Eileen Hull's new Notebook Die Paired with Graphic 45's new Kaleidoscope Collection

The New Notebook Die

Eileen has done it again with this fun new Notebook Die!  What I love best about this die is that it makes the cutest little book that fits inside the Treasure Box.  

The books measure 3 3/4" x 5" and you can fit 3 of these inside the Treasure Box.

Inside the Books

Rather than making the typical signature booklets that are bound inside the Notebook with elastic bands, I decided to do things a little differently.

I cut papers and layered them together and adhered to the inner spine to make my inside.  I cut 3 pages from Graphic 45's Kaleidoscope Collection as follows:

7 1/2"  x 4 3/4"  score at 3 1/2" and 4".  This is the bottom page.
7 1/8" x 4 3/4", score at 3 3/8" and 3 3/4".  This is the middle page.
6 3/4" x 4 3/4", score at 3 1/4" and 3 1/2".  This is the top page.

After scoring, fold on the score lines and then turn over and apply scor-tape to the narrow scored section as in the photo below.  (The white strip is scor-tape)  I used 3/8", 1/4" and 1/8" scor-tape.

To assemble, adhere the 3/8" scored section of the middle page to the 1/2" scored section of the bottom page, centering.  Then, adhere the 1/4" scored section of the top page to the 3/8" scored section of the middle page, forming a booklet.

After assembling the pages, remove the 3/8" scor-tape from the back of the bottom piece and adhere to the inner spine of the notebook.  When completed it should look like this.  The pages fit nicely inside of each other.

The Treasure Box

Now that we've made 3 little books, it's time to make a Treasure Box to hold them.  I made this with Eileen Hull's Treasure Box Die by Sizzix that came out in January.

I used Graphic 45's Kaleidoscope collection and Little Birdie flowers.  I can't help myself, I have to put flowers on everything!

Making a Hinge for the Treasure Box

The Treasure Box die comes with two hinges and a handle but I wanted to make a different hinge system.    I cut a piece of Tim Holtz Substrate Sheet 4 3/4" x 2" and score lengthwise at 1".  Use the hinge to attach the lid to the body of the treasure chest.  I first glued the hinge to the body of the box and then folded the hinge over the edge of my table and attached to the lid.  I also used glue to adhere the lid so that I would have a little time to manipulate the lid and have it perfectly seated on the body of the chest.

Here are the 3 Notebooks and the Treasure Chest pictured all together.

Eileen Hull by Sizzix Dies

Sizzix Scoreboard Die _ Notebook
Sizzix Scoreboard Die - Treasure Chest

Spring is in Full Bloom at The Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog.

I'm hosting the new challenge at the Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog this time around. And guess what?  Yep, It's time to kick Old Man Winter out and extend a warn welcome to my favorite time of the year, Spring! Here in the south the trees and shrubs are all blooming and showing their splendor. Many are busy planting their vegetable gardens. The migrating birds have returned to build nests and raise a new family. Your challenge is to create a vintage or shabby chic project that illustrates the magic of spring in bloom!

My Take on the Challenge

I'm back to my layout roots.  If you follow my blog, you know that I like to get funkie with bright colors sometimes and I like to dabble in mixed media.  But really, what I love most of all is making a pretty layout with lots of flowers and a great photo and that's exactly what I've done to illustrate today's challenge.  The photo was taken out in the Caribbean somewhere while on a cruise with my best scrappy pals.

I've embossed my title word and the flourishes under the flowers with Seth Apter's Blizzard Baked Texture Embossing Powder.  I love the textured and multicolor look of Seth's Baked Textures!  The Funkie Junkie Boutique has a great selection of Seth's embossing powders too.

The word and flourishes are Creative Embellishments chipboard; they look so pretty peeking out from underneath my spring flowers.

These gorgeous blooms are from Little Birdie, and they are so exquisite, especially combined with Graphic 45's new release Bloom.  Bloom papers, Little Birdie flowers, what else would you need to make a delightful blooming spring layout?!

 YOu can find Little Birdie flowers at AC Moore Arts and Crafts!

How to Enter the Challenge

Create a vintage or shabby chic project  and link it up to the Frilly and Funkie Challenge, Spring is in Full Bloom. The Design Team will choose their top four picks, with the winner being invited to be a guest designer in one of our Frillie and Funkie challenges. The other three winners will receive Top 3 badges to display on their blogs. Everyone who enters and follows the rules will be entered into a draw to have the chance to win a $25 spending spree at The Funkie Junkie Boutique.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  Be sure to take a look at the creations of my talented teammates, you can see their creations here, at the Frillie and Funkie Blog.

Supplies from The Funkie Junkie Boutique

Graphic 45 Bloom Collection - 12 x 12 Paper Pad

Graphic 45 Bloom Collection - Tags and Pockets

Graphic 45 Bloom Collection  - Patterns and Solids

Distress Oxide Ink - Broken China

Distress Oxide Ink - Seedless Preserves

Distress Oxide Ink - Forest Moss

Seth Apter Baked Texture - Blizzard

Ranger Embossing Ink

The Colorful World of Dyan Reaveley

Join me over on the Frilly and Funkie Blog where I'll share with you my newest crazy tags and the techniques I used to create them. 

New Love Notes from Graphic 45

A New Collection to Love!

Oh my, Graphic 45 has done it again as their new Love Notes Collection has me swooning! This collection encompasses my favorite colors to work with, reds, pink, black, and ivory.  Perfection on the page, seriously!! With Valentine's Day just around the corner, this collection is a no brainer, it's perfect for the day. But even better, it's not limited to Valentines, it's a great collection for scrapping musical memories, weddings, (the blacks in the collection lend themselves easily to a masculine vibe), well, I think I could just about scrap any occasion with this collection!

Beauty in the Box

January is always exciting as its when designers get called to make show samples. Consequently, we get to see and use new products before they are released to the general public.  Now those are some fun secrets to keep!

I love to alter boxes (I am a self-admitted box hoarder, I have an entire closet devoted to empty boxes!) so I decided to alter a  kraft Staples Regular Book Box.  I fussy cut some elements from the design paper and popped them up with dimensional foam and used Graphic 45's new Staples Rose Bouquet flowers to give my cover lots of dimension and wow power!  Those roses are swoon worthy and are the perfect accompaniment for these papers!

Every good box should contain a great surprise, right?  Well then, this box does not disappoint as it holds a custom made mini album that perfectly fits in the box.

The Mini Album
The base mini is made from chipboard and black cardstock and has 7 pages, each of which is a pocket page with a pull out insert.  That gives you lots of room for photos and journaling.   I kept the cover fairly simple and not too dimensional so that it would fit nicely in the book box.

I used a closure that wraps to the back of the mini and has hidden magnets to hold it closed.

I've recorded a video flip through of the mini and box so that you can see each page.

Tip: I find it much easier to complete each page of the mini before placing on the hinge in the mini.

Graphic 45 Supplies:

Graphic 45 Love Notes Collection 12 x 12

Graphic 45 Love Notes Solids and Patterns 12 x 12

Staples Regular Book Box - Kraft

Staples Regular Tag & Gears Die

Staples Rose Bouquet Collection—Triumphant Red

Staples Antique Brass Door Knockers

Staples Decades Ink - Triumphant Red

Other Supplies:

Chipboard

Black Cardstock

May Arts 7/8" Woven Ivory Checkered Ribbon

Thanks for popping by!

Recycle Challenge at Frilly and Funkie - A Gift Bag

Challenge Theme

We honor Mother Earth with Earth Day on April 22 and so with that in mind our challenge this time around is all about re-purposing, re-using and recycling.  Kathy is our hostess and she is challenging us to:  "Honor the day with a vintage or shabby chic project that includes an item that would normally land in the recycle or trash bin. You can use an old jar, glass bottle, packaging material or other bits and bobs to create your upcycled masterpiece. Be sure to tell us in your post what your recycled item is and how you used it, as it may not be apparent in a photo."

My Take on the Challenge

Who doesn't need the occasional gift bag?  I seem to always be looking and never finding one. Now I'm a wee bit ahead of that game with a product bag that I've turned into a pretty gift bag perfect for Mother's Day or any occasion.

I used Graphic 45's new Bloom Collection to re-purpose my product bag.  The Funkie Junkie Boutique carries all the Graphic 45 collections so be sure to take a look at all the new collections.

Bloom is so colorful and  feminine, just perfect for Mother's day gifts.

Some of my favorite embellishments are Graphic 45's tags and ephemera cards.  The tags come in several sizes and are sturdy enough to hold up for any application.  They are made from a sturdy cardstock with a grommeted hole.   

I made a pretty pocket using an ephemera card and left an opening for a decorated tag that makes a perfect place for writing a personal message.  I used Graphic 45's regular sized die to cut the paper covering the tag.

The roses I used are very much like the gorgeous roses from Graphic 45.  These are from Little Birdie and are just a slightly different shade from the Graphic 45 roses.  The butterfly is a silver tone butterfly that I colored with alcohol ink.

 A pretty bow on the handle add that extra special touch!

The other side of the bag is also embellished with Tags and Pockets from the Bloom Collection and those pretty roses.

 Pull out the tag and you can write another hidden message.

How to Enter the Challenge

Create a vintage or shabby chic project  and link it up to the Frilly and Funkie Challenge, Re-purpose, Re-use, Recycle. The Design Team will choose their top four picks, with the winner being invited to be a guest designer in one of our Frillie and Funkie challenges. The other three winners will receive Top 3 badges to display on their blogs. Everyone who enters and follows the rules will be entered into a draw to have the chance to win a $25 spending spree at The Funkie Junkie Boutique.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  Be sure to take a look at the creations of my talented teammates, you can see their creations here, at the Frillie and Funkie Blog.

Supplies Available from The Funkie Junkie Boutique

Graphic 45 - Bloom - 12x12" Paper Pad

Graphic 45 - Bloom - 12x12" Patterns and Solids Pad

Graphic 45 - Bloom - Tags and Pockets

Graphic 45 - Regular Tag Album - Kraft

Graphic 45 - Ephemera Cards

Graphic 45 - Staples - Regular Tag and Gears Dies

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Pad - Seedless Preserves, Bundled Sage

4 Piece Silver Tone Butterfly Set Filigree Metals for Scrapbooking and Mixed Media

Burlap String - 12 Colors

Ranger Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink - Wild Plum