Boxing Week Specials

Check out my website for each day's special offer.  

Remember that if you and at least 3 friends want to get together, I will come over and do a card workshop and show you all of the new things.  January 1, 2018 is the new Seasonal Expression.  That means all of those really neat things in Holiday Expressions will be done December 31, 2017.   

The new card classes are starting at Baraboo UMC on the 1st Thursday at 6:30pm.  The Portage Public library classes will be the 2nd Monday at 1 - 3pm. (must register through library) There will be a Spring Card buffett at the Indian Agency House at the end of February getting reading for Mother's day, Father's day, weddings and graduations.  All groups have a maximum of 10 people.  Email me @ revskell@gmail.com.  

Christmas Card buffet

Do you want to make 8 Christmas cards in 3 - 4 hours?  You have 3 choices of where to go! 

Here are the 10 card choices you will have:

Here are your three choices to make these cards:

November Thursday 9th at 2pm at the Indian Agency House in Portage Wi - 8 cards for $28 (the extra cost is to support the Agency House)

November Friday 10 at 2pm at my home N3272 Koepp Rd Merrimac, Wi -  8 cards for $25

November  Thursday 16th at 5pm at First United Methodist church in Baraboo, Wi - 8 cards for $25

You need to register before the events.  If you pay before the event at my house or church it will be $24.  You will have choices to make these cards.  You will receive a "kit" of items which you can use as you wish.  I will have things cut out for you and I will have done the heat embossing.  You will use water colors or markers on some cards.  You will have to cut some things.  Let me know if you are interested in making these wonderful cards.  One person can make 8 cards or 2 people can make 8 between them.  

October Cards and Stronger Together stamp set

October is a month for thinking about fall colors, birthdays and preparing for celebrations.  Into our world has come devastating hurricanes and mass shooting.  Close To My Heart has come out with a stamp with the proceeds going to hurricane relief.

You can purchase it from my website barbarapagekell.ctmh.com You can find it under Shop, Stamps and Charity.  It is possible to combine wonderful sayings on the inside of your cards as well as keeping them blank so that they are ready for multiple occasions in your life.

These are the October cards.

 This card uses the new think cut leaves with the older thin cut "Hello" and "Thanks".  Under the glitter leaves, there was a green leaf that was sponged with fall colors.  You can rotate the card to either landscape or portrait.  This one can be a card that you could us the Stronger together sayings on the inside.

It may not be visible but the background is the leaf embossing folder.  Because the Close to my heart paper has a white core, you can sand them and they show up white.  I still have some of the chalks we used to use.  I used makeup cotton squares to put the color on the leaves in the back.  

I used a heart embossing folder and didn't sand or put chalk on this card.  I had an old 4 stamp set that was great for this card.  I used the shimmer brush on the 'icing' to set it off and added some sequins.  I love the thin cut words from Close to my heart.  I also love the glitter paper.  The thin cut words seem to come out so much nicer than on the Cricut.  Check out all our thin cuts.  

Getting the best layouts for your albums!

Everyone wants to have great pages to put their photos on.  You can sit all day and only come up with a few pages.  You can look at the catalogs and figure out some really cut pages.  You can do the Workshop Your Way - which gives you 3 - 2 page layouts and cards. You can also use the "How-to-books".

I made 3 - 2 page layouts based on the new Volume 3 "Make It From Your Heart".  They give you the cutting guide and 2 examples of what you can make the pages look like.  The group I work with usually wants 4x6 photos landscape and maybe a few 4x4's.  I made some changes and these are the examples.

My sister Sue was over at my house and tried out the layouts and she came up with some great pages.

We both used older paper packets that we had laying around.  I used one called Scholastic and will probably put my grandchildren's first day of school on one page.  When I do I will post it. 

I am holding off on any challenges for now.  I may post them as "techniques" and see if anyone will try them and post their projects.  Pinterest has it's "Nailed it".  Maybe we can have that here. 

September Cards

These are the three cards we are making at church.  The top 2 are the ones we are making at the Portage Public Library. 

The top left is from the cards kit Cats and Bats.  It is a thank you card.  The Happy Halloween also uses the Cats and Bats paper. 

The bottom card is a random stamp using D1742 Constellations .  On the inside is "Happy Birthday" with the stars stamp going through diagonally over the Happy Birthday. 

The top left is from G1140 Workshop your way Kind thoughts.  You get to make 12 cards for $25.95 with shipping and tax.  You will need the Rose embossing folder and some thin cuts.

Visit my website at barbarapagekell.ctmh.com and find what you need!

#August challenge #wetembossing

I have been out of town.  I neglected to post the challenge for July.  It was the use of embossing powders.  If you look at the post marked August Album retreat with Live Beautifully paper, you would see I actually did it just neglected to do this post so that you knew what I was doing.

On the left hand side, I stamped my words "Happiness is" in VersaMark clear ink and used White embossing powder.  I then did a water color wash over the letters and they stand out.  The second pink one was not such a success.  I also used regular paper rather than Close to my Heart water color paper and you can see they wrinkled a little.  You can turn the paper over in between a layer of paper towel and lightly iron the back.  You can also use more adhesive on the edges to keep it flatter - most of the time just being in a page protector is enough.

These black flowers were stamped in Daisy White Close to my heart pigment ink and then White embossing powder used.  I thought I could use clear but it is much more effective with the white.  The stamp is an older one but it matched the flowers from the paper perfectly. 

Both of these word stamps were stamped with VersaMark.  The words from the top picture were done in black powder we used to have and the bottom were done in Gold.  The reason for this was the both sets of letters have flowers inside and it makes it very easy to use markers but also you need to do it for water color. I also have "open" type alphabets that use the Black pigment ink with clear powder over patterned paper and then cut them out.  It can be very effective also on plain cardstock or on water color paper do a "wash" on the letters.

 The photo below are the same flower stamps just done in different pigment ink from the first photo above. 

These flowers are "solid" stamping and were done with Close To My Heart pigment ink. You use Clear embossing powder and the color shows through.  Using a little 3-d foam makes these embellishments pop out.

 

These flowers were done like the black flower in VersaMark but these were done in Gold embossing powder.

You can use tweezers or "alligator" clips with these small pieces as you use the heat gun to set the powder.  I love the All Purpose mat from Close to my heart as you can use the heat gun right on it and all the powder can be wiped off easily.  I was in a hurry and used the foam part of my VersaMat to put the powders on.  I didn't put the heat gun near it but I can still fill the grit of the powders when I flip the mat. 

The Clear VersaMark in is good for all the powders.  There are time you want to have colored pigment in and either the clear powder is best for that.  You can use any of the pigment inks with the gold, silver, white or clear powders.  You will get different effects by using different colored papers.   Have fun with your imagination and get you heat gun and powders out to experiment. 

These are the 6 - 2 page layouts from the Adventure paper packet

Basic Fundamental papers 6 - 2 page layouts

6 -2 page layouts with paper packets Whimsy

The new fundamentals have 24 pages.  I took 12 for base pages and 12 to cut.  I did Basic, Whimsy, and Adventure. The complements that come with each set, have 6 ideas to share with using the stickers and various die cuts. This is a great combination.  I used the patterns from Volume 3: Make it from the heart.  I used Pattern 2, 3, 5, 10, 14 and 18.

Volume 3 is a slightly different size from Vol 1 and 2 but the same great format.  It shares the numbers of photos on the page outlines and then shares what papers you need to cut and some samples of what the pages might look like.  I took the 6 pages and put all the cuts on 6 pages.

Whimsy

Make it from your heart - Volume 3

I love Close To My Heart.  One reason is that the books and instructions provided give a wonderful base and the opportunity to make changes.  The larger books are no longer availalbe.  There is a new instruction book.  You can look in the front and see what layouts you might have with different number of photos plus in the back you can see how to use the pocket pages and 1/2 pages.

I love to create albums with paper packets.  What I did was to take Pattern 2, 3, 5, 10, 14, and 18.  I then planned the cuts altogether.  The following posts will show Whimsy fundamentals, Adventure fundamentals, and Basic fundamentals all using the same patterns.  I took 12 sheets for base pages and 12 sheets to cut.  You end up with 6 - 2 page layouts.  To embellish each set, I took Complements for each set.  The compliments are a combination of stickers, diecuts from chipboard.  They also include 6 divisions of what is provided.  I stayed with their suggestions.  

Each set is different and wonderful.  You can combine them or use them in the "family of paper".  Check out my website: barbarapagekell.ctmh.com to check out the new Annual book.  Email me revskell@gmail.com if you want the rough design of the patterns.