When you spend $30 on retail-priced product, you can buy one of our Cricut® collections at 30% off! The sale starts Monday, November 28, at midnight (MST) so go to my website Barbarapagekell.ctmh.com

Happy , Happy Christmas

What do you get someone for Christmas who has everything?  Memories!!  Close to My Heart has a special workshop just for your Christmas giving.  There are those that love to stamp and some that don't.  This project does NO stamping.  It is creative and you can learn to do this with other pieces from Close To My Heart for many scrapbooks to come.  

November 1 - 30 (as supplies last) you can order a bundle that will bring you at least 10% savings.  For $69.95 you will get either a D-ring or post Red 12x12 album, My Crush Happy, Happy Christmas, Picture My Life Happy, Happy Christmas cards, City sidewalks Complements , the Oh Deer! Coordinating Cardstock and 12 sheet of White Daisy.  With this you will be able to make 5- 2 page layouts for your album.  You also get 10 page protectors.  

You will have material left over so that you do the other projects in this campaign.  

Everyday Life Album - Sea Glass is one such project.  This 3 ring album is 9 3/4 x 8 1/4 and 1 1/2 and you will get 10 page protectors each to hold 6x8, 4x6, and 3x4 photos.  Of course there are also pages that have the holes that are there to use as well.  This is a great smaller album that you will be able to also give as a gift.

The other things are: Designed Decor Red Magnetic Chalkboard, display tray and 5x7 hinged Display tray.  You will have the directions and all the materials to make these special gifts for Christmas.  

If anyone wants to do this as a workshop together - at your home or mine, let me know revskell@gmail.com These are great projects.  The 12x12 album I cut out in a few hours one evening and put it together in a few hours the next day.  I would suggest either 2 - 3 hour times or 1- 6 hour time to get things cut and glued!  It is just that easy and delightful.  

If you want to see what other people are doing, check out #ctmhhappychrsitmas!  

Glitter pen and water colors

Close to My Heart has a new glitter brush that works great with the new Cricut Flower Market.  It also gives great highlights to all cards - just that little glitter that makes the card sparkle!

I had fun taking some old and new scraps and some old and new stamps and combining the great watercolors and new embossing folders and Cricut shapes. 

Using the same stamp set

You can use the same stamp set in different ways.  This birthday stamp set can have cricut shapes that fit the stamps or use the cricut shapes and sponge them to make the card.

 

Sometimes it is nice to use a larger size card and then use the cricut shape.  The left card is left over scraps from Confetti paper and the right side is from the new Fundamental papers. 

One design - different cards

Sometimes you can make one design and use a set of papers and have different cards because of the stamp set.  Here are some of the things I have been playing with. 

I was playing with some stamp sets and scraps of Fundamental paper that I had left.  I hope you can get some ideas and try to make some cards of your own.

Kindness Changes Everything

Close to My Heart is celebrating National Stamping Month with a wonderful card kit called Create Kindness.  You get 24 pre-printed 3x3 cards and matching envelopes. Check on Instagram and Facebook for #createkindness to see who else is working on these wonderful cards.  You will also get 8 Msize stamps, pre-punched circles and Archival Black ink as well as a box for Msize stamps!

You can order a card kit for more cards and envelopes if you want to make more than 24.  This is a way to share notes with people and family that will "pay it forward" with kindness!  

Because there are so many beautiful new stamp sets and papers, I decided to have fun.  I had old papers and new stamps and old stamps and new paper!  I have recently gotten a Cricut Air machine and have had some learning curve to figure out how to get the results that I need.  I really like the machine in that I could use the Close To My Heart Artfully Sent Cricut program and make 3x3 envelops!

I then went to "play" with the new Fundamental paper with the stamps from Create Kindness as well as some older stamps.

As you can see, you can do wonderful things with Msize stamps on regular card size.  

The offer for the Create Kindness will be "while supplies last" until September 30, 2016.  You can order your kit now for $46.95.  That is really close to $50 and you can get the September Stamp of the Month "Blessed Beyond Measure"

Have fun looking at my website  and while you are there, check out the new Fundamental paper and the new stamp pads.  It is the same wonderful ink but the closure is magnetic so they are easy to close and open.

Oh Deer!

Oh Deer! can be a winter or holiday paper set for your albums.  Remember that the Flip Flaps now come in their own sizes: 2x2, 3x3, 4x4, and the 4x6 has half in the portrait and half in landscape. You can check them out on my website.   This also can use the Pocket Plus protectors in between with the pocket cards.  You can check out the Oh Deer! paper as well on the website.

Again, everything is in the kit for the pages of Oh Deer! but you will need the cards, stamp set and inks to finish the cards.  You will have paper left over in all the kits - just enough and not to much for a few extra pages.  Have fun!

#ctmhcitysidewalks

Close To My Heart has some great holiday papers.  One of them is called City Sidewalks.  The following are the 3 pages and 3 designs of 3 cards you can make with the Workshop Your Way.
You can also do the optional pocket Plus addon.  The Pocket Plus comes in 4 designs with 10 protectors each.
Design 1 is 3 horizontal 4x6 photo pockets
Design 2 is 2 vertical 6x4 photo pockets
Design 3 is 6 vertical 4x3 pockets
Design 4 is 4 3x4 photo pockets
These can go in any album and give you an added way to add photos without adding more pages.  Also with Workshop Your Way, you have 2 pages of 3- 4x6 and 6 -3x4  pocket cards to use.  In November if you search #ctmhcitysidewalks, you will see all the great things people are doing.  I am getting ready for my Christmas gathering photos now.

When you get the Workshop Your Way, you will have enough paper to make these 9 cards as long as you also get the blank cards and envelopes and the stamp sets Joy to You & Me and have the inks. Not pictured is the options of the Pocket Plus pages.  You can see the paper if you go to my website .  On that same page you can see the Guide and that shows the add ons.  You can see the Pocket Plus with the albums on the website.  

New Great papers are available at Close To My Heart!!

There is something new with the Fundamental papers!  Whimsy, Enchantment and Adventure Now come with 24 sheets  - 2 of 12 designs each.  You can choose from the colors on either side.  there are a great grouping in the Complements that are stickers and a variety of things.  There is a great ribbon pack with each paper set.

Below are the 3 - 2 page layouts that I have come up with using less than 1/2 of the packet of paper AND you have enough ribbon and complements to make another 3 - 2 page layouts and maybe more.  If you want the directions and Cricut shapes email me.  Here are the layouts jsut readying to put your photo memories on!  These are from the Adventure set.

New Kit of the month - flip flap layouts

I have decided to try and do kits each month.  You can order the kit or you can see what the elements are and order those or you can just get the layout for $5.  This is a short time as the Annual Inspiration catalog will be ending July 31, 2016 and the new one starting August 1, 2016.   I did this layout with the paper packets from the present catalog in mind.

Flip flaps allow you to get more photos on in a few pages.  I will make most of the kits for 6 pages.

This kit will include:
2 - page protectors
2 - 6 x12 flip flaps
4 - 4 x 4 flip flaps
4 - 4 x 6 flip flaps
1 paper packet of your choice from the Annual Inspiration book that ends July 31, 2016
Directions for this project.

You may order the individual items from my website: barbarapagekell.ctmh.com.
Paper Packets: Zoe, Sangria, La vie en Rose, Kaleidoscope, Georgie, or Urban
Small Assortment of flip flaps Z1747
4x6 flip flaps Z4114
12 " assortment Z1325 (the 6x12 will be available after August 1)
top load page protectors  Z1984

My layout is available for $5.

Front and Back

Middle section with 6 x 12 flip flaps.

Stamp away on the paper and on scraps to cut

I often try to use Daisy White or Colonial White paper for base pages.  You have to dress the paper up a bit.  One way is to stamp on the paper around the border.

You will notice the flower on the outside of both pages.  I love that Close To My Heart has stamps that match with the paper so you can continue the theme throughout album pages.

The other way is to stamp on the paper but also to stamp on scraps and cut them out for the pages.

On this layout, I stamped the edges of the left side as well as stamped flowers for embellishing.  If you look closely, I used the 2nd generation method.  This method is that you stamp and then stamp again without reinking.  I did that with the flowers and the leaves.  I mixed them up and they look really great together.

I used one of the pocket cards from the Artbooking Cricut cartridge.  I used the cut out flowers as well on the page.  You can make another of the same card and flip it for the other side.

You may also notice I used White Twine over each of the photo mats on the bottom and the pocket card,  You can also use gold foil and shimmer trim as decoration on your photos but since I only had paper saying "photo", I will wait to put it on later when the photo is present. You can also put it on the corners of the photo, on the top section or on the sides to help embellish the photo and the page.

Don't forget to check my website for the products to make pages for your memories.  barbarapagekell.ctmh.com

Gold Gold Gold

With the #HappyTimes paper there were gold stripes and gold patterned flowers.  Close To My Heart has shimmer trim, foil and glitter paper that can help bling up pages.

The gold stripes on the paper is really neat.  I didn't have the gold glitter paper but used the silver at to cricut a shape.  The Close To My Heart glitter paper really works well on the cricut!  I then used the gold foil tape to make a border on each of the papers.  I used the Gold embossing powder to stamp some flowers on the upper right paper and then added the color with the water color.  When you use the water color, you need permanent ink or embossing powder so your lines won't be washed away.

I could also have said "Teal Teal Teal". I used gold stripe paper.  I used the teal glitter paper for the circut shape here.  I used a 1 inch punch on the glitter paper scraps and then cut them in half to make a border.  I also used the teal shimmer trim on the bottom.  I used gold foil up on the corners to finish off the triangles.

Check out all these products and much more from Close To My Heart barbarapagekell.ctmh.com

Water color

 The #HappyTimes paper has one sheet that is an outline in teal of flowers.  The layouts above have a top 1 1/2 from that paper which I did water color on.  The layout below has a 6x8 photo mat (that is because you can use 4x6 or 6x4 photos on it).  I only water colored what you could see and only then some of the flowers.  The one above because it is all showing is more colored than the bottom which has only the edge showing.)  You can do your own stamping and then water color.  It is effective not to color everything but just give a hint of color

You can make your own border and photo mat by taking stamps which are in outline form.  Close To My Heart has stamps that will work well for borders:

 Close To My Heart also have stamps that you can stamp on the page or cut out:

Check out the stamps at my website: barbarapagekell.ctmh.com

Remember if you are using water color, you need to stamp with StazOn ink or some permanent inks otherwise the watercolor will smear using watercolor ink.  #HappyTimes

Embossing folders

Embossing folders are something that you can use in a variety of ways.  In my upcoming album workshop, I am using ink IN the embossing folders.  You can put it on the side with indentations (lighter shade) and then after embossing you can just take a darker ink pad and rub over the embossed features.

The Close to My Heart embossing folders are 5x7 which can give you a great mat.  I was trying to make more pages so I did my mats 4x6 so I could get more out of a sheet of paper.  It just means that you will have to trim down the 4x6 photos or print them smaller to leave an edge around the mats.

Here I used colored paper for the mats so the embossing shows up when you use sandpaper.  You can also use chalk or sponge the raised portion to give it added pizazz.  Have fun with the dry embossing techniques! #HappyTimes paper.  Check out my website for purchasing embossing folders and shop for more great creative things : barbarapagekell.ctmh.com

Embossing folders

Embossing folders are something that you can use in a variety of ways.  In my upcoming album workshop, I am using ink IN the embossing folders.  You can put it on the side with indentations (lighter shade) and then after embossing you can just take a darker ink pad and rub over the embossed features.

The Close to My Heart embossing folders are 5x7 which can give you a great mat.  I was trying to make more pages so I did my mats 4x6 so I could get more out of a sheet of paper.  It just means that you will have to trim down the 4x6 photos or print them smaller to leave an edge around the mats.

Here I used colored paper for the mats so the embossing shows up when you use sandpaper.  You can also use chalk or sponge the raised portion to give it added pizazz.  Have fun with the dry embossing techniques! #HappyTimes paper.  Check out my website for purchasing embossing folders and shop for more great creative things : barbarapagekell.ctmh.com