Another Amazing week and Blog Hop

Graphic 45 and Petaloo are teaming up this week for a blog hop. Here is what Graphic 45 had to say about it.

"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 kindly sent us Girls at Graphic 45 an amazing bunch of flowers to play with. I loved the flowers, as they were made of cotton and had a vintage look to them. Charee had the wonderful idea that we should all make a Perpetual calendar.

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 (from Imaginarium Designs) 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 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 cotton, so they are quite thick. This meant 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.

Product list

I used a mix of Graphic 45 8x8 Tropical Travelogue paper pad and 12x12 prints in the follow papers.
Garden Isle, Botanica, Island Jewel, Seaside Holiday, Oceania, Hibiscus Heaven, Paradise Postage, Tiki Voyager
Tropical travelogue tags 2.
Graphic 45 staples stamped metal buttons.
Graphic 45 staples stamped geometric metal tags.
Petaloo flowers Darjeeling collection.
Ranger Distress Ink - Vintage Photo
Perpetual calendar from Imaginarium Designs.
Mini Letters and Numbers from Imaginarium Designs.
Zva cystals.
Graphic 45 Blog
http://g45papers.typepad.com/
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/
Don't Forget to leave a comment to go into the draw to win a prize - there are four prizes up for grabs so just leave a comment at Graphic 45's blog and facebook page as well and Petaloo's blog and facebook page to win. Please leave a comment here as I love reading what you write as well.
Hope you all had a wonderful time with family and friends and I wish you all a safe and Happy New Year
love to you all
Jane

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.
 

 

 1.       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.

 2.       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.

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

5. 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.

 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.


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.

Materials used:

Graphic 45 Primer Range

1xG4500379 One Two Buckle My Shoe

1x G4500380 Grammar School

1x G4500384 Calico Kids

1x G4500387 Building Blocks

1/7 G45 Alphabet Soup

Graphic 45 Staples Hinges
Bazzill 2X Red and 2X black
Ribbons
Brads
Imaginarium Designs chipboard
Gates
Number
Tinny penny farthing.
Tag backing board
I love this page and it is the perfect layout for all those school photos you may have.
Thank you for looking.
Wish you all a wonderful time with family and freinds and a safe and happy new year
Jane
 

A Mini Christmas Tag Book

Here is a little project I did for Graphic 45 with Christmas touch! Graphic 45 had a Christmas tag challenge this month and it inspired me to do some tags as well. These would work as singles or even Christmas decorations. I decided to join mine together to make a mini book. The 4 tags are from Imaginarim Designs and joined together with black bazzill. They are 3 inches wide x 4 1/2 inches high. I cover the font and back of each tag with the lovely new papers from Graphic 45's Christmas Emporium range. These are my favorite Xmas Papers. I love the wonderful colours and the lovely vintage images. The prints are perfect for mini projects as well at 12x12 layouts.

For the front tag I used Happy Holidays, with a square cut from Special Delivery with the words Christmas Greetings on it. I used circle punches to punch out 5 circles from different three prints. This is to make the baubles. I used Christmas Emporium, Special Delivery and Holly and Ivy. You fold the circles in half and glue them together. I used ric rac to "hang" the baubles on the front of the tag. I added bows and another ribbon at the bottom. I used a frame from Imaginarium Designs inked black and then stamped with a script stamp and embossed with gold embossing powder. I chose a word from Joyous Noel and glued it behind the frame. I attached it at the top of the tag. I know the baubles have been around for a while but I only saw them a couple of weeks ago and fell in love with them.

 For this tag I used an image from Happy Holidays. I used 3 of the same print to cut out bits of it and layered them with foam tape. It gives the image a 3D effect. I added a large button at the top and some ribbons.

 For this tag I used Joyous Noel for the background. I added some Special Delivery and red bazzill. Another button and a tag from the Christmas Emporium chipboard sheets. I added a holly flourish from Imaginarium Designs. I found some flowers, a word token and crystals to finish it off.

For the last tag I decided to do something special. I used Holly and Ivy for the tag back. A square of Christmas Carol over the top with a square of Christmas Emporium layered on top of that. I used another holly flourish from Imaginarium Designs with some German Scrap. I cut holly shapes cut from Special Delivery. I used a flower from Graphic 45's staples range which I bent and shaped. The bell in the middle adds a nice Christmas's touch.  Another large button with a Graphic chipboard shape in the middle and a Maya Road bingo number on top of that. I added a glass hat pin as well.

Thanks so much for looking.

I have choosen a random comment from all the lovely ladies who kindly left coments to win a prize from me!

cardstockaholic said...

This was so worth the wait!!! It is absolutely stunning!!!!!!!!

If you could email me at jane@seriouslyscrapbooking.net.au then I can get your prize in the post.
Thanks again
Hope you all have a wonderful time and a safe and happy new year.
Jane

My May Arts & Graphic 45 Project

Here is my project for the May Arts ribbon and Graphic 45 Blog hop. I decided to do a frame, so that my ribbon would be on the outside and become a feature. In a precious life I did paper tole for 12 years. I was even selling to David Jones Australia wide. They were buying Peter Rabbit paper tole framed pictures and selling them in their baby department. I love the images on Graphic 45's new Christmas papers. The Christmas Emporium print with the children looking in at the window is priceless. I decide to do a paper tole picture using this print. This means I need 6-7 prints of the same paper.

 When I start designing, I normally know whether it will be a layout or an off the page project but I don't always have an idea of what the finished piece will look like. I tend to lay all the papers and embellishments in front of me and just start cutting. But as I knew it was going to be a paper tole piece, I knew it would have to go into a shadow box frame.

 Last year on someones blog I saw the idea to use the back of a canvas. So whoever you are thanks very much! I sprayed mine black with spray paint, just in case some of the white shows.

 The first layer needed to be the children in the background. I used two prints to do them. I always like to add another head on people and of course the little hand up against the window needed to go on again. I used a lot of foam tape to create a space between the children layer and the room layer and to support the acetate sheet (window).
The next layer was the room with the window removed and the floor bent up.

 I cut four pieces of print paper the depth of the frame and the width of the frame with mitred corners and folded and glued them to cover the inside and outside of the canvas.

 Then the fun starts. Each layer needs to be added. Father Christmas needs to be built up. He is sitting on his sack. I added another head, then the hand holding the feather. The hand and book also when on again, along with the journal on this lap

 The Christmas tree was done in two layers but lots of pieces. I added stickels to give it a sparkling look as well as a glow to all the candles.

Once the Tree was done I started working on all the toys underneath it and around it.

I used one of the Prima vines and added some Green Tara flowers to make it more christmasy.

 Then it was time to work on my flower. I cut May Arts ribbon into 25cm lengths and folded them in half. At the fold end I got a lenth of thread and wrapped it around and around to form a point. At the cut ends I ran a gathering thread and pulled it up tight. They kinda look like pointsettas, don't they.

 Using some more May Arts ribbon I did loops of greeny gold ribbon and added it over the top of the pointsetta petals. I am loving the metal flowers from Graphic 45 so I used one for the center of my flower with one of their brads.

May Arts also sent me some Velvet ric rac which I used on the inside of the frame to finish it off. I also cut lots of the holly shapes from the print paper and folded them and glued them in at the top of the picture. The frame is from Imaginarium Designs sprayed black and it really finished off the project.

It looks like a lot of work but it only took me 4-5 hours.

I have another Chrismas project to share later on. Don't forget to visit the other design team members blogs and leave a comment on mine to go into the draw to win a prize.

Thanks for Looking

Jane

May Arts and Graphic 45 Blog Hop

First, thanks to the lovely 7 ladies who left a comment on my Paris Posting. Could all of you email me at jane@seriouslyscrapbooking.net.au with your address, as I will send you all some Paris Chipboard.

Tina Connolly, Connie, Becky H, Scossie Jane, Nicole, Carole and Cynthia. I love receiving comments and knowing that someone is reading my Blog. Now for some more news.

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!

Charee from Graphic 45 sent some information on each of the companies which I though I would share with you all.

 Want to learn more about Graphic 45 and May Arts? Here's some fun information about these two fantastic crafting companies! Graphic 45 an award-winning scrapbook and paper crafting company¬— owned and operated by a mother and her two daughters. Together we create vintage inspired crafting products that capture the flamboyant style of the 1920's and 30's - with vibrant color, irresistible texture and imaginative design to create products with decades-old appeal that's both fresh and familiar. Let our products inspire your next scrapbook layout, card, album, altered art project, or home decor DIY project. 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.

Each day one of the May arts design team members and Graphic 45 design team members will be posting projects using Graphic 45 and May arts ribbons. Please take the time to visit their blogs, I have made each name a link which will take you to their blog.  Please leave comments for each member. My project will be on my blog on Monday USA time.

Monday, December 12th

Lynette Carroll
My turn:Jane Tregenza
JackandCat Curio
Candy Rosenberg
Latrice Murphy

Tuesday, December 13th
Ellen Sosnoski
Laura Denison
Charlene Driggs
Melaine Forbes
Jen Shears

Wednesday, December 14th

Robin Shakoor
Yuka Hino
Jenifer Cowles

Gloria Stengel
Jingle

Thursday, December 15th
Jinky Kowalski
Sherry Cheever
Britta Swiderski
Hilde Janbroers
Karen Baker

Friday, December 16th

Tara Orr
Kimberly Jones
Nancy Wethington
Peggy Cain
Nicole Eccles
Vera Yates

Graphic 45 will be giving away two amazing bundles of Goodies, by leaving a comment on the DT Members Blogs you will go into the draw for one of the prizes. Remember the more comments you leave the greater your chance of winning. Leave a comment on Graphic 45's facebook page and go into the draw to win the second prize. I will also be giving away a different bundle of goodies, so be sure to leave a comment on my blog for a third chance to win.
thanks for looking
Jane