OMG ….Deal of the decade!

CTMH sure know how to celebrate an anniversary! OMG!! I am a bit excited to tell you about this! There is no better time to party!! Book your gathering in person or online and reap the rewards!

We have been celebrating their 30 years in the industry, we have just celebrated the 5th birthday of Studio J and now we celebrate 10 years of their signature  My Acrylix Stamps with the Deal of the Decade!

For Australian Readers! This is so exciting…..

 (If you are located elsewhere you will need to hunt out a CTMH consultant in your country.)

Shop online now for your Deal of the Decade Stamp sets! Click this image to find out more!

 

Ever since I began with CTMH I have been impressed by the quality of My  Acrylix clear polymer stamps, the designs and the price point. I am now even more pleased to share with you this Deal of the Decade! You can’t go wrong at this price – now is the time to shop for those stamps that might have been out of your budget or just on your wishlist. Grab your Annual Inspirations, check through the green section and see what you can list! Book and host your own gathering to get even more!

My personal wishlist includes Delightful Ditty Instruments, Season of thanks backgrounds, Lifetime of happiness (great for card making) Happy Autumn, Noel (will make a fab addition to my xmas stamp collection) Reason for the Season, Bodacious Banners, Nursery Charms, Rainy Day….Yes, in spite of what my customers think I do not own every stamp set!  What is on your wishlist? Let me know in your comment below!

I could save $100’s of dollars if I whittled my list down to the must haves as opposed the would likes and set a budget. Here is an example. If I have a budget of $200 (a Christmas gift to myself)  I could buy what I really like from the new Seasonal Expressions 1, and get the Stamp of the Month (total $80) and then pick a dozen C or D sized sets!!! (totaling $120)  Wohoo How much fun would that be??? If I also hosted and a few freinds made purchases I could also get anything from $30 and up to several 50% Off items for being the host. To find out about host rewards click here. You can host in person, or online. Let me tailor a gathering to suit you.

So what is the catch with this deal?

Place an order of Regular priced items totaling $75 or more. That is it!

Once you achieve the qualifying order total, there is no limit to the number of eligible stamp sets you can purchase at this discounted price. You will be eligible not only to get Stamp of the Month Cutie Pie for $5 but ANY C or D sized Stamp set from the Green section in our Annual Inspirations book for just $10 each.

Yep Any C or D Sized Stamp  (from Annual Inspirations Idea Book) and As Many as you like! Just $10 each after reaching the qualifying order level.

Now for something extra

My gift to you! If you place an order online by Dec 5  I will personally put something in the post to go under your tree! When ordering, be sure to join my Online Host Draw to be eligible. You could win the host rewards to spend on items such as new Seasonal Expressions stamps and Papers. (more to come on those in another post!)

Your Loved One needs a Santa shopping hand? No worries!

Do you need to have a hand to get your partner doing good shopping for you? No problem. Just email me your personal wishlist, then ask your partner or family member to email me nenifoofer@gmail.com and I will organise it all for you. For your order to be under the tree I will need to order it by the end of this week Dec 5! No Promises but I will do my best.

So jump online and place your order, or contact me to organise your personal ordering or arrange to host your own gathering (complete form below)  so you are assured of getting host rewards as well!

Woo Hoo – it is all very exciting! Keep your eye out for posts and hints about Sticky Boy too!

The Creative Heart – Jen

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Leaving on a jet plane

So just what goes through ones head when you finally hit the tarmac. I could have given a huge woop woop in celebration but instead I broke down in tears. This was it. A dream almost. 35 years in the making coming True! ! Of course I was happy but I was also now away from the pressure of everyday life. My house is packed and in storage. My temp accommodation is manageable thanks to my daughter. I have the sciatica threatening each day to worsen and prevent travel, and an amazing group of friends and relatives supporting me for this trip.

I am grateful.  I am humbled. A certain few know just how hard it was to give myself permission and spend money on me. My Mexican family connections are excited. I was, sitting on the tarmac, overwhelmed by all of the Emotions! !,, Now if this back pain would just go away lol…..Arriba! Next flight finally gets me to Mexico.

 

 

A Very Happy Mother and great savings for you!

I love Mother’s Day. (not just because I was born on that day!) It is a time to celebrate the awsomeness that comes from being a Mum. Imagine the pleasure of Giving mum a hand made card? Or even better a lovely photo wallet? (stay tuned – that post is coming)   CTMH have this lovely stamp set we can use for Mothers day cards and mini photo albums to celebrate and thank our mums, or even give to someone who is a mum in spirit, or perhaps someone who we know is under-appreciated as a mum. A nice little old fashioned snail mail card could just make their day!

Mother’s Day Stamp Set C1577 Just $19

This stamp set is C1577 and you will find it on 86 of your idea book. ( Email nenifoofer@gmail.com if you would like to order one. ) You can take this link to get right to it online. The most difficult decision with this stamp set is which of the four silhouettes to use and what sentiment for inside – are we all likely to ‘quote our mother’s’? Are we like Dad’s only smarter? I love the elegance of this design and it teams well with  the lovely Ariana papers.

 

Ariana Paper Pack – Just $14

 

The card is simple and easy to make and I have FREE kits packed and ready to go. All you need to do is book a home class (if you are within cooee of Mildura), or include this stamp set in your order of $75 or more at  my online store and I will send you the kit free of charge. This offer is limited to April purchases only.

While placing your order make it worth your while to SAVE by getting the Balloon Talk Stamp of the Month and the Free to Be Me Paper packs, BOTH just $5 each with orders totalling $75. That is a saving of over $30 for your crafting pleasure! Through May I will be posting projects you can do with your Free to be me papers so watch out for those!

Balloon Talk April Stamp of the month.

Free to Be Me National Scrapbook Month paper packet – just $5 with every order over $75. This is pretty and exclusive, available only for a short time.

I am really looking forward to sharing this with you in upcoming classes or by post. I will show you the photo Wallet project in my next post. Stay tuned!

Jenny

 

 

Floating your Fancy with Cricut Cartridge Inspiration

Hi! Thank you for visiting today!

Did you know Close To My Heart regularly gives us fabulous creative ideas for projects and techniques we can use on pages, cards and off the page projects?

Well they do and my Cricut is begging to be running hot with some of these ideas and I take these ideas to my classes and workshops. I can show you how to make the most of your kit and your cartridge and even help you source a Cricut Machine if you do not have one.

I am especially excited this much as Close To My Heart has a gift for you if you decide to join our family where everyone is welcome. You can choose the Artbooking Cartridge free if you join this month! Take a look at the ideas presented here as an example of what this Cricut Collection can do for you.

You can do these on a page, in your project 360 album, or on anything else that will work for you! The exclusive stamp sets are part of the Free cricut collection!

If you would like to know more about joining Close To My Heart and getting your creative on complete this contact form and I will respond as soon as I can!

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Jen

 

 

Picture yourself!

• Picture yourself having loads of FUN with like minded creative people.
• Picture yourself growing confidence in your creative talents.
• Picture yourself in a room with dozens of other inky fingers.
• Picture yourself with a funky machine doing all that fancy cutting for you.
• Picture yourself with growing self confidence.
• Picture yourself with new Friends.
• Picture yourself with access to hundred of free and discounted products giving you an affordable hobby.
• Picture yourself nurtured and supported.
• Picture yourself in a position to grow. 
• Picture yourself opening a box of creative goodies valued at $300 that only cost $99!

If you would like to turn this picture into reality then the Close To My Heart family is for you!

Picture this funky brand new scrapbooking product being yours when you join my team!

Join in the fun with us and reap the benefits! 

Since joining Close To My Heart I have blossomed! My creative buttons have all been turned on, my confidence us up and my team is growing. I have gone from a struggling direct selling consultant to a successful team leader in a short few months of the change over to this company. CTMH is NEW for us in Australia but the company is very solid with a sound 30 year reputation in the USA and they have it right! I have made some awesome new friendships, I have been fully acknowledged for successes, had some awesome events, and I save a LOT of money doing what I love – scrapbooking and crafting and teaching other how to do it too. EVERYONE is welcome is the company motto and I just love how welcoming that feels. I have team members brand new to scrapbooking, as well as those with loads of experience in paper craft who constantly inspire me. The support and training from CTMH is not just applicable to running a business – it is also applicable to every day life.

Here is what Founding Director Diane Lampert has had to say about Becoming part of the Close To My Heart opportunity

“After 15 years with Creative Memories in Australia, I wondered what my future held when the company ceased operations. Uncertainty turned to certainty—the BEST THING EVER—a new business opportunity with Close To My Heart!

The results are astounding: my Team business is larger than it was previously and my Team is thriving; attendance at events is at an all-time high; new Consultants are engaged and enthusiastic, and everyone is happy working with the expansive Close To My Heart product line and this wonderful company. It’s so exciting to be involved in this fresh start!

Company founder Jeanette Lynton has built this debt-free company over the past 30 years and she has a vision for the next 30 years that every single member of the corporate team embraces and executes every day. Instead of being worried about the direction of my future, I am proud to represent Close To My Heart products and the brand that has been passionately built for many years.

I encourage anyone thinking about making a switch to consider Close To My Heart. I am thankful to have a solid, fun, welcoming new home that values memory keeping as much as I do!”  —  Diane Lampert, Senior Executive Director

You can read more testimonials here.

The bottom line for me is this: I have rediscovered my happy place with Close To My Heart and have total faith that I will be part of this family for many years to come. It would be awesome to share that joy with you and NOW is an especially good time for you to do that. 

Everyone who joins Close To My Heart between now and December 15th will have the opportunity to get this brand new product FREE as soon as it is launched! Isn’t it awesome!

A sneak peek at 6 of the 8 designs coming with this brand new exciting product – your free after joining and qualifying with CTMH

This program provides you with the ease of scrapbooking life’s moments as they happen. With adorable pre-designed cards featuring unique sentiments, icons, and journaling space, all you have to add is your own photo collection! The several themes can be mixed and matched for more versatility. The prompts on several of the cards will help you creatively journal, and the various assortments of Memory Protectors™ will make your finished products truly unique.

Now I did mention a Funky Machine to do all the cutting for you. Here in Australia Close To My Heart consultants have exclusive access to ArtDeco Creations, the official importers of the Cricut Machine which we all need to make the most of the fantastic Cricut cartridges by Close To My Heart. Not only do these cartridges carry 700 images, Close To My Heart regularly posts inspirational ideas and how to’s to support our use of these cartridges! Picture this one as a Christmas gift – from your special other or yourself to YOU! You deserve it don’t you?

The Cricut Exppression II Contact me today to find out more about how you can get one of these essential crafting machines.

Why YOU?

Whether you are an experienced crafter, a total newbie, a seasoned network seller or just for me hobbyist you will be very welcome with Close To My Heart!

You will have compensation and incentives

• 22% base comission and up to 35% comission
• Access to training, team events, webinars, conventions and retreats. Training includes hands on creating!
• A huge diversity of products! 100’s of them!! If you have looked at our Product Launch Guide you may feel just a tad excited about the range and variety….wait till Feb 1st when we have the FULL range here in Australia!
• If you join now you will have access to this full range in January!
• All the passion and support from CTMH for memory keeping and memory making with top selling scrapbooking products

Picture yourself making the switch! 

If you have been a consultant for another company, scrapbooking or any other direct selling for that matter, take a look at this

Can you feel the warmth and hear the excitement of Christine? That is what Close To My Heart is all about! I would love to have you join my team! Near or far, as long as you are in Australia I can help you to get started!

Picture yourself as part of a team of wonderful remote from the city consultants who network and support each other. Come and join my team!

*Your Invitation*

For those of you within Cooee of Mildura I extend to you an invitation to attend one or two events within the next week.

• Sunday Nov 24th we have a play day at the Mildura Masonic Centre. You are welcome to attend for FREE if you mention this post. I will give you the details when you book in.
• Monday Nov 25th Come along and meet team members and learn more about Close To My Heart. This is another free one for you – just let me know you intend to come. I have challenged myself to run out of chairs! (Have you ever counted how many chairs you have in your home?)

For those of you too far away or unable to come give me a holler via the form below and I will meet with you at another time for coffee or contact you by phone. There is absolutely no need for you to miss out on one of the boxes I have here ready and waiting for you!

Here are some important links for you

The kit

Joining offer information

The Picture My Life Scrapbooking Program

Use the form below and I will send you more details such as the full compensation plan and the T and C’s.

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We Sparkled and Shone!

Wow! How awesome is it to have a Founding Director visit your area to present a workshop! I was really excited to have Diane Lampert come to Mildura and help us launch the Holidays from the Heart products at our Sparkle and Shine event. We had many customers and consultants come along and get inky with trees and baubles and some great artwork was produced. I would like to share with you some photos from the event. I have written about my dream to fill the venue with scrapbookers and card makers and I am so glad to say that on this occasion we did achieve the highest numbers yet!

Note – I was busy running around helping with the event so I only have a few photos and none of me – I hope the photos by others will come through soon and I can add them in here.

 

As a consultant I learned a lot. Our customers had FUN! Many chose to join the CTMH family taking home the best deal we have. It was a fabulous day! Thank you so much to all customers, consultants and especially Diane for coming to visit us!

 

As you can see the venue is well lit – it is also air conditioned. We have playdays here every month so if you are local to Mildura be sure to drop me a line and find out more about the next one. Playdays are also available in Wentworth, Merbein and Robinvale. I am happy to come to the Riverland and down to Ouyen too! To keep up to date with events follow my page on Facebook and sign up for my newsletter.  For more ideas using the products in the holidays from the heart guide and the sparkle and shine paper check out my Pinterest Board.   If you would like to know more about the best deal contact me now! I would love to tell you all about it! (Australian residents only)

Next Mildura Playday is October 26th

First Wentworth is November 9th

Next Robinvale is November 16

Next Merbein Nov 17

If you are local why not come along and join in the fun. It is so relaxing to ink it up and get photos and precious memories preserved in albums!

Sparkle and Shine with your gift giving this Christmas

This is the time of year when we should be thinking about anything we plan to give that might be hand made is underway and CTMH have made the simple gift of giving a hand made card or gift box a breeze with this delightful short time only collection available from October 13th.  Come along to our Country Road Show event in Mildura Monday October 21 and not only see the products, create with them! You will take home samples including card, a page and an off the page project!

Remember these products are available from October 13 and available while stocks last.

Imagine one of these trees on your table center at your Christmas function!

Sparkle and shine catalog available soon

Let us show you how!

Mildura, Monday Oct 21. Two sessions 2 pm and 7 pm. Bookings via links below.

To Book in for this event you can

1. Purchase your ticket online right here Be sure to choose your session.

2. email Jenny nenifoofer@gmail.com for bank or paypal payments

3. Phone Jenny 0400253422

It would be awesome to welcome those of you from around the region too! Why not car pool and come for the day, join us for dinner and scrap as well? All those prebooked will be in a special prize draw!

By the way, when these products go live on October 13 if you purchase $130 worth of product in an order you can get and star item free! Make your wish list up right now!

To make the table center with my help  check your inbox for this months newsletter or follow me on Facebook.

Closer To My Heart

The countdown is on! 5 days to go! I am overwhelmed by the skills of the people who have implored us to scrap our stash and be patient – Plan B would come. I have heard one of them speak with true passion about finding a solution for those of us who are now all ex CM consultants in Australia. To suggest we are not excited would not be true – but I cannot speak for everyone – so I will speak for myself.

I am over the moon with JOY!

I can go into places I could not go with CM. I can still scrap classic scrapbook pages, I can still create digital ones – even easier now that we have Studio J © to use, AND I can stamp designs and use a Cricut and teach others how to do the same!!! I have seen the palettes and packs that coordinate to help tell a story, that make creating gorgeous gifts for those we love easy so I am really looking forward to working with this product, doing the projects and encouraging others.

I have changed the name of the blog to suit since this is not just about Digital Scrapping now – I have so much more to share. July 1 can’t come quick enough!

Why is it that Close To My Heart is closer to my heart? Because I believe we can all be creative. Anyone who claims they are not creative would be more accurate if they stated they do not have the time to nurture creativity in themselves by applying their knowledge, skills, talents and ability to learn to a craft. We were all kids once right?

Were we afraid then of a look, a criticism, a scoff at our creations? No…and for most of us we were well praised for our efforts (even if the grownup could not quite make out what it was!) Somewhere between childhood and now our pure joy in playing with creating got lost. It may have been a teacher who decided our attempt was not as good as another’s in class. An unthinking adult may have even asked us ‘What is that supposed to be?’ when we felt it was patently obvious it was a car, a house, a duck…so we started to feel insecure about our own innate desire to create. A demon voice grew, trying to convince us we can’t do creative, we can’t do art, we are not talented.

If you have a voice within you….

I was one of those people when it came to art. My yr 7 Art teacher told me I wasn’t ”creative”!  I would like him to look at my paintings, my scrapbooks, my quilts, my original designs and tell me now he was WRONG!

For many years any desire to explore art was gone. When I got married, stopped studying and started to look for something other than correction to do at home in the evening I bought myself some coloured pencils and intricate colouring pads…something in me wanted to create!  Actually, I have my mother and the growth of folk art as an industry for home made craft to thank for giving creativity back to me. There are tools, there are products to understand, and there are patterns and instructions. And there are instructors like me! If you can watch a demo, and have and learn how to use the right tools and equipment you can create! Anything is possible.

You know your human brain has a section specifically for creating. Those students who learn to develop something (a piece of writing, a speech, a project) from a range of sources using a number of skills are ‘creating’ not just regurgitating and this is the main aim of our education system. So, how did adults lose faith in themselves to be able to create? That art teacher, the judgmental peer,  or simply being so busy with other ‘more important’ things in daily life to have time to create would be the main perpetrators. It is time to get your creative back!

There are so many benefits to being creative. Take a moment to tell that little voice in your head that says you can’t do it to be quiet a minute and listen. You may not produce prize winning artwork, but you will switch on a piece of your brain that has been inactive for too long.  You will be able to tune out the noise of life (and the voice of the negative knocker who suffers from tall poppy syndrome) and become absorbed in something different. That will lead to less stress rather than more. Take a moment to pause and watch a knitter (Not our ex PM but just someone you know), a spinner, a weaver, a painter, a patchworker, a tinsmith (my dad is one of those and he turn out great pieces for restored stationary engines). What do you notice about their mood? Their demeanor? Unless something is not quite going right and causing them frustration, you will find they are generally relaxed, happy and even oblivious to the woes of th world around them. It is their escape, their time out.

You can choose to do simple projects or complex ones – depending on your skills, confidence and equipment available to you. You may also need coaching or mentoring – that is my job! Enroll in a class scrapbooking or card making workshop and give it a crack. There is nothing better than the feeling of achievement that you lost somewhere in your childhood and you will be overjoyed by the compliments you get when you share creative work that also tells a story, and includes photos and messages of love. Such an experience will also bring others closer to your heart and you to theirs.

With my coaching, Close To My Heart will enable you to achieve what you thought you could not- with product, workshops, hosted gatherings or even having a go at being a consultant yourself. All you need to do first is acknowledge you have been neglecting the creative piece of your brain and letting life and daily stress take over all your thinking. Then make a commitment to give that piece of your brain a little workout. You will finish up more relaxed and refreshed – AND likely to be praised or thanked for your efforts once again,

Go on…give it a try !

I am closer to my creative center when I am teaching people to connect with theirs. The journey I am about to embark on is closer to my heart when I see people producing artwork from their heart. Now I have the opportunity to move well beyond the scrapbook page so my creative buttons are all ready to go and I cannot wait to share the journey with you!

It all starts July 1!

For inquiries about hosting gatherings or business opportunities please drop me a line!

Cheers

Jen –  Creative Classroom Coach with CTMH

Held together by a common cause.

Today sadly Creative Memories closes its doors in Australia. They are still madly packing orders in the warehouse but for consultants we have no CM branding after today. My website will close, my customer list is now safely on my computer and that could have been that. The end point is here – and it is not black, it is a little warm and fuzzy.

You can shut the doors on a business. You cannot shut the doors on a mission.

I found this among the many shared memes on Facebook – it is what our mission is all about.

When Diane Lampert and Brian O’Laughlan started the Australian Creative Memories family they were full of hope that Australians would love both the mission and the product. I have heard Diane’s story. She is a very courageous business woman whose belief in the product and the mission was so profound she agreed to take the risk and come to Australia to test it out in our market. Brian was the support for building the company here and it did not take long before they had a team of consultants spreading the message and mission throughout the country. Australians came to love scrapbooking and this resulted in  a successful direct selling company giving many of us the opportunity to work for ourselves while promoting a priceless concept – to ensure the photos came out of boxes and into albums along with the story that goes with them.

In those days we still printed film from cameras and we were just starting to use digital photography. In a little more than a decade things have rapidly changed! The economy has been up and down, the were boom periods and downturns. And now every hand held devise appears to be capable of capturing a moment. We can also share them freely on the internet and include the story in many ways. Albums on shelves were rapidly being replaced by pictures on disks.

Combining digital and traditional

Creative Memories remained competitive during the period of a scrapping shop on every corner – and came through the other side thanks to the staying power of leaders, good business management and consultants who could handle the competition. We still had albums and workshops for ‘traditional’ scrapbooking. In an era when it seems everything is done by computer we still love to sit and do hand-craft and our albums are an expression of that.

Some consultants had to let go during this period. I was one of them. This though, I have learned, is normal in direct selling. If you want to get to the top you need to put in a few good years of hard work and sponsoring to get there. I could not do this and balance all the other pressures in my life. I stopped consulting but continued scrapping. I believed in the mission and still do.

Then Creative Memories invested in digital solutions…I was hooked again well and truly. I love my Storybook Creator software, Memory Manager and the beautiful books I can produce, Sure there are competitors here too but top of the list for quality and accessibility with creative flexibility is this product. This is my preferred way to scrap even though I have many clients who still like to do the hands on. I became a consultant again because of the digital options enabled me to have another crack at direct selling.

However I do not consult just to make money. I scrap and consult because

• I want to make sure the story goes with the photos
• I want to remember the best parts of my life
• I want my children and their children to know their story
• I love the time out of a busy life doing something for me
• I love taking photos just so I can scrap them
• I am a teacher and love teaching others that they too CAN do this
• I am still and always will be creative and this is just one way of expressing that
• and I love to challenge those who say they are not creative to kill that negative self belief and discover that they are – it just got lost somewhere in their busy lives.
• And, I am not alone in any of this. we are a family of consultants and customers sharing the one mission.

Making paper flowers is fun!

CM Sisters all over the country will say similar to me. For some the company provided income, for others it funds a hobby, but for all of us the mission matters. We want to see photos scrapped and shared, preserved for lifetimes to come. And some…we can do all kinds of paper crafts and make anything you can think of that can be either printed or shared digitally! We run workshops and classes and teach others. For us this business is not just about selling a product – it is about the customer, the you,  your photos, your story, your way. We help people to do this – and that for me is far more rewarding than any fiscal benefit from being a consultant.

So…we are not going to turn our heads and sadly walk away from today’s closed door.

I need a new car, I am about to engage with a new business,,,.I was toying with ideas about what sort of car I can get as I travel throughout my country region helping people preserve their photos and stories.

Those magnificent entrepreneurs Diane and Brian, and others, have been spending this month working on Plan B. Tomorrow just what that is we will find out. It is the new door. The CM family has stuck together with campaigns to scrap the stash and virtual crop all month long so we are still going to be here – but with a new brand. The one constant is the Mission.

So right now the mood is warm and fuzzy. The anticipation for tomorrow’s announcement is mounting – we will have the opportunity to continue the mission with a whole new look and I can’t wait.

Thank you Diane for making it all possible and keeping it all possble, and thank you Sarah for encouraging me to have another crack and more recently wait for tomorrow to come!

The Sisterhood

We have travelled awkwardly from Freaky Friday to Terrific Tuesday and we now can really hope for more!

I must admit, having faith in ‘administrators’ of a company I love and that (as far as I knew) was doing well economically was an extremely tough call. Especially when it was so sudden, so without warning, so devastating to 100’s of consultants and customers who had plans for their photos, parties and workshops.

What does it mean to be a scrapbooker?

My hesitation to stay rigidly hopeful came down to basic economic reasoning. A looming election and increased living costs aside, a business operates on demand and supply of a product or service. Until Freaky Friday we had a superb product and service to deliver to many who love and enjoy what we do. Our service as consultants, our lovely albums and embellishments, our signature tools, our software (my personal favourite) and our opportunities are the core ‘things’ we supply. The less tangible also matters (perhaps even more)  – our mission to ensure photos get out of boxes, off jump drives, phones, camera disks and computers and into beautiful albums to share. The Creative Memories brand is top of the range and our customers know and respect this.

With the parent company in America moving into Chapter 11 ( a course of action to deal with potential bankruptcy in America) and not being able to supply us here in Australia, in spite of ‘hope’ I was doing a mental battle over supply not meeting demand and what that would mean for us. This got worse when it became apparent the administrators in place had little care for the people that make Creative Memories Australia and New Zealand real, not just a cast of characters in a poorly performing play that can be closed down. Our top leaders were forced into a state of powerlessness and the administrator was (to me at least) not doing what they should – to work with us and help a company move forward and avoid the worst case scenarios. (I refuse to even label those)

To read the statements, click on the image and you will see a more readable view.

In spite of all this economic logic I could still hang on to one very intangible element of this business. We are committed to our mission. We are Independent Consultants (aka sole traders) so this IS our business. We believe what we do is extremely important and have a set of belief statements that reflect this. We believe it so much all we could do was stay positive, have faith that those who could would and meanwhile adopt a whole new strategy. Keep Calm and Scrap.

So…I did, sometimes with tears of sadness, sometimes with gratitude for the opportunities no matter the future, and sometimes with the determination that has been clearly evident in others to not let this be taken away from us!

Virtual Crop has become a regular daily feature of my life as the numbers of the Facebook group grow and scrappers all over Downunder take up the challenges and share their work and their praise for others. Regular emails from CM directors kept us up to date with what they knew, and advice on how to proceed. Consultants, including myself revised our calendars, contacted customers, spread the word of hope that our mission still mattered most and we would find a way.

I stayed strong on the outside, consoled the consultants in my team, and only really broke down once myself, grieving selfishly over the loss of long term outcomes from all the travelling I had done. Many in our CM family could potentially lose much much more as their hard work and success in the business has become their family income. Bang..like that…taken away. No notice for them – no opportunity to find alternate income sources or take a redundancy – just nothing but hope that the administrator will be fair to the customers and consultants as well as other stakeholders. This wasn’t happening.

Today I…a reminder to be grateful and have hope

Clearly the power of sisterhood has prevailed. Communications have been rife since Freaky Friday and the outcome of that is astounding. Consultants share stories of supportive customers, consultants supporting each other, reminding each other to stay calm, and hope things will stabilise, and dare we even – yes we will – hope that at the end of it all we will come out better at the other end.

24 hours before Tremendous Tuesday a flurry of emails, faxes, and original documents passed through the internet and Australia post. The power of a vote was at hand. Our leading directors and business manager were arming themselves to do battle with the administrators and remind them this was OUR business they were dealing with. Armed with the right information, and the required votes Leading sisters and support crew were able to vote the administrator out and send them packing. You could pretty well hear the cheers and congratulations that went around in electronic form after the announcement was made. Our sisterhood had rallied, our leaders went in on our behalf and took control back.

Similar but different. You may remember Shepparton SPC workers rallying to save the company that had employed them for so long – taking cuts in pay, leave and personally investing in what for them was their life blood. I recall how adamant they and the town were that the company had to be saved. So…it is with extreme gratitude and humility I say a resounding Thank You to all those who told me to hold tight, believe in the mission, believe in our leadership team, and trust that we are in good hands and will still have a business to be a part of . Thank you CM sisters! Keep networked, stay informed, use suggested strategies and above all else tell yourself and everyone else to just Keep Calm and scrap.

Another scrapbooking is page…it is so much I cannot say it all on just one page!

 

Our future is still foggy, but ironically and in spite of this it is very clear that the waters are calm, the compass has been correctly positioned towards a positive outcome for all of us and we still have the demand for our products and service. Plan B to supply his exists, it now has the opportunity to become a reality and we have absolutely no reason to think that it won’t happen. So go ahead – scrap your stash while we wait the future to arrive.

 

The power of the voice of the sisters in CM AU and NZ has regained control of the management of the company. At the other end of all this we may not look the same, we may not feel the same, but the mission will be just as it is now. WE believe that photos and memories need to be safely preserved, stories need to be told and we want to be the ones to help others achieves this.

Scrapbooking is…

Terrific Tuesday heralds a new chapter – or perhaps a new book in the CM story in Australia and New Zealand.  I want to be there – will you? If you do then stay in touch – consultant or customer. Read your emails, go to your consultant’s events and show them your support, go to team meetings if you are a consultant -we gather strength and unity- and join appropriate groups on social media such as the Summer Virtual crop group (open to everyone) and above all else ENJOY your photos and memories as you scrap your stash in the short interlude between what was and what is to be.

Go scrap sisters and say a cheer or three for our leadership team in control of our ship!

Stay Scrappy!