Why I Became a CTMH Consultant Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to Why I Became a CTMH Consultant Blog Hop. This week we are featuring New Consultant Starter Kit. 

If you have just joined us you can start here and continue on, as this is a circular hop or if you get lost along the way you can start at the beginning with Melinda's Blog as she has the complete list. If you came here from CRAFTY HAPPY you are in the right place. Now on to my story:

I started scrapbooking in 2005. I was 15 years old. I was babysitting for a lady who scrapbooked and once the kids were asleep I started looking through her albums and LOVED the idea. I have always been passionate about preserving my memories and heritage. I am a very sensitive person. So I asked my Mom for some supplies for Christmas and moved on from there. Here is the oldest page I've done (that I hadn't thrown away). :P

As you can tell scrapbooking 11 years ago was a lot different. Plus I wasn't experienced. It was pretty much: stickers and construction paper. Ripping the paper was considered a cool technique lol. 

Then one day (5 years ago) I was searching the job ads in my local city and I came across an ad for selling scrapbooking supplies. At that time they were offering the Consultant kit for FREE if I were to make the money in sales in the first month. I checked out the website quickly and decided to sign up without knowing anything about Close to my Heart - the company nor the products. Once I got my kit, catalogs and started the online classes I WAS HOOKED. I had never tried stamping before because I wasn't interested in buying a bunch of rubber stamps on wood. When I saw the clear acrylic blocks and the acrylic stamps and started playing around with them - trying to copy the techniques seen on the website I was just SO EXCITED. I wanted to share CTMH with EVERYONE.

I threw my first party and invited everyone I know. Here is the first page I did using CTMH:

As you can tell it still wasn't good. I needed to get some stamping on my pages and start learning many new techniques. (You have to realize this was before Pinterest was invented). CTMH was very good at giving information and pumping me up. I started doing the Workshop on the Go's to a small group of friends. From there my pages started to get better and better and scrapbooking started to become more fun and relaxing. I started to get more creative on my own and confident. I also moved away from always JUST copying the Workshops and started my own little classes and workshops.

For me Scrapbooking is a way of relaxing and is a creative outlet. I've always loved anything artistic and I'm naturally a creative person. Scrapbooking also has therapeutic purposes too. When my Memere first passed away (4 years ago) I wanted to make a special page to jot down my favorite memories so I could focus on the happy times instead of the sad. It is still one of my favorite pages. I love to go back and read the memories. Sometimes memories can fade, that's why I believe it's important to preserve them.

Now I have 2 young girls and my life revolves around them so obviously so does my scrapbooking. I used to be able to fit 5 years in one album, then it became 2 years, then 1 year... now I can barely fit 6 months in one album. Lol. My kids are just too fun and I want to preserve every second of their childhood because before you know it it'll be gone. They grow up faster than weeds but prettier than flowers (cheesy I know but ahhhh <3). I definitely have more to scrap these days and am super busy but scrapping becomes my "down" time. This past weekend I went to a 2 day crop and was able to get some stuff done. (16 pages!) It was fun and all in good company! Here are a few layouts:

This page was a BLAST to make. I just love this stamp set. A much cleaner way to get splatter on your pages. I was trying to finish off a few paper packs so whatever scraps I had left of the "Claire" paper pack came on this layout. I didn't have enough to make a background and that is why the Ink Blot Stamp Set is so fun. You can use plain cardstock and just splatter around to make your own background. I love it.

Getting rid of the last little scrap squares of my Charlotte Paper Pack. I love how our new paper packs have SO much paper! I've been able to make around 12 pages for sure. It's great. Plus the PML cards that come with are perfect for adding journaling or little touches to your pages. 

CTMH has come a long way since I first started and you know what? I've never been disappointed! They evolve with the trends and they are always working to make beautiful artwork for beginners and experts alike. If you are curious about CTMH - the company OR the products we offer PLEASE feel free to contact me! I will gladly hook you up!

Right now in April we have a special promotion for anyone who wants to become a consultant! I signed up under one of these special promotions and have never ONCE regretted it. And neither will you! 

You can contact me or visit my site for more information!

Supply List:
Remember pages:
Sonoma Paper Pack (retired)
Some kind of butterfly stamp (retired)
Kidzone pages:
Claire Paper Pack (retired)
Outdoor Denim (retired), Colonial White, Smoothie, & Pixie Cardstock
Sapphire, Smoothie, Sorbet, & Sunset ink.
Artistry Cricut Cartridge
Journaling Pen
Love You pages:
Charlotte Paper Pack
Black Cardstock
Charlotte Complements
Some gray flower (not CTMH)

Thank you for checking out my project. If you would like to place an order for any of these supplies you can buy them here. If you enjoyed my project please comment below as we love feedback! Next on our blog hop is Priscilla from PRISCILLA'S PAPERIE. Make sure to check out her amazing work featuring this same product.
 
Have a great day!