2/28 Tips, Techniques, and Training Tidbits

Studio J® is an online scrapbooking studio environment using all of your favorite Close To My Heart products! All you need is a computer and internet connection. Believe it or not, as long as you have pictures on your computer (or access to them), you can scrapbook in Studio J®!

Access Studio J® here then click on Studio J® Scrapbooking. Select Create An Account in order to "try before you buy" or to purchase a Membership. Note: Playing and exploring required! (Just kidding:-) No purchase is required until you are ready to check out with your purchases.

Memberships available:
~ 12 month membership is $99.00
~ 3 month trial membership is $30.00
~ 5 Pack is $55.00 (you pay for 5 studio completed layouts)

Give the gift of a Membership for a birthday, anniversary, or for no reason at all! It can all be done through my website or through contacting me.

The creativity is endless! Start by selecting and uploading your photos for a project. A project can be a specific event like a birthday party, vacation, wedding, etc. Name your project then upload selected photos to that project. You can have multiple projects going at the same time. From there, you're ready to roll!

~Laurie

February Specials Are Here!

February is packed with amazing deals! Without any delay, let's get started...

1. 28 Days of Studio J®
2. Free, Free, & Fabulous!
3. February Stamp of the Month
4. A Perfect 10 for Studio J®

1. 28 Days of Studio J (1/28)
Each day in February I will post at least one tip, technique, or training tidbit for Studio J®. On THREE random days there will be a giveaway FOR YOU so make sure you read my blog every day. The GIVEAWAYS will pop up randomly...it will be lots of fun! When you're ready to become a Studio J scrapbooker, click here.

Today's Tips, Techniques, or Training Tidbits
* Being a Studio J® member will grant you access to exclusive content not available to those without a membership. That means cutting-edge layout designs and papers non-members can't have access to.

* You can rotate your layouts! Once you've selected your kit mix, use the arrows found in the upper left and right corners to roate each page individually. Or, swap them from side to side by using the center arrows found above the layout.


* Try it before you buy it! Just go to my website http://www.laurie.myctmh.com/ and click on Studio J®. Setting up a new account is easy and there's no purchase required to try it out.

2. Free, Free, & Fabulous!
"What's free?" you ask. Well, here you go: When you join Close To My Heart during February and achieve Straight To The Top, you will receive Straight To The Top rewards (aka FREEBIES!) of $100 in select product credit. PLUS you receive a rebate of $129 on your New Consultant Kit, making it FREE! It's free products and a free kit—a fabulous deal! Questions? Just ask me. Ready to sign up? Pop on over to my website and follow the links to Your Opportunities.



3. February Stamp of the Month - Friendship
Celebrate special friendships this month with this elegant 8-piece stamp set. It's classy, it's elegant, it's versatile! And you can get it at a discount, too.

4. A Perfect 10 For Studio J
Studio J®...have you tried it out yet? If you answered "yes" or "no", you're in luck! Check this out...if you're already a member, February is free layout month for Studio J® members! For every 9 custom-printed Studio J® layouts you buy, you’ll receive the 10th layout free. To receive the discount, just add 10 or more layouts to your cart. You’ll see a discount reflected in your order total. And you can totally take advantage of this promotion by ordering in multiples of 10. For example, if you buy 9, get 1 free. Or, buy 18, get 2 free, buy 27, get 3 free. You get the idea! If you’re not a member yet, read my blog each day this month and you'll have GOOD reason to become one!



Warmly,
Laurie

Some of my favorite "little" scrappers! These kids come every month, rain or shine! Each one of them brings somthing unique to the class. Ben has an amazing artistic ability...and I mean really amazing. Erica tells great jokes and makes fun of me! McKenzie is quiet but that's why she gets the star for most pages completed. Lexi has so much fun adding "fluff" and other extras to her many completed pages. Ahhh, they're so much fun! See you kids next month, too!

If your kids live in Bishop and the surrounding area and would like to participate in my monthly Kids' Club Scrapbooking class, contact me! I'd love to have them.

Inspirations - January's Special

There's still time to order from our Inspirations Brochure...if you haven't seen the great stamp sets, beautiful artwork, and amazing deals in it, you can view it online. Just go to my website and click on Inspirations Brochure in the bottom right corner. Page by page you'll be totally inspired!

For the photographer in me, my favorite stamp set is Take A Picture, shown on pg. 9. And how irresistable is the alphabet set, Bohemian, on pg.11? Ordering is super easy...contact me or shop online!

~Laurie

January Stamp of the Month - Find Your Style

Beautiful images!! I love how they look when stamped....elegant and stylish! The set is available only during January so don't miss out! Order yours by January 31st, 2011. Did you know you can earn it FREE or at a discount? Ask me how!

This beautiful set is featured in Inspirations....you've got to take a peek at this amazing publication!

CONVENTION 2010!

Convention this year is being held in Washington DC as we speak! This exciting location is the first ever, the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center. Already new announcements are hitting the floor, cellphones, twitter, and of course, the social networking community.

I miss my good friends and sister consultants this year but family is first and most important in my life. However I'm traveling through my thoughts and dreams all the way to DC. Jeanette never disappoints and as updates are made, you'll see them posted here quickly.

Announcement #1: Beginning in 2011, the Idea Book will be will be semi-annual. It will include every bit as much product annually and will have 24 more pages. Stay tuned for more details!

See you tomorrow~
Laurie

Month of Organization!

It's been a month of organization for me. Closets got cleaned out, cupboards wiped down and organized, my CTMH business even saw some organazational improvement, most noticable when I was looking for something in particular! It's cool how your time seems more free when things are in their place and I don't have to spend so much time looking. Makes a lot of sense, doesn't it! My goal is to have the inside organized before tackling the outside yard.

Tonight was the last scrapbook class before February starts. We decided this year would be the year of being organized. So, my darling ladies will be bringing their completed pages (those without photos anyway) to the February class along with photographs. We'll get the pictures on the pages during class plus make another layout. Talk about progress!

I wanted to spend some time after my class tonight just chillin' in front of the recording of Monday night's The Batchelor, but...well...here I am! Plus, I get to sleep in in the morning so staying up late to catch up on some fun stuff then watch some no-brainer stuff on TV isn't a bad idea after all.

A great recipe for dinner came from Cindy, my sister-in-law. She gave me the recipe long ago and I've since forgotten it but tonight, well my brain engaged so I threw it together. It was so satisfying!

Cindy's Chicken Pot Pie (there are very few real measurements here...)

Chicken breast (oh, say 3 or 4), cut up, put in soup pan
2 cans Cream of Celery soup
1 can of water
1 1/2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic garni or garlic salt
Sauted veggies such as onion, celery, carrots.
3 potatoes, peeled, cut in 1" pieces and boiled until med-soft.

Mix all of the ingredients in soup pan, heat through then pour into baking dish. Cover top with pie crust. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. Sooo delicious!

Serve with green salad and corn bread.

See you soon!
Laurie