Crafting Tips with Graphic 45

I'll be at a retreat later this year and I've asked all the participants to swap a page for my mini with me.  Won't that be just so fun and I think I'll have the best mini ever with all that talent in one book from so many people!  I used  the Times Nouveau DCE for my cover and I think the image of the classy ladies is perfect.  I have a "thing" for all the G45 buttons so I've used that as part of my cover too.

I've recorded a video for you of how I made my cover and I'm sharing some inking tips.  I'll also show you how to make your cover more durable, line up your letters, and the easy way to glue metal embellishments so they stay where you want them.

I'll show you how to get your letters lined up straight in my video.

Graphic 45 Supplies:

Graphic 45 Times Nouveau DCE Collection

 Nature Sketchbook Mother Earth 12 x 12

Staples Rectangle Tag & Pocket Album - Ivory

Graphic 45 Button

Other Supplies:

Petaloo Botanica Blooms soft yellow

Petaloo Botanica Petites soft yellow

The Crafters Workshop Gel Medium

Faber Castell Big Brush Pens

Black Archival Ink

Thanks for visiting my blog today, I appreciate it!!

A Mother's Day card with Cheery Lynn Designs

Here's a pretty card for Mom with a hidden greeting that you could change for any occasion.  There's a tag hidden under the image that pulls out.  You can see the hidden tag in the next photo.  I've use some Maja Designs paper with bright white cardstock.  

I used a couple of layers of Maja Designs Enjoying the Outdoors paper along with the bright white cardstock.   The striped background layer was cut with French Flair Pierce And Cut Tool .  The I cut a layer with Quadrafoil Square Doily 2 Piece Die Set and tucked it in the top left corner.  Over top that, I layered an image from the design paper.  The little tag that I stamped my sentiment on is also from the design papers.

I used Cherry Blossom 2 Piece Die Set to make the flowers.  I just shapped them a little bit and stacked two layers together and topped with some fun pink bling.

I used Flourish #1 Die underneath the flowers to give the appearance of a vine winding its way up the side.

Cheery Lynn Designs dies used:

French Flair Pierce And Cut Tool - LG Silver Pierce Tool 6 Piece Die Set - LPC12

Quadrafoil Square Doily 2 Piece Die Set - DL314

Cherry Blossom 2 Piece Die Set - B129

Flourish #1 Die - CAFLRS1

Thanks for joining me today, I appreaciate it!

A Numbers Tag for the Frilly and Funkie Blog!

I am so thrilled to be guest designing for the Frilly and Funkie Challlenge Blog today!  I designed this tag for the current challenge,  "Count Me In" and for this challenge you need to use numbers to add that special 'sum-thing' to your vintage or shabby chic project. Well a numbers challenge is right up my alley because, before I retired, I was what is known as a number cruncher or a bean counter, LOL!! Yep, I am a retired CPA so I made my tag as a nod to my profession. The quote is fitting because after a long week at the office (especially during tax season) my art was my mental release and served to refocus my brain for the coming week.

I used the new Distress Oxide inks for the background of my tag.  Beleive it or not, the tag is acutally a black tag.  I love how the Oxide inks cover up dark colors!  Once I was satisfied with the effect of the Distress Oxides, I used a crackle stencil to add some additional texture and then gave the entire tag a spritz of Lindy's Starburst Mist - Tibetan Poppy Teal.  Those fun numbers were diecut with a Sizix Alterations die.

I layered on some design paper from Graphic 45's Typography collection and added an old piece of IRS newsprint behind the cut-apart that I popped up with a piece of cardboard.  I thought it needed something else, so I splashed it with black paint.  Finally, I like to add some "pretty" to my grunge so I popped on a couple of Petaloo blooms.

 All that was left to do, was tie a fun bow at the top and that's it!

Many thanks to everyone at the Frilly and Funkie Blog Challenge for inviting me to be a guest designer.  I really enjoyed making my project for this challenge.

Supplies List:

Graphic 45 Staples Large Tag - black
Graphic 45 Typography collection
Distress Oxide Ink - Broken China, Faded Jeans
Prima Crackle Stencil
Ranger Texture Paste Opaque Matte
Lindy's Tibetan Poppy Teal Starburst Mist
Black paint
Sizzix Alterations Stacked Artful Words die
Petaloo Mixed Textured Blossoms Teal
1 1/2" Black Gingham - Ribbon Really Reasonable Ribbon
1 1/2" Dark Teal Netting - Really Reasonable Ribbon

Thanks for stopping by my blog today, I sure do appreciate it and love to read your comments.

Cheery Lynn Designs and Distress Oxide Inks.

Hi there Cheery Lynn fans!  I have a spring treat for you today.  After those awful storms that roared through parts of the US, we need some spring!  My project today is a large (6.5" x 12") thickboard Etcetera tag.  Let me tell you, I had more fun with this project than anything I've done in a long time!

I wanted to showcase some of the pretty flowers you can make with Cherry Lynn dies AND I wanted to play with my new Distress Oxide inks and Alchemy Metallique Wax.  This is the result!  I started out with a stencil and white masking paste to create the textured quadrefoil design you see.  After that completely dried, I started playing around with the Oxides.  To achieve the effect you see here I used little finger tip sponges and sponged on different colors of ink and then I lightly misted the ink enough so the oxidation process was initiated but light enough so that the colors did not pool.  After that was dry, I applied aged brass wax all around the sides of the tag as well as random swipes over the tag.

The piece in the center is metal and came from a tin bucket that I altered a while ago.  I knew I'd use it sometime!  I've used two Cheery Lynn die-cuts underneath the center piece.  On the bottom is a Horizon Coved Rectangle Boutique Stacker Frame and on top of that is a Celtic Oval Boutique Stacker Frames.  I used some Stampendous aged teal embossing powder around the edges of the oval die-cut.

I inked all the flowers and leaves with Oxide Ink to get that soft faded look.  For the blue flowers and leaves, I used an ink color that was similar to the color of the cardstock.  for the orangish flowers, I started with yellow cardstock and applied both fossilized amber and spiced marmalade inks,. again only lightly misting.  The orange flowers are made with the Sweet Williams Dies and the blue, with the Floral Bouquet Kit 8 Piece Die Set.

I used Flourish #14 2 Piece Die Set and Flourish #4 Die  to diecut the leaves and greenery.  

This large flower was made with the Stacker Flower 5 Die  and I used the  Small- Heart Lollipop Fringe Cutie Die to make the flower's center.  I painted and ink a tiny canvas and mounted it and the flower onto the tag.

Instead of a traditional bow at the top, I opted to use a piece that I molded using air dry clay and a Baroque mold.  After it dried, I applied Alchemy Metallique aged brass wax as a coloring agent.  The small piece at the bottom near the largest flower was made the same way.

Cheery Lynn Designs dies used:

Horizon Coved Rectangle Boutique Stacker Frames Die - DL251

Celtic Oval Boutique Stacker Frames Die - DL258

Sweet Williams Die - D137

Floral Bouquet Kit 8 Piece Die Set - B777

Flourish #4 Die - CAFLRS4

Flourish #14 2 Piece Die Set - CAFLRS14

Stacker Flower 5 Die - SF5

Small- Heart Lollipop Fringe Cutie Die - B391

Other Supplies:

Tim Holtz Etcetera medium tag

Distress Oxide Ink

Prima Art Alchemy Metallique Aged Brass Wax

Prima IOD Baroque 3 mold

Air Dry Clay

Stampendous Aged Teal embossing enamel

Yellow, green, blue cardstock

3" square canvas

Prima Art Alchemy Opal Magic Violet Gold acrylic paint

A layout with Creative Embellishments

Last fall we visited the little town of Lynchburg, TN and made a stop at the Jack Daniels Distillery.  I have to say that is one of the best tours I've ever been on!  I love this photo of Dick and I on the front porch of a little country store in Lynchburg.

I embellished my layout with lots of chippies from Creative Embellishments. Their chipboard is sturdy and the cuts are just perfect. I used the together frame from the Together Frame Set to frame my photo.  I used white distress stain to lightly color the frame and then coated it with Ranger Crackle Accents.

In the corners I used Filigree Corner Set 1, also coated with Crackle Accents.

Under the flowers I cut up pieces of Flourish Set 10 and tucked them here and there.  My favorite way to color chipboard is to dab on Lindy's mists and I did that with these.

Creative Embellishments Chipboard used:

Together Frame Set

Filigree Corner Set 1

Flourish Set 10

Other Products Used:

Petaloo Darjeeling Anenomes, Rosettes, Hydrangeas - teastained spice

Maja Design Summertime collection

Prima resin lampost and bench

Be sure to stop by the Creative Embellishments store, I'm sure you'll find lots of pretty things that you need!  And remember to enter our challenge because you could win a $50 gift certificate, now that's sweet!

Thansk for stopping by my blog today, I sure appreciate it!

Happy St Patrick's Day from Petaloo!

They say that everyone is Irish on St Patrick's Day so top of the morning to you!!  I'll just share this Olde Irish Blessing with you that I think speaks to everyone, no matter your nationality or faith.

May love and laughter light your days,

and warm your heart and home.

May good and faithful friends be yours,

wherever you may roam.

May peace and plenty bless your world

with joy that long endures.

May all life's passing seasons

bring the best to you and yours!

I made some cute little "french fry" boxes that I've filled with yummy gold bars.  It's my prize from the end of the rainbow!  😊  You can easily make these.  Just google french fry box templates and you'll be sure to find a pattern you can use.  I happen to have a die from Cheery Lynn Designs that I used to cut these out which made the job a real quickie for me.

I cut my little boxes from Graphi 45 Children's Hour design paper and wrapped a band around the box and then topped that with some pretty Petaloo pansies.  Then I tucked in a St Patrick's Day greeting along with some chocolates and I've got a fun little party favor or treat to give my Irish friends.

I trimmed this box with a bit of Petaloo cotton lace and a beautiful Darjeeling dahlia.

Here you can see how the boxes look without the goodies tucked inside.  You can decorate them anyway you like and Petaloo has so many pretty blooms to help you out!

Petaloo Supplies:

Velvet Pansies x 15 Lav/Purp SKU: 1110-205
Dahlias x 10 Teastained Purple SKU: 1467-104
Mini Mix x 8 Teastained Greens SKU: 1462-107

Darjeeling Hydrangeas x 24 green SKU: 1493-107

Vintage Velvet Minis x 9 Purple SKU: RS1139-107/6

Other Supplies:

Graphic 45 Children's Hour collection

Cheery Lynn Designs - Scalloped Party Favor Box Die B275

Hersheys' Nuggets  (Yum!)

That's it for me today.  I hope you have the luck of the Irish today!

Maggi

Cheery Lynn IOE Embossing Folders & Plates Blog Hop

Welcome to the Cheery Lynn Designs March IOE Embossing Folders & Plates Blog Hop.  We are so excited to showcase these just released embossing folders and plates.

If you arrived from Amy's Blog you are on the right track. If not, head on back to the Cheery Lynn Designs Blog and start from the beginning so you don't miss seeing any of the design team's awesome IOE designs.

I used the IOE - Curls & Swirls Embossing Folder - IOEEF05 to emboss my card that I cut from Core'dinations cardstock and then lightly sanded the embossing so that it would really stand out. The matching plates, IOE - Rectangle IOE Plates - IOEPREC, are used to indicate which portion of the embossing plate you want to emboss. So from one embossing folder, you can make do many different combinations of embossing. With this folder, I could have just embossed the outer frame or just the inner frame. For my design, I decided to use both the inner and outer embossed frames.

Then I cut the center of the card out with the second smallest die from the A2 Frames Rectangular Scalloped 7 Piece Die Set. I used the two of the nested Coved Rectangle Stacker Nesting Dies to diecut the green patterned frame.

I made the flowers to resemble the flowers in the sentiment illustration using Judy's Blooms Die for the petals and Black Eyed Susan Strip for the floral centers.

The leaves were diecut with Flourish #14 and then colored with a bit of Lindy's mists.

Cheery Lynn Designs dies and embossing folders used:

IOE - Curls & Swirls Embossing Folder - IOEEF05

IOE - Rectangle IOE Plates - IOEPREC

Coved Rectangle-Classic LG Stackers Nesting Dies 6 Piece Die Set - XL10

Black Eyed Susan Strip 5 Piece Die Set - B338

Judy's Blooms Die - C184

Flourish #14 2 Piece Die Set - CAFLRS14

A2 Frames Rectangular Scalloped 7 Piece Die Set - CM6

Remember, there is a $20 Cheery Lynn gift certificate prize to be won by some lucky person! It is awarded randomly to a lucky commenter who answers one or more of the questions on the Cheery Lynn blog. So, be sure to follow the hop and leave a comment and answer the question(s) on the Cheery Lynn blog to be entered to win.

Your next stop on the blog hop is Cheryl's Blog so hop on over and see her fantastic creation!

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  Do leave a comment so I'll know you were here and remember to leave a comment on the Cheery Lynn blog for a chance to win.

Step Card with Graphic 45's Midnight Masquerade Collection

 I love step cards, I just think they look so pretty standing up the way they do!   I made this one for Graphic 45's display at Creativation and I kept it kind of simple as I had a lot of projects I wanted to do for Creativation.  I just used a cut-apart from Midnight Masquerade in the center and then added some strips from design paper.

 Inside the card, I added a journaling cut-apart and again, used strips from design paper on either side of the cut-apart.

Here's a view from the side where you can really see the "step".   Wouldn't this be pretty displayed somewhere?

I used a lacy Cheery Lynn diecut behind the cut apart.  It adds a festive look to the card especially with the fussy cut mask and flower in the front of it.

 Sometimes, simple is good and it can be a bold statement.  Don't be afraid to use an image like a cut-apart  as the focal point of your card.  Embellish the cut-apart with a flower or trim and it will look great.  I am guilty of over thinking my projects, and I have a tendency to keep piling on the "stuff", then I say to myself, "Maggi, simple is good, leave it alone!"

Graphic 45 Supplies:         

Graphic 45 Midnight Masquerade Collection 12 x 12:

Midnight Masquerade

Savor the Magic

Irresistable Intrique

Other Supplies:

Cardstock Core'dinations Bon Voyage

Petaloo Botanica Blooms - Lavender 

Petaloo Hydrangeas - lavender

Italian Flourish Doily Die - DL103

Thank you so much for visiting me today!  Stop byt the Graphic 45 blog everyday to see fabulous projects and ideas from our design team.

Easel card with a twist for Cheery Lynn Designs

Easel cards make such great display pieces and I decided to add a little twist to this one by giving the easel part a different shape.  I used a Cheery Lynn Designs die, Pierced Stacker 3 6 Piece Die Set , and diecut two pieces and used them to form my easel.  I love how it looks at the bottom propped against the button revealing the interior of the card.

Then I topped the pierced stacker with a French Pastry Doily diecut that served to frame my lovely chipboard piece from Graphic 45's Portrait of a Lady collection.  I added a pretty flower made with a flower diecut from the Bohemian Collection - Indie Bouquet - 6 Die Set .

I used a chipboard button from the Portrait of a Lady collection to create a stop for the easel.  Underneath the button I used paper layers and a pretty trim diecut with the Lady Kate Edger Die .

At the top left I made a little floral cluster with flowers cut again using the Bohemian Collection - Indie Bouquet - 6 Die Set and leaves using the Flourish Leaf Strip 5 Piece Die Set.  I just got this Flourish Leaf Strip die, it's already a favorite as it adds the perfect finishing touch to my floral clusters.

Cheery Lynn Designs dies used:

French Pastry Doily Die - DL102

Lady Kate Edger Die - B278 

Pierced Stacker 3 6 Piece Die Set - XL21

Bohemian Collection - Indie Bouquet - 6 Die Set - B874

Flourish Leaf Strip 5 Piece Die Set - B178

Other Supplies:

Graphic 45 Portrait of a Lady Collection

That's it for me today, thanks for stopping by.

Midnigh Masquerade mask

What better use for the bold new Midnight Masquerade collection than a Mardi Gras mask that I got in Louisiana a couple years ago?   I started with a 12 x 12 canvas and, using the reverse side, I covered it all with design paper.  That made a nice frame for my mask.

To make the mask, I tore up little pieces of paper and applied using matte medium. This was not difficult, but it does take some time and patience!

After the mask dried I diecut some flourishes that I thought would add color and design to the mask, again using matte medium as my glue. After the mask dried overnight, I added rhinestones and Stickles to glam it up.

Tips:

Because Graphic 45's paper is such a nice weight, you need to use small paper pieces, when covering the mask, in order to get the paper to mold around the curves of the mask.

I didn't like the stark white paper tear lines showing on my mask. There are two ways to deal with that.  1) You could ink the paper pieces before applying but that took more time than I had to give, so, I went with option 2) I inked over the mask after the matte medium had dried.

I added some handmade flowers and fussy cut piece in the corner to finish it off.  I stickled the flowers to add to the sparkle of the project.

Graphic 45 Supplies:

Graphic 45 Midnight Masquerade Collection 12 x 12:

Moonlight Mystery

Venetian Carnival

Irresistible Intrigue

Savor the Magic

Romantic Rendezvous

Other Supplies:

12" x 12" canvas

3D Mardi Gras Mask

Matte Medium

Rhinestones - purple and lavender

Stickles - purple and icicle

Sizzix Alterations Tattered Florals Die

Cheery Lynn Designs - Victorian Romance Flourish Die, Manon's Wedding Garland Die,

    Flourish #7 Die, Fleur De Lis Accent Set 4 Piece Die Set

A fairy tag with Creative Embellishments

I've combined some of my favorite things on this tag like Creative Embellishments fairies and one of my favorite circle frames.  Then, toss in some Graphic 45 Secret Garden papers and Petaloo blooms, doesn't get much better!

First I painted the fairies with white gesso and then I used Stickles to give them lots of sparkle.  You know fairies sparkle!!

The circle frame is heat embossed with Stampendous aged ivory embossing enamel.  Then I added some glue here and there and  sprinkled some blue grit over the glue just for some fun accents.

I finished it off with beautiful flowers from Petaloo's  Penny Lane collection.

Creative Embellishments Chipboard Used:

Viney Flourish Frame

Sitting Fairies

Tiny Fairies

Other:

Graphic 45 Secret Garden Collection

Petaloo Penny Lane flowers

Thank you for popping by!!  Be sure to enter the Creative Embellishments monthly challenge, you might win a $50 gift certificate!  Details here.

The Frillie and Funkie challenge blog is having a Welcome Spring challenge and I thought this would be a fun tag to enter. Check out the The Funkie Junkie Boutique, they've got some great "stuff" to buy at great prices!  Read all about the challenge here.