Graphic 45 Mother's Day Card

We are still on lockdown here in Michigan, so I have been digging into my stash of papers. I had planned to use the beautiful Time To Flourish collection from Graphic 45 for a calendar...but best laid plans and all of that..lol!

With warmer temperatures comes new hope with Spring and some of my favorite holidays. I always look forward to the opportunity to let my mom know how much I appreciate her. We spend our days crafting together, listening to music, and sharing memories and laughter. So, it was only fitting to start using this collection up by making a Mother's Day card.

I started with a 6x6 card base. I added a 5 7/8 x 5 7/8-inch mat of Highland Heather cardstock from Stampin Up. I just can't tell how happy I am that these colors blend so well. Next, I added a layer of the May patterned paper. I cut the elements apart from the calendar page. I layered the Happy Mother's Day element onto Highland Heather cardstock and popped it up with pop dots.

For some added elegance, I glued the Graphic 45 ornate corners underneath the corners of the main element. Then I chose some of the floral images from the May page and did some fussy cutting and a little shaping. I know it takes time and patience but it is such a great way to make your cards really "pop." I glued the butterflies just along the body portion so I could lift their wings for some dimension. Last, but not least, I added two of the super cute little postage stamps to fill in the blank space below the sentiment. I glued one down and added the other with a dimensional.

I just love the way this turned out! It feels to switch gears and get back to making cards for a bit! I didn't realize how much I missed it until I started making them again. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you are inspired to dig into your stash and get creating! 'til next time......

Happy Crafting,

Laurie

Celebrate Freedom Preview for Fotobella Design Team

I am super excited about the new design team package I received from Fotobella for my next projects!! Can you say VERSATILE??!! It is the fabulous Celebrate Freedom bundle by Bo Bunny!

My box this month was packed full of all sorts of fun products to play with! The paper collection can be used for so many things! It is patriotic. It is summery. It is great for so many occasions and projects. Everything from cards to scrapbooks and all points in between!

The ephemera pack in this collection is loaded with a huge variety of flowers, firecrackers, labels, tags, and so much more! The glitter letters are to die for! They work great on card fronts (wait until you see!) There are stickers, chipboard....and 8 rolls of washi tape!!!

I am having such a great time making projects with this and can't wait for you to see them all in May!! Be sure to subscribe so you can be the first to hear when I post them! 'til then....

Happy Crafting,
Laurie

Fotobella Design Team Project - Graphic 45 Ocean Blue Double Waterfall Album Tutorial

My final Fotobella Design Team project using the Graphic 45 Ocean Blue collection was a Double Waterfall Mini Album. I love this paper so much! I have lots and lots of photos from my time in San Diego and can't wait to fill this up!

Here is what you will need:

Medium weight chipboard:

• Cut 2 pieces 5 3/4" x 8 1/4" (cover)
• Cut 1 piece 1 1/2" x 8 1/4" (spine)

Cover Cardstock:

• Cut 2 pieces 10 1/4" x 12"
• Cut 1 piece 4 1/2" x 8 1/16" (I use the piece trimmed from the ends of the cover)

Colored Cardstock:

• Cut 4 pieces 5 9/16" x 8 1/16" (cover)
• Cut 2 pieces 1 1/2" x 8 1/16" (spine)
• Cut 2 pieces 5" x 7 1/2" (waterfall bases)
• Cut 16 pieces 4" x 5" (waterfall pages)

If you have a favorite way to cover chipboard for a mini album, by all means, feel free to use whatever works best for you. I began this one by gluing the two 10 1/4" x 12" pieces of cardstock together. I centered the chipboard spine on the joining seam, leaving 1 inch above and below. Then I add a strip of 1/4" scor-tape to each side as a spacer. I glue one of the larger cover pieces of chipboard, one on each side of the spacers. Then I trim off the cardstock at the ends so there is just a 1-inch border of cardstock all the way around the chipboard. Miter the corners, remove the paper from the scor-tape and glue the cardstock over the edges of the chipboard.

Add a strip of 1/4" scor-tape to the edges of the covers closest to the spine and along each side of the spine. This will prevent your cardstock from bubbling when you cover the spine. Add 1/4" scor-tape around the edge of the 4 1/2" x 81/16" piece of cardstock. Remove the paper from the tape and center it lengthwise over the spine.

Glue one of the cover pieces of colored cardstock to each of the inside cover sections and one of the spine pieces along the spine. This will cover all of the chipboard. Glue the remaining pieces of cover and spine colored cardstock to the outside of the album.

At this point, it is best to add the desired patterned paper to the inside and outside of the album. It is much easier to add when you can lay it flat. I cut mine with a small border all around between 1/8 and 1/4 inch. And it needs to be added before you can attach the waterfalls.

Each of the waterfalls consists of one base piece and 8 pages. Score each of the pages with the 4" side along the top of your score pad at 1/2". Burnish the folds. To assemble, begin at the top of the base and glue one of the pages along the scored section even with the top of the base. Glue each of the remaining 7 pages with the top edge of the fold up next to the bottom of the glued scored section of the page before it.

I used 4 of the Graphic 45 Tags for my waterfall closures. I scored them at 1 7/8" from the bottom edge. Burnish the fold and glue the smaller section to the back side of the base centered on the top and bottom. I had some rough edges along the fold on the tags, so I used an old nail file and smoothed the edges.

I added a layer of patterned cardstock to the top page only of the waterfall. I added Vintage Photo distress ink to the edges of all of the patterned paper and elements. On the remaining pages, I glued a piece cut 3/4" x 4 13/16" along the bottom edge on the front and along to top edge when the page is flipped up. Glue a piece 3/16" x 4 13/16" to the scored section that shows between the pages.

I used the Graphic 45 Regular Tag Die to cut a solid cardstock mat for the front and back of each tag and then added a mat of patterned paper on the front of each. I matted 4 of the small cut aparts and glued them to the front of the tags. I used twine to tie the tags together to close the waterfalls.

I added one of the journals from the Graphic 45 Travel Journal as a way to journal the photos I want to add. I punched a hole at the top and bottom of the center of the spine. I used a heavy baker's twine, doubled, and ran it along the center of the journal and tied it on the outside of the spine with some nautical trinkets that I had.

To decorate the journal, I kept the same theme and added patterned paper matted with colored cardstock to the outside of the cover. On the inside, I put just the solid cardstock on the full inside. On the slanted pockets, I put the cardstock and patterned paper. I added some pieces from the Die Cut Assortment pack and stickers along with a piece from the Ephemera pack as accents.

On the cover, I added a strip of trim that I had in my stash that looked a bit like fish net. I fussy cut a seahorse and angle fish from two of the cut aparts and a solid cardstock piece with a die from my stash to create some seaweed. Then I added a fabulous clock from the die cut assortment. In the corners, I stuck a few of the Matte Gem accents in gold. I just love the way it turned out....

This is truly one of my favorite collections by Graphic 45. They really outdid themselves on this one! I can't wait to fill this little gem with fun photos from whale watching and beach trips. I hope it inspires you to create an album using your favorite paper collection as well.

Thanks so much for stopping by and ….'til next time...

Happy Crafting,

Laurie

Graphic 45 2020 Brand Ambassador Audition

One of my favorite paper companies has always been Graphic 45. When they put out the call for Brand Ambassadors, I decided to give it a try. The requirement is to create something you love and to make a step-by-step tutorial. I hope you enjoy my audition and that you try my project.

I chose the fabulous new Farmhouse collection for my audition project. I love making cards using the ephemera and the fantastic new die cuts so I created a set of six cards. The regular size matchbox was the perfect choice for storage. It looks a little plain on the outside, but the real treasure lies within....

Let's begin by cutting the paper.

Cardstock (I used black linen cardstock) - label them with the number from the list

1. 2 7/8" x 6 1/8", cut 2 (inner box)
2. 2 7/8" x 8 3/8", cut 2 (inner box)
3. 3 1/8" x 8 3/8", cut 2 (outer box)
4. 6 3/8" x 8 3/8", cut 2 (outer box)
5. 7" x 10", cut 6 (card base)
6. 5" x 7", cut 6 (for die cut frame)

Set aside numbers 5 and 6 until later. Using the adhesive of choice, glue the #1 pieces to the sides and the #2 pieces to the ends on the outside of the inner sliding box. Glue the #3 pieces to the sides and one of the #4 pieces to the bottom on the outside of the outer box sleeve. Save the remaining #4 piece for later.

To mat the box, I chose the gorgeous plaid from the Gather Together page. Most crafters like either a 1/16" or 1/8" border when matting but I am partial to the border that lies between the two.

1. 2 15/16" x 8 3/16", cut 2
2. 2 11/16" x 5 15/16", cut 2

I inked the edges of all of the patterned paper with black ink to cover the white edges and to give the project a vintage theme. And this paper just has to be vintage! I glued the #1 pieces to the sides of the outer sleeve  and the #2 pieces to the ends of the inner box. I did not add patterned paper to the sides of the inner box. I cut one piece 6 3/16" x 8 3/16" from the B side of the Locally Grown page for the bottom of the outer sleeve.

I chose not to mat the patterned paper on the inside of the box. I used the gold sheet with the words on it from the Patterns and Solids pack.

1.  2 7/8" x 8 1/4", cut 2 from the A side
2.  2 7/8" x 6", cut 2 from the A side
3.  6" x 8 1/4", cut 1 from the B side

Again, I inked the edges with black ink. Before gluing the pieces to the inside of the box, I added a Graphic 45 Drawer Pull to one end. I marked the holes for the brads and used a paper piercing tool to make the holes. I glued the drawer pull with a strong glue because no matter how hard I try, I cannot get these to hold tight with just the brads. Adding the drawer pull first allows you to cover the brad ends on the inside of the box.

In keeping with the country theme of the paper, I decided to add some barn doors as my decoration for the top of the box. I started with pieces cut from Graphic 45 Black Chipboard.

1.  3 1/8" x 8 1/2", cut 2
2.  5/16" x 3 1/8", cut 8
3.  5/16" x  7 7/8", cut 8
4.  5/16" x  2 9/16", cut 2
5.  5/16" x  5", cut 4 ( these are for the cross pieces on the doors)

I chose the red side of a sheet from the Patterns and Solids pack for the "barnwood." 

1.  3 1/16" x 8 7/16", cut 4
2.  cut enough strips just between the 1/4" and 5/16" mark on your cutter to cover the remaining chipboard strips

I used a sharpie marker to draw lines about 3/8" apart to form the boards. Then I used a fine-tip felt marker to draw lines for the wood grain on all the pieces of red cardstock and glued them to the chipboard pieces. I inked the edges of the narrow strips only because they will cover the edges of the larger pieces.

Then I assembled the doors. I glued the 3 1/8" pieces to the top and bottom of each door and then 7 7/8" strips in between them along the sides. Do this on the inside of the door as well. The smaller 2 9/16" pieces is glued across the center of the doors on the front side. To make the cross pieces, I laid a chipboard strip where it needed to lay on the door and marked it.

I cut those pieces, inked the edges, and glued them to the doors. Make sure to angle them the opposite way on the doors to create the "X" in the center.  This also gave me some extra room to glue the latch pieces for the drawer closure.

To attach the doors to the top of the box, I created hinges. Cut 2 pieces of black cardstock 1 7/8" x 8 3/8". With the narrow end along the top of your score board, score at 7/8" and 1". Fold and burnish the scorelines. TIP: to burnish small score sections, lay a straight edge along the scoreline and fold the paper up along the edge. 

Glue the doors to the hinges along one of the score lines, making sure that the scored section is not covered. The hinge should extend out to the left on the left door and to the right on the right door.

I glued the latch pieces while hooked together using a strong glue. I trimmed the prongs from the brads and just glued to ends into the holes on the latch pieces. I left a very short stem of the prongs to go into the hole without raising the brad end up. This allows the inside of the door to have a flat finish like the front. Then I folded the hinges under the door sides and glued them to the outer edges of the outside box sleeve. (be careful to only put glue on the 7/8" part of the hinge so the gusset remains free)

To decorate the "inside" of my barn, I first added the #4 piece of black that I had set aside at the beginning. Then I cut a piece 6 3/16" x 8 3/16" from the Rise and Shine page. I inked the edges and glued that to the black mat. I chose the Life on the Farm large ephemera piece and matted it with black cardstock and attached it in the center using pop dots to give it some dimension. Then I cut the stacked animals from the Farmhouse page of the 8 x 8 pad and attached them using glue dots. I chose two of the smaller ephemera pieces and trimmed them along the inner borders around the pictures to make them fit into the doors.

To fill the barn, I created six 5" x 7" cards. Fold the six pieces of 7" x 10" cardstock to form the 5" x 7" bases.  I chose the cute plaid pages from the Patterns and Solids pack in red and gold and used two of the General Store pages from the 8 x 8 pad for the black. (the black plaid in the 12 x 12 pack is larger than the plaids in the Patterns and Solids but the 8 x8 is the same.) I used 2 sheets of random pages that have the light gold for the mats on the insides of the cards.

1. 4 13/16" x 6 13/16", cut 2 from each color of plaid
2.  3/8" x 6 13/16", cut 2 form each color of plaid
3.  4 13/16" x 6 13/16", cut 6 from the light gold solid

I inked the edges with black ink before gluing the paper to the card base. I glued the large plaid layers to the fronts of the cards. I used the 5" x 7" pieces of black cardstock to cut a frame using a die that I have in my stash.  After gluing the gold layer to the inside right, I glued the narrow strips of coordinating plaid to left edge of the layer. On each card, I used a bud from the Graphic 45 Black and the Ivory flower packages tied together with black ribbon. I attached them along with a piece from the leaves using hot glue. I added elements cut from the pages, die cuts from the Die Cut Assortment pack, ephemera pack, and chipboard elements. I tied waxed baker's twine to the tags and die cuts that had holes to attach it in.

Card #1

Welcome Friends Ephemera card trimmed down to 2 5/8" x 3 5/8" then matted with black cardstock, Life on the Farm die cut matted with black cardstock, and a chipboard element. The ephemera piece and chipboard are popped up.

Card #2

Bless The Farm chipboard element, Milk element from the General Store page of the 8 x 8 pad matted with black cardstock, Happy Place die cut matted with black cardstock. The chipboard and die cut are popped up.

Card #3

Live, Laugh, Love die cut, Blessed cut apart from the Rise and Shine 8 x 8 page matted with black cardstock, animals chipboard element. Only the die cut is popped up.

Card #4

Life is Better cut apart from the General Store 8 x 8 page matted with black cardstock, Happiness is Homemade die cut matted with black cardstock, Welcome chipboard element. The cut apart and chipboard element are popped up.

Card #5

Stacked animals die cut, Farmhouse cut apart from the Rise and Shine 8 x 8 page matted with black cardstock, Farmyard Friends chipboard element. The die cut and chipboard element are popped up.

Card #6

Life on the Farm cut apart from the General Store 8 x 8 page matted with black cardstock, Farmhouse die cut tag matted with black cardstock, Make Hay chipboard element. The cut apart and the chipboard element are popped up.

On the inside of each card, I attached a small sticker to the lower right corner just so it would have a little character. This step is really optional and up to you. 

This project was so much fun to create! Keeping my fingers crossed for the opportunity to represent Graphic 45 for the next year. Either way, I hope it has inspired you to create a unique set of cards and a fun package to store them in.

If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment. I love to hear from visitors! 

'til next time.....

Happy Crafting, 

Laurie

Stay Home and Stay Safe!

Fotobella Design Team 2-page Scrapbook Layout

Hi everyone. Today I am sharing my second project for the Fotobella Design Team using the Graphic 45 Ocean Blue collection. When I lived near San Diego, one of my favorites activities was whale watching. This collection was really fun to use with some treasured photos.

I started with navy base pages and cut strips from the 12x12 collection pad to add as borders on two sides of each page. I distressed the edges to give them some texture. I used a distress tool that I have had for awhile but you can also use the blade of your scissors to do this. On the left page, I positioned the borders along the left and upper sides. I did minimal decorations because I really wanted the photos to be the main focus points.

In the upper left corner, I added a tag from the Die Cut Assortment Pack that truly reflects the way I feel about the ocean. And then I cut a section from a border to act as the "title" for this page. I attached the tag with a pop dot and the title with glue dots.

In the lower right corner, I attached a ships wheel that I cut with my Cricut Joy. I cut one from the patterned paper and one from dark brown cardstock to act as a "shadow." Then I added the photos using pop dots to give the page dimension.

On the right page, I attached the borders to the right and lower sides. Then I added another ships wheel to the upper left corner. I popped up the photos on this page as well.

In the lower right corner, I added two of the die cut tags tied together with baker's twine. I used another die cut for the title card. I absolutely love the die cuts that come with this collection! They are amazing!

I will treasure the memory of this trip for a lifetime! Seeing the enormous and graceful blue whale has definitely been one of the greatest things I have had the privilege to do. I cannot think of a better collection to showcase the beauty of this creature.

I hope this has inspired you to create a showcase for some of your own memories. I am so thankful to have a hobby to get me through this period of lockdown here in Michigan. If you are in "the same boat", hopefully you have some time for crafting.

You can purchase everything I used for the layout at Fotobella.com

'Til next time......

Happy Crafting,
Laurie

STAY HOME AND STAY SAFE!

Graphic 45 Ocean Blue Cards

Hi everyone! I hope you are all surviving the chaos of the coronavirus! Hard to believe the empty shelves in the grocery stores. I am hunkered down with Mom as we are both in the "vulnerable" population. Thank the Lord for my wonderful son...he looks out for us!

The good thing is that I have plenty of stash to keep crafting! Whew! I would be stir crazy if not for that..lol!

For my Fotobella Design Team projects this month, I am using the beautiful Ocean Blue collection by Graphic 45. All of the pictures I have seen of this paper just do not do it justice. It is stunning!

I started with a vanilla card base and then a mat of navy cardstock. I used the 8x8 pad of patterned paper and chose the blue stripe because it is so versatile and the images just pop when added on top.

For the horizontal card, I used the "Seas the Day" cut apart matted in navy and attached it over a border cut from one of the 12x12 pages. Then I popped up an element from the Die Cut Assortment Pack in the lower right corner.....

I am just loving these little die cuts! What a fantastic addition to the already great collections by Graphic 45. You get tons of them to play with!

On the vertical card, I used two of the small cut aparts from the 8x8 pad. I matted the plain one with navy cardstock and attached it with adhesive in the lower right corner. I added two flourishes from the die cuts to the upper and lower corners. I layered the Wish Upon a Starfish cut apart onto a frame from the die cut pack and then attached it with dimensionals to make it stand out.....

I sponged all of the patterned paper with Vintage Photo Distress Ink to give it that vintage touch that I love so much!

This paper is truly a dream to work with. I am working on a step-by-step tutorial for my next project so I hope you will come back and check it out! I have so many ideas for this collection! I miss the ocean so much and this has made me bring out the photos and relive some very happy times!

Be sure to visit the Fotobella.com blog to get some more great ideas for this and other collections.

Thanks for stopping by today! Please feel free to leave a comment....I enjoy hearing from you! 'til next time......

Happy Crafting,

Laurie

Crafternoon Quilt Card For Fotobella Design Team

Sorry for the delay in posting. The last couple of months have just flown by for me. I just finished my first project for March and realized I totally forgot to post the January projects here.

The first project I made was a card using my favorite quilt pattern. This paper really favors more crafts than papercrafting. So, I decided the best thing to do was combine them....

My favorite pattern is called "Turning Twenty." Normally you would use 20 fat quarters of fabric to create the squares but I used the generic patterned papers in the Crafternoon collection instead. I chose 6 patterns and cut one piece in each of three sizes from each one (3/4 x 2, 3/4 x 1 1/4, and 1 1/4 x 1 1/4). Then you lay one of each size together to form a 2-inch square. As you add each square to the card, you rotate them so they lay differently. I attached them to a 4 1/2 x 6 1/2 mat, much like piecing a quilt onto muslin. Then I added a 1/4 inch border to each side and popped up 3/8 - inch square in each corner. I matted the entire piece with coordination cardstock and then attached it to a 5x7 card base. Now, I just needed to decorate my "quilt."

First, I chose the cute little die cut from the ephemera pack and matted it onto a layer of cardstock I cut with a die from my stash. I attached it to the card with dimensional dots surrounded by some baker's twine. This saying was just the perfect one for a quilt card. But, I also love the little wooden elements in this collection....

Couldn't resist those tiny little scissors and the needle and thread....just like my grandmother used. What a great way to finish things off!

I hope you have enjoyed my Fotobella Design Team project and that you will be inspired to create one of your own! You can find everything I used to make this card here.

Thanks for stopping by today! "Til next time....

Happy Crafting,
Laurie

Remember to get your mammogram!