Clever Ideas & Tutorial Inspiration From Graphic 45!

Hello G45ers,

TGIF! Welcome to our very special blog today! The end of the week is here at last and we've got just what you need to get inspired for your weekend! Today's dreamy crafts by Alberto Juarez and Nicole Eccles are so incredible! You wont believe your eyes! Alberto has created a gorgeous Tropical Travelogue album with a fun tutorial that you're sure to love. While Nicole has made a breathtaking piece of altered art using Olde Curiosity Shoppe! Yes, we've packed this blog full of so much enchantment and inspiration! It's going to be such a fun Friday! Also we have a big winner to announce for this week's blog contest! Huge thanks to everyone who left us comments on our blog and Facebook page this week. We love reading all of your terrific feedback! This week's winner was chosen at random from our Facebook page. And the winner is...

-Marcia Neat: "Isn't this weeks prize what dreams are made off! Every crafters dream. The Olde Curiosity Shoppe with extra pinch me am I dreaming who will be the lucky one I don't know but I do know that whoever they are they will be the happiest crafters in craftworld. All the Graphic 45 Design team are so gifted yet each craft submitted is so different and amazing the detail is astounding such talent."

Congratulations, Marcia! Please email us with your shipping information at info@g45papers.com to claim your prize. Hooray! This is the prize that Marcia won this week. We will have a great new blog contest on Monday so there are more fabulous chances to win some great Graphic 45 goodies!

And now it's time to behold some gorgeous crafts! Here is an astounding Tropical Travelogue album created by the amazing Alberto Juarez. Every page is filled with magnificent color, fabulous photographs and fun techniques. Alberto has even created a great tutorial that explains how this album was created! Wow! Get ready for an incredible journey! This album will transport you to another world!

 

Next up is this glorious Apothecary cart by Nicole Eccles. This is such an amazing altered art creation. Nicole has such a fun imagination. There are so many small and beautiful details to this gorgeous cart. You're going to love it! Nicole seems to have quite a knack for creating such clever works of altered art. Many of her projects happen to be on wheels, including this one! While Nicole may not have invented the wheel, she sure knows how to beautifully alter it with Graphic 45! Here is what she had to say about this inspiring work of art!

"This week I have been hitting it hard trying to finish all the little details on my Apothecary cart.  This was something my mom found on Etsy thinking it was A LOT smaller. Once it came I was pleased to find how big it really was! Measuring approx. 10”x 5”x 12” there was plenty of room to create a shadowbox.  However, inside of the opening there were wooden pegs to represent a Calliope.  With a little work I was able to remove them and turn this little circus calliope into a full service Apothecary Cart!  Inside the cart handmade boxes and shelves created from chipboard house tiny glass bottles filled with concoctions.  Tiny labels cut from Graphic 45’s Apothecary paper adorn the bottles filled with Distress Stickles and Embossing powders for effect.  Mini Metal Brads make the perfect knobs along the bottom of the shelf to hang your keys.. And in the corner a small bottle cap table sets atop a wooden spool base.  A decorated wooden wheel serves as the perfect “pillow” for the crystal ball.  Resting atop the cart, luggage has been created out of heavy chipboard and stacked underneath netting for the long haul.  Created with a mix of 5 different Graphic 45 lines, this piece is the perfect example of how well all the lines work magically together!!!" Nicole Eccles

Here is how the cart first looked before Nicole dressed it up with Graphic 45!

And here is that same cart all decked out in Olde Curiosity Shoppe as well as four other gorgeous Graphic 45 paper collections! It's a whole new world of wonder! Behold the splendor of this incredible creation!

 

Supplies:

Graphic 45 Papers:
Olde Curiosity Shoppe: Counting Down, Exquisite Motif, Optical Oddities, Parlor Wall, Apothecary, Genuine Article, Olde Curiosity Shoppe
Steampunk Debutante: Fantasy Floral, Eclectic Emporium
Le Cirque: Magnifique
An ABC Primer: Calico Kids
Renaissance Faire: Masterpiece, Venetian Lace
Graphic 45 Staples: Mini Metal Brads
Want 2 Scrap: Fleur De Li
Maya Road: Giant Bottle Cap
Ranger: Glossy Accents( as adhesive)
Scrapbook Adhesive: 3D Foam Squares
Tim Holtz: Corked Vials
7 gypsies: Tiny Metal Keys, Ornate Metal Strip
Other: Wolf Creek Calliope Wagon, E6000, Mode Podge, paint, sandpaper, wooden spool, wooden wheel, marble, Sharpie Markers, heavy chipboard, metal charms, gems, clipart

Wow! Wow! Wow! Wasn't that fun?! We hope you are all super charged up for a great weekend. We hope you find some time to get out your paper, scissors and glue and create something special. Papercrafting is so wonderful. Giving yourself some time to be creative is essential! We celebrate each and every one of you out there, G45ers! Your creative spirit is what keeps us going! Big thanks to the amazing Alberto Juarez and Nicole Eccles for their fabulous work today! Have a wonderful Friday and enjoy your weekend!

Happy Papercrafting!

Your Friends at Graphic 45

 

Lovely Graphic 45 Layouts & Sketches!

Hello G45ers,

Welcome to our blog today! Thank you all for joining us for another day of stunning crafts! We have some real treats in store for you today. You're going to see some incredible layous and a fabulous card, sketches and a fun tutorial, all of which are sure to brighten your day! Our fabulous design team members Tara Orr and Gloria Stengel have created the most lovely works of art. You'll also learn some fun and versatile ways to create amazing crafts from simple sketches. Today's blog is full of fun ideas! And don't forget that today is the last day for you to leave us a blog or Facebook comment for your chance to win this week's Olde Curiosity Shoppe prize pack! We will be announcing our randomly chosen winner on tomorrow's blog. Don't miss your chance to win some spectacular Graphic 45 goodies!

Okay, it's time for some fabulous crafts! This first creation is by Tara Orr. It's a gorgeous layout featuring our Little Darlings collection. Here is the wonderful sketch that Tara made for this beautiful LO. You can use it to recreate her fantastic LO. Get inspired with this sweetly layered and vibrant creation!

Supplies:

Graphic 45 Supplies:
Patterned Paper: Little Treasures, Cherished, Kewpie Cute, Peek-A-Boo, Heaven Sent: Little Darlings
Little Darlings Alphabet Stickers
Little Darlings Stickers
Little Darlings Chipboard Die-cuts 1
Little Darlings Chipboard Die-cuts 2
Scrapbook Adhesives: 3D Foam Squares
ZVA Creative Leaves and Flowers

Next we have two stunning crafts by Gloria Stengel. Using the same sketch, Gloria created an amazing layout and a card! Two beautiful creations from one simple sketch! Wow! This just shows you the wide range of projects you can make with a few easy guidelines! First up is Gloria's wonderful layout. Here she takes you step by step through her creative process in this fun tutorial. Take it away, Gloria!

"This photo is of my friend Beverly and me when we were at our girls' retreat the summer of 2011. We were checking out the scenery of a small town near Chicago and stopped for a photo shoot at this old mill. There were a lot of "out-takes" due to combing four giggling women and a very hot day, but we did manage a few nice photos. I chose a color scheme for this page layout based on colors that I know Beverly likes: summer colors!" -Gloria Stengel

Instructions:

1. Use the sketch below for photo and embellishment placement.

2. Spray Graphic 45 Kraft Reflections Express Yourself paper with Peacock Tattered Angels Chalkboard Glimmer Mist. Dip a round item (a lid or paper cup) into Gesso and stamp circles on the paper in a random pattern. Allow to dry.

3. Using sharp scissors or a craft knife, cut the center from the Express Yourself paper. Distress the edges with your fingers, rolling the paper and tearing it slightly. Place a sheet of Graphic 45 Olde Curiosity Shoppe Exquisite Motif paper behind the opening, creating a frame. Glue the papers together.

4. Trim the printed paper stack to 11 1/2 x 11 1/2 inches.

5. Using Bon Voyage and Antique Moss Decades Antiquing Ink, ink the edges of pale blue cardstock. Then using an edge distressing tool or sharp scissors, distress the edges of the cardstock. Attach the printed frame to the center of your cardstock.

6. Using ink and mist, color the naked chipboard. Try mixing glimmer mist with Gesso to create your own "paint." Give the some of the chipboard shapes luster by buffing them with metallic rub-ons.

7. Use Gesso and metallic rub-ons to add color to the metal door plate.

8. Glue flowers and the chipboard items to your layout as shown, using the sketch for placement ideas.

9. Add subtitles and journaling with stickers. To create a hidden journaling card, die cut a long, tag shape from white cardstock. Ink the edges with blue and green ink. If desired, stamp a message on the one end of the journaling card and tuck it behind the photo.

10. You may wish to distress your photo edges with a scraper tool or a pair of sharp scissors.

Supply List:
Graphic 45 Paper:
Olde Curiosity Shoppe: Exquisite Motif
Kraft Reflections: Express Yourself
Graphic 45 Staples:
Geometric Metal Door Plate and brads
Graphic 45 Stamps: Le Cirque Cling Stamps 1
Chipboard: Imaginarium Designs: Page corner, Butterflies, Clock, Title
Ink: Clearsnap: Colorbox: Archival: Wicked Black; Graphic 45 Decades Antiquing Ink: Bon Voyage, Antique Moss; Mix'd Media Inx: Patina
Cardstock: American Crafts: Black, Blue
Flowers: Prima
Stickers: Prima
Die cuts: My Favorite Things Die-namics: Vertical Greetings
Mist: Tattered Angels: Chalkboard Glimmer Mist: Peacock; Glimmer Mist: Moonlight
Paint: Delta Ceramcoat: Gesso
Metallic Rub-Ons: Craft-T Products: Sky Blue, Silver Blue, Golden White
Adhesive: Scotch 3M tape runner; glue

Here is an amazing way to use this exact same sketch by Gloria! It's a gorgeous card! One sketch with two incredible options! Versatility is a wonderful thing!

Supplies:
 
Graphic 45 8x8 Paper:
Olde Curiosity Shoppe: Exquisite Motif, Butterfly Specifics
Once Upon a Springtime: Enchanted Forest, Woodland Fantasy
Ink: Clearsnap: Colorbox: Graphic 45 Decades Antiquing Ink: Antique Moss
Cardstock: American Crafts: Black
Ribbon: Really Reasonable Ribbon: Blue Topaz Diamond Satin
Flowers: Wild Orchid Crafts
Gear: 7 Gypsies
Clock and Light bulb: Sky Blue Pink
Border punch: Martha Stewart
Adhesive: Scotch 3M tape runner; Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L foam squares; glue

We hope you all had a great time today, G45ers! Big thanks to Tara Orr and Gloria Stengel for their fabulous creations! We hope you'll all come back and see us tomorrow for more inspiring crafts and our blog prize winner announcement! It's going to be a great day! We wish you all a fabulous day.

Happy Papercrafting!

Your Friends at Graphic 45

Think Outside the Box With Graphic 45 Altered Art Boxes!

Hello G45ers,

Welcome to our blog! We are so happy that you've stopped by today! We've got some terrific altered art boxes to share with you from our talented design team members Susan Lui and Maiko Miwa! You are sure to love the fabulous creations they've made! And speaking of love, we have been enjoying such gorgeous weather this week! We're even keeping the windows open here in the Graphic 45 office during the day to let in the fresh spring air! It's just glorious! So we thought we'd share the sunshine with all of you today by bringing you some radiant craft inspiration! No need for sunblock! Just enjoy basking in the beauty of these lovely creations!

Altered art boxes are just wonderful. They are fun to create and they also make amazing gifts. Here is a beautiful altered art box created by Susan Lui. She combined different Graphic 45 collections with gorgeous embellishments to create this fabulous box. You can also see Susan's amazing use of paper layering on the top of the box that adds a multi-dimensional quality. It's simply stunning! Here is what Susan had to say about it.

"It's a cake box I altered into a vintage style treasure box using a mix of Renaissance Faire and Curtain Call papers. I converted the cake box by attaching hinges and a close featuring a Graphic 45 Metal Buttons. I then went to town with all the beautiful patterned papers from Curtain Call and Renaissance Faire, layering the images with muslin, lace trim, pearls and a couple of Graphic 45 metal butterfly embellishments and buttons. I also added some homemade gold corners fashioned out of paper and given a distressed look." -Susan Lui

Supplies:

Patterned Papers - Graphic 45 Curtain Call (Pantomine, Let's Dance, Top Billing, Curtain Call); Renaissance Faire (Renaissance Faire)
Metal Embellishments - Graphic 45 Metal Buttons an Metal Butterflies
Cardstock - American Craft Black Cardstpcl
Dies - Tim Holtz Alterations Bigz Dies Hardware Findings
Border Punch - Martha Stewart
Others - Robin's Nest Dew Drops, Ranger Industries Distress Stickles, Ranger Industries Distress Crackle Paints, Making Memories brass brads

Next up is this adorable Little Darlings altered art box by Maiko Miwa. This is a great example of using altered art to celebrate a cherished memory. Maiko created this sweet box to honor the birth of her daughter. Inside the box is a precious little world of memories. What a fantastic idea! Here is what Maiko had to say about it.

"I made a altered box for my daughter. In the box there is a tape of her first voice since she was born, umbilical cord box and baby bracelet. Since I wanted to make a box to save my treasures,  I am very glad that I was able to meet with this box and collection. " -Maiko Miwa

Supplies:

Graphic45 Papers: Little Darlings, Peea-A-Boo, Bundle of Joy, Lullaby, Heaven Sent, New Arrival, Cherished, Precious Poesy, Little Treasures, Baby Borders

Graphic45 ChipBoards :Little Darlings Chip Board Diecuts 1.2.

Graphic45 Stickers: Alphabet Stickers, Stickers

Graphic45 Staples: Stamped Metal Brads, 5×8Kraftboard Art Box, Ornate Metal Door Plate and Knob Staples

Imaginarium Designs: Embellishment4,BirdCage(small)

Prima:Flowers

Tsukineko:BLLIANT(GALAXY GOLD),VersaMagic(Sage),MEMENT marker(London Fogs),

Ranger:DistressInk(Tea dye,Antique Linen)

Kuretake:punch

TOKYO RIBBON:stripe ribbon

Ceramcoat:Acrylic paint

Wow, such wonderful ideas today! We hope this post got you thinking about a wonderful altered art box you'd like to create! There are so many unique ways to create an altered art box. What are some of your favorite altered art box ideas? We'd love to know. Big thanks to Susan and Maiko for their marvelous work today. And thank you all for joining us! Please come back and see us tomorrow. We'll have more ultra-inspiring crafts to help brighten your day! Have a great day, G45ers!

Your Pals in Paper,

Team Graphic 45

Stunning Steampunk Debutante Creations By Candy Rosenberg

Hello G45ers,

Welcome to another fine day here at Graphic 45! Thank you all for joining us on this lovely Tuesday! We have a special treat in store for you today. We're going to be featuring some spectacular Steampunk Debutante crafts by Candy Rosenberg. Many of you may remember Candy from our previous design teams. Well she's still just as creative and clever as ever and today we're going to share some of her gorgeous Steampunk Debutante and Olde Curiosity Shoppe creations! These terrific projects have been chosen to be featured in an upcoming issue of Just Steampunk Magazine by Scott Publications! Wow! We are thrilled to be featuring Candy's exquisite work today. Please enjoy a super dose of craft inspiration with these gorgeous works of art by the amazing Candy Rosenberg!

About Candy:

Candy Rosenberg has traveled internationally to teach and inspire with her signature style of fussy cutting and layering that all started right here at Graphic45. Candy tends to gravitate to paper that needs to be cut up and reconstructed into an inspiring home decor piece or layout to share.  She educates, designs and produces product with various companies, including a signature line of stamps with The Rubber Cafe, May Arts, GlueArts, Flourish with a Bling, Vintage Street Market, Blumenthal Lansing and Ranger. 

You can see more of Candy's fabulous work on her blog and Facebook page!

Blog: www.livingthealteredlife.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Candy-Rosenberg-Artist/417004861647384

And now it's time to behold Candy's fabulous creations! Feast your eyes on these incredibly clever and inspiring Steampunk projects! Candy also gives some great descriptions about how these marvelous crafts were made! Take it away, Candy!

These were a fabulous find at the local Goodwill, they screamed out my name to go crazy with!  Each of the bottles feature Steampunk Debutante and Olde Curiosity Shoppe, along with beautiful vintage color flourishes with Flourish with a Bling, May Arts burlap twine, Stampendous Mica Flakes and Ranger Ink.

This banner is a deconstructed chipboard album made into a banner, using both the Steampunk Debutante and Olde Curiosity Shoppe collections to cut and layer each piece along with beautiful May Arts ribbon, Blumenthal buttons and Flourish With A Bling flourishes.  This makes a fun little banner for my studio.

I received this great box from my friend, Nicole, she said I can doing something with it, so I did.  I made a faux printers tray, this is actually a wood silverware tray that I have painted, fussy cut, and adhered my way through.  Using Olde Curiosity Shoppe paper collection, May Arts burlap twine and Ranger.

Wow, such gorgeous projects! We want to thank Candy for her wonderful work today. We hope you all enjoyed seeing these inspiring crafts! Don't forget to leave us a blog or Facebook comment this week for your chance to win the amazing Olde Curiosity Shoppe prize pack! We wish you all a magnificent day. Thank you all for stopping by our blog. We will have more happy and inspiring crafts to share with you tomorrow. We hope you'll join us!

Happy Papercrafting!

Your Friends at Graphic 45

Graphic 45 Design Team Introductions & Blog Contest!

Hello G45ers,

Happy Monday and welcome to another week of craft bliss here at Graphic 45! We are so pleased that you have stopped by our blog today! There is a lot of fun in store for today. We're welcoming back the fabulous Jane Tregenza for another year on our design team. You'll get to see the incredible creations that Jane made for the final round of the Graphic 45 design team call. Plus we've got a new blog contest this week! Yes, it's another chance for you to win some spectacular Graphic 45 goodies! This day is going to be great! So lets start with this week's contest. All you have to do to enter for a chance to win is to leave us a blog or Facebook comment any time this week. We will be choosing one random winner from this week's comments who will receive this wonderful Ole Curiosity Shoppe prize pack! It includes an Olde Curiosity Shoppe 12x12 paper pad, both sticker sets, both sets of coordinating chipboard die-cuts, a stamp set and Geometric Metal Door Plate and Knob Staples! Wow! We will announce the winner on Friday right here on the blog! We can't wait to read your comments this week! Hooray!

We are thrilled to be welcoming back this incredible artist for her third year on the Graphic 45 design team. Jane Tregenza's dazzling crafts are always such a pleasure to behold. She has her own unique style that is both artistically superb and skillful. She blends radiant colors, patterns and brilliant shapes to form profoundly beautiful works of art. At the heart of Jane's work is a deep love for her family. She frequently creates gorgeous and heartwarming crafts that celebrate the wonderful moments in her and her family's lives. It is this incredible combination of technical and artistic skill as well as emotional sincerity that makes Jane's crafts so deeply impactful. She also loves to share her magnificent techniques in fun and informative tutorials. On her fabulous blog you can see lots of exquisite examples of Jane's work as well as find some of her famous tutorials. We are so happy to have Jane back for another magical year. Please join us in welcoming back the incredible Jane Tregenza!

"I the proud mum to 5 adult children and wife of 30 years to a wonderful husband. I live in Adelaide South Australia, which is Australia’s best kept secret.  I have been working and teaching crafts for over 25 years in many forms. I came to scrapbooking about 7 years ago when I decided to do an album for my eldest daughter’s 21^st and in true scrapbooking style it’s  still not finished!  I have a daughter with a disability and needed to find employment for her. I decided to open my own scrapbooking store – Seriously Scrapbooking which is in its 6^th year. I get to teach over 10 classes a month in my own store of which most are Graphic 45 projects. I am regularly  invited to teach  master classes for other store owners and teachers and at expos here in Australia. I am the Creative Director and Design Team Leader for Imaginarium Designs.  I love my job, I get to share my passion for this papercraft  art form with Ladies and Gents every day. I get to hear their stories and share their life’s, it is a real privilege and something I treasure  I have had the honour of being on the Graphic 45 Design team for the past two years and was delighted to be given a 3^rd term. I am so looking forward to this year  working with Graphic 45 and the amazing talented design team they have put together. It will be a wonderful and creative year for us all." -Jane Tregenza

The stunning project that you'll see today was submitted by Jane as part of the final round of the Graphic 45 design team call. One of Jane's many talents is her skill creating gorgeous books. This astonishing piece encompasses Jane's grand artistic vision and her deep love for her family. Jane used lots of different Graphic 45 collections to create this amazing book including Olde Curiosity Shoppe, A Proper Gentleman, Little Darlings and An ABC Primer. We were obviously impressed by this magnificent piece. Here is what Jane had to say about it!

"For my final project I decided to make a book on my grandmother. I remember her as a child, she passed away when I was 12. I have strong memories of a gracious old lady with a high collar and a brooch. A thick head of beautiful white hair and long thins hands. We would visit her in her nursing home.  We never stayed long, just quick visits. How I wish I could ask her about her life. What it was like growing up and raising a large family?  How she felt about all the changes that happened in her life time. Electricity, the motor car, even man on the moon. I wonder what she would think of us today living an easy life with everything at our finger tips. Although I don’t know much about her every day experiences, I do have lots of wonderful photos. I decided to start the book at the end of her life, because that’s when I knew her and then backwards to the start of her life.  I have really enjoyed making this book and researching all the information on her life." -Jane Tregenza

That's all for today, G45ers. Thank you so much for joining us. Huge thanks to Jane Tregenza for her fantastic work. We look forward to another great year of her talents on our design team! We hope you all have a great day! Don't forget to leave us a blog or Facebook comment for your chance to win this week's blog prize!

Happy Papercrafting!