Studio J Design Software ...Soon to arrive...

We are so very close to the unveiling of the new digital scrapbooking froom Close to my Heart called, Studio J.  I have been lucky enough to have had the opportunity to try it out let me tell you it's AMAZING!!  It's so easy to use.  Once you go to my website, simply click on the Studio J link. The software is extremely intuitive and easy to use. The software walks a user through five simple steps that include:


uploading photos;
choosing the desired themed kit;
selecting an exclusive layout pattern;
adding photos, embellishments, title, and journaling;
and purchasing custom-printed layouts ready for a cherished album.

It really is THAT easy. 

To see what I'm talking about, you can watch the preview video.  Studio J™ is free online design software that allows you to create custom-printed two-page layouts you put in your albums. There is no software to purchase and install; instead, simply log in to Studio J and start designing your layouts! You can create and immediately purchase your layouts, or you can save them for later completion and purchase.

The introductory price per two-page layout is $14.95 CAN.  You can receive FREE Memory Protectors and FREE shipping/handling based on the number of layout prints you purchase as follows:


For 5–9 layout purchases: Customers receive a pack of 5 clear Memory Protectors FREE!

For 10–20 layout purchases: Customers receive free shipping/handling PLUS a free pack of 5 Memory Protectors for every 5 layouts in their order.



Let me know if you have any questions.

Amazing Inspiration by an amazing woman!

Ok friends, so I was just finishing up a super fun scrapbooking club night when I received a facebook post from my new friend Greg Leng.  See, Greg is married to Lori, another CTMH Consultant who lives in North Carolina.  We met on the awesome incentive cruise that we went on last week to the Westren Caribbean.  I was planning to post to you tonight all about our trip & well...I just have to say that Lori posted before me and I could never, in my wildest dreams express so vividly & eloquently as dear Lori did, so....hop on over to check out her blog and be prepared to be inspired!

Back from the Western Caribbean CTMH cruise.

Hello again!  What a wonderful time I had with so many awesome people on the CTMH incentive cruise to the Western Caribbean.  Upon arrival to Miami, Florida, we stayed at the Embassy Suites Airport Hotel.  The next morning we boarded the Norwegain Dawn. 

We were welcomed to our cabin with a nice bottle of Champaign and spent the day at sea.  We had a welcome reception in the beautiful Spinnaker Lounge.  I went to a show called Band on the Run and they were amazing, what a talented bunch of dancers. On Tuesday, we arrived in George Town, Grand Cayman.  We took a bus tour of the island and 7 Mile Beach and then onto a boat ride about 20 minutes out.  We arrived at a sand bar to swim with the sting rays.  I was terrified to say the least but I did swim with them and even touch them. 

Once back on the ship we went to the magic show, Beyond Belief...it was ok, but nothing to write home about :)  The next norning we docked at Cozumel, Mexico and went swimming with the dolphins.  This was the highlight of my trip!  They are such gentle creatures.  I got to kiss, hug & I was even taken for a ride by a dolphin.  It was AMAZING!

Once back on the Dawn, we got cleaned up and went to the CTMH group supper at the Aqua Restaurant.  It was super nice and very intimate.  After supper I went to see a comedy show called The Second City.  Later that night I want to the Spinnaker Lounge for a little dancing.  We spent Thursday at sea on our way back to Miami.  A great time in the sun, poolside with an ocean view to die for.

CTMH gave us a terrific farewell reception where we also celebrated Founder & CEO of CTMH, Jeanette Lynton's birthday.  The chocolate cake was delicious. We went to see undoubtedly the BEST show of the cruise called Bollywood.  If you ever get the chance make sure to take in this show...all I can say is INCREDIBLE.

A huge THANK YOU to Jeanette for my first, awesome incentive trip with CTMH.  I am very much looking forward to joining the amazing group of talented men & women next March upon the brand new Epic.

Bon Voyage!!!

Join Close To My Heart in March and Receive Four Exclusive New Stamp Sets FREE!

Be your own boss with flexible hours and unlimited earning potential when you join Close To My Heart as a new Consultant this March. When you join, you will receive four new stamp sets free! The retail value of the free stamp sets total $107.80, which nearly covers the price of your New Consultant Kit*. When all is said and done, you will receive more than $460 in fabulous new products to get your dream business started.

Now is the time to make your stamping dreams come true! Ask
me about joining our incredible team today.

Join Now & get your FREE stamps!

Hearts for Haiti Textured Cardstock campaign

We have been overwhelmed by the response, which has literally consumed several years of inventory in a few short weeks. We have done a number of campaigns using textured cardstock, so we know the demand well—none of those have performed the way this one has, presumably because people are motivated by an opportunity to help a country in terrible need.  I personally wanted to thank each and every one of you who aided in this campaign to help Haiti.  I also wanted to thank everyone who donated to the cause on their own accord. 

Close To My Heart has sold out of 3 of the 5 Textured Cardstock collections that were available as buy one pack get one free with $2 US being donated to Operation Smile in Haiti.  Please take a moment to hop on over to the Operation Smile site to view some of the progress made.

Thank you again for your continued friendship & business.

Well, it's been an entire month since I've posted on my blog...boy can time ever get away from me. This past month has brought us, here in Manitoba, Canada some serious weather. Althoguh I enjoy our cold, snowy days...-41 is just too cold for me! Bbuurrrrr. So, I am very much looking forward to some sunshine. Just 30 more days until I leave on a Western Caribbean Cruise that I earned from my Close To My Heart business. It's my first ever cruise and I am so excited. I can't wait for the warm weather and the feel of sand under my feet. I wish you all warm days ahead.

Celebrate National Papercrafting Month with Felicity!

The collection features decorative die cut papers, three gorgeous colour schemes, and a D size stamp set that includes flowers, flourishes, argyle patterns, birds and an entire alphabet. Your paper crafting possibilities are endless!

There are 3 ways to get the Felicity collection:

• Purchase it at full retail price $40.95 (cc1008).
• Place an order of $70 or more in full-retail priced stamp sets (A, B, C, D & E size) and receive one collection FREE. (cc1008a) Excludes Stamp of the month, Art & Soul, Workshops on the Go and custmoizable K size stamp sets.
• Place an order of $145 or more in full retail-priced Close To My Heart Products and recieve one collection FREE. (cc1008b)

The campaign also has enticing opportunities for hostesses and new consultants. Hostesses get the collection FREE with a Home Gathering sales total of $470 or more and new consultants who join Close To My Heart between January 1st and 31st will receive the collection FREE in their New Consultant Kit.

Celebrate with the new Felicity collection today!

Holiday Heyday Clearance Sale!

Sale begins at 9 AM MST December 2, 2009. 50%-80% off regular priced items! Simply go to http://brandy.myctmh.com to begin shopping.

National Stamping Month Everyday Celebration

Close To My Heart is celebrating National Stamping Month.

To celebrate, we are giving you 3 ways to get a FREE Everyday Celebration Card Kit for making 16 beautiful cards!

· Purchase a minimum of $75 in stamp sets** (includes A, B, C, D & E-size) between August 18 - September 30
· Host a Home Gathering with minimum sales of $500 between September 1 - 30
· Sign up as a new Consultant between September 1 – 30

You can also buy as many card kits as you'd like for $49.95 per kit.

AND with EVERY Close To My Heart product order placed with me between September 1 – 30 and you’ll be automatically entered into a daily drawing for a FREE card kit!! Winners will be announced daily on my website, http://brandy.myctmh.com

1 – My Acrylix® Everyday Celebration Stamp Set
(D-size) (Only available with this kit!)
16 – 4 ¼” x 5 ½” Colonial White Card Bases
16 – 4 ¼” x 5 ½” Colonial White Envelopes
1 – 12" x 12" Dutch Blue Cardstock
1 – 12" x 12" Colonial White Cardstock
4 – 12" x 12" B&T Duos® Paper
1 – Chocolate Distressing Ink
1 – Dutch Blue Distressing Ink
1 – Mini-Medley Accents Shades of Chocolate
Collection
5' – Chocolate Ribbon with Colonial White Stitch
50 – 3-D Foam Squares
Sponge
1 – Full Color Step-by-Step Instructional Brochure
Featured Colors: Chocolate, Colonial White,
Dutch Blue, Sweet Leaf

Visit my website at http://brandy.myctmh.com for complete details and to get your FREE Everyday Celebration Card Kit!

July Special "Favourite Five"!!!

If you've ever thought about owning your own business by becoming a Close To My Heart Consultant, now is the time! If you sign up during July you get to choose five fabulous products from our Favourite Five list for FREE—with no additional shipping/handling or tax added! This means you can get product worth up to nearly $125 for no charge, just for signing up in July! So, for your sign-up fee of just $115 you'll receive about $500 total retail in product! It's an incredible deal that will really jumpstart your business and your artwork!

You can check out the "Favourite Five" list at http://brandy.myctmh.com and click on the main picture.

Even better, you can add on to your New Consultant Kit one or both additional bonus packs! Designed to support those focused on scrapbooking, you get more than $225 in products for just $75. Designed to support those focused on cardmaking, you get a $185 value for just $65. Love them both, buy them both. CTMH lets you customize your kit!

20 Hour Crop for Teresa Riglin

Join us on August 14th & 15th, 2009 at the Killarney School for 20 fun filled hours of scrappin'! All proceeds from Registration and Rainbow Auction ticket sales will go to Teresa & Arthur Riglin to aid in the expense of Teresa's cancer treatment. For more info click on this link- http://killarneycrop.blogspot.com/

Deal of the Day- June CTMH Special

I don't know about you but I have been checking my CTMH website every day to see what the daily special is. I bought the 1st Great Goodie Box offered and already received my goodies!! Today was the 4th of 6 Great Goodie Boxes and I bought that one too. Have you bought one? Just check daily at http://brandy.myctmh.com after 10am Manitoba time to see the latest special.

June Website Special~ Deal Of the Day

Can you believe that we are almost half way through 2009? Wow, does time ever fly!

Close To My Heart is celebrating the month of June with an incredible special!! Well, 30 incredible specials to be exact. Each day in June there is a different special available through MYCTMH Websites only http://brandy.myctmh.com. There are ample quantities available so shopping during off peak hours will provide you the best shopping experience.

The Special runs from June 1st to June 30th and each new Deal Of The Day begins at 10am Manitoba Time. You can shop the deal of the day for 23 hours. The 24th hour is when we get ready to launch the next deal of the day.

There will be two different types of “deals” offered on Tier II MyCTMH sites through this exciting promotion:

1. Receive a free item with a qualifying purchase. On 24 of the 30 days in June, you can receive a specially-selected current product absolutely free (tax does apply on free items in the US) when you purchase a My Acrylix® stamp set, size A, B, C, D, or E (excluding Stamp of the Month, customized or K-size sets, and Art & Soul featured stamp sets). The free product will change daily and there can be only one free item per order. Shoppers will also save big on shipping when orders meet all Deal-a-Day guidelines. Please read on for shipping requirements.

2. Receive 50% off or more on “Great Goodies” boxes. On 6 of the 30 days in June, you can purchase a “mystery” box filled with “Great Goodies.” Contents will vary by box and include both current and retired favorite stamp sets, paper packs, embellishments, and other great products. The six “Great Goodies” boxes will all have different pricing of at least 50% off retail, with some at even deeper discounts! Note that we have made every effort to differentiate the 6 “Great Goodies” options so you can purchase boxes on different dates and receive a wide variety of differing products! No qualifying purchase is required on the days a “Goodies” box is the deal; discounted shipping is also available when orders meet all Deal-a-Day guidelines. Please read on for shipping requirements.

In order to qualify for the deal of the day where you receive a free item with the purchase of a stamp set, you must first put in your cart the stamp set you want to buy. There can be nothing else in your cart. Once your stamp set (A, B, C, D or E) is in your cart, you can then add the deal of the day. The reason for this is that your shipping cost is only $4. You read it right, free items and just $4 shipping, what a deal!

Great Goodie Boxes are a bit different. There is no purchase required in order to qualify for this cool deal. When you order a great goodie box, it is the only item you may have in your cart to get the deal. Again, shipping is reduced for this special. There will be 6 days of great goodie boxes available. You may make more than one transaction per day but just 1 goodie box in your cart per transaction.

Great Goodies Boxes Shipping/HandlingShipping will be based on the price of each Great Goodies box, but will be deeply, deeply discounted and represent only a fraction of the value of the contents. Shipping pricing will be clearly posted at checkout on each day that a Great Goodies box is offered.

As a little hint, Great Goodies boxes shipping to the continental US will range from just $6-$10. Boxes shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, APO/FPO, Puerto Rico and other non-continental addresses will range from $8-$32, and boxes shipping to Canada will range from $13-$22 CAN. As another peek: note that the retail value of these boxes will range as high as $300 US! This is going to be an incredible value for shoppers all the way around.

Be sure to visit my website daily so you don’t miss any of the cool deals. http://brandy.myctmh.com

Monthly Hostess Club Nights...

It's been awhile since I last posted. I have taken some time off due to having had surgery. I am so excited for the next week to fly by because I am looking forward to our monthly Hostess Club Night. I am very fortunate to have a group of friends who love to come over to "play" once a month. Jodi, Michelle, Carrie, Laura Lee, Teresa & Lisa will be making the Bella Workshop.

I'm thrilled to announce a 2nd group of great friends also starting Hostess Club, group 2 in June! Please help me to welcome Shawna, Ann, Alissa, Mary Ann & Melanie. They will be making the Animal Cookies Workshop. We do have one spot left for Hostess Club #2 so if you're interested, please email me at leesgang@xplornet.com for details.

Back from CTMH Regional Celebration in Calgary

I'm back home and into reality again. It was a surreal week in Calgary meeting so many consultants from all over Canada. It was great to put faces to names! We received a tonne of FREE product from our New Summer Idea Book, made (4) 2 page layouts, a memory keeper box, 2 cards & a ring of stamping techniques taught by Jeanette Lynton herself. The business classes were very inspiring:)

I was so surprised to win 1 year FREE Propay for being 4th highest sales on my MYCTH Website. Jeanette also gave me a personalized stamp set during our 1 hour as Advisory Board Members.

Thank you to my amazing room mates, Anne & Michelle - We had a blast and are already planning our next adventure to Long Beach Leadership at the end of July.

To the entire clan of Ontario girls, it was great to meet up with you for supper on Thursday night. In the photo, you see Joy Maertens, Wendy Dodds & Samantha Day smiling pretty for the camera during a creative session.

A shout out to Corporate, you put on amazing events and always make each one of us feel special.

I love my picture with Jeanette, such a down to earth woman and a HUGGER!