Attention Studio J Fans!!!

BIG NEWS!!  I am sooooo thrilled with this update---- take a peek at this 5 minute video and then let's jump in and get our springtime memories & photos archived on these beautiful pages.

And for my die-hard TRADITIONALISTS-- you can now use Studio J to print your photos..... watch the video!!!  

Have any questions?  Contact me:  Karen Scrapbooks at AOL dot com.

Creativity: Now and Always

I love this message from Jeanette Lynton's blog and want to share it with my readers:

Friday, May 3, 2013

Creativity: Now and Always

Within the past month, paper crafters have heard and seen some hard news—well-known industry names have announced bankruptcy or removed their scrapbooking lines. It may leave many wondering what the future is for our beloved pursuit of memory keeping and creativity. As the CEO and Founder of Close To My Heart, I have many thoughts on the topic and wanted to share a few with you.

First off, preserving our memories is NOT a fad. It's one of the most important things we do in our journey here on earth, and it's as key as breathing and as sustainable as family. In the past few years, we have seen scrapbooking come into the spotlight and many flocked to set up shop and design products to capitalize on it. While we at Close To My Heart have welcomed the focus on scrapbooking over the past few years, we know that even when the hubbub fades, the core and relevance underneath the hype remains. I have been in the industry for nearly 30 years—LONG before it was "trendy"—and plan to be in this essential industry for decades to come.

Because Close To My Heart will be here for the long-term, we have run our business differently than many others. We are not leveraged to the hilt or financed by outside investors. I have always believed in organic, cash-based growth, and the simple provident rule of spending less than I earn. It's a principle I've applied to business and it's ensured that Close To My Heart operates profitably. We have been profitable month after month, year after year. Our credit rating is excellent, and this protects our commitment to delivering a wealth of diverse, beautiful products at competitive prices while providing secure commission checks for our Consultants, employees, and vendors.

Second, yes, the industry is changing. I welcome and embrace that! In my 30 years in business, I have seen many changes and they almost always yield fresh directions, new products, and a new crop of crafters. Change always brings opportunity! I have long said that as long as little girls are born with hands, they will want to create. I am grateful to be a part of such an important contribution to society and know that this will continue.

Ultimately, I invite everyone—whether you are an existing Consultant or customer, a past purchaser, or even if you have never purchased a Close To My Heart product—to get to know us again for the first time. Close To My Heart is strong. Papercrafting, memory keeping, and creativity are more important than ever before and we provide unique, diverse products for every style and ability of crafter.  Close To My Heart is committed to scrapbooking, and if it's a passion you share, then YOU ARE WELCOME HERE. 

Treat Tube Fun

Treat tubes are fun for party favors, little gifts, a way to brighten a friends day.

Here are two that I had fun creating:

This is the Chocolate Lovers Survival Kit -- perfect for filling the tube with chocolate candies like M&M's.  The tag is tied on with Bakers Twine.

The box was cut from the CTMH Cricut Artiste Cartridge.  

This second Treat Tube is filled with  Lemon Heads candies.

The tag was stamped with CTMH "Pun Fun"

Details Make All The Difference

Some of my favorite pieces of artwork

come from swaps -- where a group of talented consultants

create specific pieces from their assigned "theme" making

several sets that are swapped with others in the group.

Look at some of these details:

Cheryl T. - love the colors & layers

(especially the Zipper Lace!)

and Chantilly Papers.

Jamie S. -- smart use of the Canvas Complements

(the butterfly is gorgeous) and the Zip Strip

from the Clair Paper Kit.

Krista H. -- layers!  What can I say --

masterful use of layers including stamped images,

Pinwheels, Metallic Glitter Paper and the Surf's Up Paper Pack.

Welcome to the Blog Hop

Welcome to "Stampers With An Attitude" Blog Hop.

The leader of 'SWAA' is one of my top team leaders and I got excited when they invited me to participate in their team blog hop.  So here goes~~~

The blogger in front of me is LaJeania Hicks so you probably came here

 from her blog:  http://scraptilyoudrop.blogspot.com

The card I'm sharing today is a 6" x 6" card featuring the CTMH stamp set,

"Lovely Lily".  It's the perfect floral for using CTMH Alcohol Markers.

I used the marker sets Creme Brulee and Honey for the bloom and Sweet Leaf for the leaves.  The image was stamped with Black Pigment Ink and allowed to dry before coloring with the markers.  The Sweet Leaf cardstock (used for the card base) needed some texture so I stamped tone-on-tone with one of my FAVORITE new CTMH stamp set, "Distressed Backgrounds" (a set of 3 fab textures).

Please leave a comment and tell me what you think about my card~

Thank you for visiting!

The next blogger on the hop is Sandra Van Woerden

and her blog is:  http://ohmyscraps2u.blogspot.com/2013/05/may-blog-hopart-with-attitude.html.

So hop on over to see what Sandra has in store for you.

Distracted by Something Shiny!

Here's a peek at the DREAM POP cardstocks!

Yes, these colors are not only FABULOUSY gorgeous,

they also have resist patterns on them.

Love love love.

This is part of the special this month.

CLICK HERE for more information!

Saw this on Facebook recently..... boy, I think the message is profound and reinforces one of the reasons I create scrapbooks / photo albums.....  How 'bout you?