Friday, November 15, 2013
Friday, November 1, 2013
Monday, October 21, 2013
Sunday, October 13, 2013
a Place for Her Children's Memories...
This summer, a coworker of mine showed up for work with exasperation as her children were on their way to Mexico (yes - the country) to visit their grandmother and other close relatives on their own for the first time. She was so excited for them, and every day, she'd be on baited breath, waiting for them to call or text her with their daily activities, etc. She missed them sooooo much (but, of course, she wanted them to have a blast!).
Her love for her children and her hope for their enjoyment of their trip to her hometown inspired me to put together this mini album for her. She told me that they were taking lots and lots of pictures, so I gave her room for lots and lots of pictures :).
Take a small peek at the maze of a book I created for her...
Her love for her children and her hope for their enjoyment of their trip to her hometown inspired me to put together this mini album for her. She told me that they were taking lots and lots of pictures, so I gave her room for lots and lots of pictures :).
Take a small peek at the maze of a book I created for her...
As you can see, it has a LOT of room for pictures. I used Kathy Orta Files tutorials to create this mini album, and I am amazed that I can create the entire album, including the cover, from paper, chipboard and card stock. I created the strap that will eventually HAVE to wrap around the album to keep all of her memories together from black DUCK TAPE. For now, it serves as a very decorative closure with the bling flower I pieced onto the clasp.
I hope she enjoys this album as much as I did creating it for her. She inspired me to have a lot of fun!
At the time I created this album, I hadn't yet joined Close to My Heart as an Independent Consultant, so the items I used to put this project together were from Michaels, JoAnn's, and Artco (a local scrapbooking store). I can't wait to create an album using the high quality supplies you'll find inside my Close To My Heart web store.
You, too, can enlist me to create mini albums for you to decorate and fill. I would be happy to create the shell (or album only) for you. You can then shop my Close To My Heart web store for coordinated papers, stamps, inks and embellishments to decorate it yourself! I'd be happy to custom-design a mini-album for you from start to finish as well. Contact me at bzmkng4u@gmail.com to get one started. Together, we can create a place for you to preserve the memories you hold close to YOUR heart.
Stay tuned for more creative inspiration coming your way featuring papers, stamps and inks from Close To My Heart. Meanwhile, visit bzmkng4u.ctmh.com for all of your papercrafting needs.
Until Next Time!
Thursday, October 10, 2013
May This Be the Start of a BOO-tiful Friendship...
Happy Halloween Time, Everyone!
Welcome! I'm bzmkng4u! What a great and wonderful time of year we have in front of us. But wait! You don't even know who I am! Since this is my first blog post, let me give you a little "background" on how I arrived here, and hopefully, you'll be glad that you "arrived here", too!
It's not often we come across a decision that makes perfect sense. When I stumbled across a video on YouTube featuring Mandy Leahy, Independent Consultant with Close To My Heart, I asked myself, "why not?"
I'm a poet. I've been writing poetry ever since I can remember. I still have my first handwritten poems I wrote as a teenager. Yep - some of them are corny, but most have a message and can be related to all different kinds of situations. Through the years, I've given several gifts of poetry to friends and family members alike. Whether it's a framed wall hanging, or in the form of a card, these people in my life always encourage me to "get paid for it". Heck - my Grandma even suggested that I write songs! (I don't think I'm ready for American Idol just yet!). But I love her for loving me that much.
Anyhow, my struggle has always been the artistry that I need to go along with my poetry. I can't paint (oh sure... I'm crafty, so I've tried Donna Dewberry's technique, but it's got its application, and my product just isn't it). I can't draw or illustrate (stick figures til' the cows come home!). So I needed something to grace the covers of my cards. Enter a shadow box and a stylus. I found it.
My cards were now BEAUTIFUL. They were embossed with beautiful designs, some fun, and some serious, but I now had something that fit what I was trying to say. But my fingers hurt. And making more than one was pretty demanding on my poor fingers, so I searched for something different.
Low and behold! I saw an Infomercial for this thing called the Cricut. Not only did I see it, but my whole family saw it and they told me, "you need that!". So I bought one. Not off the infomercial, though. I got mine on Ebay. Ever heard of that store? :)
Several cartridges later, I have gotten the awesome die cuts layered and onto my card covers, but now I need a fun, and sometimes graceful, something to say. In looking through oodles and oodles of stamped somethings to say in my local craft stores, I finally turned to the Internet and YouTube for info on where to get great stamps.
BAM! There was Mandy... telling me how terrific the Artiste cartridge for my Cricut would be, how I can turn my card stock into works of "heart" in just a few easy steps. What's more, I, too, could come to know how profitable the Close To My Heart business can be. Whether I am in it for spare cash for more hobby supplies I can make this opportunity work in whatever way I want. There is no pressure. Work when you want, for how long you want. What could be better? I HAD to join (I wanted the beautiful papers and stamp sets in the New Consultant Kit I would receive when I decided to join)
Little did I know how excited I would be to work this business after signing up. What's so exciting? The opportunity to be in the company of some really outstanding, selfless people, for one. For two, yep, you heard me right. There is no real minimum (kind of, but not really). You can structure your business any way you choose (between clubs, workshops and gatherings), and you get so many ideas for your own crafts, it's just unbelievable.
Am I still making cards? You bet your sweet petooty I am! I've got so many ideas up my sleeve, and Close To My Heart is going to help me with all of them. Get this... you want to make some cards with me? You won't even have to THINK about the papers you'll choose, the embellishments you want to finish it off with. All you'll have to bring is your imagination and a tape dispenser/gun/runner. Are you at all interested?
Subscribe to my blog here, and you will receive notifications of my next card class! They are fun, relaxed classes aimed at getting you more comfortable with the tools and accessories you already own, and show you some tricks for those items offered through my Close To My Heart website you can find right here.
I hope you have enjoyed getting to know me - after first asking yourself "Why am I reading this?" maybe you'll now know where I'm coming from. You can trust my ability to know great quality products at affordable prices, and I do believe that's a great start!.
Please contact me with any questions you might have for me. There are so many I have, and I know who to turn to for answers when I need them. You have it easy. You can just turn to me.
Thank you SO much for joining me here on my blog. I hope you have a FABULOUS day, and one heck of a successful week!
Kindest Regards,
Brenda Zimmerman
Close to my Heart Independent Consultant
Welcome! I'm bzmkng4u! What a great and wonderful time of year we have in front of us. But wait! You don't even know who I am! Since this is my first blog post, let me give you a little "background" on how I arrived here, and hopefully, you'll be glad that you "arrived here", too!
It's not often we come across a decision that makes perfect sense. When I stumbled across a video on YouTube featuring Mandy Leahy, Independent Consultant with Close To My Heart, I asked myself, "why not?"
I'm a poet. I've been writing poetry ever since I can remember. I still have my first handwritten poems I wrote as a teenager. Yep - some of them are corny, but most have a message and can be related to all different kinds of situations. Through the years, I've given several gifts of poetry to friends and family members alike. Whether it's a framed wall hanging, or in the form of a card, these people in my life always encourage me to "get paid for it". Heck - my Grandma even suggested that I write songs! (I don't think I'm ready for American Idol just yet!). But I love her for loving me that much.
Anyhow, my struggle has always been the artistry that I need to go along with my poetry. I can't paint (oh sure... I'm crafty, so I've tried Donna Dewberry's technique, but it's got its application, and my product just isn't it). I can't draw or illustrate (stick figures til' the cows come home!). So I needed something to grace the covers of my cards. Enter a shadow box and a stylus. I found it.
My cards were now BEAUTIFUL. They were embossed with beautiful designs, some fun, and some serious, but I now had something that fit what I was trying to say. But my fingers hurt. And making more than one was pretty demanding on my poor fingers, so I searched for something different.
Low and behold! I saw an Infomercial for this thing called the Cricut. Not only did I see it, but my whole family saw it and they told me, "you need that!". So I bought one. Not off the infomercial, though. I got mine on Ebay. Ever heard of that store? :)
Several cartridges later, I have gotten the awesome die cuts layered and onto my card covers, but now I need a fun, and sometimes graceful, something to say. In looking through oodles and oodles of stamped somethings to say in my local craft stores, I finally turned to the Internet and YouTube for info on where to get great stamps.
BAM! There was Mandy... telling me how terrific the Artiste cartridge for my Cricut would be, how I can turn my card stock into works of "heart" in just a few easy steps. What's more, I, too, could come to know how profitable the Close To My Heart business can be. Whether I am in it for spare cash for more hobby supplies I can make this opportunity work in whatever way I want. There is no pressure. Work when you want, for how long you want. What could be better? I HAD to join (I wanted the beautiful papers and stamp sets in the New Consultant Kit I would receive when I decided to join)
Little did I know how excited I would be to work this business after signing up. What's so exciting? The opportunity to be in the company of some really outstanding, selfless people, for one. For two, yep, you heard me right. There is no real minimum (kind of, but not really). You can structure your business any way you choose (between clubs, workshops and gatherings), and you get so many ideas for your own crafts, it's just unbelievable.
Am I still making cards? You bet your sweet petooty I am! I've got so many ideas up my sleeve, and Close To My Heart is going to help me with all of them. Get this... you want to make some cards with me? You won't even have to THINK about the papers you'll choose, the embellishments you want to finish it off with. All you'll have to bring is your imagination and a tape dispenser/gun/runner. Are you at all interested?
Subscribe to my blog here, and you will receive notifications of my next card class! They are fun, relaxed classes aimed at getting you more comfortable with the tools and accessories you already own, and show you some tricks for those items offered through my Close To My Heart website you can find right here.
I hope you have enjoyed getting to know me - after first asking yourself "Why am I reading this?" maybe you'll now know where I'm coming from. You can trust my ability to know great quality products at affordable prices, and I do believe that's a great start!.
Please contact me with any questions you might have for me. There are so many I have, and I know who to turn to for answers when I need them. You have it easy. You can just turn to me.
Thank you SO much for joining me here on my blog. I hope you have a FABULOUS day, and one heck of a successful week!
Kindest Regards,
Brenda Zimmerman
Close to my Heart Independent Consultant
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