Welcome to Michelle's Neighborhood...

Michelle's tutorial is a little different than our usual tutorial.  Instead of explaining something from her layout, Michelle is sharing a cute and fun project that she created along with her layout!  I think you'll really enjoy this project and looking at paper in a different way than usual!  Here's Michelle!

I really liked the little houses that are in Nikki Sivils' collection. But I ended up not using them in my layout because they were too small and the scale was off if I had used them as my embellishments. It was the perfect size for a card though, so I designed a card featuring the cute lil' houses.

1. I started by using part of a patterned paper that had a road and one group of trees and nothing else. I glimmered misted it in yellow to break up the large expanse of blue.

2. I fussy cut 4 houses, 2 of each design from another patterned paper that contained only houses.

3. I glued one house straight on the paper. I popped up the other one of the same house on top of the first one using foam adhesive. This gives kind of a shadow effect. On the windows I added some Glossy Accents to make it look reflective like glass. I added some Pearl Pen on the roof, doorknobs and nail heads to emphasize those aspects of the house and to make them appear 3-D.

 

4. Further down the road, I repeated the same process with the other 2 houses I cut out. I also cut out some trees to balance out the scene.

5. I connected the sentiment from one house to the other like a telephone line using a black pen. So with the addition of a sticker from the collection it reads, "Hello from our house to yours".

6. I finished off the scene by cutting out some kites and gluing it in the sky near the "Hello" sticker, so the sticker wouldn't look to be floating by itself.


If there isn't the perfect scene on a patterned paper, then just take the various components that a collection has to offer, and create your own. It will be the right size and scale to your project. It will also be much more interesting with the 3-D elements and any extra finishing touches you add to give it your own personal flair.

Isn't this card super cute?  I LOVE it!  I think it would also be great in a frame or even on a canvas for a hostess gift or new house gift...

Thanks, Michelle!

Well, that's it for the Design Team's September projects!  We'll be back next month with fantastic new projects!

Andi

Michelle's Layout!

Hello!

It's Wednesday, so we're half-way through the week!  Yay!  Today we're sharing Michelle's layout, which is super cute.  Michelle had Nikki Sivils "We Are Family" paper line to work with and she used a sketch from PageMaps, which you can find at http://www.pagemaps.com/.  Sketches are super helpful, and Michelle is amazing at taking a sketch and twisting it to meet her needs. 

Title: Who's Stabled in Grant's Farm?

DT Member: Michelle McClure

Featured Collection: Nikki Sivils' "We are Family"

I love Michelle's layout, my favorite detail is her stitching and the color contrast in the pictures!  Here's Michelle with a few tips!

1. Feel free to change up a sketch according to your own preferences and style. I like having more photos in a layout so I added 2 inches to the length of the photo sections. This gave me the chance to add three more 2 x 2 photos and increase the size of two of the photos on the sketch.

2. To focus in on the solo photo, I machine stitched around the central characters several times and added some twine. I was also going for a lasso look to match my horse theme.

3. The new Pearl Pens were a quick and easy way to add some dimension and pearls to a page without using messy liquid adhesives or heat.

4. The paper collection had a family theme which didn’t necessarily match my photos, but the colors were perfect. So feel free to use a collection for the patterns or colors even if you aren’t using the theme.

Supplies:

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics, Bazzill Bling; Patterned Papers, Letter Stickers, Cardstock Stickers: Nikki Sivils “We are Family” collection; Dimensional Paint: Glossy Accents by Inkssentials, Pearl Pen by Viva Decor; Ink: ColorBox Chalk; Thread: Coats and Clark; Ribbon: Offray; Metal Accent: Imaginisce Glam Rocks; Heating Tool: Imaginisce I-Rock; Stick Pins: Joann Fabric; Pen: Pentel; Sketch: PageMaps by Becky Fleck; Font: Calibri; Other: sewing machine, twine, buttons


Thanks, Michelle!  This layout is super cute, I love the fun little details and all of her photos!  We'll be back tomorrow to share a fun, cute little tutorial and project from Michelle!

If you'd like to see more of Michelle's projects, please check out her blog here.

Andi

Tuesday Tutorial!

Hello!

Today Debbie is sharing how to create the sweet circular flower from her layout that was shared yesterday!  It's a boxed flower tutorial, so here's Debbie!

These are the steps for making the box flowers:



1. I punched two circles each from two different papers.

2. Fold each circle in half. (You can also crumple the circles.)

3. Layer folded circles with alternating ends on top (like you're folding a box). Adhere.

4. Take top layer of each folded circle half and fold back on itself, halfway.

Thanks, Debbie, for this great flower tutorial!

Well see you all back here tomorrow when we'll be sharing an awesome layout from Michelle!
See you all then!
Andi

Christmas in September!

Hello!

We're back today with a Christmas layout from Design Team member, Debbie!  Let's hear what Debbie had to say about her project!

This month's project was such a fun layout because of the Authentique Christmas line.  It is such a beautiful collection and I found it to be perfect for some pictures that I have been wanting to scrap and was waiting for the perfect paper.  I used the Yearning, Expectation, Curiosity and Awe.  I also used a sketch from Scrapbook Generations.  My title was done using the Vixen die set from Quikutz.  For my embellishments I made Box Flowers which I had seen in a Creating Keepsakes magazine.

Here's a close up of Debbie's Box Flower.  We'll be sharing a tutorial on this technique tomorrow!

We see you tomorrow with the flower tutorial!

Have a great start to your week!
Andi

Page's Open Design Team Call!!

· Are you fun? Are you innovative?




· Do you love paper crafting? Or all crafting?



· Are you blog savvy? If not, are you a quick learner?



· Do you like free product and sneak peaks of upcoming product and trends?



· Do you LOVE Pages from the Heart?



Seeking:

We are looking for individuals to represent Pages from the Heart! We are looking for people who are open to support our blog and support events and projects at the store.


The Jist:


You will be expected to create assigned projects each month to be posted on our blog and turn in samples to the store for display. Projects can range from Layout samples, to cards to 3-D projects! These samples will need to have easy to read instructions or descriptions that we can include in our blog posts; tips and tricks are also appreciated! We’re looking for ways for people to stay inspired to use the supplies that they have and the new supplies offered at Pages. In return for your projects, you will earn store credit from Pages.


The Deal:


· The term will be for 6 months starting October 7th with your 1st projects due November 1st.


· Applicants must be 18+ years old.


· Open to everyone but must be willing to attend occasional meetings or webinars, and special events at Pages from the Heart.

· Design Team experience is not a must, but doesn’t hurt either!

· You’ll be supplied monthly (or as needed) with store product. You’ll have to complete your assignments using the products in the time allotted – you’ll get to keep the leftovers AND earn credit to get more goodies! It’s a win-win!

- You will be asked to create tutorials of some of the assignments you create, you will know about tutorials ahead of time. You will also be required to write a brief "blurb" about each project that you create that can be included with pictures of your project on our blog.

- We post a "Challenge" every month and ask for your help, but it is not mandatory.

· New members will be contacted by October 7th.





How to Apply:


Please send pictures of:


· 1 double page layout or 2 single page layouts


· 2 cards


· 1 3-D project


To ayokleyjessup@gmail.com. Please keep file size small! You will not be judged on your photo skills, but to get a good idea of your work your photo will have to be clear and show good details. All samples must be original to you!!! If you are chosen for the Design Team, your samples will be displayed at Pages for 2 months and then returned to you.


Include a little about yourself, like…

· Name

· When did you start paper crafting?


· Are you on any other Design Teams or do you have any Design Team experience?


· What are your favorite company’s or products? Do you have a passion for Glimmer Mist? Stamps? Paper? What’s your vice?


· Do you have a blog? If so, please send me the link!


· Do you follow any blogs? If so, please let me know some of them!


· Have you even been published? Do you submit your designs?


· What style are you? Do you like clean, simple designs? Are you vintage? Or shabby? Or something totally unique, like vintage with classic lines?


· Anything else that you think is important about yourself. I don’t need your life story, but I would like a good idea of who you are and what drives your paper crafting passion! Crafting is part about expression, but then also about your story and connections to people!



Submissions open till Sept 30th, Midnight!

Thursday Tutorial with Christina!

Hello!  Here is a GREAT tutorial from Christina!  You'll be running to get your embossing powder, pigment ink, stamp and any/all of your acrylic pieces to give it a shot!



This month I will show you how to add a dimensional layer onto a clear plastic embellishment! This gives a subtle, etched look on an otherwise plain, flat surface. First, you need a “Fragments” embellishment from Tim Holtz, which is simply a clear plastic charm.

Using a medium-grit sandpaper, sand only one side of the charm to give it a frosted look.

Take a stamp you’d like to use (I used one of mini dots for my project, but flourishes look really great!) and apply an embossing ink pad (I used a bottle of embossing liquid).

Press the design onto the sanded side of the charm (or press the charm onto the stamp!)

Add clear embossing powder until it is completely coated. Remove the excess (this may be poured back into the jar for re-use) by tapping on the opposite side several times.

Melt the embossing powder using a heat gun, careful to only heat it for only seconds at a time because the plastic charm will melt! So let it cool repeatedly before continuing, but keep applying heat until all the powder has melted. This is what created the clear design onto the scratched surface. Think of it as removing a design (your stamped image) from a frosted surface.

I simply added stickers and ribbon.... but you can do many things to it! Add a solid or patterned paper (stick to the embossed side) or color the charm’s embossed side with a stamp pad or a variety of other inks. NOTE: You can also use those frosted glass slides for this method and skip step 2 - this makes beautiful charms for jewelry!!)

That's it, thanks Christina!  I hope that you give this a try, I think this is a great tutorial and out of the box - errr - plastic!

See you back here tomorrow!
Andi

Back to School with Christina!

Christina had Fancy Pant's new line, "Off to School", which has great colors, patterned papers and embellishments to choose from!  Fancy Pants has even come out with actual chalk board stickers - isn't that the best?  I think that's so cool!  Take a look at some of their products.

Let's hear from Christina about her layout!

Most of you are getting your kids back into the rhythm of school days.   So while they are in class, it’s time for you to start scrapping!  What better way to kickstart the memories of a new school year than by documenting a child’s first days back?  Fancy Pants has come out with an adorable line called “Off to School” that fits any grade level.   I love the bold, muted versions of the “basic”colors you think of in elementary school, with really fun patterns like pencils, drawn stars, and grids. I think the best part is that it’s perfectly suited for boys, which can be hard to come by!   I hope you enjoy creating with this line as much as I did!

I love Christina's use of white space and the clustered elements.  The colors are great for all age groups and genders!

We'll be back tomorrow with a great tutorial using plastic pieces, embossing powder and a stamp! 

See you then!
Andi

Flag Tutorial

I'm sure this might seem like an insanely easy tutorial, but I figure that a tip is a tip is a tip!  If you've been paying attention to the crafting world, pennants and flags are super trendy right now - and I love it!  There are a lot of lines that have started making flags to go along with their paper lines, October Afternoon and Pink Paislee are just a few!  Well, I decided to create my own flag for my layout using Crate Paper's Farm House line! 

Let's get started!

All you'll need to get started is a strip of patterned paper (mine was 1" x  3"), a toothpick or two, adhesive (I used Scrappy Glue - of course!) and scissors and ink if you want to distress your flag.

Start off by distressing all of the edges of your paper. 

Turn your paper over and spread glue along half of your paper.  Place your toothpick towards the center of your paper.

Fold your patterned paper over the toothpick, you'll want to really press it down so that it's tightly wrapped around the toothpick.

You can either stop her and leave your flag in a rectangle shape, or you can cut a triangle from the end of the flag to create more of a banner/pennant look, like I did.  I also added some brown bakers twine around the toothpick at the base of the flag and a sticker.

Done.  Super easy, very cute and you can use a ton of your scraps and make a lot of flags!

Well see you tomorrow with a project from Christina!
Andi

We're laying it all out for you!

This months Design Team assignments were to work on a 2 page layout - our hope is to inspire you to scrap your summer memories!

I'll be sharing my layout with you today, I used the Farm House line from Crate Paper for a school layout and I love the way it turned out!  Take a look!

I used the Farm House line for Adam's first day of preschool - which might not be an obvious choice but it turned out perfectly!  Here's some close ups!

The little flash cards are hand cut from the Graphic45 ABC Collection line, which turned out so cute!

I used Glimmer Mists on the white space on the page, but instead of spraying it I took the sprayer out and just used the tube of the sprayer to drop the mist on the page.  I also detail cut different labels from the paper for the top left corner, I choose the California label since that's where we live and the Apple label since it's a school layout.  I used rub-on's from Foof-a-la, Pink Paislee and October Afternoon.

I used either rub-on numbers or sticker numbers for each picture on the right page.  I then journaled what was happening in each picture and matched them up with the numbers.

I used a lot of the sticker elements from the line, including this cute little flag, tag and "welcome" label.

That's it for me today!  I hope you enjoyed my layouts and are inspired to use paper that might now be an obvious choice!  Please check out my blog to see more of my projects!

I'll be back tomorrow to share a flag tutorial!  Flags are super trendy right now and so easy to make! 

See you tomorrow!

Andi

Cropping for a Cure

Join us for breast cancer awareness month and crop for a cure!

Friday & Saturday, October 14th & 15^th, 2011

Beginning at 5 pm

Cost:  only $50 for both days

$25 for Friday only

$35 for Saturday only

Save $5 when you sign up for either day or $10 when you sign up for both and pay by October 1^st!

Included: Dinner on both days

Breakfast on Saturday

Drinks, Snacks, Prizes, Raffles

*PLUS*

MAKE A DONATION TO THE SUSAN G. KOMAN FUND AND RECEIVE A DISCOUNT ON YOUR ENTIRE PURCHASE UP TO 40% OFF!

Example : donate $5 – receive a 5% discount

donate $20 – receive a 20% discount