What's so great about Studio J?

So, I'm home with a sick little girl today.  Our family was sick-free this winter ... until last night.  It means I'm not getting crafting time in my studio today, but since I have a nice new laptop, I figured I would do a blog post while I keep an eye on my sweetie.  (Don't you hate it when your kids are sick???)

Close To My Heart has a wonderful promotion this month.  It's all about Studio J!

It's no secret that I love Studio J.  I love the simplicity of working with the program and that you can play to your heart's content before spending a penny.  I love that I can work with papers and kits that I haven't purchased, or that were sold before I heard of CTMH.  I also love that I can change the colours of the papers, something that can't be done with classic supplies.  Let me show you what I mean.  Here is a layout I created with the You Rock paper kit:

The dotted paper is actually a purple colour in the classic paper, but I was able to change it to match my photos better.  I loved this layout so much I decided to use it a second time, for photos of my daughter taken on the same day.

The only things I changed were the title and journaling, one Stickese on the bottom right, the colour of the dotted paper and of course the photos.  I did this even quicker by just copying the first layout and then making the changes.

So simple.  So quick.  And I have two layouts of some of my favourite photos of my kids!

Hop on over to my website and try out Studio J by clicking the badge below. 

Remember, the $5 layout sale is only available for the month of March and that means you need to actually purchase your layouts by March 31, at midnight MT.  I don't suggest waiting until then, though, because lots of people will be waiting until the last minutes.  I would hate to have you get caught with slow servers!

Another fun perk:  I'm celebrating 7 years with CTMH this month, so if you order Studio J layouts this month, you'll get a free gift from me as well as be entered in my draws!

Studio J: Altering Stickese

We just finished a great promotion, $5 layouts on Studio J.  So, of course, I took advantage of it.  I'll be posting a few of the layouts I created over the next little while, but I wanted to start with this one.

I created this one using the Wishes and Fishes Boy kit.  I changed some of the paper colours to match my photos better.  These aren't the best photos, but they're the only ones I had of this experience and boy, was it an experience!  As my title says, we had a potty battle.

I really loved the medallion stickese, but it said "My Little Prince", which definitely did not fit with my topic.  So, I changed it.  I wanted to just cover the word "prince" with a small text box with no text, but the background was textured and I didn't think I'd be able to make it look right.  Instead, I decided to cross out the word and add my own.

I created 2 text boxes to do this, working with it really zoomed in.  When I was ready to re-size, I made sure to click all three parts (holding down the ctrl key selects all the items) and sized the whole thing to where I wanted it.  I think it works even better!

Don't be afraid to make the items in Studio J work for you.  I hope you'll give it a try.  It's free to play!  Click here to explore this fun way to "catch up" on those layouts.

Happy Creating!

**Just a little note.  I've changed to comment verification for a little while because I'm getting an obscene amount of spam comments.  I will still be using comment moderating as well.  Hopefully a few days of that will put an end to them.  Please bear with me.**

Cross Canada Blog Hop: It's Our Choice!

Welcome to the Cross Canada Blog Hop!  If you came from Joanne's blog, you're on the right track.  If you have just hopped onto my blog, you can start here and just follow the circle until you get back.  But, if you want to follow us across Canada, please start at the beginning and join Michelle in Nova Scotia.

This month we got to choose anything we wanted!  This is a free-for-all look at all sorts of our favourite products.  I chose to focus on Studio J.  Have you played with this free to use, completely online, no download needed, program? You can go to my website to get started.  It doesn't cost you a penny until you want your layouts printed, so you can play to your hearts content, try out things and see if you like it before paying a thing.  

There are a number of different levels of artwork on Studio J.  You start with your photos, and you can choose an Express Collection or create your own custom layout.  If you choose your custom layout, you go on to choose a kit, pattern, and then kit mix.  Then you can experiment with all kinds of accessories, My Stickese, titles, journaling, and on it goes.  You can spend as little or as much time you like on this part.  Plop your layouts in the cart and Close To My Heart will print them on beautiful 12x12 photo paper and you can pop them in your existing album alongside your paper layouts.  You'll also get jpgs you can use online or for reprinting.  Here's one of my favourite recent custom layouts.  You should be able to click on it to see it larger.

Fun, right?  I chose the papers, turned some of my photos black and white, added the stitching, buttons, ribbon tree made from ribbon tabs and brads, title boxes and journaling.  It took me a while to do all those things as I played with what looked right.  Here's another custom layout.

All I added with this one was the title and my journaling in a text box that was already there.  I chose colours for the papers, and embellishments that were also already there and I was done in about 15 minutes.  

Want to know how to make one of these layouts in about 5 minutes?  At the first step, choose Express Collections.  Right now there are 6 collections of 11 two-page layouts each, with 1 layout perfect for the front and back of an album.  (But I know there are two more collections coming in February!) You can use the entire collection or just pick and choose layouts that work for you.  You simply upload your photos, change the title if needed, and add your journaling.  Done!  Love the layout, but it's not a perfect colour match?  You can change the colours of the papers to fit.  Just remember that you can't change the embellishments or rotate the pages.  Here are a few pages from the Express Collections.

Studio J is a fantastic way to catch up on those stories you really want to scrapbook, but have lost the time to do so.  I'll never give up scrapbooking with my classic supplies, but I am very grateful for this amazing program.  Again, you can check it out here.

That was a long post.  Thanks for sticking around to read it all!  It's time to hop on over Carrie's blog and see what wonderful product she chose to highlight this month.  

And stay tuned, I finished the wreath I started in my last post!  I'll have a post up in a couple of days with all  the details.

Happy Creating!

I'm featured on Studio J!

My "Good Water" layout is being featured on the Studio J blog!  I'm so excited and honoured.  Can't wait to show my daughter.  That's her in the photos.
Check it out here: http://www.studioj.com/blog/post/2012/01/17/Add-Extra-Shine-to-Your-Layouts.aspx
Thanks, Close To My Heart, for making me feel like a million bucks.

My Free Studio J Layout

I completed this layout for free, completely nothing.  It was so fun to create it and play on my favourite online scrapbooking program.

(click on photo to see it larger)

We visited Uncle Rob at the Canadian Forces Base in Trenton on June 5 and I've already got this very fun event scrapbooked.  I love how quickly I was able to finish it.

You've got a few days left to make your free layout.  After it's complete, you can print it the same way you would do your photos for your classic layouts.  Just visit my website and start getting caught up or even just create a layout to celebrate a recent event.

Happy Creating!

Studio J: Free JPGs and a Very Helpful Video

Hello everyone!  Can you believe it's June already?  It's the last month of school which means teacher gifts need to be made, my daughter is now officially 6, summer is pretty much here, and convention is only a month and a half away!  So many things are going on around here right now, I'm pretty busy and my head is spinning.

Close To My Heart knows that it's a busy time of year, so they've come up with a wonderful promotion to help you get some scrapbooking done despite all the other things you need to do. 

For the month of June, create a layout (that's 2 pages) in Studio J and get free jpgs to share your layout online or print it yourself.  You'll get a low-resolution jpg of both pages together, and one high-resolution image of both the right and left pages.  So, that means you can play for free and have a finished product to show off or print!  It's all free, no strings attached.  Go to my website to check it out.

And to get those pages perfect, check out this awesome video to help you put your embellishments in just the right place:

Happy Creating!

Another Great Studio J Video!

Check out all the great things you can do with photos on your Studio J layouts.

Have you played yet?  If not, you can click here.  Just set up an account and get creating in no time!

Happy Creating.

Heading to Toronto soon...

Why am I going to Toronto,  you ask?  Close To My Heart is having a fabulous weekend, called a Regional Celebration, where I will be taking some business classes and creative classes and even participating in a 4-hour crop tomorrow night!  I'll be creating some wonderful artwork.  I can say that because the artwork the corporate team comes up with is always stunning.  Stay tuned here for photos and the like.
In the meantime, I'll share a Studio J layout I made specifically for this weekend.  I don't know why we had to make one, or how they're going to use it, but it was free to make, and so much fun.

Here it is:

Just click on the photo to see it larger.  Can you tell me which paper kit I used?

Happy Creating!

Studio J: video

We're home and trying to get back into the swing of things.  Although, now I'm battling a cold.  My hubby says it must be because our bodies are missing all that glorious fruit we ate last week!

Close To My Heart's creative team has been making these fabulous videos about all kinds of things and I thought I would share this one, all about Studio J and how easy it is to use.  I plan to make some pages about our trip to El Salvador (and Guatemala in November!) using Studio J.

I hope it peaks your curiosity enough to try it out.  You can go here to play for free on my website.  If you want to access everything, purchase a membership and enjoy catching up on your scrapbooking!

Watch for more videos in the future, maybe even one from El Salvador.

A Final Studio J Layout

I know it's been a while since I posted and I blame it on my desire to get published.  You see, my friend, Sarah, got published in Paper Crafts' Stamp It issue (Check out her stunning card on page 61!) and she's inspired me to submit some work as well.  They have a call out for their next Sketches issue so I've been creating some cards to submit.  It's really challenging me to see how I can make my work better and different so it stands out.  So, that's been keeping me from my dear blog friends.

On to my last Studio J layout, at least for now.

I love how easy it is to add embellishments to these layouts.  Here is what it looked like before I added anything to it:

I used the Splash Zone paper kit, but changed the colours to suit my photos a bit better.  Here is what it looks like now:

I know it doesn't look like much has changed, but look closer:

I had lots of fun adding Liquid Glass and Glitz Glitter Gel on the title and patterns.  It adds such a fun look! 

Still haven't tried Studio J?  You have until the end of the month to get a free layout if you purchase 9.  This offer is only available for members, so if you're wondering what that's about give me a call or send an email quickly.  Time is running out!

Happy Creating! And keep your fingers crossed for me!  The deadline is Feb. 28.

Studio J: Don't have it? Studio J it!

There are so many things happening at my house right now, in fact it's felt like that for a few months!  I'm so looking forward to the Christmas holidays, which have officially started now that my kids are off school.  The holidays mean I can take a bit of a breather.  We can have pajama days here at home, take our time in the morning, and there aren't a million things pulling me in all sorts of directions.
Another thing I love about this time is spending time with family.  For the first time we will be able to celebrate Christmas with my husband's family!  They just recently moved to our province, only an hour and a half away.  My family (brother and his family, sister, mom and dad) have always been close.  We get together a lot.
Here is a layout I did of one of those times.  I think it was just a normal Sunday afternoon.  I was staying with my parents because my hubby was in Central America.  (This is before I started going along.)  Since I was there, my brother and his family came for the afternoon.  That almost bald guy is my twin brother.  Okay, he just shaves his head.  ;)  You can click on the photo to see it larger.

This layout is an example of one of the perks to using Studio J.  The paper kit I used is called Zipidee.  I don't own any of the classic Level 2 kit, never have.  But now I have a layout made with it.  I think the colours on this page work perfectly with my photos.  I didn't add much to the page, other than colourize the suggested embellishments.  This one was a pretty quick layout.  

I love scrapbooking the unique relationship my kids have with their Uncle Tony.  He's a pretty crazy guy and did just about anything to get a grin from Nathaniel here, or at least to keep him riveted to his face.

So, what special relationship do you love to celebrate in your layouts?  I'd love to hear about it.

Happy Creating!  (And stay tuned for some blog candy!  I promise it is coming.)

Studio J: Put the Focus on Special Photos

Today as we look at Studio J, I want to share a technique that works very well in classic pages as well.  I'm going to share two layouts with you right off the bat.  The first one was made with Stardust, the second with Tinkerin'.

I am very slowly making my way through my son's first year album.  (Isn't he just the cheeky little monkey?)  My daughter's album is super thick, with lots of pages based around all sorts of different things.  I have learned a lot about scrapbooking since I did her album.  I've learned which photos are needed to tell the story, that you don't have to scrapbook every single little thing, and that you can streamline the process and still produce a layout that is just as memorable and precious.  

These are two of the layouts I'll be adding to his book.  Every month we took photos of Nathaniel sitting in this chair. I've made sure to include one of those photos on each layout.  I was going to an all day crop and so I printed off a bunch of photos to use.  I found them limiting (all in 4x6) and although I was able to make some nice pages, I love these ones so much better!  I didn't have to think ahead of time to print off 8x10s of him in the chair.  I rarely get 8x10s because they're so pricey!  Now, with Studio J, it doesn't matter what size the photos are.  That's one way to focus on those special photos.

Another way I've used on these layouts is to turn only some of them to black and white.  The eye is drawn to those colour photos more.  This is easy to do with digital photos on a computer before you print them.  It also helps eliminate some of the distracting colours if you have photos from a lot of different occasions like I do.  What about those other photos I already printed?  None of them are black and white.  So my other pages have a lot of colour on them.  That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I really love how you can focus on the photos that have matching colours in them or ones you really want your readers to see by using this technique.

Now I have a challenge for you.  Go to Studio J on my website (or your consultant's own site) or use your classic supplies and create a layout to showcase some of your most precious photos.  Then come back here and tell us what you did.  If you can take a photo of it or you order a jpg, post a link to the photo, too.  I think you should definitely do this, especially since it's my birthday, as a gift for me.  Hee, hee.

Happy Creating!

Studio J: Photo Editing is Fabulous!

It's Day Three of our time diving in to Studio J.  I don't know about you, but I have photo editing software on my computer and I love using it, making my photos look so much better.  But if you don't have that option, just upload your photos as they are to Studio J.  Click on the editing icon that shows up when you move your mouse over the photo and you can make your photos shine even better.  The editing section has all the basics, from red-eye to colour saturation to blemish removal.  Then after you've chosen your paper kit and pattern, and you start dropping your photos into your layout, you can zoom in or change the filters to black and white or sepia.  I used the cropping option a lot on this next layout. (Again, some faces are blurred.)

This paper kit, called Expedition, is one I have never owned, and I'll now have a layout made with it!  I had a lot of photos that were taken farther away from the subjects, so as I dropped each photo into a well, I zoomed in.  I prefer to do this kind of thing right in Studio J because then I know the photo will be cropped perfectly to fit the size and shape of the photo well I choose to put it in.  The other thing I did in the layout was to change a photo well to a text spot and vice versa.  The journaling was supposed to go in the bottom right spot, but I really wanted that photo, with all our Blast friends, to go there.  A simple click on those two spots and that's done.  Love that, too!

This kit is perfect for all those zoo photos, that I'm sure so many of you have.  What is it about the zoo that makes us take so many photos?  I always have way more than I can ever use!  These were all taken at the Peterborough Zoo.  It's my favourite, even though it's not very big.  It's the only free zoo left in Canada.  It has a fabulous playground, great animals and a fun little train that only costs $1 to ride.  It's also the place of some of my favourite childhood memories.

What is your favourite zoo?  Where do you love to go with your kids or grandkids?  Leave a comment and let us know!  Then head on over to my website to create a layout about your latest trip to the zoo.

Happy Creating!

Studio J: Changing Your Mind. Easier.

We are discovering Studio J, all over again!  Last time I talked about the new membership option now available in Studio J.  I mentioned the price, but neglected to tell you that the $115 membership lasts for 12 months!  You can also purchase a 3-month membership (with all the same perks!) for $35.  I don't think I mentioned that there is no cap on how many layouts you can purchase in a month, for that fabulous $7.50 price.
We also have the option of purchasing a 5-pack for $73.  This is perfect for a gift.  It includes five 2-page layouts, five Memory Protectors, and free shipping.  If you haven't at least checked it out, what are you waiting for?

Here is my next layout, as promised.

I have had these photos uploaded to Studio J in different projects for quite some time.  I just could not decide what I wanted to do with them.  I wanted to convey the cozy feeling these photos of my kids cuddling on a chair gave me.  I wanted to use the colours in the photos, of course, but I just couldn't rest on one thing.  My initial intent was to make up a layout in Studio J and then create it with my classic products.  I switched out the papers back and forth, changed the pattern around and flipped things around so much.  I ended up with this, using It's a Guy Thing as well as another Magic pattern.  I don't have any of this paper anymore and it's no longer available, so I can't make it with my classic products.  No matter, I still have the layout I want, in the papers I want and no cutting, pasting, or printing photos needed.  Love it!

What is the cozy memory you have that you need to scrapbook today?  I would love to hear about it.  Leave a comment, tell us what it is and what paper you would use to scrapbook it.

Now go play with Studio J!  Better yet, purchase a membership and make those memories last without pulling out all your products.  Click here to go to my website, or contact me today.

Happy Creating!

Studio J: You Have Got to Try It!

I have been saying all along that I just love Studio J.  I've shared some layouts in the past and I've just placed my first Membership order of 10 layouts.  What a deal the membership is!  For just $115, you gain access to some fabulous member-only patterns from Magic and an exclusive kit with a gorgeous school theme.  You also get your 2-page layouts for $7.50.  That's only $3.75 a page.  How many places do you know print 12x12 pages in gorgeous colour on photo paper for that price?  Plus, as a member you get FREE shipping on one order (minimum of 7 layouts) per month.  On top of all that, you get 3 free jpg files of the layouts you've ordered almost immediately, and you have the option of just purchasing a jpg for $3.50 and printing it wherever you want.  If you place an order each month, your membership will have paid for itself in 3 months with the money you've saved!  You can't make 12x12 layouts, with classic supplies for that amount. You save yourself some time and maybe frustration in cutting up your paper, only to discover it isn't working for you.  Oh, and the best part?  You can play to your heart's content without spending a dime.  Yup, you don't have to purchase a thing in order to create.  You only pay when you're ready to print your artwork.  The memberships even count towards monthly promotions and stamps-of-the-month.

Okay, now that I've got you all curious and anxious to try Studio J, here's my first layout.  Just click the photo to see it larger and get all the details.  (The photos look a little skewed because I warped the faces of the other kids.)

This is one of the member-only patterns, with Class Act, a member-only, Studio J-only paper kit.  I changed a couple things with this layout.  The light blue isn't a colour in the kit, but since I can choose any colour from our palette I changed it to Sky to better match my daughter's sweater in a lot of these photos.

Stay tuned to my blog because I'll be posting the rest of my layouts here over the next little while.

But, in the mean time, visit my website here, click on Studio J Online Scrapbooking and start playing.  Leave a comment with your favourite part of this program or what type of layout you completed.  I'd love to hear about what you're creating.

Happy Creating!

Studio J Goes Live Tomorrow!

It's finally time.  Studio J will be going live to everyone, including you, tomorrow morning at 8am mountain time, 10am eastern!  You will now get the chance to create your own beautiful studio layouts in no time at all.  Choose those photos you took just yesterday and get them scrapbooked! 
How do I get to the Studio J website?  Just go to my website, simplycreating.myctmh.com, and you'll see a link to Studio J.  I'm not sure where it will be, but when I do, I'll edit this post to add that information.

Need some incentive to check out this amazing new product?  The first five customers (sorry, no consultants allowed!) who can tell me their favourite part of Studio J, will win a card handmade by me!

Please note that my website will not be accessible from midnight to 8am mountain time tomorrow morning to prepare for the Studio J "roll-out"!

Have fun!
Happy Creating!

It's Almost Studio J Time!

As consultants, we've been playing with Studio J for a little while.  I just love it!  I'm getting so much scrapbooking done.  I've completed some 2-page layouts in about 15 minutes.  I am normally a very slow worker when it comes to scrapbooking.  It takes me a while to choose which photos in particular to use, unless I don't need to worry about that step because my layout is for club and I'll add photos later.  Then I need to choose papers and try to picture what each paper would look like on my layout.  I change my mind so many times!  Then I have to choose the right pattern and once I get things cut, choose the right embellishments.  It can take me hours!  So 15 minutes for a layout was mind-blowing to me. 
These layouts look fabulous when printed.  You'd actually have to run your hand over it to realize that those brads aren't actually real brads.  Of course, you can always add your own "real" embellishments afterwards for a mix of online studio and classic.
Here's a sneak peek of a couple layouts I've made that I just love.  Just click on the images for a closer look.

One of my favourite features is that you can re-size the My Stickese to fit whatever you need, which is what I did with the kite, and the innocence and play images.

This is my favourite one so far.  I don't actually own any of this paper pack, for some reason, and so had fun playing with it on Studio J.  I can't wait to see it in person!

Stay tuned for more project examples (I'm working on our El Salvador trip right now!) and to find out when you'll get the chance to play with this great online digital scrapbooking program.

Happy Creating!

Something fabulous is coming...

You have got to go to www.studioj.com and check out what Close To My Heart is going to be selling in the spring! To give you an idea, Studio J is a FREE online software that allows you to create digital scrapbook layouts with CTMH's fabulous products! I'm looking forward to playing with it to help me plan my classic (paper) layouts and also to create beautiful layouts in a short amount of time. You only pay if you want to print them out. And they'll be printed on our amazing cardstock. There are lots of options using our exclusive 2-page patterns from Cherish and Imagine. Curious? Want to know more? Go to studioj.com and watch an introductory video!