Just a Few Reasons Love Studio J.....

Have I told you before that I love Studio J?!?   Okay, I know I have, but I do.  Close to My Heart's online scrapbook program Studio J is the best and so user friendly.   

Recently I created a series of layouts for our family reunion celebrating my Grandparent's 70th Wedding Anniversary. We created a scrapbook of memories, stories and pictures from everyone in the family.  Here are the layouts I created for our family with several reason why I chose Studio J over all other digital scrapbooking programs.  Please click on each photo if you wish to see the layout more closely.   

1. First of all, Studio J has a huge selection of current and retired CTMH papers to choose from.  As well as exclusive papers you can only find on Studio J.  I used the retired Mayberry papers to create our pages.  

2. Studio J is not just for current photos taken with digital cameras.  It accepted and printed beautifully all the old photos I had.  I love how nice the old picture of my Grandparents on the 1st pages looks.  In addition to old photos, you could also scan children's drawings/artwork and add jpegs from the internet. 

 3.  I love the additional "Stickese" embellishments Studio J has to spruce up any layout.  How about that simple stitch around the boarder as well?   

 4.  It was easy to make sure each page coordinates with next using Studio J.  When creating an album with the same paper, Studio J allows you to have several layouts in a file where you can view individual thumbnails at the bottom of the screen.  Try it out to see what I mean.  

 5. Studio J now allows to you to add additional photo wells to your layouts.  That way you can add all the photos you need and personalize your layout just the way you want.  I added an extra photo to the layout below to make it just right.  Can you tell which one was added?  

 6.  I love the "Quick Title Tool"  that allows me to create titles specific to each layout.  I used the quick title tool to write Grandma and combined it with some journaling to create the perfect title.  

 7.  As well as photos, Studio J also allows you to add as many jounaling boxes as you need.  When trying to incorporate 70 memories, this came in very handy.

 8.  I love using the toggle embellishments that are automatically added to each layout you create.  You can turn them off, or use them.  I like to see them as use them as a guide for my stickease and embellishments.  

 9. Have I told you about the stickease stickers?  I know I talk about them a lot, but they are great and can easily be edited and manipulated.  See the balloon in the layout below.  I made it using the bottom of a pear and added some banners to make it look realistic. 

 10.  As you can see you can create beautiful pages using Studio J, but what makes it even better is that you can make more than one copy of each layout.  If I would have made these pages traditionally, my Grandparents would have gotten the only copy.  Using Studio J, each one my siblings can now have a copy of the layouts and the snippet of memories we put together to honor our grandparents.  Recreating these pages traditionally would take hours, with Studio J it takes just a few clicks of the mouse to order more copies.    

Studio J is every bit as rewarding as traditional scrapbooking.  Give it a try here.  

~Amy

Hurry! Only a Few Hours Left.....

There are only a few more hours left to get your Studio J layouts for only $5.00.  That is only $2.50 per page.  This offer is good until 12PM mountain time today, March 15th.  Get started now and order your layouts today.   Here are a few of my favorites I created.   

Click on the Studio J link here to get started!

One More Day to get your Free Studio J Layout

There are so many options and patterns to use in CTMH's Studio J that every layout you create will be unique and different.  It is so easy to customize your layout to fit your pictures and capture that special moment.  Below is an example of how the obvious "Moonlight" Hallowenn papers can be used both for Halloween and Thanksgiving....really any occation you want to remember. 

Remember to get your Studio J order of at least 10 layouts in by tommorrow at 12PM Mountain time to recieve your free layout.  You pay for 9 and get the last layout free.  Order up to 40 layouts and get 4 free. 

Studio J...a Layout for any Occasion

Have I told you how much I love Close to My Heart's online scrapbooking sight, Studio J?  Well I do.  There are so many paper and layout options that make the creative process so fun and exciting.  The options are endless.  I love to use Studio J for holidays, birthdays, and everyday life.  Here are just a few examples of some of the layouts I have created.  

I love how easy it is to create just the right layout for both my son and daughter.  

 

Make sure to take advantage of October's Studio J promotion.  Place a Studio J order by Wednesday, October 31 and recieve 1 free layout when you order 9 layouts.  You may get up to 4 layouts free.  Create your online account now and start playing.  Studio J is free to use, until you decide to purchase a layout.  Whats the delay!  Give it a try!

~Amy

 

Studio J Express Kits

Have you tried Studio J's Express Collections yet?  The talented designers at Close to my Heart have already done all the work for you.  All you need to do is add your pictures, some journaling and voila, you have a beautiful layout in literally minutes. 

Here is a "First Day of School"  express layout I created of my son's first day.  Everything was already designed and created for me.  I picked and added my favorite photos, added red mats, changed the brads to red and added journaling.  It really only took me about 10 minutes and I was finished and I didn't even make a mess.  I created it leisurely while sitting on my couch watching TV.  Has scrapbooking ever been so easy?  

(click on the layout to enlarge)

Try out Studio J's Express Collection. Go to my Studio J webpage, create an account and get started.  Make sure to click on Studio J's Express Collection and try one of these easy layout today.  

While your at it, take advantage of Close to My Heart's October promotion.  Create and order 10 layouts and get one of your layouts free.  That is purchase 9 layouts, get 1 free.  You can get up to 4 layouts free.  Hurry, less than one week to get this awesome deal.  

Final Days for Studio J Promotion

Only a few more days to get this amazing deal on Studio J layouts.  Order a Studio J 5-pack for $55 (no shipping charge) and receive another 5-pack free.  What a great value!  Only $2.75 per page, pictures, embellishments, buttons, ribbon and more included on your printed page (of course all digital).  Plus the pages blend nicely with your traditional paper pages and are not at all bulky.  I love it!  If you have always wanted to try online scrapbooking, now is the time to get your 5-packs and try it.  Don't wait, the offer is only good thru Wednesday, February 29th. 

Remember, in December when I said I wanted to create a layout a day to document our Christmas celebration?   Didn't think I would do it?  Well, thanks to Studio J I completed a layout for all our special traditions and celebrations.  I have complete up to Christmas Eve, and just need to finish the rest of the month.  Thanks to this great February offer I was able purchase 10 prints at a better price than I get with my Studio J membership.  Here are a few of the layouts I made for my 2011 Christmas Album.  Feel free to click on them to see them larger.          

Please let me know if you have difficulty purchasing your 5-pack or need help registering and/or getting started.  I am always happy to help.  I would even be willing to give and individual tutorial to local friends who are interested. 

~Amy

Scrappy Creations Class for March

Scrappy Creations Class

Thursday, March 8th at 7PM

Make this adorable springy layout and 4 cards using the new Lucy Paper Pack from Close to My Heart.  These are perfect for Easter, Springtime, Mother's Day and more.   



Let me know if you would like to participate in this class no later than Sunday, February 26.  Choose one of the following packets and arrange for payment, so that I may order them in time for class on March 8th. 

  

Workshop on the Go Kit-$35.14 (Includes-Lucy Paper Pack, Lucy Workshop Stamp Set/Size C, Lucy Compliments Glittery Rub-Ons and Bitty Sparkles)

Basic Kit-$11.69 (Includes only the Lucy Paper Pack)

Basic Plus Kit #1- $17.48 (Includes the Lucy Paper Pack and Lucy Compliments Glittery Rub-ons)

Basic Plus Kit #2- $15.14 (Includes the Lucy Paper Pack and Bitty Sparkles)

Complete Kit- $20.95 (Includes the Lucy Paper Pack, Lucy Compliments Glittery Rub-ons, and Bitty Sparkles)

Can't make it to class, but still would like to create these cute projects.  Order the Lucy Paper Pack or the Lucy Workshop on the Go and I will send you complete instructions to create the above layout and cards.

These additional products may also help to finish your projects more completely;

Lucy Compliments Glitter Rub-ons

Bitty Sparkles

Creme Brulee Ink Pad

Blush Ink Pad

Grey Wool Ink Pad

Round Sponge

***These supplies may be ordered from my website and delivered directly to your home.  Please note that the price of individual orders may be different from class costs due to the price of direct shipping. 

     

 Always wanted to try Studio J online scrapbooking?  Make sure you take advantage of this month's special. 

Purchase a Studio J 5-pack and get an addtional 5-pack for free.  That equals 10 Studio J layouts for only $55.00.  Only $5.50 for one two page layout, $2.25 per page.  That is a fantastic buy.  Don't miss out!  This promation will only be available through February 29th. 

~Amy

Studio J. Basics

Get started on your perfect 10 with Studio J. Create an account and get started now. Below is a short instructional video on how to use Studio J.

Good Luck! Go here to get started today. 

~Amy

Picture Perfect

 Have you always wanted to scrapbook and organize your family photos?  Why not set a new year's resolution to save family memories using Close to My Heart's online scrapbooking tool, Studio J.  It is super easy and mess free.  Simply log in to the website and create gorgeous pages online.  Become a Studio J member this month and receive 1 layout free when you purchase 9.  Hurry, this offer ends January 31st!  As a member your 2 page layouts are 50% off, you receive free jpegs of all your purchased layouts to share online or make copies at Costco, plus you get free shipping 1 time per month on up to 20 pages, as well as free page protectors to hold your layouts in scrapbooks.  The savings and freebies definitely pay for the membership fee.  Please try out this awesome program here.  You will not be charged until you decide to purchase a layout.

Check out some of my Studio J. layouts below.  Feel free to click on the images to see them larger.     

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like a personal tutorial with tips and techniques for getting the most out of Studio J. 

~Amy

Tradition #1

As it would go this time of year, I am a day late and a dollar short.  I am already behind on blogging my 12 tradtions of the holidays our family enjoys.  We have already experienced several traditions so far this year, and I hope to be able to blog them soon.

Tradition #1 is new.  I plan to start it this year and hope to continue in the years to come.  I am going to make a December Daily Album.  I read about this idea on the Studio J Blog and thought it was a fabulous idea.  With both my chidren finally understanding Christmas and with the daily excitement that completely engulfs our home, I thought this would be a perfect year to start this tradition. 

The goal of this album is to create a layout or journal a special memory for each day for the entire month of December or at least the 25 days leading up to Christmas.  Normally this would be an outlandish project that I would never even dare to complete.  But with the simplicity and ease of Close to my Heart's Studio J  this seems like a fun project to work on during this cold snowy month.

I will probably not create a page for everyday, but will try for most.  I like this challenge as it reminds me take more photos and to bring my camera with me to even the smallest of events (i.e. shopping at the mall, going for a walk, doing our nightly advent).  This most likely won't become a yearly tradition, but more like a project to complete every 3 to 5 years.  I look forward to creating these albums and seeing how our traditions change or stay the same as the children grow older.

I will share a few of my favorite pages at the end of the month.

Happy Holidays!
~Amy  

To Tell a Story

I have told you enough how much I love Studio J, well I do!  This week's  Heart 2 Heart challenge gave me yet another chance to tell you.  The challenge was to create a layout and share a layout that tells a story.  Studio J is so convienet and easy it allows me to document and tell all sorts or stories that I probably wouldn't have in the past.  Here are a just few examples of how you can use Studio J to tell a story. 

1.  Capture the ordinary in a layout.  Daily activities are great memories to preserve.  Yes it is fun to scrap pages for birthdays, holidays and special occasions, but sometimes the ordinary can turn into a special momento to help you reminince. 

This layout is one of my favorites.  I have shared it previously but I love how my daughter's pink shirt just pops with these beautiful but subtle Sonoma Papers.  I was inspired one day while my kids were wrestling in the yard to create a layout of just that, the kids playing.  This is something they do a lot and really is not that out of the ordinary.  I took a few pictures and then later that evening I was able to create this layout and journal about what good friends they are.  I love the embellisment clusters and the simple photo layout.  It is perfect to capture a brief moment in our family history that I might otherwise would have forgotten.        

 2.  Document a Daily Routine in a Layout.  Daily routines my children once had are also fun to document and write about.  It helps to remind of of who they were when they were so tiny. 

3.  Use quotations as a title.  I love to use actual quotes for titles as a reminder of sweeter times that our little one has now out grown.  Quotes help to create the theme of the page and give directions for pictures to use in your layout. 

This layout shows how my daughter use to run in the morning get the newspaper with Daddy, yelling "wait for me!"  Now that she is few years olders, she no longer rushes to help her Dad in the morning.  It is something I think both her Dad and I miss.  I am glad we have this layout.   

 4.  Document moments in History.  Not that this is a huge history making moment, but the snowfall we had in 2008 where is snowed over 100 inches in the month of December is definately a fun memory and fact to add to any scrapbook. 

Other than special occasions, what are your favorite pages to scrap about?  Leave a comment letting me know.  Excited to hear your ideas!
~Amy

Winning!

Don't worry, there is no tiger blood involved or drug induced rants.  I have just been on somewhat of a lucky streak lately and wanted to share my latest news.  Every time a new Close to My Heart catolog is released there is a "Make if From Your Heart" contest for consultants to enter and showcase some of their artwork with the new products.  You guessed it, I was chosen as a winner for the Mischief Level 1 with this fun Studio J layout.      

The Mischief paper pack was created to be the "Halloween" paper pack with lots of fun patterns in black and orange.  With the versitility of Studio J, I was able to change the primary black patterned paper to Honey and Chocolate which fit well with the fall corn maze theme.  I was happy and proud to be chosen, plus I won some product credit, so that is always great! 

Check out my layout and other winners here.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Amy 

Summer Moments with Studio J.

Just wanted to share a few new layouts I created with Studio J, using the new paper packs from Close to My Hearst 2011 Autumn/Winter Idea Book.  These layouts were so easy to create and only took me a few minutes to create (well maybe a little longer, but just an hour or so while the kids napped).  I was able to capture special memories from this summer almost immediately.  

The layout below was created using Sonoma papers and the pre made Picture Perfect Kit from Studio J.  I used the Stickease Embellishments within Studio J to create the title, flower and button embellishments. 

This layout was created using the Elemential paper and the Studio J premade kit called Close Up.  I love how the blue buttons and letters add a bright splash of color to this layout.  The word PIZZA was created using an individual title square for each letter. 

Try out the new papers and see just how fun creating scrapbook layouts online can be.  Click here to start now!

~Amy

P.S. Click on the image to make it larger. 

"Racoons"

Wanted to share one of my recent Studio J layouts and a fun idea for a summer science experiment.  Earlier this summer, the kids and I "grew" butterflies.  It was a great experiment and so fun for the kids to watch them grow from tiny caterpillars to butterflies.  It happened so quickly that the kids didn't loose interest and were so excited when the butterflies finally emerged from their chrysalis'. 

 Unfortunately, my camera broke mid-butterfly growing and I had to make due with a cheap disposable camera.  You can definitely tell the difference between the "good" digital pictures and those taken on the disposable camera.  Even though my pictures weren't perfect, I still wanted to make a layout to document this fun experiment and to remember the fun we had studying them.  The point being, even with bad pictures, the layout still looks good and will be fun to look back on regardless.  I have enjoyed Studio J, because it has allowed me to scrap and document memories immediately.  My journaling has more detail and contains fun antidotes that I might not remember if I waited.   

~Amy

I May Have a Problem!

I have a confession to make....I am totally addicted to Close to My Heart's online scrapbooking site, Studio J.  It is so quick and easy and it is mess free.  I love that whenever I have a creative urge, I can simply sit down at the computer and create a simple layout within minutes.  Don't get me wrong, I still love traditional "hands on" scrapbooking, but sometimes when you just have the need to scrap and not a lot of time this is perfect.  

I just ordered a few layouts and thought I would share my favorite one I created from pictures taken several years ago.  I love these pictures of my daughter out playing in the dirt with her cute little strawberry hat and have had these photos printed out ready to go on a layout for a long time, but just have never gotten around to it.  I always had an excuse; the layout wasn't right for the pictures, it didn't have the right colors or there were just too many other important pages to put together instead of this one.   This layout only took me about 45 minutes to create on Studio J.  I am so glad to have this page now and will happily remember this happy time for years to come.     

 I really think Studio J has made me a more confident scrapper.  I have always been nervous to add embellishments or stamp directly on the layout and/or pictures and have always avoided it and just made simple layouts with not a lot of pizazz.  Now, not so much.  Thanks to Studio J, I can play around with my embellishments without fear of ruining my pictures, thus making it easier to do when actually working with paper and photos.   Check out the cute "stickease" flowers I made with ribbon stems.  I think they add the perfect finishing touch to this layout. 

Studio J has really taken my scrapbooking to the next level.  Not only have I made many more layouts than I ever would traditionally, but I have become better at combining colors and patterns, as well as clustering and layering embellishments.  I just can't stop creating with Studio J! 

Tip of the Day:  Don't be afraid to try something new.  I was a little leery about trying online scrapbooking, because I love creating with my hands and didn't think the quality of the printed page would be equal to paper pages.  I was wrong.  They blend wonderfully and just are so easy to create.  I am helplessly hooked!

Please feel free to create a free account and try Studio J for yourself.  Simply click here to get started. 

~Amy

Only a Few More Days......

Like a bargain?  Me too!   Create a scrapbook layout with Close to My Heart's Studio J and receive a FREE JPG of your layout that can be then be printed out at Costco or shared on the web.  Simply go to my website (mnmscrapbooking.myctmh.com), Click on Studio J Online Scrapbooking, then Create an Account to log in.  You are ready to begin.  Start a new project, upload your photos to your secure account and start playing.  What are you waiting for!  Give it a try...there is no obligation to buy and it is a super fun way to scrap.   There is no mess to clean up, nothing for the kids to get into and it is fast and easy.  MAKE SURE YOU ORDER YOUR FREE JPG BY THURSDAY, JUNE 30, BEFORE THIS FREEBIE IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE.  Please don't hesitate to call or email me if you have questions, my contact info is on my website.

 Check out what I made with my freebie.  Click on the image for a larger view.  I just love how simple Studio J is and how perfect these online pages fit right in with my classic "handcrafted" layouts.

Why not, this page also qualifies for this weeks Heart 2 Heart Color Challenge. 

CTMH Sarsaparilla Pages work perfect for this challenge.  I love how the Barn Red and Bamboo papers add to the "Cowboy" feel of the pages and the "Twilight" in the plaid just gives it that extra punch of color.  Check out how I changed the B&T paper to Bamboo to make it blend better in the layout.  Studio J is awesome in that way!

~Amy

P.S.  Make sure you check out my other Studio J projects.  Click on the posts Labeled "Studio J" for my ideas and examples.  You can find the labels on the right hand side of this blog.