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Digital Delights!

Get your Studio J® layouts for only $5 each during the month of February!

February is sure to be a month of digital delights because you can purchase any Studio J layout for only $5! That’s a savings of $1.95 per layout! This is a great opportunity to try Studio J for the first time.

Create adorable baby layouts with the Wishes and Fishes kit (shown), or use the new Express Collections with collections of 10 ready-made layouts plus a front and back cover that are easy to use and professionally designed. Don’t miss this chance to preserve your memories at a low price for a truly digital delight!

To get started, go to my Studio J page, set up an account and start creating!

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Catch up with Studio J

Have you tried Studio J yet? What are you waiting for?

If you are a traditional scrapbooker, Studio J is a great way to catch up. The beautiful 12″ x 12″ layouts make beautiful additions to your existing albums.

If you do not scrapbook, but would like to have a memory book of a special event or trip, Studio J is a great answer. I’d love to help you learn the simple program to create your unique book.

The video below will show you how to create a festive layout in just minutes. You’ll learn creative techniques on how to add your own stitching, create a top border with journaling, and more. Log in to Studio J to create it yourself while you watch!

Stay tuned…in a couple days, I’ll be announcing special pricing on Studio J layouts that you order in February.

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Not just jpegs anymore!

Mothers, don’t let your children grow up to be jpegs.

I first heard this from Stacey Julian in the keynote speech at the Close To My Heart convention this summer. (I Googled and was not able to determine who said it first). Anyway, the point is that we take tons of pictures these days, but often they are unaccessible. We have cameras in our phones, our tablets, and mp3 devises. But most of these pictures reside on our devises tucked away and out of site.

 

Today, we are picture rich, but memory poor

I can hear you, “But what about Facebook, Youtube or Twitter?” Think about it; Do you want to depend on these services to tell your story? Even if you were sure these sites will be available 20, 30, 50 or more years from now, do they provide the context needed to understand the story behind the pictures?

Not all pictures are created equally

(Another Stacey Julian quote.) Today it is so easy to take pictures and that makes it overwhelming when we think of printing some to frame or put into albums. Instead of feeling obligated to treasure each and every pictures, consider which ones make you smile most.

First, pick some of your very favorites to display in your home. I love going to peoples houses and seeing the progression of their babies growing up, wedding photos and family portraits. Collage frames are a wonderful way to display lots of related (or unrelated) snapshots.

Then consider placing the best of the rest into an album for the family to enjoy. A great way to do that is digital scrapbooking. Using the Studio J online program you can quickly and affordably turn your pictures into great memory pages. Don’t try to do it all at once. Just pick a recent event you would like to document and go from there.

For the paper scrapbooker, Studio J layouts integrate seamlessly with your paper pages. When placed side by side next to your paper layouts in an album, they look like they belong.

Not a scrapbooker? That’s fine to. When you get these prints, simply place them in any 12” x 12” scrapbooking album to create a beautiful memory book.

Here’s a couple layouts I created after our final summer outing with the family.

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Footloose Kit

What I love about this layout is that is it simple and clean, yet has great detail. I love the stitching, especially the “waves” along the bottom.

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The last thing we did before we left the park was take family pictures. They may not be professional but they capture the memories of a fun outdoor weekend perfectly.

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Flirty Kit

There was no one around to ask to take our picture so we used a claw type tripod to secure the camera to the rail. Worked great except for the big hand rail in the lower right corner. I camouflaged it somewhat with a flourish and Stickease.

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You will not believe how easy Studio J is to use. Click hereto open an account and start trying it out for free.

Two reasons NOW is the best time to get started:

1) During the month of October, when you buy 9 Studio J layouts you get one free!

Email me to RSVP to Studio J Café or to send me any questions you have.

2) I’m hosting “Studio J Café” next Monday evening at 7:00 – 8:30. Anyone interested in learning how to get started is invited to come. Absolutely no obligation! Simply bring your wifi enabled laptop (or let me know if you need to borrow mine) and a few digital pictures. Email me to RSVP.

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Catch Up on Your Memories

My newsletter is the best way for you to keep up with current specials and receive inspiration for your projects. Please email me if you would like to be added to my newsletter distribution list.

The October newsletter article below discusses how to use Studio J’s new Express Collections to “Speed Scrap” your digital pictures.

Catch Up on Your Memories

Scrapbook your favorite photos with Express Collections!

Scrapbook your favorite photos with Express Collections!

Do you remember when all anyone used for their pictures was a film camera? Remember how you were limited to 24 or 36 pictures per roll of film, and you had to make sure you brought plenty of rolls with you everywhere you went, and then had to pay to develop each roll? Nowadays, most digital cameras can easily hold ten times as many pictures on a single memory card.

The rise of digital photography has its pros and cons, of course. It means you can — and probably do — take way more pictures for preserving your memories than you did fifteen years ago. However, it also makes it much easier to get behind in scrapbooking those pictures. A digital problem requires a digital solution, which is where Studio J®’s new Express Collections come in.

Imagine that you’ve hired a professional scrapbooking artist who has designed stacks of layouts, and will let you have the final say on how they look. You get to add your photos to the layouts, write some journaling, perhaps tweak the title or design here and there, and you end up with a beautiful finished layout without doing any of the work! If this sounds like your personal scrapbooking dream, then consider the Express Collections your dream come true!

With Express Collections, you get six themed collections containing ten layouts as well as a front and back cover, designed to give you plenty of easy-to-use options for scrapbooking some of your favorite memories. There are collections for that special little miss or little man in your life, there is a collection to for scrapbooking your travels, a collection for capturing school days, a collection named “All About Me,” and a collection for reviewing the best of the year.

This is the perfect time to catch up on some of those projects you’ve been hoping to catch up on for a long time now. Take advantage of October’s special to get free layouts while you breeze through the collections, preserving memories with just a few clicks of your mouse. Get started today!

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Buy 9, get 1 free in October!

I’m so excited to announce the October special because it makes the lovely Studio J layouts even more afordable.

But first, here is a quick layout I did after a weekend in Branson with my family. Studio J is a great way to get caught up and you are definitely not sacrificing quality!

Quick layout using the Dakota Paper pack

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At the regular prices Close To My Heart’s Studio J® online design software is a great deal. At less than $3.50 per page, it saves you both time and money. In October, you can get an even better value from Studio J — when you buy 9 layouts, you’ll get a 10th layout free!

Take advantage of this promotion by ordering in multiples of 10: Buy 9 to get 1 free layout, buy 18 to get 2 free layouts, etc. You can get up to 5 free layouts! It’s a fast and inexpensive way to get your pictures off your computer and into your scrapbooks! Since you can ship as many as 50 layouts together in a single box, the savings truly stack up the more layouts you order in October.

Get started now to take advantage of this deal. Maximize the benefit by creating as many layouts as you can starting now, but wait to place your order in October.

Before I go, I want to show you one more layout.

Another quick Studio J layout

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For this layout I used the method taught by Amy Ulen onthis video to create a 3D title. So cool!

Click here to start creating your layouts now!

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Introducing Studio J Express Collections

Hello Readers, I’d like you to meet the Express Collections. And Express Collections, I’d like you to meet my Readers! I think you will become great friends.

OK, sorry for the silliness. But seriously dear Reader, if you have not “met” Studio J (including the new Express Collections), I urge you help you to get acquainted. This video will serve as an introduction. After the video scroll down to learn more.

ClickHERE to set up your Studio J account and start creating.

At the beginning of the video, Brian mentioned the new pricing for Studio J. Here’s a recap:

– No more memberships! This means that all kits and patterns are available to everyone. That includes you. No limits!

– Simplified pricing means that you can purchase a full layout (TWO 12″ x 12″ pages) for $6.95. That’s less than $3.50 per page. You will be hard pressed to find someone make a print for that! Of course with Studio J, the price also includes the online software to create the beautiful layouts.

The video doesn’t mention one other change that I am SUPER excited about. Studio J has been integrated with Close To My Heart Gatherings! What this means is that you and your guests can order layouts towards your party total. In addition, you can choose to receive layouts with the Select Product Credit you earn!

The options for your party are many:

Live, Online or Both

Traditional Scrapbooking and Card-making,

Studio J or Both

 

Let’s do it! Email me to schedule your gathering today!

 

 

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Howdy Partner

Howdy! If you have not yet tried Studio J, what are you waiting for? Start by watching this month’s Love Your Layout video to see how to create a beautiful layout in just minutes. You’ll learn creative techniques, including how to create a journaling box with a photo background. Watch the video here and then log in to Studio J to try it yourself!

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NOT Discontinued in Studio J!

Are you already missing some of your favorite discontinued papers packs? Didn’t you just love Lucy, Superhero, Footloose, Cruisin’, Typeset, Roxie, Elemental, and Sonoma? Well guess what: you can still use them for your digital pictures!

One of the things I love about Studio J is the huge selection of kits available. As you may know, several of my favorite paper packs were discontinued at the end of July. However, these papers are still alive and well in Studio J!

Need some inspiration? Check out the Studio J online Art Gallery.

Discontinued Superhero kit featured in the Studio J Art Gallery

Remember it is always free to create layouts in Studio J. You don’t pay until you decide to order prints or jpgs. Ready to give it a try? Click here to set up your account.

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More Convention Announements

Wow, yesterday was a long, exciting day. Before I head back to convention, I wanted to share with you some major announcements that were made.

But first, here is a picture of the coveted 2012 Autumn/Winter Idea Book. You may be able to tell from the picture that mine is already dog-eared and a little tattered from use. Email me to find out how you can get your hands on one!

WARNING: Lots of geeky detail coming up. Fill free to scan and skip, but be sure to make it to the bottom of this post for a few preview pictures. One thing I love about convention is that you get to see all those great projects that are in the Idea Book in person! It is amazing how much texture and dimension is not captured in flat pictures. I know my photography doesn’t even come close to the CTMH talent, but I tried to snap a few pictures at angles that show more of the demension in these projects.

2012 Convention Day 1 Announcements:

*** Lots of new accessories featuring Cameos, keys, fabric flowers, lots of canvas items, chalk board items, …trust me, they are beautiful!

*** New My Creations – 3″ block, Cubby with 25 holes (Christmas count down), Bracket Frame (1″ deep for lots of layers!), 12″ Star, Canvas Journal

*** New Black Wooden Display tray to decorate. Would be perfect for momentos from a trip, school year, etc.

*** 13 Workshops on the Go! 8 – Sc rapbooking, 2 – Card-making, 2- Home Decor and 1-Halloween party.

*** Now just 40 core colors. Some of the WOTG have cardstock in special “seasonal” cardstock that will not be available elsewhere.

***New Alcohol markers – set of 2 for each of the 40 core colors. Great for blending! There are some major differences between these and Copics: ours have a more rigid tip which will be better for filling in small stamped spaces, do not need special paper, are not refillable & have a much lower price. Color will get more intense by going over.  Blending pen can be used to erase or can blend by picking up color from tip of alcohol marker.

***Pigment ink pads – Great for stamping images to be filled in with new alcohol markers. Also great for home decor items. These are in towers of 10 colors for just $19.95!

*** Bulk cardstock is back for all colors!

*** More than 70 children have benefited from CTMH’s involvement with Operation Smile. That is something exciting to smile about.

*** There are 6 new express collections in Studio J that will make creating 10 page theme albums a snap! We’ll learn more about this later today.

*** New organizers. Small and medium sizes now…more in this line will be coming out in Spring/Summer 2013 Idea Book. The large one will hold 45 stamp sets!

*** New Cricut Cartridge Artiste! 698 new shapes (includes circle & square for convenience), Lots of 3D shapes, comes with assembly booklet. I can’t wait to get my hands on the booklet and see details for myself!

*** 15 new stamp sets coordinate with Artiste and 10 with Art Philosophy! Idea Book will say which cartridge the set coordinates with. Also the carrier sheet will now say what page in the cricut hand book the shape is on. No more hunting!

Can’t wait to see what today has in store!

Rebecca