Graphic 45 Day! Finale Project!

When Graphic 45 annouced their Design Team Call I knew I wanted it... and that I would need to go BIG! What is so amazing is that it has all come so easy... every project that I have done has just fallen into place... and I have so many more ideas that I can't wait to do... The following project is one that I am the most excited about... I used a technique that I learned over the summer from Claudine Hellmuth... Paper transfer to Sticky Back Canvas. So what I did was take Graphic 45's Le Cirque line and transfer it to Sticky Back Canvas and then made a wall hanging/quilt out of it! It is 4.5'x4.5.

I am sad that I was not able to completly finish it before I posted it, but I had a friend/co-worker who really needed help this weekend and I picked up her shifts. I will post it when it is done... All that is left is to put the back on and add a few little more embellishments.

I do not sew, (but the occasional straight line...) so I am very excited about how it has turned out... Everything that you see is fabric! Except the "H" that is Grungepaper covered with paper.

This technique is really simple too! You take Sticky Back Canvas (by Claudine Hellmuth's Studio Line), and peel the backing off. You want to put your pattern FACE DOWN into the sticky... You then want to really rub the paper down, like with a credit card.... The next step is to spray it with water and rub off the backing... Here is what it will look like...

After you take off all the paper, rub it down with Claudine Hellmuth's Multi-Medium in Matte. This will seal it and help get remaining fuzzies....

I hope that you have enjoyed my week of Graphic 45... Good luck to all who are trying out for their Design Team.

P.S. Don't forget to make a comment on all three posts from today for a chance to win some Graphic 45 goodies!

Graphic 45 Day! Project 2

Acrylic Stamp Blocks.... NOT just for stamping.....

Welcome back to my Graphic 45 Day!!! Here is another project I would like to share... This is a little "desk happy" for my husband to bring to work. ...the clever part is... It's an acrylic stamp block! See....

The directions are super easy and quick and it yields such a unique project!

You take your stamp block and to the back adhere a sheet of two sided clear sheet adhesive. (It has to be clear... or you won't see your paper or picture through it...) Rub it with a credit card or something similar to get all the air bubbles out... Then peel off the backing to reveal your second side of stickiness and place your paper or picture down.... rub to get all the air bubbles.

Then you just decorate the front the way you would like and you have a cute project!

When I saw Graphic 45's I Think I Can paper from Playtimes Past, I knew it would be perfect for my train pictures! It is so fun!!! Don't we all remember the story of The Little Engine that Could?

Hope you are having a fantastic Monday... Don't forget to leave a comment on all my posts today for a chance to win some Graphic 45 goodies!!!

Graphic 45 Day - Project 1

Happy Monday! Welcome to the last day of my Graphic 45 celebration! I have been posting projects the past week working up til this day... You see, I am trying out for the Graphic 45 Design Team! I am so excited and have been on a roll creating and it has been a blast! Today I will be posting several projects throughout the day. And since this is my big finale, I believe some blog candy is in order!!! So, in order to be eligible, leave a comment on every post. That easy!

The first project of the day is a card I made using the below stamp:

I fell in love with this stamp! ...and just HAD to have it! Using a sheet from Graphic 45's Playtimes Past I made the following card:

I stamped directly onto the pattern paper, first. I then took my stamp and stamped it on to the back of the blue checkered paper. I cut my flowers out and added some Glossy Accents to the center of the flowers. I colored the leaves in with Copic Markers. I love how the pattern shows through the Copics!

I look forward to seeing you throughout the day! Until later, Happy Monday! Have a great week!!!

I am sharing some secrets...

Hello! I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend! I am just wanting to share a secret...

BIG THINGS ARE IN STORE FOR TOMORROW

on my blog! I am going to be posting throughout the day... sharing several projects.

Please check back frequently...

ok... one more secret!

I am trying out for Graphic 45's Design Team!!!! I am so excited and have had so much fun creating all my projects! It has been a whirlwind of creativity at my house!

ok... just one more secret!!!

I am so excited and happy and I want to pass all the joy along... So, come back tomorrow throughout the day and leave comments on all my posts... one person will be the lucky winner of some Graphic 45 goodness! 

I would love for you to share this with your friends and spread the word! The more the merrier!

Curtain Call

Today I am bringing to you a decorative wall plaque that I created using Graphic 45's Curtain Call line. This is a fabulous and glamorous line! ...and when I think glamorous, I think Marilyn Monroe. She was so beautiful. I made this for my studio. I have a Marilyn Monroe clock & framed poster in there, so this will fit right in...

It measures 8.5"x2.5". Some fun things that I did on here are:

-I cut out the ticket strip from paper and adhered it across the bottom in such a way that adds dimension to my project.

-Using Tim Holtz's film strip ribbon I created "leaves" for my flower. My flowers were cut using the Tim Holtz Alterations die, Tattered Florals.

-I made Rosette flowers using my Martha Stewart Scoredboard. HERE is a little step by step guide for making Rosettes. What is fun about these is that I made their stems using wire that is spiraled down to the plaque!

-The beaded fringe going across the bottom and the diamonds in the center of the flowers add just the right amount of bling! I had to have diamonds...after all...

"Diamonds are a girl's best friend!"

Here are a few pictures of my studio...

(taken with my cell phone a while back... sorry so low in resolution...)

A Friendship Card!

Happy Friday! Welcome weekend! I have a HUGE weekend planned with a grand finale on Monday! So keep coming back! I hope you have enjoyed all the Graphic 45 inspiration I have been sharing this past week. I have had so much fun creating and playing with all their papers! I am on inspiration overload! Today I am sharing a card that I made using papers from two different lines: Once Upon a Springtime and Le' Romantique.

This is a #10 size card. I started with a tag. I covered it with paper and then stamped and embossed with Clear embossing powder. I then used Distress Inks to ink up the paper! The embossing resisted the Distress Ink so you can see the flower image. It is simple and understated, but adds a little interest to my card. The Leaves I cut out with my Tim Holtz Alterations Die, Tattered Leaves. One is cut from Grungeboard and the other from Grungepaper. I inked them up using Distress Inks and then stamped on flourishes. I stamped the "Friend" sentiment on to a scrap piece of "My Beloved" (the polka dot paper). But, I used the pattern on the back. I tore it out and inked the edges to give a vintage look to my card. The metal flower is from Graphic 45's staples line, Metal Flower Staples. I wrapped wire around my card to add a fun and funky detail.

Hope you have a fantastic Friday and please come back to see what all I have in stored...

HINT: I am saving the best for last!!!

We are all Domestic Goddesses

It's Thursday! Happy Day! I am sharing with you something today that I have wanted to create for quite a while... I am still some what of a newlywed.. We have been married 4 and a half years now... Well cooking... I do love to cook. I was told once that, "If I could read, than I could cook!" The problem is... what do you do with all those recipes??? I have my tried & true favorites, Thanksgiving Recipes, and then stuff I want to try... all in one big pile on the shelf!

So I made myself a box to store all my recipes!

What better paper to use than Graphic 45's Domestic Goddess? 

I started by painting the bottom red and the lid black. I used Claudine Hellmuth Studio Acrylic Paints. I love these paints! The color is so rich and they are so easy to work with, love them! I then covered my box with paper. I used my Claudine Hellmuth Multi-Medium to do this... Here is a little tutorial that I did about covering with Multi-Mediums... My box is now sealed and protected so it can sit on my counter in all it's glory!

Here are some details:

This is the top of my box. I embellished it with some flourishes, flowers, and a bird cage, (cut from Tim Holtz Alterations Die). For my bird cage, I adhered paper to Grungeboard using my Multi-Medium. Once it dried, I then cut out the bird cage. This is great because I can use pattern paper to decorate with, but have the sturdiness of Grungepaper.

Here is a picture of the back. I used hinges that I cut out of Grungepaper (using Tim Holtz Alterations Die) and distressed to make it look rusted and aged... They are glued to the top and the back, and work like hinges... To do this you only adhere the ends to your project. There is no glue on the middle of my hinges...

Here is the front of my box... I have a key hole that I did using the same technique as my hinges... and these beautiful copper flowers that Graphic 45 makes! I fell in love with these at the store, and just had to have them! They worked perfect for my little recipe box! The center of my flower is a brad, also made by Graphic 45... I have a little jar with a key... this is where I keep my family's secret recipes! :)

I hope you have been inspired today by this little project! ...and you channel the Domestic Goddess within to create something beautiful for your home!

Happy Creating!

-Christine

Three Ring Circus.... Le Cirque Style!

Happy Wednesday! ...I almost said Thursday! I have been off all week! lol.. Welcome to my third day of showing love to Graphic 45! Here is a layout that I made using the Le Cirque line.

I love the colors in this line. They are so rich and the patterns are just fun! As cliche as it is... this is a picture of my husband and me at the circus! I started this layout using strips of torn paper layered on each other. I then added the three rings and my picture. The bottom of my mat is also torn.

 Details:

Here is a close up of my little flower bouquet. I cut my flower spirals out with my Silhouette and rolled them up with the Imaginisce Petal Roller. A little trick for making the flowers is to mist the paper lightly with water. It softens the paper, making it easier to work with. My leaves I stamped onto a piece of pattern paper and cut out... This is a technique to remember: Stamping on to pattern paper.

Here is a banner that I made using the Le Cirque Borders sheet. I distressed the edges and then adhered it with a little pizazz by making it wavey.

After making my pinwheel card, I really loved the idea, so I brought it to my layout! This time I used 8 triangles and one of my favorite embellishments... My elephant brad that I made using my I-Top!

This embellishment was neat because I discovered that my Imaginisce D-Stress tool was able to distress the edges of copper! I used my I-Rock to add all my bling!

Working with this line has been a blast! All of Graphic 45's lines are so unique and when working with their paper creativity just flows! Check out all their products here!

A Little Inspiration.....

Happy Tuesday! and welcome to the second day of my Graphic 45 week! Today I am bringing you a ton of inspiration! ...in the form of an Inspiration Cube! I love quotes... they are inspirational & motivational and just fabulous. I have some favorites... and I gathered them into my little cube.

I used Alcohol Ink to add color to the top of my cube and the bottom. Alcohol Inks are great to use when you are working with a nonporous item... like metal, plastic, glass, etc...

I used Butterfly Kisses (from Graphic 45's Once Upon a Springtime line) as my base. I cut four pieces and folded them in half. I then adhered the backs together to form the "x" shape.

 For the top of my cube I did a bouquet of flowers. The leaves in the back are cut from metal. The red flower is a rolled up flower I made using my Silhouette and the Imaginisce Petal Roller. The other flowers are from Prima and canvas cut out using Tim Holtz's Tattered Florals Alterations Die.

This cube sits on my desk and brings me inspiration and motivation as I am creating away. If you have quotes, pictures, color combinations, etc... that inspire you, find a way to display them. It will bring more inspiration than you can imagine! Until next time... Happy Creating!

A week of Graphic 45!

What better way to spend the week than with Graphic 45? I love all this company has to offer! The papers are so rich and unique. I have a lot of fun creating with them. I want to share with you a set of mini cards that I made using the Le Cirque line. All the cards are 3"x3".

 Here is one of my favorite cards... I just love this elephant! I made a rosette and punched out the elephant with a scallop circle punch. The inside of this card reads, "You make me laugh". This elephant just brings a smile to my face!

Here is a simple way to add a lot to your project... When working with double sided paper you can fold the corner down and reveal a little peak of the back side. I used the Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher to add a little flair! The big flower I cut out of my pattern paper.

The flower from this card was cut from Tim Holtz Alterations Tattered Floral Die. I curled the petals under for a fun look.

 This is another one of my favorites! I used a square punch and punched out 6 squares from different pattern paper. I then folded them in half creating my triangles. I glued the bottom part of the triangle down and then put a pop dot between the fold to give my pinwheel some dimension. Using different size squares will create different size pinwheels, so you can adjust as needed for your project!

 I cut out some more flowers for this card. I also die-cut a flower from the Tattered Florals die and then cut the petals off to create part of the border.

 I cut these little clowns out and distressed the edges. Using Staz On ink I stamped the words on to my copper tag.

One of the great things about Graphic 45's paper is they have great embellishments that you can cut out! This one I cut out, distressed the edges, and then rubbed Glossy Accents over the top. I used twine for a little added texture.

 Once again... I love this elephant! The little flowers I made using my Silhouette. I cut them out and then rolled them using the Imaginisce Petal Roller.

I hope that you have enjoyed my little mini's! Please keep coming back for all the Graphic 45 excitement that I have planned! I have been so inspired working with Graphic 45 that I have been creating projects left & right!!!

Happy Creating!

Vintage Tag Swap!

Happy Weekend to all! I am busy crafting away...

Here are some tags that I made for a Vintage Tag Swap. Christel over at Scrappin Sista is hosting it and has put it all together just fabulous! The rules were simple: A vintage tag with a charm. I had to make 15... I used the 7 Gypsies Lille Line and Distress Inks. I had a lot of fun making each tag different, but making them similar by using the same charms and the Lille line. Hope you enjoy!

For the charms I took safety pins and put beads on them and strung then onto a little jump ring...

Shimmer Sprays! another Moxie Fab Challenge!

Hi Everyone! I am back with another card as I follow along with Moxie Fab's Challenge Week! Today I am sharing a card for the Shimmer Spray Challenge.

I love using Shimmer Sprays to add glimmer & glam to my projects! You can use it in so many different ways... the possibilities are just endless! I am showing a technique today that uses Shimmer Sprays & Distress Inks to stamp.

Step One:

You want to ink up your stamp with Distress Inks. I used various colors so I can get a multi-color stamped image.

Step Two:

Mist your stamp lightly with Shimmer Spray. The more mist you put on your stamp the more watery your image will be when you stamp it... play with it! You can really get beautiful watercolor effects.

Step Three:

Stamp!

It's as easy as that! Here is a close up of my image:

See how the shimmer is only on the flowers? This is a great way to add that shimmer detail to your project.

Stamping with Markers: A Moxie Fab Challenge!

Hi Everyone! I am so excited about the technique that I am going to share with you today! Over on the Moxie Fab Blog they are featuring: Stamp It! Techniques Week. The first challenge is Stamping with Markers. So below is my take on the challenge along with a very cool technique!

I gathered my supplies: Copic Markers, Stamp, Paper, & Mini-Mister filled with Copic Colorless Blender Solution.

I am going to be using my Copic Markers to color my stamp instead of using an ink pad. The first step is to color your stamp. You will be coloring directly on to the stamp. Below is a picture of my stamp colored.

As you color your stamp, your ink will dry pretty quickly. That is OK, because we are going to re-moisten our ink once we are done coloring the stamp.

After I was done coloring my stamp completely, I took my mini-mister filled with Copic Colorless Blender and misted my stamp. This re-moistens my ink allowing me to have time to stamp my image.

It creates a beautiful watercolor image... I layered it with cardstock to create my card. It is a very simple card, but the stamp image adds so much!

***IMPORTANT***

To do this technique you have to use Copic Colorless Blender only! You CANNOT substitute it for the Adirondack® Alcohol Blending Solution, because we are putting the Colorless Blender into a Mini-Mister to spray. Using the Adirondack® Alcohol Blending Solution as is, is ok... but it is not safe to spray... I learned this in my Copic Certification class.

My Stamp Shelves!

I am so so excited to share with you my new stamp shelves! My Dad & my Husband built them for me this past weekend... and they are just perfect!

Here are the basic directions for them... the best part is that they are so so easy to make!

Supplies:

5 - 8' long 1x3's

16 1.5" L-Brackets

They cut one board in half creating 2- 4' long pieces. These are used for the backs.

The other 4 boards were cut into 2' long pieces for the shelves.

The shelves are spaced to where there is 6" of open space between each shelf.

They put one L-Bracket on each shelf for support.

I love having my stamps out to see... I am using them even more and they just look so pretty!

Have I ever told you that I love stamps!  ...as you can see I need to get some more to fill my shelves! lol...

The Shabby Tea Room Design Team Call

I was browsing the Internet tonight and stumbled across a really neat blog...

The Shabby Team Room

They are having a Design Team Call and I jumped at the opportunity! You had to create a card inspired by the following picture:

I was instantly inspired! I shut the computer and off to my studio I went! Here is my card:

It came together so fast! I was very excited. I do hope to make the Design Team, but either way, I plan on following this blog and playing along with their challenges. Go check them out and see the fun!