A Moment of Gratitude For All You G45ers!

Hello G45ers,

Happy Friday and welcome to today's blog! Thank you all so much for joining us on this lovely day! This has been such a fun and exciting week here at Graphic 45. We've been working hard to get our new collections Happy Haunting and A Ladies' Diary out to stores as fast as possible. We know you are all anxious to get your hands on these wonderful new collections. Plus we've been having such a great time getting to share the glorious creations from our new 2012 design team. It was wonderful to read all of your comments this week. You all seem to be just as excited as we are with the fabulous talent that our new design team is bringing! Thank you all so much for your terrific feedback this week! Today we thought we'd say thank you to all of you fabulous G45ers out there. We're going to be featuring some wonderful crafts that were posted to our Ning site from your fellow G45ers! We love seeing what you're creating with our products. We encourage all of you to share your creativity on our Ning site, Facebook page and website gallery!

We also have a winner for this week's blog contest! Huge thanks to everyone who left us blog and Facebook comments this week. We loved hearing from you! This week's winner, chosen at random from this week's blog comments, is...

-Connie L Riley: "I don't know what I'm going to do--I'm running out of superlatives and the DT has just started! If they keep it up, I'll have to resort to my thesaurus or just not post... The Olde Curiosity Shoppe is one of my obsessions and I loved all three projects. Sharon's altered box gave me so many ideas. Although I'm not much of a jewelry person, I was fascinated with Denise's video and how the necklace was constructed. Definitely great ideas there. And, the box and mini album from Clare went right to the top of my projects to try list! Thanks."

Congratulations, Connie and thank you for your kind words! Please email us with your shipping information at info@g45papers.com to claim your prize.

And now it's time for some stunning crafts that were posted on our Ning site! Here is a fabulous lift curtain by Anne Elizabeth Rostad.This is such a grand and inspiring creation! It absolutely captures the fun and eclectic sentiment of Olde Curiosity Shoppe! One word: "wow!"

Here we have an amazing rat trap note holder by Kimberly.This clever creation features Kraft Reflections and lots of beautiful embellishments. This fabulous craft has a great shabby-chic look that is simply beautiful!

Next up is this gorgeous Olde Curiosity Shoppe layout by Teresa Manchas. You can see some wonderful paper distressing in this piece that gives it a truly vintage look. Plus this is just so adorable with the sweet photos of a cute pup. Fabulous paper layering also gives this LO great dimension and texture. Fantastic!

Next up is this stunning Little Darlings keepsake box by Martica Gonzalez.This is such a wonderful creation. Keepsake boxes are always so much fun to make! This adorable box captures the preciousness of our Little Darlings collection in so many ways. Pretty embellishments and ribbons also help to add to the charm of this wonderful box. It's such a treasure!

Here is another fantastic Little Darlings creation! This is an altered canvas by Anna Fearer. Isn't this lovely?! You can see how perfectly Little Darlings papers blend with pretty embellishments. This would make such a fabulous gift or a beautiful piece of home decor. Incredible!

Once again, thank you all so much for joining us today. Huge thanks to all of today's featured artists for their remarkable projects. Big thanks to all of you G45ers out there who share your kind words and wonderful talents with us. We appreciate you all so much! Please come back and see us again. We've got another week of wonderful craft inspiration ahead! Have a glorious day and enjoy your weekend!

Happy Papercrafting!

Your Friends at Graphic 45

Jump for Joy With An ABC Primer!

Hello G45ers,

Thank you for stopping by our blog today! We have some truly delightful craft treats to share with you on this fine Thursday! We've got brand new craft creations from our fabulous design team members Denise Hahn and Alberto Juarez. Today's crafts highlight our adorable schoolhouse-inspired collection An ABC Primer. Today you will see a splendid mini album by Denise Hahn and some beautiful wall hangings by Alberto Juarez. This day is going to be so much fun!

We love An ABC Primer. The beautiful colors and vintage schoolhouse images are filled with so much wonder! There are so many ways to use this fabulous collection to create something unforgettable! First up is this gorgeous mini album by Denise Hahn. She completely captured the vintage spirit of this collection! We love the way Denise used the pencils to decorate the spine of this mini. What a clever idea! There is something wonderful to discover on every beautiful page. You can see how Denise layered the papers and added cute embellishments to enhance to precious look of this mini! Wow!

Supplies:

Graphic 45 ABC Primer papers
Graphic 45 ABC Primer Chipboard Tags 1 & 2
Graphic 45 Flowers #30
Graphic 45 Staples Trim #3
Bazzill Basics Cardstock
My First Ticonderoga Pencils
Vintage Fabric Measuring Tape
Vintage Dennison Label
Vintage game tile
Colorbox Fluid Chalk Black
Colorbox Fluid Chalk Prussian Blue
Smootch Glitz Starlight
Clearsnap Embossing powder-clear
Sharpie Paint Pen white
Tulle
Provo Craft letter stamp Circa 18pt
May Arts Bakers Twine
Mini Book on cover-cut from scrabble board

Next up we have these fabulous wall hangings by Alberto Juarez using An ABC Primer. These would look perfect in a nursery or child's room! These would even be great in an office or study area! They are nice and simple but they radiate with wonderful vintage charm. The lovely altered frame and ribbon add a dash of brilliant color to these sweet works of home decor. They are simply lovely!

We hope you all enjoyed today's wonderful crafts! Please join us tomorrow for more splendid craft creations. We will also be announcing a winner for this week's blog contest. There is still time to enter for your chance to win this week's prize. Just leave us a blog or Facebook comment! Huge thanks to Denise Hahn and Alberto Juarez for their incredible work today. We wish you all a blissful day!

Happy Papercrafting!

Your Friends at Graphic 45

Fun Little Darlings Ideas & Metal Buttons Tutorial!

Hello Fabulous G45ers!

Welcome to our blissful blog! We hope your week is going wonderfully. We are pleased as punch that you are joining us today! We are having so much fun getting to share the incredible crafts that our new design team has been creating. Today we have an enchanting Little Darlings altered dresser by Arlene Cuevas that you are going to love! Arlene has also included a fun and easy tutorial that will show you how to create gorgeous altered metal staples using the Graphic 45 Metal Button Staples! This is a great technique that brings a brilliant look to metal embellishments. Yes indeed, today is going to be lots of fun! Don't forget that we've got a great blog contest this week that you can still enter to win! Just leave us a blog or Facebook comment any time this week. We will be choosing one random winner from this week's comments and announcing them on Friday right here on our blog. This is the wonderful prize you can win this week! Oh, so pretty!

We know you are all getting super excited about the new collections A Ladies' Diary and Happy Haunting. Here is a fun video that Arlene made where she takes you on a tour of the new paper collections! Our design team are starting to get to work on these wonderful new collections. This fun video is sure to get you super excited to start papercrafting! Start looking for A Ladies' Diary and Happy Haunting in stores in June!

 

And now it's time to get inspired! Here we have an adorable and beautiful Little Darlings Altered Dresser by Arlene Cuevas. This would make such a wonderful gift or a piece of decor for a nursery or child's room. You can keep sweet little keepsakes in the drawers too! There are so many great uses for this magical creation. Let your imagination take flight as you look at these great photos! Here is what Arlene had to say about this precious work of art.

 

"A friend of mine is expecting a baby boy this fall and I wanted to make something special to welcome him. Naturally, I reached for the Little Darlings paper collection! I found this miniature wooden dresser at a local craft store and thought how cute it would be to alter it. I primed the base with Gesso, then painted the entire dresser with buttermilk white acrylic paint. The edges are inked up with Ranger Distress Ink in Antique Linen. I painted the Staples Metal Buttons and Ornate door plate with acrylic paint and distressed them using a baby wipe, which is fun and easy to do (tutorial included.) The little picture frame is from the dollar section at my local craft store. I matted a Little Darlings chipboard frame to it and included a photo inside from the paper collection. The handmade flower was created using the Cherished paper and Spellbinders Rose creations die set. The Little Darlings paper collection is so full of inspiration. It’s fun to work with, that’s for sure!" -Arlene Cuevas

 

Supplies:

Little Darlings paper collection

Little Darlings Tags 1 & 2

Little Darlings Cardstock stickers

Metal Brads

Ornate Door Plate

May Arts lace/pearl trim

May Arts Silky Crush ribbon

I Am Roses flowers

Cheery Lynn Designs Lace corner Deco E & Francesca border

White doily

Michael’s mini white dollar frame

Ranger Distress Ink – Antique Linen

Gesso

Buttermilk White Acrylic paint by Americana

 

Next up is this lovely and fun tutorial that Arlene created. You can see that she used Graphic 45 Metal Button Staples on her Little Darlings altered dresser. She used this great technique to add a splash of color and vintage charm to the Metal Button Staples. Learn how it was done in this great tutorial! What fun!

Altering Staples Metal Buttons Tutorial:

A few simple steps for a great look!

 

Supplies:

Staples Metal Buttons, Paint brush, tweezer or gripper, acrylic paint, paint dish, heat gun, baby wipes

 

Step 1: Use your gripper to clip the brad in place. Add a small drop of paint into the paint dish. Dip your paint brush lightly into the paint and apply to the brad. Cover completely, making sure you don’t miss any crevices.

 

Step 2: You can either let the paint sit and dry, or use a heat gun to dry the paint. NOTE: Be careful! When you use a heat gun, the metal gets really hot! TIP: Do not dry completely. The paint should be slightly moist to the touch.

Step 3: Take a baby wipe and brush it lightly over the brad, paying attention to rub on the surface of the brad only. You want to slightly remove the paint on the surface of the brad to reveal the antique gold.

Voila! You have an altered brad! You can use a similar technique with alcohol ink. But instead of a baby wipe, use a dry paper towel and wipe the alcohol ink lightly before it completely sets.

Have fun trying out this super easy technique!

We hope you all had a great time today! Big thanks to Arlene Cuevas for her fantastic Little Darlings creation and tutorial! We have more inspiraing crafts to share with you on tomorrow's blog so we hope you'll join us! Enjoy your day, G45ers!

With Hugs and Pretty Paper,

Your Friends at Graphic 45

A Craft Celebration of Olde Curiosity Shoppe!

Hello Fabulous G45ers!

It's another bright and happy day here at Graphic 45! We are so glad you've stopped by to see the latest in craft inspiration. We've got so many fantastic crafts to share with you today! We're celebrating the many ways you can create gorgeous projects with our collection Olde Curiosity Shoppe. You'll see magnificent works of art by Sharon Ong, Denise Hahn and Clare Charvill! Plus we've got helpful tips, a fun tutorial and videos! Wow! So much fun! So lets just get right to it! First up is this remarkable 5x5 altered art box by Sharon Ong. This box is so beautiful! Sharon even included some great tips on how she created this inspiring piece! With a collection as beautiful as Olde Curiosity Shoppe there is no limit to your creativity! Take it away, Sharon!

The Graphic 45 5X5 altered art box is perfect as a little container for tags with quotations, or in my case bible verses to remember.  Here's what I did with mine:

Instead of using the album that comes with the box, I used it to make a pocket to hold tags.  (the album paper is nice and sturdy so its great for building with!).

My favourite part of this project is actually the sides of the box.  I used the Olde Curiosity Shoppe "Genuine Article" papers to paper the sides and painted over them with a thin layer of teal coloured paint, then stained it with distress ink. I like how it makes the paper look 'mouldy'. :)

Supplies:

Papers:  Mercurial Masterpiece, Parlor Wall, Optical Oddities, Butterfly Specifics, Apothecary, Genuine Article, Bazaar of Wonders,
  5x5 Kraftboard Altered Art Box w/Album
 Metal Flower Staples
  Metal Hinge Staples
 Metal Button Staples
  Metal Clothespins
 Stamped Metal Brads
  Olde Curiosity Shoppe Chipboard Die-cuts 2
Other Supplies:
 Marks Filmstrip Washi Tape
  Making Memories paint - lagoon
 Ranger Distress Ink - Vintage Photo, black soot
 Bazzill kraft cardstock
 twine - my own

Next up is this unique and elegant Olde Curiosity Shoppe thread spool necklace by Denise Hahn. This is such a clever idea and so much fun to create! Plus it's a great way to recycle your old thread spools! Turn them into one-of-a-kind accessories like this one! Here is what Denise had to say about this lovely necklace!  

"I have been making these necklaces for a while now, but was inspired by Graphic 45’s Old Curiosity Shoppe’s butterflies and Staples Metal Butterflies. I decided to combine them with some fun ribbon from May Arts to make this attention getting wearable piece of art." -Denise Hahn

Check out Denise's Video Tutorial.

 

Supplies:

Graphic 45 Paper Old Curiosity Shoppe
Graphic 45 Olde Curiosity Shoppe Stickers
Graphic 45 Staples Butterfly
May Arts Ribbon
Want2Scrap Say it in pearls
Vintage Wooden Spool
Colorbox Chalk Black
Decoupage Medium
Thick Gauge wire (I use rebar wire)
Wire cutters and flat nose pliers
Clearsnap Rollograph with word words stamp
Colorbox Archival Ink Pad Black
Pre-made rosary chain
vintage rhinestone piece
E6000
Metal key

Next up is this enchanting altered box and mini album by Clare Charvill. Clare is an expert when it comes to creating incredible works of altered art and mini albums! Let this stunning piece capture your heart and imagination! Want to know how it was made? Clare has even included a detailed tutorial and videos that show you how to create one of your very own! So lets have some fun with the amazingly talented Clare Charvill! Take it away, Clare! 

Supplies:

Graphic 45 Supplies  

Papers from the 12 x 12 Olde Curiosity Shoppe Collection 

Back Cover - diamonds

12 x 12 Parlour Wall 

12 x 12 Optical Oddities

12 x 12 Genuine Article for the dragonfly 

Staples Ribbon Black

Miscellaneous supplies

Wooden Box

Polystyrene balls

wooden knob for closure 

3 covered florist wires 

Alterations Metal Embellishment  on lid 

Wooden Cotton Reel

Back Soot Distress Ink

The Instructions

Instructions:

1.  Take a wooden box and paint it inside and out with black acrylic paint.  Leave until completely dry and cover with a coat of matte varnish.  I used Claudine Helmuth Matte Medium

2.  Measure front, back and sides of your box and  cut paper  1/4 " smaller than actual size of each panel to allow for a black border.  Ink all edges cover with tacky glue and stick each piece to the corresponding side of the box, making sure all edges are firmly stuck down.  I used the back cover of the 12 x 12 paper pad. The diamonds were just the right size for the project.

3.  Cut two border pieces out of black card stock using the Sizzix  Swirly  Back decorative strip and, centring each piece up with the front and back of the box and the bottom edge, stick down firmly to box. Then  cut out the  "eyes" element  from the 12 x 12 Parlor Wall paper and stick to the centre front of box.  

4. Take 4 polystyrene balls (bought from local craft store) with black acrylic paint and leave to dry thoroughly. Stick on to each of the bottom corners of the box with tacky glue/glossy accents. I stuck each one on a cocktail stick to make it easy to paint and dry them.

5.  Cut out a selection of words from the 12 x 12 Optical Oddities paper, ink the edges of each one with black soot distress ink. Crumple up and then stick them so they overlap around the bottom edge of the border strips on the box.

6.  Measure the inside front back and sides of box and cut paper pieces for each that are 1/4" smaller than the actual size of the sides. Ink all paper edges.  Paper used was 12 x 12 Parlor Wall.  Also cut out peacock element and ink edges.  Cut two strips of black ribbon from the G45 Staples range and stick each piece to the inside of the lid and side of box. Then stick the paper pieces to the inside of the box and the peacock element to the inside of the lid. 

To decorate the lid: 

7.  Cut out the dragonfly and two butterfly's from the 12 x 12 Genuine Article and Butterfly Specifics papers. Ink all edges.  Take three paper coated florist wires, roll around a wooden spoon to curl and stick one to each of the two butterflies and dragonfly cut outs.  I cut a tiny oblong shaped piece of paper from the same sheet as the butterflies, add some glue to the back of the butterflies, position the wire in the glue and stick the little oblong piece of paper over the top.  Hold for a few seconds until stuck.  Paint a cotton reel black and when dry, group the three wire ends together, push down into the centre of the cotton reel.  Squeeze some glue into the hole and leave to dry.  

8.  Cut out two words from the 12 x 12 Optical Oddities sheet and the frame around the butterfly's on the  Parlor Wall paper ink edges and stick down on the top of the box. 

Add a metal embellishment to frame one word.  Stick cotton reel in place with some tacky glue and leave to dry. 

9.  Cut out the key from 12 x 12 Parlor Wall paper, ink edges and cover in glossy accents.  Leave to dry.  Make a small label from Genuine Article 1 x 12 paper, punch hole and stick a hole re enforcer to either side. Take two pieces of thread, fold in half, attach tot he key and tag and then wrap around the cotton reel, sticking down with glossy accents. 

To finish box, paint small wooden knob black and stick to centre front of box lid.

    

The album

There are four videos, and here's the link to the first, how to make the basic album. The other three will be on my you tube channel shortly and follow on from the first. 

 

We hope you all had a ton of fun today and got some great ideas! We want to thank you all for stopping by and seeing us! Huge thanks to Sharon Ong, Denise Hahn and Clare Charvill for their amazing work today! We hope you'll join us tomorrow for more incredible craft inspiration from our wonderful design team! Have a glorious day!

Happy Papercrafting!

Your Friends at Graphic 45

Magical Graphic 45 Mini Albums & Tutorials You'll Adore!

Hello G45ers,

We are so glad you are all joining us for more craft bliss here at the Graphic 45 blog! Sure it's Monday but that means that it's a whole new week for discovering marvelous crafts with all of us here at Graphic 45!  This is going to be such an incredible day! Our new 2012 design team have been working hard to create some astonishing works of art. Today we're all about mini albums. Jim Hankins AKA The Gentleman Crafter and Kristin Wilson have both created some gorgeous minis that will sweep you off your feet. There is also a fun and easy tutorial and video that correspond with these magnificent creations! Plus we've got a great new blog contest where you can win some glorious Graphic 45 goodies! Yes, this day is going to be a lot of fun. Lets get started by talking about this week's blog contest! All you need to do is leave us a blog or Facebook comment this week. We will be choosing one random winner from this week's comments and announcing them here on our blog on Friday. You could win this wonderful prize pack that includes an 8x8 paper pad from Olde Curiosity Shoppe and Little Darlings, Graphic 45 Black Policy Envelopes, Metal Hinges, Flower Staples and an Antique Typewriter Wood Stamp Set! Wow! So be sure to leave your comments for your chance to win!

And now it's time for some magnificent inspiration with this wonderful travel diary! Feast your eyes on this gorgeous Kraft Reflections travel diary by the amazing Jim Hankins. This is such a wonderful creation that is just perfect if you are about to embark on a journey or if you know someone who is. Travel dairies are great for jotting down your favorite moments, adding fun photos and keepsakes. There are so many possibilities. Join Jim as he takes you step by step through the creation of this wonderful dairy with a fun and simple tutorial!

Supplies:
Graphic 45 Kraft Reflections Paper Collection
Graphic 45 Trim Staples
Graphic 45 Metal Tags
Graphic 45 Button Brads
Idea‐ology Timepieces
Idea‐ology Game Spinners
Idea‐ology Locket keys
Chipboard
24” of twine
Kraft Cardstock

This Fast and Easy Kraft Reflections Travel Diary is a fun gift to give someone as a Bon Voyage!

Step 1:

Cut chipboard to the following:
2 @ 3‐1/2 x 6‐1/4
1 @ ½ x 6‐1/4

Step 2:

Chomp corners of the chipboard with a ½ inch corner chomper.

Step 3:

On the backside of a piece of Kraft Collections paper, mark ¾” on bottom and left edge.

Step 4:

Align your pieces of chipboard with the marks and adhere to cardstock leaving a
1/8‐inch gap between the spine piece.

Step 5:

Miter all corners leaving ½ at each corner. Cut into the corner around the rounded
part of the chipboard. Be sure not to cut right up to the edge but close.

Step 6:

Apply Scor‐Tape around all edges.

Step 7:

Pull the tape backing and bring all ¾ inch edges over and onto tape. For the corner
you should have several tabs. Bring one in at a time and fold over corner.

Step 8:

Glue down corner tabs.

Step 9:

Cut a piece of contrasting Kraft Reflections cardstock to 6‐1/8 x 7‐5/8. Using your
½ corner chomper round the edges.

Step 10:

Using adhesive, glue cardstock to inside of the cover and burnish to secure.

Step 11:

On the spine, punch a 1/8 hole one inch in from each edge. Next, insert and set an
eyelet into the two holes.

Step 12:

Cut 10 sheets of plain Kraft Cardstock to 5‐7/8 x 6‐3/4. Next stack them together
and fold them in half. Open the paper stack up and punch two 1/8 holes 7/8 from
each end. Take the twine and fold in half. Insert each end into the holes and then
through the eyelets of your covered chipboard cover. On the spine, tie the twine
into a bow to secure.

Step 13:

Last, apply Scor‐Tape to the outside middle completely around the book. Cut a 20
inches piece of the Graphic 45 Trim. Pull the backing off the tape, find the middle of
the trim and apply this first to the spine then around to the front and back of the
book. Embellish the front cover as desired. Voila! Fast and Easy Travel Journal.

Wow, wasn't that great?! Next up is this remarkably beautiful tea cup mini album by Kristin Wilson. She's created this fun video where she takes you on a tour through each enchanting page! There is so much to discover in this sweet creation. Kristin blended lots of different Graphic 45 collections to create an exquisite and unique statement. Plus you've got to love all of those gorgeous embellishments and heartwarming sentiments on every page! This mini is pure delight!

Kristin Wilson

 

Supplies:
Graphic 45: Olde Curiosity Shoppe Collection, Kraft Reflections Collection, Le’ Romantique Collection, Steampunk Debutante Collection, Curtain Call Collection;  Metal Brads, Hinges
Prima: Locket Charm, Padlocks, Pearl Spray
Tim Holtz: Safety Pin, Metal Gears, Metal Chain, Clock
Stampin Up!: Stamps, Ink, Brads, Lace, Punch, Dimentionals, Library Clip, Flower Brad, Button, Jumbo Eyelet
Accessories: Flowers: Petaloo; Wood Buttons: Maya Road; Leaf Punch: Martha Stewart; Twine: Papertray Ink; Ribbon: Etsy; Mini Album: Unknown

Tips:

• To hold heavy objects in place use Glossy Accents as your adhesive.
• Do more with ribbon and add a button or twine to the center of your bow.
• Don’t have that perfect sentiment? Just print one out on cardstock and distress.

We hope you all enjoyed today's blog. Thank you all so much for stopping by. We can't wait to read your comments this week on our blog and Facebook page! Huge thanks to Jim Hankins and Kristin Wilson for their gorgeous work today! We will have more inspiring creations to share with you all tomorrow. We hope you'll come back and see us! Have a wonderful day, G45ers!

Happy Papercrafting!

Your Friends at Graphic 45