CTMH's Stamp of the Month Blog Hop for June - Jubilation

Welcome to the Close to My Heart Stamp of the Month Blog Hop for June - featuring the stamp set "Jubilation".
Along this month's Stamp of the Month hop you'll find dozens of fabulous creations using this stamp set - all brought to you by a very talented group of CTMH Consultants! If you've come here from Shirley's Blog, you are on the right path. If this is your first stop on the hop, that will work too (just keep hopping till you get back here again)!

To continue along the hop, just follow the link at the end of each post to go to the next site. We hope that following the hop will give you lots of inspiration and ideas for using your "Jubilation" stamp set, along with the many other great CTMH products you'll see in each post!

I have two creations for you today.
 
The first is a layout using the "Bottom Border" pattern from the CTMH scrapbooking book "Reflections".  I used the flower stamp from the Jubilations set to create a border along the bottom of my layout.  I stamped the flower multiple times in several different colours.  I then cut out each individual flower and attached them to the layout using brads.  I love creating my own custom embellishments for my scrapbook pages using stamped images!
 

 
Materials Used (all CTMH):
Patterned paper from the Felicity kit (retired)
Jubilations stamp set (June 2011 Stamp of the Month)
Eclectic Alphabet - Embossed Chipboard
Chocolate Brads
Blush Ric Rac
Blush Photo Corners (retired)
Ink: Blush, Sweet Leaf, Bamboo, Spring Iris
Cardstock: Colonial White, Chocolate
 
My second creation is also a layout.  This one is the "Sidebar- Journalling" pattern from Reflections (rotated 90 degrees).  On this layout - I stamped the sunshine stamp from the Jubilation stamp set directly onto the large Canvas buttons to add as an accent to my layout title.    I love how these buttons 'finish' off this very simple layout. 

Materials Used (all CTMH):
Moon Doggie Level 1 Scrapbooking kit (retired)
Jubilation stamp set (June 2011 stamp of the month)
Canvas Badge Buttons
Ink: Sunflower
 
The "Jubilation" stamp set is available from your consultant from June 1st to 30th! You can earn this stamp set at a discount or even FREE with every CTMH order placed in the month of June!

Thanks for stopping in!! To continue on the hop, visit BETH's BLOG to see what she has created for you!

For a complete list of all of the consultants sharing Jubilation artwork - click HERE.

Welcome Ladies! And a little Q&A . . .

I wanted to take a minute to welcome all of the new team members who have all joined my team this month!  So glad to have you be a part of my Creative Canadians Team.

(Note - edited to include CURRENT info July 2014)

I've received quite a few emails this month with people asking questions about what all is involved in 'being a CTMH consultant'.  So I know if there are those people asking, there are probably several more of you with the same questions - so I thought it would be a good idea to give you a little "FAQ" post on being a CTMH Consultant!  (Thanks Lisa Stenz for the idea!!)

1)  How much does the New Consultant Kit cost?

The price is $140 Cdn (plus tax and shipping).  NOW JUST $109 Cdn!!

2)  What is included in the New Consultant Kit?

Check out the brand new kit contents on my website HERE.

3)  Is there a catch?  What is the fine print? 

I promise, there is no catch!!  You get a huge bundle of wonderful products at a really great deal - that's it!!  You have the opportunity to build a business if you choose, but there is no requirement to do so!  If you are a details person - - you can read the "Terms & Conditions" HERE (scroll to bottom of page, under the Contract section of application, you'll find a link!).

4)  What if I don’t want to build a business and I just want to get the discount for myself on future orders?


That’s perfectly fine! In fact, there are a large number of Consultants that we call "Hobbyists" or "Personal Use Consultants".  These ladies usually do not hold parties,classes or workshops. You are welcome to simply enjoy the discount on your own orders.

5)  What is the discount?

Active Consultants enjoy the current discount of 22% off of every order.   You also receive additional compensation based on your personal sales level in the form of both free product and cash rewards.    Your total compensation has the potential to reach 50% on every order.

6) What are the sales quotas?

The sales requirement is $300 retail (before your discount) each calendar quarter (Jan-Mar, Apr-Jun, Jul-Sep, Oct-Dec) if you'd like to remain an Active Consultant.

7)  What if I don’t place $300 in orders in a quarter or place any orders at all?

Once you sign up, you have a full quarter to make your sales minimum.  This means that if you sign up in, for example, March, your first full quarter would be April to June.  You would have until the end of June to enjoy the full discount if you choose. At that time, if you do not have $300 in orders, you will simply cease to be a CTMH consultant, no questions asked, no strings attached.

8) Do I need to return the Consultant Kit if I don't place enough orders or cease to be a consultant?

Absolutely not -- you are buying the New Consultant Kit when you sign up.  Absolutely everything in it is yours to keep!

9)  Are consultants required to maintain an inventory?

No. There is no inventory requirement.  There are so many different products that CTMH actually suggests that you do not maintain an inventory.   As there are no minimum quantities for orders - there really is no need to carry an inventory.

10)  Does CTMH offer Hostess gifts? If so, who pays for them?

Yes! CTMH pays for all hostess rewards on qualifying orders. And as a Consultant, you are welcome to be your own Hostess and earn more free goodies!

11)  Does CTMH offer any training or events?

Absolutely! There are so many different training options online through CTMH.   There is an entire listening library of recorded conference calls, tons of Corporate training videos, bulletin boards for artwork, business, templates, and more. CTMH also has pre-designed projects and workshops for us to use if you choose to hold classes. There are great corporate events such as Annual Convention and Weekend Album Retreat. And you can call ME or the CTMH 1-800 consultant services number at any time if you have questions!

12)  How do you sign up?

You can sign up at my website here. It will only takes about 5 minutes!

13)  How long will it take to receive my kit?

In Canada, shipping is approximately 5-10 days, depending on where you live.

14) Can I contact you if I have questions after I sign up?

Please do!! I welcome your questions via phone, email or through my Facebook Page.

All in all - I really think this is an amazing deal with absolutely no downside!  I've been with CTMH for 6 years now (and have loved every minute!!)

Have a question that I didn't cover here?  Send me an email at csironside@shaw.ca anytime!

Have a Rockin' Birthday!

A couple of quick cards that I put together for my nephews' birthdays!  I used 2nd and 3rd generation stamping (re-stamping your image without re-inking your stamp) to create the 'action' look on these cards.

Materials Used (all Close to My Heart):
Kraft Cardstock
X-Treme acrylic stamp set
A Little Everything acrylic stamp set
Cardstocks & Inks: Colonial White, Cocoa, Outdoor Denim, Desert Sand
Buttons: Cocoa, Outdoor Denim

Woohoo!! It's Official!

The Summer issue of Canadian Scrapbooker magazine arrived in my mailbox today!
So excited to see my first published layout!  Seriously a dream come true!

The kids and I raced home to open it and madly flipped through the pages to find what we were looking for!!

It will be in stores June 1st - - check it out!! I'm on page 51!

Materials Used (all Close to My Heart):
The layout was picked for a feature article on the colour orange.  I love this orange (Sunset) paper from the Hooligans paper pack.  I combined it with a navy (Outdoor Denim) patterned paper from the retired BackCountry line.  The stars are chipboard and I stamped them with the Spot on Backgrounds stamp set (retired) in Sunset ink.  The title is Posterboard Alpha (one of my faves).  The accents are CTMH brown felt accents (bracket and photo corners), chocolate ribbon, and great orange accents from the Sunset Mini Medley.  And I added a little rub-on sentiment to the metal tag from the Adventure Rub-Ons. I was so happy with this layout when I did it and I'm so happy that Canadian Scrapbooker liked it too!!

Now I'm off to check out the rest of the magazine!!  So much great artwork!!

Warm Wishes

It's never too early to get started on the Christmas cards!!

Linking up to the following challenges:
Sweet Spot Sketch #108
Christmas Card Challenges Week #25 - Inspiration Photo
Canadian Stamp Talk Yahoo Group Challenge #2

Materials Used (all Close to My Heart):
Jingle Creative Basics Paper (retired)
Share the Magic stamp set (previous SOTM - retired)
Just for the Holidays stamp set
Licorice Opaque Gems
Cardstock: White Daisy, Black, Juniper
Ink: Archival Black, Juniper, Sunset, Blush

If I had a flower . . .

The ladies at my recent weekend retreat enjoyed this card as one of the make & take projects we offered.  I taught them how to use the CTMH Kraft Color Ready Borders in lots of different ways! As I told everyone at my retreat - these borders are my favourite product in the Spring/Summer Catalogue.  You can use them on so many projects and they come with 50 in a package (2 each of 25 different designs) for just $6.50Cdn!!  Love them!

This card uses an inked-up Kraft Border strip as the flower stem.   Participants also enjoyed learning how to make their own paper flowers with punched scalloped circles - - simply spritz with a little water, crumple up in a ball, un-crumple, ink the edges & voila - - a pretty flower!!  Layering adds even more dimension to your flower!  

Materials Used (all Close to My Heart):
Mayberry Level 2 Paper Pack
Kraft Color Ready Borders
Rosy Regards stamp set (leaves)
Thoughts of You stamp set (sentiment - retired)
Gold Bigger Brad (retired)
Inks - Olive, New England Ivy, Cocoa

Little Bitty

My little bitty baby .  .  .

Linking up to the following challenges:
Sketches in Thyme #48
Scrap it With a Song - Little Bitty

Materials Used (all Close to My Heart, except as noted):
Caboodle Level 2 Paper Pack (retired)
Cocoa Designer Ribbon
Mocha Opaques Gems
Basic Buttons
Colonial White Waxy Flax
Bold Color Ready Alphabet (retired)
Caboodle Stickease (retired)
Flower - from my stash
Cardstock: Vanilla Cream, Crystal Blue, Cocoa

Veranda Anniversary Card

I know my blog has been short on new artwork in the last little while  . . . I have been creating - just haven't had a chance to post.   I do have a new card for you tonight :-)

This card was inspired by several challenges:
The sketch is from Cardabilities
Canadian Stamp Talk Yahoo Group - Ribbons/Buttons
Cupcake Challenges - In the Garden

Materials Used (all Close to My Heart):
Veranda Level 2 Paper Pack (retired)
Pizzazz Irresistables Chipboard (retired)
Party Pennants acrylic stamp set
Follow Your Heart acrylic stamp set (retired)
Cocoa Designer Ribbon
Juniper Buttons from the Green Button Assortment
Colonial White Waxy Flax
Ink: Creme Brulee, Juniper, Cocoa
Cardstock: Cocoa, Juniper, Colonial White

What a weekend!!

Had an amazing time with the 40 attendees and my two co-hosts, Heather Kinahan and Noreen Smith, out at Canmore this past weekend for our Spring Retreat!  All the feedback we received has been extremely positive - we are so glad that you all had a great weekend!  We are already looking forward to the next one!  Thanks to you all for being such a great group & making the weekend what it was!

Ready to go!! Back of my van!

 Passenger seats of the van:

 Arrived in beautiful Canmore:

Scrap room ready to go -- can't wait for our guests to arrive:

In action & working hard:

Whew!! Now to catch up on my sleep!  So much fun!!

Time Saving Solution for Your Scrapbooks - Courtesy of Creating Keepsakes

Happy Monday everyone!  As a blogger, I also 'follow' A LOT of other blogs!  I was doing my usual run through my Google Reader this morning of all the blogs I follow and I was so excited to see Close to My Heart's Studio J program featured on the Creating Keepsakes blog! 

Everyone who has ever talked to me about Studio J knows that I LOVE this program, so I'm thrilled that word is getting out about just how great it is! 

Check out the post at Creating Keepsakes.  They have a great walkthrough of Studio J, some great tips on creating quick layouts, AND you can enter to win 5 FREE Studio J layouts!  The article is here:   Time-Saving Solution For Your Scrapbooks.

And remember with a Studio J Membership, the program gets even better!!  You can get all of your Studio J layouts at half price (including those free page protectors that EVERYONE gets with their layouts), plus free shipping, plus access to all of the great extra membership perks like members-only layouts and papers, special promotions and more.

And it gets even better this month.  You can sign up as a Consultant in May for 50% off - just $70 Cdn, (less than the regular price for a 12 month Studio J membership), choose a Studio J membership as part of your customizable consultant kit (along with two other bundles of CTMH product and the FREE You & Me scrapbooking kit), and you'll get an ADDITIONAL 22% off of every Studio J layout you order!  That works out to about $2.83 per page in Canada!!!  Can't beat that!  Especially with the bonus free page protectors and free shipping and AWESOME quality prints! 

Get in on the action:
1.Try Studio J for free here.
2.Sign up for a Studio J (3 month or 12 month) Membership here.
3.Want an even bigger discount?  Order your new Consultant Kit here! 
Contact me at csironside@shaw.ca if you have any questions or would like to set up a time for me to do a Studio J walkthrough/demonstration with you!

2 More Sleeps!!

Just two more sleeps until I host my first ever weekend scrapbooking retreat.  I'm co-hosting with a couple friends, Noreen & Heather, and we are looking forward to a great weekend with 40 fabulous crafty ladies!!    We are headed out to Canmore, Alberta - - a beautiful little town in the Rocky Mountains for some rest, relaxation & scrapbooking! 

Needless to say - with the retreat just a few days away - I've been BUSY BUSY BUSY with preparations.  We want to make this a really great weekend for our guests!  Here is a quick peek at one of the projects I've been working on:

I stamped, scored  & folded a total of FORTY of these cute little bag-a-lope gift bags!! (Who knew you could get a sore arm from stamping?!?!)   This is my favourite go-to pattern for gift bags/treat bags!!  You can make them any size you want . . . just by using a different sized envelope! Check out this great tutorial from Tresa Black.   For mine here, I used standard envelopes that fit 4.25" x 5.5" cards and my scoring lines were at 3/4" from the edge. 

Now - back to work for me!! Still so much to do!!

Deepest Sympathy

I really struggle with sympathy cards.  I spend forever trying to get the details 'just right'.  A friend of ours just lost her Mom to cancer.  The funeral is this Saturday - the day before Mother's Day.   My heart breaks for her and her family.  I hope this card will adequately express the sorrow we are feeling for them. 

I used this week's sketch from Chupa's Sketchbook Saturday challenge.

Materials Used (all Close to My Heart):

Bliss Level 2 Paper Pack

Treasure Life stamp set

Card Chatter - Sympathy stamp set

Mocha Opaques Gems

Chocolate Button

Chocolate Waxy Flax

Colonial White Organdy Ribbon with Satin Trim

Ink: Chocolate

Cardstock: Colonial White, Chocolate, Bamboo

Mother's Day Card with Blessed

I know everyone is looking for Mothers' Day ideas right now - so here is another card idea for you.
This was the make & take I created for the ladies attending my workshop/crop night last Friday.

(I was inspired to make this card when I saw something similar on a blog, unfortunately I can't remember where and can't find it again after much searching - - so if the original card was yours - please let me know so I can add proper credits here!!)

Materials Used:
Cardstock: Gypsy, Black, White Daisy
Blessed stamp set - April 2011 stamp of the month (flower/leaf image)
Universal Backgrounds stamp set (script used to stamp background)
Party Pennants stamp set (bracket image around sentiment)
Family stamp set ("Mother")
Unity stamp set ("You are Loved")
Ink: Black, Gypsy, Pear
Licorice Opaque Gems

National Scrapbooking Month & 1/2 Price Consultant Kit

May is here!! (And I think spring has finally arrived too (fingers crossed!!) - it is actually over 10 degrees today!)
I LOVE the special scrapbooking kit that Close to My Heart has released in celebration of "National Scrapbooking Month"!    It is called 'You & Me' and it is absolutely GORGEOUS!!

Here are the layouts created by the CTMH art department using the kit:

And here is my personal take on the same layouts (as a consultant, I was able to order it a month early!!):

They were so fun to put together.  The stamp set that comes with the kit is fantastic.  I used the stamp set and my scrap paper from the kit to make these cards:

Look at all the goodies that come in the kit:

If you want to see even more detail - - CTMH has a great preview video of the kit on You Tube that you can view HERE!

So I know you are all asking now . . .  how do I get this fabulous kit for myself?  Three easy ways for you:
1) With every purchase over $55 in CTMH products during May - you can get the kit for just $16.50Cdn! (Over half off the retail value!)
2)  Purchase the kit for the full price of $38.50.
3)  Get the kit for FREE when you purchase our New Consultant Kit in May!  And . . . for this month only - the New Consultant Kit is HALF PRICE - - you can join my team for just $70Cdn!!  You can read more about that fabulous opportunity HERE! 

Email me anytime at csironside@shaw.ca to order your You & Me Kit!!