CHA 2015 Wrap Up Part Two: Papers & Stamps

Now that I have shown you my favorite tools from CHA 2015, lets move on to some musings about papers.

Graphic 45
If you know me you know I adore Graphic 45's style and generally love their papers, staples and all other products. So I won't spend too much time gushing about their new products and will try to stick to my three favorite new items. (But definitely go to their website and check out everything!) Of the three new paper lines (Artisan Style, Treasured Memories & Home Sweet Home) and two reprints (Once Upon a Springtime & ABC Primer), I am most looking forward to Artisan, I love the Art Nouveau look that incorporates architecture,  peacocks and text. And the colors are amazing. Stand by for seeing a few products in this line on the blog!  And the stamps are to die for. Check out the gold embossing on the new black tags!

And speaking of that another of the new announcements I am really excited about is that many of the staples are now coming out in black. From all sizes of the tags to the new multimedia albums and shadow boxes. And I am going to have to go with the shadow boxes and my third choice for best new items from G45 this year.

 They are so cool and come in two styles: a row of three boxes and a square of 4 boxes. I saw some amazing samples made with the shadow boxes.Check out the Vegetable stand Laura Denison made with a shadow box and the Home Sweet Home paper! OMG I want it ALL!!

The Year to Wander
There seem to be multiple lines called Wanderlust this year.

The first one I saw was by Heidi Swapp, It is a very pretty floral paper and I quite like it. But I don't really get a travel theme from it which is what I imagine a line name wanderlust to be.  But I do have to sat the big cabbage roses are gorgeous and could totally go shabby chic.

The second Wanderlust line I saw is by Kaisercraft. It is muchmore the travel line the name conjures up. But less of the flower and pretty I expect with Kaisercraft and more neutral or even masculine. 

The third Wanderlust line is more of a rumor I heard that one of Teresa Collins' new lines would have that moniker, but alas I did not see it.

UPDATE: Teresa Collins did post about her Wanderlust line on Instagram after CHA.

Teresa Collins
Speaking of Teresa Collins, she had a very nice booth that showed off a lot of her new products. She had customizable stamps, cell phone cases, new dies and embossing folders, even totes, But her paper lines were nowhere to be seen.

As she explains in her blog, somebody took all her samples. She also shared a photo of the galleys (?) of her three new collections: Glam Factor, Collector's Edition and Project Pink.  I am looking forward to seeing her new lines in person, her stuff is always great!

Prima/Frank Garcia

After the success of last year's Cartographer, Frank Garcia has designed a new paper line for Prima called Archivist.  It has a beautiful neutral palette with a vintage flair. I think this is the type of line that can stand on its own or be mixed in with another line. This line will come in multiple sizes from 12x12 to ATC sized cards and has some lovely matching embellishments.  Frank is also releasing a line of embellishments designed specifically for mini albums and a set of three different mini album blanks called Memory Hardware. This may be my go to paper for masculine projects this year.
 

Chickaniddy
The thing that impressed me the most about the Chickaniddy paper is the weight. It is one of the thickest weight papers out there. It could easily make a card with out any base. And whoa the way it would work in a mini would be amazing. This sweet and colorful paper will help make quick cards and projects without a cardstock base.

Bo Bunny
 Bo Bunny has added alot of cool new item this year. But lets start with one of their new paper lines, Carnival. I love circus and carnival themed paper and this one is awesome. With an old school side show font and muted primary colors thjere is just enough color to make it fun and vintage to make it work for kids and adults alike. It comes in 12x12 and 6x6 with many different embellishments.

Bo Bunny has also added more multimedia items including pearl pens, glitter paste, stencils, foil rub ons and laser cut chipboard. I was lucky enough to get in an open spot for their make and take which featured many of the new products.


So lets talk stamps!

DoCrafts/Gorjuss 
I adore the Gorjuss stamps. They are uber cute and feel kind of modern and vintage at the same time. They are made by a British company and distributed in the US by Do Crafts. I spied six new Gorjuss girls in the Do Crafts booth. And they are adorable, romantic and whimsical. All six come in sets with matching frames or accessories.  I always gotta have my Gorjuss girls!

Indigo Blu
Another British company, Indigo Blu makes some fabulous stamps with tons of details. This year I was stunned by their stamps of women's heads.

 

And how they used them with multimedia techniques. In fact they make some really cool papers and mixed media elements like their flakes.

LaLa Land Crafts

As usual LaLa Land Crafts had some super adorable stamps.  I was lucky enough to get to try many of the stamps and dies in their make and takes.  I really love the baby and flamenco collections Irina designed this year.

But my two mush have faves are I love you Marci and the square headz models. OMG so cute. Really want to decorate a Square Head!

So that is My report on (some) of what I saw at CHA, honestly there is a tone more I could write about, but we would all be here until April if I did.  I hope some of this information was helpful! Keep on crafting! <3 L

Graphic 45 Design Team 2014 Audition

So it is that exciting time of year again, time for the Graphic 45 design team call.  This is the second year I am auditioning.  And I am very excited to find out what people think of my projects. This year I tried to make both unique one of a kind items,  some more conventional projects. and a couple that fall in between. I tried a bunch of new (to me) techniques and mediums in my creations this year.

So with out further ado, here are the eleven projects I am submitting for the 2014 Graphic 45 design team audition.

Olde  Curiosity Shoppe Puppet Theatre:

I have always loved the feel of the  Olde Curiosity Shoppe paper line, which makes me think of the The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus or the opening credits of  Oz, The Great and Powerful.  It has a weird, wonderful, wacky, creepy and fun vibe in the images and words used in its design.  To reflect that,  I decided to do a project that combines that feel with stamps like Catherine Moore's Doll Parts to create my own world of whimsy, weirdness, and wonder.

When you open the curtains of the puppet theater, you will enter five different quirky and amusing worlds. Each page has at least one puppet or doll that can be played with on the "stage" in front of one of the five set pieces- a ballroom, a forest, under the sea, a circus and the curiosity shoppe itself.  On the back of each page, there is a space to write the story of each of the puppets.  I  used various different multimedia techniques, such as modeling paste and stencils, to create dimension in each scene.

(I have included a You Tube video of me displaying the theatre and puppets.) 

Four 12x12 Layouts

I created four 12x12 layouts, trying to imbue each with a different feel.

"Cats" is a layout featuring Typography.  To create this look, t, I layered the paper's different patterns and colors with black card stock to create photo mats with visual depth and interest.  I added chipboard  and sticker embellishments from the line along with some enamel dots.  I feel like this ended up looking very clean for the amount of color and pattern that is on the page.

"Oscar Gold" featuring Curtain Call.  For this layout I fussy cut from the paper (one of my faves) and layered it with gold foiled paper and one of the new G45 washi tapes.  I love how this layout has the Hollywood glamour that suits the photo.

"California Gothic" featuring French Country. This layout is a humorous twist on the painting American Gothic.To create the 3D sunflowers,  I fussy cut matching sunflowers and crumpled one to add texture before layering them together .  I then added glitter glue and earl dots to each flower.  To finish the layout, I used buttons, and letter stickers.

"A Day by the Bay" featuring By the Sea -- I cut three of the blue papers into two inch squares to make a patchwork background.  I then used a stencil with Viva Décor Ferro to create the sand effect.  I layered over this a multitude of fussy cut shells and oceanic embellishments.  I finished with a piece of twine wrapped around the edge of the whole page.  What a great way to commemorate a day out with my father.

A Half Dozen Interesting Cards

These are six cards I created to teach during the past year.  They are all interactive or display style cards with fold or features that really show off a beautiful paper.  I have included the You Tube videos I made when promoting the classes.

Steampunk Spells Cascading Card and Typography Tag Card

Sweet Sentiments Pop-up Box Card and Couture Crosscut Triptych Card

Teresa Collins Napkin Fold Card (Tell Your Story) and Infinity Folding Card (You are My Happy)

A 12 Days of Christmas Exploding Box

I used the stamps and all three sizes of the Twelve Days of Christmas paper to create this exploding box.  I added graduated rounded tags and stamped each of them with numeric stamps for each of the 12 days. The cover is decorated with fussy cut holly, fruit, and other elements.  This was originally created as an entry for Graphic 45's December Facebook contest.

 

Typography Desk Set

THis is a two piece desk set that has been altered using the Typography line.  The first piece, a pencil box made from a cigar box, was originally an entry for Graphic 45's Typography Challenge. The second piece is an altered pre-fab crafting desk set from KaiserCraft. On both pieces, after covering them with paper, I added some of my favorite sayings and quotes off the paper.  The I completed the look by embellishing the set with copper pipes, washers, and metal embellishments. I love this set so much I am already filling it with  crafting goodies.

Marie Antoinette Canvas

Inspired by the work of Julie Nutting, I decided to create a Marie Antoinette multimedia canvas.  I drew out my own pattern for the body shape. And then using Prima and other papers I crerated a period out fit from both cut and torn paper. In this piece I used quite a few mixed media techniques, including modeling paste for her hair.

Mad Tea Party Mini Album

Using my eClips paper cutter, I created custom tea party themed shaped pages.  I then bound them by hand and covered them in Halloween in Wonderland and Botanical Tea papers.  I really enjoyed mixing and matching the old and new lines for this project.  I also used the new shabby colored embellishments to create another bond between thru old and the new.  And the layered, bottom bound style of the mini album is something I haven't tried before, especially with the custom shaped papers.  I have a feeling it will be a favorite of mine to page thru for years to come.

(I have added a You Tube video of myself showing this album.)

Three Piece Suit Cards
These are two really fun cards to make for guys that double as gift card holders.  The first one was created using the Proper gentleman collection and the second features the new line, Good Ol' Sport.  I was inspired to make them when I had several male friends' birthday parties to attend.  I really think they are clever and fun to give.

Steampunk Corset Apron

I created this altered steampunk apron for the 2013 So Cal Shop Hop. To make it, I hand drew an original image of a corset directly on the canvas apron. I then used a combination of paint markers, Sharpie, and a gilding pen to fill in the corset and background.   The functioning lace-up front was made using ribbons and eyelets.  I also added a faux leather trim, beaded fringe trim, and metal hardware and embellishments.  I think the finished piece has a fun trompe l'oeil effect.

Latched Book Box of Cards

This set was created as a gift for my step brother.  I started by making a "book shaped" box using 12 x 24 black card stock and heavy chipboard for reinforcement..I cover the box with Typography paper.  The box also features  a latched band that holds it securely closed. To fill the box, I made  six 4x6 cards with the quotes from the paper line mixed with embossed core'dinations paper, buttons and brads.  It made a great "guy" gift that wasn't monotone or boring.

A Ladies' Diary Altered Shoes

To make these wearable pieces of art, I started with an inexpensive pair of flesh tone shoes and decoupaged the entire upper and heel of the shoe with small, torn bits from the A Ladies' Diary line.  I then added individual, fussy cut flowers over the patterns. To add a final touch I made a bow from the G45 fabric by Wilmington Prints with a large G45 Staples brad at the back of the shoe, above the heels.  I loved this project so much, I bought a second pair of shoes and hope to make a Couture pair - this time with video.

Thank you for taking the time to view my submissions for the design team. I hope you enjoyed seeing them as much as I did making them!