Hello Glorious G45ers!

Happy New Year and welcome to another fun-filled week with Graphic 45! We are thrilled that you're joining us today! We hope you had a fun and festive New Years! This is the first Graphic 45 blog post of 2012 and we wanted to start the year off with some dazzle and delight! All of today's featured creations were made using our joyous Le Cirque collection! This collection is so much fun and filled with vivid colors and extraordinary images from the vintage era of circus performing. The entire collection is like one big happy party. We've got gorgeous crafts by Nancy Wethington, Sherry Cheever and Gloria Stengel! We thought this would be a fun way to ring in the new year. Plus we've got another great blog contest this week! Just leave us a blog or Facebook comment any time this week and tell us something you are looking forward to in 2012. Lets get some positivity going as we begin the new year! Here at Graphic 45 we are definitely excited about 2012! It's going to be a stupendous year of creativity! So be sure to share your high hopes for 2012 any time this week on our blog or Facebook page! You could win this awesome Le Cirque prize package! It includes a Le Cirque 12x12 paper pad, Sticker Staples, Chipboard Button Staples and three fun chipboards by Imaginarium Designs!

First we have this adorable birthday sign by Nancy Wethington. This is such a lovely idea and it looks amazing! It's great to have home decor for the big holidays but birthdays are just as special! Why not reward someone you love with a fun and easy to make birthday sign like this one! Its so sweet, it's guaranteed to generate smiles! Here is what Nancy had to say about this great creation!

"The holidays practically took over my studio until I started thinking of upcoming birthdays.  This door hanger is going to a friend who will be celebrating her birthday at the beginning of January. Love Le Cirque for its festive colors and circus theme . . . perfect for a birthday no matter how old (or young)!" -Nancy Wethington

Supplies:

Hello G45ers,

Thank you so much for joining us today! Wow, what a fun and fantastic week it has been! We've seen so many gorgeous crafts that combine Grapahic 45 and Petaloo products and there's still more inspiration to come! Today we've got the most amazing calendar creations from Sherry Cheever, Tara Orr and Yuka Hino. Plus we have some winners to announce for this week's awesome contest! We want to get you inspired for your New Years weekend! We hope you all have something fun planned to ring in the new year! We want to thank everyone who joined us this week and left blog and Facebook comments on the Graphic 45 and Petaloo pages. It was so wonderful to read all of your comments and join you all for this fun week. Our randomly chosen winners for this fabulous Graphic 45 & Petaloo prize pack are...

-Michelle Reaves

-Beth Weingarten Griffith

Congratulations Michelle and Beth! Please email us at info@g45papers.com with your shipping information to claim your prize! Here is the wonderful prize that Michelle and Beth won this week! Be sure to swing on by the Petaloo blog today to see who won their fabulous prize packs! Plus Petaloo has more gorgeous crafts to inspire you today! You're going to love it!

Petaloo Blog: http://www.petaloo.typepad.com/

Petaloo Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Petaloo-International/151065654933780

 This first stunning creation is by Sherry Cheever. You are going to love the vibrant color and dimension of this wonderful calendar. Sherry used our gorgeous Tropical Travelogue collection and stunning Petaloo flowers to help bring this creation to life. Every day is magical when you've got a calendar like this one! Check it out! 

Next up is this gorgeous and imaginative advent calendar by Tara Orr. This is such a clever idea and so much fun to create! Tara is always so inspired by nostalgic ideas and this great calendar is no exception. It's a great take on the idea of a traditional advent calendar. This is a wonderful way to make each day special! Here is what Tara had to say about this sweet creation.

"I remember as a child, my great grandmother would get us these beautiful advents with such intricate designs and photos. When you opened a door, the most amazing, translucent image was revealed - and covered in glitter!  I loved especially holding these up to the windows as they would give off a certain glow.  My kids' advents have been replaced with very themed images like Star Wars, Barbie, etc and under each door you will find a small piece of chocolate! I wanted to try something a little out of the box with this one...  To me, the joy in the advent itself is to count the days down until Christmas and with each day, a small reward or gift is revealed - which can be anything really!  I decided to create 24 Christmas Crackers, in which a small toy, treasure, riddle, photo, poem or treat could be placed." Tara Orr

Next we have this exquisite calendar by Yuka Hino. Every page is its own magical world! Yuka combined lots of different Graphic 45 collections and Petaloo flowers to create this stunning piece. It is classic, fun and playful! Want to create one of your own? Start by downloading a free 2012 calendar from this link that Yuka provided! Then gather up your favorite Graphic 45 papers, embellishments and some gorgeous Petaloo flowers and have a blast! Nothing sets the tone for a fabulous new year than a gorgeous hand-made calendar!

Free 2012 calendar URL: http://sgholiday.com/calendar/free-2012-calendar.png

We hope you've all had a lot of fun this week! Big thanks to Sherry Cheever, Tara Orr and Yuka Hino for their amazing creations today! And we also want to thank our pals at Petaloo for teaming up with us for this amazing week. We hope you all have a stupendous new years! Please be safe and enjoy your weekend! We are so excited to begin another inspiring year with our wonderful team here at the Graphic 45 and with all of you out there! 

Happy Crafty New Year!

Your Friends at Graphic 45

Hello G45ers,

Welcome to day four of our team up with Petaloo.  We are having a blast with all the creative genius we have seen so far this week. Today's calendars have just turned things up a notch.  So brace yourself for inspiration.  Make sure to hop on over to Petaloo's blog and Facebook and tell them Graphic 45 sent you.  Each comment you leave on our blogs and Facebook pages will increase your chances to win!

Today Nicole Eccles and Robin Shakoor's calendars will guide us into the new year. 

Hello Fantastic G45ers!

We are so happy that you are joining us for another terrific day of the Graphic 45 and Petaloo blog swap! We have been having so much fun this week and we hope you're having a blast too! There is still lots more to see from our design team. Today Nancy Wethington and Jack & Cat Curio are bringing you some astonishing creations that combine gorgeous Graphic 45 paper and embellishments with vibrant Petaloo flowers! You're going to love it! Check out this amazing prize that we're giving away on the Graphic 45 blog and Facebook page this week! It's a Tropical Travelogue 12x12 paper pad, Stickers, Alphabet Stickers, Chipboard Die-Cuts and 6 gorgeous packs of Petaloo flowers! Just leave a blog and Facebook comment for your chance to win! And be sure to venture on over to the Petaloo blog today where you'll see some outstanding crafts that combine Graphic 45 and Petaloo Products! Leave a comment on the Petaloo blog and Facebook page for your chance to win an awesome prize package as well! So many chances to win! so much inspiration! It's a dream come true!

Graphic 45 Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/Graphic45

Petaloo Blog:

http://www.petaloo.typepad.com/

Petaloo Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Petaloo-International/151065654933780

This first amazing creation is by Nancy Wethington. It's a gorgeous calendar for 2012 that so much fun! This awesome project combines lots of different Graphic 45 paper collections to make each month a unique experience! Plus Nancy added beautiful Petaloo flowers to give this calendar even more color and dimension! Here is what Nancy had to say about this fun and inspiring calendar!

"As soon as I heard we were doing a calendar blog hop with Petaloo my mind starting thinking of all the calendars I've used in the past:  chalk board calendars; memo board calendars; purse size; 12x12's . . . the list goes on.  My favorite to date is the mini-book calendar.  First up = create the pages.  I wanted to keep this small yet have plenty of room to write dates and forget-me-nots.  Notation pages were also needed.  I made up a set of 2012 calendars with important dates and fit that all into a handbound book that measures 6.5" high x 5" wide.  Thanks to various papers from Graphic 45 and beautiful flowers from Petaloo, my 2012 calendar is ready to go." -Nancy Wethington

Front of book with Curtain Call + Petaloo flowers 

The book pages.

April's calendar page with Once Upon A Springtime fairy.

G45 Kraft envelope used as a double pocket with Petaloo flowers.

Dear G45ers,

Another year has gone by with you, our faithful friends and fans. We could not be more grateful at this time of year. It is the season of encouragement and gifting and you are all such great gifts to us - each and every one of you. Thank you for supporting us, sharing your incredible creations, and encouraging us every single day. We hope you enjoy each moment of this holiday season. We wish you the happiest holidays filled with lots of love, laughter, and light.

As always Happy Papercrafting and have a Happy New Year!

Diane, Aimee, Charee, and the whole Graphic 45 Family

Hello G45ers,

We are so happy that you are joining us for another fabulous day during the Graphic 45 & Petaloo blog swap! Indeed, all this week we're teaming up with the fine folks at Petaloo to bring you the most awe-inspiring crafts and prizes! All of the crafts featured this week combine the elegance of Graphic 45 papers and embellishments with the vibrancy and versatility of Petaloo flowers. You'll love how well our products work together! Today we've got more awesome creations from our design team, including calendar and album creations by Hilde Janbroers, Jane Tregenza and Melanie Forbes! Get ready to be wowed by their classy crafts! And don't forget to visit the Graphic 45 Facebook page as well as the Petaloo Blog and Facebook page! Petaloo is also featuring gorgeous crafts that combine Graphic 45 and Petaloo products. Leave your blog and Facebook comments all this week for your chance to win an awesome prize package from Graphic 45 and Petaloo!

Graphic 45 Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/Graphic45

Petaloo Blog:

http://www.petaloo.typepad.com/

Petaloo Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Petaloo-International/151065654933780

Here is a stunning mini album creation by Hilde Janbroers.You can see how perfectly our Christmas Emporium paper blends with Petaloo flowers! Every page of this album comes alive with color and detail! It's fun and easy to create unforgettable treasures when you're working with such gorgeous materials! Here is what Hilde had to say about this festive craft creation!

"I created an album where I can add photos which will show our counting the days till Christmas. So for example, the decorations we add to our living room, the nice food we prepare, the Christmas cards we receive and so on." -Hilde Janbroers

Next up is this glorious perpetual calendar by Jane Tregenza. Jane used out new Tropical Travelogue collection to create this gorgeous work of art! This piece would look stunning in any home or office. It is full of lots of joyful colors, beautiful embellishments, Petaloo flowers and has such a clever design! Here Jane explains how she came up with the idea for this marvelous calendar and also gives some fun tips on how you can create one for yourself! Take it away, Jane!

The idea of a Perpetual Calendar has always intrigued me.  In days of old the news readers on the radio would always tell you the day and date. Now days we use a computer or a diary. For me a diary is a waste of time as I can never find the blessed thing. The computer is not much better as I have to have it on. So I think this will have to have a place of importance on my desk. The problem will be  remembering to change it each day. I wasn’t sure were to start with this project so I asked my son Josh to design a perpetual Calendar for me from chipboard. I love what he has come up with.

It is a box, hinged at the bottom, with compartments for the  date cubes to sit in. There is another box for the months.  Inside the box is room for all the cubes and a note book. He made the top of the box  to fit the new chipboard shapes from Graphic 45 and added a wrought iron looking top to it.

 The closure is a Graphic 45 Stamped Geometric metal tag folded in half. I attached it to the front of the box and  punched a hole in the top of the box. I have used a Graphic 45 metal button for a pin, which you when you pull the pin out the lid drops down and you can use the note book inside and get to the extra cubes.  I used Graphic 45 Staples metal buttons for feet.  

Josh has made a wheel that you can change each day to show the day.

The new papers from Graphic 45’s Tropical Travelogue range was a perfect match for all the wonderful flowers Petaloo sent me. I had over 10 packets of flowers to choose from.

The flowers are made of paper so I was able to stamp a text stamp with distress ink on the leaves. I added some glitter to the edges of the petals then sprayed the flowers with Memories Mists Iridescent  spray. This has given them a lovely shimmer and deepened the colours.

I wish you could see the flowers in real life as they look amazing. I love the earthy tones and the fact they are made of heavy paper. They work so well with the new papers from Graphic 45 and had added a  lovely touch to the front of the calendar.

Thank you Jane Tregenza for that amazing project! Next up we have a gorgeous reusable day planner by Melanie Forbes. This is such a great idea! Melanie decorated this planner in Tropical Travelogue and Botanicabella; two collections that work exquisitely together! And of course she added lots of bright Petaloo flowers to give this planner an ultra-joyful look. With a day planner this gorgeous you'll want to stay organized just for the fun of it! Here Melanie explains how she came up with this terrific idea!

"I am enjoying being a bit more organised for Christmas – even to the point of getting a diary for next year – just for me! So by easily removing the covers and decorating then replacing them – you have diary covers too last you for as long as you want! By not putting 2012 on it I can keep on using it every year – a good reason to use some of my favourite paper" -Melanie Forbes

Supplies:

Graphic 45 –
Botannicabella –  Antiquity, Dragonfly Duet
Tropical Travelogue – Alphabet Stickers (LOVE THESE!)
Staples – Metal Flowers, Metal button, Trim
Colorbox Decades Dark Cashmere ink.
May Arts ribbon - various
ModpodgeHole punchGauzeTYPO Diary

That's all for today, G45ers. Thank you all so much for stopping by today. Huge thanks to Hilde Janbroers, Jane Tregenza and Melanie Forbes for their gorgeous projects today. We hope they helped inspire your day. We will be right back here tomorrow with more breath-taking crafts that combine Graphic 45 and Petaloo products. Be sure to swing by the Petaloo blog and Facebook page to see more gorgeous crafts! And be sure to leave your blog and Facebook comments for your chance to win this week's wonderful prize packs! Have a terrific day!

With Love and Pretty Paper,

Team Graphic 45

Hello Fabulous G45ers!

We hope you had a glorious and restful Christmas weekend! Welcome to this fantastic week of craft excellence as we team up with our pals at Petaloo! Yes, all week long we'll be featuring some breathtaking craft creations that combine the elegance of Graphic 45 papers and embellishments with the vibrancy and versatility of Petallo flowers! This truly is a match made in craft heaven! There are also some great opportunities to win prizes this week! Just leave your comments on the Graphic 45 and Petallo blogs and Facebook pages! That's all you need to do to win an awesome Graphic 45 and Petaloo gift package! We will be offering a prize on our blog and Facebook page and so will Petaloo! That means there's 4 prize packs to be given away this week! Leave your comments between now and Friday and you'll be entered to win! Check out this fabulous prize pack that we're giving away this week on our blog and Facebook page! A Tropical Travelogue 12x12 paper pad, Tropical Travelogue Stickers, Tropical Travelogue Alphabet Stickers, Chipboard Die Cuts, and 6 packs of gorgeous Petaloo flowers! Wow!

Petaloo's awesome design team will also be creating some stunning crafts this week that combine Graphic 45 and Petaloo products. You are going to love what they've made! Get inspired and leave a blog and Facebook comment! Let the fun begin!

Graphic 45 Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/Graphic45

Petaloo Blog:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Petaloo-International/151065654933780

Petaloo Blog:

http://www.petaloo.typepad.com/

This week's blog swap is very special. In honor of the new year, our design team has created a series of Graphic 45 and Petaloo calendars! This is definitely the time of year when a beautiful new calendar is the perfect thing to start the new year! Let these gorgeous creations inspire your new year's resolutions! Today's stunning crafts were made by Gloria Stengel and Laura Denison. They showcase our gorgeous new collection Tropical Travelogue as well as other classic Graphic 45 paper collections with fabulous Petaloo flowers. First up is Gloria with her astounding birthday book! Behold the brilliance!

"I created a perpetual birthday calendar by altering an old post bound mini album (8x8) that I found in my stash. I covered the fabric album with Graphic 45 Tropical Travelogue papers, including the spine and inside covers. I converted a boring album, that was collecting dust on a shelf, into something fresh and new. I glued Petaloo flowers and chipboard letters to the front of the album to create a project that anyone would love to have sitting on their table - plus this makes a fantastic gift! The album contains pages for each month to use for recording that month's birthdays. I've added a mini 2012 calendar to each page. These little calendars can be replaced each year with new calendars, making the album even more useful. The monthly record pages were left over from a project I made a number of years ago. I used other dividers for the project at the time, but could not bear to toss these dividers! I knew they'd come in handy one day! They are perfect for this birthday calendar project. For today, I created pages for January, February, and March. To see the rest of the year, visit my blog in February!" -Gloria Stengel

Supplies:

Graphic45 Papers:
Tropical Travelogue: Garden Isle, Oceania, Paradise Postage
Christmas Emporium: Believe!
Christmas Past: The Night Before Christmas
Domestic Goddess: Miss Manners
The Magic of Oz: Yellow Brick Road, Tenderhearted Tin Man, Emerald City
Graphic 45 Staples: The Magic of Oz Chipboard Tags 2
Petaloo: Floral Embellishments: Darjeeling Collection
Clearsnap: Colorbox Fluid Chalk (Prussian Blue, Dark Brown)
Maya Road: Chipboard (alphabet, heart, wings), bingo numbers
Tattered Angels: Glimmer Mist (Copper, Candy Apple)
Beacon Adhesives: Zip Dry glue, Fabri-tac
Scotch  3M: tape runner
Cosmo Cricket: post bound album
Crafty Secrets: mini calendar printables
Craft supply: crystal stems, snowflake buttons, shamrock embellishment,  hot glue
Re-cycled item: monthly divider cards

Next we have this gorgeous Steampunk Debutante desk clock and calendar by Laura Denison. This stunning creation is the perfect thing to brighten up your workspace or home office. It would also make an amazing gift! Want to know how it was made? Tune in to Laura's free Ustream class this Wednesday, December 28th at noon PST! She will be giving an awesome tutorial on how you can make this awesome work of art! 

Laura Denison's Usteam Channel:

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/followingthepapertrail

"I love to make things out of boxes....but in a different way! I turned the  Graphic 45 5x8 Altered Art Box over and used the bottom of the box to create a desk clock/calendar. The hinged "lid" of the box becomes the stand. The clock mechanism and the pieces for the the perpetual calendar are housed inside the box. The perpetual calendar pieces are attached via magnets. The Petaloo Darjeeling flowers add the perfect feminine accent to the more masculine gears and clock face." -Laura Denison

Supplies:

Hello G45ers!

Happy Friday to you all! Wow, it's hard to believe that Christmas is just two days away! We hope you are all enjoying this wonderful time with friends and family. We are certainly enjoying all the beauty and fun of this festive season. The holidays are such a magical time for many reasons. Of course it's always a treat to decorate the house, get together with loved ones, exchange gifts, and reflect on the year that has passed and the year ahead. It's also a great time for setting new goals for yourself. We're not talking about huge resolutions, but simple attainable ones. For example, taking just a little bit more time in your week to allow yourself to be creative! It is so easy to get bogged down with responsibilities these days but it is so beneficial to give yourself time to be creative and crafty. Not only is it so much fun and enjoyable, but it also gives you something beautiful to show for your time! Today we're bringing you some stunning crafts that we hope will inspire you to be creative! Robin Shakoor, Hilde Janbroers and Jane Tregenza have made the most gorgeous layouts with our collection An ABC Primer. There's even an awesome and fun tutorial by Jane that you're sure to enjoy! Yes, today is going to be fabulous!

But before we get to the crafts, it's time to announce this week's blog prize winner! Chosen at random from this week's comments from the Graphic 45 Facebook page, the winner is...

-Elizabeth Mohler Gaddis

Congratulations Elizabeth! Please email us with your shipping information at info@g45papers.com to claim your prize. Big thanks to everyone who left us comments this week! We will have a new blog prize next week so stay tuned!

This first fabulous layout was created by Robin Shakoor. There is so much to love about this elegant LO. It seems to spring right off the page with joy and beauty! It has such a timeless look to it. Here is what Robin had to say about the inspiration behind this glorious layout!

"I was going through my daughter's elementary school photos and decided to create a layout using one of my favorite photos of her.  I used the An ABC Primer collection to frame my photo and build my page.  I love using circles in my designs so I decided to create my layout around a simple circle.  I cut and mounted the letters for my title and placed them in a semi circular pattern.  Round flowers and flower centers as well as circular swirls were used to tie in with my theme.   The design was finished by framing my page with pearls using a pearl pen.  Give circles a try on your next project. It's a small element that packs a lot of punch!...Robin"

Fiskars :Scissors, Paper Trimmer, Notebook Border Punch

Flowers:  Maya Road

Lifestyle Crafts:  Swirls Dies

Flower Centers:  Prima

Ranger Industries: Distress Ink (Black Soot)

Pearl Pen: Viva Decor (Black)

Zip Dry

Next up is this gorgeous and heart-warming layout by Hilde Janbroers. This LO definitely reflects Hilde's exciting and adorable style. She loves to have fun with pretty embellishments and she also knows how to capture a beautiful sentiment in all of her work. Here is what Hilde had to say about this gorgeous LO! She also includes some clever tips!

"Use the Core'dinations ColorCore Cardstock as a base. Then add a piece of the School Days sheet vertical on the cardstock. Cut out a circle and add it on the paper. Also add a piece of the Games and Playtime sheet, after teared it with the tear edger deckle. Add the photo on a piece of paper and then add it on the layout. Make 2 bows out of the wonderful May Arts ribbon and add them in the corners of the photo. Also add some small flowers. Now add the chipboards and title and stamps." -Hilde Janbroers

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Supplies:

Graphic 45 An ABC Primer papers: Games and Playtime, School Days, One Two Buckle my Shoe

Cling an ABC Primer 1 

An ABC Primer Chip Board Die cuts 1 and 2

Graphic 45 Decades Dark Cashmere ink

Partner Products:

Fiskars scissor, tear edger deckle

Hampton Art clear stamps patterned butterflies, word collage borders

scrapbook adhesive 3D foam squares

May Arts Ribbon

Core'dinations ColorCore Cardstock

brads

American Crafts thickers

Basic Grey alphabet stickers

Tattered Angels Glimmermist

Distress ink

Stazon Ink black

Prima Marketing Flowers

Next we have a super fun layout and tutorial by the fabulous Jane Tregenza. Jane is a true professional when it comes to crafting. Here she shows us some great and simple techniques for creating an unforgettable layout. You're going to love this sweet and vibrant creation! Here is what Jane had to say about this outstanding LO!

"As soon as I saw the ABC Primer range from Graphic 45 it became one of my favourites. I think its the strong colours and images that appeals the most, and the Calico Kids print paper is one of my top 10 Graphic 45 favourites. I decided to do a layout using one of Kate’s school photos.  I love using frames on my layouts, so with this layout I have used the printed papers to create a frame around my page. I have included a step by step for this project so have a go at making one for  yourself." -Jane Tregenza

Remove the middle from the Building Blocks print paper. Make sure you leave the black edge on the frame on the inside as wide as you can, without cutting into the alpha blocks. This will give you a frame to use on our page and some alpha blocks to use on another project.

Cut your red Bazzill to 10 3/8 inches x 10 3/8 inches. Do not attach to the frame yet. Don’t forget to ink it.

3.     Cut your Calico kids back to 9 ¾ inches x 9 ¾ inches. This will remove three squares along one side and at the top. Make sure you check that you are not cutting through any of the pattered squares before cutting. You should have a nice amount of black showing all the way around. You may need to adjust the 9 ¾ inches to make it work. Ink around the edges.

  Adhere it to the red Bazzill in the middle, making sure you have the same amount showing all the way around.
 

4.     You can now attach it to your frame with a little bit of tape. Once you have lined it up and are happy with it. Carefully turn it over and add more tape over the join on the back.

6.     Cut  One two Buckle my shoe to 8 3/16 inches x 8 3/16 inches. Ink all round the edges. Attach it to your page in the middle. It should fit with one of the squares of Calico Kids showing all the way around.

Your foundation page  should now look like this.

 
7.     Now it’s time for to work on your tag. You will need to cut the mats for your photo first. Use the red bazzill and cut it to 5 inches x 7 inches. From your left over paper cut your tag. It needs to be 3 1/8 inch x 5 1/8 inches. Ink around the edges. Cut your next photo mat. Use the black Bazzill and cut it to 4 ¾ inches x 6 ¾ inches. With the left over black pieces cut your tag to 2 3/4 inches x 4 3/4 inches. Adhere it to your red Bazzill.  From the left over piece of One two buckle my shoe cut a piece 2 ½ inch x 4 ½ inch and ink around the edges. You can adhere this to your tag as well.

 
8.     Now you can add some of the other bits and pieces to your tag.  Add a piece of stripe paper ¾ inch high and 3 ½ inches long (this in on the back of Calico Kids). It is  wider than the tag, you need to adhere it about ½ inch down from the top and wrap the ends of the stripe around to the back of the tag. Next cut a piece from your left over  Calico kids print paper. It needs to be three blocks long and one blog high. Attach two blocks onto the bottom right corner of your tag and wrap the third block around to the back of the tag. Add the narrow stripe ribbon to the middle of the print and wrap the end to the back of your tag.

 
9.     Add the square in your kit with the image on it. Place it on your tag on an angle and with 1/3 hanging off the tag on the right side. Trim the bit hanging off your tag. From   your left over bits of buckle my shoe, see if you have an equation that matches the age of your child. Wrap the check ribbon from the back to the front and tie a knot in it. Add two micro brads to the top corner of your equation. Add it to your tag with foam tape, as show in the photo.

               Now attach your finished tag to a sprayed or inked black, tag backing board
              To finish your page

10.  Add your photo to your black mat and then adhere it to your red mat. Adhere to your page on an angle and to the right of your layout.
11.  Add your gates to your layout using the hinges and brads to hold the gate to the page. You don’t need to glue them down in the middle.
12.  Adhere your tag to your black chipboard tag and tuck it under the photo and gate. When happy with its position adhere it to your page. 
13.  From your sheet of Grammar School cut out enough letters to spell your child’s name. Use some of your left over red Bazzill and cut it to 1+ 1/4 inch by 1+ 5/8 inch squares to mat your letters with.
 

14.  If you have a chipboard number then ink it and glue it to the middle of your Penny farthing bike. Add it to your tag over lapping the gate, use foam mounting tape.

 
15.  You can now add your letters overlap them along the gate.
16.  On the tag you can add your journaling and date.
 
Supplies:
1xG4500379 One Two Buckle My Shoe
1x G4500380 Grammar School
1x G4500384 Calico Kids
1x G4500387 Building Blocks
1/7  G45 Alphabet Soup
Bazzill 2X Red and 2X black
Ribbons
Brads
G45  Staples Hinges
Imaginarium Designs chipboard
Gates
Number
Tinny penny farthing.
Tag backing board

Thank you all so much for joining us today! We hope you enjoyed today's fabulous ABC Primer layouts and tutorial! Big thanks to the wonderful Robin Shakoor, Hilde Janbroers and Jane Tregenza for their awesome work! We wish you all a glorious Friday!

Happy Holidays!

Team Graphic 45

Hello G45ers!

Happy Thursday to you all! We are so glad you're taking the time to join us today! By now you're probably putting those last minute holiday plans into action. Those last few days before Christmas can be pretty exciting to say the least! Well today we've got some special treats to help sooth your holiday heart. Tara Orr has created an awesome layout and paper game creation. Also, Gloria Stengel brings us Part 4 of her December Daily Journal Tutorial! Today is all about fun! And don't forget that today is the last day to leave a comment on the Graphic 45 Facebook page for your chance to win this week's blog prize! Check out this fabulous prize! We will be picking a random winner from our Facebook comments from this week. Tomorrow is the day when we will announce our winner so be sure to get your comments in before it's too late!

This first fabulous project is by Tara Orr. It's a fun and inspirational On the Boardwalk layout that she made for Cabadian Scrapbooker Magazine! This wonderful creation has an uplifting message and lively look. It is nice and minimal but obsolutely eye-catching. Take a look at this stunning LO by the amazing Tara Orr!

Life is a Game, Play It by Tara Orr

Graphic 45 Supplies:

Graphic 45 Papers

On The Boardwalk Collection: She Sells Seashells, Borders, On The Boardwalk

Curtain Call: Curtain Call

Hemptique: Hemp Cord

Stampin' Up!: Build a Brad in Antique Brass

Stampin' Up!: Mini Circle Punch

Kiki Art: Fun Tape in Antologia Familia

Ranger: Distress Ink in Black Soot

Tombo: Permanent Adhesive Tape Runner

Doodlebug Designs: Cardstock Alphabet Stickers in Hopscotch

Next up is another clever creation by Tara Orr. It's a fun School Square Game made from our ABC Primer collection. How perfect! This adorable game is fun to make and fun to play! Tara has even included some instructions so you can create one of your very own! Thanks, Tara!

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Supplies:

Graphic 45 Papers:

An ABC Primer Collection: Grammar School, The Three R's, Alphabet Soup

Tombo: Permanent Adhesive Roller

Scor-Pal: Scor-Tape

Ranger: Distress Ink in Vintage Photo

Next up is Part 4 of Gloria Stengel's December Daily Journal tutorial. Every Thursday for the past four weeks Gloria has featured a new installment of this wonderful tutorial series. Today she takes us through the final steps to creating this awesome altered journal. It's a lot of fun and just perfect for the holiday season. Be sure to venture on over to Gloria's blog Scraps of Life for the full tutorial instructions. Here she gives some tantalizing sneak peek images of this week's fabulous tutorial. Take it away, Gloria!

December Daily Altered Journal

by Gloria Stengel

Part 4: Creating Journal Pages for December 22nd-December 31st

Welcome to the last part of my December Daily project! Thanks for joining me! Last Thursday we created pages for days 11 through 21 for our Graphic 45 inspired December Daily Journal. Let's keep going today and create the last 10 pages! See the full tutorial here:

Scraps of Life:

http://gloriascraps.blogspot.com/

I hate to see the project end, but let's get started so you can complete your project before the 25th!

Thank you for taking this journey with me for the last four weeks! I hope you had as much fun making your December Daily as I did making mine! Visit my blog, Scraps of Life, for step-by-step directions to this last segment of the album. 

If you missed any of the posts for the other segments of the album, I have links on my blog, on the right sidebar! I'll keep the links up through January 7th. For a complete supply list, see Part 1.

Thank you all for joining us today. We hope you'll stop by and see us tomorrow as we bring you more inspiring crafts and announce this week's blog prize winner! We hope you had fun today! Big thanks to Tara Orr and Gloria Stengel for their amazing work. We hope you all have a terrific Thursday!

Happy Holiday Crafting!

Team Graphic 45

Hello Lovely G45ers!

Welcome to this very festive edition of the Graphic 45 blog. Thank you all for stopping by today! The holidays are on every body's mind right now. Perhaps you've still got some last minute gifts to pick up or some crafts to create. Today we're bringing you some awesome holiday inspiration from Jane Tregenza and Gloria Stengel of our design team. They've used our wonderful collection Christmas Emporium to create some gorgeous tags and cards. Even though the holidays can be a bit stressful sometimes, it's also good to take some time to to be creative and enjoy this fun season. Even if you're all done with your holiday shopping you can still rejuvenate your spirit with some gorgeous papercrafting! Today's creations are so beautiful, you're going to find it hard not to drop everything and start crafting! So let the holiday fun commence!

First up are these adorable and stunning tags by Jane Tregenza. Tags are so much fun to make. Here you can see how Jane used fabulous layering and some paper distressing to give these tags an authentic vintage look. The Christmas Emporium papers are perfect for mixing and matching in any creation! Also you can see some gorgeous uses of our Metal Flower Staples! Get ready to fall in love with these inspiring holiday gems!

"I was inspired by all the lovely tags on Graphic 45’s facebook page as part of the Holiday Gift Card Challenge. I decided to make 4 tags but join them together to make a mini book. All it needs is a photo. I used lots of the lovely Christmas papers from Graphic 45 and a metal flower. Chipboard tags and holly flourish from Imaginarium Designs. I love eclectic bits and pieces and this project gave me the perfect chance to use lots." -Jane Tregenza

Next we have these marvelous holiday cards by Gloria Stengel. Gloria has such an elegant and classic style and you're going to love what she's done with these cards! They are shining examples of the diverse ways you can create a festive holiday card with a few simple tools. Obviously having lots of gorgeous Graphic 45 paper is a must. Just add some pretty ribbon or other fun embellishments and you've got a beautiful handmade-card! Let Gloria's marvelous talent help inspire your last-minute holiday crafting!

We want to thank you all for joining us today. Huge thanks to Jane Tregenza and Gloria Stengel for their fabulous creations today. We will be back tomorrow with more superb crafts to inspire your holiday season. We hope you all have a wonderful day!

Happy Holiday Papercrafting!

Team Graphic 45

Hello G45ers,

Happy Tuesday to you all and thank you for joining us today! We all know that the holiday season can often get pretty hectic this time of year so today we're bringing you some bright, cheery and awe-inspiring crafts to help raise your holiday spirits! Today's fabulous crafts were created by Laura Denison and Melanie Forbes of our design team. Laura has made the most amazing altered art box with our new Tropical Travelogue collection, while Melanie has some gorgeous holiday crafts that you're sure to adore. Also, don't forget to leave us a comment on the Graphic 45 Facebook page this week for your chance to win this week's blog prize! Are you ready for some super inspiration? Lets get to it! 

This first amazing creation is by Laura Denison. It's a marvelous Tropical Travelogue altered art box and earring set! Laura has such an amazing imagination and she always finds remarkably clever ways to create unforgettable crafts. We know that you are all super excited to see some Tropical Travelogue creations and we are so happy to unveil this stunning piece by Laura. Want to know how she created this work of art? Tune into her free Ustream class tomorrow Wednesday, Dec 21st at noon PST! Laura will be showing the amazing techniques she used to create this awesome altered art box and earring set! You wont want to miss the fun! Here is the link to Laura's Ustream channel! Plus, here is what she had to say about her inspiration for creating this beautiful project.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/followingthepapertrail

"Turning one of the Graphic 45 Altered Art Boxes into a jewelry box with a Pop-up lid  was so easy. I have seen these boxes in the stores while Christmas shopping and knew that the smaller box would be perfect. The new Tropical Travelogue paper was also the perfect foil for the gray winter colors outside in December. Add earrings made from G45 Staples Metal Tags and.... viola'....a great last minute gift for the Holidays." -Laura Denison

Supplies:

Now that we're in the thick of the holiday countdown, there couldn't be a better time for create a Countdown to Christmas project like this one by Melanie Forbes! Melanie has made this adorable piece of home decor that is just perfect for this time of year. Melanie lives in Australia where every Christmas is a summertime holiday! While they might not ever get a white Christmas in Australia, they definitely know how to celebrate in style! Here is what Melanie had to say about this precious creation.

"Countdown to Christmas – isn’t it scary how quick it seems to come around every year!! I love this countdown version with the tags being stored behind the fence." -Melanie Forbes

Supplies:

Graphic 45 Christmas Emporium – Happy Holidays, A Christmas Carol, Believe, Christmas Emporium Coredinations Color box Decades Ink - Dark Cashmere
May Arts – Single Face Satin/Bias Cut KK-1-25
 Scrapbook Adhesive – black foam dots
Viva Décor Precious metallic colour paints – Crimson 402, Green 700
Twiddleybitz Countdown MDF024Crafty Notions Deep Gold Embossing EnamelsRed beaded ribbonVersamark inkHeat gunDimensional Magic glue

For those of you looking for inspiration for some hand-made holiday cards, we've got just what you need! Check out these amazing card creations that are also by Melanie Frobes. Graphic 45 papers and embellishments are so gorgeous and so much fun for creating stunning cards. And there's nothing quite like giving a gorgeous hand-made holiday gift to someone you love. Here you'll see a bunch of amazing designs that are sure to inspire you! Here is what Melanie had to say about these festive works of art.

"Several weeks ago I did a class on metal etching with the uber talented Jen Crossley (www.amarkintime.blogspot.com) and had to try some more at home – I kept the scraps of metal from the class and used G45 Christmas Emporium stamps to create the tags….Absolutely love this technique!!" -Melanie Forbes

Supplies:

Graphic 45 – Christmas Emporium – Special Delivery, Joyous Noel, All I want for Christmas, Cling Christmas Emporium 1,2 & 3
Botannicabella – Garden Suite
Coredinations Core 45 cards Dark card set
Color box Graphic 45 Decades Dark Cashmere
Nestabilites – Labels Eight, Parisian Accents, Floral Doily Motifs, Beaded Ovals
3D Adhesive 3D Foam squares black
Martha Stewart Punch Wild Flowers
Sew Easy Fancy Floss snowflake Glitter Neutrals
Tim Holtz Rosette Die
Mica Flakes
Brass tags  - brass scraps left over + etching materials + black paint
Bell
Prima leaves
Berries – florist supplies
May Arts Ribbon
Stazon Black

Still in need of more craft inspiration? Well today Jolly Jabber, an awesome fabric blog,  is featuring an interview with Diane Schultz, owner and designer of Graphic 45! Read all about it today and get to know more about the wonderful Diane! Here is the link to Jolly Jabber!

http://fatquartershop.blogspot.com/

We hope you all enjoyed today's festive blog. Big thanks to Laura Denison and Melanie Forbes for their fantastic work today. We will be right back here tomorrow with more incredible crafts and lots of holiday cheer. We hope you all have a warm and wonderful day!

Happy Holiday Papercrafting!

Team Graphic 45

Hello G45ers!

Happy Monday to you all and welcome to another great week here at Graphic 45. Today we've got an extra special treat in store for you. We've got winners to announce for last week's Graphic 45 & May Arts blog hop, plus there's a new blog contest for this week! Also, we're featuring the work of a very talented artist, Clare Charvill of the My Creative Spirit blog! We're sure you are going to fall in love with Claire's wonderful style! But before we get to the crafts we wanted to announce the winners for last week's blog hop! Our randomly chosen winners from our design team member blog comments and the Graphic 45 Facebook page are...

-Barbara Stardumsly: Chosen randomly from Nancy Wethington's blog comments on Friday!

-Abby Henderson: Chosen randomly from this week's Facebook comments!

Congratulations to our winners! Barbara and Abby please email us at info@g45papers.com with your shipping information and to claim your prizes! Big thanks to everyone who participated in last week's blog hop with Graphic 45 and May Arts! This week we've got a fun and easy new blog contest. Just leave a comment on the Graphic 45 Facebook page any time this week for your chance to win this spectacular prize pack! A Magic of Oz 12x12 paper pack, both sets of coordinating chipboard die-cuts, Black Policy Envelope Staples and an E-Z Dots Mini by Scrapbook Adhesives! You can leave a Facebook comment between now and Friday when we announce our randomly chosen winner! We look forward to reading all of your comments this week!

Today we are thrilled to introduce you to an amazing artist, Clare Charvill of the UK. We came across Clare's wonderful Youtube channel and were instantly impressed by her gorgeous style and enthusiasm for her craft. There is always something inspiring to discover in her videos and on her blog. It's clear that Clare has a keen eye for creating heartwarming and stunning crafts and she loves to share her creativity with her crafting community. Mini albums seem to be Clare's favorite craft to create but her talents extend into all forms of crafting. Her elegant and classic style is instantly alluring, while her warmth and skill in her videos make Clare an unbeatable force in the crafting world. It is evident from all the wonderful comments left from her fans on her blog and Youtube page that Clare's art is beloved by countless crafters all over the world. Today will be a glorious mix of Clare's fabulous crafts and videos! We are thrilled to be featuring some of her amazing creations and some special Youtube videos as well! Below you can read more about Clare and behold her one-of-a-kind style! Ladies and Gentleman, we are so happy to introduce you to the lovely Clare Charvill!

"I'm a working mum, managing an apprentice programme for a UK based car manufacturer  during the day.  I have two great teenage boys, a very supportive partner and live in the very centre of England not far from Stratford upon Avon. Since I was very small I've had an interest in all things crafty, something I think I inherited from my mum. In my 20's I took up cake decorating, inspired by a friend who made my 21st birthday cake and went on to teach basic and advanced sugar craft for 20 years at my local college.  I had great fun teaching others all the techniques they needed and how to make sugar flowers for  that special cake for a family occasion. Seeing people discover hidden talents they never new they had is really rewarding. My interest in scrap booking started about 7 years ago, when a new crafty shop opened in  town.  I had to go in lol, and came out with a few essential items, some papers and a couple of books and then set about creating two 12 x 12 albums for my boys adding journalling to the photos.  I really enjoyed capturing the memories and sharing them with the boys, and they loved their albums.  Last year I thought I'd make a mini album for my youngest son after a holiday in France.  It was very basic but I had great fun making it. I joined the crafting community on You Tube earlier this year and found the Graphic 45 paper collections. Inspired by the era they're based on, the colours and designs, I brushed up on my album making techniques and started making photo albums. The boys think I'm completely addicted... perhaps I am.  I did get carried away one friday night making my Magic of Oz album and was really surprised when I looked out of the window to see the sun coming up. I'm really enjoying discovering my creative spirit. Sharing creative ideas with other you tubers and once again helping others to discover their own hidden talents." -Clare Charvill 

Just in time for the holidays, here is an astonishing Christmas Emporium mini album and video. So many fun photos get taken during the holidays. Let Clare's wonderful mini help inspire ideas for your holiday photos! A gorgeous mini album like this one would be the perfect way to immortalize your cherished holiday memories!

This creation is a real craft treasure. It's an On the Boardwalk treasure chest that contains a marvelous mini album. This is a splendid example of upcycling! This vibrant and happy box with its matching mini album is so inspiring! Again, Clare has created a fun video for this heart-warming work of art.

Here is Clare's extraordinary Steampunk Debutante mini album. This mini has all the elements of a classic Steampunk creation: lots of gorgeous color, plenty of fun gears and embellishments as well as fascinating and curious images. This is another great example of Clare's exquisite talent for mini albums. She's also created a video for this marvelous piece for you to enjoy!

Feast your eyes on this lovely holiday craft, a Christmas Emporium Tag box that contains 5 unique tags! This is such a wonderful idea for a personalized gift for someone you love. There's another beautiful video all about this festive tag box! So much fun!

Here is another fabulous and festive Christmas Emporium creation by Clare. It's a Christmas Emporium 5x5 Altered Art Box and Card! This is such a wonderful idea for the holidays! Plus you can enjoy the great video that corresponds to this enchanting creation!

Clare is currently working on a stunning Tropical Travelogue mini album. Here is the front cover of this work in progress. You can see all of the delicate work and gorgeous use of our Ornate Metal Door Plate and Knob Staples. Look for this mini on Clare's blog in the near future! You can already tell it's going to be magnificent!

And finally, here's is a fantastic video by Clare that showcases her gorgeous Magic of Oz Photo Album. It's absolutely beautiful and she takes you on a page-by-page journey through this whimsical creation! Enjoy!

We hope you all enjoyed today's jam-packed blog! We want to thank the amazing Clare Charvill for all of her glorious work today. We hope you all had fun getting to know Clare! Be sure to check out her magical blog My Creative Spirit and Youtube page for more inspiration and craft wisdom! We look forward to reading all of your Facebook comments this week as part of this week's blog contest! We hope you all have a wonderful day. Please join us tomorrow for more craft inspiration and good cheer!

Happy Papercrafting!

Team Graphic 45

Hello G45ers,

Happy Friday to you all! It's the final day of our epic blog hop with our pals at May Arts. It's been such an amazing week and we want to thank all of you for being a part of this wonderful event! We have had so much fun and there's still more to come! Plus there's still time for you to get your blog and Facebook comments in for your chance to win some amazing prizes this week! We've got some gorgeous crafts and blogs to share with you today. More jaw-dropping creations that combine Graphic 45 papers and embellishments with stunning May Arts ribbons! We've got some superstar design team member blogs to show you today! Plus, we have winners to announce for our December Gift Tag Challenge! It's going to be a fantastic day of craft joy! So let's get started!

First we want to announce this winners of our December Gift Tag Challenge. We had over 50 amazing gift tag submissions and it was such a joy to see each and every one of them. Big thanks to everyone who participated in this fun challenge! You are all such gifted crafters! Our randomly chosen winners for our December Gift Tag challenge are...

-Kristin Peuquet Wilson

-Sylvia Cink Hildman

-Pam Bray

Congratulations to our winners, Kristin, Sylvia and Pam. Please email us at info@g45papers.com with your shipping information so we can send you your prize! Here are the winning tags for this month's challenge! Check out the amazing range of styles here! So beautiful! To see all of the gorgeous tags submissions for this craft challenge please check out our Facebook Photos page! It's seriously inspiring! 

Kristin Peuquet Wilson

Sylvia Cink Hildman

Pam Bray

Lets dive into our final day of the Graphic 45 and May Arts blog hop! Today we're featuring the blogs of some very talented crafters. From the Graphic 45 design team we've got Tara Orr, Nancy Wethington and Nicole Eccles! Plus May Arts is featuring some stunning blogs from their design team too! Also, don't forget to visit the Graphic 45 Facebook page and the May Arts Facebook page for your chance to win an exclusive prize! Just leave a comment on each page and you'll be entered to win! Get inspired and maybe win a great prize! What could be better?!

Graphic 45 Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Graphic45

May Arts Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mayarts

It's the final day of this wonderful event! Graphic 45 and May Arts are teaming up for a super fun blog hop all this week, December 12-16th! There will be tons of inspiration, fabulous prizes, incredible crafts and so much more! Behold the magic that happens when Graphic 45 vintage-inspired papers and embellishments join forces with gorgeous May Arts ribbons! Our design teams are going all out to bring you the most enchanting crafts! You'll discover lots of fabulous new ideas to inspire your holiday season! Have fun and get inspired every day of this fantastic blog hop with Graphic 45 and May Arts!

Want to learn more about Graphic 45 and May Arts? Here's some fun information about these two fantastic crafting companies!

May Arts is a ribbon wholesaler, based in Riverside, Connecticut, serving over 16,000 customers worldwide.  We offer an exceptional selection of ribbons, including sheer, satin, grosgrain, silk and a variety of patterns and prints. We also maintain a steady stock of inventory so that orders can be fulfilled immediately.  As one of the country’s leading wholesalers of decorative ribbons, May Arts has been providing superior products and the highest level of customer service for over 25 years.

Here is the schedule for today's blog hop! Just hop on over to each of these wonderful blogs and behold some stunning craft creations that combine Graphic 45 and May Arts products. Be sure to leave a blog comment while you're there! Your blog comments automatically enter you for a chance to win this week's wonderful prizes! Our winners will be announced on Monday, December 19th! So hop around, have fun, get inspired, leave a comment and enjoy this wonderful day!

Friday, December 16th
Tara Orr - http://eachmoment-onlyonce.blogspot.com
Kimberly Jones - http://serendipityvintagestudio.blogspot.com/
Nancy Wethington - http://art-from-the-heart.typepad.com
Peggy Cain - http://www.createwithbubbe.blogspot.com/
Nicole Eccles - www.NicoleEccles.blogspot.com
Vera Yates - http://www.lingshappyplace.blogspot.com/

Here are some sneak peek images of from the Graphic 45 design team's projects for today! These irresistible projects are a must-see! Click on over to their blogs for the full unveil of their projects! Be sure to leave a blog comment too!

Tara Orr

http://eachmoment-onlyonce.blogspot.com

Nancy Wethington

http://art-from-the-heart.typepad.com

Nicole Eccles

www.NicoleEccles.blogspot.com

Also check out today's featured May Arts design team member blogs! You'll love what you discover! Be sure to leave your blog comments too for your chance to win this week's wonderful prize!

Kimberly Jones 

http://serendipityvintagestudio.blogspot.com/

Peggy Cain

http://www.createwithbubbe.blogspot.com/

Vera Yates 

http://www.lingshappyplace.blogspot.com/

In case you missed out on any days during this week's blog hop, here's the full schedule. There's still time for you to hop on over to these blogs and leave your blog comments! Plus you wont want to miss all the gorgeous projects from the Graphic 45 and May Arts design teams! They're full of inspiration and beauty!

Monday, December 12th
Lynette Carroll - http://www.lynettecarrolldesigns.typepad.com/
Jane Tregenza - www.janetregenza.blogspot.com
JackandCat Curio - jackandcatcurio.blogspot.com
Candy Rosenberg - http://candyscraps.typepad.com/scraps/
Latrice Murphy - http://www.latricemurphy.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, December 13th
Ellen Sosnoski - http://closeyourears.blogspot.com/
Laura Denison - www.followingthepapertrail.blogspot.com
Charlene Driggs - http://www.paperandinkplayground.com/
Melaine Forbes - www.melanie-forbes.blogspot.com
Jen Shears - http://jenshearsdesigns.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, December 14th
Robin Shakoor - http://robinshakoor.blogspot.com
Yuka Hino - http://nsnlso.blogspot.com/
Jenifer Cowles - http://scrapbooking-n-more.com/default.aspx
Gloria Stengel - www.gloriascraps.blogspot.com
Jingle - http://www.justjingle.blogspot.com/

Thursday, December 15th
Jinky Kowalski - http://jinkyscrafts.blogspot.com/
Sherry Cheever - http://sherrycheever.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/
Britta Swiderski - http://brittaswiderski.com/
Hilde Janbroers - http://hildejanbroers.blogspot.com/
Karen Baker - http://thebalddragonfly.blogspot.com/

Friday, December 16th
Tara Orr - http://eachmoment-onlyonce.blogspot.com
Kimberly Jones - http://serendipityvintagestudio.blogspot.com/
Nancy Wethington - http://art-from-the-heart.typepad.com
Peggy Cain - http://www.createwithbubbe.blogspot.com/
Nicole Eccles - www.NicoleEccles.blogspot.com
Vera Yates - http://www.lingshappyplace.blogspot.com/

We hope you all had a great time this week. We sure did! Huge thanks to our pals at May Arts as well as the Graphic 45 and May Arts design teams for their brilliant work this week. We hope you'll all join us on Monday as we announce the winners of this week's prizes! Plus there will be more fabulous craft inspiration and a new blog contest! It's going to be a lot of fun! From all of us here at Graphic 45, we wish you a warm and happy weekend! Find some time to get creative and crafty!

Wish Love and Gorgeous Paper,

Team Graphic 45

Hello G45ers!

Happy Wednesday and welcome to another super day of fun with Graphic 45 and May Arts! It's day 3 of our blog hop with our pals at May Arts and so far we're having an amazing time! There are more spectacular crafts from both the Graphic 45 design team and the May Arts design team! This is going to be a very exciting day, indeed! We are so glad you are joining us! And don't forget to hop on over to the Graphic 45 Facebook and May Arts Facebook pages and leave a comment for your chance to win an exclusive prize pack! There are lots of chances to win this week on our blogs and Facebook pages! How exciting! 

Graphic 45 Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Graphic45

May Arts Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mayarts

In addition to all of today's festivities, Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine is showcasing Graphic 45 as their featured company today during their 16 Days of Giving blog event! This is another great way for you to win some awesome Graphic 45 products and get inspired for the holidays! Be sure to check out Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine's blog today to find out more about Graphic 45 and enter to win! It's fun for all! 

Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine: http://www.canadianscrapbooker.ca/

It's another day of bliss with Graphic 45 and May Arts! Graphic 45 and May Arts are teaming up for a super fun blog hop all this week, December 12-16th! There will be tons of inspiration, fabulous prizes, incredible crafts and so much more! Behold the magic that happens when Graphic 45 vintage-inspired papers and embellishments join forces with gorgeous May Arts ribbons! Our design teams are going all out to bring you the most enchanting crafts! You'll discover lots of fabulous new ideas to inspire your holiday season! Have fun and get inspired every day of this fantastic blog hop with Graphic 45 and May Arts!

Want to learn more about Graphic 45 and May Arts? Here's some fun information about these two fantastic crafting companies!

May Arts is a ribbon wholesaler, based in Riverside, Connecticut, serving over 16,000 customers worldwide.  We offer an exceptional selection of ribbons, including sheer, satin, grosgrain, silk and a variety of patterns and prints. We also maintain a steady stock of inventory so that orders can be fulfilled immediately.  As one of the country’s leading wholesalers of decorative ribbons, May Arts has been providing superior products and the highest level of customer service for over 25 years.

Here is the schedule for today's blog hop! We're featuring the gorgeous blogs of Robin Shakoor, Yuka Hino and Gloria Stengel of the Graphic 45 design team. Below you will see some sneak peek images of their featured projects for day. Just hop on over to their blogs to see the projects in their full glory. And be sure to leave a blog comment while you're there for your chance to win this week's fabuous prize!

Wednesday, December 14th
Robin Shakoor - http://robinshakoor.blogspot.com
Yuka Hino - http://nsnlso.blogspot.com/
Jenifer Cowles - http://scrapbooking-n-more.com/default.aspx
Gloria Stengel - www.gloriascraps.blogspot.com
Jingle - http://www.justjingle.blogspot.com/

Robin Shakoor:

http://robinshakoor.blogspot.com

Yuka Hino:

http://nsnlso.blogspot.com/

Gloria Stengel:

www.gloriascraps.blogspot.com

May Arts is also featuring the work of some of their design team members as well! You will definitely want to check out the beautiful creations they've made for today! Hope on over, get inspired, fill your day with joy and leave a blog comment while you're at it! What fun!

May Arts Design Team Blogs:

Jenifer Cowles

http://scrapbooking-n-more.com/default.aspx

Jingle

http://www.justjingle.blogspot.com/

Here is the schedule for the entire week of this fantastic blog hop. In case you miss a day you can always hop on over and get your blog comments in before we announce the prize winners on Monday, December 19th!

Monday, December 12th
Lynette Carroll - http://www.lynettecarrolldesigns.typepad.com/
Jane Tregenza - www.janetregenza.blogspot.com
JackandCat Curio - jackandcatcurio.blogspot.com
Candy Rosenberg - http://candyscraps.typepad.com/scraps/
Latrice Murphy - http://www.latricemurphy.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, December 13th
Ellen Sosnoski - http://closeyourears.blogspot.com/
Laura Denison - www.followingthepapertrail.blogspot.com
Charlene Driggs - http://www.paperandinkplayground.com/
Melaine Forbes - www.melanie-forbes.blogspot.com
Jen Shears - http://jenshearsdesigns.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, December 14th
Robin Shakoor - http://robinshakoor.blogspot.com
Yuka Hino - http://nsnlso.blogspot.com/
Jenifer Cowles - http://scrapbooking-n-more.com/default.aspx
Gloria Stengel - www.gloriascraps.blogspot.com
Jingle - http://www.justjingle.blogspot.com/

Thursday, December 15th
Jinky Kowalski - http://jinkyscrafts.blogspot.com/
Sherry Cheever - http://sherrycheever.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/
Britta Swiderski - http://brittaswiderski.com/
Hilde Janbroers - http://hildejanbroers.blogspot.com/
Karen Baker - http://thebalddragonfly.blogspot.com/

Friday, December 16th
Tara Orr - http://eachmoment-onlyonce.blogspot.com
Kimberly Jones - http://serendipityvintagestudio.blogspot.com/
Nancy Wethington - http://art-from-the-heart.typepad.com
Peggy Cain - http://www.createwithbubbe.blogspot.com/
Nicole Eccles - www.NicoleEccles.blogspot.com
Vera Yates - http://www.lingshappyplace.blogspot.com/

Thank you all so much for joining us on this super Wednesday. We hope you had a lot of fun hopping! Big thanks to all of the wonderful design team members from Graphic 45 and May Arts for their gorgeous work today. The fun continues tomorrow as we bring you more fantastic blogs, crafts and chances to win amazing prizes! It's going to be lots of fun and we hope you'll come back and see us!

Have a Beautiful Day!

Team Graphic 45

Hello Fabulous G45ers!

Thank you so much for joining us today! The Graphic 45 & May Arts blog hop is in full swing and we're having such a great time! We're keeping the party going today with more glorious crafts, amazing blogs, prize opportunities, inspiration and fun! Plus we've also got Part 3 of Gloria Stengel's December Daily Journal tutorial today! Wow, so many reasons to celebrate today! In addition to today's beautiful featured blogs, be sure to hop on over to the Graphic 45 Facebook page and the May Arts Facebook page for your chance to win an exclusive prize pack of Graphic 45 & May Arts goodies! Just leave your Facebook comments any time this week! Random winners will be chosen and announced on Monday, December 19th! You wont want to miss out!

Graphic 45 Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Graphic45

May Arts Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mayarts

Another gorgeous day of hopping continiues! Graphic 45 and May Arts are teaming up for a super fun blog hop all this week, December 12-16th! There will be tons of inspiration, fabulous prizes, incredible crafts and so much more! Behold the magic that happens when Graphic 45 vintage-inspired papers and embellishments join forces with gorgeous May Arts ribbons! Our design teams are going all out to bring you the most enchanting crafts! You'll discover lots of fabulous new ideas to inspire your holiday season! Have fun and get inspired every day of this fantastic blog hop with Graphic 45 and May Arts!

Want to learn more about Graphic 45 and May Arts? Here's some fun information about these two fantastic crafting companies!

May Arts is a ribbon wholesaler, based in Riverside, Connecticut, serving over 16,000 customers worldwide.  We offer an exceptional selection of ribbons, including sheer, satin, grosgrain, silk and a variety of patterns and prints. We also maintain a steady stock of inventory so that orders can be fulfilled immediately.  As one of the country’s leading wholesalers of decorative ribbons, May Arts has been providing superior products and the highest level of customer service for over 25 years.

Here is the schedule for today's wonderful hop. We're featuring the hugely talented Sherry Cheever and Hilde Janbroers from the Graphic 45 design team. Below you will see some tantalizing teaser images of today's featured projects. Just hop on over to their blogs to see the full images and discover some serious inspiration! Be sure to leave a blog comment too!

Thursday, December 15th
Jinky Kowalski - http://jinkyscrafts.blogspot.com/
Sherry Cheever - http://sherrycheever.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/
Britta Swiderski - http://brittaswiderski.com/
Hilde Janbroers - http://hildejanbroers.blogspot.com/
Karen Baker - http://thebalddragonfly.blogspot.com/

Sherry Cheever

http://sherrycheever.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/

Hilde Janbroers

http://hildejanbroers.blogspot.com/

Also check out today's featured May Arts design team member blogs! You'll love what you discover! Be sure to leave your blog comments too for your chance to win this week's wonderful prize!

May Arts Design Team Blogs:

Jinky Kowalski

http://jinkyscrafts.blogspot.com/

Britta Swiderski

http://brittaswiderski.com/

Karen Baker 

http://thebalddragonfly.blogspot.com/

Here is the schedule for the entire week of this fantastic blog hop. In case you miss a day you can always hop on over and get your blog comments in before we announce the prize winners on Monday, December 19th!

Monday, December 12th
Lynette Carroll - http://www.lynettecarrolldesigns.typepad.com/
Jane Tregenza - www.janetregenza.blogspot.com
JackandCat Curio - jackandcatcurio.blogspot.com
Candy Rosenberg - http://candyscraps.typepad.com/scraps/
Latrice Murphy - http://www.latricemurphy.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, December 13th
Ellen Sosnoski - http://closeyourears.blogspot.com/
Laura Denison - www.followingthepapertrail.blogspot.com
Charlene Driggs - http://www.paperandinkplayground.com/
Melaine Forbes - www.melanie-forbes.blogspot.com
Jen Shears - http://jenshearsdesigns.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, December 14th
Robin Shakoor - http://robinshakoor.blogspot.com
Yuka Hino - http://nsnlso.blogspot.com/
Jenifer Cowles - http://scrapbooking-n-more.com/default.aspx
Gloria Stengel - www.gloriascraps.blogspot.com
Jingle - http://www.justjingle.blogspot.com/

Thursday, December 15th
Jinky Kowalski - http://jinkyscrafts.blogspot.com/
Sherry Cheever - http://sherrycheever.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/
Britta Swiderski - http://brittaswiderski.com/
Hilde Janbroers - http://hildejanbroers.blogspot.com/
Karen Baker - http://thebalddragonfly.blogspot.com/

Friday, December 16th
Tara Orr - http://eachmoment-onlyonce.blogspot.com
Kimberly Jones - http://serendipityvintagestudio.blogspot.com/
Nancy Wethington - http://art-from-the-heart.typepad.com
Peggy Cain - http://www.createwithbubbe.blogspot.com/
Nicole Eccles - www.NicoleEccles.blogspot.com
Vera Yates - http://www.lingshappyplace.blogspot.com/

Next up is part 3 of Gloria Stengel's super fun December Daily Altered Journal! Gloria is a beloved member of our design team and her blog is full of gorgeous inspiration and tips! Last week we featured part 2 of this festive daily journal. Now Gloria continues the fun with more fabulous tips to creating this holiday treasure. Be sure to hop on over to Gloria's blog for all the fun details! Here Gloria explains a bit about what's entailed in this week's tutorial. Take it away, Gloria!

Part 3: Creating Journal Pages for December 11th-December 21st

Last week we created pages for days 1 through 10 for our Graphic 45 inspired December Daily Journal. Let's keep going today and create 10 more pages!

There are some unique pages to make this week, so let's get started!

Take a journey with me each week as we make this one-of-a-kind mini album! Visit my blog, Scraps of Life, for step-by-step directions, according to the following schedule.

That's all the craft fun for today. We hope you all had a great time! There is more fun in store for tomorrow so we hope you'll join us! Big thanks to our featured design team members from Graphic 45 and May Arts! It was so much fun bringing you all of today's wonderful crafts. Also, big thanks to Gloria Stengel for sharing her fantastic December Daily Journal tutorial! Wow, it's so beautiful! We wish you all a lovely day!

Happy Papercrafting!

Team Graphic 45

Hello G45ers!

Welcome to another fun-filled day of the Graphic 45 & May Arts blog hop! We're having a blast and we hope you are too! As promised, we've got another day of gorgeous crafts from the Graphic 45 and May Arts design teams. We are so thrilled to bring you today's featured blogs by some supremely talented crafters. Hop on over to today's featured blogs to discover some enchanting crafts that combine Graphic 45 papers and embellishments with beautiful May Arts ribbons! Be sure to leave a blog comment for your chance to win this week's fabulous prizes! Graphic 45 and May Arts are also offering exclusive prizes on Facebook this week! Check out our Facebook pages and leave your comment for your chance to win these wonderful prize packs! So get ready for some serious fun and inspiration! Graphic 45 and May Arts are going to make your Tuesday bright!

Graphic 45 Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Graphic45

May Arts Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mayarts

Want to know more about this fun blog hop? Graphic 45 and May Arts are teaming up for a super fun blog hop December 12-16th! There will be tons of inspiration, fabulous prizes, incredible crafts and so much more! Behold the magic that happens when Graphic 45 vintage-inspired papers and embellishments join forces with gorgeous May Arts ribbons! Our design teams are going all out to bring you the most enchanting crafts! You'll discover lots of fabulous new ideas to inspire your holiday season! Have fun and get inspired every day of this fantastic blog hop with Graphic 45 and May Arts!

Want to learn more about Graphic 45 and May Arts? Here's some fun information about these two fantastic crafting companies!

May Arts is a ribbon wholesaler, based in Riverside, Connecticut, serving over 16,000 customers worldwide.  We offer an exceptional selection of ribbons, including sheer, satin, grosgrain, silk and a variety of patterns and prints. We also maintain a steady stock of inventory so that orders can be fulfilled immediately.  As one of the country’s leading wholesalers of decorative ribbons, May Arts has been providing superior products and the highest level of customer service for over 25 years.

Here is the list for today's featured blogs!

Tuesday, December 13th
Ellen Sosnoski - http://closeyourears.blogspot.com/
Laura Denison - www.followingthepapertrail.blogspot.com
Charlene Driggs - http://www.paperandinkplayground.com/
Melaine Forbes - www.melanie-forbes.blogspot.com
Jen Shears - http://jenshearsdesigns.blogspot.com/

From the Graphic 45 design team we're featuring the brilliant blog of Laura Denison and Melanie Forbes. Check out these awesome sneak peek images for their Graphic 45/May Arts creations! Just click on the images to be transported to their amazing blogs. Be sure to leave blog comments too for your chance to win this week's prize! First up is Laura Denison's blog! Behold the wonder of her amazing holiday-inspired craft creation!

Laura Denison:

www.followingthepapertrail.blogspot.com

Next up is the magnificent blog of Melanie Forbes of the Graphic 45 design team. Hop on over to her blog to see the full images for this gorgeous holiday craft creation. You'll fall in love with Melanie's fantastic style. Be sure to leave a blog comment too!

Melanie Forbes:

www.melanie-forbes.blogspot.com

Also, be sure to hop on over to today's featured blogs from the May Arts design team! You wont want to miss out on their stupendous creations! Be sure to leave blog comments for your chance to win! Soak up the inspiration with Graphic 45 and May Arts!

May Arts Deisgn Team:

Ellen Sosnoski - http://closeyourears.blogspot.com/

Charlene Driggs - http://www.paperandinkplayground.com/

Jen Shears - http://jenshearsdesigns.blogspot.com/

Here is the schedule for the entire week of this fantastic blog hop. In case you miss a day you can always hop on over and get your blog comments in before we announce the prize winners on Monday, December 19th!

Monday, December 12th
Lynette Carroll - http://www.lynettecarrolldesigns.typepad.com/
Jane Tregenza - www.janetregenza.blogspot.com
JackandCat Curio - jackandcatcurio.blogspot.com
Candy Rosenberg - http://candyscraps.typepad.com/scraps/
Latrice Murphy - http://www.latricemurphy.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, December 13th
Ellen Sosnoski - http://closeyourears.blogspot.com/
Laura Denison - www.followingthepapertrail.blogspot.com
Charlene Driggs - http://www.paperandinkplayground.com/
Melaine Forbes - www.melanie-forbes.blogspot.com
Jen Shears - http://jenshearsdesigns.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, December 14th
Robin Shakoor - http://robinshakoor.blogspot.com
Yuka Hino - http://nsnlso.blogspot.com/
Jenifer Cowles - http://scrapbooking-n-more.com/default.aspx
Gloria Stengel - www.gloriascraps.blogspot.com
Jingle - http://www.justjingle.blogspot.com/

Thursday, December 15th
Jinky Kowalski - http://jinkyscrafts.blogspot.com/
Sherry Cheever - http://sherrycheever.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/
Britta Swiderski - http://brittaswiderski.com/
Hilde Janbroers - http://hildejanbroers.blogspot.com/
Karen Baker - http://thebalddragonfly.blogspot.com/

Friday, December 16th
Tara Orr - http://eachmoment-onlyonce.blogspot.com
Kimberly Jones - http://serendipityvintagestudio.blogspot.com/
Nancy Wethington - http://art-from-the-heart.typepad.com
Peggy Cain - http://www.createwithbubbe.blogspot.com/
Nicole Eccles - www.NicoleEccles.blogspot.com
Vera Yates - http://www.lingshappyplace.blogspot.com/

Thank you all so much for joining us on this awesome day. Big thanks to all of our wonderful design team members from Graphic 45 and May Arts for their outstanding work today. The fun continues tomorrow as we bring you more fantastic blogs, crafts and chances to win amazing prizes! We can't wait! We hope you all have a marvelous day!

Happy Days and Smiles,

Team Graphic 45

Hello G45ers!

Welcome to a spectacular week of fun! Its the Graphic 45 and May Arts blog hop! Hooray! Graphic 45 and May Arts are teaming up for a super fun blog hop all this week, December 12-16th! There will be tons of inspiration, fabulous prizes, incredible crafts and so much more! Behold the magic that happens when Graphic 45 vintage-inspired papers and embellishments join forces with gorgeous May Arts ribbons! Our design teams are going all out to bring you the most enchanting crafts! You'll discover lots of fabulous new ideas to inspire your holiday season! Have fun and get inspired every day of this fantastic blog hop with Graphic 45 and May Arts!

There are lots of exciting chances to win terrific prizes! We are giving away this wonderful prize pack that contains a Tropical Travelogue 12x12 paper pad, coordinating chipboard die-cuts 1 & 2, and some gorgeous May Arts ribbons! Check it out! It's easy to enter to win this awesome prize. Each day we will be featuring a sneak peek image from one of our design team member's blogs. Just hop on over to their blog and leave a comment! You'll discover some super inspiring crafts, learn some fun crafting techniques, and maybe even win a great prize! A random comment will be chosen from one of our design team member's blogs and announced on Monday, December 19th! There's also an exclusive Facebook prize! Check out the Graphic 45 Facebook page and leave a comment for your chance to win! May Arts is also offering gorgeous prizes on their blog and Facebook page! So you'll definitely want to check it out! Just tell them that Graphic 45 sent you!  So much inspiration! So many chances to win prizes! This is going to be a great week!

May Arts Blog: http://www.mayarts.com/blog/

May Arts Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/mayarts

Want to learn more about Graphic 45 and May Arts? Here's some fun information about these two fantastic crafting companies!

May Arts is a ribbon wholesaler, based in Riverside, Connecticut, serving over 16,000 customers worldwide.  We offer an exceptional selection of ribbons, including sheer, satin, grosgrain, silk and a variety of patterns and prints. We also maintain a steady stock of inventory so that orders can be fulfilled immediately.  As one of the country’s leading wholesalers of decorative ribbons, May Arts has been providing superior products and the highest level of customer service for over 25 years.

Today we've got some fantastic blogs and lots of gorgeous Graphic 45 & May Arts crafts to share with you! Just click on the links of today's fabulous featured blogs and you'll be transported to a marvelous world of craft bliss! Be sure to leave a comment on the design team member's blog for your chance to win! Here's today's list!

Monday, December 12th
Lynette Carroll - http://www.lynettecarrolldesigns.typepad.com/
Jane Tregenza - www.janetregenza.blogspot.com
Jack andCat Curio - jackandcatcurio.blogspot.com
Candy Rosenberg - http://candyscraps.typepad.com/scraps/
Latrice Murphy - http://www.latricemurphy.blogspot.com/

Lynette Carroll

http://www.lynettecarrolldesigns.typepad.com/

Jane Tregenza

www.janetregenza.blogspot.com

Jack & Cat Curio

jackandcatcurio.blogspot.com

Also be sure to hop on over to the May Arts design team's featured blogs! Be sure to leave a comment and soak up all the fabulous craft inspiration!

Candy Rosenberg

http://candyscraps.typepad.com/scraps/

Latrice Murphy

http://www.latricemurphy.blogspot.com/

Here's the full scedule for this week's awesome blog hop! Wow! So much fun!

Monday, December 12th
Lynette Carroll - http://www.lynettecarrolldesigns.typepad.com/
Jane Tregenza - www.janetregenza.blogspot.com
JackandCat Curio - jackandcatcurio.blogspot.com
Candy Rosenberg - http://candyscraps.typepad.com/scraps/
Latrice Murphy - http://www.latricemurphy.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, December 13th
Ellen Sosnoski - http://closeyourears.blogspot.com/
Laura Denison - www.followingthepapertrail.blogspot.com
Charlene Driggs - http://www.paperandinkplayground.com/
Melaine Forbes - www.melanie-forbes.blogspot.com
Jen Shears - http://jenshearsdesigns.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, December 14th
Robin Shakoor - http://robinshakoor.blogspot.com
Yuka Hino - http://nsnlso.blogspot.com/
Jenifer Cowles - http://scrapbooking-n-more.com/default.aspx
Gloria Stengel - www.gloriascraps.blogspot.com
Jingle - http://www.justjingle.blogspot.com/

Thursday, December 15th
Jinky Kowalski - http://jinkyscrafts.blogspot.com/
Sherry Cheever - http://sherrycheever.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/
Britta Swiderski - http://brittaswiderski.com/
Hilde Janbroers - http://hildejanbroers.blogspot.com/
Karen Baker - http://thebalddragonfly.blogspot.com/

Friday, December 16th
Tara Orr - http://eachmoment-onlyonce.blogspot.com
Kimberly Jones - http://serendipityvintagestudio.blogspot.com/
Nancy Wethington - http://art-from-the-heart.typepad.com
Peggy Cain - http://www.createwithbubbe.blogspot.com/
Nicole Eccles - www.NicoleEccles.blogspot.com
Vera Yates - http://www.lingshappyplace.blogspot.com/

We hope you all had a blast today! There will be more fantastic blogs and inspiring projects all week long. We look forward to seeing your comments on our design team member's blogs as well as Facebook! Be sure to check out the May Arts blog and Facebook too for more inspiration and chances to win! Have a glorious day!

Happy Hopping!

Team Graphic 45

Hello G45ers!

Happy Friday to you all and welcome to another fun-filled day with Graphic 45. Wow, the holidays are fast approaching!  Today is extra special because we're having our Graphic 45 Christmas party! Yes, all of us here at the Graphic 45 office are getting together for some delicious food, dessert and holiday cheer. It's always a lot of fun to kick back and celebrate, especially on a Friday! We thought we'd share some of our holiday cheer to you on this fine Friday. Today we've got some magnificent crafts by Nicole Eccles and Sherry Cheever of our design team. They're going to show you some fantastic projects that you can create from common objects around the house! You know how much we love upcycled and altered art here at Graphic 45! Creations like these are so much fun to create and they make amazing gifts! But before we get to the crafts we want to announce the winner of this week's blog prize! Chosen at random from this week's blog and Facebook comments, our winner is...

-Pam Spradlin

Congratulations, Pam! Please email us with your shipping information at info@g45papers.com to claim your prize! Big thanks to everyone who left us comments this week! Check out this amazing prize that Pam won! We have a new blog prize every week so there's always a chance to win with Graphic 45!

Okay, lets get crafting! Check out this astonishing fairy block by Nicole Eccles. This is a darling example of what you can create using a few basic items and Graphic 45 products! We just love how she used our Ornate Metal Door Knobs and Metal Buttons as mushroom tops! How clever! Here is what Nicole had to say about the inspiration behind this joyful work of art! She also includes some helpful tips so you can create one of your very own!

"This is a wonderful project to create during the dark days of winter!  It would make a fun handmade gift for a friend to help brighten their days!   Super simple to create with just a wooden block, giant bottle caps, spools, copper refrigeration tubing and the magic of Graphic 45 products!  To create the mushrooms, just cut a small piece of copper tubing to length, add a little E600 to your Graphic 45 Doorknob, or metal buttons and slide the tubing over brad bottoms.  It’s really just that simple!!!  Create any kind of scenes using your own handmade mushrooms, just make sure to adhere them firmly, they are a little top heavy!  I could just see a whole printer’s tray filled with Once Upon A Springtime fairies and mushrooms for a certain little girls room...marks the Christmas list..." -Nicole Eccles

Hello Gorgeous G45ers,

We've got another fabulous day of craft inspiration to share with you today! Thank you all for stopping by! Today is very special indeed. You all know how much we love to see your Graphic 45 creations on our Facebook page, Ning site and website gallery. Well today we're going to share the work of two very talented Graphic 45 fans: The Gentleman Crafter and Linda Cain. They have both created some astonishing work that you're sure to love! Plus, Gloria Stengel of our design team has another edition to her December Altered Journal Tutorial!

This first featured artist and blog is from Jim, The Gentleman Crafter. He's quite active on our blog and Facebook pages and you can't help but notice his awesome and clever crafting style! Jim was introduced to Graphic 45 products by our very own design team member, Laura Denison. Laura always has so much going on with her blog called Follow The Paper Trail, Ning site, YouTube channel and weekly Ustream classes. It's impossible not to get hooked on Graphic 45! Jim has created this amazing masterpiece, a Graphic 45 traveling wine case! Here he describes his inspiration for this awesome craft and gives some fun tips for you to enjoy! We also highly recommend you check out his blog. You wont believe your eyes!

Next up is part 2 of Gloria Stengel's super fun December Daily Altered Journal! Gloria is a beloved member of our design team and her blog is full of gorgeous inspiration and tips! Last week we featured part 1 of this festive daily journal. Now Gloria continues the fun with more fabulous tips to creating this holiday treasure. Be sure to hop on over to Gloria's blog for all the fun details! Here Gloria explains a bit about what's entailed in this week's tutorial. Take it away, Gloria!

Part 2: Creating Journal Pages for December 1st-December 10th

Last week we got started collecting our supplies and binding materials for our Graphic 45 inspired December Daily Journal. By now you should have your shopped your stash, picked up a few new goodies, and decorated your cover!

It's time to make some pages for our journals! I hope you have fun with me today as we walk step-by-step and make pages 1 - 10.

Take a journey with me each week, for the next three weeks, as we make this one-of-a-kind mini album! Visit my blog, Scraps of Life, for step-by-step directions, according to the following schedule.

If you missed week one, see the post for December 1st: gathering your supplies, binding techniques, instructions for creating the covers

Today: instructions for creating pages 1-10 

December 15th: instructions for creating pages 11-21 

December 22nd: instructions for creating pages 22-31

Each week the Graphic 45 Blog will remind you to visit Gloria's blog  to get the next set of directions for your project!  So hop on over to Gloria's blog for the step by step directions for creating the journal pages! It's lots of fun and perfect for this fabulous holiday season!

Many thanks to The Gentleman Crafter, Linda Cain and Gloria Stengel for their amazing crafts today. We hope you all enjoyed today's fabulous projects as much as we did. We wish you all a beautiful day. Please join us tomorrow for more exciting crafts and an announcement of this week's blog prize winner! It's going to be a lot of fun!

Happy Holiday Papercrafting!

Team Graphic 45

 

Hello G45ers!

Welcome to our wonderful Wednesday blog here at Graphic 45! Today is extra special because we're giving you all a sneak peek of some gorgeous Tropical Travelogue creations that Diane has been working on for the Graphic 45 booth for Winter CHA 2012! We know you've all been anxious to see more Tropical Travelogue crafts. Today's creations are going to amaze and inspire you!  So get ready to bask in the warming glow of our latest collection Tropical Travelogue!

But first we wanted to give a quick reminder about the Holiday Gift Tag Challenge! It's so much fun and easy! Just create a holiday gift tag using Graphic 45 product. Post it to our Facebook page and label your tag "Holiday Tag Challenge." You can upload as many different Graphic 45 gift tags as you'd like. The more different entries you create the more chances you have to win! We're giving away a great prize to three lucky winners, a Graphic 45 prize pack worth $75! We've already had lots of wonderful submissions. Want to see some of the entries? Check out our Facebook Photos page and leave your feedback! We love hearing from you! The deadline for submissions is December 15th at midnight! Winners will be announced on December 16th!

Now it's time to take a journey to the land of Tropical Travelogue. Here you can see some stunning examples of gorgeous altered art that combines Tropical Travelogue and our amazing Metal Staples. Isn't it amazing how wonderfully they go together? We are loving this collection so much and have been getting so much fabulous feedback from all of you. As we gear up for Winter CHA 2012 we will be featuring lots more amazing crafts creations and special announcements regarding CHA and new releases in the near future. This is always a super exiting time of year and we can't wait to show you more! Feast your eyes on these beautiful projects!

Here you can see how fabulous our Geometric Metal Door Plate and Knob Staples and Metal Flower Staples look with Tropical Travelogue. These creations are like a breath of fresh tropical air!

Here you can really see the vibrant colors and elegant images of Tropical Travelogue blossoming to life! This sweet shadowbox features the Seaside Holiday paper from Tropical Travelogue. Oh, so pretty!

Unlock the luscious beauty of Tropical Travelogue with this fabulous altered box! Garden Isle, Seaside Holiday and Tropical Travelogue Chipboards make this box a timeless treasure!

This is another shining example of stunning Tropical Travelogue altered art! This vibrant little cabinet contains adorable treasures that give it a lavish and romantic quality. Plus the bright colors and soft floral images of Island Jewel make this creation instantly alluring! All of these great projects really show the dynamic range of colors and images from Tropical Travelogue. There are so many possibilities with this fabulous new collection!

Thank you all for joining us today. We will have more fabulous crafts to share with you tomorrow. We are so excited to your submissions for our December Holiday Tag Challenge! And don't forget to leave a blog or Facebook comment this week for your chance to win this week's blog prize! We hope you have a warm and wonderful Wednesday!

Your Pals in Paper,

Team Graphic 45

Hello There G45ers!

Thank you all so much for joining us today! The holiday season is happening right now and the crafty spirit is definitely in the air! This is such a fun time of year to really let your creativity shine! Today we're bringing you some amazing examples of holiday home decor from Sherry Cheever, Melanie Forbes and a great tutorial by Tara Orr! You'll see some gorgeous pieces that are perfect for holiday decorating or gifts for the ones you love! And the great thing about holiday home decor is that you can reuse each piece year after year! It's the gift that keeps on giving! So lets get started!

This first marvelous creation is by Sherry Cheever. It's a wonderful Christmas Emporium shaowbox that is full of stunning dimensions and festive cheer. This is a great example of a fairly easy piece that would look amazing year after year. Just cut out a beautiful image from Christmas Emporium and adhere it with some Scrapbook Adhesives 3-D Foam squares to help give depth and life to your shabowbox! Then decorate with some pretty flowers or other festive embellisments! It's so much fun and it looks simply gorgeous!

Supplies:
Graphic 45 Papers:  Christmas Emporium Collection  - Special Delivery, Christmas Emporium, Happy Holidays and Under the Mistletoe
Spellbinders™ Paper Arts:  Grand Calibur®, Nestabilities® S5-055 Layered Poinsettia and LF-161 Grand Labels One
May Arts:  Natural Jute and Red Sheer Ribbon
Scrapbook Adhesives:  3D Foam Squares and MyStik Permanent Tape Runner
Want2Scrap:  Chipboard Shapes – Pine Trees
Sookwang:  Scor-Tape 1-1/2”Ranger Industries:  Tim Holtz Distress Stain in Vintage Photo and Peeled Paint; Tim Holtz Distress Stickles in Peeled Paint; Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Antique Linen; Adirondack Alcohol Ink in Lemonade
Other:  Maya Road Crystal Star Trinket Pin; idea-ology Memo Pin and Mini Safety Pin; Tonic Paper Distressing Tool; Darcies Acrylic Shadowbox Frame Medium; Krylon 18KT Gold Leafing Pen; Buffalo Batt Iridescent Snow Flakes

Next up is this lovely piece of decor by Melanie Forbes. Melanie has such an amazing eye for detail and you can realy see it in this fabulous creation. It's a holiday paradise! Melanie really knows how to set the scene in all of her work. She wanted to give credit to Kelly Creates Blog post where she used G45 Christmas Emporium to create 5 cards.  This helped inspire Melanie to create the Christmas tree and wreath from the Tim Holtz rosette die. Here is what she had to say about this vibrant holiday work of art! She also gives some fun and helpful tips for you to enjoy.

 "I love creating mini scenes!! And it is so easy to do with G45’s latest range – I have been inspired by “Kelly Creates” cards and used her idea’s for the tree and Christmas Wreath. The little presents are mini dice and lid tops wrapped up. Look in florist supply shops for things such as the berries and crystal vine as well to help create a wonderful 3D scene to enjoy!" -Melanie Forbes

Supplies:
Graphic 45 Christmas Emporium - Joyous Noel, All I Want for Christmas, Christmas Emporium, Special Delivery, Under the Mistletoe, Merry & Bright, A Christmas Carol 
Colorbox Decades Ink – Dark Cashmere 
Twiddleybitz – Floating Frame FRA001, Funky Townhouse FTH001, Snowflakes SNOW001, Holly Branch Small Xmas036, Holly Branch Large XMAS037, Christmas Border corner XMAS044, Tweenybitz Snowflakes TWTB06.Florish with a Bling - Jasmine Burgandy swirl
Holly berries & Crystal vine – florist suppliesMica FlakesDimensional MagicViva Décor Precious Metal Colour Green 700Prima Window Décor Resin Crafty Notions Old Gold embossing enamel Bakers TwineUnknown Flowers

Next up is this super cool tutorial by Tara Orr. Tara is famous for sprucing up items she finds in thrift stores. This is another classic tutorial where you'll find out how to turn an ordinary basket into a lavish and unique piece of home decor! Upcycled art is perfect for the holiday season. It's a fun and beautiful way to create something special for someone you love! Or dress up your own home in this one-of-a-kind treasure! Take it away, Tara!

You will need to cut several strips of patterned papers so that they measure 0.5 x 12 inches each.

Fold each piece of paper lenghthwise so that they are all now 0.25 x 12 inches each.

Begin rolling each strip of paper.  Be sure to hold each roll securely to prevent gaps and unwinding.

Half way done! Your paper roll should look something like this now.

Once you have finished rolling the entire strip of paper, add a small piece of strong, double sided tape to the end and secure.

Your completed paper roll.  You'll need LOTS of these (depending on how large your project is)

Apply a generous amount of tacky glue to the bottom of your paper roll.

Adhere the paper roll to your project - press firmly for a few seconds to ensure it holds.

You can randomly apply your papers or opt for a specific pattern like the one I've created with the different colours.

Once you have completely covered your project surface with paper rolls, seal and protect it with a generous layer of mod podge

This is what the basket looked like before I altered it with Graphic 45's On the Boardwalk papers.

 This is what the basket looks like altered with Graphic 45's On the Boardwalk papers.

Supplies:

On The Boardwalk: Summer Crush

On The Boardwalk: High Style Holiday

12x12 Portable Paper Trimmer by Fiskars

Scor-Tape by Scor-Pal Products

Tacky Glue by Aleene's

Mod Podge (matte) by Plaid

Hello There Fabulous G45ers!

Happy Monday to all of you!   We have lots of fun and inspiration in store for you today! We've got some stunning Graphic 45 cards from our design team, a tutorial and a sketch, as well as a new blog contest! The season for card-making is upon us. And what could be more fun than creating a unique and beautiful card with Graphic 45 papers and embellishments? All of our papers are full of gorgeous images and patterns. The sky is the limit when it comes to card making! Just cut out an image, glue it to some fabulous patterned paper, add a pretty embellishments or a bow and there you have it! A wonderful and heart-warming card for someone you love! It's just that simple! Today you will see some super inspiring creations by Nicole Eccles, Gloria Stengel and Robin Shakoor. Their brilliant cards are sure to give you some awesome ideas for your holiday crafting!

But first lets get to this week's blog contest! All you need to do is leave us a comment on our blog or Facebook page anytime this week and you'll be entered to win this fabulous prize! A 12x12 Fashionista paper pad, Alphabet Sticker Staples, Metal Flower Staples, Scrapbook Adhesives 3-D Foam Squares and a sweet Graphic 45 wood holiday stamp by Hampton Art! We look forward to hearing from you this week! A random winner will be chosen from our blog or Facebook page and announced this Friday, December 9th! Just look at this amazing prize! Wow!

This first awesome card was created by Nicole Eccles using An ABC Primer and The Magic of Oz. The story behind this sweet card is amazing! Plus you can see some gorgeous examples of paper layering, paper distressing, and playful uses for embellishments in this great card! Here is what Nicole had to say about the inspiration behind this magnificent creation!

"Christmas is fast approaching and with it the need to complete some quick and easy gift card holders! This pretty holder is easy to make and very festive. It's the perfect way to give a gift card or monetary gift for the holidays." -Gloria Stengel

The tag pulls out of the decorated holder, making it easy to adhere a gift card to the tag with an adhesive dot or some tape.

To create this gift card holder follow the steps below.

1. Cut cardstock to 10 x 5 inches, making sure it is wide enough to fit your tag. I am using a packaging tag measuring slightly smaller than 4 inches wide.

2. Score cardstock on the long edge at 5 inches.

3. Cut patterned paper to 4 7/8 x 4 7/8 inches. Attach to one half of scored cardstock. Use a hole punch or die cutting template to cut a notch at the top edge of your paper (the side away from the fold line).

Note: If your hole punch or die template cannot cut through all of the paper layers, punch them BEFORE attaching the printed paper to the cardstock.

4. Place adhesive onto the left and right edges of the wrong side of your cardstock.

5. Fold on the score line to create a pocket.

6. Make sure your tag will fit inside your pocket.

7. Decorate your tag and pocket as desired.

Hello Magnificent G45ers! 

It's another magical day here at Graphic 45 and we are so glad you are joining us! Today we are exploring the fabulous world of holiday mini albums from our Staples collection. Yuka Hino and Tara Orr of our design team have created some ultra inspiring minis that are sure to put you in the holiday  spirit. The holidays are a time for memories and what better way to preserve those memories than with a gorgeous mini album! Today you'll see some clever ideas that are fun and easy to create. All you need is some beautiful Graphic 45 papers and embellishments, some creative spirit and a heaping dose of holiday cheer! So lets get started!

It's Friday and that means we have a winner to announce for this week's blog contest! We want to thank everyone who left us comments this week on our blog and Facebook page. We got so many marvelous responses when we asked you what you most love about the holiday season. We definitely got into the holiday spirit reading your comments and we hope you did too! Thank you to everyone who left us a comment! Our randomly chosen winner is...

-BrianK of the Kraftman blog!  You'll love what he has created with our Metal Flower Staples.  So cool. 

Congratulations BrianK! Please email us with your shipping information at info@g45papers.com to claim your prize! We will have another terrific blog contest on Monday for more chances to win some great Graphic 45 goodies! Here is the great Christmas Emporium prize that Brian won this week! Wow!

This first wonderful mini is by Yuka Hino. This mini was creating using our Christmas Emporium papers and stamps and Metal Film Canister with Kraftboard mini album that comes inside the canister. Here you can see how easy it is to create an astonishing holiday mini using some clever paper layering, contrasting colors, and well-placed embellishments and chipboards! Behold the wonder! 

Hello G45ers!

We're hoping that your sweet cravings are amped up for December, because we have a treat for you today!  The lovely and talented Gloria Stengel has created this jaw dropping December Daily Journal for you to feast your eyes on, but wait it gets better... She will be doing a weekly tutorial so you can follow along every Thursday and create a journal of your own!  Sounds like the holidays have come early.  Journals are a great way to capture the memories durring these magical times and make for a great gift for the friend/family member who has it all.  So join in the fun and make one for you and one for a friend.  Gloria take it away...

Part 1: Let's Get Started!

Each year many of us crafters create a "December daily" journal. Some of us want a journal with lots of space in which to write. Some of us want a journal with lots of space for photos. But, some of us want a journal that is more of an art piece, a decoration for our table. We want to add journaling and photos, to be sure! But we also want to be able to have a beautiful "coffee table book" to enjoy each year!

I love vintage items and enjoy making my own "vintage" pieces. This year I decided to make a December Daily in a vintage theme, using Graphic 45 papers. I wanted a journal that covered the entire month of December, since there are times when we have events, parties, and celebrations that happen AFTER December 25th! I also wanted something that would sit on my table each year; I wanted something pretty and festive! And I wanted YOU to be able to make a journal, too!

Take a journey with me each week, for the next four weeks, as we make this one-of-a-kind mini album! Visit my blog, Scraps of Life, for step-by-step directions, according to the following schedule.

Today, December 1st: gathering your supplies, binding techniques, instructions for creating the covers.

Graphic 45 Papers:

Christmas Emporium: A Christmas Carol, Toyland, 'Tis the Season, Christmas Emporium, Joyous Noel, Merry and Bright, Happy Holidays, Special Delivery, Santa Express, Believe!

Christmas Past: The Holly and the Ivy, Christmas Wishes, Jolly Old St. Nicholas, Deck the Halls, Victorian Greetings, Letters to Santa, Christmas Past Tags

Le Cirque: Wizards of Wonder

An ABC Primer: School Days, Bedtime Stories, Calico Kids

Fashionista: Buttons a la Mode, Perfumeries, Vintage Cherries

Graphic 45 Staples:

Ornate metal door plate, number stickers, Christmas Emporium chipboard, Christmas Emporium stamps

Album Supplies:

2 heavy chipboard covers, 5x8 inches

10 thin chipboard pages, 5x8 inches

3 tags made from Graphic 45 packaging

1 invitation size envelope

3 pages from a Graphic 45 Kraft Envelope Album

1 page from a Graphic 45 Black Policy Envelope

1 mini file folder

General Supplies:

Numbers 1-31 (stickers, chipboard, die cuts)

Journaling blocks

Stamps and rub-ons in a Christmas theme

Embellishments in a Christmas theme

Paint, ink, glitter, mist

Trims and ribbon

Adhesives: wet and dry

Tools: Hole punches, die cutting system or circle cutter, binding system or binding rings, paper trimmer, scissors, sanding block 

Other Supplies Used:

Stamps: Stampin Up!, Unity, Stampers Anonymous

Journaling spots: Sandy Lion, Cosmo Cricket, Teresa Collins, Making Memories Bo Bunny, Echo Park, Maya Road

Embellishments: Miss Cutiepie Inspirations vintage Christmas tickets, envelope, Teresa Collins brads, felt, Prima leaves and berries, Maya Road pins, Fancy Pants buttons, bottle caps, charms, Jenni Bowlin stickers and bingo cards, chipboard, mini clothes pin, K&Company epoxy numbers, American Crafts glitter numbers, Maya Road Jonathan mini alphabet

Rub-ons: Marrah Johnson, Daisy D's, Little Yellow Bicycle

Inks and paints: Deco Art white acrylic paint, Making Memories evergreen, Bordeaux, shopping bag acrylic paint, Clearsnap Smooch Spritz wine berry, ice rink, vanilla shimmer, ginger ale, green olive mist, Clearsnap Colorbox frost white pigment ink, Clearsnap Colorbox Decades dark cashmere, antique moss, triumphant red antiquing ink, Clearsnap Colorbox popcorn, chestnut roan, dark brown, creamy brown, warm red Fluid Chalk ink

Glitter: Ranger star dust, silver, gold, Christmas red Stickles, German glass glitter, other glitter

Trims: Really Reasonable Ribbon

Adhesive: Inkssentials Glossy Accents, Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L foam squares and tape runner, Scotch 3M tape runner, Glue Dots adhesive dots, white glue, hot glue

Tools: Zutter Round-it-All, Spellbinders Grand Calibur Die Cutting Machine, Spellbinders Nestabilities Standard Circles Large and Standard Circles Small, We R Memory Keepers Cinch binding machine and Crop-a-dile hole punch

December 8th: instructions for creating pages 1-10

December 15th: instructions for creating pages 11-21

December 22nd: instructions for creating pages 22-31

Each week, the Graphic 45 Blog will remind you to visit Gloria's blog  to get the next set of directions for your project!  So hop on over to Gloria's blog for the step by step directions for the covers and binding the book. 

As always, thank you for joining us today.  And a special thank you to Gloria for putting this fabulous journey together for us to follow along.  Stay tuned tomorrow where we will annouce this weeks contest winner and feature more inspiring projects.

Happy Papercrafting!

Team Graphic 45