Birds and Blooms: Once Upon a Springtime Crafts & Tutorial

Hello Crafters,

Happy Thursday and thank you for stopping by our blog today.  Now that summer is upon us, it feels like there are more hours in the day to get things done. Even though the actual length of our days hasn't changed, as much as we'd want them to, summer is that magical season where the days feel longer. More sunlight almost always translates into more energy and more ideas. We're trying to make the most of this amazing season by being very creative, staying up a little later than usual, and deeply enjoying the experience of summer crafting. Today we're bringing you some amazing and vibrant Once Upon a Springtime crafts from our design team that are sure to get you inspired. Jack & Cat Curio have created a gorgeous tattered Once Upon a Springtime gift bag and tag. And Melanie Forbes is going to share her techniques for creating a wonderful altered bird cage. It's going to be a great day, so lets get to it! This first creation was made by the always clever Jack & Cat Curio. Here is what they had to say about the inspiration behind this magical gift bag and tag.

"This is not your average store bought paper gift bag. We wanted to create a rich and vibrant gift bag for a good friend. We decided to alter a plain brown bag with things she holds dear. Ruffles, lace,ribbon, and touches of Spring romance. Torn and tattered pieces stamped and sewn into a complex layering of beauty. Enjoy." -Jack & Cat Curio

Supplies:

Paper Bag
Graphic45 Collection: Once Upon A Springtime
Fairy Folk, Butterfly Kisses, Woodland Fantasy, Once Upon A Springtime, Pixie Post
Trim Staples
Metal Button Staples
Cavallini & Co.Decorative Paper Tape Numbers
Stamps: Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Collection V1-1161, Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Collection U3-1158, A Stamp in The Hand Co. F-2042 Bird-Flycatcher, small letters
Ink: Ranger Distress Ink Vintage Photo, Ranger Archival Inks Jet Black, Ranger Distress Embossing
Claudine Hellmuth Studio semi-gloss acrylic paint Blank Canvas
Embossing Powder: Ranger Super Fine Detail Black
Vintage ribbon, lace, seam binding, and twine
Manila tag
Tools: Sewing machine, heat tool

This next spectacular project was created by Melanie Forbes and it comes with a great tutorial. We're obviously huge fans of altered bird cages, and Once Upon a Springtime is the perfect collection for such a project. Melanie's tutorial is going to show you a great technique for creating beautifully layered paper shingles on a roof. It's a pretty simple way to give your altered birdcage, or any piece that has involves a roof,  some stunning depth and texture. Have a look at this amazing work of art, and find out how to create one of your very own!

Supplies:

Graphic 45:
Once Upon a Springtime
Flight of Fancy #4500290
Primrose Cottage #4500289

Twiddleybitz
Bird cage large BCLG01
Row of Mushrooms MUSH003
Swirly Flower elements BAS022
Small cluster of Mushrooms MUSH002
Fern & Flourish border BOR0020

Stamping up border punch
Tim Holtz aridondack
dabber Sandal, Copper, Willow
Generic cream rose, leaf ribbon, eggs, moss, beaded ribbon
Allison Ellis glitter - gold

1. Paint all pieces of chipboard and put aside to dry whilst making roof of birdcage.

2. Cut 5 one inch strips from patterned paper and using border punch - punch one side.

3. Using glossy accents or equivalent apply a small strip of glue to bottom of roof and lay down one strip. Cut off at edge of roof.

4. Repeat with remaining strips until you cover the entire side. Repeat with remaining roof sides.

5. Neaten edges of roof using a craft knife then ink all edges and turn up shingles to create a more 3D effect.

6. Assemble birdcage as per instructions.

7. Glue to top of birdcage.

8. Embellish remaining birdcage with choice of embellishments (eg chipboard, moss, eggs, flowers.

Technique can be easily used to cover all sorts of roofs!

We want to thank the brilliant Jack & Cat Curio and Melanie Forbes for their astonishing projects today. We also want to thank all our readers for joining us on this beautiful day. Don't forget that there is still time to leave us a comment for this week's blog contest. Tell us what your favorite fairy tale is and you will be entered to win this week's blog prize! We will be announcing our random winner tomorrow, right here on the blog. We hope you all have a terrific day!

Ribbons and Rosettes,

Team Graphic 45

Metal Makeover: Metal Staples Crafts & Tutorial

Hello Wonderful Crafters,

Thank you for stopping by today! It's going to be a very exciting day of craft inspiration. We've got absolutely stunning creations by Laura Denison and Gloria Stengel. Today's crafts focus on some amazing ways to use our beautiful Metal Staples. Gloria has even prepared a fun tutorial that shares some brilliant techniques for working with out Metal Flower Staples! So get ready for heaps of enjoyment because today is going to be amazing! First up is this spectacular alarm clock by Laura Denison. Not only is it a completely gorgeous work of art, but it contains a special surprise inside! Check it out!

 "I love clocks...maybe it is because I am always looking for more time! Clocks have been a common theme in my work ever since I started paper crafting. I have had the idea to make an alarm clock out of an old flower tin for quite some time. The hold up was what to use for the the domed "bell" things on top. When I saw the knobs for the Graphic 45 Door Plates, I knew they were the perfect solution. As I eyed the plates themselves, I thought to myself:  "How easy are these to bend?". They were quite easy! and they became the perfect wrap for the outside of the Alarm Clock. A friend has said I will put a mini album in anything, so of course the clock needed a mini album to go inside! Paper covered coasters were the perfect size for the pages and, of course, the Graphic 45 "Steampunk Debutante" paper was the perfect paper!" -Laura Denison

 

Supplies:

Book Plate wraps: Graphic 45 Staples, Ornate Door Plate and Knob

Clock Center: Graphic 45 staples, Metal Buttons

Paper:  Graphic 45 "Steampunk Debutante"

Tin:  Prima Marketing flower tin

Flowers: I Am Roses

Clock Faces, d-ring and gear: Tim Holtz

D-ring holders: Darice Crafts

Next up is this gorgeous altered frame by Gloria Stengel. Gloria is well known for her amazing flower creations. She is so skilled at creating paper flowers, as well as finding new ways to work with our Metal Staples. Today she has prepared a clever and simple tutorial on how to create some stunning colors and textures with our Metal Flower Staples. By using this technique, you too can create this wonderful altered picture frame! Take it away, Gloria! 

Supply List:

Metal embellishments, such as Graphic45 Metal Flowers, Metal Buttons, Geometric Metal Door Plate and Knob
Making Memories Acrylic Paint - Shopping Bag
Cosmic Shimmer Iridescent Mica Pigments - Dark Bronze
Aqua-net hairspray (used as a fixative)
Foam brush
Soft paint brush
Pliers (to shape the flowers)

1. If you are altering the Graphic45 Metal Flowers, you may first shape the flowers using pliers to bend the metal. Do this before altering.

2. Paint a thin layer of acrylic paint over the metal. Work quickly as you do not want the paint to dry. You may want to allow some of the original metal to show through.

3. While the paint is still wet, dust mica powder over the paint. The powder will stick to the paint, giving a metal shimmer.

4. Once the paint is dry, set the mica powder with a fixative. I use Aqua-net hairspray. It's cheap and works great!

 Here is an altered flower next to one that is not altered. You can see the difference that bending the petals and adding the mica powder makes! You are limited to only the colors of paint and powder you use!

Here is a close-up view of some of the flowers and a meal button, all altered with paint and mica powder. To alter the mulberry paper flowers, mist with water, then dust on Pearlescent Mica Powder.

Huge thanks to Laura Denison and Gloria Stengel for today's beautiful crafts. We are so happy to have their wonderful talents on our design team. We hope you will all join us tomorrow as we bring you more craft inspiration. And remember to share your Graphic 45 creations with us. You can post your latest crafts on our Facebook page, Ning site, or website gallery. We'd love to see what you are making with our papers and embellishments! Have a terrific day, crafters!

Happy Papercrafting!

Team Graphic 45

 

Craft Charisma: Fashionista Inspiration From Our Design Team

Hello Crafters,

Happy Tuesday and thank you for joining us! We have some amazing treats to share with you today, including some spectacular craft inspiration from our design team. Today's crafts feature Fashionista, our gloriously chic and elegant paper collection for the debutant at heart. This is another great paper collection for summer because it's loaded with rich color, as well as fun,  and carefree images. It's pure vintage class! Today we have creations from the amazing Lynette Carroll and Gloria Stengel. Lynette has created a dazzling layout, while Gloria has made a stunning card and tussy mussy paper cone, perfect for summer flowers. So get ready to smile! This first creation is by Lynette Carroll and it's absolutely gorgeous. Here is what she had to say about the inspiration for this wonderful work of art.

"This was a fun layout to create.  I love cutting elements from the patterned papers and combining them to tell their own story and to really create personal embellishments.  To create the background for the layout I layered a piece of the Fashionista paper with a piece of Le Fleur paper.  Where the two papers overlapped towards the top of the layout, I cut along one of the designs on the paper and used this to create a decorative edge.  I further enhanced this piece of paper with mini self adhesive pearls.  I also used several self adhesive pearls to accent the front of the dress on the cut-out.  Red Rhinestones help accent the mini flowers printed on the perfume.  It is so easy to create beautiful embellishments for your projects by adding dimension to your cut-out work.Instead of my own personal journaling for this layout, I used words cut from the papers to tell my story.  My niece who is featured in the layout loves fashion so the words fit my theme perfectly.  When you are using words cut from paper for journaling, back them with cardstock to strengthen them and then adhere them to your layout with foam mounting tape, this enhances them and turns them from a cut piece of paper to an embellishment." -Lynette Carroll

 

 

Supplies:

Graphic 45 - Fashionista Collection "La Fleur"

Graphic 45 - Fashionista Collection "Fashionista"

Graphic 45 - Fashionista Collection "Tags"

Graphic 45 - Fashionista Collection "Bon Marche"

Graphic 45 - Fashionista Collection "Tre Chic"

Graphic 45 - Domestic Goddess Collection "Happy Homemaker"

Graphic 45 - Once Upon a Springtime Collection "Tiny Treasures"

Bazzill Basics - Ivory Cardstock

Sizzix - Tim Holtz Tattered Florals Die

K & Company - Red Self Adhesive Rhinestones

K & Company - Self Adhesive Mini Pearls

Prima Marketing - Mini Ivory Roses

Misc: - Red Seam Binding

Scotch - 3m Foam Mounting Tape

Next we have two wonderful pieces by Gloria Stengel: a stunning card, and tussy mussy paper cone. Both of these crafts contain the class and elegance you'd expect from a Gloria Stengel creation. Feast your eyes on these radiant and awe-inspiring works of art! This first piece is a wonderful card for any occasion. After all, who doesn't love a beautiful, hand-made card?

Supplies:

Cardstock: Bazzill, Stampin’ Up! Graphic45 paper: Fashionista (Potpourri, Perfumeries, Bon Marche, Tags) Stamps: Stamping ScrappingInk: Clearsnap Colorbox Chalk (Dark Moss), Memento (Tuxedo Black)Templates: Kiwi Lane Designs Spellbinders dies: Fancy Tags Embellishments: Pins (Maya Road, Making Memories), Ribbon (May Arts) Scotch SM ATG and foam tape, Glue DotsSize: 5x5

Next we have this amazing tussy mussy paper cone by Gloria. This is such a lovely and clever idea! And of course the floral designs of Fashionista look absolutely perfect against a real bouquet. Plus, we just love the gorgeous use of our Metal Button Staples in the center of that amazing paper flower! This piece has happy written all over it!

Supplies:

Graphic45 paper: Fashionista (Potpourri, Bon Marche)Ink: Clearsnap Colorbox Chalk (Dark Moss) Spellbinders dies: Rose CreationsGlitter glue: Ranger Stickles (Diamond)Embellishments: Graphic45 Metal Buttons Staples, Trim (craft store) Scotch SM ATG and foam tape, Glue Dots, Tombow Mono Metal Liquid Glue, Scor- tape

We want to say a big thank you to Lynette Carroll and Gloria Stengel for their amazing work today. Thank you to all of our readers for joining us on this lovely day. We hope to see you here again tomorrow for more beautiful craft ideas. Don't forget to leave us a blog comment this week letting us know what your favorite fairy tale is! That's the only way to enter this week's blog contest! We hope you have a wonderful day, crafters!

With Love and Paper Flowers,

Team Graphic 45

A Tale of Two Crafters: Altered Books, Tutorial, and Blog Contest!

Hello Crafters,

.

Welcome to our happy blog! It's Monday which means we've got a great new blog contest to announce. We also have the most stupendous crafts from our design team and an amazing tutorial! Today we're featuring two very beautiful and unique altered books by Nicole Eccles and Melanie Forbes. Altered books are very fun to create and look absolutely enchanting! Melanie has prepared a terrific tutorial today so that you can learn how to create an altered book of your very own. Both of today's amazing crafts also feature brilliant uses of our Metal Staples! We are so excited by these awe-inspiring projects and we hope you love them as much as we do.

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Since today is all about altered books, we thought we'd incorporate that theme in this week's blog contest. We want you to tell us what your favorite fairy tale is! Just post your comment on our blog anytime this week and you'll be entered to win this fantastic prize: a Le Cirque 12x12 Paper Pad, Metal Hinge Staples, Le Cirque cling stamp set, and three beautiful chipboards from Imaginarium Designs! Share your favorite fairy tale and you could win this enchanting prize! We can't wait to read your comments this week!

This first beautiful altered book was made by Nicole Eccles. Her inventive and whimsical style works perfectly with altered books, as you can see here. She featured our amazing Halowe'en in Wonderland collection to create this astonishing work of art. Here is what she had to say about this clever and mesmerizing creation.

"There is just something magical about creating altered art from old books.  Just they way the pages are stained and bent from overuse.  The binding that just isn’t what it used to be. And the cover that is worn from years of being loved. But the best part is, with just a little mod podge and and a craft knife you can turn any book into a shadowbox for displaying treasured objects, or just a piece of original handmade art. Mix that with some fantastic storybook inspired G45 Hallowe'en in Wonderland papers and  Ornate Door Plate and Knob Staples and you get something uniquely special." -Nicole Eccles

 

 

 Supplies:  

Papers:  G45 Halloween In Wonderland Collection
Jaberwocky
Through The Looking Glass
Wonderland Classifieds
Alice’s Tea Party
 
G45 A Proper Gentleman Collection
Timely Point of View
Man About Town
A Proper Gentlemen
G45 Steampunk Debutante Collection
Time Flies
G45 Once Upon A Springtime Collection
Butterfly Kisses
G45 Le Cirque Collection
Magnifique
Bohemian Floral
Wizards of Wonder
7 Gypsies Avignon collection
Ecriture
Inks: Tim Holtz Distress Inks
Tumbled Glass
Frayed Burlap
Shabby Shutters
Black Soot
Stamps:  Cherry Pie Art Alice Collection
Hero Arts Bold Flourish
Embellishments:  G45 Ornate Door Plate and Knob Staples, G45 Metal Flowers, Making Memories Metal Frame, Prima Flowers
Extras:  Twine, Mod Podge, Black Acrylic Paint, Vintage Book, Vintage Clock Face, Vintage Key
Adhesives:  Scrapbook Adhesives 3d foam squares, E6000, Tombow Mono Color Glue stick

Next we have another brilliant altered book creation. This one is by the wonderful Melanie Forbes and even comes with a great tutorial! This awesome book features A Proper Gentleman and Steampunk Debutant, two amazing collections that look great together! Just look at all the gorgeous details in this book! It's so inspiring!

Supplies:

Graphic 45:
A Proper Gentleman            
The Sophisticate #4500181
Tags from 12x12 pad
Dressed to the Nines #4500180
A Proper Gentleman #4500176
Timely Point of View #4500185
Steampunk Debutante: Fantasy Floral #4500263
Graphic 45 Staples: Geometric metal door plate & knob #4500298, Metal hinge Staples #4500299
Twiddleybitz                        
Roman Clock small CF002
Chicken Wire WIR002
Small Shadowbox SBS001
Name plate curved NP002
Itty bitty Alpha raw ALPHA005R
Old hard cover book
Tim Holtz Distress Stain Wild Honey & Broken China
Tim Holtz Distress ink Vintage photo & Broken China & Wild Honey
Tim Holtz Paint Dauber Sandal
Tim Holtz light bulb, glass bottle, clock face & hands
Maya Rd Calendar numbers black

Tutorial:

1. Assemble shadowbox according to instructions and then trace around the box on the inside of the book ensuring there is enough depth to cut into the book deep enough.

2. Using a craft knife cut a hole deep enough for the shadowbox to sit inside snugly as per photo below

3.  Cover inside of shadowbox with paper as per photo.

4. Paint metal door plate and knob and 2 metal hinges with Paint dauber (I used Sandal). Once dry gently sandpaper back to rough up finish.

5. Cut paper to fit book and decorate with tags. Stamp over the top of tags once in position. Attach metal doorknob, plate and hinges and place stained chipboard clock on top. Using stain Broken China – stain nameplate and place title and glue to spine of book.

6. To decorate inside book – cut paper to page size and adhere to book pages – here I have simply scrunched up the paper and inked creases prior to attaching to book pages. Cut out clocks from A Timely Point of View and using 3D foam tape adhere to inside of shadowbox. Glue trinkets into place and then glue shadowbox into place inside of box.

 7. Stain edges of book with Tim Holtz Wild Honey stain.

Voila!

Huge thanks so the amazingly talented Nicole Eccles and Melaine Forbes for these gorgeous creations today. And many thanks to all of you for joining us today. We can't wait to read your blog comments this week! We also love seeing what you're creating with our papers. Don't forget to post your Graphic 45 creations on our Facebook page, Ning site, or website gallery!

Have a beautiful day, crafters!

Your Pals in Paper,

Team Graphic 45

Inspiration Vacation: Summer Crafts and Craft Challenge Winner Announcement!

Hello Crafters,

Happy Friday and thank you for stopping by and seeing us on this lovely summer day! Today is exciting for so many reasons. We have amazing summer craft ideas from our design team, and we have two winners to announce for this week's craft challenge! We have had so much fun featuring all of these amazing summer-inspired crafts! We want to thank our amazing design team for all of their hard work, and big thanks to all of our readers, and everyone who submitted projects for this week's challenge! Our randomly chosen winners are: 

Melissa Hampton and Margreet Westerling. Here are the great projects they created for this week's challenege! Ladies, please email us at info@g45papers.com with your contact information so that we can send you your prize! This first adorable project was made by Melissa Hampton.

And here is Margreet's wonderful summer mini album! You can see more photos of this sweet mini on our Facebook page! You can also see all the beautiful crafts that were submitted for this week's challenge. Thank you all so much for sharing your amazing work with us!

Okay, lets get to the crafts! Today we have a stunning summer layout by the amazing Yuka Hino, as well as a gorgeous and fun altered lifeguard birdhouse by Nancy Wethington. Nancy's project also includes a fabulous tutorial! We hope today's crafts give you some great ideas for your weekend crafting. This first project is a splendid On the Boardwalk layout by Yuka Hino. This LO features beautiful paper flowers, splendid central photos, and a wonderful use for our Ornate Metal Door Plate and Knob Staples. Take a look!

Graphic 45 Supplies:

On the Boardwalk Collection: On the Boardwalk, She Sells Seashells, Seaside Chic, High Style Holiday, Life's a Beach, By The Beautiful Sea, Bathing Beauties

Once Upon a Springtime Collection: Tiny Treasures, Primrose Cottage, Frames

Steampunk Debutante Collection: Steampunk Debutante

Times Nouveau Collection: Alphabet

Staples: Ornate Metal Door Plate and Knob Staples

 

Other Supplies:

Chipboards: The Dusty Attic

Brads: Zva Creative, BasicGrey

Dies: Sizzix, QuicKutz, Wonder House

Stamp: Prima Marketing Inc

Stickles: Ranger

Ink: Tsukineko

Adhesive: Tombow, Glue Dots

Acrylic Color

This next creation was made by Nancy Wethington. It's a gorgeous altered lifeguard birdhouse that features On the Boardwalk. This adorable and fun piece is another example of Nancy's amazing imagination and talent. She's even included a tutorial to help inspire you! This sweet house would make the perfect piece of summer home decor, as well as an amazing gift for someone you love! Here is what Nancy had to say about her techniques for creating this lovely little house.

Found this lifeguard bird house at my local craft store and immediately thought of On The Boardwalk Collection! I like to keep some type of centerpiece in the middle of my dining room table and thought this would be a good addition.

Started off by staining the entire house with watered down acrylic paints.  Then got to work cutting up the words on Summer Crush to attach to the roof.  Once that was done, I used the leftover Summer Crush and a punch to use the small circles on the edge of the roofline.  Attached both the words and small circles with 3-in-1 glue.   A bottle cap filled with Summer Crush and the Coney Island New York sign (also from Summer Crush) completed the rooftop.

 
 

Cut out a square of She Sells Seashells for the *water* and glued that to the bottom of the lifeguard house.  Then adhered small strips of On The Boardwalk to the door frame and bottom of the house. 
 
Next step was to add the people.  Cut out the 3 men from Coney Island and adhered to one side with Glossy Accents.  Added lots of Glossy Accents to the bottom and adhered a piece of driftwood to cover the missing arm and leg from the man standing on the right side.  Then added sand to the bottom of their legs to make them look as if they're standing in sand.

 

 

Used one of the Bathing Beauties under the lifeguard house.  Since I didn't want the back of the paper to show through the front, I added another piece of driftwood and adhered her to the driftwood.  Added sand to the bottom of that vignette.

    

The lifeguard house needed a lifeguard so added the muscle man from On The Boardwalk.  Adhered him to the front of the house and . . . you guessed it . . . added sand.  I adhered all the sand in this project with Glossy Accents.  Simply poured a lot of Glossy Accents to wherever I wanted sand, then sprinkled the sand on top and let dry before I took any of the loose sand away.  If you pour on the sand and sprinkle off right away, you may have blank spots.  So be patient and let it dry first.
 
Took the *to the beach* sign from High Style Holiday and, after attaching two brads, strung the sign to the side of the lifeguard house with roping.  Added a bit of Stickles to the sign to give it some punch.

 
 

The last step was to string some fishnet around the lifeguard house, add more sand and a couple of pieces of sea glass and my project was complete.

 

Supplies:

Graphic 45: On The Boardwalk Collection:  High Style Holiday; On The Boardwalk; Coney Island; She Sells Seashells; Summer Crush; Bathing Beauties
Ranger Glossy Accents
3-in-1 Glue
Martha Stewart scallop circle punch
EK Success small circle punch
Acrylic Paint:  Simply Paint Turquoise; Americana Burnt Umber
We R Memory Keepers: Crop-a-Dile; eyelets
Miscellaneous: bottle cap; sand; fishing net; sea glass; birdhouse; rope

Well, that's all for today. We want to thank Yuka Hino and Nancy Wethington for their superb work today. We hope to see you all back her on Monday for more amazing craft ideas and a new weekly blog contest. We hope you all get some time to be creative this weekend.

Happy Papercrafting!

Team Graphic 45

Basking In Creativity: Summer-Inspired Crafts & Tutorial

Hello Crafters,

Welcome to another bright day of summer craft inspiration here at Graphic 45! We've got more marvelous craft ideas from our wonderful design team today. There is an adorable layout by Hilde Janbroers, and a gorgeous gift card holder and tutorial by Gloria Stengel. Just a reminder, you still have one more day to submit your summer-inspired Graphic 45 crafts to our Facebook page for your chance to win this week's amazing blog prize! We will be picking two random winners and announcing them on our blog tomorrow. We've already seen so many beautiful crafts so far. It is always such a joy to see what you are all creating with our papers. Thank you so much! Well, lets get to the crafts. This first ray of sunshine is by Hilde Janbroers. It's a stunning On the Boardwalk layout that is full of wonder and cheer. Check out the beautiful paper rosettes! This piece is full of so much love, it's like a big craft hug.

"If you look at this layout it might looks difficult. But in fact, it's really easy to create. Take a white piece of cardstock as a base. Then I layered two patterned papers on top of each other ( after cutting some inches of both papers ). With a file I ruffled the papers a bit. Than just layer some different pieces of paper to go behind the photo. Let them stick out underneath the photo. With a Tim Holtz die I cut out the rossette flowers. Than add some stickers, flowers and other gorgeous Graphic 45 embellishment to brighten up your layout. And there you go.....your own rich embellished layout. ;-)" -Hilde Janbroers

Supples:

Graphic 45 On the Boardwalk

Graphic 45 trim

Graphic 45 Metal Flower Staples

Graphic 45 Metal Tag Staples

Graphic 45 Flower staples

Graphic 45 Sticker Staples

Graphic 45 Alphabet Sticker staples

Prima Marketing flowers

Tattered Angels Glimmer mist

black pen

My Little Shoebox alphabet stickers

scrabble letters

Next we have a brilliantly beautiful On the Boardwalk gift card holder by Gloria Stengel. This wonderful piece even comes with a tutorial so you can make one of your very own! Gloria's style is so classic and distinct. It's a true honor to have her share her creative process with us. Take a look at this elegant and joyful work of art. It's the perfect gift for someone you love! Here is what Gloria had to say about the creation of this wonderful piece.

Special days and events deserve special gifts. Since gift cards are more popular than ever, why not make an extra special holder for them? This mini book makes the perfect gift card holder. You can add photos, mementos, and more, plus there is plenty of room for a gift card, or two!

1. Cut three pieces of chipboard; cut two to 4 x 6 inches and one to ½ x 6 inches.

2. Cut a sheet of printed paper to 8 ¾ x 6 inches and place it face down on your work surface. Using strong adhesive, attach the chipboard pieces to the printed paper, as shown, with a 1/8 inch gap between the chipboard pieces.

3. Attach a second sheet of printed paper, 8 ¾ x 6, to the other side of the chipboard. Fold the mini book, creasing in the gaps between the chipboard pieces. This will make a spine and two covers for your mini book.

4. Using mini file folders (Pine Cone Press), trace and cut two folders from printed paper.

5. Adhere the two folders together to make pages for your mini book. Attach one folder to the back cover of your mini book.

6. Decorate your mini book as desired, and add a gift card to one of the file folder flaps, as shown.

 

 

Supplies:

Chipboard: Grafix
Cardstock: Bazzill Raven, Stampin’ Up! Whisper White, Best Creations Black Glitter
Graphic45 paper: On the Boardwalk (On the Boardwalk, She Sells Seashells, Summer Crush, High Style Holiday, Bathing Beauties, Tags, Borders)
Stamps: Papertrey Ink, Hero Arts, Gina K Designs
Ink: Clearsnap Colorbox Chalk (Creamy Brown, Chestnut Roan, Prussian Blue), Memento (Tuxedo Black)
Spellbinders dies: Curved Rectangles, Labels One, Labels One Small, Fleur de Lis Motifs
Embellishments: Doily and string from Michael’s Crafts. Bingo cards and stickers from Jenni Bowlin, Clips from Idea-ology and Oriental Trading Company, Flower Staples from Graphic45, Bingo number from Maya Road, Mini files from Pine Cone Press, Ribbon open stock
Adhesive: Scotch SM ATG and foam tape, Glue Dots

That's all for today, crafters. Thank you so much for joining us. We hope to see you here again tomorrow as we announce this week's blog prize winner. And of course we will have more amazing crafts from our design team to dazzle and delight you!

Happy Papercrafting!

Team Graphic 45

Seaside and Sunshine: More Summer Crafts From Our Design Team

Hello Crafters,

Welcome to wonderful day of crafting here at Graphic 45! We are so glad you are joining us for today's inspired creations.  We have more warm summer fun projects from our design team to share with you. Don't forget to post your fun summer creations on our Facebook page this week for your chance to win a super prize! This first craft was created by the amazing Laura Denison. She used Transatlantique and beautiful Core'dinations/Graphic 45 Timeless sandable cardstock to create the exterior for this amazing backgammon suitcase. This project is so stunning and inventive. Check out the amazing detail and symmetry on the inside of the suitcase. It's just astonishing!

Supplies:

Exterior Paper:  Coordinations "Core Impressions, Graphic 45"

Interior Paper:  Graphic 45 "Transatlantique"

Metallic Paper:  Bazzil

Metal Hinges and Metal Tags: Graphic 45 Staples 

Ribbon:  Offray

Wood Disks:  Darice

Metal corners, brads, grunge paper strips and Hitch Post:  Tim Holtz Ideology

This next gorgeous craft was made by Nicole Eccles. This amazingly fun On the Boardwalk card is like a snapshot of the perfect summer day. It has vibrant colors, wonderful depth, and the radiant joy of every Nicole Eccles creation. Bask in the warmth of this wonderful and clever card!

  "There is no denying it, summer has finally arrived.  From cookouts to pool parties and trips to the beach.  It is a time for celebration! And what better way to celebrate then to send out some yummy G45 On the Boardwalk inspired cards to friends or family. What I love most about creating with G45 papers are the possibilities for creating scenes, or moments by just layering a few images. Die Cut a shape out of your card front, use the negative and instant shadowbox effect.  So Fun!" -Nicole Eccles

Supplies:

Papers: G45 On The Boardwalk Collection

Coney Island

Life’s a Beach

By The Beautiful Sea   

Dies:  Spellbinders Nestabilites

Classic Scalloped Rectangle Small

Inks: Tim Holtz Distress Inks

Frayed Burlap

Embellishments: Basic Grey Half Pearls Black

G45 On the Boardwalk Tags

Adhesive:  Scrapbook Adhesives 3d foam squares

Tombow Mono Color Glue Stick

Thank you all so much for joining us today. Huge thanks to Laura Denison and Nicole Eccles for their amazing projects today. We hope you are all enjoying this week's craft theme as much as we are. Join us tomorrow for more splendid ideas.

Happy Papercrafting!

Team Graphic 45

Holiday In The Sun: On the Boardwalk Crafts & Tutorial

Hello Crafters,

Welcome to our blog today! Thank you for stopping by and seeing us for some terrific craft ideas! Today we have gorgeous projects and tutorials by Sherry Cheever of our design team. Her amazing work features our beautiful collection On the Boardwalk, which is absolutely perfect for fun summer crafts! We hope that today's creations will help inspire you to make something terrific for this week's Summer Fun Craft Challenege! Don't forget to post your projects on our new Facebook page for your chance to win this week's amazing prize! Well, enough talk, lets get to the crafts! Check out this wonderful On the Boardwalk card by Sherry, complete with brilliant tutorials that are filled with excellent crafting techniques! Check it out!

"The card base is 5-1/2 x 5-1/2.  All the designer paper and cardstock are sewn together and the edges have been sponged with Antique Linen Distress Ink.  The seam binding was dyed with Wild Honey Distress Stain.  All the images were raised with foam mounting tape to add dimension to the card front." -Sherry Cheever

Supplies:

Graphic 45:  On the Boardwalk
Spellbinders:  S4-116 Small Classic Circles, S4-114 Large Classic Circles, S4-243 Ric Rac Diamond Border, S4-307 Reverse Wonky Rectangle
Stamps:  Sentiment from Stampers Anonymous E1-1384
Ink/Paints:  Ranger Archival Jet Black, Wild Honey Distress Stain and Antique Linen Distress Ink
Tools/Miscellaneous:  Ranger Matte Accents, Mini Mister, Craft Sheet, Ink Blending Tool; idea-ology Memo Pin; Seam Binding; Black and Blue Cardstock; White Shipping Tag

How to dye seam binding with Distress Inks

 

How to use Distress Reinkers, Mini Misters and Perfect Pearls to dye seam binding

 

Up next, Sherry has created this brilliant On the Boardwalk wall hanging that includes tips and instructions for making one of your own! Just look at this amazing work of art! It is loaded with vibrant colors, lavish layers, and impeccable style. It's a classic Sherry Cheever creation!

The base of the wall hanging is a piece of illustration board that was die cut with Spellbinders Grand Labels One.  On the Boardwalk paper was then die cut with the same die template and glued to the base with matte multi-medium.

The shelf is made from hobby wood, cut to size, and painted black.  The shelf was then sanded at various spots, dyed with Vintage Photo distress stain, glued to the base.

The background is made up of a postcard image of the beach, an image of the back of a postcard and a frame to encircle them.  The frame is made from a rectangle chipboard coaster that was covered with On The Boardwalk paper and then die cut with Spellbinders Labels Eight.

The larger bottle was filled with play sand and the taller with sand and water to represent the beach.  The tag of the men are the cabana boys she’s dreaming of.

The flowers were made with Spellbinders Carnations Creations and there is a new tutorial containing a little twist to the flowers.

Want to learn how to make these wonderful paper flowers? Check out this great tutorial,  filled with helpful tips!

 

Supplies:

Paper: Graphic 45 On the Boardwalk;  idea-ology GrungePaper; Illustration Board; Chipboard Coaster

Spellbinders:  S4-328 Foliage, S5-050 Rose Creations (leaves), S5-049 Carnations Creations, S5-019 Labels Eight, LF-161 Grand Labels One
Ink/Paints:  Ranger Antique Linen and Vintage Photo Distress Ink; Forest Moss, Peeled Paint, Vintage Photo, Antique Linen Distress Stain; Crushed Olive Re-Inker (Mini Mister and water to make a spray); Black acrylic paint
Miscellaneous/Tools:  Ranger Mini Mister, Craft Sheet, Ink Blending Tool, Matte Accents, Multi-Medium Matte; Antique Brass Paper Fasteners; Black Craft Wire; Paper Distressing Tool; Corked Vials; Wood Hobby Trim; Sanding Tools; Play Sand and Water; Trinket Pins

Huge thanks to the amazing Sherry Cheever. It is always a pleasure to share her creations with all of you. We are super excited to see what you'll post on our Facebook page for this week's craft challenge! Have a terrific day and we hope to see you all again tomorrow!

Happy Days,

Team Graphic 45

Summer Scrappin': New Blog Challenge and Design Team Tutorial

Hello Crafters,

Happy Monday and thanks for joining us on this splendid day. This is going to be a very exciting week. We have a new craft challenge to announce! Since summer has pretty much arrived, we're asking you to create a fun summer-themed craft out of Graphic 45 product and post it on our new Facebook page. We will randomly pick two winners for this challenge on Friday, June 24. The prize will be this spectacular Le Cirque Door Plate Mini Album kit. This amazing kit, featured in the photos below, is a Graphic 45 original creation and was taught in Canada and Australia by our team. Check out this super cute Le Cirque mini album and start thinking about what you'd like to create for this week's challenge. Remember to submit your works to our new Facebook page! We can't wait to see your summer-inspired crafts! 

Have a look at the finished product! It's fun to create and it looks amazing!

Today's dose of craft inspiration is brought to you by the amazing Nicole Eccles. This is the kind of project that you can't help but fall in love with when you first see it. It's a Le Cirque pull-toy and it is equal parts gorgeous, fun, and adorable. It's a true craft treasure. Nicole has even prepared a tutorial for this wonderful work of art! Here is what she had to say about this wonderful and whimsical creation. 

 

"I saw this elephant at Michaels for $.60 and knew I just had to have him.  Also I have been sitting on some wooden blocks since Christmas waiting for some inspiration to create something new using them.  And then it hit me, it HAS to be a Le Cirque Pull Toy!   I am inspired by artists like Bethany Lowe who create such beautiful, primitive/vintage looking collectibles, so I wanted to capture that style.  The pull toy itself is super easy to create using only a few wooden objects, some string and G45’s outstanding papers!   And the best part is you get to be a kid again and play dress up with your elephant, oh and the possibilities are truly endless!" -Nicole Eccles

 

To turn a block into a pull toy that really works you will need:

a wooden block

tinker toy wheels/ or a small dowel rod and some small circular pieces of wood from the craft store

roping ( I got mine from G45 pocket mini book)

G45 Metal Metal Buttons

Wooden Bead

Cardboard from the back of G45 paper pad

 

1.  Paint and decorate your elephant as desired and set aside

2.  Cut 6 squares of patterned paper the size of your wooden block, and adhere.  Mine measures 2”

3. Sand all the edges of your block, removing excess paper and exposing wood along edges.  Then lightly ink to an aged perfection and set aside.

 

4. Cover the tinker toy wheels lightly with ink along the edge and inside edges using Tumbled Glass Distress Ink.

5.  Cut 4 strips of patterned paper to create rosettes for the wheels.  (Size will depend on the size of your wheels.  My strips are 1/2” x 12” to make 1” rosette wheel covers)

once created adhere to wheel using a hot glue gun.

6.  Fussy cut 4 blue flowers from Bohemian Floral paper, adhere to wheel using pop dots and ink lightly using Frayed Burlap distress ink for an aged effect.

7.  To attach wheels to the bottom of block so that they will spin, cut cardboard from the back of le cirque paper pad  into 2 –1” strips.

8.  Score strips long ways  3 times, once in the center, and once on each edge to create flaps

 

9.  Fold scored cardboard in half along score lines to create a V.  Then fold flaps outward to create a fancy V.

 

10.  Once created, now you can attach the wheels.  To do this place the wheels with rods one at a time into the center of the V you just made and using glossy accents run a bead of glue along the small flaps and smooth to the bottom of the block.  * Glossy accents is the perfect adhesive for this job because it only takes seconds to dry.

11.  To create the pull string, loop string around the center of G45’s metal brad, tighten and lightly glaze with glossy accents over string wiping away excess as you smooth it. 

12.  Cut of the back of the brad using heavy duty scissors or wire cutters and adhere to the block using E6000. 

13.  Decorate block and and adhere completed elephant atop using E6000

14. Glaze with Distress stickles as desired. 

*Make sure to allow plenty of time for E6000 to dry before playing!

 

 

Supplies:

Papers: G45 Le Cirque Collection

Bohemian Floral, Magnifique, Le Cirque, Extravaganza, Greatest Show On Earth, Dazzle & Delight

 

Inks: Tim Holtz Distress Inks

Black Soot, Frayed Burlap, Tumbled Glass

      

    Ranger Adirondack Ink

Sunshine Yellow

 

Embellishments:  G45 Metal Buttons

Tim Holtz Gears and Sprockets

 

Stickles:  Tim Holtz Distress Stickles

Picket Fence, Rock Candy

 

Adhesives: Scrapbook Adhesives 3d foam squares

E6000, hot glue gun, scor tape

 

Other:  Wooden block, toothpick, Bethany Lowe Designs Vintage Inspired Garlands, Sm. metal star, tinker toys, hemp twine, string, wooden bead, glass glitter, bell, paint, acrylic clear coat.

We want to say a huge thank you to Nicole Eccles for her phenomenal project today. We are so excited to see everyone's summer crafts on our Facebook page this week! We hope you all have a terrific day and we hope to see you back here tomorrow for more awesome craft inspiration.

Smiles and Sunshine,

Team Graphic 45

CHA Summer Sneak Peek Featuring The Magic of Oz

Hello There Crafters,

Welcome to our special Saturday edition of the Graphic 45 blog! We are just so excited about this summer's CHA in Chicago. The G45 headquarters are buzzing with creativity and anticipation of this amazing event! If you've seen out past booths at CHA, you know we love to put on a big show. Today we're giving you a sneak peek of a few of the Magic of Oz crafts that we've been working on for our booth. These beautiful creations were made by Diane Schultz, designer and CEO of Graphic 45! If you're going to be attending this summer's CHA, be sure to stop by our booth #715 and say hello to us. We'll have lots of stunning crafts, prizes, fun and inspiration galore! Have a look at the first of many Magic of Oz crafts to be featured here on the Graphic 45 blog! Wow, these are amazing!

 

 

Thank you all so much for stopping by today. We will have more Magic of Oz crafts to share with you very soon. We hope Diane's amazing creations helped give you some great ideas today. We hope to see you this summer at CHA! Until then, have a terrific day and keep on scrappin'!

Happy Papercrafting,

Team Graphic 45