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What type of scrapbook tape should I use?

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Answering all your creative questionsWhat type of scrapbook tape should I use?
Brand new to scrapbooking. I want to make one for my SO. I don’t need it repositionable but I do need it to stick for 10+ years. Clear/cello tape fails eventually. I Thanks!

Hi Chuck,

Please don’t use cello tape on your scrapbooks, it has acid in it and can damage your pictures. My favorite is Bonding Memories Glue by Close to my Heart. It is both repositionable and permanent. I know you said you don’t care about it being repositionable but it can really help as you put your pictures in to be able to adjust them. The nice thing about Bonding Memories Glue is that the adhesion all depends on how long you let it dry before applying. This way you always have the choice and it comes it two sizes too. I prefer the smaller “pen” as it is easier for me to control. Premium Scrapbook Adhesive both permanent and respositionable

I am happy to assist you in your scrapbook if you need more help. You can visit my website for great ideas as well. I hope this helps, let me know if I can help you with anything further.

Help Your Kids Keep a Journal

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I wanted to share with you some thoughts after receiving an e-mail from a friend about their weekend. Here is an excerpt –

Keeping memories foreverOn Saturday, my family attended the annual Gleason Gras.  Gleason Gras is a charity event supporting former New Orleans Saints Safety, Steve Gleason, who was diagnosed with ALS six years ago.  (That’s a picture of John and Steve from Saturday)
 
Drew Brees, quarterback for the Saints, is a teammate of Steve’s, and a big supporter of the cause.  
 
At some point, he was throwing footballs to the attendees.  He saw John waving his hands for a pass… threw a perfect spiral in his direction… and John caught it!
 
My son caught a pass from a Superbowl Champion quarterback (and his NFL hero)!
 
It’s a memory he will have for the rest of his life, but here’s the thing…who will tell John’s children or grandchildren. What if John looses his memory, this moment in his life with ‘his hero” ? 
There is a very easy way to catch those memories for future generations with minimal effort. It’s called Pocket Scrapbooking!  All you have to do is slide your picture in the protector and have your child journal a line or two about the event.  Here are a couple of the journal cards to give you an idea of how easy it is to just get your child to do a couple sentences for the Picture my Life Scrapbooking.
 oh-deer-journaling-cards

9/11 Fifteen Years Later

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I don’t want to post old images of the twin towers or re-live that day through pictures, I am sure that the news will do plenty of that today – like we could EVER forget it.

I want to share one current bit of trivia – however not trivial at all.

Survivor of 9/11 The 9/11 Survivor Tree at the 9/11 Memorial in NYC: the little tree was found damaged and burned at Ground Zero. It was removed from the site and nursed back to health, then returned to the memorial later on. It now thrives as a tribute to healing, growth, and restoration

Have you take time to record where you were on this day in history?  In 50 or 60 years it will not be prominent on ever channel of the news like so many moments in history… Pearl Harbor, Vietnam War, the day the depression started. Kids will have to learn about it in school. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to make it a more meaningful lesson since they only need look at your scrapbook to know where you were, your thoughts and feelings about that day?  I am challenging you to create that layout this week. I haven’t done it either, so I will complete the challenge with you.

Tomorrow is Motivational Monday and I will post a sketch geared toward the 2 page layout I will create. I will share it with you later in the week.

What do you think? Don’t wait until you can no longer remember. Please leave a comment below and share other days in our life history that should be remembered.  My prayers go out to all the families affected by this terrible act May you be comforted this 15th anniversary of the 9-11 attack.

A Little Kindness Goes a Long Way

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October is National Stamping Month and Close to my Heart have a wonderful promotion for you.  Here is a little video:

I know what you are thinking… but this kit comes with pre-printed bases and all the pieces are already cut for you so even if you think you can’t…think again!  I will even do a video to show you how easy it is.  I know you can do this, but it is only available for the month of September so don’t wait.

Visit my website to get your own Create Kindness card kit. The kit comes with everything you need to create a set of 24 adorable cards, including 8 exclusive stamp sets, a block, the ink, pre-printed card bases ( you can even order extra of these)! Even the circles are already cut out for you.

Top everything off at a 15% discount over the retail price at $46.95.  You’re thinking you don’t need the ink or the block, but look how this breaks down if you buy everything separately.

24 card bases, circles and envelopes                         $9.95

2″ x 2″ Acrylic Block                                                     $6.95

Ink Pad                                                                            $2.50 (if you could buy it)

Mini-Stamp Box                                                            $12.95

For a total of   $55.95   now take away the block and ink and you are still paying $46.50! Toss in an alcoholic marker for $5.95 and you qualify for the Blessed Beyond Measure for just $5.

Now you have saved yourself $19.99 and received 27 stamps, 24 bases, envelopes and circles, a 2″ x 2″ acrylic block, an archival black ink pad, and a nice box to keep things in!  An excellent deal for sure and just think of the smiles you can bring to your friends and family!

Here’s the link for the entire Creating Kindness Card Kit.  Create a little more kindness in the world, because kindness changes everything.

Blessed Beyond Measure

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Gratitude Faithful Blessed StampsBlessed Beyond Measure is a beautiful stamp set as you can see by thiClose to my Heart Stamp of the Months artwork. You can see the outline of the leaves that can be cut with the Cricut® Artbooking collection (Z3196).   I love the sayings in this stamp set and having them being individual stamps makes them interchangeable. Why not add some depth by embossing the leaves before stamping them. Watch my Facebook page for more artwork through out the month.

Spend $50 and get this Stamp of the Month set for just $5. Each month you can purchase a new D-size stamp set, available for one month only, for just $5. When you place an order of $50 or more in Close To My Heart products, you qualify for this special Stamp of the Month pricing.

S1609, set of 19. Recommended Blocks:
1″ × 1″ (Y1000)
1″ × 3½” (Y1002)
2″ × 2″ (Y1003)
2″ × 3½” (Y1009)

You can order your own set here.

 

 

I Survived Another Year at the Utah County Fair!

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The Utah CouContact me if interested in the 2017 Fairnty Fair happens every year, the third week-end in August. I have 4 days of pure craziness trying to make everyone happy, and today I don’t have the think in “fair mode”. I am the Vendor Coordinator for the Utah County Fair and I try very hard to make this event a success for all the vendors that have chosen to join us.

While we did not have a carnival this year ( I contracted with a local carnival provider and they went under in April) I do believe it was another successful year.

Look for your Motivational Monday Sketch to be posted a bit later today.

Scrapbooking from a Husband’s View

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Scrapbooking article for husbandsHere is a great story for the men in your life that do not understand your scrapbooking/cardmaking obsession. I think it was published many years ago in a scrapbook magazine…

Crack! “What was that?” screamed my wife, Kathy. I looked down to see the scrapbooking mess scattered all over the floor. Then I shook my head. Just my luck-out of all the places in the house, Kathy had decided to pile her things right in my
predetermined path. Didn’t she remember that I always head to the kitchen at night for a glass of milk? That I never turn on the light because I’ve walked that path so many times? Hmm. Kathy’s new “obstacle course” of scrap booking supplies has changed my life. Now I must turn on the light for survival.

Survival: The word may seem a little extreme, but so is my wife’s fury when I accidentally break one of her scrapbooking tools or set something on a page in process. I’ve learned through experience that adaptation is the key to survival when you have a scrapbooking spouse. Here’s how to live-and love- through the entire process.
BARGAIN- YOU’LL BOTH BENEFIT
Bargaining is a great way to show support. You simply allow your scrapbooker to purchase the supplies she says she needs. You make deals where both of you benefit. For example, Kathy and I have a deal that for every dollar she spends toward scrapbooking, I can put a dollar toward my hobby. I’ve already earned enough to buy a new hard drive for my computer! This technique creates a “win-win” situation and prevents confrontations about scrapbooking costs.

LEARN THE LINGO
If you want to impress your scrapbooker, learn the lingo. Here are a few basic definitions-worded with the non-scrapbooker in mind-to get you started:

  • Acid: Bad, Bad, Bad (but actually refers to an abundance of hydrogen ions)
  • Acrylic Stamps:  Like Rubber Stamps except you can see through them
    Archival: Lasts forever
  • Cardstock: A heavier weight paper used often for bases – usually solid colors
  • Close to my Heart: the premier scrapbooking company  (gift certificates available thru www.CreativelyCarol.com)
    Creative lettering: Making letters fancy
  • Creatively Carol : The scrapbook lady who can help you pick things out for your wife. Carol@CreativelyCarol.com
    Cropping: Cutting out unnecessary parts of pictures
  • Cricut:  Not a bug, but a cutting machine to make stuff
  • Rubber Stamps: Have images on red rubber, can see through, hard to get straight
  • Silhouette: another cutting machine
  • Journaling: Writing descriptions to go along with photos

By learning the lingo you move up the evolutionary scale. You become a more attractive and educated mate.

TRY IT YOURSELF
Ever wondered how your wife can spend so much time on a page? Try it yourself. Create a page or two (see Figure 1), but be prepared for a dose of humility. Scrapbooking is a difficult task that takes time and talent. You’ll be much
more inclined to give lots of praise.

PRAISE, PRAISE, PRAISE

When your wife finishes a scrapbook page, praise specific things about it. This shows that you are actually looking at the page and noticing details. This is also a great time to practice the lingo

Warning

It is best NOT to ask why the page or card too so long to make…

Ladies, this is a great time of year to send this to your husbands. Start your wish list, and give him my information so I can call him and help him with your Christmas Gifts!

Ways to Make a Wedding Scrapbook

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Answering all your creative questionsToday’s question comes from Shughaarshini Vasu and she asks:

How do I make a wedding scrapbook?

To quote Shakespeare “Let me count the ways”… you have a great many options these days. Think first about the time you want to spend on making the scrapbook as this will help determine whether you want to preserve your memories in a traditional scrapbooking or with pocket scrapbooking or a combination of both types.  This is how I would have done it 31 years ago. Today is my 31st anniversary and when I look at the commerical “wedding book” I bought way back then, I see sooo many things missing.

First you have to think about whether you want a scrapbook going back to when you met, the day he purposed or just your wedding day. As you can see, you can and most likely will have many things to scrapbook in your new life together.

The most common size scrapbook today is 12″ x 12″ and the perfect size whether you are scrapbooking one photograph or several. Have you decided your wedding colors? You might want to choose your scrapbook based on your choices, or perhaps you like things uniform, then choose something that is more traditional so you can buy the same color and style for each step in life you wish to scrapbook.

In this blog post about scrapbooking 101 I talk more about albums, sizes and steps to get started.

I do want to mention the pocket pages – Picture my Life. These are cards that slip into specially divided protective sheets you can record your thoughts, smaller pictures and so much more. Keep a stack of journaling cards with you and fill one out when something strikes you, or you remember something. Then slip it into a pocket with a photo that represents what your memory was.  Here are some examples of cards that are available today .

We will talk more about wedding scrapbooks soon, but if you have a question I can answer, or need more assistance, give me a call, I am happy to help.

Just don’t be afraid to do your own Wedding Scrapbook, you can do this!

 

An Interchangeable Shape Punch?

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Today I received this question from Ute Seabauer and wanted to share it with all of you, 

Is theAnswering all your creative questionsre a shape punch for paper with interchangeable shapes, so you can buy numerous dies and place them into the punch for different shapes?

Hi Ute,

There isn’t a “punch” that you can interchange shapes with, but there are options. If you have power then a Cricut or Silhouette would let you cut anything you want basically. Without power you can try the Cuttlebug or a number of non-electric die. Ma=cutting machines. I ask what types of shapes are you wanting to cut?  Personally I have both a Cricut and a Silhouette because they both offer different abilities.

Where Do You Find Card Inspiration?

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Inspiration for your handmade cards

These days very few people take the time to send a card in the mail, thinking it is perfectly ok to just say what they want in an e-mail or online card… but you don’t get that excitement that going to the mailbox and finding something other than junk mail and bills. I have a step-mother that makes beautiful cards, and we all look forward to them at those special times. What is nice is that we both do very different types of cards. I have posted a couple of her cards before.

Here is the picture I took out of a catalog of which I have never purchased a thing! Catalog cards make great inspirationI get a lot of my inspiration by looking at cards posted in catalogs. Usually it is a color palette or just the basic design of the cards, but something draws me to the cards.    Above is the card I made from the picture.

And FYI – All the directions for this beautiful card were sent to everyone on my mailing list so if you are not signed up, click on the link to the right and sign up now!

Leave a comment and tell me where do you find your inspiration?

 

Flash Sales for June!

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NewDon't you love CTMH Sales!s Flash!

 During the month of June, we’re offering great deals on bundles of discounted Close To My Heart products every weekend! Click here to see bundles still available.  There is lots to choose from, but you’ll need to snatch them up quick, because they’re only available through the end of the month, while supplies last! Bundles are available at various discount levels and price points , so check often to see the new offerings. Remember, these discounts won’t last forever, and some will be gone in a flash, so act quickly to score the best deals!

Remember the Happy Times

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To celebrate National Scrapbooking Month, Close to my Heart designed a special paper and stamp set called Happy Times. These items are only available for the month of May, so hurry and snatch them while you can! Remember, with a qualifying purchase, you can get the paper packet for free!  For more Happy Times artwork inspiration, follow me on Facebook and Instagram.

 

It’s National Teacher Appreciation Day

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Today is National Teacher Appreciation Day. Frankly I think as far as K-12, every day should be Teacher Appreciation Day.  I have many teachers in my family tree and some of the stories about the way kids talk to teachers, strike out, bully and so much more, I have come to the conclusion that you have to be EXTREMELY dedicated to making a difference in the lives of these children.

Teacher raise our leaders of tomorrow.

 

 

National Teacher Appreciation Day 2016 free food, beer from Chipotle, World of Beer | syracuse.com

It’s National Teacher Appreciation Day 2016, and for teachers across the country, that means a chance to score some sweet freebies and deals at a few generous chains.

This year, Chipotle is leading the pack with a buy one entree, get one free deal for teachers, pre-school faculty and staff, college professors and homeschooling parents who show a school or homeschool ID card. The promotion runs from 3 p.m. to closing time on Tuesday May 3.

Also in Upstate NY, World of Beer locations nationwide are offering a free Angry Orchard cider or Sam Adams beer to teachers on Tuesday, or $5 off their bill in lieu of a beer.

A number of other national retailers, including New York & Co. and Anne Taylor Loft, are offering teachers special discounts today and all week long. See the full list and check the offers from International Business Times.

National Teacher Day was originally declared on May 7 back in the 1980s, but was later extended to Teacher Appreciation Week (the first week if May) in 1985. The National Education Association later voted to make the Tuesday of that week National Teacher Day every year, according to WWBT-TV.

Last Day for Studio J

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Studio J Digital Scrapbooking

We have known this day was coming, the day when Close to my Heart’s digital scrapbook program “Studio J” is leaving us. I have never been a “digital scrapbooker” or had the desire to do digital scrapbooking, I am a paper and ink kind of scrapper. There is nothing like the smell of a new paper pack or the feel of putting embellishments to paper. That being said, I love Studio J for printing pictures. I am not talking about your standard 4″ x 6″ photo, but the 2″ x 2″ – 4″ x 4″ and the 3″ x 4″ photos. Printing them this way preserves the entire picture and simply reduces it’s size to fit as best as can be done.  Why do I tell you this now, when it is on it’s last day?  I want you to go print all those pictures that are not your main focal picture but that you don’t want to leave out of the layout into these wonderfully small images. That is what I am doing today. Take a minute and crop what you want in the picture and then upload into the Studio J website.  Just choose the express collection that has 7 layouts with nothing but photo wells. Here is a previous post about using Studio J.  If you need help today, call me at 801-597-4896 as I will be doing the same thing. Don’t miss out on this last opportunity to get your pictures in this great size! Go to Studio J now!