I'm often asked what I like best about being a CTMH consultant.  There really isn't just one reason!  But the first reason that comes to mind is the main reason why I joined in the first place:  I wanted to work from home and have the flexibility to be there for my family whenever they needed me.

Nine years ago, I gave birth to my second son, and going back to the Corporate world was not something I wanted to do.  I wanted to be home, and I wanted to do something I loved.  It didn't take me long to find Close to my Heart and instantly, I knew it was the solution for me.

With CTMH, you are your own boss.  You set your own hours, you choose how much or how little you want to work.  It's flexible and it's rewarding.


I also liked that CTMH didn't dictate HOW I ran my business.  I could choose to do home gatherings, or not.  I could do workshops, or not.  I could host retreats ... or NOT!  It was totally up to me.  So long as I met my quarterly minimums of just $300, the business was mine to create, build, and recreate if needed.

And over the past nine years, my business has had to change.  I've had to adapt it and move parts around to fit with my life.  But that's ok.  I've had the flexibility to make it happen.  So when I say you can build your business, your way, I mean it.  And I've done it.  It works for me, because I want to be here for these guys:


So what do you say?  Is a CTMH business for you?  Contact me at justscrapit.ctmh@gmail.com and let's find out together.

For more details on this month's fabulous promotion, The Art of Business", click here.  You'll learn how you can get a Cricut Collection for FREE!

It's an exciting time when you sign up to become a CTMH consultant.  So many opportunities and possibilities in front of you.  A new business to launch.  New people to meet.  A new passion to pursue.

And a whole lot of new goodies to play with!!  In fact, you get products worth over $300, which makes the CTMH New Consultant kit an AMAZING value!  It will cost you only $99 (plus shipping and taxes).


So much stuff, plus business materials too!  It's everything you need to get started.

• Skylark papers!
• Skylark embellishments!
• Useful tools, like ink, My Acrylix blocks, spritz cleaner, Liquid Glass!
• Valuable how-to books!
• Awesome and exclusive My Acrylix stamp sets!
• Bonding Memories glue!
• Idea Books to share!
• And sooooo much more!

Even if you're simply purchasing the kit to get some great products at a great discount, this kit is absolutely worth every penny!

And don't forget! When you join CTMH in the month of April, you can choose one of the three CTMH Cricut Collections FOR FREE!  It's a special gift for joining this month.  It's the Art of Business!  Click here for more details.


PLUS, THERE'S A LOT THAT YOU GET THAT YOU CANNOT SEE!
When you join my team, the Designing Divas, you get some wonderful things that cannot be photographed and cannot be traded!  As a member of my team, you'll also get:

• ME!  I am here to answer your questions, show you the ropes, and help you with your business as much or as little as you want me to.
• Corporate training and support: through events like Rediscover Nights and Convention, through videos and audio recordings on our Corporate site, through Facebook pages for our team, and our bigger team, The Brae-ers.
• The opportunity to meet some truly amazing and talented people.
• The flexibility to build your business, YOUR WAY and make it just what YOU want it to be.
• Discounts on some top quality, well known and respected, not to mention GORGEOUS products.

Contact me at justscrapit.ctmh@gmail.com with any questions you might have on becoming a CTMH consultant.  We can get together, chat, and see if a CTMH business is right for you.

Then sign up in April to take advantage of the spectacular Art of Business promotion and get a FREE Cricut Collection when you join my team.

Such beautiful and classy colours to play with this week at Color My Heart's Color Dare!  I am falling more and more in love with Ivy Lane each and every day ... so when we were asked to use those colours in this week's challenge, I was more than happy to oblige!


Take a look below at my creation ... a beautiful birthday card ... and go to the Color Dare blog to see what the other Design Team gals have come up with.

It's been a slower week for me, which is a refreshing break, but I've had trouble finding my mojo.  Good thing that the Crafty Canadians had this great sketch for a challenge.


The other "catch" to this challenge, as it was first posted just before St. Patrick's Day, is to include the colour GREEN somewhere on the card.

I needed to make some birthday cards and this challenge really helped me out.  Here's the first one:


This card uses the CTMH paper pack "Lollydoodle".  If you saw the whole pack, you'd think Girly Girl, all the way!  But you can also turn it around (or turn it over, as our patterned papers are DOUBLE SIDED!) and use it for boys too.  This adorable card will be finding its way to my sweet nephew Trent, who will be turning THREE on Monday.

SUPPLIES:

• Pear, Slate and Ivy Lane Purple Cardstock
• Lollydoodle B&T papers
• Belated Birthday stamp B1442
• Pansy Purple ink (retired)
• Marquee Enamel shapes

And here's a second card to celebrate with:


Of all the cards I made today, I think this one is my favourite.  I love the motion that the stamped arrows create, and the colour combo is unusual but so pretty.  These are Ivy Lane colours and papers and I am falling more and more in love with this paper pack every day.  And I finished it off with an Ivy Lane tulle flower and some purple sparkle gems.  So pretty.

SUPPLIES:

• Ivy Lane Green and Ivy Lane Purple Cardstock
• Ivy Lane B&T papers
• Heartfelt Birthday Wish stamp B1442
• Flight of the Arrows stamp D1578
• Pansy Purple ink (retired)
• Ivy Lane Assortment (flower)
• Purple Glitter Gems

Winter simply refuses to leave us here in Ontario, but that doesn't mean we cannot dream of sunshine and warm breezes.  Some days, that's the only thing that helps me cope with the cold!  :)  So this hop is featuring some wonderful projects that have a touch of summer and warmer weather, created by talented members of the Brae'ers CTMH team.

• This is a circular hop so you can start here and go all the way around.
• If you came from the talented Tamara's blog, then you are going in the right direction!
• And if you get lost along the way, then please visit Brae's "The Brae-er" blog to find the complete list of participants. 

• This is a circular hop so you can start here and go all the way around.
• If you came from the artsy Arlene's "Creative Space" blog, then you are going in the right direction.
• Visit Michelle's "My Creations" blog, for the complete blog list if you get lost along the way. 

• Lollydoodle paper pack
• Pear and Lagoon cardstock
• Mini stamps
• Aquadots
• My Creations Card Box
• Cricut Artbooking

In fact, you can make these yourself at my upcoming workshop on Saturday, June 14.  Email me at justscrapit.ctmh@gmail.com for details and to save your spot!

It's time for Color My Heart's Color Dare #85 and this week, we're featuring some lovely, warm colours:  Autumn Terracotta, Barn Red, Hollyhock and Olive.  Though I would traditionally think of these colours as more Autumn-ish, the Design Team has done a great job to show that they can be used in such a beautiful variety of ways.



My Project: Flamingo Wall Canvas


This photo was taken at the Metro Toronto Zoo last year when I went with my son's Grade 2 class.  The flamingos were so stunning with their colours just POPPING against the early spring greens and browns.  I feel like the paper colours help the flamingo jump off the page.

Each of these shapes were cut using the fabulous Artbooking and Artiste Cricut cartridges.  They created some great textures that worked perfectly on this canvas.

The stamps were from the Frosted Workshop on the Go.  Again -- this is a great example of how something can be designed for one season, but used for another.

Lastly, I embellished with some green epoxy bubbles.  They add just the right amount of shine to this canvas.

I'm not sure yet where I'm going to hang this but I love how it turned out.


Now it's your turn!  Take these colours and get creative!  Then post it on the Color Dare blog and show off what you made!

I have recently been welcomed into a new Facebook group called the Crafty Canadians.  It's a great place to meet and share things with other gals from across our country.

This month, they announced a layout challenge, and I was happy to play along.

The challenge?  Create a card or layout using this sketch:


And here's what I came up with:



This layout uses papers and embellishments from the brand new Close to my Heart theme, Skylark.  It's a beautiful design that inspires thoughts of spring ... which I can NOT wait for.  And this layout was a great opportunity for me to scrapbook my best friend Barb.  She means the world to me and we have such good times together.

See the bitty bow on the title?  That's from our new Base & Bling collection!  It's great for making necklaces, but can ALSO be used on layouts and cards too.

Want to see more from the new CTMH Spring and Summer Idea Book?  Join me on my Facebook page for my online launch party on Tuesday, February 4 from 7-9 pm, or in-person at my home on Thursday, Feb. 6 from 1-3pm or 7-9pm.  Please RSVP at justscrapit.ctmh@gmail.com

Already see what you like?  Shop online!

This week at Color My Heart's Color Dare, you have TWO choices of colour combos to challenge you.  The first is Creme Brulee, Goldrush, Olive and Twilight -- nice warm colours during this cold, cold weather.


The other colours are from CTMH's latest promotional kit Cloud 9 -- Lagoon, Sunset and Honey.  This is the one I chose. I like the brightness of the colours -- they made me smile.

Here are my two cards.  They are 4x3, so perfect for just a little note of friendship.



I used the Cloud 9 papers as I've been waiting for the opportunity to play with them all month.  And the adorable little teddy bear stamp is from Pointer's Gifts and Crafts, located in Markham.  They have their own line of stamps with a really fun style.  This teeny tiny bear is just so cute, I couldn't resist him.

Now it's your turn!  Pick a colour combo, create something fun and fabulous, and enter to win at Color My Heart's Color Dare!

I received my first shipment of new product last week and have been playing, playing, playing.  First up to show all of you is the collection of cards I've designed for my "Pick a Wish" card workshop.


PICK A WISH CARD WORKSHOP
Sunday, February 9 at 1:30pm
Make 16 cards (4 each of 4 designs) with sentiments you add later
Plus a File box to keep them in
$30 per person
Add the "Banner Wishes" stamp set for just $10 more
RSVP to justscrapit.ctmh@gmail.com to reserve your spot!

Pick a wish?  What's that?  We'll create 16 cards and prep a variety of sentiments -- but don't glue them on yet!  Keep them in the pocket of your file box and choose the right sentiment when you go to send the card.  This allows you more flexibility and it helps you share your artwork at every occasion!

These cards use the new "Ariana" papers.  I love all of the papers in the new Idea Book, but I'll be honest, at first, this wasn't one of my favourites.  But the more I played with it, the more fun I had and the more beautiful the cards became.  And to keep them versatile for either gender, I added the Artisan Studs -- not too bling-y but still finishes them all off.






I hope you can make it out to my workshop on February 9th.  Come play with new products, great CTMH stamps and me!!  RSVP to reserve your spot today.

This week at Color My Heart, we have a 5-colour challenge for all of you!  This challenge uses: Cranberry, Juniper, Honey, Smokey Plum and Sunset.


And when you see all of the different DT creations at Color My Heart, you'll be amazed not only by the wonderful talents among us, but by how the project takes on a different look and feel, depending on which colour you choose as the dominant one.  I also like the vibrancy of this colour combo and how the creations really pop!

Here's what I made:  Tiny Treat Boxes

Today, I say good-bye to a well-loved, well-used, special part of my crafting life.  My trusty Cricut cutting machine, "T.C."  (for Teal Cricut) passed away on Wednesday, after more than 2 years of living and thousands upon thousands of cuts. 



 It was a hard-working member of my crafting "team" and I will miss it's cheery, bright, colourful-ness sitting on my counter.  T.C., rest in peace in that craft room in the sky.  Thank you for helping me save SO much time cutting for workshops, and for enabling me to maximize my creativity with all that you can do. 

Good-bye T.C.  You may be replaced, but you won't ever be forgotten.

It's a brand new year with brand new challenges at Color My Heart's Color Dare.  The design team is kicking things off with some great work -- check them out, then it's your turn!  This week, we're using a cool colour combination with Sky, Pacifica and Lagoon. 


Here's my Foxy Card:


I just got in my new Stamps of the Month for the coming season and could NOT wait to play.  This foxy set is one of the cutest Valentines sets I've seen in a long time.  And if you haven't already heard, CTMH is offering embossing folders in the new Idea Book, so I got out my Cuttlebug and played with some of my older ones just to warm up.

SUPPLIES:
CTMH White Daisy, Pacifica cardstock
CTMH Exclusive Inks in Lagoon, Sky and Pacifica
CTMH Lagoon Houndstooth Washi tape
Cuttlebug embossing folder
Sandpaper
Clear sparkles
3D Foam tape

OK.  Now it's your turn.  If one of your New Year's Resolutions is to create more and enter more challenges, this is a great way to start.  Create something fabulous with the Sky, Pacifica and Lagoon colour combination and enter it to win at Color My Heart's Color Dare.