Is there a shape punch for paper with interchangeable shapes, so you can buy numerous dies and place them into the punch for different shapes?

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! I 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?

News 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!

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.

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

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!

The Power of a Simple Thank-You Note
By Peter Vogt, Monster Senior Contributing Writer

When my wife was hired for her first real job after graduating from college, she was remembered and saluted by her new supervisor for one seemingly small step she had taken during the interviewing process: She was the only applicant of several interviewed who had sent a thank-you note after her interview.

It seems amazing, but it’s true: A simple thank-you letter after an interview can wield considerable power and influence, and reflect very favorably on your candidacy for the position. Why? Several reasons:

1. By sending a thank-you note, you show your interviewer common courtesy and respect.

Unfortunately, in our busy and often impolite world, we simply don’t acknowledge each other’s time, efforts and commitments. So in sending a thank-you note after an interview, you tell your interviewer in no uncertain terms that you appreciate the time he has given you. After all, he had to give up part or all of the day to be with you, and expend effort learning more about you and what you have to offer.

2. So few job applicants send thank-you notes that you automatically stand out if you do.

It’s shocking, but the majority of job applicants fail to send post-interview thank-you notes. Why? Who knows? But the bottom line is that you wind up in a position to shine simply by putting forth the effort of sending a note. Strange, but true.

3. A thank-you note gives you an opportunity to reiterate points you made during your interview.

Have you ever left an interview wishing you’d more strongly emphasized a certain skill or experience the employer seemed to be looking for? An interview thank-you letter gives you the chance to do just that. After using the first paragraph of your note to thank your interviewer, you can use a brief second paragraph to touch again upon the key points you made in your interview. You can also use a similar strategy to clean up any interview rough spots you might have had — i.e., to expand upon or clarify responses you felt were weak or shaky.

4. A thank-you note lets you make points you forgot to make in your interview.

Sometimes after an interview, as you walk out to your car, you smack yourself on the forehead and say to yourself, “Why didn’t I talk about _____?” Frustrating? You bet. But you can take care of the problem to some degree in your thank-you letter. Again, perhaps in the second paragraph, you can say something to the effect of “After our discussion, it occurred to me that I forgot to tell you about _________.”

5. A thank-you note demonstrates your written communication skills.

In receiving and reading your interview thank-you note, your interviewer will see firsthand how you handle yourself on paper. You’ll be using similar skills every day with the company’s potential clients, customers and vendors — so the interviewer will be reading carefully to see how you come across in print.

Writing thank-you notes isn’t terribly difficult or time-consuming. Be sure to follow through, preferably the same day as your interview. It can make a much bigger difference than you might think — perhaps even the difference between the job going to you or someone else. Leave a comment below and tell us if you have ever sent an thank-you note after an interview.

With the publishing of this current Idea Book we saw the old “Workshops on the Go” go away and the new “Workshops Your Way” kits introduced. This is the Workshops Your Way Penelope Kit.

Workshops Your Way™ Penelope Scrapbooking Kit Contents:

1 – Penelope Paper Packet (X7207B)
1 – Penelope Complements (X7207C)
2 – Cardstock Sheets (2 White Daisy)
1 – Limeade Washi Pack (Z3198)
1 – Playful Puffies (Z3205)
Featured Colors: Crystal Blue, Honey, Pear, Pixie, Thistle, White Daisy

Use the materials and the online guide to create three traditional layouts and one Picture My Life™ layout.

You will find the project instructions here.

Come back later today and I will show you the cards and scrapbook page you can make with this great Workshops Your Way  kit.

It happens every year, stamp sets retire to make was for new ones. Sometimes we see stamp sets we loved, but were waiting to buy – the time is now! These stamp sets will be retired on April 30th of this year and with March’s Stampaganza going on it is the perfect time to get that stamp set! I have a list below of all the retiring stamp sets with links so you can easily see what they are.  To make things easier, I have even color coded them. You will find anything that is Cricut compatible that  you know right away.  So click some links and GO SHOPPING!!

Stamp Sets that are retiring on April 30th, 2016
A1184 Rejoice 
A1185 Friendly Wishes
A1186 Pirate Birthday
B1507 To the Moon
B1508 Kiss It Better – Cricut Compatible
B1509 My Mother
B1510 Sugar & Spice  Cricut Compatible
B1511 My Mother (Australian Edition)
B1512 Play Hard— Gymnastics Cricut Compatible
B1513 Block Uppercase
B1514 Play Hard—Diving Cricut Compatible
B1515 Play Hard—Cheer Cricut Compatible
B1516 Your Beautiful Self
C1635 Our Story Cricut Compatible
C1636 Live, Laugh, Love Cricut Compatible
C1637 Stamps of Approval Cricut Compatible
C1638 Spring Critters
C1639 Take Heart
C1640 Friend in Me
C1641 Springtime Wishes
C1642 My Anchor
C1643 Stuck on You
D1683 Woodland Romance Cricut Compatible
D1684 Beach Days Cricut Compatible
M1135 On the Plus Side
M1136 Patch of Sky
M1137 A Day for Mother

Creatively is the root of photography today, as settings and props have developed in the 57 years since anyone began taking pictures of me growing up. These suggestions far beyond  reach far beyond the formal pictures of the 1950’s. Here are 8 ways to freshen up your photos.

1.Create a focal point in your pictures- Adjust the depth of your picture. Shoot your children in the foreground in full focus with a blurred picture of the parents in the background. While this adjustment can only be done with SLR cameras, you can achieve a similar effect with a point and shoot and a photo editing software. I use Photoshop Elements  and love it.

2. Take a new look at framing your subject – use the camera view finder and the photo grid, if your camera has one to “crop” the picture as you shoot. for example, instead of shooting the shot of everyone’s head, take a picture of everyone’s feet all lined up, or even shots of eyes… after all, it is said that eyes are the windows to our souls.

3. Get outside!  I know we have been hearing that a lot lately, but so we do our 60 minutes a day of exercise, but a favorite location of professional photographers is outside. Whether catching trees, a lake or even a brick building it lends great detail. Look for interesting color choices, or interesting textures found on sold stucco walls or brick.

4. Use props that show off your subject’s personality. Think of the infant resting on daddy’s arm, showing the contrast in the size of the arm/hand against the baby. Props add contrast and texture against your sleeping infant or child.

5. Tilt your camera! – Tilting your camera adds interest. Rather than shoot your picture strictly vertical or horizontally, tilt the camera slightly. It will take an ordinary picture to extraordinary heights.

6. Photojournalism Approach – Focus on the small details instead of the background shots, think a single blossom, a butterfly, a bow in the hair. If you can get your subjects to forget about the camera, you will get awesome pictures.

7. Focus on real life. – While we all want everything to go as planned, it doesn’t. So when a child starts to cry, or hide behind mom, shoot the picture anyway. Take pictures of your kids deep in concentration. I love those pictures of my grandkids… now if we could just KNOW what was in those little minds 🙂

8. Choose Familiar locations – When a subject is comfortable it shows, just as fear shows in pictures. Pictures next to water when your subject is deathly afraid of water will not give you the quality pictures you desire. Pick a spot they feel comfortable in for calm quality pictures.

What have you found helps when you use your digital camera?  Cell phones today have amazing cameras… tell me about your digital photography below.

Have you ever priced odd sized photographs to print?  It seems no one understands that a person who scrapbooks needs pictures in all shapes and sizes. While I was looking for the sketch of the week in Studio J, Close to my Heart’s digital scrapbook program, I learned there are some templates just for printing pictures.

You can print a 2 page layout of all 2 x 2 pictures, 3 x 3 photos, 3 x 4 photos, 4 x 4 photos. There is a layout that will do 6 x 8” with  4 x 6 “ 2- You can even manipulate the edges so you get custom sizes.  If you are as old as I am, then you probably have a bunch of Polaroid as well as regular prints. Since it has not been proven how long those photos will last, I scan the photo and I can shrink it, or I can crop and print only the part I really want.

I did some comparison pricing too,

• Company #1  – 2 x 2 print, they only print the 2 x 2 square and leave the rest of the 4 x 6 paper blank at .83 per picture with 4.99 shipping

I will pick some pictures to print in this method and we will see together how they all will turn out.