Library Pockets and other office supply type items are the hottest thing in scrapbooking right now. They can be used for many different things, such as to hold journaling or memorabilia, or add them to hold handmade tags.

Materials:

Paper or Cardstock
Bone Folder
Corner Rounder
Paper Cutter
Directions:

Cut a piece of paper or cardstock to 4.25 x 7.5 inches.
Using a bone folder, make a score line at 4.25 inches down. The other length should be 3.25 inches.
Make scores .5 inch from each side.
Cut along the creases from the end to the middle score mark (the 2 creases .5 inches from the side).
Cut a slant across to the edge.
Use the corner rounder on the narrow ends’ corners.
Fold and glue the two flaps.
Tips:

Once you have the hang of it, alter and try different sizes
Get creative and find new uses for your pockets

How to Host a Swap

Swaps are a great way to express your creativity and receive great new ideas.

Here’s how to host one of your own!
· Decide what kind of swap it will be.
· Decide how many people can participate. The average size of a swap is 10-15 participants.
· Solicit participants. Make a list and add people’s names and email addresses to it as they contact you.
· Set the deadline, giving participants ample time to create their projects. A month is about average, but do allow more time around the holidays.
· Send out a welcome email or letter with all the details. Set guidelines and explain them very clearly to eliminate any confusion. What and when are the biggest issues to address.
· Give a mail by date rather than a due date. You can be flexible in your scheduling as to when you’ll redistribute the items and get them ready to mail out, bt if you give a due date, people will often underestimate the amount of time it will take to get to you. A mail by date is fixed.
· Send a reminder email to participants during the swap time.
· Send email to notify participants as you receive each package.
· You will get some early participants. Open the boxes only to check and make sure that everything arrived safely.
· Allow for some late participants. There will always be a couple. Keep in touch with the group, letting them know the status. You don’t have to tell them which particpant is late, but tell them that you’re waiting on one or two.
· It will always take longer than you think.
· Once you’ve collected something from each participant, it’s time to sort the items. You need to be able to concentrate, especially if you’re going to do groups of various numbers. Pick a time when you can sort without interruption.
· Those hosts who participate also get the chance to pick their own items before sending out the rest.
· Tell the participants when the packages got mailed.
· Thank everyone for a great swap!

Get Your NEW SUMMER 2007 Idea Book! Use the link below to order your copy and it will be shipped out to you immediately. I also have Winter 2006 & Spring 2007  Idea Books still available.

I am currently taking Pre-Orders for Fall/Winter 2007 get yours before ANYONE ELSE!  Use the link below to order your copy and it will be shipped out to you as soon as they come in (Scheduled to be delivered in August)).  Get your copy TODAY! You can also order your Winter 2006 and Spring 2007 catalog! Email me to get yours today!  Idea Books are $5.00 including shipping.  

Stretch Your Dollars with Purchase-Plus!
This July receive a FREE* gift with your qualifying MyCTMH website purchase! (See flyer< P>

DURING OUR PURCHASE-PLUS CAMPAIGN, JULY 3–31, 2007, you will receive a FREE Days to Cherish B&T Duos™ Combo Pack (original retail value of $12.95) with every MyCTMH purchase of $100. For a MyCTMH purchase of $125, you will receive a FREE Monthly Calendar Kit (original retail value of $39.95).

The colorful Days to Cherish Combo Pack features 24 striking B&T Duos in a variety of colors and patterns, giving you ample versatility. These exclusive papers complement many of our My Reflections® scrapbooking kits. The Monthly Calendar Kit includes our classic Monthly Calendar, the Days to Cherish B&T Duos Combo Pack, four 6″ × 12″ sheets of coordinating My Stickease™ calendar art, and a My Acrylix® Reminders stamp set. You’ll want to use these exciting calendar-related products to create a keepsake of special days and memories uniquely your own. Capture a year’s worth of memories in 2007, or start designing your 2008 calendar now!

Shop my website and earn a FREE gift in July!
Your Close To My Heart Consultant Is: Laurie Stasiuk, (GetStamping.com)

*Valid July 3–31, 2007 only. Shipping is charged on full retail amount of free items. Tax is charged on the full retail value of the free items. While supplies last.

STAMP OF THE MONTH See the Flyer!

Even if you’ve never seen one of the old-time manual machines, these charming keys will add a warm touch of nostalgia to any project. It’s history in the stamping! Available July 1–31, 2007 only.
 

With a minimum qualifying purchase, get your Stamp of the Month at a great discount or FREE!

It seems that when it rains it pours around here, and summer is no different for me.  My girls want to spend the days in their pool, I want to work on cards and layouts for the upcoming fall craft shows, and hubby has his own agenda of what needs to happen.  None of these things ever seem to fall into place easily and something else always pops up to complicate the mix.

For those of my readers who do not know me, I am a business owner and have been since I was laid off from my “Corporate America” job as a web designer back in 2001.  Although there are days I simply want to say “I’m staying in bed today”, I love being able to set my own hours and be a WAHM so that I can spend my days with my 2 daughters. 

My latest “job” was a scrapbooking for hire gig for one of my husband’s clients (Hubby is a CPA).  It is always fun to scrap for others because I get to share in their memories and stretch my own skills at the same time.  I mean these clients are trusting me with their most precious memories and looking to me to preserve them for posterity.  What a tribute to me that they feel I am the perfect person to do that for them.  Below are the layouts that made up her album. The album itself was a gift for her father’s birthday, celebrating his Grandfather status!

Hope you enjoyed.

This week’s technique hits close to home for me, as my Mother In Law passed away suddenly last week and my Father In-Law is battling Terminal Cancer.

Gathering Your Family History

Scrapbooking is not just a hobby. It’s about preserving our family history and trying to collect as much past history as we can to preserve it. A Family Tree or chart is a good way to keep track of all the names that you have gathered. Include it in the front of your scrapbook for people to reference.

Below are a few ways to organize the charts:

1. Horizontal Chart - starts with the main family member’s name in the box at the bottom, and builds the ancestry up and out.

2. Vertical Chart - builds a person’s ancestry up from the bottom and to one side.

3. Fan Chart - ancestry fans out from the bottom.

4. Hourglass Chart - ancestors go up from the center, with descendants charted downward.

Below is a list of questions to help gather that history from your family:

1. What is your full name and why were you named it?

2. Were you named after somebody else?

3. Do you have a nickname?

4. If so, what was it and why were you called that?

5. Where were you born and when?

6. Do you remember hearing your grandparents describe their lives?

7. What did they say?

8. Do you remember your great-grandparents? What do you know about them?

9. Who was the oldest person you can remember in your family as a child? What do you remember about them?

10. Was there a chore you really hated doing as a child?

11. What would you consider to be the most important inventions that have been made during your lifetime?

12. How is the world now different from what it was like when you were a child?

13. What kinds of books did you like to read?

14. Do you remember having a favorite nursery rhyme or bedtime story? What was it?

15. What were your favorite toys and what were they like?

16. What were your favorite childhood games?

17. What were your schools like?

18. Did you like school?

19. How did you get to school?

20. What was your favorite subject in school and why?

21. What subject in school was always the easiest for you?

22. What was your least favorite subject in school and why?

23. Who was your favorite teacher and why were they special?

24. How do your fellow classmates from school remember you best?

25. What school activities and sports did you participate in?

26. Did you and your friends have a special hang -out where you liked to spend time?

27. Were you ever given any special awards for your studies or school activities?

28. How many years of education have you completed?

29. Do you have a college degree? If so, what was your field of study?

30. Did you get good grades?

31. What did you like the most and the least about it?

32. What did you usually wear to school?

33. How old were you when you started dating?

34. Do you remember your first date?

35. Name a good friend that you have known for the longest period of time? How many years have you been friends?

36. Do you remember where you went on the first date with your spouse?

37. How long did you know them before you got married?

38. Describe your wedding proposal.

39. When and where did you get married?

40. Describe your wedding ceremony. Who was there?

41. Did you have a honeymoon? If so, where did you go?

42. How long have you been married (or were you married)?

43. How did you find out that you were going to be a parent for the first time?

44. How many children did you have all together?

45. What were their names, birth dates and birthplaces?

46. What was the funniest thing you can remember that one of your children said or did?

47. If you had it to do all over again, would you change the way you raised your family? How?

48. What did you find most difficult about raising children?

49. What did you find most rewarding about being a parent?

50. Did you spoil any of your children? How?

51. What advice do you have for your children and grandchildren?

52. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

53. What was your first job?

54. What kinds of jobs have you had?

55. How did you decide on your career?

56. Did you make enough money to live comfortably?

57. How long did you have to work each day at your job?

58. How old were you when you retired?

59. Who was the person that had the most positive influence on your life? Who were they and what did they do?

60. What wars have been fought during your lifetime? How did you feel about them?

61. If you served in the military, when and where did you serve and what were your duties?

62. If you served in the military, were you ever injured in the line of duty? What were the circumstances and what were your injuries?

63. How tall are you?

64. What color was your hair as a young child and then as an adult?

65. What color are your eyes?

66. Where have you lived as an adult? List the places and the years that you lived there.

67. Why are you living where you are today?

68. Do you wish you lived somewhere else (If so, where wo uld it be)?

69. Describe your general health.

70. What major illnesses or health problems do you remember having?

71. What do you do regularly for exercise?

72. Do you have any bad habits now or in the past? What were they?

73. Have you ever been in a serious accident?

74. Have you ever been hospitalized? If so, what for?

75. Have you ever had surgery? If so, what for?

76. If you could change something about yourself, what would it be?

77. What was the most stressful experience that you ever lived through? What helped you get through it?

78. What is the scariest thing that has ever happened to you personally?

79. What kinds of musical instrument(s) have you learned to play?

80. Would you consider yourself creative?

81. What things have you made that others have enjoyed?

82. How would you describe your sense of humor?

83. What are your hobbies?

84. What did you like to do when you were not working?

85. What is the most amazing thing that has ever happened to you?

86. What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you?

87. Have you ever met any famous people? Describe what happened.

88. What organizations and groups have you belonged to?

89. Have you ever won any special awards or prizes as an adult? What were they for?

90. What has been your favorite vacation? Where did you go and why was it special?

91. What was the favorite place you ever visited and what was it like?

92. What pets have you had?

93. Is there anything you have always wanted to do, but haven’t?

FAVORITES

1. What is your favorite color?

2. What is your favorite style of music?

3. What is your favorite musical instrument?

4. What is your favorite song?

5. Who is your favorite singer?

6. Who is your favorite movie star?

7. What is your favorite movie?

8. What is your favorite sport?

9. Who is your favorite athlete?

10. Who is your favorite artist?

11. What is your favorite painting?

12. Who is your favorite poet?

13. What is your favorite poem?

14. Who is your favorite author?

15. What is your favorite book?

16. What is your favorite season?

17. What is your favorite tree?

18. What is your favorite flower?

19. What is your favorite holiday?

20. What is your favorite animal?

21. What is your favorite meal?

22. What is your favorite fruit?

23. What is your favorite vegetable?

24. What is your favorite candy?

25. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

26. What is your favorite cookie?

27. What is your favorite drink?

28. What is your favorite restaurant?

29. What is your favorite board game?

30. What is your favorite card game?

These are meant to get you started on your journey, but there are certainly more questions and ideas out there!  Customize to your list to suit what you hope to capture about your family heritage!

· Store your markers flat, so the ink stays in contact with the tip better.
This is especially helpful when are getting a little lower on ink in the
marker. Also this allows you to see what colors of markers you have
easily. Wrap the almost-dry markers with a piece of masking tape to let
you know they’re just about out of color, and then use those for very
pale soft color (almost a chalky or pale crayon effect).
· Keep each of your inkpads in a small zipper bag with its bottle of the
re-inker, so you can re-ink the pad when you are finished using it. This
is very helpful when you are doing A LOT of stamping at one time.
· When you have rainbow pads (like the Kaleidacolor; Ranger Big n
Juicy, etc) keep a piece of cardstock with a few images stamped from
different sections of the pad. That way you know what ranges of colors
are in each pad. You can keep the cardstock and the pad in a zipper
bag so it’s always together.
· Store mounted stamps on trays. Use acrylic photo frames that have
the cardboard in the back. Take that out and use the ‘frame’ part as a
tray. You can categorize them by theme, and have each tray labeled
so you can pull out the tray instead of searching.
· Store small brass stencils in a small photo album.
· Store large sheets of paper on skirt hangers that have 5 or 6 tiers of
clips. You can store about 30 sheets of paper on each skirt hanger.
· When you buy acrylic craft paints, take a drop of the paint and put it on
the cover. That way you can see what color it is, without digging
through all the bottles. This is also helpful with any type of paint that
you may be using. If the lid is slick plastic, put a white stick-on dot on it
(like from the office supply store) then put the paint on top of the dot.
· Always stamp on a flat hard surface (EXCEPT when using Acrylic Stamps! 

Then you need foam under them!) and allow plenty of drying time inbetween
layered colors.
· Do not “rock” the stamp when applying it to your surface material
because the images could blur. Only light pressure is required around
the edges of the stamp.
· To make sure your stamps stay in good condition you will want to store
them rubber side down and clean them immediately after use and
between colors. Do not immerse your stamps in water as it could
loosen the adhesive. There is a wide variety of stamp cleaning
products available commercially or you can blot the image on a paper
towel until the ink is gone. Use a solvent based cleaner or liquid
detergent and old toothbrush to completely clean difficult designs.
· Use pages from old magazines and catalogs to make inner envelopes
for your cards. Floral garden pages are great!
· Use limp plastic window screen cloth to make fantastic backgrounds!
· Future Floor Finish is perfect for rubbing over a finished polymer clay
pin and also works great for acetate cards! Stamp image in black on
the front of the acetate and heat-set, then flip it over and pour a puddle
of Future on the back and mush it around with your fingers. Then
sprinkle various colors of Pearl-Ex and gently spread them around.
Crumple up a piece of white tissue paper and lay it over the Pearl-Ex
and let dry. Finished art looks like foil!
· Garage sales are a great source for old music sheets which make
wonderful embellishments/background paper.
· To ink press or tap the stamp firmly onto the stamp pad several times.
Large stamps can be inked easily on the raised pads by moving them
around over the surface.
· Some stampers prefer to lay the stamp face up on the table and apply
the pad to the stamp. Either way is effective.
· New stamps may need a “breaking in” period before they will accept
ink evenly. Apply firm, even pressure to the stamp.
· Always stamp on a flat, smooth surface.
· Do not rock the stamp or slam it down. This will cause over stamping
or blurring of the image.
· Large stamps and stamps with solid areas require more ink and more
pressure. Apply even pressure to entire area using fingertips, but not
allowing the stamp to move. For large stamps or designs with a lot of
filled in areas, more pressure can be applied if you stamp standing up.
· Small stamps and fine line designs require less ink and less pressure.
· To store your wheel stamps, try using the tall potato chip cans. To
identify whats inside, take a piece of paper and ‘wheel’ the image on it
and glue this paper around the can. 6 wheels can fit in a regular size
can.
· To hold your embossing heat gun, use a doll stand.
· If you like to have your embossing powders in a bigger container, use
plastic sandwich style containers. To apply powder to your image, use
a business card, then dump leftover powder back into container.
· If you want to trim a little extra rubber after you have adhered it to the
wood block or it was applied crocked, simply warm it in the microwave
for up to 10 seconds. The rubber will peel off and you can then trim
the rubber and reapply straight. Sometimes it will leave a little sticky
on the wood, try using goo gone to rub it off.
· Wiggle eyes make great surprise eyes on animals

· Use Craft Pom-Poms for 3-D balls.
· Don’t throw away jar candles. Soak in cold water to expell any extra
candle wax, and wash. Use StazOn ink pads to stamp on images. Fill
with treats and give as gifts. Or use as storage containers.
· Use Goo Gone to clean off the stickies that cake-up on your Xyron
machine or scissors/trimmers.
· To keep ink from staining the wood apply clear nail polish on the wood
mounts.
· Put a piece of uncooked Macaroni in a jar of embossing powder. It
soaks up all the moisture!

If you have been stamping or scrapbooking for any time at all, you are bound to have a box, folder or drawer full of paper scraps that you just couldn’t make yourself throw away. Well, get out your stash and try some of these great ideas.

Weaving
This is a great way to use all those long, thin strips of paper to make a beautiful woven border. Simply glue three or four strips down one side of your page, place a few more across the bottom, loosely weaving the strips together in the corner of the page.

Paper Knots
Use your scrap pieces of paper like you would ribbon. Paper can be tied in a knot, turned into a bow or laced to make pretty page accents or borders. Of course, paper isn’t as flexible and forgiving as ribbon so it must be handled gently as you form a knot or a bow. Push or pull lightly to form a knot, then flatten it. It is easier to tie longer strips of paper.

Paper Piecing
Instead of using new piece of cardstock to make your paper piece, go through your scraps and you are sure to find one or two pieces that will work on at least part of it.

Mosaics
Save all those tiny squares and rectangle because they are perfect for mosaic pieces. The possibilities are as endless as the colors of your scraps. Combine different colors and patterns for a crazy-quilt effect, or use varying shades of the same color for a subtle, monochromatic look. Don’t worry if your scraps aren’t all the same size because on the charms of mosaic is their uneven lines and variety of sizes and shapes.

Bargello
Find a variety of paper strips, all the same length. The widths can vary from 1/4″- wide to 1″-wide, depending on how large you want the completed piece to be.
Arrange the strips on a solid piece of paper; you can either line the strips to touch each other or leave a bit of space between them for accent. Trim the mat paper and you will have a beautiful design!

Punches
Unless you are punching a very large shape are making lots of smaller ones, sort through your paper scraps first. There just might be a piece in your stash that will be perfect for the punch.

Whether you are making cards, borders, letter squares or punches, look to your paper scraps first. You just might find the perfect piece of paper for your project and it won’t cost you anything!

If you don’t have room for a designated or spot or the time to claim one, plan ahead and tote what you need with you. Whether making handmade cards or scrapbook pages,you can get a lot accomplished while waiting in the carpool line or for your kids to get out of after school practice. Just keep the necessities of your latest crafting project with you and work on it while you wait. Plan ahead of time and tote pre-planned pages. Stash photos, coordinating papers and embellishments in sheet protectors in a three-ring binder. Keep tools like scissors, glue and punches in a small plastic case.

Crafters with little storage space should consider Iris carts, the rolling organizers with drawers. Simply roll the cart into a closet after you are finished. Rolling carts come in a variety of sizes. Some are sized to fit just underneath a standard height table and have containers that keep your supplies organized and easy to find.

If you have limited space, you might consider converti ng a closet into a scrap station. Use existing shelves to hold paper supplies and a piece of wood laid across a few large 4 -drawer carts to make a desk.

Take advantage of your dining room table or add another small table to have room to spread out during your projects. If you seldom use your dining room it may be the perfect solution.

Even if you’re one of the lucky crafters who has an extra room to devote to your hobby, you might still have to share the space with other family members. For instance, if you have young children you might want to devote a space for them to play or craft with you. Create different zones in the room to keep it organized and to make sure you can keep track of your projects. For instance, divide the room into a ‘crafting zone’, a ‘computer zone’, and a ‘homework zone’. It gives each activity its own importance, and helps to keep all supplies in the right area.

There are so many great products that Close To My Heart© offers, that many of us have a wish list that is longer than our budgets will allow us to purchase at one time. So I offer several ways to earn free product!
***
CONNECTIONS CLUB (There is no need to register for Connections Club, I automatically start your membership with your first purchase)

The Connections Club is a customer loyalty program, and works very simply: every time you buy product from ME, I mark it off on your Connections Club card.
When you fill your card ($200US or $270CAN), you earn a reward. The cards are non-transferable, meaning you must buy from me in order to redeem your points with me.
***
I have also found a way for you to be able to purchase it all on a low monthly budget and receive rewards just for doing what you love. As an Independent Consultant, I have created several clubs that will allow you to do just that! Choose the one that fits your personal budget. **NOTE** You earn Connections Club points for all Club Purchases!

**Hostess Club** - 6 members for 6 months buy $25 or more each month.  6***

If you don’t have a new catalog and would like to purchase one, email me or call me. Catalogs are on special this month for only $5.00 including shipping!!!

I have Fall/Winter 2006, Spring 2007 and Summer 2007 books available!  I am also taking pre-orders for Fall/Winter 2007 books that are scheduled to arrive to me August 15th!