Hello Crafters!
A very happy crafty Tuesday to all of you! As I write this, the sun is shining and there is a cherry blossom tree in full bloom outside my window! Oh, glorious spring! Nature is about to unfurl some serious beauty! We have some equally serious beauty to show you today with some amazing printer's tray crafts by Jane Tragenza and Gloria Stengel. These talented ladies have designed these fantastic works of art which are sure to inspire smiles and creativity. Printers trays are wonderful and amazingly fun to work with. They also make phenomenal personalized gifts and stunning home decor! Just imagine the possibilities! This first craft was created by the wonderful Jane Trangeza using our Once Upon a Springtime collection. This amazing piece is both heart warming and gorgeous. Here is what Jane had to say about this beautiful creation.
The Once upon a Springtime Shadow frame
"I used the Once Upon a Springtime 8x8 Paper Pad. This gave me all the papers with the prints smaller, which is perfect for small off the page projects. I used Chipboard from Imaginarium Designs, some of which I inked black - the little girls and all the corners. The fence and childhood memories, I painted white and then put a Tim Holtz paint dapper over it for the salmon pink colour to match the papers. I used a vine from prima, ribbons from Vandoros and Maya Road. The shadow box is one from 7 Gypsies. I did this project for my niece, I have a sister who is 19 years younger than me. I love the softness of this collection and the 8x8 pads are a plus for those of us who like small projects and miniature pieces." -Jane Tragenza
Next up is another mind-blowing printer's tray creation by Gloria Stengel. Gloria combined our Steampunk Debutant, Curtain Call, and Communique collections to create this wonderful work. There are so many stunning little details here but it also looks amazing as a whole. That's one of the great aspects of printer's trays, and Gloria has captured the magic beautifully in this piece! And she's also included a "how to" guide so you can create your own! How awesome is that? Behold, Gloria Stengel's awe-inspiring printer's tray wall hanging.
Printer's Tray Wall Hanging
"Printer's trays and shadow boxes are all the rage right now. I have been wanting to make a tray for a long time now, but they are a lot of work and I've not had a large block of time to spend working on such a project. However, I was able to attend a 4-day scrapbook retreat recently and spent one entire day working on my tray! Each item in the try has some meaning for me, from the large G (which stands for Gloria) to the bingo number 29 (which is how old I "think" I am)". -Gloria Stengel
How to:
The inspiration for the tray came from the dress form embellishment I made. Here is how to make it.
1. Cut a dress from out of black chipboard using the Tim Holtz Sewing Room die (or similar).
2. Paper piece the top of the dress from using Graphic45 papers. I cut a notch in the top of the paper dress to create a collar, then added a paper rose for decoration. I also added a pearl to the top of the dress form.
3. Cut a birdcage out of black chipboard and Graphic45 paper. I used the Tim Holtz birdcage die.
4. Trim down the birdcage shape to create a hoop for the dress form. I cut off the top, bottom, and 2 of the cage bars to make the birdcage smaller to match the size of the dress form die cut.
5. Decorate the hoop with Graphic45 paper, lace, and metal embellishments, then attach it to the dress form with strong glue.
6. Attach wings to the back of the dress form. I used Maya Road chipboard wings, which I sprayed with glimmer mistand sparkling paints. I created a mist with twinkling H2O paints and water to give the wings a "super shimmer"!
7. Glue your Steampunk dress form to your tray and enjoy!
Supplies:
Printer's Tray: 7Gypsies
Graphic45 paper: Curtain Call ( Top Billing, The Cinema, All that Jazz, Applause), Steampunk Debutante (Eclectic Emporium, Fantasy Floral, Mechanical Mind, Time Warp, Nouveau Artistry, Steampunk Debutante, Ephemera Extraordinaire), Communique (A Fine Specimen, Communique)
Chipboard: Grafix, Maya Road
Stamps: Tim Holtz Odds and Ends
Ink: Ranger Distress Vintage Photo, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist Peach Delight, Twinkling H2O Sunburst
Tools: Tim Holtz Sewing Room and Birdcage dies, My Favorite Things butterfly die, Martha Stewart butterfly punches
Embellishments: Recollections twig; Queen and Company pearls; Making Memories epoxy flower; Tim Holtz Idea-ology clock, spinners, brads, gears, bookplate, token, memo pin, metal flowers; 7Gypsies gears, charm; Michael's Crafts wood letter and spool; fabric store rivet; Maya Road bingo number chipboard wings; Jenni Bowlin bingo card packaging; Tattered Angels key; Cat's Pajamas glitter; Wild Orchid Crafts flower; unknown bottle cap, scrabble tile, tiny glass bottle
Trims: May Arts twine, unknown lace trim
That's all for today, crafters. Don't forget to leave us blog comments this week for your chance to win this week's blog prize. We want to give a big thank you to Jane Tragenza and Gloria Stengel for their wonderful creations today. We hope you will all join us tomorrow for more fantastic craft ideas. Thank you all for stopping by to see us today. We wish you all a wonderful day!
Hugs and Cherry Blossoms,
Team Graphic 45
These trays are gorgeous - what a lovely way to showcase small beauties.
Posted by: Anna | March 22, 2011 at 10:30 AM
Love playing with printers trays and all the little details! These both turned out amazing. Simply inspiring!
Posted by: Nicole Eccles | March 22, 2011 at 10:39 AM
I am lovin' what Jane did and I realized that that would be perfect for me as one who is saying goodbye to her college age kids...this would help me remember way back when...such a wonderful and beautiful idea!
Posted by: Candy | March 22, 2011 at 10:53 AM
stunning work!!!
Posted by: Connie M | March 22, 2011 at 11:01 AM
Those trays are just stunning!
Posted by: jengd | March 22, 2011 at 11:34 AM
Beautiful!
Posted by: Melissa | March 22, 2011 at 11:47 AM
Stunning trays!!!! Absolutely gorgeous!
Posted by: Lindy | March 22, 2011 at 12:04 PM
Absolutely gorgeous!! Love the papers and pieces..
Posted by: aina | March 22, 2011 at 12:40 PM
Janes work is totally amazing as always! So gorgeous!
Posted by: Margareta Carlsson | March 22, 2011 at 12:48 PM
These are beautiful, Gloria and Jane! Just stunning!
Posted by: Amy M. | March 22, 2011 at 01:16 PM
These printer trays are a must on my list. And what you have done with them is devine...yummy
Posted by: Lynne H | March 22, 2011 at 01:56 PM
OH MY this is just a gorgeous idea, now this is a must have on my list & I'm going to have to start making gifts!!
Posted by: Sara | March 22, 2011 at 02:16 PM
I love these- I recently got an authentic (and LARGE) printer's tray, and I am waiting to decide what to do with it. It's a little intimidating! Thanks for the inspiration!
Posted by: Jenna Kellso | March 22, 2011 at 03:42 PM
I really love that Once upon a Springtime tray!!!! Once upon a Springtime is my favorite collection! The other one is a piece of art!
Posted by: Kelly Massman | March 22, 2011 at 04:08 PM
What a fabulous printer's tray! So creative!
Posted by: Janet Sisk | March 22, 2011 at 04:25 PM
STUNNING!!! This is so incredible! Thanks for sharing it with us! WOW! I love it.
Posted by: Tina M. | March 22, 2011 at 05:05 PM
I love them so much, I must get me one of these printers trays and try it. Such elegant work!
love ya all!
Posted by: syd egan | March 22, 2011 at 05:11 PM
Gorgeous! I can't wait for my tray to arrive!!!
Posted by: Nikki Brown | March 22, 2011 at 05:20 PM
Love that blue rose!
Posted by: Genyfer | March 22, 2011 at 06:16 PM
these are both amazing!
Posted by: cort | March 22, 2011 at 06:24 PM
These are wonderful.
Thanks for the inspiration and instructions.
So many things you can do with these.
Posted by: Debi W | March 22, 2011 at 07:44 PM
Beautiful, absolutely gorgeous! Diane, you just keep coming up with ideas that rock us! Thank you!
Posted by: Beverly Jordan | March 22, 2011 at 07:53 PM
So gorgeous! Thanks for being a constant source of inspiration.
Posted by: Cheryl | March 22, 2011 at 08:28 PM
These tray's are just fabulous!!! One of these days I will have to try my hand at doing one maybe one of our trip to the beach ohhh my mind is designing it already LOL! Again fabulous inspiration!!
Posted by: Lana Edwards | March 22, 2011 at 09:26 PM
These are both so different and so beautiful! True testament to G45 amazing versatility!
Posted by: Jolaine | March 22, 2011 at 09:37 PM
Wow!! These are spectacular!
Posted by: Glynis | March 23, 2011 at 12:17 AM
Soooo beautiful! I love the bird cage dress form. Brilliant!
Posted by: kathyc/NorthCarolina | March 23, 2011 at 03:19 AM
These projects are BEAUTIFUL! I've been wanting to make a decorative piece to hang in my craft room. Either of these would be perfect. My wheels are turning now!
Posted by: Kerri | March 23, 2011 at 04:19 AM
GORGEOUS!
Posted by: Jan Hennings | March 23, 2011 at 04:26 AM
What can I say, these are stunning and beautiful both in their own unique way. Gorgeous use of the die cut to make the adorable dress form, love that! And the use of the flowers to soften the girly boxes, so pretty. Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Julie H. | March 23, 2011 at 05:59 AM
wow, I love these. I have a wooden printers box just waiting to be altered!
Posted by: The Sparkly Fairy (Emma) | March 23, 2011 at 06:36 AM
These sure aren't the printer's trays I remember when the trend first hit a few decades ago. I never had one then, but I think I need to work on a couple now.
Posted by: Linda Dillman | March 23, 2011 at 06:46 AM
Totally fabulous tray!!!!
Posted by: Wanda H | March 23, 2011 at 06:55 AM
truly amazing trays - so inspirational
Posted by: Vicky Alberto | March 23, 2011 at 07:02 AM
I love both of these projects! Now I'm itching to create one myself! Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Chris Dring | March 23, 2011 at 07:23 AM
WOW! These trays are so beautiful! Just amazing. I want to do one now!
Posted by: Kate Vickers | March 23, 2011 at 07:48 AM
OMG!
Beautiful!
Posted by: kelan | March 23, 2011 at 08:05 AM
Fabulous printer's trays. Such gorgeous inspiration!
Posted by: dlwidder | March 23, 2011 at 08:13 AM
So very pretty!
Thanks so much for sharing!
Posted by: {vicki} | March 23, 2011 at 08:24 AM
Wonderful work, ladies! The trays look so fun to work with. I'm definitely inspired to make one now.
Posted by: Nadia | March 23, 2011 at 08:42 AM