A Fond Graphic 45 Farewell to Kristin Wilson

Happy Friday G45ers!

We have such a beautiful array of crafts to share with you! Today's blog is a cornucopia of inspiration! We are continuing our farewells to our 2012 Design Team today as we celebrate the magnificent work of Kristin Wilson. You will see some of our favorite cards, layouts, altered art and much more from Kristin's time on our 2012 Design Team. We also have a new blog contest winner to announce today! There are so many incredible ideas on today's Graphic 45 blog! It's just what you need to start the weekend off right! Before we get to today's grand crafts, lets begin with this week's contest winner. Chosen at random from this week's blog comments, the winner is...

-Kathleen Lundman: "Great project and beautiful kit that you are offering this week! Thank you."

Congratulations, Kathleen! Please email us with your shipping information at info@g45papers.com to claim your prize. This is the fantastic Place in Time and Secret Garden prize that Kathleen won today. Stay tuned to our blog on Monday for yet another chance to win some amazing Graphic 45 prizes!

And now it's time for our very fond tribute to Kristin Wilson. Her elegant and homespun style has been such a valued part of our 2012 Design Team. We have loved every gorgeous project that she has created during her time with us. She has such a talent for bringing our paper collections and Staples to life! Whether it's a fun and easy card, a lovely layout or an opulent piece of altered art, Kristin always knew how to make each project sparkle with beauty! Kristin's 10-minute cards were another wonderful part of her time on our 2012 Design Team. She always had the most fun and clever ways to create breathtaking Graphic 45 crafts! We have handpicked all of today's featured crafts to display Kristin's wide range of talents. We can't thank her enough for her superb contributions on our team this year. It was such a joy for us to be able to display her gorgeous and inspiring crafts! Lets begin by getting to know a little bit more about Kristin!

 

About Kristin:

I live in Indiana, about 45 minutes from Chicago. I live with my very supportive hubby, Dave, and our son Quinn. I am a stay at home mom and I have been paper crafting for a little over 4 years. I feel I have finally stepped into my design style and now it's time to get into the action! My design strengths are that I can fit a whole lot of embellishments into a small space without it looking "over done". I use colors that normally wouldn't go together... but when I am done it all matches beautifully. I am shabby chic mixed with eclectic. There is never a loss of mojo when I am designing with Graphic 45 collections. They inspire me all on their own. I do not need to search for inspiration in mags or on the web... just the  beautiful Graphic 45 product is all I need. The colors and the way they carry the theme throughout the whole line is amazing. There are little pieces of gold to be snipped and added to just the right spot in every paper pad. Whats not to fall in love with? I love Graphic 45! It speaks to my soul and I hope that shines through in my projects.

Check out Kristin's beautiful blog for more inspiring ideas:

http://www.kristinwilsonhandmade.com/

First we begin with something new. This is a breathtaking French Country birthday card that Kristin created. Colorful paper layers, chipboard die-cuts and sweet embellishments make this card a heartwarming treasure! It is fun and easy to make and would make anyone's birthday a very happy one!

Here is another amazing birthday card by Kristin. This bright and cheerful card features our sunny Secret Garden collection. The lovely paper layers look magical with just the right amount of sweet embellishments. Kristin has such a knack for creating the perfect card!

Now it's time for some of Kristin's lavish layouts! Here we have her exquisite Kraft Reflections LO! Pretty paper layers and distressing add to the vintage elegance of this pretty LO. The soft floral embellishments and decorative stamps only add to the magnificence of this charming work of art!

Kristin always knows how to make holidays fun! Here is a spooktacular Happy Haunting layout that she created for Halloween! This LO has such unique composition and amazing use of contrasting patterns! It captures the eye and enthralls the imagination! Kristin did an amazing job of letting her embellishments amplify the bright colors and fun patterns in the Happy Haunting papers! This LO is the perfect way to immortalize such adorable family memories!

Here is another classic craft by Kristin! It's the banner she created to help us celebrate Graphic 45's 5th birthday! We love this banner so much! It's hanging in our Portland, Oregon office right now! Kristin created this amazing banner with our new Regular Tag Album staples, A Ladies Diary papers and tons of pretty embellishments! It's full of joy and impeccably style! It was the perfect craft to commemorate 5 years of Graphic 45!

Here is one of Kristin's amazing mini albums! She upcycled the packaging from Graphic 45 Staples to create this adorable Little Darlings mini! Doesn't this just warm your heart?! Kristin puts such loving detail in every aspect of her crafts. You can really see her attention to detail in this superb creation! This would make the perfect gift for a new mom!

We adore this fabulous French Country album by Kristin! It was designed using our 12x12 Easel Album. You flip the pages to find your mood for any particular day. This is such a great way to check in and take note of how you are feeling from day to day. It's a gorgeous piece of home decor with a great function. We love it!

Last but not least is this incredible piece of altered art by Kristin. This is her amazing altered box featuring A Ladies' Diary and lots of gorgeous Graphic 45 Metal Staples! We love the wonderful use of paper distressing on A Ladies' Diary paper that adds an extra element of shabby chic to this box. Every angel of this box is so alluring! This is the kind of project that makes you want to run to your crafting table to start creating! Plus it would make the perfect gift!

We want to thank Kristin for all the incredible treasures that she created on our 2012 Design Team. It was such a pleasure to get to work with her. We wish her all the best in her future creative endeavors. It's been an amazing journey and we feel so lucky to have had her talents and enthusiasm that have inspired so many people. Thank you, Kristin!

Big thanks to all of you G45ers for stopping by our blog today. We hope Kristin's crafts helped give you some great ideas for your weekend crafting! Come on back and see us very soon for more joyful craft inspiration. We will have a new blog contest on Monday along with more gorgeous crafts! We wish you all a very happy Friday and a terrific weekend!

Your Pals in Paper,

Team Graphic 45

A Fond Graphic 45 Farewell to Jane Tregenza

Hello G45ers,

Welcome to a very special day of layouts, cards, altered art and so much more! Today we are saying a very fond farewell to the fabulous Jane Tregenza. She has been a part of our Design Team for many years and we have loved every minute of it! This year she brought you her famous Book Tutorial Series in which she took you step-by-step through her book-making process. She has also created countless layouts, cards and gorgeous works of altered art during her time on the Graphic 45 2012 Design Team. We are overjoyed to have had Jane's incredible talent and imagination on our Design Team for so long. Today we wanted to give her a fitting tribute and wish her all the best in her future creative endeavors, of which there are many! We've picked out a few of our favorite creations by Jane from her term on the 2012 Design Team to share with you today. All of today's crafts are overflowing with beauty and love, just like Jane! It has been such an incredible joy to work with Jane over the years. We only hope today's blog can try and express how much gratitude we have for everything that she has contributed to Graphic 45!

Before we get to Jane's amazing crafts we wanted to remind you all that there's still time to enter to win this week's fabulous Place in Time and Secret Garden blog contest! 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 tomorrow's blog!

And not it's time to begin our fun and fabulous tribute to Jane! Lets begin by getting to know more about the magnificent Jane Tregenza!

About Jane:

I live in beautiful Adelaide, South Australia. Mother to five beautiful children and married to an amazing man for 27 years. I own and teach at Seriously Scrapbooking. I have the perfect job. Each day I get to share my passion for scrapbooking and paper crafting with many many people, and I get to share in their lives and hear their happy and sometimes sad stories. I am a shoulder to cry on, and someone to laugh with. I have a wonderful team of people who help and inspire me. As I said the perfect job. Every day brings more people into my life and every day I get to "hopefully" inspire someone else. How blessed am I.

You can view more of Jane's gorgeous crafts on her amazing blog:

http://janetregenza.blogspot.com/

First up we have some gorgeous examples of Jane's famous layouts. Here is a bright and wonderfully geometric LO featuring Olde Curiosity Shoppe. Jane always has such a knack for creating masculine crafts. This is a heartwarming photo of Jane's son. The beautiful chipboard and clock gear embellishments look amazing against the splendor of Olde Curiosity Shoppe. It's the perfect LO for such a precious moment in time!

Here is another breathtaking layout by Jane. This one features our Bird Song collection and lots of pretty Graphic 45 Metal Staples. Jane's classic borders and paper layering are in full effect in this amazing LO. It absolutely captures the vivid color and serene feeling of Bird Song!

We asked Jane to design the cover page for our 2013 Place in Time Calendar tutorial series. This was the beautiful result! We loved this timeless calendar cover that really set the tone for a wonderful new year!

This project was one of Jane's crowning achievements this year, her famous Book Tutorial Series! This was the front cover of her book. This was an amazing 9-part series that took you through the creation of one of her gorgeous books. It including book-binding, tag-making and incredible tips for creating lavish layers. What an epic project! We were thrilled to be able to share it!

Here is one of the beautiful pages from Jane's book tutorial. It features our Secret Garden collection and lots of pretty chipboards and fussy cutting. This page is a shining example of the love that Jane puts into each and every one of her craft creations!

Here is another stunning page from Jane's book tutorial featuring An ABC Primer. The colors in this page are so fabulous. Jane really captured the charm of this vintage schoolhouse-inspired collection. What a wonderful treasure!

Now we are going to share some of Jane's amazing cards! Here we have her lavishly layered Nutcracker Sweet Christmas card. You can see how the fussy cut characters look as though they could dance right off the page! It's a true winter wonderland of holiday cheer!

Here is another one of Jane's fabulous cards. This is a French Country card that she created for our CHA Winter show and it displays some of Jane's famous pop-up elements! We just love how it looks as though those magnificent sunflowers are blooming right out of the card! It's classic Jane!

Last but not least is this delightful 5x8 altered art box and mini album featuring A Ladies Diary. Jane has such a talent for altered art. The elegant spirit of A Ladies' Diary comes to life in this sweet creation. It opens to reveal a charming mini album that's out of this world! This sophisticated work of art is yet another example of the wide range of skill and artistic talent that Jane brought to the Graphic 45 Design Team!

That's all for today, G45ers! We hope you had fun exploring these grand crafts by Jane. We will miss her so much but we know that her future is so bright! We definitely encourage you all to check out Jane's beautiful blog to see her latest and greatest creations.

http://janetregenza.blogspot.com/

We want to wish you all a very happy day! Come on back and see us tomorrow as we bring you more awe-inspiring works of art! Thank you all so much for stopping by!

Happy Papercrafting!

Your Friends at Graphic 45

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