Double Paper Bag Page Mini Album

First off I would like to congratulate everyone that make the finalists for the Graphic 45 design team call.  What an incredible opportunity for those who made it, and I can not wait to see what they come up with for their finalist projects.   I wasn't one of the finalists this year, but there is always a chance to try again next year.    I do appreciate the opportunity to try.  It was FUN!

Now, for my project to share with you today.  My new recipe album!

Here is an album I created with a new way to join paper bags.  It turned out to be a "mega album" in that it is HUGE!

This is a stash buster project also.  I was able to use a lots of recipe themed papers and cards from my stash.

 I have a video of it on my YouTube channel.  

Thanks for looking.

Stay crafty, my friends!

Graphic 45 Design Team 2014 Audition

Good afternoon, everyone.  This is going to be a very special post today, as I am so excited to announce that I am auditioning for the Graphic 45 Design Team for 2014!  It would be such an honor to be chosen for the design team, something that I would absolutely love to be a part of.

The projects that I wish to be viewed for consideration in this first stage of the audition are the following.  They are projects that are my own designs.  They range from a card, to mini albums, to decor pieces.  A brief description and a links to the original blog posts will accompany each project.  Some of them also have videos and/or tutorials that I have done.  OK, here we go!!!

First up is this card that I made for a friend of mine for her 50th birthday.  I wanted it to be classy and elegant, and the "Ladies Diary" collection was perfect for this.

This project was made for a "Save the Date" calendar challenge with the craft group "Just a Few Friends".  It was a small group of my crafty internet friends that just liked to craft together.  I created this perpetual calendar that hangs on my craft room door.  "Kraft Reflections" Graphic 45 paper suited this project perfectly.  The link also includes a tutorial on how to make the calendar "sticks".

This is my "Tall Skinny Mini" album.  This album used the "Old Curiosity Shop" papers  by Graphic 45.  I loved how this came out.  It stands 12" tall by 6" wide and incorporates 10 different pages styles.

The blog post has a lot of pictures of the different pages, and I did an extensive tutorial series on YouTube for this album.  

 This project was so much fun!  It is part decor project, part mini album.  I created it for the "Just a Few Friends" blog hop called "Strut Your Style".  I recycled a box from work and created this fun piece with lots of interaction.

It includes pockets, tags, drawers, and mini album within the project.  The "Old Curiosity Shop" papers were PERFECT for this.  

 I call this piece, "There's No Place Like Home."  The "Magic of Oz" papers were the inspiration for this piece.  I created the house to resemble a birdhouse.  I didn't have a pattern, so I created this myself.

Inside this little house is a  mini album.  This was a fun project to make.

 This is a mini album that I created with the "Domestic Goddess" paper line.  I think this is one of my favorite papers by Graphic 45.  I loved this line.  I designed the pages myself.

The tutorial for how I created the "Three Tags Mini Album Page" can be found in this post.

 This is a file folder album that I created in August of 2011.  I just sat down one day and started piecing things together to create this fantastic interactive piece.

This file folder album can be seen on my blog, with a bunch of pictures that show just how extensive this album is.

 This album is called "Come Fly with Me".  I created a way to use cards and envelopes to make a "pull out page".

The tutorial for how I created this page pull out can be found on my blog here.

And last, but not least…

 This is my "Happy Days Mini Album."    This is another mini album that I designed myself.

There are several videos on this album, including a walk-through and two tutorials.

Thank you, everyone at Graphic 45, not only for your consideration for the design team, but for creating gorgeous papers to inspire my creativity!

Arc Planner Pages, January and February

Here they are, my last two months of Arc Planner page goodness.

I had cooling on the brain here.  

 I do the weekly themes based on my mood the day I am decorating. 

 I love the air mail theme on this one.

 This was a page where I just wanted color everywhere.  Do you see my menu plan notes?  I decided to just list what I have to work with for the week, then cross it off when I make it.  If I assign dinners to a particular day, inevitably it gets all messed up.  This is cleaner and neater to me.

 This page was made with my magazine washi tapes.  Cool, huh?

 Can you guess which week this was?  

 This page was fun!  Using my distress inks and my stencils, I just went to town!

 I was trying to cheer myself up with this one!

  Thanks for looking, and stay organized, my friends!

Fauxdori Notebooks

 I saw a wonderful video about how to make these yourself by Ray from the blog My Life All in One Place.  You can find the video here on You Tube.  These are my attempts at doing this myself.

 I used some scrap pleather that I had, and since it was thin, I used spray adhesive and adhered two layers together.  It worked pretty good.  I added some charms and whatnot's that I had in my stash.

 I created a notebook using scrapbook paper.

 I had some elastics that I bought a zillion years ago, and didn't know what to do with…until now.

 On YouTube, there are a ton of videos on these DIY notebooks…I found one lady that added an acetate page to put sticky notes on .

 I added this calendar to the mix.

 Then I made a little one.  I added a 7 Gypsies book...

 …miscellaneous small notebooks I had...

 …and a mini pocket "Smash" book that I had from a kit I bought.

I think they turned out super cute, and they were so easy to put together.  Check out the video and Ray's blog and see for yourself.  He also has a ton of printables available!

Stay crafty, and organized, my friends.

Happy March!

An Irish Blessing for you.

May you always walk in sunshine.

May you never want for more.

May Irish angels rest their wings 

right beside your door.

Stay crafty, my friends.