PLEASANT GROVE, UT – June 19, 2006 – Close To My Heart, the scrapbooking innovator and industry-leading direct sales company, today announced Jeanette Lynton, CEO and Founder received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2006 Award in the Retail & Distribution category in the Utah region. According to Ernst & Young, the award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who are building and leading dynamic and growing businesses. Lynton was selected by an independent panel of judges and the award was presented at an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 20th anniversary gala event at the Salt Palace Convention Center on June 16, 2006.

“It is a true honor to be recognized with the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Award,” Lynton said. “It is an acknowledgement of the hard work and dedication of the Consultants and employees of Close To My Heart who helped make this an enjoyable and successful business.”

Close To My Heart began as the inspiration of Lynton, who started her first direct-sales decorative stamp business in 1984, eventually redirecting her success to form D.O.T.S. (Dozens of Terrific Stamps), a company featuring her own exclusive designs. In 1996, Jeanette introduced an exclusive line of scrapbooking products and techniques under the name, "Close To My Heart." In 2000, the stamping and scrapbooking lines were combined under the same name. A recognized leader in the scrapbooking and stamping industry, Lynton is known for the variety of innovative products she has introduced. Well-known “firsts” Lynton has introduced to the market include:

• True 12” x 12”, 9” x 9”, and 6” x 6” sized albums, Background and Texture papers, and coordinating product lines available in over 60 exclusive colors
• My Acrylix™ stamps: a clear designed stamp and block that has brought enhanced quality, versatility, easy storage, and affordability to the stamping industry.
• A series of scrapbooking and cardmaking education programs ideal for both beginners and experts
• Patented top-loading Memory Protectors®
• Patented swivel-base stamp pads

The tens of thousands of Consultants throughout the U.S. and Canada are dedicated to the company mission of showing customers how to celebrate relationships through the art of scrapbooking and stamping with a faster, simpler, and easier approach.

The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year awards program celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and continues to honor entrepreneurs who have demonstrated excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. “Ernst & Young is proud of its history in recognizing these outstanding leaders and their companies,” said David Jolley, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year managing partner for Utah.

As a Utah award recipient, Lynton is now eligible for consideration for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2006 national program. Award recipients in several national categories, as well as the overall national Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award recipient, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California on November 18, 2006. The overall national Entrepreneur Of The Year award recipient is then considered for the world event held in Monte Carlo.

ABOUT CLOSE TO MY HEART
Close To My Heart® is an industry leader in innovative scrapbooking and stamping products, including the My Acrylix™ line of clear stamps, My Reflections™ Scrapbooking Kits, and several top-selling how-to programs, including the newest scrapbook layout volume, Cherish, available now. Headquartered in Pleasant Grove, Utah, the company distributes its products at Home Gatherings through tens of thousands of Independent Consultants across the U.S. and Canada. For more information about the Idea Book, ordering exclusive Close To My Heart products or becoming a Consultant, go to www.closetomyheart.com.

ABOUT THE ERNST & YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR AWARDS
The Entrepreneur Of The Year awards program was created and is produced by professional services firm Ernst & Young LLP. As the first award of its kind, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who are building and leading dynamic and growing businesses. The program honors entrepreneurs through regional, national and global award programs in over 100 cities and 35 countries.

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* Photos available upon request.