Get Creative with Mini Albums!

Close To My Heartfavorite place, feet, hometown, ideas, kit, memories, Memory Keeping, mini album, scrapbook, scrapbooking, Story by Stacy, Story Starter, storytelling, Where I Stand, workshop Leave a comment

It’s easy to think that memory keeping needs to be done in a straight, chronological line, scrapbooking your photos as they happen … hopefully, but you can share your photos in many other fun and creative ways. That’s what makes the Story by Stacy™ product line so special. As it’s name suggests, these products invite us to explore the stories behind the photos we take to uncover the details that make them personal and interesting. Story by Stacy™ products encourage us to consider taking a different approach, one that focuses on your unique memories of the subject or topic of your album.

A few weeks ago we shared a handful of ways you can use Story by Stacy™ workshop kits for the holidays. If you missed that blog post, check it out here. Because this month’s special features these amazing kits at a discount, we have a few more ideas for how you can document one-of-a-kind stories in the mini album format with Story Starter. Keep in mind, we’re showing you how to do this with Story Starter, but you could plug these ideas into any scrapbooking format. So many possibilities!

Idea #1: Where I Stand

In this mini album, the storyteller has documented some of the places she’s been, but with a fun twist. All of these photos show shoes and the place where she’s standing. The ground you’ve walked on is also part of our journey. These kinds of photos could be taken anywhere, and in this Story Starter album, sharing the memories and stories about her shoes and where she is gives it an unusual AND intriguing perspective. This is an easy one to take photos for since it could be anywhere—standing at work, in front of your house, on a vacation—literally any place that you go. These types of stories showcase your experiences in a new way, and it reminds you of the places you’ve lived, worked, or traveled.

Idea #2: Happy Places

This Story Starter album is full of photos and memories of places that make this storyteller happy. For her, it’s the beach. Each photo is paired with a memory about what makes these places special, and pops of color are added with the bright colors of the Hello Pumpkin Complements and accents of Sapphire and Mint cardstock to match the photos. This is another fun topic because happy places are unique to you! Think about where you feel like your best self—happy, whole, and content. That’s the perfect subject for a happy place themed album.You could create an entire series of Story Starters just to document the places that make you happy. Or, consider ways you can include other people in this kind of storytelling. You could do a Story Starter album with your family members, highlighting the places that each person loves with a photo and their own stories about that place.

Idea #3: Hometown

Another place you will definitely have stories about is your hometown. A mini album like Story Starter is a great canvas for capturing the things that you love about where you’re from, and the writing process will help you document detailed memories about that particular place. Did you notice what’s on our album cover, “(208)”? It’s an area code! Even the area code is something that’s unique to just that one place. Maybe your hometown is famous for something or has a nickname? As you write your memories and gather photos, think about the community, the landmarks, and even the people. How are those things a part of who you are?
The Story Starter format is also a fun place to try including different kinds of small photos. With the 4″ x 4″ size, you could use small instant photo prints, like we’ve done here, to illustrate your memories.

Feeling inspired to create yet? Just in case you need a few more ideas, take a look at the list below and the examples from Stacy Julian, on her blog.

My Playlist
- Music often plays a part in our favorite moments. Think about your favorite songs and write down why you love them. Then use a photo to illustrate the moment. If you don’t have a photo to pair with the musical memory, try including pictures in other ways. You could take a photo of the album cover or the artist. How you listen to music is also part of the experience. Is it on your phone? A record? A casette tape or CD? You could include those kinds of pictures and stories as well.
Memories about Movies/TV Shows
- Are there shows you like to watch on a weekend? Any movies you never get tired of seeing? Just like how the music we listen to tells us something about the time and place we live in, so do the movies and shows we watch. You can probably easily list some of your top faves, but have you ever thought about WHY you like them? Use the Story Starter writing process to think about the memories you associate with the movies you love.
A Day (or Week) in the Life
- Approach this kind of topic in a new way with Story Starter. Start by first going through the writing portion. Take some time to think about what a day or a week looks like for you. What are the highlights? What are your habits or routines? Do any particular sounds, tastes, or feelings come to mind? Then group those memories together and find (or take) photos to represent them.

Check out these blog posts from Stacy Julian, the Stacy behind Story by Stacy™ products. She used Story Starter albums to tell some fun stories about herself and other memories. Click the links below to learn more about each of these topics.

With all of these ways to share your story, we know you have so much to document with Story Starter! This December take advantage of the great discounts on Story Starter workshop kits and their coordinating stamp sets. Get individual workshop kits and stamps at 20% off the retail price or, because we know you’re going to need more than one, purchase select Story Starter bundles at 30% off their retail price! Not only do these make for great gifts, but they’re an easy way to create timeless treasures with your memories. We can’t wait to see what you create, and when you’re done, make sure you share your story!

Recipes:

Where I Stand Story Starter Album
C1725 My Acrylix^® Simply Said Stamp Set, Z4208 Story by Stacy™ Story Starter Workshop Kit—Dots, X6007 Lagoon Cardstock, X6027 White Daisy Cardstock, Z4230 Candy Apple Striped Ribbon, Z2805 Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z1979 Marvy^® Uchida^® LePen™ Journaling Pen

Happy Places Story Starter Album
Z4209 Story by Stacy™ Story Starter Workshop Kit—Stripes, X5986 Mint Cardstock, X6021 Sapphire Cardstock, X6027 White Daisy Cardstock, X7236E Picture My Life™ Cards—Perfectly Imperfect, X7236C Hello Pumpkin Complements, Z3386 Thin Cuts—Block Alphabet, Z1979 Marvy^® Uchida^® LePen™ Journaling Pen

(208) Hometown Story Starter Album
Z4218 Story by Stacy™ Short Story Workshop Kit—Lagoon, Z4208 Story by Stacy™ Story Starter Workshop Kit—Candy Apple, X6027 White Daisy Cardstock, X7236E Picture My Life™ Cards—Perfectly Imperfect, X7236C Hello Pumpkin Complements, Z4159 Thin Cuts—Block Numbers, Z1979 Marvy^® Uchida^® LePen™ Journaling Pen

Leave a comment

November 27, 2018Create, Learn, Memory Keeping

Treat Yourself to a Deluxe Scrapbooking Experience!

Close To My Heartcreative, deluxe, Hello Pumpkin, partial cut, scrapbook, scrapbooking, technique, Thin Cuts, workshop Leave a comment

There are as many different approaches to memory keeping as there are memory keepers. We celebrate every approach and believe that whatever approach gets your stories told and your memories preserved is the best! For some that means pictures and pocket cards tucked into an Everyday Life™ album; for others it means putting together a pre-cut Cut Above® layout; for others, memory keeping also doubles as an artistic outlet incorporating different crafting techniques on a 12″ x 12″ paper canvas. Deluxe scrapbooking workshops provide this kind of creative experience for anyone who wants to add a little more “oomph” to the pages of their scrapbook.

Our Holiday Expressions idea book introduced the first two deluxe scrapbooking workshops, which featured the Boutique and ‘Tis the Season collection. Earlier this month we released a third workshop featuring the Hello Pumpkin papers used in decidedly non-Halloween artwork. Here, see for yourself:

As you can see, this workshop guides you in the creation of two 2-page scrapbook layouts and two single-page scrapbook layouts, all in the 12″ x 12″ size. Each layout is made using a few papercrafting techniques, such as folding, angled cuts, and creative use of Thin Cuts dies to achieve unique effects. Take this scrapbook page, for example:

There’s a lot happening on this page, but we’d like to draw your attention primarily to the circle and heart right in the center of the page. Here’s a quick look at the technique that went into creating this accent.

Starting with a 2¾” square of Peach cardstock, we used the 2¼” stitched circle die to cut only half of a circle. The trick to only cutting half of a shape is all about how you feed the die through your machine. As you can see in the photo above, only part of the circle is sandwiched between the plates, resulting in a partial cut like this:

Thanks to our beautiful two-toned cardstock, when you fold back the cut part, you get a lightly contrasting color. We then layered this piece over a piece of Ballerina cardstock to add another shade and topped it off with the adorable heart sticker. Neat, right? And that technique is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to our deluxe scrapbooking. Take a closer look at the other layouts you’ll make as part of this workshop:

The helpful instructions that accompany the workshop show you how to replicate each technique, guiding you step-by-step through the creative process. If you’d like to try something new for your memory keeping, we invite you to check out the Hello Pumpkin Deluxe Scrapbooking Workshop, and see what deluxe scrapbooking is all about!

Leave a comment

October 23, 2018Celebrate, Community, Memory Keeping

Sharing the Memory Keeping Vision

Close To My Heartanimals, anniversary, beaver, campaign, canada, celebration, crawdad, crawfish, December, duck, fish, hockey, ice hockey, kits, maple syrup, moose, november, October, outdoor, pond hockey, promo, sale, The Great Outdoors, True North, workshop 1 Comment

We love October at Close To My Heart, not only because of the beautiful weather changes and the fun holidays it contains, but also because it is the month that we celebrate our Canadian friends and our shared vision.

It was in October of 2003 that excited new Close To My Heart Consultants began holding the first-ever Canadian Home Gatherings where the art of memory keeping was shared and taught.

To celebrate this momentous 15-year anniversary with all of our cardmaking and scrapbooking friends, we’ve designed not one, but TWO exclusive stamp sets and workshop kits!

True North Stamp Set #ctmh #closetomyheart #TrueNorth #hockey #icehockey #curling #Canada #Canadian #celebrateCanada #maplesyrup #figureskating #iceskating

My Acrylix® True North

The Great Outdoors #ctmh #closetomyheart #thegreatoutdoors #scrapbooking #cardmaking #wildanimals #wild #wilderness #moose #fish #bear #duck #beaver #crawfish #crawdad #proudlyCanadian

My Acrylix® The Great Outdoors

As you can see, both stamp sets illustrate a few of our favorite Canadianisms, but are so versatile that you don’t have to be Canadian to like them!

The True North workshop kit comes with materials to make two 2-page scrapbook layouts, one stand-alone scrapbook page, and four cards. Follow the instructions to create the artwork exactly as seen here or use the included tips and techniques to change them up and make them all your own. (There is no wrong way to use these tools if they are preserving your memories!)

True North Workshop #ctmh #closetomyheart #TrueNorth #TrueNorthWorkshop #CelebrateCanada #Canada #hockey #icechockey

True North Workshop #ctmh #closetomyheart #TrueNorth #TrueNorthWorkshop #CelebrateCanada #Canada #hockey #icechockey #pondhockey #skates

True North Workshop #ctmh #closetomyheart #TrueNorth #TrueNorthWorkshop #CelebrateCanada #Canada #fall #autumn #scrapbooking #scrapbook

True North Workshop #ctmh #closetomyheart #TrueNorth #TrueNorthWorkshop #CelebrateCanada #Canada #hockey #icehockey #pondhockey #skates

True North Workshop #ctmh #closetomyheart #TrueNorth #TrueNorthWorkshop #CelebrateCanada #Canada #IheartCanada #TrueNorthStrong&Free

True North Workshop #ctmh #closetomyheart #TrueNorth #TrueNorthWorkshop #CelebrateCanada #Canada #fall #autumn #maplesyrup #syrup #cardmaking

True North Workshop #ctmh #closetomyheart #TrueNorth #TrueNorthWorkshop #CelebrateCanada #Canada #hockey #icehockey #pondhockey

True North Workshop #ctmh #closetomyheart #TrueNorth #TrueNorthWorkshop #CelebrateCanada #Canada #fall #autumn #cardmaking

True North Workshop #ctmh #closetomyheart #TrueNorth #TrueNorthWorkshop #CelebrateCanada #Canada #maplesyrup #cardmaking

Are you the outdoorsy, camping, hunting, fishing, wilderness type? Perhaps you are the “memory keeper” of someone who is. Either way, the Great Outdoors stamp set and workshop were designed exactly with you in mind!

The beautiful, intricate details used to create each of the animal designs as well as the deliberate compass and arrow are a must have in any adventurous spirit’s crafting collection!

The Great Outdoors #ctmh #closetomyheart #thegreatoutdoors #scrapbooking #cardmaking #wildanimals #wild #wilderness #moose #fish #bear #duck

Celebrate this joyful Canadian anniversary with us and share the true art of memory keeping with those around you!

If you need help getting started, find a consultant in your area by visiting our website, clicking on the What We Do tab and selecting Find a Consultant.

Leave a comment

October 4, 2018Celebrate, Create, Learn

Halloween Treats with Hello Pumpkin

Close To My Heartconsultant, Halloween, Hello Pumpkin, October, treat bags, trick or treat, workshop 2 Comments

It’s finally October, and you know what that means—Halloween will be here before we know it! And what better way to capture the fun of this delightful holiday than with the light-hearted Hello Pumpkin collection! Just take a peek at these scrapbook layouts to see the brighter side of this spooky night.

In addition to the overflowing assortment of bright colors, there is so much dimension found on every single page of these layouts! Photos are matted and framed with cardstock, glitter paper, and pocket cards. Some photos are layered with stickers. Complements are stacked, customized, and mixed with acrylic shapes. The magic is in the details!

Halloween Treats with Hello Pumpkin #CTMH #CloseToMyHeart #CTMHHelloPumpkin #HelloPumpkin #Halloween #treats #treatbags #diy #scrapbooking #pumpkin #spooky #toocutetospook #toocutetobescary #Halloweennight #happyHalloween #witchinghour #October

And since everyone knows that Halloween is all about the goodies, take a look at these irresistible treat wrappers that you can make with this same collection:

The trick to making these treats is to start them out flat; add stickers and stamped icons to your heart’s content and then wrap them around something tasty. Can you think of anyone who wouldn’t want one of these “too-cute-to-be-scary” treat bags?

For a complete list of materials, cutting diagrams, and assembly instructions for all of these projects, contact your Close To My Heart Consultant. If you don’t have one, let us help you find one! Simply click here, go to the What We Do menu and select Find a Consultant.

These Hello Pumpkin Halloween goodies are guaranteed to bring an extra touch of sweetness to your holiday celebrations!

Leave a comment

October 2, 2018Celebrate, Create

Assembling a Holiday Sparkle Shaker Card

Close To My Heartcard, cardmaking, christmas, cut above, DIY, easy, Holiday, Holiday Sparkle, kit, workshop 5 Comments

Were any of you able to catch our Facebook live yesterday? If you did, you know that it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas around these parts. Yep, you heard right! For the month of October we have an impressive set of holiday shaker cards for you to make and send to all of your favorite people this coming season! The best part—they are so easy to make that you can probably assemble all 12 that come in one kit in less than an hour!

These bright and festive Holiday Sparkle cards are part of our Cut Above^® program, which means you get everything you need to assemble them in one convenient kit: printed card bases, die-cuts, stickers, loose sequins, window foam and acetate, envelopes, and easy-to-follow instructions—absolutely no cutting required! The detailed paper accents that we all love for our handmade cards are included right in your kit!

A shaker card, for those new to the idea, is a card that has a window compartment built into it that holds loose pieces, adding a little extra whimsy to the card design and a lot of fun for the recipient!

So how do the Holiday Sparkle cards come together? Take a look at the steps below to see just how easy it truly is to assemble these festive cards with their glistening windows!

The very first thing you’re going to do is lay one of the printed card bases flat on your working space. Do not fold the card base in half just yet. This will give you a flat surface to work with, which is especially helpful later when you’re adding the loose sequins.
.
Next, carefully remove the outer foam ring from one of the window foam circles and attach it to your card front, on top of the printed circle.

Holiday Sparkle Shaker Card #CTMH #CloseToMyHeart #CTMHHolidaySparkle #shakercard #shakerwindowcard #shakerwindow #cardwindow #cardmaking #holiday #Christmas #sentiments #CutAbove® #CutAbove #diy #warmwishes #holidaymagic #sequins #comfortandjoy #believe

Keeping your card base flat, add some of the loose sequins inside the circle frame you just created.

If you haven’t done so already, peel off the protective layer from the top of the foam tape ring to expose the adhesive.

Remove the protective film from one of the window acetate circles and lay it on top of the foam tape ring.

The last step in assembling the shaker window is to hide the foam frame by layering a faux-stitched circle sticker on top of it.

Now that your window is complete, all that is left is to embellish the card front as well as the envelopes using the included die-cuts, stickers, and any leftover sequins.

You’ll notice that we give you a solid circle of foam tape, not just the outer ring to use in the making of the window. The inside pieces are purposefully included, and pre-cut for your convenience. Use these pieces to attach some of your embellishments for even more dimension.

To add some holiday cheer to the inside of your cards, the My Acrylix^® Love with All the Trimmings stamp set (CC10188) is a perfect companion to this card kit with its many classic seasonal sentiments and designs.

So, what do you think?

With all of the time you’re saving using the Holiday Sparkle Cut Above^® kit for your holiday cards this year, you’ll have more time to spend on some of your other holiday projects! But you better act fast! These kits and its supporting stamp set (Love with All the Trimmings) are only available until the end of the month, while supplies last. We’ve got a feeling that they are going to be flying off the shelf, so make sure to get yourself at least one kit while you still can!

Your loved ones will surely be impressed when they receive a Holiday Sparkle card and find out that it is handmade! They don’t have to know how easily it comes together—that can be our little secret!

Leave a comment

September 27, 2018Create

A Look Inside Deluxe Workshops Your Way®

Close To My Heart'Tis the Season, boutique, deluxe, elevated art, Holiday Expressions, mixed media, texture paste, workshop, workshops Your Way 1 Comment

One of our favorite things on the blog is getting to share new ideas and products with you, and today is no exception. Drum roll please … let’s talk about the new Deluxe Workshops Your Way^® scrapbooking kits!

Deluxe Workshops Your Way^® scrapbook layouts are designed especially for those of you looking to include more artistic techniques in your scrapbooking. With a Workshops Your Way scrapbooking kit and the Deluxe workshop guide, you can make three 12″ x 12″ layouts using additional tools or techniques. This means we could introduce you to products or techniques you might never have used before, and that’s exactly what we’ve done with the Boutique Deluxe Workshops Your Way^® for scrapbooking. You’ll use mixed media, stencils, and the Sugarplum shimmer brush to add extra sparkle and texture to your layouts!

Deluxe Scrapbooking Workshop #CTMH #CloseToMyHeart #WorkshopsYourWay® #scrapbooking #scrapbook #deluxe #elevatedscrapbooking #texturepaste #shimmerbrush #CTMHBoutique

Boutique Deluxe Layout 1

Boutique Deluxe Layout 2

Boutique Deluxe Layout 3

To make these layouts, simply purchase a Boutique Workshops Your Way scrapbooking kit and some additional items. Each scrapbooking kit includes instructions for two different sets of layouts, either the classic Workshops Your Way layouts or the Deluxe layouts that feature the Sugarplum shimmer brush and opaque matte texture paste. Just pick the set of layouts that works best for you, or get two kits, plus the additional supplies, and make all six!

Some of the additional materials for the Deluxe pages are included in a discounted product bundle. With Boutique, you can purchase the Sugarplum shimmer brush, opaque matte texture paste, palette knives set, and stencil sheets pack in the Boutique Deluxe Bundle at 10% off the retail price!

For a taste of what you’ll find in this workshop kit, take a closer look at the third deluxe layout. To make this this layout, first cut out a stencil from the stencil sheets using your Cricut^® machine and an image from the Cricut^® Artistry collection. Then position the stencil on the base page and smooth a thin layer of texture paste over it with a palette knife. The more texture paste you use, the more dimension you’ll have on your page.

Deluxe Scrapbooking Workshop #CTMH #CloseToMyHeart #WorkshopsYourWay® #scrapbooking #scrapbook #deluxe #elevatedscrapbooking #texturepaste #mixedmedia #stencil #CricutArtistryCollection #CTMHBoutique

If this is your first time using texture paste, try experimenting with how much to use on a scrap piece of paper before applying it to your layout’s base page. The texture paste is much thicker than it looks when you apply it over a stencil. A small amount smoothed on top of a stencil will still give you great dimension and texture.

Once you’ve applied your texture paste, don’t forget to set your page aside to dry before continuing to assemble your layout. You can easily clean your stencil sheet with water and a paper towel, or even with a baby wipe, to use again later. (Make sure, as you finish, to close the lid to your texture paste to prevent it from drying out.)

Your final result will look like what you see above from each of the three deluxe Boutique layouts. With this kit, you’ll also experiment with using just the shimmer brush behind the “Love” title. Then you’ll try adding color to the texture paste by mixing in some of the ink from the shimmer brush and applying the paste over a stencil.

If you love the elevated look of these deluxe Boutique layouts, take a peek at the other deluxe Workshop Your Way layouts from Holiday Expressions using the ‘Tis the Season paper collection. The ‘Tis the Season deluxe workshop guide shows you how to include stitched circles Thin Cuts and stamping techniques on three layouts, perfect for preserving the special memories you’re sure to make during the holiday season.

Deluxe Scrapbooking Workshop #CTMH #CloseToMyHeart #WorkshopsYourWay® #scrapbooking #scrapbook #deluxe #elevatedscrapbooking #snow #December #Christmas #holiday #CTMHTistheSeason

‘Tis the Season Deluxe Layout 1

‘Tis the Season Deluxe Layout 2

‘Tis the Season Deluxe Layout 3

For those of you new to memory keeping, you always have the option to use the Boutique or ‘Tis the Seasons Workshops Your Way scrapbooking kits to make three beautiful layouts, but we know that some of you are looking to spend a litle more time and apply some additional tools and techniques to your art. Deluxe Workshops Your Way^® give you the option to do just that, and to learn some new artistic memory keeping skills as you go.

Leave a comment

September 8, 2018Celebrate, Create, Memory Keeping

Surprise Giveaway from Stacy Julian!

Close To My Heartgiveaway, Memory Keeping, scrapbooking, Short Story, Stacy Julian, Story by Stacy, surprise, workshop 1,043 Comments

Stacy Julian wants to make your weekend with a surprise giveaway!!! Find out how to win a new Story by Stacy™ Short Story workshop kit below!

You have until 11 a.m. (MDT) Sunday, September 9, to enter the giveaway. Winners will be notified by email on Monday.

Good luck! 😉

Leave a comment

May 22, 2018Memory Keeping

Stamping with Story Starter

Close To My HeartColorful Textures, journaling, Journalling, kit, Memory Keeping, mini album, Quoteable Words, Stacy Julian, Story by Stacy, Story Starter, storytelling, workshop 2 Comments

Telling stories is what Story Starter is all about. This first workshop kit in the Story by Stacy™ product line walks you through the process of recalling detailed memories, writing them down, and then organizing them into small stories to pair with photos.

Story Starter albums get even better when you add stamping to your story cards with the Colorful Textures and Quotable Words stamp sets. These stamp sets are designed especially to work with the stories you tell in these albums, and today we are giving you some ideas for how you can use the Story Starter workshop kit with its coordinating stamp sets to personalize your written memories.

Stamping Story Starter #ctmh #closetomyheart #ctmhstacyjulian #ctmhxstacyjulian #ctmhstorystarter #stamping #quoteablewords #ctmhquoteablewords #colorfultextures #ctmhcolorfultextures #MyAcrylix #stamping #stampset #journaling #journalling #stacyjulian #minialbum #album #stories

My Acrylix® Colorful Texture Stamp Set

My Acrylix® Quoteable Words Stamp Set

Using Colorful Textures

There are so many ways you can include splashes of color on your story cards. With the Colorful Textures stamp set, you can stamp simple images to match each story and photo in your Story Starter album. Shapes like hearts and stars fit perfectly next to words on your story card.

These shapes can also be used to decorate your quote cards. With one solid and one outline circle, small touches of color make your quote cards more interesting and unique to you.

Colorful Textures includes a few words that can be used to make short phrases. You can see we arranged the words to stamp the phrase “I LOVE the way YOU” on our story card. Build your phrase on a My Acrylix^® block, like we did. Leave one word out. Stamp the phrase with Black ink, and then stamp the missing word in a different color.

Using Quotable Words

The Quotable Words stamp set gives you many options for stamping phrases or quotes on your story cards. You can use these images to personalize your story, or you can even incorporate them into how you write your memories on the story cards.

This story card makes use of the checklist image and “the BEST things:” sentiment to create a repeatable format for each story card in the album. Stamp your images in a different color on each story card, like you see here, and then write your memories from your Story Starter workbook in a list on each story card.

Using the Stamp Sets Together

Not only are these stamp sets designed specifically for Story Starter, they are also meant to work together. You can combine words and textures to create story cards that coordinate with your story and photos. Every card could be different, or you could use a repeatable element on each card.

Mix the solid shapes from Colorful Textures with a sentiment from Quotable Words to create borders on your story cards. You can use longer shapes along the edges of your card and stamp a phrase in the middle.

As you write your stories, don’t forget you can use the lined or blank side of your story card. The story doesn’t have to fill the entire card. If you have extra space, fill it with a combination of images from Colorful Textures and Quotable Words, or you can intentionally leave some white space as you write your memories down.

Stamping on your story cards can happen before or after you complete your writing. In the video, you can see that stamping first lets you organize your memories in creative ways, and it took no time at all! If you choose to write your story first, then stamp with a light color of ink over your words to highlight a particular phrase, or use smaller shapes to stamp around the edges.

Your written words and the photos that go with them are the most important part of your Story Starter album. You can see above that the story is complete with or without stamped images. By including stamping, you can make your album your own, add fun pops of color, and highlight the parts that are the most significant to you.

Your style is unique, just like your story! Story Starter helps you uncover those stories stuck in your memory bank, write them down, and share them in fun, easy ways. With the Colorful Textures and Quotable Words stamp sets, you use your own creativity to add personalization and color to your Story Starter album.

Leave a comment

May 8, 2018Create, Learn, Memory Keeping

Storytelling with Story Starter

Close To My Heartkit, Story by Stacy, Story Starter, storytelling, workshop 9 Comments

Today’s blog post comes from our beloved friend, Stacy Julian! Stacy is a recognized leader in the scrapbooking industry. She is the founding editor of Simple Scrapbooks magazine and the visionary founder of Big Picture Scrapbooking. After getting her initial start into the papercrafting world through Close To My Heart, Stacy is coming “home” to combine her ideas and training into the Story by Stacy™ product line! We could not be more thrilled about this partnership!

For as long as there have been human beings, human beings have been telling stories. Stories are how we connect, celebrate, and remember. Stories organize our thoughts, experiences, and beliefs for sharing. Stories are how we pass down personal histories. Stories teach, motivate, and inspire. We understand who we are and what we are capable of because of the stories we tell ourselves. Storytelling is a powerful force for good. I know you know this, but even as memory keepers we can lose sight of the importance of documenting stories—and sometimes we make it harder than it is.

Hello. I’m Stacy Julian.

I’ve had the pleasure of working in the scrapbooking and paper crafting industry for a very long time and I’m beyond thrilled to be partnering with Close To My Heart on a new line of Story by Stacy™ products designed to help people discover and document their stories. This is my first foray into product design and, while I am having a blast with all of that, what I truly love most about Story by Stacy™ is the education and training that is a part of the products we are developing. I’m so excited to work with Close To My Heart Consultants and to learn from them as we share the joy of preserving personal stories with all of you.

Our very first product and program is called Story Starter. The Story Starter kit is designed to show you how simple it is to access your unique and valuable memories. When we scrapbook, we tend to believe that the story of a relationship, a special place, or a meaningful experience is in the pictures we take, but that’s not entirely true. While pictures are wonderful illustrations, the full story is inside of YOU and it takes just a few minutes to invite it out to play.

As you learn and practice the Story Starter process, you’ll be amazed at what you can remember! AND as specific details surface in your mind you’ll be able to pair them with photographs that you might not otherwise choose to use in an album. When you start with the story, the result will be a more genuine reflection of what matters most to you.

Storytelling with Story Starter #ctmh #closetomyheart #ctmhstorybystacy #ctmhstorystarter #storystarter #stacyjulian #storytelling #scrapbooking #scrapping #album #photoalbum #stories #photos #workbook #workshop #candyapple #ctmhcandyapple #dots #stripes #ctmhmyacrylix #myacrylix #colorfultexture #quotablewords #minialbum

With Story Starter, all of these delicious details are then wrapped up in super CUTE mini books with inside pages that can be personalized with playful stamped images.

The whole process is fun and easy, and the finished project is a 100% valuable, and adorable, keepsake. I do need to warn you that the overall experience is addicting in the best of ways. You won’t be able to stop with just one Story Starter kit!

I cannot wait for you to get your hands on a Story Starter kit and workbook, so that you can start telling and sharing your stories in happy, colorful, and very authentic ways!

Story by Stacy Workbook

We love Stacy for her liberating philosophy and simple step-by-step thematic approach that unlocks a person’s creativity and helps them easily create stories out of life’s special moments. Please show our friend some love and share with us your thoughts about Story Starter in the comments below!

Leave a comment

Make It from Your Heart

Tag Archives: workshop

Get Creative with Mini Albums!

Idea #1: Where I Stand

Idea #2: Happy Places

Idea #3: Hometown

Treat Yourself to a Deluxe Scrapbooking Experience!

Halloween Treats with Hello Pumpkin

Assembling a Holiday Sparkle Shaker Card

A Look Inside Deluxe Workshops Your Way®

Surprise Giveaway from Stacy Julian!

Stamping with Story Starter

Using Colorful Textures

Using Quotable Words

Using the Stamp Sets Together

Storytelling with Story Starter

Idea #1: Where I Stand

Idea #2: Happy Places

Idea #3: Hometown

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Using Colorful Textures

Using Quotable Words

Using the Stamp Sets Together

Share this:

Share this: