Random Ramblings of a Scramping Addict

Studio J Scrapbooking

I've said this before, and I'll say it again, the more I play with Studio J, the more I love it!

Here's a quick layout I put together last night celebrating the many hours my kids spent fishing with their cousins this summer.

The rather tropical looking paper is from the retired CTMH "Moon Doggie" paper pack which although can't be purchased from the Idea Book to scrap the traditional way any more is still available online with Studio J.  {Isn't that great! There are a whole host of retired items available there!}

Just to give you a peak into how this layout came together, I first chose my photos....10 of them and uploaded them to my Studio J 'studio'.  I then looked at the available layout patterns that would display my photos and settled on this one.  It is called Creative Rhythm which you may recognize from the "Imagine" how-to book by Jeanette Lynton.  Here is what the blank layout looks like online.

Now, you might have figured this out already, but in case you didn't - I didn't leave the layout exactly as is.  To accommodate my photos, and to get the look I was going for, first I 'flipped' the pages right to left, then rotated what is now the right hand page counterclockwise 90 degrees.  Then, I converted the blank spot on my left page (which is the right page in the photo above) to a photo well and dropped in an extra photo to bring the total photo wells to 10 as I required.

Isn't that awesome!  Despite the fact that I started with a 'canned' layout, I was able to swap, flip and rotate things so it was exactly what I needed.  This type of flexibility built into the Studio J studio can't be beat!

Have you tried Studio J yet?  If not, why not?  As you probably realize, I highly recommend it.  So pop on over to Studio J and take it for a test drive -- there is no cost to try so you have absolutely nothing to lose. Happy 'Digi'-Scrapping!

Color Me Creative II - Lagoon

On Thursday, I introduced you to Sunset, CTMH's new answer to Orange.  If you paid close attention to the sample, you would have also seen that you got a sneak peak at the equally new Lagoon.

So what can I tell you about Lagoon?

• Lagoon is a versatile greeny-blue that is versatile enough to pair with summertime photos and winter landscapes.
   
• Try pairing Lagoon with a paper from the My Reflections Zippiddee paper kit like has been done below.  It looks spectacular with this mystical hue of blue.
  
  

  Featured Colours:  Bamboo, Lagoon, Smoothie 

• Lagoon works equally well with the paper from the My Reflections Twitterpated kit as showcased in the Autumn/Winter Idea Book on pages 64-65.
   
• or for a strong accent colour, use Lagoon paper with the new Lagoon Mini-Medley accents (Z1340, p.92)

Don't have a 2010 Autumn/Winter Idea Book?  Contact me at [email protected] or by telephone at 905-317-8823 and I'll arrange to get you one right away.

OR  Do you have an idea for a fabulous colour scheme using Lagoon - share it with us in the comment section below.

Did you miss a previous Color Me Creative installment?  Choose Color Me Creative from the Category menu on the right sidebar to see them all.

There's Still Time to Celebrate

With a Triple Play!

This is just a reminder that Close To My Heart's National Stamping Month Campaign is still underway! For all the details of this awesome campaign, follow this link to my original post.

The Triple play campaign runs through September 30 - or while supplies last - so don't delay, Shop Today!

Earn Rewards the Online Way

If you were listening, I told you last week, that beginning September 1 and the Autumn/Winter 2010 Idea Book Close To My Heart Hostesses earn their rewards quicker than ever before.  What I didn't tell you was that there will soon be a brand new way to be a Hostess!  Beginning October 1, 2010 you can be a Hostess completely ONLINE!  That's right.....you will no longer need to host a face-to-face Home Gathering to qualify for Hostess Rewards.

Close To My Heart knows that in today's busy world, scheduling a face-to-face Home Gathering can be difficult.  Not only do you need to establish a date that works for the majority of your guests, send invitations and collect RSVPs, but on the day of your event you might need to tidy you house, worry about the weather, be concerned that you'll have too few (or too many) in attendance, prepare or purchase snacks for your guests and so on.  With the revised Close To My Heart EZ Invite system - you can avoid all of this and host your gathering in the virtual world - 100% online.

With the new EZ Invite, all of your guests shop online and when your Gathering reaches $175 in sales with at least two orders placed, you, as the Hostess, start earning rewards!  It is a convenient alternative to the traditional home-party approach.  There is very little prep time for you and your guests will love the convenience of shopping at their leisure from home, anytime!  All guests will have immediate access to the Idea Book online and will have their order delivered directly to their door!  It also means that you can invite everyone!  Even your best friend from college who lives across the country - your guest list is not restricted by proximity or time.  Forget having to worry about how many chairs you have available - you can invite as many people as you want - and no one needs to reserve a day or time to attend.

I will give you more details about hosting an ONLINE Home Gathering as we get closer to the October 1 launch - but for now start thinking about who you would invite - I'll be offering a special incentive for my first 2 Online Hostesses!

Stay tuned.....

Color Me Creative

CTMH New Colours spark innovative artwork ideas!

"ALL COLORS ARE THE FRIENDS OF THEIR NEIGHBORS AND THE LOVERS OF THEIR OPPOSITES," remarked Marc Chagall, one of the most successful artists of the twentieth century.  CTMH definitely agrees - a colour's best self is revealed when it is paired, contrasted, and harmonized with other colours.

With the launch of the 2010 Autumn/Winter Idea Book, CTMH welcomes 8 fresh and fabulous colours into their exclusive palette.  Starting today with 'Sunset' and continuing each Tuesday and Thursday through the rest of September, I'll introduce you to each of these new colours and show you how easy it is to pair them them with up with existing product and each other and hopefully inspire you to create. So let's get started.

Sunset

• Sunset is a featured colour in the new My Reflections Olivia product line. You might not think to pair it with a bright aqua blue like the new Lagoon, but don't you agree that it looks fabulous?

     Featured Colours:  Chocolate, Lagoon, Sunset

 

• Sunset gives you an instant warm, autumn feeling, but it's also a versatile colour for summer photos -- after all it'd be great for a......sunset!
  
  
• Using Sunset ink with second-generation stamping produces a totally rockin' peachy colour, perfect for those spring photos!
  
  
• For two totally different Sunset color schemes, check out pages 36-37 and 52-53 of the Autumn/Winter Idea Book.

Don't have a 2010 Autumn/Winter Idea Book?  Contact me at [email protected] or by telephone at 905-317-8823 and I'll arrange to get you one right away.

OR  Do you have an idea for a fabulous colour scheme using Sunset - share it with us in the comment section below.

The Autumn/Winter Idea Book is Here!

Today's the BIG day.  I'm celebrating the launch of the Close To My Heart Autumn/Winter 2010 Idea Book. As always, isn't the cover art just stunning?

Not only is there loads of fabulous new product in these pages, but there is tons of big news to share -- so much in fact that I can't possibly tell you about it all at once.  For that reason, if you want the whole scoop, you'll have to stay tuned right here over the next few days (weeks in fact) to be completely 'in the know'.

If you want the scoop quicker than I intend to give it to you, and you'd like to see the Autumn/Winter Idea Book for yourself right away - just let me know.  You can either drop me an email at [email protected] or give me a call 905-318-8823 and we'll make it happen.

Stay Tuned!