Mojo Monday 377

I was finishing up some layouts from CTMH Brushed Workshop on the Go this weekend and was wondering what to do with all the leftover cardstock.

I came across the Mojo Monday blog and liked the sketch for this week so I thought I would give it a shot and use up some of that Brushed cardstock and I was also looking for something that would go with the December Stamp of the Month - Cutie Pie.

Love how this turned out - although the picture makes the Canary cardstock look quite harsh. It is actually a softer pretty shade of yellow.  I need to remember to take my camera out to my craftroom so I'm not always using my cell phone for pictures.

I used my Cricut with the CTMH Art Philosophy cartridge to cut out the circle at 2"  & scalloped circle at 2.5".  I coloured the cupcake with chalks, added some glitter and added a ribbon under the scalloped circle to finish it off.



CTMH products used:

Brushed Paper Packet  (x7190b) $10.95
Cutie Pie - December Stamp of the Month (s1412)  $19.75 or just $5.00 with your $50 purchase during December 2014
Black Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad (z2105) $6.50
CTMH Art Philosophy Cricut Collection (z1686) $109.00

From my stash:
Glitter, Chalks & Ribbon

For more information about these products visit my CTMH website at:
http://nancyhelmer.ctmh.com

Last Craft Fair of 2014

I did my last craft fair for 2014 last weekend at the Murrayville Hall, just down the street from my house.  I had some handmade items available for sale this time. The first fair that I did there was in November and my tendinitis had flared up so I wasn't able to make much beforehand.

Love the ideas I see on Pinterest.  I was able to make up some bottle toppers and gift card holders to sell along with some cards that I had made before the craft fair I attended at the end of November.

Bottle toppers:

CTMH products used:

Champagne, New England Ivy and Ruby Cardstock &

Patterned paper from Yuletide Carol Paper Pack  X7187B  $10.95

Desert Sand (z2118) & Ruby  (z2170) Exclusive Ink $6.50

Stamps Sets:

Be Jolly (Hostess Set) B1455

Merriest Christmas B1468  $10.95

Yuletide Carol WOTG Stamp Set  g1084

Quatrefoil Embossing Folder z1926  $9.75

Poinsettia cut with CTMH Artiste Cricut Cartridge Collection  z1790  $109.00

Coffee Cup Gift Card Holder - really cute. One of my favourites, the lid pulls up and a gift card sticks to the inner card.

CTMH products used:

October Stamp of the Month - Home for the Holidays s1410

Kraft Cardstock z1375 $10.50

Snowhaven WOTG Stamp Set (clear embossed snowflakes) g1085

Glacier (z2641) & Cranberry (z2116) Exclusive Ink

My table at the Murrayville Christmas Craft Fair.

Visit my website at http://nancyhelmer.ctmh.com for more information on these products.

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Don't miss out on CTMH Deal of the Decade - with an order of $50 from either the Seasonal Expressions or Annual Inspirations Idea Book you qualify to order an unlimited number of C or D sized stamp set from the Annual Inspirations Idea Book for just $10 each.  That is a savings of between $5.25 - $9.75 per stamp set.  And many of our stamp sets are compatible with CTMH Cricut cartridges.  Offer available until December 31, 2014,

My Memories Freebies - December 1 - 7, 2014

My Memories Freebies

My Memories is another scrapbooking software that I have been using for years.  I'm an affiliate with them - check the link in the right column to go to their website and you can save $10 on the purchase of the software when you enter the code  STMMM3762

Here are a couple of freebies from them available this week only:

Click here to get Autumn Dance Cluster freebie

Click here to get Merry Merry freebie

Here are a couple of pages that I have just uploaded to Studio J for printing.  I made these in My Memories and exported them as jpgs to my desktop.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the software.   There is also a trial version available on the website if you want to try before you buy.  

Studio J Layouts

I placed an order at the end of November to take advantage of the $5 Layout Special pricing.

I did a cost comparison in a previous blog post comparing the regular Studio J pricing to what I paid at my local Costco for 12x12 layouts.

With the November Special I ordered 12 Studio J layouts, which is the equivalent of 24 pages from Costco.

Costco price:  24 x 4.99 = $119.76

My Studio J order total with my Consultant Discount of 22% plus s&h and tax = 69.63

Savings of $2.09 per 12x12 layout!

In Studio J you can choose from 3 types of layouts - in these I choose a photo template & a paper kit then dragged my photos into the photo wells, added my titles & journalling and embellishments and coloured the existing embellishments (ribbons & buttons).  You can also delete anything that you don't want, you can resize and add more pictures with this type of layout.  There are 130 kits to choose from.  There is also a Studio J app for iPhone that shows all the kits.  I find it handy to look at so I don't have to go back and forth in the program. 

In this next set I chose from pre-done layouts. 

These were really fast I just added my photos and personalized with my own titles and journalling.

With this type of layout you can't make as many changes but it is fast and great if you don't have a lot of experience.  Great way to learn how to use the software and then move on to the other types of layouts when you are more comfortable with how the program works.  And since there is no charge to use Studio J you can make an unlimited amount of pages while you learn the program.  

And finally I choose a No Limits layout.  

You can do anything with the No Limits. 

I added a page that I had created in My Memories scrapbook software to the left side and a page I created with the Project Life iPhone app on the right.  

You can also fill the page with different sizes of photos. 

Great way to save on photo finishing when you use odd sizes (like 2x2 or 2x3 or 6x8) in traditional scrapbooking or pocket scrapbooking. 

You can create as many layouts as you want and won't be charged anything until you purchase your prints.  The software is web-based so you need an internet connection to use it.

I often upload my pictures into different projects from my desktop and then login from a laptop or even from my iPhone (with Puffin web browser).  

Layouts are saved in the software for 90 days which gets extended once you make a purchase.  I created over 50 layouts but only purchased 12 - the expiry date was extended after I ordered.  I created many of the layouts back in July when I was first off work for my tendinitis and very limited to how I could use my left hand.  

Digital scrapbooking was the perfect option to be able to work on my scrapbooking without having to do any cutting or stamping and hurt myself more. 

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about Studio J.  There are also many video tutorials on the Studio J site. 

If you live in the Langley, BC area and would like to see how it works I will be doing tutorials in the New Year.   Sign up for my newsletter to be notified of upcoming dates.  

Try it free today at http://nancyhelmer.studioj.com

Today ONLY! CTMH Cyber Monday Cricut Collection Sale!

Visit http://nancyhelmer.ctmh.com 

Using QR Codes In Your Scrapbook Layouts

Well I'm happy to say that I finally found a way to integrate all the videos that I take with my camera and cell phone into my scrapbook pages!

When I import into my computer everything is saved by date in iPhoto.  Then I create separate folders by year, month and layout so everything is grouped together.   Most of the time I've just deleted or worked around any videos that were in those folders.  Now I'll be able to go back and add in the videos and as I do each layout I can add a QR code to my page and anyone with a QR reader on their phone can scan and be directed to the video.

I played around with it today and it was pretty easy.

Here's step by step of what I did:

• First I add a video to my YouTube account.  
• Then I copied the link to the URL for the video
• I used the code generator at  http://www.qr-code-generator.com/ to get my image in jpg format.
• I downloaded it into iPhoto and renamed it so I would know which video it was.
• I also created a folder on my desktop with the qr code and the pictures I wanted to scrap with it.
• I opened Studio J and created a layout with my pictures and added two qr codes linking to two different videos that I had take when I took those photos.

This is my Studio J layout with the two codes added in. The first video is my dogs wanting to go outside. And the second is them rushing out the door to play in the snow. It's also our puppy's first snow so I'm happy I could add these great moments.

If you do pocket scrapbooking or digital pocket scrapbooking you can add the qr code to a digital journaling card and either print it out as a photo or use it on a digital layout. I had this card already saved so I just added a photo box for the QR code.

You can also add the code directly to a photo and then have it printed or use it in a digital layout.

If you do traditional layouts or pocket scrapbooking you can print the QR code onto paper and add it to your layout or journaling cards.  

Feel free to contact me for more information on using QR codes in your layouts or leave a comment below.  Happy Scrapping!!

CTMH December 2014 Highlights

Close To My Heart December Highlights

1.  Cyber Monday Sale - 20% off all CTMH exclusive Cricut Collections, Monday December 1, 2014 only.


2. NEW!  Seasonal Expressions Idea Book -  only available from December 1 - March 31, 2015.  View it on my CTMH website or contact me for a copy.

3. Deal of the Decade!   With your qualifying purchase of $50 from both the Annual Inspirations & Seasonal Expressions Idea books you can order UNLIMITED C or D size stamp sets from the Annual Inspirations Idea Book for only $10 each.  Order also qualifies for $5 stamp of the month special.

4. December Stamp of the Month - Cutie Pie!  Each month you can purchase a new D-size stamp set, available for one month only, for just $5 — that’s over 70% off retail! When you place an order of $50 or more in Close To My Heart products, you qualify for this special Stamp of the Month pricing.

Order online at:
http://nancyhelmer.ctmh.com

Sign up for my Monthly Newsletter:
Link in right hand column below Blog Archive list.

All December orders placed through my Close To My Heart website qualify for my Mystery Hostess giveaway.   Just join my Deal of the Decade Gathering when placing your order.

Cyber Monday Sale!! 20% off CTMH Cricut Collections

Order your Cricut Collections for 20% off - Cyber Monday only! December 1, 2014

http://nancyhelmer.ctmh.com

Last Days of Studio J $5 layout sale & using Studio J with outside programs

Just today and tomorrow left to take advantage of the Studio J Lucky 5 promotion.  You get a 12x24 layout printed for only $5.00 plus s&h.  That is about half the price of what I would pay to get my pages printed here - Costco charges $4.99 for a 12x12 layout.  CTMH Consultants also get a 22% discount off of that price and orders count towards your quarterly minimums. I've been working on layouts all week - just need to do my final spell checks and I'll be ready to order.

If you aren't familiar with Studio J - it is an online digital scrapbook program by Close To My Heart. You login, create a project, upload photos, choose a digital kit and a two page photo layout or create your own with the No Limits feature. Drag and drop your pictures, add some journalling, titles and embellishments and your done. There is also an option with the pages pre-finished and you just add your photos and journaling - I found those were a real time saver. The program saves your layouts for 90 days so you can order as many layouts as you want. It's flat rate shipping so more economical to save them up and do a larger order all at once.

So that's the basics - there are many other things you can do with the software.   If you are a traditional scrapbooker and like to print out odd sized photos you can do that too.  Just use a No Limits page and create the photo wells in the sizes you like and drag and drop your pictures in - great for those odd sizes like 2x2, 3x3 or larger 5x7.

If you are a digi-scrapper you can import your jpgs created with other software and get those 12x12 layouts printed at a great rate.  Or print out digital images for use in pocket scrapbooking.  I have a lot of digital journalling cards that I can now add to my regular pocket album.  I can even import them and add a text box and do my journalling right in Studio J before I get them printed.

When I checked my email this morning I had an offer to buy the Project Life app for iPhone for $.99 this weekend.  I decided to download it and then did a search online to learn more about it.  You can use your photos that you take with your phone in the app or use photos from Dropbox.   For me that's a bonus because I personally don't care for many of the Project Life journalling cards.  So I can save my digital journalling cards (lots of free graphics online) and import them right from Dropbox.

Here is the first layout that I made with the app.  The kit choices included with the app are very limited and I'm not going to spend money on any other kits when I can use my own graphics.  The Snow Fun card is one that I downloaded for free off the internet and uploaded to Dropbox from my computer.  I was then able to add it to the layout in the app.   It was fun to play around with and I can see it being handy for pictures that I don't necessarily want to keep but can still scrapbook while it's fresh in my mind.   These pictures are from last night - it had just started to snow and my 4 month old puppy needed to go out.  I took them with my cell phone and they aren't great quality but I'm happy I've got a quick page done.  It's these everyday moments that I love to capture and too often I miss out because I wait too long to scrap them.  

Another fun iPhone app that was recommended when I was looking into the Project Life app was one called Phonto.  It was a free app that lets you write directly onto your photos.   I tried it out on a picture with my dogs and it worked great.  

Now I can add it to a Studio J page or a pocket scrapbook page and don't have to wonder later why I have a random picture of the dogs looking out the window.  

Here is the layout I made with the Project Life app imported into Studio J alongside a 12x12 layout that I made in My Memories:

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about Studio J.  There's no cost to try it out and you don't need to create an account right away either.    

Memory Protectors™ Flip Flaps™

Flip Flaps are a great way to add extra photos to your layouts.  Also good for placing memorabilia inside.



Visit my website at:

http://nancyhelmer.ctmh.com to see Flip Flaps and more great scrapbooking products available from Close To My Heart

Christmas Cards for Local Craft Fair using Artfully Sent

I was busy preparing cards for a craft fair that was held today at the local high school.  My Cricut machine got a workout with the CTMH Artfully Sent Cricut Cartridge.  I was able to make up a bunch of cards without aggravating my tendinitis very much, which is good, as I am now getting the early symptoms in the other hand and have had to leave my day job so I can let it settle a bit before my specialist appointment in January.

I turned the HO HO HO card from the Artfully Sent cartridge into a Santa by adding a 1/2 scallop circle and a mustache from Artiste along with a strip of black cardstock and some gold glitter paper for the belt buckle.  Very easy and a lot of fun.  

The Holly Jolly card was nice and quick - just added some glitter paper behind the bells and finished it off with some Ruby cardstock to fill in the rest of the letters. 

I added glitter paper and a holly image to dress up this Merry Christmas card and used the Christmas Tree pop up card inside it.  The Holly was cut with the Art Philosophy cartridge.

Here's another Holly Jolly - this time I used Lagoon cardstock and pink glitter paper.  And I used my score board to emboss a quick border around the outer edges.

I used the Art Philosophy cartridge to cut the banners out for this card and the poinsetta is from the Artiste cartridge.  The layout is from Make It From The Heart Volume 1 - Pattern 22.  And the paper is from the Yuletide Carol paper pack.

For more information on these products visit my website at:

http://nancyhelmer.ctmh.com

CTMH Artfully Sent Joy Card

I used my CTMH Artfully Sent Cricut Cartridge to make the card that is shown on page 65 of the Annual Inspirations catalogue.  I sized it in Cricut Craftroom so it would cut at a standard A2 size.

I used some of the leftover cardstock from the Yuletide Carol Workshop on the Go Kit to line the bottom half of the cardfront and for the green strip on the front that covers the top of the inner cardstock.    I stamped JOY on Colonial White cardstock with black ink and coloured in holly leaves and the top of the ornament with my ShinHan Markers.  I also added a few rhinestones from my stash to the snowflakes. 

CTMH Products used:

CTMH Artfully Sent Cricut Collection  (z3017)  $109.00

Noel Stamp Set (c1598) $15.25

Yuletide Carol cardstock (x7187b) $10.95

Black Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad (z2105) $6.50

ShinHan Touch Twin Marker Sap Green  (z2463) $6.50

ShinHan Touch Twin Marker Pastel Green (z2459) $6.50

http://nancyhelmer.ctmh.com

Close to My Heart Artiste Cartridge - Boxes & Gift Card Holder

Had fun making these boxes & a gift card holder with my Artiste cartridge for a craft fair that I was at last weekend.

This little tree box would be perfect for holding some candy or small gift item.

I used the Snowhaven cardstock for the gift card holder.  The stampset is from the Snowhaven Workshop on the Go Cardmaking Kit.  I cut the patterened strip from the top of the sheet of cardstock and used it to keep the card closed. 

Here it is opened with a gift card in the inner pocket. I cut it at 5" Real Dial Size. 

Here's a Christmas Cracker - I cut it at the recommended size in the handbook. 

Love this snowflake box.  It folds almost flat so would be good for small items or a gift card.  

CTMH items used:

CTMH Artiste Cricut Collection  (z1790)  $109.00

Snowhaven Workshop on the Go (stampset)  (g1085)  $27.50

Snowhaven Paper Packet (x7188b)  $10.95

http://nancyhelmer.ctmh.com

CTMH Artfully Sent Snowman Swing Card

Here's another quick card that I made with the new CTMH Artfully Sent Cricut Cartridge.  I saw this card on Facebook done in pink and white - check out Create with Julie to see my inspiration.

This card was so easy - just two cuts with my Cricut & some embellishments.

This cartridge comes with over 700 images - there are pop-up cards, swing cards, pocket cards, scene cards and you can make your own Picture My Life cards.

For more information check it out on my Close To My Heart website:

http://nancyhelmer.ctmh.com

CTMH November Stamp of the Month - It's the Little Things

November Stamp of the Month - It's the Little Things.

$19.75 cad or $5.00 with a $50 qualifying purchase.

Visit my Close To My Heart website for more details.

http://nancyhelmer.ctmh.com