So, because it’s my birthday, I have a great present for you!! I think this is a fantabulous plan, don’t you?? So, look at this!
Today you will be able to take advantage of the presents!

Here’s how it works: Call or email me between 10:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. and get in on these specials:

The 1st order will get a FREE Marker (your choice of color) with your order of $25 or more!
The 2nd order will get FREE Stardust Glitz Glitter with your order of $25 or more!
The 3rd order will get a FREE package of Mini Medleys with your order of $25 or more!
The 4th order will get a FREE ink pad with your order of $25 or more!
The 5th order will get aFREE Petite Perks stamp set with your order of $25 or more!
The 6th order will get a FREE marker with your order of $25 or more!
The 7th order will get a FREE ink pad with your order of $25 or more!
The 8th order will get FREE Hemp package with your order of $25 or more!
The 9th order will get a FREE Dimensional Element Monogram with your order of $25 or more!
The 10th order will get a FREE package of sparkles with your order of $25 or more!
The 11th order will get FREE Waxy Flax with your order of $25 or more!
The 12th order will get a FREE marker with your order of $25 or more!
The 13th order will get a FREE Level 1 My Reflections kit with your order of $25 or more!
The 14th order will get FREE Create a Shade Pearl Paint with your order of $25 or more!
The 15th order will get a FREE sampling of buttons with your order of $25 or more!
Then I’ll start all over with e-mailer/caller #16!

As a super special, the 21st person will get FREE SHIPPING on their order! If I get 36 orders, I will select one person to receive a D sized stamp set, of your choice, absolutely FREE! IF (I should say WHEN, though, huh?) I reach 100 orders total, I will add another drawing, for any stamp set in the idea book, that the winner will be able to choose. So, not only do you win with every order (and you can order more than one time, you have 2 chances to win more!

If you want to order online through my website for your order, make sure to click the link that will be available on the front page of my site.

If your order freebie is one that has a color option, I will contact you to find out which color you would like. As orders can come in until 9pm, there is the possibility that I will not contact you until the following day for your choice of color.

Also, you DO NOT have to live close to take part in this special! You can live anywhere, and the items will ship to you!

Want to add some more extra special-ness to my birthday month? Sign up to be a consultant with me! I LOVE what I do! I am able to create beautiful cards for people, help moms and grandmas create gorgeous scrapbook pages to log their memories. So, not only do I get to do what I am loving, I get paid to do it, AND I get to find new friends in the process! You have the option to build your own kit now (would have been nice and fun when I started!), with more add ons available too! You will get personal training from me, help from consultants world wide, ideas for artwork available from the wonderful books that we have available, as well as ideas that I can help with, and the other ‘sister consultants’ around you.

If you want to be a consultant with me, just let me know! May 1-31 CTMH is having a special that is AWESOME!! (I haven’t seen it happen in the 3 years I’ve been a consultant) For the month of May, all new consultant kits are half price!! I think that is fabulous!! Perfect reason for you to sign up with me!!

Have a wonderful day! I look forward to hearing from EACH of you today!!

~Michelle

Well, Tomorrow is my birthday! You did hear about my special that I am having, right? Where every $25 order gets something free? It is so much fun! I put the information in my newsletter! If you didn’t get it, make sure to check out my blog tomorrow, as I will make sure to put it up there too!! You want to make sure to place your order tomorrow!!

Today’s feature is going to be . . . . . Studio J!

As many of you know, I do my digital scrapbooking in Photoshop. But not everyone has or even wants to have let alone use, photoshop! CTMH has come out with a wonderful online way to create! You can even try it without creating a username and password (but you will want to when you get done using it!

To use Studio J, go here: Michelle’s Studio J Spot

Once you enter the site (by either creating a username, logging in, or just trying it without those things), you have the option to go to your projects, start a new, or purchase projects. If you are just trying it, you won’t have any projects stored yet, nor will you have anything to purchase. So, click on Create a new project, and name it. The names must be 3 or more letters, just FYI.

Next, you can upload photos, or even skip that part to see what you can do with papers and such, and make photo decisions later. Once uploaded, you will click continue in the bottom right corner of the page.

Next you will get to pick which kit you want to use. One of the great things about Studio J? Is the retired paper packs are still available to use with Studio J! So, if you started a page with Moondoggie, and you don’t have any more of that paper left, you can use Studio J to finish your scrapbook! When you are a Studio J member, you have papers that are available to ONLY members! (they aren’t even printed papers!)

Once you have chosen your kit, you can double click it, or click it once and then click continue. Then you will get to pick your layout design. Every design you find on Studio J, is in one of Jeannette’s books (that I mentioned earlier in the countdown). And like with the papers, there are layouts that are only available to members. Once you have your layout chosen, Studio J will give paper options to you (as to how you want the papers laid out on the pages). You will have some great options to choose from! Sometimes, though, they are not exactly what you want. Just pick what is closest, because you will be able to change the papers, here in a minute.

Now that you have the layout shown to you, with paper and cardstock shown, you can finish your layout. Change papers if you want, by selecting them, then on the left clicking papers, and choosing the paper that you want. Add ribbon and buttons and stickease too! The options are endless!

The great thing about Studio J is that you can save up multiple layouts, and then have them all printed at one time! Another bonus of membership is that you get free shipping on your layouts!

It is definitely something worth checking into! I know you will love it!

~Michelle

Water color pencils! They are fantastic!!

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I used these water color pencils for these cards:

and these cards too!

The brightness of the color depends on a number of things. You can color just the outside, with a fairly heavy line, or you can color the whole thing, lighter, for a more soft/pastel color. You can use 2 different pens to soften the coloring. Both the Aqua pen and the blending pen work perfectly! (I used the blending pen on all of the cards you see above)

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I know that you will love getting these pencils!! Let me know if you want to try them out first!

~Michelle

The versamat is a wonderous thing!

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I put off getting this until semi recently. And I must say, that I should have gotten it MUCH sooner!! This is wonderful because one side is made for cutting things, and the other side is made to be able to stamp on! (that way you don’t have to wonder where your little foam piece is that comes with the stamp set!)

Although, don’t be like me and the first time you use it, not think, and cut on the stamp side! LOL!!!

~Michelle

My stamp organizer has been sooooo handy! (and I need to get a few more!) They hold 15 stamp sets perfectly! They have a handle on them, so that they are travel-able! I have also seen a number of consultant make them into card caddies! How great is that! Now you would be sure to not have bent corners on your cards!

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If you want to make sure to have just enough tools for what you need to do while traveling, this would be perfect to carry them in! You can fit a number of stamps, plus the ink and blocks, as well as scissors, glue, and even embellishments! (I’ve done this often!!)

Definitely a must have!
~Michelle

Only 5 more days left, and then it will be my birthday! I am having fun sharing all of these wonderful tools and products with you! I am in love with all of them!!

Remember, I will be having a sale on my birthday, where EVERY order gets something free! So make sure you call or email me to place an order!

So, today we are going to talk about the My Creations items in the book. I showed you the journal the other day, it really is awesome! And today I am going to show you the cube. I am also going to show you some ideas that some of the other consultants have created with them! (they really are wonderful!)

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This little cube is made of blank chipboard, and comes ready for you to stamp on, distress, or add paper and other elements to!

Wendy made this adorable box with the Sophia paper pack.

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Jen made this wonderful tissue box cover with Mayberry papers!

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And you can see more made by other consultants and customers too, at Big Red Scraps Gallery!

~Michelle

You will see color on the edges of most of the cards and layouts that I share with you on my blog. I get those effects by using CTMH’s texture tools. They are wonderful little tools! You can get the ink coverage and not get your fingers inky!

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You can get different effects from each of them. The white sponge gives a nice solid/soft coloring. The sea foam sponge offers a softer edge, or a dimpled look, depending on how you use it. The stipple brush gives little dots all around, you can get a nice grunge from that one. And the ‘net’ one gives another option for some grungy looking edges!

This is a MUST have in your scrapping toolbox!

~Michelle

Today is all about stickers! Or, rather, Stickease! Every paper pack in the idea book comes with a matching Stickease sticker assortment that matches perfectly!

These are the Fanfare Stickease stickers. What’s nice about the Stickease is that they are thick, like cardstock, not thin like normal stickers that you used when you were a kid! You get two sheets (as seen here) with each Stickease package.

They are perfect to add that little touch to a scrapbook page, or make cute cards with! You should try some today!

~Michelle

While I like to be crafty, sometimes I just can’t come up with an idea on my own. That is where Jeanette’s books come in so very handy! Not only do they have the ‘sketch’, but they also have the cutting measurements, and multiple cards/pages of each design, made with different papers. Sometimes a card might not set off ‘hey, that’s perfect’ bells in one paper, but are perfect in another! Or just spark that ‘hey, this paper would work’ thought!

Jeannette has 5 different books available, check them out! (and if you want to try them on for size first, let me know, and I can get you a sample from any of the books!

Scrapbooking Books:

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Bring magic to your scrapbook layouts using clever interactive techniques. You’ll add hands-on excitment and dramatically increase your photo and journaling space using pop-ups, pull-outs, slides, cascades, and more! Magic™ also includes 35 gorgeous 12″ x 12″ layout patterns that can be used on their own or with the interactive techniques. (DVD included.)

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You’ll love the newly updated Reflections™ program which features 100 12″ × 12″ scrapbook pages. Each layout pattern comes complete with a shaded blueprint, detailed assembly instructions, companion layout guides, photo options, and creative techniques sure to make your memories come to life.

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Create your own 12″ × 12″ designer layouts with Jeanette Lynton’s second volume of incredible scrapbooking patterns. Packed with 50 all new, two-page patterns, complete cutting diagrams, and assembly instructions, plus inspiring techniques, Imagine™ is every scrapbooker’s best friend. Check out the first volume, Cherish™, the book that elevated passion for scrapbooking. Both gorgeous, hardback books feature full-color photos and are coffee-table worthy! (Cherish sold separately.)

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This beautiful new hardbound book is similar to the Reflections programs with blueprints, step-by-step instructions, and photo suggestions, but it’s really in a league all of its own. It is a stand-alone publication that will look simply fabulous on a bookshelf or coffee table. It features 50 12″ × 12″ two-page scrapbook concepts as well as in-depth instructions for unique art techniques, accessory suggestions for every concept, detailed cutting diagrams, step-by-step assembly instructions, a thumbnail index, and all the artwork recipes.

Card Making Books

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Bulk cardmaking, trendy circle cards, and all new patterns make Jeanette Lynton’s latest hardbound, how-to cardmaking book a must-have for your creative library. The three bulk card “workshops” help you make 8, 12, or 16 cards in a jiffy while getting the most out of your papers and your time. The beautiful full-color artwork and creative tips and techniques offer hours of inspiration and fresh ideas.

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Create beautiful handmade cards with confidence using the numerous patterns in our exquisite hardbound Originals™ program. With exact dimensions, fold placement guides, blueprints, and step-by-step instructions, every aspiring cardmaker or crafting pro will love Originals. Feast on the gorgeous, full-color artwork sprinkled throughout the pages and then make cards of your own, simply and easily, with Originals!

I know you will enjoy these books as much as I do!

~Michelle