Playing with Studio J

For the first time ever yesterday, I took some time to play with the new Studio J software launching to customers next month.  I created these two layouts.

The first one took about 30 minutes, and the second just over an hour (but I was cooking dinner at the same time!)  How cool is that?

You might recognize that the paper in the second layout is from the Grace My Reflections scrapbooking kit as seen in the Idea Book.  That's because all of the papers included in Studio J are digital versions of traditional scrapbooking kit papers!  With each Idea Book launch, new kits will be added to the Studio J library, plus an exclusively digital kit will be made available also.  My Halloween layout above was created with one of these exclusively digital kits.

I can't give you all the details just yet because Studio J doesn't officially launch to customers until April, but I am totally excited to bring you this sneak peak.

Watch this site for more details as we get closer to launch.

And yes again, I'll apologize for being absent from the blogosphere for a bit, but I've got good reason this time as I'm preparing to move my blog to TypePad.  I've wanted to do this for a while now, and although the site's not quite ready to go public yet, it's getting close.  I'll give you all the details when the site is up and running, but for now I'll continue to post here.

You Rock!

I finally got some time to play with some things from the Close To My Heart Spring Idea Book -- it just arrived today, as I ordered waaaay later than I normally do, and I got to playing right away!

Here is the first layout I did using the new You Rock Workshop on the Go kit!  I used the BEST option for the kit which included a few extra accessories on top of the kit cost and assembled the pages pretty much exactly the way the instruction booklet described ~ only a bit of minor tweaking!  I was so thrilled with the way this turned out and it just proves that while it's not girlie in the least at first glance -- you can use the You Rock papers to celebrate the girls in your life!  After all, girls ROCK too!

What do ya think?

You can get your own You Rock Workshop on the Go kit by contacting me or by following this link to my online store.  When you're there, click on 'Shop Online' and drop item G1006 in your cart.  The Workshop on the Go kit is just $35.50 and comes with complete instructions to create the pages you see above, plus complete instructions for 3 cards.  In addition, you'll find an additional 2 page layout suggestions, and an additional 3 cards.  There is more than enough paper in this kit to create all of this!

In addition to the basic workshop kit, I added the following accessories to my layout.

• Z1272 Top Coats 'Rockin' ($4.75)
• Z281 White Hemp ($2.75)
• Z1263 Bitty Sparkles ($3.50)

and I've still got lots of this stuff left over, so watch here for more art coming soon!

P.S.  I'm extending my blog candy deadline all the way to the end of this month!  All you need to do is leave a comment here or anywhere on my blog for a chance to win the CTMH Pure Love stamp set.

CTMH Caboodle Workshop on the Go!

While the snow is flying, and the days are cold, rest assured Spring is never far away!  So why not think Spring, and get crafting with the soft calm colors and whimsical designs found in Close To My Heart's Caboodle Workshop on the Go kit!  The Caboodle Workshop on the Go is available for a limited time (only until April 30).

Workshops On The Go contain all the materials you need plus step-by-step instructions to create both scrapbook pages and cards!  If you're not familiar with CTMH Workshop on the Go kits, click here to find out more.

With the Caboodle Workshop on the Go kit here is what you can create:

{note all prices in Canadian dollars}

For a limited time only (only until April 30, remember) for only $35.50 (plus tax and shipping) you can purchase the Caboodle Basic Kit which includes the following:

• My Acrylix This Way Stamp Set
• My Reflections Caboodle Level 2 Paper Pack
• Dimensional Elements Booksmart
• Workshop Guide

The retail value of the Caboodle Basic Kit is $39 - but is available through April 30 for the discounted price of $35.50!

And....if you want to add even more coordinating products to take your project to the next level (the BEST option), think about

• Z1271 Tiny Tabs ($4.75)
• Z1125 Designer Ribbon Rounds Sweet Leaf Collection ($9.25)

Want to see more?

Click on these links to see exactly what the Caboodle Basic Workshop on the Go kit contains (including the limited edition My Acrylix This Way stamp set)

• Scrapbook Flyer
• Card Workshop Flyer

To order your Caboodle Workshop on the Go kit, you may either Contact Me or visit my Online Store and add item G1004 to your shopping cart --have everything you need delivered right to your door!

If you have any other questions, just holler!

Some Oldies: Endless Love and Soul Mates

I don't have anything new for you today, I'm actually reposting some art from 2 years ago -- gasp!

Whilst flipping through the new CTMH Spring Idea Book and drooling over all of the new stuff, I happened to notice that they have brought back to catalog several items that I don't think we've seen in a while.  These items were never retired, have still been available for order both online and from your consultant, but they have not been "showcased" in an Idea Book.  With 3 'seasonal' Idea Books per year,  this is understandable since Flowers and Hearts definitely say 'Spring'.

This first one was originally released in February 2008 and was a Stamp of the Month.  It is called Endless Love (D1260).  The set consists of 3 scrolly medallions (the medium one was used here), a border stamp, a sentiment and a flourish accent.  If you read my block back then, you will recall that when I set out to create this card I was going for 'simplicity', however working with this image was much fussier than I had originally imagined.  I really liked the way it turned out though with all the 'white' space really forcing you to focus on the stamped/coloured image, the ribbon and the tag.

The second card uses a couple of images from the Soul Mates Word Puzzle (D1254).  If I recall correctly, I lifted this design in it's entirety from somewhere, although I can't recall where.  I still love the soft non-traditional colours and all of the distressing.

With any luck I'll be able to share some 'new' artwork soon.  I'm placing an order for some new Spring product today, and I can't wait to start playing.  There are just so many new items that I want, it has taken me a very long time to pare back my list to something that my checkbook can manage.

And don't forget to stop by http://www.nationalpapercraftingmonth.blogspot.com/ today and leave your comment to be entered to win the National Paper Crafting Month Felicity Collection!!

Celebrate National Paper Crafting Month with Felicity & A Giveaway

Did you know that January is National Papercrafting Month?  Yup, that's right.  3 years ago, Close To My Heart inaugurated the event to celebrate stamping, scrapbooking, cardmaking, home decor creation, and anything else crafted with paper.

To celebrate in 2010, CTMH is presenting to you the Felicity Collection, filled with regular and die-cut B&T Duos paper and a darling alphabet stamp set!  The Felicity Collection is filled with flowers, flourishes, argyle and birds, and is presented in the ever popular Autumn Terracotta--Sorbet--Twilight colour combo.

The versatile 12" x 12" Felicity Collection includes  12 B&T Duos, 6 new B&T die-cut papers, an exclusive D-size stamp set, and an artwork brochure filled with ideas to rev your creative engines!

There are 6 ways to get your hands on this awesome collection!

1. Purchase Felicity at regular price from your CTMH Consultant, or in Canada - you can follow this link to my online store.
2. Place an order of $70 or more in full-retail priced stamp sets (A,B,C,D, and/or E size) and get the Felicity Collection Free!
3. Place an order of $145 or more in full-retail priced Close To My Heart products (with or without stamp sets included in this total) and get the Felicity Collection Free!
4. Host a home gathering with cumulative sales total of $470 and Felicity is yours Free!
5. Become a Close To My Heart Consultant in January and the Felicity Collection will be included in your new consultant kit - absolutely Free!
   
   and,
   
   
6. Each day in January, one lucky person will receive the Felicity Collection absolutely free just by commenting on the daily question posed by Close to My Heart over on this blog http://www.nationalpapercraftingmonth.blogspot.com/

Isn't that exciting?

Today, for January 4th you need to simply tell CTMH about your favourite crafting hobby!  How easy is that?  All those who leave comments will be entered into a random draw and winner will be chosen and posted the following day.  Again, what could be easier?

So pop on over to http://www.nationalpapercraftingmonth.blogspot.com/ and leave your comment, but remember to check back each and every day this month to increase your chances of winning.

If you're not lucky enough to win and would like more information on how you can get your hands on the Felicity Collection, give me a shout and I'll see what I can do to hook you up.

True Friends CTMH January Stamp of the Month

So it's been what seems like eons since I sat down to make cards - but over the New Year's holiday, I did just that.  Now I have to admit that I didn't quite know where to start, so I figured I would keep it simple.

I grabbed my leftovers from the recently retired CTMH Life Delights paper pack, coordinating My Stickease, one colour of ink (Chocolate), the brand new True Friends stamp set, some Just Blooms paper flowers and a handful of brads and got to work.

I must say that overall I'm pretty pleased with what I came up with.  True Friends was really fun to work with.  It's a collection of four decorative frames, 3 curly brackets and a few 'friendship' sentiments that make for some pretty nice card elements I must say.  Don't forget though that they would work equally well as a journaling spot or embellishment bases on a scrapbook page also, and I can't wait to put them to use there.

Here are my cards.  The first 2 are 8 x 3.5 inches - a size I just love because they fit in a standard envelope.  They utilize the same basic design structure, but one is rotated 90 degrees.

The next 2 are 4.5 inches square - again using the same basic design with a simple rotation.

And finally, the last 2 cards which are standard 4.25 x 5.5 inches.

Aren't they sweet?

If you are interested, you can purchase True Friends (D1406) for $26.95 through January 31 from your CTMH Consultant, or if you're in Canada, you can pop on over to my CTMH store and pick one up for yourself.  You can also get this stamp set at a discount by adding it to a cart-ful of other CTMH products, or even earn it for free by placing a $117.50 order.

If you'd like to see more artwork with True Friends before you decide - follow this link and you'll see the Spring 2010 Idea Book artwork all the details for discounted Stamp of the Month ordering.

Don't forget - this set is only available in January 2010 - so get your orders in so you don't miss out!

Cleaning out the Craft Closet

It's time..... definitely... actually let's face it, it's long overdue.  Somehow, over the years I have accumulated a ton of extra stuff!  A ton of extra stuff that I will not possibly ever get a chance to use.

All of these items are brand new, in original packaging.  Let me know (pop me an email) if you're interested in anything and I can find out how much it would cost to ship it to you.  Prices listed here do no include shipping and are quoted in Canadian dollars.

Everything listed here today is CTMH - as I do more cleaning and if people continue to be interested, I'll list other things also.

$12 Stamp Sets (all are CTMH):

• D1210 Moments
• D1176 Youthful Heart
• D1269 Endless Love
• D1177 No Peeking
• D1186 Rustic Flowers
• D1242 Doodle Alphabet (2 available)

$10 Stamp Sets (all are CTMH)

• C1184 Frogs
• C1239 Vintage Father's Day (2 available)
• C1234 Simple Stitches
• C1270 Pure Love

$7 Stamp Sets (all are CTMH)

• B1191 Thoughtful Scripts
• B1090 Geometric Thoughts

$5 Stamp Sets (CTMH)

• A1088 Lazy Days

$6 CTMH Level 2 Paper Packets

• X7078B Cutie Pie
• X7057B Building Blocks
• X7058B Precious Paisley (2 available)
• 7003B Winter
• X7084B Floral Tapestry

$5 CTMH Level 1 Paper Packets

• X7065A Rustic Trail
• 7006A Baby Boy

$4 CTMH My Stickease (4-sheet packs)

• X7070C Simple Pleasures
• X7084C Floral Tapestry (2 available)
• X7078C Cutie Pie
• X7070C Simple Pleasures

Miscellaneous

• $5 Cocoa Cafe Collection CTMH - includes 24 double sided sheets 12x12 paper plus 6' Cocoa Ribbon (2 available)
• CTMH Dimensional Elements Slide Frames $2
• CTMH A1088 Lazy Days Stamp set with Coordinating stickers $7
• CTMH B1211 Reminders Stamp set with Coordinating stickers $9
• CTMH X8614 Holiday Photo Greetings My Originals Card Kit $6

Now keep in mind that all of these items are brand new, so would make great gifts!  Nothing is damaged, all stamp sets are unused, and all paper packs etc. are complete.  Happy Shopping!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

I've had this stamp set in my stash for a while now and oddly haven't used it that all that much. So.....since October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and since October is quickly approaching I thought that I would pull it out and get creative. {I have to give a little credit here to Melanie over at Scrappindipity who shared a card with me recently that she had made with the same stamp} and add this to the fact that promos are out looking for supporters to "Run For the Cure" on October 4th so it just seemed fitting.

I love this card design, it's from the card pattern book 'Wishes' by Jeanette Lynton - It is 3" x 6" in size and so is not too big and not too small, but there is ample room on the inside panel for a personal message of support or thanks. The inside of the card is actually an insert, designed to be separate from the card itself, but as an alternative it could be glued in. Here's a better look at how it all fits together.

It's nice to actually have had some time to craft recently and some things to share -sometimes crafty time is so rare. So thanks again for stopping by!

Nifty Office Decor Design

Good Day Everyone, I hope you're having a fantabulous weekend (I know I am)! Here's a little peak at a project I've been working on. It's a month-at-a-glance 3 dimensional desktop calendar! Isn't it cute?

Somewhere online I saw a pattern for this really neat spherical ball made from paper (Sorry, can't remember where). When I realized that the ball had 12 sides, I thought it would make a perfect calendar project, so I set to work making a 2010 calendar for my desktop!

I took the original pattern and created a digital cutter file to make it easier for me to cut the base pieces. Using this method, cutting the 12 pieces takes me about 10 minutes total - so much quicker and more precise than cutting each one individually.

Each month is decorated differently, and I used up mostly scraps I had on hand from the CTMH Emporium Paper Pack, My Stickease, and Emporium Creative Basics Collection. There are a bunch of embellies, brads, ribbons, clips etc., and while it looks tricky, it was actually really easy to put together once I had each of the calendars designed. Working on a such a small canvas, and a pentagonal one at that was a bit of a challenge for me intially, but once I got going I think I did ok.

Now, I just can't wait for my office to be painted and all set up so that I can put this on display!

All Wrapped & Ready

Those of you that follow me on Twitter know that I received a package in the mail yesterday that I've been waiting for for a bit now. I can't say out loud here exactly what was in the box since it is a gift for someone that might read this before I hand it over, but suffice it to say when she does get it, she's gonna love it!

And...since I am try to take advantage of every possible opportunity to get crafty, I set to work designing some custom packaging. How fun is that?

I surfed the net for a while, and found lots of way cute packaging ideas but unfortunately, none of the items I came across were suitable to hold the item in question (but I did bookmark them for future reference of course!). So instead, I had to go totally custom on this one. I kept it simple - and built a 2 piece box that fit the 4 1/2" x 5 1/2" item perfectly.

The papers and embellies I used on this one are all CTMH - and the ribbon is my absolute favourite element (I've been hoarding it for a while now). It says "share live laugh love give create". I thought it very suitable for the occassion. The plaid paper is from the "Aspen" collection - also one of my faves.
Here's a couple of more pics for you.

The item wrapped up inside (Sorry the tissue is crinkly - it was all I had).

Close up of the matching notecard that I slipped in the box. (I sure wish I could figure out how to properly photograph items so they show their true dimension. This card has foam square popping out the scallopped panel, and more under the star.) The heart, scalloped pane and star are from CTMH Thoughtful Seasons.

I just can't wait to hand the package over - I'll have to try to make that plan for sometime this weekend!

Until next time.

Girlie Birthday

Yesterday I posted a couple of 'man' cards -- so today I thought I would share something girlie. As luck would have it, I recently had ocassion to create a birthday card for my cousin's 10 year old daughter....and it wound up being totally fun. Because I hadn't had a chance yet to play with them, I chose to use the Be Yourself stamp set by CTMH which unfortunately is no longer available (it was a May 2009 Stamp of the Month). Here's the finished product:
Inside the cards reads.....'everyone else is taken'. I stamped the silhouette twice, once in black and once in pink and then trimmed out the pink dress and glued it on top. I just love the way it turned out!

Maculine Birthdays

I think I've said this before, but for me one of the most challenging creative situations is creating masculine cards. There are so many beautiful papers and embellies that are ultra feminine - but for men I find the pickings rather slim. This weekend I had 2 boy cards to make (lucky me!) - one for my nephew who just turned 15, and the other for my step-dad. You would think that just having created a few man cards for Father's Day that I would have had my mojo on, but nope. Creating the man cards was as challenging for me this weekend as it ever has been. Here's the first one I managed to come up with: This was one of those cards that turned out nothing like I had intended it to. When I started out, I was looking to base my design on a card I saw recently in Stamper's Sampler (pg 110, Cherish the Moment by Ronnita Carridine, Apr/May/June 2009 issue - Ronnita doesn't seem to have a blog I can link out to, but she deserves a big shout out anyway!). I absolutley loved the muted background stamping that Ronnita had done and her card was finished simply with two pieces of coordinating ribbon placed near the bottom of the card and a stamped sentiment. Well, aside from the muted background stamping and the fact that I left significant 'white space' at the top of the card, this card evolved into something completely different. I stuck to using mostly cardstock with the exception of the one blue patterned strip. The Outdoor Denim twill tape and the buttons were my answer to adding some texture and dimension and the sentiment is from the soon to be released "It's Your Day" stamp set by Close To My Heart. (The set will be available in August 2009 as the Stamp of the Month). The background stamp I chose was from the set Legendary Moments (also CTMH) and while it's tricky to see in the picture, the background image was stamped a few times with Bamboo ink on Bamboo paper, but some of the images are stamped in 'second generation' so they are much lighter. I thought that this also added a little bit of depth to an otherwise very basic background. The second card that I managed to crank out was for my nephew and I again used the "It's Your Day" stamp set which I'm actually starting to really really like. When I first saw it I wasn't totally convinced that I would use it, but I can see the sentiments especially becoming a quick favourite. It's funny how that happens. Again I stuck with mostly cardstock, adding only that one small piece of patterned paper beneath the sentiment. The background is embossed with the 'Swirls' Cuttlebug folder and the little list up near the top right is adhered with pop dots. The cake itself turned out pretty cute I think. Each layer is a seperate stamp so CTMH has made it easy to make the cake multi-colored. I also really like the fact that the cake is kind of funky too and definately not formal. Very fitting for a 15 year old boy. The color combo (Outdoor Denim, Olive, Heavenly Blue, Bamboo and Sorbet) was another one of those accidental discoveries. It just so happened that the Sorbet ink was sitting on my desk and so I used it. I think that it gave the card just the right pump of bright colour that it needed. I think that without it, the whole thing might have looked rather drab. Tomorrow I'll post the girlie card I got to make this weekend as well. It was reallly fun to pull together. It took me a while and again, it was one of the creations that evolved away from what I had originally envisioned, but all in all it turned out pretty cute. So until tomorrow.

Thanks a Million!

Here's a cheery thank-you that I whipped up on Sunday....I don't know why, but it makes me smile!

There is very little stamping here - just the sentiment and the little flower on the blue square. It was so quick and easy to put together that I actually made 2 of them -- and I will definately be making more of this design. It's a great way to use up all those little bits of scrap!

Enjoy!

Father's Day

So I'm a little late (as usual) getting crafty for Sunday's celebrations, but I thought I'd share what is the first of four cards that need to be made.

I have to admit that this did NOT start out any way that it ended up and I think that's part of the reason it took so long. When I initially sat down to create, I intended to use a more traditional masculine stamp set -- but this set (Alfresco by CTMH) was nearby and was calling my name. I have probably owned this set for more than 6 months, and it had never seen ink believe it or not, until now!

I was a little hesitant to use it at first since the centre of the medallion was a small flower and not very masucline, but I decided quickly that covering it was my answer - so I used a small blue nail head. When I inserted it it slipped a bit and so the edges of the flower are still visible on the one side, but it wasn't a big enough boo-boo to warrant doing it again so I left it.

I hope that I you'll agree that it looks masucline enough for Father's Day. I'm still not 100% convinced, but it will have to do. I find it really tricky some times to make cards for men.

Here's the full view.

Now I just need to get busy making the rest of them. Wish me luck.

I finally did it!

played with paper and glue that is. This weekend, I was lucky enough to have a few hours to myself so I took advantage of it. I started working on a set of 20 cards based on patterns from the book Wishes by Jeanette Lynton. There will be 2 each of 10 designs, although I'm pretty sure that these will wind up as gifts and the set split in 2. I'm not ready to share a bunch yet, but here's a sneak peak of what I've been up to. Once I the rest done, I'll load them up as a set.

Wishes....Fall in Love With Cardmaking

Wow! I'm psyched.

I just received 'Wishes', the newest book by Jeanette R. Lynton in my CTMH order and it is awesome! I have spent only a few minutes flipping the pages, and I'm already totally inspired. I just wish I could spend time crafting instead of working this afternoon.

If you don't know what Wishes is like, pop over to Craft Critique and read my article from a couple of weeks ago about the book Originals (also by Lynton). This will give you a good idea about how the book works. The Wishes book is identical in form and function, but the patterns/templates are all new!

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that tonight I'll get to play with paper and hopefully have something to share with you all tomorrow.

Scrapbook and Share

So here's something interesting....Close To My Heart has launched a new site www.scrapbookandshare.com/ to celebrate National Scrapbooking Month (May) AND this site is the home for the totally exciting Scrapbook and Share Contest.

Now you can check out the site yourself to get all the contest details and the official rules and regs, but the gist of it is the contest is open to everyone, you can enter as many times as you like, and you can use WHATEVER products you like (they do not have to be CTMH). The only stipulation is that entries must be a 2-page layouts featuring YOU!

We all need an excuse to put more of ourselves in our scrapbooks so this is a great opportunity. 5 winners will be chosen (one in each of the 5 contest categories) and each winner will receive $150 US retail in their choice CTMH products.

To enter, you need simply create your layout, and email a picture to scrapbookandshare@closetomyheart.com. Your contest entry will be posted on the Scrapbook and Share site for others to view (that's the sharing part!). On or about June 9, CTMH will select finalists in each of the 5 categories and then leave it up to readers to VOTE for the winner.

I for one think this is way cool, and encourage everyone to enter! I can't wait to see what you all come up with.

April 30: Emporium Scrapbook Workshop

It's been a LONG time since I hosted a workshop (or did any scrapbooking for that matter), but I just love these Emporium papers by CTMH so I couldn't resist!

{Photo (c) CTMH}

Join me on April 30, to create this beautiful 2-page scrapbook layout using Close To My Heart's Emporium paper packet and leave with enough supplies left over to create 2-3 additional projects at home! Registration Deadline: April 15 (with full payment) You have 3 choices for Registration: BASIC Kit: Includes all materials required to complete your pages as shown plus enough supplies left over for 2-3 additional projects. (I'll even give you some project suggestions!) Cost of Basic Kit Registration is $36.50. With your basic kit you will receive.

• CTMH Emporium paper pack
• CTMH Emporium My Stickease stickers
• Pewter Designer Brads
• 41" Ric Rac
• Workshop Guide

BETTER kit: Includes all of the materials in the Basic Kit, plus the CTMH 'My Connections' acrylic stamp set. Cost of Better Kit Registration is $72.25 BEST kit: Includes all of the materials in the Basic & Better workshop kits, PLUS 20 yards Colonial White 3/8" grosgrain ribbon and one package CTMH Foundry Frames. (see photo area for product pics). Cost of Better Kit Registration is $91.00 With all three options, you are paying only for the product you are receiving and participation in the workshop is free. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or require clarification on the details. Space is limited (and already filling up) so act fast to ensure you get a seat.

New Review up on Craft Critique

Click here to read my thoughts on the CTMH Merry & Bright Holiday Card Kit. Since for the first time in a long time broadcasted the other day that I was a consultant, I do wish that I could have been a bit more positive and given the kit a higher rating. But.....I guess that's the way things shake out sometimes.

January is National Papercrafting Month

Now I know that I don't generally blog about CTMH specials, and in fact I don't often mention that I'm a CTMH consultant (a very very part time one, but a consultant nonetheless), but I just couldn't let this special announcement pass by without my at least giving it a wee bit of attention. So here it is..... CTMH is inaugurating January as National Papercrafting Month. In May we celebrate National Scrapbooking Day, and cardmakers may recognize that September is National Stamping Month but in January 2009 for the first time ever, we can celebrate all of the other clever, unique, and eye-catching things that we can make with paper! What could be sweeter than that. As part of the promotion, CTMH is launching a limited edition product pack that includes some gorgeous papers (see sneak peak above), and an 'E' size stamp set called Key To My Heart. In all, the package comes with 12 B&T Duos and 10 cardstock sheets. The stamp set is brimming with elegant, Victorian-style images including grand flourishes, heart shapes, a large key and keyhole, and more—beautifully complemented by heartfelt sentiments and even a classy journaling box. This awesome set will be available starting December 16 and will continue to be available into January while supplies last. As a consultant, I am lucky enough to order it early - and it will be here on Friday. I can't wait to check it out. Maybe I'll even get some time this weekend to create some art to share. As a customer, beginning on December 16th, you can get one for yourself in one of three ways. You can either earn it for free, purchase it at a discount price (with a minimum order) or you can purchase it outright all by itself. As a Hostess you can earn it too with a minimum qualifying gathering, and of course as a new consultant, you'll get it for free. If you want any more formal details on how you can get one, just holler and I'll see if I can't hook you up. The coolest part of this promo by far though is the National Papercrafting Month Contest. There are 3 entry categories: small (6x6 or smaller), medium (between 6x6 and 12x12) and large (anything larger than 12x12). Entries must use Close To My Heart product exclusively to embellish the art, and only one entry per category can be submitted per person. The deadline for contest submission is February 15, 2009. Five finalists in each category will be contacted and each will receive a free My Acrylix stamp set of their choice (some exceptions apply). Finalists will then be required to mail their actual project entries for final judging and consideration for grand prize recognition. One grand prize will be awarded per category. The grand prize (are you ready for this?) is $300 US in Close To My Heart product. Is that cool or what? I for one plan on making entry - will you?