Today's Beautiful Moments...Tomorrow's Beautiful Memories: Graphic 45

Hello Everyone!

I'm back today with a blog post for Scrapbooks by Design!

I have to admit I wasn't sure what to create for this blog post...I've recently started working with my husband full time in our SnapOn business and my creative juices have been somewhat stiffled with being on the truck everyday! LOL

So...I got to thinking about the end of the school year which is quickly coming to a close here at the end of the month in Manitoba, Canada and decided to go with a end of year teachers gift idea.

I dug through my paper collections and stumbled upon Graphic 45's "ABC Primer".

Perfection!

I decided that a boxed card set would be something useful and not clutter up these wonderful educators homes. I'm sure they have plenty of mugs and trinkets hiding in closets from all their years of teaching. I browsed the Silhouette Design Store and came up with a gift box that I just loved...and got to work!

Here's a look at the final outcome...

...and here's a peek at how the gift box opens and how the cards lay inside...

Now when you use the same collection for everything, the projects just about build themselves! LOL

I made 5 cards to include in the box and they came together so quickly!

Here they are...

The matching stickers and chipboard pieces included in this Graphic 45 Collector's Edition make it so simple to embellish quickly and have everything looking great!

Well, that all for me today! Remember that you can purchase this fantastic collection for a limited time at Scrapbooks by Design! They also carry the wonderful Silhouette Cameo which made creating this gift box soooo easy!

I'd love to hear what you think about this little gift set idea!

If you have a "go to" crafty gift idea that you bless the teachers in your child(ren)'s lives I love to hear about it!

Until next time...

Hey Everyone!

I'm back today with a post to share with you a card I've created for Scrapbooks by Design!

We all seem to have spring on the mind lately, and the temperatures are finally starting to warm up here! With the promise of warmer weather coming, my mind turns to the return of song birds, baby kittens and the gorgeous colors as the spring season emerges. The other thought that comes to mind is the Easter season. I thought I'd share with you an Easter creation this go round.

I decided to make a vintage/shabby chic card featuring the Graphic 45 "Sweet Sentiments" collection!

Here's a peek...

I have to admit that Graphic 45 is one of the "go to" companies for me as I love their vintage images!
They just remind me of simpler times!

Let's take a closer look...

Don't you just love that basket of chicks the little girl is holding!

As previously mentioned, this card has been created with the Graphic 45 collection "Sweet Sentiments".

Scrapbooks by Design carries this collection in an 8x8 paper pad, stickers and cardstock elements.

I've done quite a bit of fussy cutting from the paper pack for this creation. You can see the small hatching chick ephemera panel which has the "Happy Easter"sentiment, along with the postage stamp style images along the side of the card.

The butterflies have been fussy cut from a piece of patterned paper within the collection, and the sentiment on the bottom of the card as well.

I find that using elements from all of the same collection allows you to create a very quick card that matches beautifully. Each piece has been inked with a brown color around the edges to add to the vintage and aged feeling of the project. And, the beauty of a vintage/shabby chic creation is that you can add elements from your everyday stash to add to the unique look of the creation. We all have those few flowers, buttons, ribbons on hand that we have just a few of and would like to use them somehow. Shabby chic crafting is perfect for the use of these little bits and pieces. You can see here that I've added some lace, some tulle style flowers on lace, a few straggler buttons, several types of ribbons, a purple button and some yellow paper flowers. Pull it all together with the right paper collection, and you have a beautiful piece that the lucky recipient is sure to treasure for years to come.

So, I hope I've inspired you to think about starting your Easter creations early so you'll have them done in time! Use this cooler weather to your advantage to work ahead so that when the sun shines and the melting starts you can enjoy the change of the season.

And, should you find yourself low on all those small detailed embellishments, Scrapbooks by Design can help you out in that department as well!

Until next time...