Travel the World

You might not have noticed, but on page 103 in the Annual Inspirations book, we have M-sized stamps of all of the United States and Canadian Provinces and Territories. We even have stamps of Australia and New Zealand.  Each stamp comes with a filled in image of the state, the full name, and the 2-letter abbreviation.

As you start to collect your M-sized stamps, we have a new organizer that fits them. The My Acrylix® Mini Stamp Organizer holds up to 28 My Acrylix® M-size stamp sets. On top of that, it fits the reinkers or Shimmer Trim perfectly too!

My Acrylix Mini Organizer

Get Organized!

During August, you can get your hands on the latest and greatest in organization products from Close To My Heart—with a few perks thrown in! For the August campaign, we are making the brand new Marker Roll-Up and Accessory Roll-Up available for purchase and throwing in some freebies when you and your customers purchase them.

When you place an order for the new accessory roll-up at full retail price, you’ll receive two new Base & Bling style sheets, Affirmations and Lovely Blooms, FREE! With multiple zipper pockets in a variety of sizes, the accessory roll-up is an ideal storage solution for all your Base & Bling pieces and other accessories!

 

Also, when you place an order for the new marker roll-up at full retail price, you’ll receive the new D-size stamp set My Acrylix® Balloon Wishes FREE! This is a brand new Cricut®-compatible set that really lends itself to coloring with the Shin-Han™ Touch Twin™ markers, which are a breeze to store using the new Marker Roll-Up.

STOM: Choose Happy

 

Sometimes we just need to be reminded that we feel the best when we are happy.  There is a reason why Pharrell's song, Happy, was a huge hit.  It wasn't just the snappy beat, although that certainly helped.  The lyrics talk about being in such a good mood, that nothing can bring you down. 

This month's stamp set reminds me to be thankful and happy for what I have and the greatness that is what's to come. Use the different frames to showcase your loved ones and celebrate the joyous occasions.  They are the perfect size for mini-albums, or to frame sentiments on handmade cards.  

Also, I am offering a special for crafters who sign up as a consultant during the month of March.  When you sign up, you will receive not only the consultant kit, but also the NEW shoulder tote for FREE!  If you are interested in checking out a great group of people who share your interest in crafting, check out this opportunity.  This year will be my 10 year anniversary with Close To My Heart.  I wouldn't give up the experiences I've had with CTMH for anything.  I've met many wonderful people while being a part of a great forward-looking company, and supporting the thing that keeps me sane in a hectic life. Here's to another 10 years, because...

I choose happy.

SOTM: Choose Happy

Organization: Totes

We all know that Lagoon is my favorite color.  It's the perfect mix of blue and green, just like some parts of the ocean.  You can imagine my excitement when I saw the new organization totes from Close To My Heart.  They are LAGOON! 

Our awesome clear organizers in several sizes fit inside the durable rolling tote.  Check out the number of pockets and the amount of space to store the organizers!  The top zips all the way down for easy loading. Front pocket sized to fit 12" × 12" paper, plus two additional side pockets to store more!

We also have a new shoulder tote with snap closure, in LAGOON too!  It comfortably fits our 12" × 12" paper organizers. Perfect for carrying projects in progress, idea books, papers, small tools, and embellishments.

Check out this video for more details about the totes. 

Organize your Stamps

Before the advent of the smart phone and wonderful apps, I made a really neat rolodex type file to be able to flip through the stamp images to remember what I owned.  This was supposed to spare me from digging through my stamps and spending more time hunting than actually crafting.  I started it, for sure.  Even copied a few stamp images onto the pages.  

Rolodex-style stamp index

But it did not end up working for me.  I heard folks who used an app to keep themselves organized, not just with stamps, but with to-do lists or groceries, genealogy research, and reminders.  Evernote is a free, widely available cloud-based program to use on your smartphone and home computer.  I downloaded it first to my smart phone to use for grocery lists and reminders on the go. 

I could access it on my home computer through a login on their web page.  The website synched with the app, simply.

Evernote sign in/sign up page

But when I started this stamp inventory project, I downloaded the Evernote program to my desktop and it made the data entry a lot easier to handle.  I created a "notebook" for each company's stamps that I own.  Then each "note" has a photo of the stamp set.  For CTMH stamps, I title the note with the number coding, like D1245.  Then, I "tag" it.  Some notes have a lot of tags, flowers, Christmas, sentiments, etc.  That way, when you are looking for a specific stamp, you can search for those tags.  And if you want a specific stamp from a specific company, you can search for that also.  All three, smart phone, web browser, and desktop sync with the cloud so they sync with each other to have up-to-date notes.

Evernote Desktop Application

I can imagine all kinds of scrapbook and stamp organization possibilities, non-consumables especially.   No one likes buying something, just to get home and figure out you have it already.  We have our phones with us all of the time these days.  They are like an extra arm, anymore.

This system takes a bit to set up, but it has already paid off.  I have fully embraced Evernote. I use it now for even more things, like saving special recipes or even writing my dream diary.  It helps me keep my family history research and organize my stamps and other scrapbook supplies.