CTMH August 2013 SOTM - A Chocolate Affair - Blog Hop!

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month (SOTM) blog hop!  I am so excited to see what everyone has created this month because I love, love, love this months stamp set! Whether you're starting here or have hopped over from Krista's blog, you're on the right path.  Just click the links at the end of each post and you can be on a calorie free chocolate journey that's sure to inspire you!

Did you know you can get the Stamp of the Month FREE this month???

Just place a $50 order and you get it FREE!!  

If you're one of my fabulous customers or need a consultant - you can order 24/7 from my website

stamptildawn.ctmh.com 

One of the things I love the most about this stamp set is that it has year round possibilities!  Combine it with the 3-D projects on our Artiste Cricut Cartridge and you can create a little goody for just about any occasion. Here's a small list of ideas I thought of...

(I cut the Popcorn box with the Artiste Cricut Cartridge and stamped the 

checkerboard background  - D1559 Geometric Backgrounds - with buttercup ink.)

• Treat bags at parties
• Valentine's Day
• Birthday Gift
• Card for any occasion!
• Thank you card/gift
• Teacher Appreciation
• Staff Appreciation - One of my friends at work keeps a stash of "Awesome" bars from See's Candy and she gives them to people when they do something "Awesome."  Why not make up a few little gifts to keep in your drawer and give them to co-workers when they need a little pick-me-up, helped you with a difficult project or gave you great service?
• Invitation for a "girls night out" - "Every day's a Sundae" - Skip the coffee and make plans to meet for a Sundae!!

Now it's time to hop on over to Jen Rubio's blog to see what she designed using this fun set.

More Artbooking Cricut Cartridge Samples from my booth

I had so much fun sharing tips and ideas featuring the Artbooking Cricut Cartridge at the Close To My Heart (CTMH) convention and on Saturday I got to share them with my Workshop group!!

I would love to share the same info with each of you!!  Book your online Facebook Party.  I'll share fun demos filled with tips and ideas on how to use the Artbooking Cricut Cartridge for your papercraft projects...and you'll earn free product without leaving your house too!!

In the background you can see part of the demo board I used to show the difference between cuts using real dial size and regular dial size.  I also shared how the layers work and how quick and easy it is to create a fabulous scrapbook page.  The easels in front of the board have one 8 x 8 book and my adorable 6 x 6 Halloweeen book that auctioned for $250 in the Operation Smile auction.

Here's a quick and easy card using one of the photomats on the cartridge.  I creased and distressed the corners to make it look like a little frame.

On this card I used one of the overlays from the Artbooking cartridge as well as the arrow and the cut-out circle behind the pumpkin.

I bet you can't even tell that the overlay doesn't fit the card!!!  I cut it and spread it apart so that it looks like it went edge to edge and then hid the gap behind the pumpkin medallion.

Contact me to pre-order your Artbooking Cricut Cartridge (available August 1) or to book your own party (online or in person) and get your cartridge for only $50 (with a qualifying $250 party).

Cricut Artbooking Samples from my booth at CTMH Convention

Once again I was honored to be selected (one of 18!!) to teach at Extravaganza at the Close To My Heart (CTMH) national convention.  It is a huge honor and every year I wait on pins and needles to see if I made the cut.

About a month before convention they send me a box of new product to play with.  This year I received the Huntington Paper Pack, the Cricut Artbooking Cartridge, our new Paper Piercing ruler and a variety of fun accessories that I will highlight throughout my posts.

I was soooo excited when I saw my paper pack!  I love everything about Fall!!

And of course I about died when I saw how fabulous the new Artbooking Cricut Cartridge is!!!!!  I had a blast figuring out how to use the projects the way they were designed and then I started experimenting with what else can be done.  I have so many ideas to share with you!

(Order your Artbooking Cricut Cartridge from me and I'll put you on my list to receive ALL of my fabulous updates and ideas, including those I don't post to the public.  Gotta save something special for my customers ya know. You can order from my website starting 8/1 or contact me to pre-order your cartridge.)

That's enough chatting...time to start sharing the fun!

Each key on the cartridge is designed to create a scrapbook page (variety of sizes, shapes and styles).  I used page 45 to create a quick and easy 8" scrapbook page

I set the dial size to 8" to cut both the base page and the overlay, add a couple of mattes and some embellishments and you are done!  

(The base page is cut from pg. 44 below)

Then I wanted to see how to put some overlays on some cards.... Oh my!!!  Love them!!!  To decide what size to cut my overlays, I set the dial size to 5 1/2 inches (the size of my card).

The autumn terracotta (orange) ribbon below is our color ready ribbon.  It's so fun to create whatever color ribbon you want!!

CTMH Hostess Rewards just got EVEN better!!!

When our new Autumn/Winter Idea Book goes live on August 1, our hostesses will get even more value in hostess rewards when they choose from our exclusive hostess rewards stamp sets (you are not limited to the hostess sets.)  They are so cute, you'll want them all (retail value is $79.65).... and you can get them all by hosting ONE $250 party . Once your party hits $250, you'll also qualify to purchase one catalog item at 50% off....and that includes all three of our cricut cartridges!

Here's some fun artwork featuring the exclusive hostess sets.  Contact me to set up your next party. We can do one in person or online. My average facebook party is over $300.  It's the best way to earn free product and you don't even have to clean your home or buy refreshments!

Hostess Clubs Forming Now -
Another great way to earn free product is to join one of my hostess clubs!  With just a monthly commitment of $25, you can work through your Close To My Heart wishlist and earn free product too!

Each Club Member Receives:

• A free catalog
• $25 in free product at the end of your term, plus an extra goodie from me
• Exclusive videos with tips and ideas featuring Close To My Heart Products.
• Periodically a club order will go over $250 and qualify for a 1/2 price item.  Each time I draw a name and extend the opportunity to purchase the 1/2 off item to one lucky club member.  You may use this to purchase a hostess bundle or any item in the catalog for 1/2 price...including any of our three Cricut Bundles (Art Philosophy, Artiste or the new Artbooking)

Select the club that best fits your budget

• $25 per month for 6 months.
• $30 per month for 5 months
• $50 per month for 3 months*

*(this level will qualify you to purchase the stamp of the month at the discounted price each month.)

Important Details (FAQ's)

• You may join at any time.
• You will receive your hostess rewards at the end of your commitment.  For example, if you choose the $25 club, you will receive your hostess rewards the sixth month.
• You may cancel your membership at any time, but you will forfeit your hostess rewards.
• Your monthly minimum is before shipping and tax.
• You must place your monthly order by the 15th of the month.
• Orders are placed online on my website .  Simply add your order to the "Hostess Club" party.
• All orders are shipped directly to you via FedEx.
• At any point during your term, you may choose to submit a $150 order and receive additional hostess rewards. - Perfect for when you gather a few orders from friends or want to take advantage of one of our awesome specials. Please remember to email me the list of items you want for your hostess rewards.  Do not enter these items online.  

CTMH Convention Highlights - Post #1

I'm back from an amazing time in Orlando, Florida!!!  The Close To My Heart (CTMH) convention was held at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort.  We had so much fun and I can't wait to tell you all about my trip, convention, the new products, all the secrets I have been keeping the last couple of months and much more!!!  In order to get it all down, I'll have to break it up into little pieces so I'm going to start off with a little bit of the fun!

One of the BEST parts of being a Close To My Heart consultant for 18 years is that I have made some incredible friends.  Seven of us were able to head over to the Magic Kingdom together.  Standing in line is always entertaining with this group!

Part of the reason I have been a bit behind on my blog is because I was working behind the scenes with my top secret products!!!  I was one of 18 teachers selected to present at our Extravaganza!  I received the new Huntington paper pack, our new Artbooking Cricut Cartridge (so stinkin cool!!) and an assortment of coordinating products to use for my booth.

This year we had the mirrors above us like you see at the fair exhibit halls.  The lighting was awful when we were trying to take photos of me in my booth, so please forgive.  This is the best we were able to get.

Years ago a group of us dubbed ourselves the Fab Four (used to be Fab Five - We miss you Karen Carnevale. I know you're thinking about joining again. LOL) We are spread across the country and only get to see each other at corporate events...but when you get the four of us together, we have a blast brainstorming and sharing fabulous ideas!!!

Ok, enough back story... This year one of our Fab Four got a big promotion so Gail and I snuck over to decorate her door.

and we brought along one of our favorite cohorts in crime... Heather!

Stay tuned for more convention fun!  I have many more pictures to go through...and I'm still trying to figure out whose camera ended up with the picture we took at the Magic Kingdom.  I might have made a poor family pose for pictures with us because of their shirts. Yep - I just make new friends where ever I go!