited about the quality of the silver halide finished photo pages, and the ease of getting your scrapbooking done in no time, that I can hardly sit still!  I have done 40 layouts of my own in the past two months. Normally, that would have taken me all year, along with some 12-hour organized crops. Studio J offers so much versatility of design, you can take as little or as much creative control over the process and end up with a beautiful scrapbook no matter what. Studio J provides optional embellishments and My Stickease coordinated to the background papers, but I also love to add my own travel souvenirs to my layouts. Let me show you how Studio J can transform your scrapping world. Call me and I'll get you started with a personal introduction to Studio J. Although you probably won't need it, I can also provide technical support for your layouts. This is one of the easiest computer programs I've ever worked with. It's fun! 

2012 Spring/Summer Idea Book Debuts

The newest edition of the Spring/Summer Idea Book is now available. I have some to share and would love to show you at a home gathering. A Home Gathering Hostess gets a free Idea Book, a special gift from me, and the opportunity to earn free and discounted Close to My Heart products. It is also a lot of fun to have your friends over and discuss your scrapbooking or paper crafting hobbies. Call me at 447-2457 and we'll set up a special time for you to see what's new.