A Fond Graphic 45 Farewell to Gloria Stengel

Hello G45ers,

Today is a very special and bittersweet day here on the Graphic 45 blog as we begin our farewells to our 2012 Design Team. What an incredible journey it has been! We have seen so many breathtaking crafts and tutorials. We've been so lucky to have such brilliantly talented artists on our 2012 Design Team, some of whom are joining us on our 2013 Design Team! Well today we begin to say our fond farewells those Design Team members who will be pursuing other creative endeavours. We begin with someone very near and dear to our hearts, the amazing Gloria Stengel. While Gloria wont be on our 2013 Design Team, she will be joining us in a very unique position as one of our Special Projects Designers! That means that she will still be creating her exquisite Graphic 45 crafts for our newsletter tutorials, trade shows and other special events! This means you'll still get to see Gloria's elegant creations here at Graphic 45! We couldn't be happier! 

Lets get to know a little bit about Gloria before we explore some of her most beautiful Graphic 45 creations from years past! We just want to say what a true joy it has been to have Gloria on our Design Team for the past few years! Her superb style and boundless imagination have been a hallmark of Graphic 45! From gorgeous cards, lavish layouts, marvelous minis and awe-inspiring altered art, Gloria has done it all with charm and sophistication! We will miss having her on our Design Team but we are overjoyed that she will still be creating for Graphic 45! Say hello to the one and only, Gloria Stengel!

About Gloria:

My name is Gloria Stengel and I am an eastern USA transplant now living in Oceanside, CA. I’ve been a CA resident since March 2005, after living in five other states. I am married to my husband Matt and we have three children, Nathan (21), Laura (17), and Jonah (12). I am a homeschool mom, however my oldest son has graduated and now attends college full-time and my daughter graduates in June 2013! I can see the light at the end of the homeschooling tunnel. 

I have been hooked on paper crafts all of my life. I have always loved to color, play with paper dolls, and create "projects"! In 1990, I discovered rubber stamping and in 1996, I stumbled across "modern" scrapbooking. I love all aspects of paper crafting: card making, scrapbooking, mini albums, altered art, up-cycling, you name it! I am happiest when I am making a mess! It's the cleaning up part that I don't care for!

I have been on a number of design teams over the past few years, including three terms with Graphic 45. I also accept various guest design spots and work with online stores from time to time. I recently began writing blog articles for Crafts 'n things Magazine, which allows me to share tutorials, favorite products, and advice on paper crafting. The design teams I work with are very diverse, which is an amazing thing for me considering that I love all sorts of art mediums. 

I have also been published in several magazines. Plus I have a blog, a Facebook Fan Page, and a YouTube channel in order to share my creative work. Visit my blog, Scraps of Life:

http://gloriascraps.blogspot.com/

I am so pleased to be staying with the Graphic 45 family as a Special Projects Designer! I really DO have a dream job! To say I am excited to be part of this company is an understatement!

Lets begin today's farewell with some of Gloria's famous cards! It's obvious that Gloria has a knack for creating the perfect card for any occasion! Whether it's a special holiday card, birthday card, or an anytime card, Gloria always knows how to make it sparkle with love and vivid color! Here are some of our favorite cards from Gloria. We begin with this "Seek Joy" Bird Song card that's perfect for any occasion. What an endearing work of art!

Here is one of Gloria's enchanting Christmas cards. This was created with our Nutcracker Sweet collection and it is just gorgeous! Fabulous paper layering and just the right amount of beautiful embellishments make this card a true holiday treasure!

You may remember these wonderful cards from Gloria's Place in Time card tutorial series! We featured 12 of Gloria's amazing seasonal cards on our blog recently and they were a huge hit! You can view more of Gloria's beautiful Place in Time card tutorials here!

http://g45papers.typepad.com/graphic45/2013/03/spring-into-creativity-with-place-in-time-cards-layouts.html

Who could forget Gloria's breathtaking May calendar page during our 2013 Place in Time Calendar Tutorial Series?! This was such a treat! We had each of our Design Team members create a calendar page and tutorial to show all of you G45ers how to create a beautiful calendar for 2013. We loved Gloria's fresh and joyful May page that captured all the joy of Spring!

Here is one of Gloria's famous holiday crafts! It's a Happy Haunting altered 5x8 Altered Art Box with matching mini album! The whimsical fun of Halloween comes to life in this superb creation! Gloria completely captured the sweet vintage charm of our Happy Haunting collection. This creation is a true Halloween dream! 

 

Last but not least is this incredible altered art creation featuring A Ladies Diary. It's an altered dresser adorned with a sweet little box and mini journal. This is such an elegant work of altered art. The femininity and sophistication of A Ladies' Diary comes to life in this clever craft. Even the inside of the drawers are decorated in A Ladies Diary! We also love how Gloria used the Graphic 45 Metal Button Staples and Stamped Metal Brads to add even more vintage charm to this piece. We love it!

That's all for today, G45ers. Don't forget that you can keep up with all of Gloria's latest crafts on her beautiful blog Scraps of Life. We are so excited about this new chapter with Gloria as one of our Special Project Designers! Come on back and join us tomorrow for more superb craft inspiration. It's going to be another beautiful day here on the Graphic 45 blog! We want to thank Gloria for her exemplary work on our Design Team for the past two years. It's been an incredible journey and we are so lucky to have had her talents on our team! Thank you, Gloria! We wish you all a wonderful day!

Happy Papercrafting!

Your Friends at Graphic 45

 

 

 

Picture Perfect Cards For All Occasions!

Hello G45ers,

Are you looking for the perfect inspiration for a special handmade card? Well you've come to the right place! Today on the Graphic 45 blog we are taking you on a fun journey through three gorgeous cards! All of today's card ideas are great for a wide range of occasions! Of course any time is a great time to send a special handmade card to someone you love. Let today's blog fill you with wonderful ideas for your own unique card expression! First up is a gorgeous Olde Curiosity Shoppe love card by Susan Lui. Then we will share an adorable Little Darlings card by Arlene Cuevas. Then Clare Charvill will take you step-by-step through the creation of a fabulous all-occasions Secret Garden card! Yes, today's Graphic 45 blog is guaranteed to make you smile!

Lets begin with a shout-out to all of our wonderful G45ers on Facebook! This is a gorgeous Secret Garden card that was posted to our Facebook page by Nataliya Serova. Just look at those lavish layers and pretty paper distressing! This card is a breath of fresh air. We encourage all of you to share your Graphic 45 creations on our Facebook page! It's also a perfect place to get the latest Graphic 45 news, updates and contest information. Join the fun with Graphic 45 on Facebook!

Graphic 45 Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Graphic45

Next we have Susan's fabulous Olde Curiosity Shoppe easel card made with the new Graphic 45 Regular Tag Album Staples. This is the perfect card to send anytime to someone you love! Take it away, Susan!

"Here’s an easel card I created using Graphic 45’s Olde Curiosity Shoppe collection and Graphic 45 Staples. The front of the card is created using a Graphic 45 Staples Tag which I covered with Olde Curiosity Shoppe patterned paper, then embellished using an Olde Curiosity Shoppe chipboard and Staples Metal Key Hole. I also made a title using the Staples Metal Label Holder and Olde Curiosity Shoppe Alphabet Stickers. This tag front cover folds up to form an easel card which can be displayed on a table top." -Susan

Supplies:

Olde Curiosity Shoppe - Optical Oddities, Mercurial Masterpiece, Parlor Wall, Butterfly Specifics

Olde Curiosity Shoppe Stickers

Olde Curiosity Shoppe Alphabet Stickers

Olde Curiosity Shoppe Chipboard

French Country Chipboard

Staples Regular Tag Album

Staples Ornate Metal Label Holder

Staples Ornate Metal Key Holes

 

Next up is this heartwarming Little Darlings card by Arlene. Of course this is the perfect card to celebrate any occasion in a baby's life! Lovely paper layers, fun floral embellishments and Graphic 45 Ornate Metal Keys give this card such a fresh look. This is the perfect card to celebrate the joys and milestones of youngsters! Here is what Arlene had ot say about it.

“I created this sweet little card for my niece Cadence’s baptism. The Little Darlings paper collection, and the coordinating chipboard pieces and stickers, are a perfect set for all your baby creations! I really love how Graphic 45 makes it so easy for you to create with all the coordinating elements.” -Arlene

Supplies:

Little Darlings 8x8 papers

Little Darlings Chipboards 1

Little Darlings 12x12 Sticker Sheet

Little Darlings 12x12 Alphabet Stickers

Staples - Ornate Metal Key

My Favorite Things card stock

I Am Roses flowers

White acrylic paint

White Doilies

White seam binding

Tile stickers

 

And now it's time for a fun and fabulous card tutorial by Clare. She has created this enchanting Secret Garden card that is perfect for this sunny season! This would be the perfect card to send to a loved one "just because." Bring a smile to the face of a dear friend or family member with this bright and cheerful card and tutorial by Clare!

 

 

Instruction:

I seem to be going through a purple phase at the moment and adore the new patterns and solids that came out with this collection and the violets on the 12 x 12 Beautiful Blooms paper, so decided to combine them both into this pretty little card for all occasions. 

To make: 

Start with a 6 x 6 black card blank.  

To start gather together the following pieces:Pic 1 

6 x 6 Patterns and Solids - plain lavender paper.  Trim 1/8" off all edges 

lavender check paper trim to 5 5\8"  square 

Black card - 5 3/4" square 

Two black strips of card 3/4" wide and about 4" long 

Two strips of lavender check paper 1/2" wide and about 4" long

Two violet sprays fussy cut from 12 x 12 Beautiful Blooms paper

A small green square and larger lavender square Chipboard pieces from Chipboard 2

Sentiment cut apart from Springtime 12 x 12 paper 

Supplies:

12 x 12 Secret Garden Beautiful Blooms 

12 x 12 Springtime paper 

6 x 6 Secret Garden Patterns and solids

12 x 12 Beautiful Blooms

Chipboard pieces from Secret Garden Chipboard 2 

Other Supplies

Black 6 x 6 card blank  

Black card 

Foam Tape 

Purple/Lavender Glitter

Glossy Accents 

Tacky Glue 

Vintage photo Distress Ink

 

 

Ink the edges of your plain lavender paper and stick down to your card leaving 1/8" black border around all edges 

Take your lavender check paper, ink the edges and make a mark 2 1/2" along both edges from one corner.  With the checked side facing you fold the corner towards the middle of your paper up to your marks and crease.  Fold back, add some double sided tape as shown, remove the backing papers and stick the folded corner in place.

Next take your black and checked strips of card & paper.  Ink the edges of the paper strips and stick to the black ones with an equal black border showing along both edges.  Stick one vertically and one horizontally so that the edges tuck under the folded corner.  Trim the outer edges to fit your card.

 

Now add your chipboard pieces.  I used a small green one on the vertical border strip and the larger lavender one on the horizontal strip. 

Take your cut apart with the violets on. Attach some double sided tape on the reverse side of the top right hand corner and a little tacky glue on the back of the bottom left hand corner.  Stick at an angle on your card as shown above.

Now take your two fussy cut sprays of violets.  Attach some 3d Foam pads to the back of the ends of the sprays and a little tacky glue to the underside of the bottom of the sprays.  Attach to your card over the folded edge of the checked paper and edge of the sentiment.

Add a little glossy accents to some of the flowers and sprinkle lavender glitter over the top. Tap off and leave to dry.

To finish off the inside make a border of black card and checked paper and mount on a piece of cream card cut at 5 3/4" square. 

I hope you enjoy following along and making this pretty little card. Happy paper crafting.

We have one more treat in store for you G45ers today! Here is a link to a wonderful SVG Cuts interview with Graphic 45 CEO and designer Diane Schultz! In this interview Diane talks about life before Graphic 45, going back to school and what inspires her. Learn how Graphic 45 got its name and much more!

 

http://svgcuts.com/blog/2013/05/20/cut-the-craft-interview-with-diane-schultz-of-graphic-45/

 

We hope you all had fun on today's Graphic 45 card celebration! We encourage you all to send a pretty handmade treasure in the mail to someone you love. One simple card can really make someone's day! We want to thank Susan, Arlene and Clare for their superb creations today. There is more inspiration on the way on tomorrow's Graphic 45 blog. Come on back and see us for more fabulous ideas! We wish you all a very happy day!

Your Pals in Paper,

Team Graphic 45

 

Think Outside The Box With French Country

Hello G45ers,

It's a brand new week of fabulous ideas and inspiration here at Graphic 45! We are so glad you're joining us! Get ready for an extra special treat! Today we're going to show you two unique and gorgeous ideas for French Country altered boxes! First up is a super fun altered cigar box by Kristin Wilson. Then we will share a fabulous tutorial by Gloria Stengel that shows you how to turn an 8x8 Matchbook Box into a beautiful French Country mini album! There are so many clever ideas on today's blog! It's the perfect way to start your week!

We also have a new blog contest this week! Hooray! Just leave us a blog or Facebook comment for your chance to win this fantastic Secret Garden and Place in Time prize pack! It includes 8x8 paper pads, chipboard die-cuts, and stickers from both Place in Time and Secret Garden. It also includes Secret Garden Flowers, Metal Tag Staples and Flower Staples! A $50 value! Be sure to leave your comment for a chance to win! A random winner will be announced on Friday's blog.

First up in today's French Country altered box celebration is this wonderful pencil box by Kristin. We love Kristin's amazing use of paper layering and pretty Graphic 45 Metal Staples! It's amazing what you can create when you let your imagination run wild! Here is what she had to say about this very special work of art.

"This box was altered using an old cigar box. Since I am in school full time I needed a place to keep all of my pens, pencils, and highlighters. This little box is perfect for just that, and what a perfect way to design it using Graphic 45's Staples and French Country Collection. With this being my very last project for Graphic 45, I wanted to make something that I will use for years to come. Every time I look at it I will be remembered of the awesome people I met and the fun I had on this Design Team." -Kristin

Supplies:

Graphic 45: French Country Collection Papers, French Country Chipboard 2, French Country Cardstock Stickers, French Country Tags & Pockets, French Country Banners, Kraft Reflections Collection Paper, Metal Brads, Metal Clothes Pin, Metal Door Pull
Stampin Up!: Twine, Buttons
Maya Road: Wood Buttons

Next up is this wonderful mini album tutorial by Gloria! She really thought "outside the box" with this little treasure! She converted a Graphic 45 8x8 Matchbook Box into a beautiful French Country mini album! Want to learn how it was made? Follow along with Gloria's fun tutorial to create one for yourself or someone you love! Take it away, Gloria!

Some of my all-time favorite things to make are mini albums. I especially like to make them from "junk." I had used the "drawer" of a Graphic 45 8x8 Altered Art Matchbook Box for something else, but I had kept the "box" portion. I did not want to toss it out. (Let's face it; I hoard!)

I am so happy I kept it. I turned the box portion into a mini album. I used 12x12 French Country papers and embellishments to make a cute 8x8 mini. (Please note that you may need 3-4 sheets of some of the prints to create this mini album. Feel free to substitute other papers.)

 

To create this album, follow the directions below.

Supplies:

Graphic 45 paper (12x12 and 8x8):

French Country: French Country, Sunflower, Promenade, Rendezvous, Bon Appetit, Bonjour, A La Carte, Montage

Graphic 45French Country Chipboard Tags, Stamps, Cardstock Stickers, Cardstock Banners, Cardstock Flowers, Cardstock Tags and Pockets

Graphic 45 A Ladies' Diary stamps

Graphic 45 Staples: Altered Art Matchbook Box Staples (8x8), Tag Album (Regular and Large)

 

1. Cut the box apart so that you have a front cover and a back cover, each measuring slightly larger than 8x8 inches.

2. Place strong adhesive on the two interior edges as shown.

3. Create a cardstock spine. Cut black cardstock to 8 1/4 x 12 inches. Score the long edge at: 1", 1 1/2" 2 1/4", 3", 3 1/2", 4 1/4", 5", 5 1/2", 6 1/4", 7", 7 1/2", 8 1/4", 9",9 1/2", 10 1/4", 11". Fold the cardstock in a fan-fold method. Glue the 3/4" sections together to form "tabs." Glue the spine to the covers as indicated.

 

4. Flip the book over and place strong adhesive on the spine.

 

5. Trim cardstock to 8 1/2 x 2 5/8 inches and attach to the cardstock spine. Make sure there is a gap between the covers and the spine to allow the album to close.

 

6. Trim Graphic 45 French Country Sunflower paper to 8 1/2 x 4 inches and cover the spine.

7. Cover the font of the album with Promenade paper, cut to 8 1/2 x 8 inches. Trim out the center. Decorate the cover as desired, using French Country Cardstock Banners, Chipboard Tags, Cardstock Flowers, and various image cut from the papers.

8. Cover the back with Promenade paper cut to 8 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches. Decorate the back and spine as desired.

9. To see a tutorial for creating the paper flower: http://www.g45papers.com/pdf/Graphic45CardstockFlowerTutorialApril11-3.pdf?utm_source=Graphic+45+Consumers&utm_campaign=9f6a8c25b9-Apr11ConsumerNewsletterFlowerTutorials4_9_2013&utm_medium=email  [this is a G45 project sheet)

 

10. Using the spine "tabs," you may attach up to 5 pages to your album (10 sides).

 

11. Decorate the inside front cover with Promenade paper. Cut out the center. Add a ticket sticker to the top center.

 

12. To make the pages studier, attach each right-hand page to a piece of kraft cardstock. For page one, cut Montage paper to 8x8 inches and attach to the spine tab. Add stamped images and other French Country embellishments. Place a black, 5x5 inch photo mat in the center of the page.

 

13. Attach 8x8 inch reverse Sunflower paper to the back of page one to form page two. Add a strip of Sunflower 8x1 inch Sunflower paper to the left edge. Glue the page to the spine tab. Attach the sunflower list image from the A La Carte paper and other embellishments to the page.

 

14. For pages 3 and 4 use one Regular and one Large Tag Album Staples. Spray both tags with a selection of glimmer mist. Used paper scraps to create a pocket on the large tag. Assembled one of the French Country Cardstock Tags and Pockets and attached it to the small tag. Tie ribbon through the holes in the tags. Adhere the tags to the spine tabs. Glue the large tag to the front of the tab and the smaller tag to the back, creating page 4.

 

15. Spray and decorated the back of the tags. Add a 3 1/2 x 5 inch photo mat to the larger tag.

 

16. Each tag has a place for journaling or a spot for a photograph.

 

17. For page 5, cut Sunflower paper to 8x8 inches and attach to the tab. Add a landscape 7 x 5 inch photo mat. To create dimension for the Cardstock Stickers, attach them to a scrap of chipboard, then glue them in place.

 

18. Use the reverse of the French Country paper, cut to 8x8 inches, for page 6. Add a 6x6 inch photo mat to the center. Decorate with chipboard elements.

 

19. Cut Bonjour paper to 8x8 inches and attach to the tab for page 7. Trim out the Good Luck image from A La Carte paper. Stamp images and add a ticket sticker to the center of the journaling block. (The rooster stamp is from My Favorite Things.)

 

20. Create a pocket for page 8. Attach Bon Appetit paper, cut to 8x8 inches to the back of page 7. Cut Sunflower paper (I used a sheet from an 8x8 pad as I ran out of the 12x12) to 3 x 8 inches. Attach on three edges to make a pocket.

 

21. Tuck images cut from the various papers into the pocket. You can also use tags from the Cardstock Tags and Pockets sheet. I also decorated another Regular Tag Album Staples tag.

22. For page 9, cut Rendezvous paper to 8x8 inches and attach to the spine tab. Add a 6 x 4 inch photo mat and decorate as desired.

23. To create page 10, trim the reverse of Sunflower paper to 4 x 8 and attach to the bottom of page 9. Trim Promenade paper to 3 x 8 inches and attach to the top of the page. Trim a strip of Sunflower paper 1 1/2 x 8 inches and attach to the center. Add a 7 x 5 inch photo mat. Decorate as desired.

24. Cut Sunflower paper to 8 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches and attach to the inside back cover. Add an image cut from A La Carte paper and attach to the center of the paper.

We want to thank you all for joining us on this fine Monday blog! We want to thank Kristin and Gloria for their amazing ideas today. Don't forget to leave us a blog or Facebook comment this week for your chance to win that wonderful Place in Time and Secret Garden prize pack! Our winner will be announced on Friday's blog. Join us tomorrow for more gorgeous craft inspiration that is sure to brighten your day! Have a wonderful day, G45ers!

Happy Papercrafting,

Your Friends at Graphic 45

 

Graphic 45 Presents an April Place in Time "Best Wishes" Card

 

Place in Time April "Best Wishes" Card

Download the Place in Time April "Best Wishes" Card Project Sheet

Bright Ideas For Spring & Summer Crafts!

Hello G45ers,

Happy Friday! Get ready to jump-start your weekend crafting with today's gorgeous spring and summer-inspired crafts! All this sunshine sure is energizing our creativity! We thought it would be fun to share some sweet ideas for fun seasonal crafts! First we've got a bright and beautiful Bird Song layout by Alberto Juarez! Then Denise Hahn has a splendid video tutorial that shows you how to make a Secret Garden gift box! Inspiration is in full bloom on today's Graphic 45 blog! Plus it's Friday and that means it's time for a new blog contest winner announcement! Chosen at random from this week's Facebook comments, this week's winner is...

-Rosann R. Barnes: "Cool idea!!"

Congratulations, Rosann! Please email us with your shipping information at info@g45papers.com to claim your prize. This is the fabulous French Country prize that Rosann won this week! We have a new contest each week on the Graphic 45 blog so there's always a chance to win something wonderful! Stay tuned for another chance to win some Graphic 45 goodies!

First up for today's sunny craft inspiration is this vibrant Bird Song layout by Alberto! He used bountiful layers and delicate fussy cutting to create this colorful work of art that commemorates blooming cherry blossoms. This is the perfect project for this warm and sunny season! Take a look at the blooming flowers all around you! It could be the perfect inspiration for your next Graphic 45 craft treasure!

Supplies:

Bird song

Good fortune

tranquility

Shangai girls

Enlightenment

Longevity

12x12 Easel Album

 

Next up is this delightful spring-inspired gift box by Denise! She used our Secret Garden collection along with pretty Graphic 45 Staples to create this marvelous little box. This is the perfect way to add a personalized element to any gift card! Follow along with Denise's fun and easy tutorial to create one for someone you love! Add some spring sunshine to any gift with Secret Garden from Graphic 45!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9bvy27O0k48

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies:

Secret Garden 12x12 paper pad

Chipboard tags

metal staples key

mayarts silk ribbon

clearsnap premium dye ink celery

Xyron mega runner 

hot glue 

 

We hope you all got some great ideas for your weekend crafting! Come on back and see us for more splendid inspiration all week long! Big thanks to Alberto and Denise for their amazing creations today. We hope you all have a fun Friday and a great weekend! Thank you so much for visiting us today, G45ers! 

 

Your Pals in Paper,

 

Team Graphic 45