Friday, December 28, 2018

A Year in Review with Stacy Julian...

TAKEN FROM THE CTMH BLOG....

A Year in Review with Stacy Julian

Another year of endless storytelling possibilities is ahead of us, and we’ve asked Stacy Julian, the Stacy behind the new Story by Stacy™ products we’ve shared with you in 2018, to show us how she documents a year in review with a Short Story workshop kit. This is the perfect solution for giving your creativity a reboot AND scrapbooking lots of photos with a story at the end.
A Year In Review #ctmh #closetomyheart #storybystacy #stacyjulian #ctmhstacyjulian #yearinreview #scrapbooking #shortstoryalbum #shortstory
Hopefully by now you know how much I love, and depend on, our Short Story kit and concept. This concept and creative process has become a huge solution that allows me to quickly and intuitively scrapbook dozens of photos and almost any aspect of my life—from small everyday moments to big events and all the people, places and travel in between. Today I’m excited to show you how you can use Short Story to document an entire year of highlights in a Year in Review album. If you’re feeling the need to do some scrapbook catch-up, this post is for YOU!
Let’s start with one calendar year of digital images and your Short Story workbook. I chose to work with photos from 2017, since 2018 still has a few more days left ðŸ™‚ . As you scroll through photos on your camera roll or computer, use the notes section in Step 1 of the workbook to jot down major events, memorable moments and everyday themes that you remember and would like to see represented in the pictures you print. With these images and notes in mind, reflect on and answer the five questions. We sometimes jump straight to printing photos, but with a highlights project like this, these steps are absolutely essential to moving forward with confidence.
Use the information and details in your workbook with the list below to help you select and print up to 50 photos for your album.
  • 1 personality photo for each person and pet in your home
  • 1-2 group photos of family or friends
  • 1 photo depicting each season of the year (4)
  • 1-2 photos from each holiday you celebrate (7-12)
  • 1-2 photos for each major event and vacation (15-20)
  • 10-12 great everyday life photos
To make this easier, you can download and print this PDF checklist to help you with a Year in Review album. It’s got all of the types of photos listed for you to reference.
Start by selecting your group photos and the personality picture for each person you’ll be including in your story. Once you know that everyone is represented, it will be easier to select the remaining photos.
For events and travel where I struggled to select just one or two photos, I chose to print an extra image as a 2″ square. I also decided to print my selection of 12 everyday life photos as 2″ squares. I printed all other photos 4″ x 6″.
With your printed photos in hand, select one photo to set aside as your title page image. This is Step 2 in the workbook. From here, simply follow the additional steps outlined in the workbook and trust the process. Play some upbeat music and know that in just a few hours you will have an entire year beautifully documented and ready to display and share. Take a look at a few of the pages from my Year in Review album for 2017.
Blog-Year-At-A-Glance-Stacy-Julian-open-1A Year In Review #ctmh #closetomyheart #storybystacy #stacyjulian #ctmhstacyjulian #yearinreview #scrapbooking #shortstoryalbum #shortstoryA Year In Review #ctmh #closetomyheart #storybystacy #stacyjulian #ctmhstacyjulian #yearinreview #scrapbooking #shortstoryalbum #shortstoryA Year In Review #ctmh #closetomyheart #storybystacy #stacyjulian #ctmhstacyjulian #yearinreview #scrapbooking #shortstoryalbum #shortstoryA Year In Review #ctmh #closetomyheart #storybystacy #stacyjulian #ctmhstacyjulian #yearinreview #scrapbooking #shortstoryalbum #shortstory
You’ll see elements from the checklist represented in my album—individual family members, vacations, seasons, everyday life, and more! After creating your pages, don’t forget the most important part, YOUR story! Step 8 in the workbook gives you a few instructions for how to write a summary about your topic. In this case, it was an entire year of memories! You can draft your story in the workbook, and then write a final copy with a black journaling pen on the grid paper from the workshop kit.
A Year In Review #ctmh #closetomyheart #storybystacy #stacyjulian #ctmhstacyjulian #yearinreview #scrapbooking #shortstoryalbum #shortstory #journaling #journalling
For this album, I also decided to decorate the cover. Using the Block Alphabet Thin Cuts and Lagoon cardstock, I made this nice, monochromatic title, Year In Review. The “2017” is stamped with the Simply Said stamp set in Lagoon ink. And there you have it—you’ve successfully documented an entire year! Can you believe how easy that is? You could use this process to make a series of year in review-themed albums. I can’t wait to do this again!
 Thanks Stacy for sharing a new way to use the Short Story album to get our photos and stories in scrapbooked in fun, creative ways. What year will you pick to document with a Short Story album?

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Celebrate with FREE STUFF...


TAKEN FROM CTMH'S BLOG...

From Jeanette: Celebrate with me!


Merry Christmas from the Lyntons!Merry Christmas from my family to yours! How I love this time of year and the opportunity to celebrate the birth and life of my Savior, Jesus Christ. He is the reason behind the holiday and the center of my personal and family celebrations. I love everything about Christmas, but most especially how wonderful it is to be surrounded by these dear people who mean so much to me. I hope that your holiday is filled with joy, peace, and merriment in the company of cherished friends and loved ones.
As we look ahead to the start of another year, I am just bursting with excitement for 2019—it marks 35 years since I first began selling stamps and designing my own. Close To My Heart is the amazing company and community that has grown out of those very first efforts of mine, which is why we’re making 2019 an entire year of celebration! We’re kicking off the year with a brand new catalog of products that will launch on January 1—here’s a little peek for you:
Seasonal Expressions 1 Idea Book and Catalog by Close To My Heart #ctmh #se1That’s only the cover, but I hope that when you look at it, you can feel the excitement I’m talking about. It’s the same excitement you feel on a Christmas morning: The anticipation of great things in store. And believe, me, have we got great things in store for you!
In fact, since it is just too hard to wait even one more week, I want to kick off the celebration with a little giveaway! I want to give away 35 prizes consisting of one of our new stamp sets paired with a pack of the new Mix-in paper packet featured in the upcoming idea book:
Enter to win this 35-year giveaway prize! #giveaway #ctmh
If you’d like to win one of these prizes, just share a comment with me of one thing you’ll be celebrating in 2019. Make your comment before January 1 and we’ll draw our 35 winners in the first week of January. See link below.
The reason I chose that particular stamp set is because of the sentiment, which says “We didn’t realize we were making memories we just knew we were having fun.” I have certainly experienced that many times in my 35 years of business! We may not always be aware of it, but we’re always making memories through all the adventures of this life. I hope that this holiday season has brought you many fun, fulfilling times, and that the year ahead brings you even more that you will be able to capture and preserve as happy memories for years to come.
HEAD ON OVER to the CTMH Blog and leave a comment on what you'll be celebrating in 2019 for a chance to win the NEW Mix-Ins paper packet and the Making Memories Stamp Set.

Monday, December 24, 2018

Wish Upon a Star H2H...

It's the LAST challenge of the year over at the H2H Challenge Blog and it's a GOOD ONE!

WISH UPON A STAR

I went a little 'out of the box' on this challenge. As much as I wanted to do a Christmas Card, I REALLY wanted to show you some over-looked stamp sets that will be GOING SOON (check out that section of my website to grab these and some more of your favorites before DECEMBER 31ST)...

I used the SNUG BACKGROUNDS stamp set for the Bluebird Stars...

And...I used the SO PROUD OF YOU stamp set for the sentiment...

You can see the SO PROUD OF YOU stamp set here in this layout of my son and most of his medals from his High School athletics. It is a MUST HAVE stamp set, if you ask me...I guess this layout could ALSO be a "wish upon a star" theme usig the Hello Pumpkin zip strips and shapes...


Thank you for stopping by this BOXING WEEK and I hope you'll check out my website to grab these stamps as well as take advantage of my BOXING WEEK Sale going on NOW until the 30th!

Head on over to the H2H CHALLENGE BLOG and see what the other DT-Members did with this challenge!

Have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and a safe and HAPPY NEW YEAR!




Saturday, December 22, 2018

GOING, GOING, but not yet GONE - December 31st...

TAKEN DIRECTLY FROM CTMH'S BLOG...

Going, Going… but Not Yet Gone!

The end of a year always brings a mingled sense of excitement and nostalgia: We look with anticipation toward what’s ahead while remembering with fondness the good things that have passed us by. There are a few good things from 2018 that we’d like to call your attention to that haven’t quite passed us by yet, but which will no longer be available after December 31. Any one of these items would make an excellent addition to your crafting arsenal and could prove to be just the right thing for many of your Projects Yet-to-Come.
Here are ten must-have items from our 2018 Holiday Expressions idea book!
Last Call for Holiday Expressions #ctmh #closetomyheart #scrapbooking #cardmaking #papercrafting #diy #Christmas #holiday #raspberry #raspberrytwine #bakerstwine10. Raspberry Baker’s Twine. This bright, Raspberry twine makes a fun accent that coordinates perfectly with other Raspberry-colored papers, cardstocks, and stamped images.
Last Call for Holiday Expressions #ctmh #closetomyheart #scrapbooking #cardmaking #papercrafting #diy #Christmas #holiday #fern #fernstitchedribbon #stitchedribbon9. Fern Stitched Ribbon. The Fern thread stitched along the edges of this white cotton ribbon adds a touch of elegance to bows and other accents.
Last Call for Holiday Expressions #ctmh #closetomyheart #scrapbooking #cardmaking #papercrafting #diy #Christmas #holiday #recipebook #holidaykitchen8. Cut Above® Recipe Kit—Holiday Kitchen. We highlighted this festive recipe kit just last week. Catch up on that post here if you missed it.
7. Blue Burlap Ribbon. Another excellent trim option that adds both color and texture to any project.
Last Call for Holiday Expressions #ctmh #closetomyheart #scrapbooking #cardmaking #papercrafting #diy #Christmas #holiday #thincuts #diecutting #cuttlebug #winterflurries #snowflakes #snow6. Thin Cuts—Winter Flurries. Three metal dies that cut our snowflake shapes from a variety of materials, including glitter paper, vellum, cardstock, and more!
Last Call for Holiday Expressions #ctmh #closetomyheart #scrapbooking #cardmaking #papercrafting #diy #Christmas #holiday #ctmh'tistheseason #buttons5. ‘Tis the Season Buttons. These fabric-covered buttons add delightful dimension to cards, scrapbook pages, and other crafts. And yes, they are adhesive backed!
Last Call for Holiday Expressions #ctmh #closetomyheart #scrapbooking #cardmaking #papercrafting #diy #Christmas #holiday #candycane #alphabetstampset #candycanealphabet #font4. My Acrylix® Candy Cane Alphabet Stamp Set. This set is a shoo-in for any list of must-haves. As our December Stamp of the Month, it can be yours for a deeply discounted price with a qualifying order. Get more info about our Stamp of the Month program here.
Last Call for Holiday Expressions #ctmh #closetomyheart #scrapbooking #cardmaking #papercrafting #diy #Christmas #holiday #favorbox #thincuts3. Thin Cuts—Favor Box. Another item we featured in a recent post, the Thin Cuts Favor Box, is great for so many applications. Watch this video for a simple assembly tutorial.
Last Call for Holiday Expressions #ctmh #closetomyheart #scrapbooking #cardmaking #papercrafting #diy #Christmas #holiday #babyanimal #babyanimaldoodles #babybook2. Baby Animal Doodles Stamp + Thin Cuts. One of our absolute favorite stamp sets features these adorable doodled animals, each of which is paired with a corresponding die to make cutting out the shapes effortless.
Last Call for Holiday Expressions #ctmh #closetomyheart #scrapbooking #cardmaking #papercrafting #diy #Christmas #holiday #cricut #seasonofjoy1. Cricut® Season of Joy Digital Collection. Our number one must-have item is this delightful digital collection. This collection is chock-full of festive sentiments and versatile layered images that bring the holiday cheer—not to mention a stunning set of 3-D items! Our favorites might just be the fun 3-D elves and Santa:
Last Call for Holiday Expressions #ctmh #closetomyheart #scrapbooking #cardmaking #papercrafting #diy #Christmas #holiday #cricut #seasonofjoy #santa #elf #elves #cookieboxes #boxes

Friday, December 21, 2018

25 Journaling Prompts...


TAKEN FROM CTMH'S BLOG...

25 Journaling & Photo Prompts for Recurring Life Events


25 Prompts to Document Recurring Life Events #ctmh #closetomyheart #birthdayscrapbook #vacationscrapbook #holidayscrapbook #Christmasscrapbook #scrapbooking #memorykeeping #journalingprompts #photoprompts #journaling #photography
Are you in one of those families that go to Disney World once year? (lucky! ðŸ™‚ ) Do you spend most Christmas mornings at home in your pajamas? What about a birthday? We all have one every year. Holidays, birthdays, vacations, parties—the good times just keep coming, and so do the stories and photos that accompany them.
Earlier this month we shared a post about New Ways to Document the Holidays. We thought it would be worthwhile to follow that up with some additional ideas and prompts for other recurring life events so that we don’t always take the same photos and document the same stories year after year.
The following ideas can be used to take photos while you’re in the moment or as a place to start your journaling while you’re documenting the memory. If you’re new to scrapbooking or you’re just in a memory keeping rut, the following prompts can help get you going.

VACATIONS:
25 Prompts to Document Recurring Life Events #ctmh #closetomyheart #birthdayscrapbook #vacationscrapbook #holidayscrapbook #Christmasscrapbook #scrapbooking #memorykeeping #journalingprompts #photoprompts #journaling #photography
1. Why are you going on this vacation?
2. How did you get to where you were going?
3. What did you pack for this trip?
4. Did everything go as planned?
25 Prompts to Document Recurring Life Events #ctmh #closetomyheart #birthdayscrapbook #vacationscrapbook #holidayscrapbook #Christmasscrapbook #scrapbooking #memorykeeping #journalingprompts #photoprompts #journaling #photography
5. Who are the people that are with you?
6. Did you meet any interesting folks along the way?
7. What was your favorite meal/restaurant on the trip?
8. What cool souvenirs are you bringing home?
9. Has your life been changed by this trip?

CHRISTMAS/HOLIDAYS:
25 Prompts to Document Recurring Life Events #ctmh #closetomyheart #birthdayscrapbook #vacationscrapbook #holidayscrapbook #Christmasscrapbook #scrapbooking #memorykeeping #journalingprompts #photoprompts #journaling #photography
10. What are you celebrating?
11. Do you have an ornament you love? Where did you get it and why do you love it?
12. What’s a favorite holiday treat? (Include the recipe!)
13. How does your family serve others?
14. Do you have any traditions?25 Prompts to Document Recurring Life Events #ctmh #closetomyheart #birthdayscrapbook #vacationscrapbook #holidayscrapbook #Christmasscrapbook #scrapbooking #memorykeeping #journalingprompts #photoprompts #journaling #photography
15. How does “magic” happen in your home? (Ex. Is there an elf sitting on a shelf somewhere?)
16.What wrapping paper did you pick out, and why?
17. How did you decorate your home?
18. Are there special movies that you watch?
19. Do you have any favorite holiday music?

BIRTHDAYS:
25 Prompts to Document Recurring Life Events #ctmh #closetomyheart #birthdayscrapbook #vacationscrapbook #holidayscrapbook #Christmasscrapbook #scrapbooking #memorykeeping #journalingprompts #photoprompts #journaling #photography 
20. Did you get a cake? What flavor? If not, why?
21. What were the reactions to gifts? Was there a favorite?
22. Who did you celebrate with?25 Prompts to Document Recurring Life Events #ctmh #closetomyheart #birthdayscrapbook #vacationscrapbook #holidayscrapbook #Christmasscrapbook #scrapbooking #memorykeeping #journalingprompts #photoprompts #journaling #photography
23. Interview the guest of honor and record their answers
24. Screenshot and document birthday messages from social media
25. How has life changed since your last birthday?
We hope you’re as inspired as we are to use your next birthday, holiday, or vacation to try out some of these memory keeping prompts. You can document your memories in creative ways by taking photos and answering some of the questions we’ve given you here today. Focusing on sharing the details around all of these topics will highlight what makes each vacation, birthday, and holiday particularly special on its own. We’d love to hear your ideas for scrapbooking these types of events. Share them with us in the comments below!