Monday Musings week #2

Got my Monday project all done. Check out the beautiful new paperpack, coming September 1st, called Magnifique. What beautiful colors, and did I happen to mention...they are my wedding colors exactly!! I used a new stamp set as well - D1438 Circle of Love - for the awesome peacock and new colors, Pear and Lagoon, throughout the layout. And whada think about our new flip flops?! Aren't they cool. Finally, they come in three new sizes to create even more options for pictures on your single layouts. I show two different ways to use them - horizontal and vertical - and used all three new sizes. Enjoy!

Beach themed picture frame

OMG only about three weeks or so before my wedding! I am getting so excited but nervous too. Just today I sat down to wrap presents and forgot all about the place cards. Since it's such a small wedding (only about 16 guests), it didn't take me long. Anyhoo, I wanted to share the couple gift that I put together based on a great idea that I saw at the CTMH silent auction in DC a few weeks back. Once I did one, the project became simpler and really didn't take long at all. This was my first attempt and I was anal enough to actually measure. I purposely left the lighter spot in the middle until I figured out shell placement. The original canvas was 8 x 10 and will nicely hold a regular sized photo. And yes, I glued all those shells on and the sand on (LOVE Liquid Glass!!). If you'd like detailed instructions, please email me for a supply list and instructions! Enjoy!

Albums retiring!!

I have it on pretty good authority that our 6 x 6 and 9 x 9 albums, and possibly our linen 12 x 12 albums are going to be discontinued at the end of the year. In fact, they are not in our new Idea Book set to go live on September 1st. I currently have some of each in stock and will deeply, deeply discount these. Please shoot me a private email at taramail@sbcglobal.net if you'd like to order one.

Monday Musings Week #1

Okay, so it's Monday...time to get motivated! I put this card together in about 5 minutes using our Wishes book, pg 117, and the Stamp Set, C1361, Buttoned Together. I used one piece of the B&T paper to cut the large circle and the MyStickease level II to create the other circles and the flower on top (adhered with foam tape to POP up). I tied a quick chocolate ribbon into a bow, stamped my sentiment in chocolate ink, and added two felt flowers from a prior Connection Reward with some "bling" and poof...a cute little card to send to your BFF!! Don't forget to post your take on the Monday Musing and be entered to win a fabulous Prize!!! The contest ends next Sunday night before the new Monday Musing post. I can't wait to see yours!! Happy Scrapping!!

Monday Musings Sneak Peak week #1

Monday Musings sneak peak: I am posting this early for you 2 have the weekend 2 do this!! The rules:1. Use any paperpack w/@ least these 3 colors - chocolate/cocoa, blush & bamboo - create a "Frienship" themed CIRCLE card. ALL products must be CTMH. Please upload your photo starting today. This contest runs unt...il next Sunday nite. I will randomly chose a winner, who will receive a special goodie from me!!

Monday Musings

Join me every week on Monday for a supply list. You will be asked to use those products to create a project to post on my FB business page. A random winner will be selected each week and will receive a free goodie from me!

I am baaaack!! Convention was awesome!

Whew....what a week. I am finally back from Washington, DC where I spent almost 6 days at the glorious Gaylord Hotel and Convention Center celebrating friendships and our love of papercrafting. Close to My Heart unveiled it's new Fall/Winter book, and let me tell you, they never cease to amaze me!! There are 4 gorgeous new paperpacks, new card kits, new colored sparkles - my favorite...bling! - and 8 new colors just to list a few!

There are super exciting changes coming to Studio J, our on-line scrapbooking studio. While the original program is in place - NO charges to use our software, nothing to buy - they have added a new Membership program! Some of the member benefits will include 50% layout pricing, hi-reCTMH s JPG files for every printed layout purchased, special members-only kits, and free S&H and memory protectors. They also will have special campaigns geared towards Studio J members only!

Speaking of Studio J, new consultants starting September 1st will also have the option of enhancing their business with a FREE web-site! This will allow you to accept web orders, all without any extra fees from Propay because CTMH is now absorbing ALL of those costs! Your Studio J customers can now order direcctly from your site!

Also effective shortly (I don't have the date in front of me), but all consultants who renew or sign up for a MyCTMH website will receive a 1 yr. membership in Studio J FREE, FREE, FREE!!!

CTMH has also upgraded its hostess plan and now it's even easier to receive half off products.

Please also visit my other sites and become followers on there to keep up with all the great things coming your way!!

http://taradeb.myCTMH.com

on Facebook - my site is Tara DeBenedetti of the Scrappy Diva bling team

Would you like to earn FREE products?

Looking for help on organizing and keeping up to date with my blog. Are you good at this?!! If you could take maybe one hour a week and help me, I will reward you with scrapbooking products! That's right...become my techie and I will help you keep up with your scrapbooking projects. Please leave a comment in the section below so that we can hook up and set up a schedule....Thanks!!

Upcoming Events and March Promotions from Close to My Heart

Dear Friends,
Wow, March already? Where is the time going? I have so many great things to tell my fellow scrappers. Please take a few minutes and find the latest and greatest listed below. I have some bonus gifts to give away to everyone as well!!

Sincerely,
Tara DeBenedetti
Manager/Independent Consultant
Close to My Heart

March Constant Campaign
March is an exciting month at CTMH. When you "Dare to Dream", you will receive all FOUR exclusive Stamp of the Month in the Spring catalog FREE, FREE, and FREE!! Have you ever wondered why I love this "Job"? It's because I get to earn free product every month and share my passion and love of scrapbooking and card making . YOU CAN DO IT TOO! I would welcome the opportunity to have you on my team. The basic consultant kit is only $99.00. When you sign up to become a consultant, you will receive almost $100.00 in FREE stamp sets. Close to My Heart is THE leader in this industry and rewards its consultants generously. We have the freedom to run our business how we see fit, without rules and regulations. If you have ever thought of reaping the rewards, please contact me to discuss this further. There is no obligation and it's a lot easier than you think.
ISO....New or returning hostesses!!!

Help!! I am currently in a contest to book at least three shows a month for March, April and May. Who wants to be rewarded?!! This can be any type of show...a newbie class, a technique class, or a traditional catalog or home show. All prior hostesses are eligible, as are my team members!!
***If you date a show in March, I will reward you with not only the Stamp of the Month free, but also, you will receive $25.00 in FREE merchandise for each booking dated off your show up to $75.00. (A qualifying show is $150.00).

***If you date a show in April or May, you can negotiate your hostess reward....that's right, you tell me what YOU want. We can then negotiate a show total you must hit to earn the FREE reward.

For those of you who maybe cannot host a show this quarter, I will reward you with the same reward for a referral to a friend or family member who does date and hold a show!! Yep, you heard me right...if you send me a new hostess, you will get her rewards too!
Dates to remember:
1.There are no open spots left in my card clubs. However, if you would like to start a club, please contact me. Teaching classes is one of my favorite pasttimes, and I'm sure that we can find something suitable for you and your friends to continue to get your scrapbooking done.

2. I have a few open spaces left for my all-day crop. Each cropper is rewarded with not only a generous crop space, but goody bags and drawings/raffles, and special sales throughout the day. The first crop is set for Saturday, April 10th from 10 am to 10 pm. For $50.00, you wlil get breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and some surprises!!

3. Our new Workshop on the Go series is starting soon. We have three open spaces left on Sunday, April 25th at 2:00 pm. The basic kit price is $35.00 and includes a Level 2 Paper Packet, a D sized special stamp set, one embellishment, and a workshop guide.

We will be making one, double 12 x 12 layout and six cards (3 designs) utilizing the above in each workshop kit following the recipe guide. You will have the rest of the paper pack and embellishments for future layouts. More information can be found via my website at http://taradeb.myCTMH.com for examples of past workshops.

These workshops really showcase how many pages or cards, or a combination of both, you can actually get from a paper pack. The recipe guide also utilizes our layouts and cards from our Educational programs...a nice way to see how easy and fast you can create your layouts and cards.

These workshops are on a reserved basis only. These kits must be ordered and paid for ahead of time.

At all of these adventures, my inventory will be deeply discounted.

Space is limited; please contact me ASAP to hold your space. Payment is NOT due until the day of the crop but I need to have an accurate head count for food and space, etc. The workshop date must be paid for in advance for ordering purposes. Last date to order for that is April 15th.
Studio J, our new on-line scrapbooking program is coming in the Spring! I would love to show you how totallly awesome this program reallly is. ***Book your home demonstration on this new program for April and I will reward you with one FREE layout with a qualifying show total in orders. CTMH will be offering specials as well I expect down the line to coincide with the launch of Studio J. Book your demonstration show today as this special goody ends on March 31st.

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Can anyone help me at all?!!

I cannot get my slide show to post on my blog. OOOH, I am getting so frustrated. I have tried and tried to get this to show. I have posted pics in my flickr account and then re-did my layout to include that tool but no success. Help!!!

July 2009 newsletter

July Newsletter #7
Ladies, can you believe it is July already?!! This is one of my favorite times of the year with Fourth of July, camping trips, and of course, tons of scrapbooking opportunities! Please find my monthly newsletter below with all the goodies and happenings since last month.

1. I welcomed two new team members, Anna Lang and Leeann Perez, during the month of June. Let’s give a cheer and wish them success!

2. CTMH Constant Campaign for July is geared towards new consultants. If you decide to sign up as a consultant during the month of July, you will be able to chose five select products FREE to go along with your kit. Please contact me if you are thinking of joining my team as this is the month to do it. CTMH offers generous consultant discounts along with a healthy selling bonus. It’s a great way to make some extra money for your addiction, and get FREE stuff too!

3. My hostess special for July is….drum roll please….Because I purchased every mystery box during the June Deal of the Day promotion, I am going to put together my own mystery boxes for my hostess perks in July. If you host a party OR refer someone to me who then books a show, you will receive a raffle ticket. There will be two mystery boxes worth $50-100 in product and two lucky hostesses will receive them FREE. The two winners will be announced in my August newsletter.

4. Would anyone like to come to my house and scrap? I have Saturday, July 11th available for a scrap day…I am thinking of doing an all-day scrapfest. Whadda think? Please let me know if you want to share the day with me.

5. Lastly, I am having a garage sale…just a normal garage sale…but will have at least one, probably two tables full of scrapbooking products on July 9-10th. If you decide to come to the scrap day on the 11th, you are more than welcome to visit the table and purchase anything that is left! If you are looking for something in particular, please let me know as these items have been further discounted once again!!

June Newsletter #6

Happy June! This month brings the end of school, summer vacations, and of course, wonderful deals with CTMH. Please find my newsletter below. I invite ALL of you to visit my blog regularly and become a follower. That way, you will receive all the news, my calendars and workshops planned, and "my special deals."

1. Contest: There will be another June contest - I want to see all of your "Summer's here" 4 1/2 x 5 1/2 cards. Please submit these by June 25th to my email so that I can upload them onto the blog site. Voting will take place June 25th-27th by all of YOU!!! The prize is a gift certificate!! No-one is taking me up on these contests, and to be honest, you would have a good shot at winning product!! Cmon scrappers!!

2. CTMH Constant Campaign for June: Deal-A-Day! The campaign is SWEEEEET! Only available to customers via the websites. Please visit mine - taradeb.myCTMH.com. EVERY day for 23 hours, there will be specials via my site for purchase. They will change every day and once they are gone, they are gone, gone, gone. We have been told that these include special bundle packs and project packs. I am anxiously looking forward to these deal-a-day sales. Remember, my website accepts Visa, MC and Discover.

Don't forget about Jeanette's special webisodes that air every other Tuesday. Those also come routinely with a special deal as well as the instructions. These are listed under my website as well, and they can be viewed and purchased all of the time. These project packs are a great deal as well.

3. Hostess Special for June: As stated in my prior May newsletter, I am offering the new Wishes card program reference book ($29.95 value) FREE to hostesses in June with a qualifying show ($250.00 in sales plus one booking). I have this reference book already and it is awesome, chock full of new layouts, including circle cards, and it also has three workshops detailed in it, allowing you to maximize your cards utilizing less than two or three sheets of paper.

4. I have one full card club booked, which will be starting in July. I have another card group started north a bit in Lapeer/Burton area and would love for you to join this amazing workshop. It is a great way to get your card making done once a month and enjoy a girls' night out. Please contact me if you are interested. Spots are limited, and I am down to about four left. You do not have to come every month or any month, you just need to commit to six months of cards and pick up your kit at your leisure.

5. Finally, this is a great time if you are looking for extra money to spend on your scrapbooking to become a consultant on my team! I have one, possibly two customers who may join my team in June, and I would really love to have more of you come on board. CTMH is really a wonderful community of creative forces with unbelievable perks and goodies for us. If I wasn't a consultant, my need for a constant scrapbook fix could not possibly be met! The monthly minimums are low and the rewards are high. Ask me today on becoming a consultant and I will gladly share the good news....

As a parting shot, just to make sure you are reading my newsletters! - ha - I have had over 20 shows this year already. Those 20 hostesses will receive a FREE Stamp of the Month Set ONLY if they re-schedule another home gathering during the month of July, August or September. This is a $23 value FREEEE....

FOR ALL NEW HOSTESSES: If you've been to one of my gatherings and would like to earn free product, spend a night with your gal pals, and learn a new technique or idea, I will also give you a FREE stamp set. However, this offer is only good for the month of JULY!

Enjoy the wonderful weather we are having, including the rain, because it could be snow! Ughhh.... and thanks for reading the newsletter!

Wishes Book has arrived

Due to some amazing corporate wheeling and dealing, the new Wishes card program book has arrived, and I already have my copy. I just want to say...It's amazing. The first card club kits will have card templates taken straight from this book.

YOU CAN EARN THIS BOOK FREEEEE. Host a home show in June, and with sales of $250.00 or more, I will give you this book FREE!! Contact me today to reserve your show date.

Open House

My open house was a huge success! For those of you who visited my home that day, where are your make n take projects? There is a prize at stake! For those of my out of town friends, please be patient with me. I have your products set aside, I just haven't had time to get the post office!

In regards to the open house.... I did start a new card workshop. The first set of cards of 10 for $15.00 will be available on July 17th. You may preorder the card kit if you cannot make the workshop. I have one group of ten signed up; however, I have received numerous comments from others who would like to be involved but not necessarily able to attend monthly. Therefore, you CAN still be in the club...you just need to pre-order and pre-pay in advance. Please contact me by June 10th for this month' s kit so that I may order enough supplies.

Tip of the week #2

For all of those who like chipboard, did you know that all of our chipboard products can be inked, painted on, stamped on, or chalked?

Tip of the Day #1

When tying a bow in a ribbon or tying ribbon onto an embellishment, do NOT cut the ribbon first. This will cause you to guess the length you need and you will cut too much or too little, thus wasting the ribbon. My suggestion would be to tie the ribbon on the spool, then cut it!

May 2009 newsletter #5

May 2009 Newsletter, #5


Hellooo to all of my fellow paper crafters! Please find my monthly newsletter below with all the specials and campaigns being offered by Close to My Heart as well as myself…As always, please feel free to contact me any time.

As most may remember, May is national scrapbooking month, and to celebrate this, CTMH has a constant campaign running right now. With a $60.00 order in stamps (excluding customized stamps and the Stamp of the Month), you will receive a Tickled Pink scrapbooking kit FREE. A flyer is attached for you to preview. As of today’s date, CTMH has sold 25% of these kits. I encourage all hostesses to either book a date with me during the first week of May or into the second in order to grab one of these kits while they are still available. The majority of times, these types of kits sell out before the ending date of the promotion.

New Idea Books go LIVE on Friday, May 1st. If you will not be attending my open house on May 9th, please shoot me a quick email and I will put one aside for you. Those attending will receive a FREE Idea Book.

OPEN HOUSE: The garage sale table is set up and ready to go for all of you to shop. AGAIN, please pre-register with me so that I can set aside your goodie bag and plan for my projects. So far, I only have four attending for sure…out of 25 invitations that I sent out. Don’t forget the extras… ***ALL those attending will be put into a drawing for a surprise GIFT or two. *** If you bring a friend, you will receive an extra chance at the drawing prizes! I will be taking orders that night as well from the new Idea Book and you will also receive an extra ticket for the drawing prizes.

I will be starting a card club monthly. You receive enough product to make 2 sets of 5 diffferent cards, equaling 10 cards for $20.00. Some have expressed that they would like to work on them together while others have expressed that they want to pick up a kit. Therefore, I am setting this up as a mailed club, but if anyone wants to plan a day and put theirs together along with their friends, I would be more than willing to be in attendance for guidance!

To segway into my other club, my monthly kit club is also still accepting members. This is a theme-based monthly kit in which you receive enough product to make a two page layout, including embellishments, stamped images if applicable, and recipe booklet and/or picture.
Both May’s page kit and May’s card club examples will be up on my website as well as my NEW blog (if I can get that together in time) –see below.

Okay, to get into all this new technology, I am going to try to set up my blog this month. The monthly blog will include my newsletter, a calendar of events, news of things going on in my life and hopefully yours, and I will have the monthly kits up there as well as a “featured technique.” I will have a contest every month in which you can win special goodies or gift certificates. The only catch is…you can only use CTMH products…nothing else. To WIN, you have to submit photos to me, which then all the viewers of the blog will vote on. You can’t win if you don’t play!!

Lastly, I am giving away FREE to anyone who hosts a home show the new reference book in the Idea Book. This is a $30.00 FREEBIE just for hosting a home gathering with sales of $250.00 or more. This is in addition to your hostess credit and my other usual incentives. This book isn’t being made available until June, so please contact me now to schedule your show in June or July as my dates are filling fast with this awesome incentive!!!

I hope that I have a chance to scrap my memories with each one of you this month! There are so many great things coming up. It’s not too late to put together a memory box of cards for Mother’s Day. Father’s Day is coming. Wedding and baby showers are approaching fast as the summer draws closer, and of course, there will be vacation and beach memories to scrap. I would love to help you continue enjoying paper crafting while receiving loads of discounted and free product.

Enjoy the May Flowers!!!


Tara DeBenedetti
Independent Consultant/Supervisor
Close to My Heart
taradeb.myCTMH.com
taramail@sbcglobal.net

May Challenge #1

Okay, per my newsletter, my challenge to all of you is to create a minimum of a Mother's Day- themed one-page 12 x 12 layout using only four products - not including adhesive, glue dots and/or paper trimmers... These four items could include cardstock, background and texture papers, bling, flowers, brads, or ribbon, staples, rub-ons, or chipboard/stamped image just to name a few. Rules are simple....ONLY CTMH products on a Mother's Day layout and only FOUR products. A photo submission must be received by me by May 15th to qualify. The winner will receive a $10.00 gift certificate to be used only during the month of June. Voting will take place via this blog site from May 15-23rd. All of YOU will pick the winner!!

Let's Blog!

Yeah, I think I did it! Please be patient as I learn how to blog and add things such as pictures and techniques. Haven't quite gotten the hang of it! Any help would be appreciated!