Wild About Love....

Had the pleasure of meeting a very talented fellow CTMH Sister this past weekend,  Shalana Glass.  She shared Interactive Cards and Scrapbooking with us.  Here is the Building Block Card using our My Reflections Babycakes Paper Packet.  I changed up the design a bit to incorporate our current Stamp Of The Month!  Still time to place an order for $50 and receive the Wild About Love Stamp Set for $5, promotion ends on February 28th.


To create this project you will need the following items.  If you need to place an order I would love for you to shop at my online website, donnalong.ctmh.com.
Colonial White Cardstock 1388
My Reflections Babycakes Paper Packet X7173B
My Acrylix SOTM Stamp Set Wild About Love S1402A
My Acrylix Stamp Set Owls B1450
Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad Saddle Z2171
Cricut Art Philosophy Collection Z1686
Sparkles Brown & Tan Assortment Z1753

Happy Crafting....Enjoy!

My Creations Pennant Frame...

Good to be home from my Close To My Heart Regional Team Meeting this past weekend.  Had such a FUN time creating and sharing!  It was great meeting and working with such a wonderful group of women.  We spent the weekend working with the products in our new Spring/Summer 2014 Catalog and Idea Book.  Close To My Heart has some really great new products and techniques I will be sharing with you!



One of my favorite paper packets from My Reflections is our Lollydoodle collection.  I am so in love with the fresh vibrant colors and the FUN vibe it gives.  The cute owls, crown and sayings are truly for all of us girls...makes me SMILE just thinking about it.  One of our new products is our My Creations Pennant Frame.  We decorated this with our Lollydoodle paper packet and I used our Complements and Assortment accessories to embellish it.  It turned out so CUTE!

Interested in creating your own Lollydoodle Pennant Frame?  To complete this project as shown you will need the following products available online at my website donnalong.ctmh.com
My Creations Pennant Frame Z1941
Lollydoodle Paper Packet X7183B
Lollydoodle Complements X7183C
Lollydoodle Assortment Z3006
Shimmer Trim Teal Z1918
Cricut Art Philosophy Collection Cartridge Z1686 (used for 3-D paper flowers)
Liquid Glass Z679
Quilling Tool Z1795
Tombow Mono Adhesive 1514
3-D Foam Tape 1151
Glue Dots 1772

Thanks for stopping by!

Lollydoodle Creative Cards Workshop....

Greetings from Pennsylvania!  Here for my CTMH Regional Team Meeting Retreat, ready to learn some new techniques and play with our new products.  Came in a day early andhad a chance to work on the cards for my upcoming workshop.  So here's a little peek at one of the cards I created for next weeks Creative Cards Lollydoodle Workshop.

Love the fresh vibe of the CTMH Lollydoodle paper pack and complements!  This workshop includes 12 cards, 4 each of 3 designs.  Workshop is Thursday, February 27th from 6-8 PM.  Let's get creative together!

Want to bring this look into your scrapbooking?  Chekout our Lollydoodle Workshop On The Go, directions for two full 2-page layouts, embellishments and a size D My Acrylix stamp set....what a Great Value!

And The Mystery Hostess Is...

Congratulations Lynda W., you are the winner of the February Mystery Hostess Program!  You will receive $25 in FREE CTMH product and are eligible to select from our Hostess only items.  Enjoy!

Would you like to earn FREE Close To My Heart products?  Contact me to schedule your personal Gathering and start earning your Hostess Rewards today. Online Gatherings welcome.

Room Mom Idea...so yesterday was our class Valentine's party and I wanted our craft to be useful, not to difficult and something both boys & girls would enjoy.  After pouring over Pinterest, I decided on Corner Bookmarks.  It was a huge success!  Even the boys were very interested in using my gadgets :). I used a pattern from Tally's Treasury which I slightly modified to fit three on a page and preprinted them on multiple colors of cardstock.  I used my many scraps and punches that I've accumulated over the years as embellishments. I took a nice assortment of bookmarks to use as samples and jump start the thinking process.  Great thing was it wasn't holiday specific and can be used over and over.  Kids got to show their creative side by choosing colors and style...definitely a WIN - WIN for everyone!

Valentine's....

This time of year sends me into a frenzy!  It is one of my favorite days....one in which a great blessing was bestowed upon me, the ultimate gift of love!  My first born child and he is my special gift!  He was born at 24 weeks and weighed just 1 pound 5 1/2 ounces.  I simply cannot believe he will be 12!  And he most certainly likes to remind his Mama that he's almost a teen...YIKES!

So as many of you are celebrating Valentine's Day in the usual way; hearts, cards, candy and romantic dinners...our day is spent remembering what an AWESOME God we have and how His Goodness and Grace gave us our first born child.  We celebrate life, a very precious gift.  I hope you will take the time to HUG someone you love today, remember that our time here on earth is short and we need to enjoy the "Hints Of Happiness" in everyday life!

So tomorrow as we enter into Valentine's Day and share birthday treats and have our class Valentine's party with this room mom doing crafts.....I want to wish a Very Happy Day!

I'll be sure to post pictures of our class craft ***Hint: It involves Papercrafting***

***One more day to place a $50 order and be entered into my Mystery Hostess Program, one lucky winner will receive $25 in FREE Close To My Heart Product.***

A "Buggy" Valentine...

With the new Close To My Heart Catalog Release this February...I was inspired to create a little something new products I received and join up with other CTMH Consultants to bring you a few new creations featuring some of our new products.  Be sure to "Hop on Over" to some of the other sites for further inspiration.






In preparation for my Open House this past week I created this cute little "Buggy Valentine"

I made this card using the My Acrylix Buggy Love set from the new Spring/Summer 2014 Idea Book & Catalog.  Featured colors from our  Exclusive Color Pallete include; Hollyhock, Buttercup, Pear and Lagoon.  This set is Fun & Cheerful, it will work well for most any occasion and will coordinate well with our new My Reflections Lollydoodle paper pack.  Which features bright, crisp colors sure to Inspire your next Creation!

Love Snow Days....

It's another snow globe kinda day here in Ohio!  Pretty but glad I don't have anywhere to be.  Kids are enjoying quiet crafts, one is having an archaeological dig at the dining room table and the other is happily searching YouTube to find the latest Rainbow Loom creation.  I am amazed at the things she makes...currently working on Anna from the movie Frozen.  By the way, highly recommend the movie if you haven't seen it and yes I "want to build a snowman" especially on a day like today!

So after dealing with some technical issues, like my newsletter not going out, missing packages in the polar vortex to the west of us and general household duties, I had a chance to work on my scrapbook page from the other evening :)

Last Thursday, pajamas and all...I joined Big Picture Classes and CTMH for a Pajama Party!  Spent sometime going through my stash as I listened and worked.  My inspiration for "Hints of Happiness" are my children, they are truly a gift.  This "Sweet" page will work perfectly for displaying and preserving memories.  Here's a little something extra....as I was getting ready to photograph this my DD said "get a sting and hang it up."  That brought a little smile to my face to confirm that I had chosen just the right touches for this page.  Hope you enjoy it as much as we are...and I haven't even added their photos :)

One thing I really love about CTMH products and ideas are the versatility.  Even though I didn't have the exact product for the demo project, I was able to use the same design and tweak it with what I had on hand for a picture perfect memory.  Quality products & good design with your own creativity are all you need to create your next masterpiece!  Speaking of "Good Design" be sure to check out Close To My Hearts Foundational How To Books by Jeanette R Lynton (CTMH Founder).  A Great addition to your Library.

Want to join in next time?  Sign up for the next Pajama Party on March 27, 2014 at bigpictureclasses.com for the next Pajama Party.  Filled with great ideas, tips and giveaways.

Thanks for visiting!

February Mystery Hostess Program & More...

Happy February!  Today is the official release of the New Close To My Heart Idea Book & Catalog Spring/Summer 2014! To celebrate I am running a MYSTERY HOSTESS PROGRAM for the first two weeks of February.

FEBRUARY MYSTERY HOSTESS PROGRAM...

• Program will run from February 1st - 14th, 2014
• Place a minimum order of $50 before tax, s/h and company promotions through my online website
• One entry per qualifying order into a DRAWING to receive CTMH Hostess Rewards
• Minimum Hostess Reward will be $25 in FREE CTMH product from the New Catalog!
• Winner will be selected and announced on February 15, 2014 from all eligible orders.

To participate...select the Gathering titled February Mystery Hostess on my online CTMH Website (http://donnalong.ctmh.com), place an order for $50 or more.  Its that Simple!

Stamp Of The Month and Embossing Is Boss!
During February Close To My Heart is running two company promotions.

Stamp of the Month for February is "Wild About Love"

• Place qualifying order for $50 and receive SOTM for Only $5.

Embossing Is Boss Promotion offers a FREE Embossing Folder

• Purchase 2 packs of bulk single color or combo cardstock and get one FREE Embossing Folder ($8.95 value).
• Five designs to choose from; Dot, Chevron, Quatrefoil, Damask and Stripe

Embossing Folders are a great way to add depth & texture to your papercrafting projects whether it is scrapbooking, cards or home decor.

What an AWESOME promotions to Kick Off the New Catalog!  I hope you will take advantage of one or all three of the programs this month....February Mystery Hostess, SOTM & Embossing Is Boss!