Graphic 45 Raining Cats & Dogs Book & Case

 When I got this great new paper by Graphic 45 I knew I wanted to make an accordion book and case for it.  I painted the edges of the case and book black before I adhered anything.  

Above is the front side of the case.

Here is the other side of the case.  The image is just part of one piece of 12 x 12 paper and a little die cut cat in the corner.  The case measures about 5 x 7.

 

I glued a ribbon across the front of the book leaving the ribbon hanging over the sides.  This way you just wrap the ribbon around the back of the book and tie on one side.  

This picture is the front of the book.

 

Here is the back of the book and I untied the ribbon so you could see the whole page.

 

On to the pages.....there are LOTS since I decorated the front and back of the book.

 

more pages....

 

I used the Banner and Tags plus the Journaling Cards to decorate the pages.

 

The black mat tucked behind the picture sides out and a photo or journaling can be adhered to it.

 

The strip of stamps is a pocket.  This black mat also pulls out.  

So, there is lots of room for pictures of Cat & Dogs!

• Graphic 45 - Raining Cats & Dogs supplies: 12 x 12 paper, Journaling Cards, Banners & Tags, Flowers
• Paper: Neenah - Black Linen
• Dies: Anna Griffin - Flourish Scroll, Impression Obsession - Cats
• Ribbon: May Arts
• Ink: Cat's Eye - Blackbird Chalk Ink
• Other: Mini Perfect Layers, Creative Imaginations Case & Book (no longer available)

Graphic 45 - Good ol' Sport Mini Book

Finally!  Memorial Day weekend is here!  It's a long wait for a Monday holiday after MLK day!  I will be gardening in my yard and probably power washing something.  I hope to continue designing some Graphic 45 By the Sea cards for my next class.

I made another mini book using Susan Lui's tutorial found HERE.  Remember to decorate the inside pages before adding your cover.  The pages will open flat before the cover is added.

I just love the images in Good ol' Sport!  Easy to fussy cut and lots of pictures with straight edges for even easier cutting.

My back cover was as fun to decorate as the front.  The Banners and Tags go great with this size book.  The scale is just right so I used lots of them.  Finished size is 4 x 3.

Have a GREAT long weekend everyone!

• Stamps: none
• Ink: Cat's Eye - Blackbird Chalk Ink
• Paper: Graphic 45 - Good ole Sport: 12 x 12, 8 x 8 and 6 x 6
• Other: Graphic 45 - Good ole Sport: Banners and Tags, twine, misc button

Botanical Tea card & mini book

Today I have a card and a mini book to show you that I made with Graphic 45 Botanical Tea paper.  My card started with the big, beautiful postcard stamp from Just Rite.  I stamped it several times on patterned paper.  I airbrushed the actual postcard and added the popped leaves, flowers and butterfly on top.

I layered my card with a die cut and several layers of paper for a good foundation.  I've also colored this image with Copics for a simpler card.  I just LOVE it!

 

I almost always make a mini book when the new Graphic 45 collections come out.  I couldn't resist with Botanical Tea!  There are so many good images to fussy cut!  

My mini measures 4 x 3.

It's easy to decorate the inside pages with tags and other fussy cut flowers and butterflies! Tip: Decorate your inside pages before adding the cover to your mini book.  The pages will lay flat and after you add your cover, they won't.

 

My back cover is a great place to put the small pictures from the 8 x 8 paper pad.

I had so much fun putting this together!

• Stamps: Just Rite - Rose Postcard
• Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black, Cat's Eye - Chestnut Roan Chalk Ink
• Paper: Graphic 45 - Botanical Tea 12 x 12, 8 x 8, 6 x 6, black and kraft cardstock
• Other: Graphic 45 - Botanical Tea - Tags & Pockets & Chipboard, foam tape, ABS, Copics, misc ribbon & twine

Graphic 45 Design Team 2013 Audition

As most of you know I'm crazy about Graphic 45 Papers, Staples and embellishments!  So, I'm auditioning for the 2013 Design Team.  This LONG post shows some of my projects for Round 1 of the audition. 

First up is a Birdsong project I designed and taught last year.  It uses Graphic 45's 5 x 8 Kraft Altered Box, an 8 x 8 Birdsong pad and the Birdsong Chipboard tags.  Here is the front of the box adorned with Spellbinders die cuts.

 Both flaps are open here.

 The accordion album front is shown here.  The flower is a chipboard tag.

 Page 2. There is lots of room for pictures and journaling on each page.

 Page 3.

  Page 4.

 

Page 5.

 

  Page 6. 

  Page 7.

   Page 8.

One of my favorite projects is this book trio and box using Olde Curiosity Shoppe, Tropical Travelogue and A Ladies' Diary. I built the box from chipboard and painted the edges before decorating it with papers.

 Here is the front cover of each book.

 And the back covers.

 

Recently I taught the first class in a series of four with the Place in Time papers at my local stamp store.  We made 6 cards with the January, February and March Cut-Apart sheets.  I am teaching the second series now.  Here are three of the six cards in the first series.

When A Ladies' Diary came out I just knew I had to make a scrapbook with it. I took an American Crafts binder and decorated it.  Inside are chipboard pages as well as 6x6 plastic insert pages.

This is the backside of the binder.

This is the inside of the front binder cover. 

And the inside pages....

 Many of the pages have pockets for pictures and journal tags.

I think this is my first and favorite card I made with the Birdsong paper.  Unlike most people I really enjoy fussy cutting even when it involves a craft knife!

 

 

Next up is a calendar I made with the 8 x 8 Place in Time pad and the 8 x 8 Easel Album.  I created a kit with detailed instructions so people could make their own.

 

 I have access to lots of cigar boxes and when I got the wonderful Kraft Reflections paper I thought they would be a perfect match!  Here is the top of the box.  I used lots of G45's chipboard tags and paper flowers.

Here is the inside of the lid.  I added pictures cut from the Olde Curiosity Shoppe line.

 This is the inside of the box.  More OCS pictures and stickers.....I must have cut out at least 100 of those fabulous butterflies!! 

Top corner with some fun brads as flower centers and an orange butterfly for a pop of color.

The lower right corner has a glass knob and some metal embellishments.  I was so glad that Graphic 45 came out with their metal keys and keyholes after I made this box!

 
Last year I taught a Happy Haunting Accordion Book class at my local stamp store. It has 2 sides and 5 different panels along with front and back covers.  It is 4 1/4" square and is the perfect size for G45's 8x8 paper pad!

 

 Below is a 3-D spider I made using the honeycomb technique.

 I love that Graphic 45 has matching stamps to go with their paper lines!  The Halloween and postmark images are stamped in black ink to stand out.

 

Here is the back cover which is simply decorated with a picture and some stickers.

 Like everyone else, I went nuts for the new French Country line!  I bought everything offered and have been having so much fun working with it.  I love stamping on the blank tags and list images.

 My final projects are books I made with the new French Country and Secret Garden papers.  I used the Coptic Stitch technique to hold them together and each signature is surrounded by 2 picture panels from the A La Carte and May Flowers paper.

 Back cover adorned with fussy cut sunflowers.

 A little wood swirl painted white adorns the cover.  
It reminds me of a garden gate!

 Here is the inside of the front cover.  The birdcage picture is the cover for the first signature.

I used a peach butterfly die cut on the back cover to pick up the colors of the flowers in the picture.  The book measures 6 1/4" by 4 1/4".  I designed the cover size around the size of the signature pictures.

Wish me luck with the Design Team audition!!