Graphic 45 Design Team 2014 Audition

It is hard to believe it has been a year since my first art dream came true and I landed a coveted slot on the highly esteemed Graphic 45 design team.  The journey has been spectacular, but I am not quite ready for it to end.  I am going to apply again and hope that I can continue to be a brand ambassador for this amazing company and serve a second term

First off I am going to show off my recently published Steampunk Mail piece.  Here I used one of my favorite lines,  Steampunk Spells, to make this little treasure.  There are also metal staples incorporated as well.

Inside this tiny mail sorter is all sorts of fun postal themed ephemera.  I used lots of distress techniques along with embossing to create lots of texture and an aged look.  

Yet another project made with the delightful Steampunk Spells paper was this fun piece of home decor made with Xyron and more Petaloo.

I adore all the metal elements and texture.

The fact that I could emboss this butterfly to match my theme was a perfect touch.  Notice the use of lots more Staples.  Graphic 45 seriously spoiled us with the hugest bag of metal stuff in our first design team kit. I remember shaking with joy as I made this discovery.  You can see that video here.

Next up I want to show off my favorite shadow box created this year, featuring Typography.  Those of you who follow me know that I adore making these easy assemblages.  They really appeal to all the crazy embellishing I like to do on my projects.

What I really enjoy about this paper line is all the great creative quotes and sayings that are included in the snippets. Finding ways to make my projects very thoughtful and unique is important to me.

A little nod to the company name.  I was amazed to find that little G on an old pen nib scored at an estate sale.

I even took the typing theme to the next level by adding a few bits of actual typewriters.  The gear and rollers above still move, and I love that.

A few more detail shots so you can see what I have stashed inside.  Lots of old vintage junk, right along side newly made embellishments, but they blend seamlessly together.

Another project done in Typography that I just adored is this cute Inspiration box.  My favorite element of this project has to be the clever use of ornate key holes for feet. 

All the lovely ribbon was sent to us in our initial Graphic 45 package from product partner, May Arts Ribbon.

I was surprised at how much I fell in love with this project using Sweet Sentiments.  This is not my usual color palate or style, but I absolutely love how it turned out, super sweet and romantic.  

All the dimension created from sewing the hearts together really makes this project special.

The clever trick of dying ribbons to match the vintage look, also helped to add those extra details.

Yet another project that is not my typical style is this up cycled box I created with Bohemian Bazaar.  The rich colors of this line reminds me of the tropics, a place most of us in the Midwest would rather be after a most challenging winter!  Both of these projects highlight how I am able to extend my typical style to encompass new directions and still produce quality work.  

The box itself matched the paper so I left the hot pink edges exposed.  The lime green ribbon was also existing to the box and worked perfectly.  You can check out the entire tutorial if you choose here.

I predict that the Botanical Tea line is going to be one of the most popular releases Graphic 45 has to date. The colors are perfect and the theme of the paper is so spot on, again, making me long for spring.

I have a few other projects from this line up my sleeve, but they are still top secret! Stay tuned this month to see what I have made and in the meantime, you can take a peek to see what is inside this easel book.

Inside I did several two page layouts, adding lots of flowers and embellishments that fit with the natural theme.

I love all the Petaloo flowers I was able to incorporate.  It almost looks as if they are real flowers pressed in the book.

Isn't it amazing the range of colors you can choose from the same package of paper.  By simply choosing coordinating versus contrasting papers, a whole different look can be achieved.

Well, that was a fun peek at my work over the past year in partnership with Graphic 45.  I can only hope the team was pleased enough with my work to invite me aboard once again.  Stay tuned to see how that all plays out!  

P.S. If your the crafty type, think about giving it a go and applying yourself, you just never know what will happen.  

Cheers, 

Rhea