Graphic 45 Design Team 2012 Audition

I have always loved crafting with a passion and although I've mainly used my blog to share my card making, this year I've set myself a New Year's resolution to share more of the other crafty things I get up to - Scrapbooking and Altered Art. I follow the new releases of Graphic 45 religiously and just can't help treating myself to their lovely goodies so I thought I'd share some of my projects and audition for the their 2012 Design Team. There is definitely some stiff competition out there but I hope what you see inspires you to step out of your comfort zone and try something new... and for anyone who lives in the UK where Graphic 45 products can sometimes be a little tricky to find - I hope you like what you see and request their papers and Staples at your local craft shop so that you can have a go too!

Communique Mini
First up is a mini album I made using the Communique line. Last year I was lucky enough to have my first book launch so these 'writerly' themed papers make the perfect choice for my pictures.


























I finished off the back of the mini with the same type of collage style design as the front and added a layer of Matte medium to seal it.











Once Upon a Springtime Card
For this little card I decided to do something different and made a feature of one of the Once Upon a Springtime tags by adding it to three dominoes, filing and inking the edges before adding a gold edge and Glossy Accent domed top. I then created a frame effect with the papers to make this a pretty little card.














Shadow Box
I have always fancied having a go at creating a shadow box and when I picked up this house shaped one I thought it would be ideal to use with the Domestic Goddess line. Believe it or not I had only been able to buy three papers from this collection so my challenge was to decorate the house using only those. I think this just goes to show the versatility of these double sided papers and how well each pattern complements the others.This was a project for the 'frugal scrapper' ha! ha! and surprisingly I even have some elements left over from which I could create a couple of cards! Plus there is still plenty of room to add more household trinkets and charms as I find them.











Party Bag and Ornament
I love the vibrancy and busyness of the Le Cirque papers. Here I created a party bag decorated with flowers made from the scraps and an ornament made from cones of the papers and embellished with some of the fab imagery from the main sheet. As with the majority of Graphic 45 papers they work brilliantly with black or Kraft cardstock.





















Cherish Layout
I am just about as passionate about researching my family history as I am about crafting and love the fact that with scrapbooking I can combine the two. This layout is of my 92 year gran when she was in her late teens. I think she looks really beautiful in this shot. The papers used are from a number of Graphic 45 collections and I'm always amazed at how well they all marry together.













Tropical Birdhouse
You cannot fail to love the juicy colours of the Tropical Travelogue papers and when I was browsing in the discount shop in January I came across this wooden birdhouse decorated with snowmen, winter birds and a snowy scene. After a paint makeover I transformed it into the summer residence of tropical birds, fussy cutting from the papers and adding gems and glitter highlights.












Christmas Ornament
Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without handmade decorations and this is a simple one I created using the Christmas Emporium papers, folding a length to create a rosette, punching it with my Martha Stewart punch and adding an image and sentiment, die cut matt, punched flowers, gems and ribbon.












Christmas Past Picture
I'm addicted to fussy cutting - love it - and to be honest you need to be for the next project. Each of Graphic 45's collections has an amazing main image on one of the papers which always has lots going on and interest to draw your eye. By using six sheets of the Visions of Sugarplums paper from the Christmas Past collection I created my own decoupage frame and on each layer cutaway more and more of the image to make a deep frame picture. It is best to use silicone glue rather than foam pads to mount the layers but if you enjoy getting fiddly then this is the project for you and you can use any of the main images in this way depending on which is your favourite collection! I've tried to take photos that show the layers and once you've created something like this you can bring it out year after year.























Photo Box
This little photo box was from our local discount shop, painted white with a mirrored front and silver handbag embellishments. The lid lifts off to reveal plastic wallets for over thirty photos and you can choose which one to display in the front. I wanted to alter this for a relative who likes vintage colours but does not like too many silk/paper flower embellishments. After painting the box in antique gold, I covered each panel with distressed patterned papers mainly from the Le Romantique line. I created a frame around the apperture, added pearls, just one section of decoupaged flowers and a series of Glossy Accented butterflies. I left the lid simply papered so that it did not detract from the displayed photos.














Tag Trio
I love making tags and trying out different techniques on them. This trio was created on backgrounds embossed with my Cuttlebug folders and spritzed with Cosmic Shimmers and Glimmer Mists. I decorated them with papers from the ABC Primer, On the Broadwalk and Curtain Call collections. You can really go to town with gems, ribbons, charms, flowers and braid to embellish them.












Celebration Cards
Finally, here is a card I made as an anniversary card using the Le Romantique collection. Soft peach card embossed on my embossing board and studded with gems were ideal for celebrating these wedding milestones.














Thank you to Graphic 45 for giving us all this chance to audition for their Design Team, for the lovely collections we can buy to create with and to those who visit my blog - I hope you feel a little inspired!

Best wishes Karen x

Guest Designer A Trip Down Memory Lane Part 3

Hi Everyone!
Back again with the final post of images from my Guest Designer spot at A Trip Down Memory Lane. Sorry about the delay - there doesn't seem to have been a spare moment these last four days!
Anyway, first up is a layout featuring my Great Grandmother's sister and her family who emigrated to America in the early 1900s. This design paper was perfect for their story as they moved from Pennsylvania by train to California where they settled. The added sparkle of the glitter papers created beautiful highlights and made them lovely to work with.

The second layout is of my Nana. This colour tinted photo was taken of her in her early Twenties. I used Kraft cardstock as my base and wrote my journalling as a border in white pen down both sides of the layout.

Thanks for looking and I'll be back soon with more creations that I've been working on.
Best wishes
Karen x

Guest Designer - A Trip Down Memory Lane Part 2

Morning All
Back again with two more projects from my Guest spot at A Trip Down Memory Lane. I forgot to mention yesterday that the papers we were given to work with were My Minds Eye Lost and Found 2. The quality of the papers is fab - really heavy weight, the designs are beautiful and the addition of glitter that stays on the card is a real bonus! You can find this collection on the ATDML website.
Today I've got a little note card to show you using Kraft card, an image off one of the papers and a decorated transparency. The addition of some Pearl Pen and a stamped sentiment are all that is needed.

The second is a layout featuring my grandparents. I love this pic of them and my gran - now 92 - looks fab here when this was taken just a couple of years ago! Martha Stewart punches and inked Prima flowers have been used for decoration.


Anyway, thanks again for looking and for ATDML for giving me the opportunity.I'll be back tomorrow with my final two projects.
Best wishes
Karen x

Guest Designer - A Trip Down Memory Lane

Hi All
Back again with another post. Last month I was kindly asked by the fabby scrapbook shop 'A Trip Down Memory Lane' to be one of their Guest Designers for Feb so I thought over the next few posts I would share some of the layouts and cards that I made. Hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed making them.
Why not pop over to the online shop and have a nosey around - they have lots of lovely goodies and I guarantee you'll be tempted to treat yourself!
Anyway, first up is a layout of my husband and I taken out and about one evening when we visited Jersey a few years ago. I love this picture and it always reminds me of the lovely break we had there.


Next is a really simple card created from one element on one of the scrapbook papers - embellished with a flower, ribbon and layered onto co-ordinated cardstock - this makes an easy last minute card.

Thanks for looking - I'll be back tomorrow with some more creations.
Best wishes
Karen x

Wedding Mice (HMFMC113)

Hi All!
Over on the House Mouse and Friends Monday Challenge blog the task this fortnight is to create a card which 'Makes Wishes Come True'. I chose to use a decoupage image of two little mice getting married - great for a wedding card where our thoughts are for the bride and groom's wishes of a happy future to come true!
I used my Martha Stewart punch to give a lacey border, added silver ribbon, a mini floral bouquet and some pearl pen embellishment to create this little card.
The faces on these little mice do make me laugh as I'm not actually too sure whether they're happy to get hitched or are stunned that they are now married ha! ha!
Hope you enjoy my card. Pop over to the House Mouse blog and join in the challenge where there are some really lovely prizes on offer.
Thanks for looking.
Best wishes
Karen x

School Days

Hi All!
Today I'd like to share a layout that I've done for the latest Bo Bunny Friday Layout Challenge. This week the task was to add journalling and either real or faux stitching.
I love preserving my old photos so reprinted this one of my lovely late mum and her brother and sister and teamed it with the vibrant Learning Curve papers. I think the versatility of this line is that you don't just have to use it with our pics of kids today - they will work just as well with images from the past. I cut the main circle using a dinner plate with a smaller circle layered on top. To make the scallops I punched lots of one inch circles, inked them with Walnut Stain Distress ink and stuck them around the edge - I think this technique is really effective.
The outside border is punched with a Martha Stewart Cherish punch with faux stitching added between the punched holes. All our family have always loved reading, writing and being creative so the accompanying stickers and images are very apt. One of the papers features an old library card so I folded this in half, inked the edges and used it as a secret journalling panel by popping my photo onto foam tape and creating a little pocket underneath.
The journalling reads:
This photo was taken circa 1950 and is of my mum Janet, my Auntie Margaret and my Uncle David. They attended Barrow School. I love the way my Mum and Auntie are dressed in their tartan skirts. My cousin and I also wore similar kilts when we were younger and now my cousin's little three year old is wearing cute little kilts too! They are so timeless and a tradition set for us by my Scottish gran. As I look at this photo I can see how alike we cousins are to our respective parents. A real moment in time and a fab piece of our history!
Anyway, hope you like this layout as much as I enjoyed creating it.
Bye for now
Karen x

Chillin' Mouse

Hi Everyone!
Today I'd like to share another House Mouse card. With the cold weather upon us all I can think about is that summer is (maybe) around the corner and we've got sunnier, warmer weather to come! So this little mouse, chilling out under his parasol is perfect. I tried to use some masculine coloured papers from We R Memory Keepers so that I can add the card to my little stash of cards for men but it will equally go as a female birthday card too. I coloured the image with Promarkers, added some lovely metallic ribbon and matching bronze pearl pen along a punched Martha Stewart border before finishing with a little oval sentiment from Craftwork Cards. Over at Papertake Weekly they have an Anything Goes challenge whilst at the Allsorts Challenge the task is Free and Easy February so I'd like to enter my card in both.
Hope you like it.
Back soon
Karen x

Dancing Hedgies

Evening Everyone!
Wow! It sure is chilly this evening - winter is definitely here! Just thought I'd show you my latest entry for the Penny Black Saturday Challenge which this week is 'Floral Frenzy' where you have to show flowers somewhere on your image or layout. I had this fab image of three ballet dancing hedgehogs and teamed them up with some pretty pink cardstock which is covered in a spray of little white flowers. I was hoping for a Spring like look but with this cold weather perhaps a snow scene would have been more apt!
Anyway, I layered the Promarkered hedgies up on a gold matt punched with a lovely Martha Stewart punch, added Stickles to their tutu's and a little pretty sentiment. I made this card for a friend who likes simple layouts with no fuss so I avoided flowers and bling and quite like this 'non fussy' style for a change.
Over at Simon Says Stamp this week the challenge is Animal Antics so I hope to enter this card there too. Why not head over to both challenge sites and join in to win some really lovely prizes!
Thanks for looking. Keep warm and I'll be back soon with more creations.
Best wishes
Karen x