Papers Potential

GRAPHIC 45 DESIGN TEAM 2014 AUDITION

Its time again for the Graphic 45 Design Team call so nothing ventured, nothing gained! Here goes with my 6 chosen projects.

Firstly here is the jar with a spring garden scene enclosed within made using Sweet Sentiment papers.

Next we have a full size dress, with a machine stitched bodice, button details and choker

A Couture range inspired hat follows.

Botanical Tea teapot, there are also cups and a cake stand in this range.

A picnic hamper is another item made using the Botanical Tea range.

and finally my own little underwater world using "By the Sea" range

Graphic 45 By the Sea

When I saw this paper all sorts of ideas came to mind, lighthouses, beach huts, boats but the more I looked at each individual design the more I thought it needed to be used for something a little different and so the idea for an underwater world was born.

A goldfish bowl forms the basis of the idea.

The sand is made from some really cool "foam clay", you just break a piece off and keep moulding it until you have the shape you want, it has a built in glue so even though its made out of little tiny balls of foam they all stay attached to each other, it can then be painted any colour you want.

Shells and starfish were cut out one of the sheets of paper a layered up to look as if they were open. Foliage was used to look like seaweed. A course weave netting was used as a fishing net in which they were all held.

The paper that is called "my anchor" was ideal for the underwater elements because of its blue hues, details were cut from it and placed on the seabed. Some elements were attached to the inside of the glass to give a more 3D feel with the mermaid being suspended as if she is floating in the water.

GRAPHIC 45 BOTANTICAL TEA PICNIC BASKET

No summer picnic would be complete without a picnic basket to carry all those scrummy goodies.
Here a "flat pack" picnic basket was covered using the Botanical Tea range, again elements from several sheets were used to decorate and add detail, pretty lace gives a finishing touch.

Banners and chipboards from this range add the perfect decorations

Ribbon threaded through a chipboard button makes it easy to open the basket

Items used include

Graphic 45 Botanical tea papers, banners and chipboards

Graphic 45 key

Lace, ribbons and pins from stash

GRAPHIC 45 - BOTANICAL TEA CAKE STAND

If you're having tea then you certainly need cake! A wooden cake stand was decorated with the Botanical range of papers, flowers cut with various dies and lace added to finish the edges and of course if you have a cake stand you need cake...

The cakes were made using a Sizzix cupcake case for the base and a Big Shot Pro die to imitate the lush creamy icing on top!

Tattered Floras die by Tim Holtz was used to cut the flowers

GRAPHIC 45 BOTANTICAL TEA - TEAPOT

The beautiful light floral shades in this range remind me of the lazy, hazy days of summer, the warmth of the summer sun after the dark and coldness of winter. Those thoughts then lead me to country walks and picnics and so inspired a range of ideas.

A Sizzix Big Shot Pro die was used to cut the teapot

A butterfly was cut from one of the sheets of paper

Various flowers were either die cut or punched out of the papers

A customer kindly offered the use of her teacup die, perfect for accompanying the teapot.

Extra detail was added with coloured pins, feathers and a chipboard element

Hats off to Graphic 45 for another fabulous range - Couture

This 30's inspired paper lends itself to so many projects, countless cards and scrap book projects but what I really wanted to make was a hat! The basis for the hat was a large catering size empty coffee container (I am always keeping empty boxes, cartons, bottles and other items that would get thrown away, often to the amusement of those around me when I say "this is going to be...")

So I started with the coffee container, drew around a large oval dinner plate to give the rim in both black card (2 of these) and a thicker corrugated type card. The basic construction then started before covering it in Couture papers and decorating it with banners and flowers from the same range.

A Chipboard from the range was used as the front centrepiece.

Feathers were cut from paper and mixed in with real feathers to bring out the colours in the paper,

co-ordinating ribbons were also used along with hat pins in matching colours.

The flowers and banners in this range added more decoration along with a deep black lace that was added to the very top along with the rim.

Extra flowers were cut and rolled to add a top decoration and to mix amongst the Couture Die cut ones.

Again another really fun project to make!

KAISERCRAFT - VIOLET CRUSH

For along time I'd wanted to have a go at a mannequin, not the usual crafters size mannequin that stands a few inches high but a full size one! These papers came along and seemed the ideal range to give a variety to the design. The finished item took centre stage on Jones Crafts trade stand at Stitches trade show in February.

I started off by making a paper pattern out of photocopier paper but that soon went out the window when I started to stitch the bodice together, each piece had to be cut to size as it was assembled.

Flowers were cut using the Sizzix flower 3D die

Each Kaisercraft range carries a pack of Collectables, these were used to add the strap detail

Gem buttons were added to the centre of the flowers to add a little bling

A hot glue gun was used to attach the skirt as this would have been too difficult to run through the machine.

The skirt was created by misting the paper with water allowing it to be moulded into shape before drying and then being added to the bodice. Butterflies from the Collectables were added for more detail.