G45 By The Sea Wall Hanging

Hello!

I'm late with blogging this project, but here is a By The Sea creation I made for Graphic 45's booth at CHA last month. This project (along with an amazing altered matchbook box by the fabulous Nichola) was featured on the blog last week!

I was inspired to make a lifesaver after a trip to the O.C. (Oregon Coast) back in December. Real lifesavers were not an option to alter - this project had to be small for the booth! So I decided to make my own using upcycled cardboard. I simply cut out a circle, traced it onto cardboard, then cut the cardboard. I made a smaller circle and used that shape for the center. Then I added a hefty dosage of fussy cutting and some fun little chipboard shapes from Gina's Designs (and some glitter!). How I love By The Sea!

I have more By The Sea projects in store ... stay tuned! 

Supplies

Graphic 45 By The Sea Set Sail

Graphic 45 By The Sea Splash

Graphic 45 By The Sea Pier 45

Graphic 45 By The Sea Sand and Surf

Graphic 45 By The Sea Gathering Seashells

Graphic 45 By The Sea My Anchor

Graphic 45 By The Sea Beachcomber

Graphic 45 By The Sea By The Sea

Art-C glitter mix – orange

Stickles – aqua & platinum

Gina’s Designs – beach shape set

Upcycled cardboard

Twine & shells

Vintage Blooms card set

Good morning!

Lately, I've been trying to use different ways to bind books or other projects. Rings are great, but I've been wanting to venture over into the world of spiral notebooks and old-fashioned book binding. I haven't tried out The Cinch yet, but I did try some basic book binding on this upcycled card set that I made for my Etsy shop.

More projects to come ... thanks for looking! :)

Recycling day! (Part 2)

This is the other recycled craft I made today. A big thanks to Terry for introducing me to Frilly and Funkie! (I can see another obsession starting!) I am entering it into the RePurpose to UpCycle challenge as it uses two different kinds of repurposed items! :)

The idea came just as I was trying to get out the door. I started thinking about Mother's Day and making something for Mad Scrapper ... and then the idea hit to make a gift bag using some of the Heidi Swapp paper that recently came in.

It all started with the cover of a 12x12 paper pad.

 

I cut the 12 x 12 cover in half. With one of the half sheets, I scored the paper so that a 5" tall by 4" wide box could be made. I used some Tissue Tape to fasten the edges, then started applying some paper to the sides. 

To make the handles, I cut off about 1.5" from the top of a brown paper bag. I cut this strip in half, then rolled each piece to create a handle.

I glued the handles to the inside of the bag, then covered up with a strip of paper. I then cut out some flowers; misted them with Glimmer Mist, then applied some Stickles to the center. My white ribbon is from Mad Scrapper and the yellow ribbon is from the $1 bin at Michael's.

Well, that's all for now! My last project for April is Tim's tag ... wish me luck! :)

Heidi Swapp - Sugar Chic Collection - 6 x 6 Paper Pack

Walnut Stain - Distress Ink

Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist - Pearl

Stickles - Copper

Idea-ology Tissue Tape in Symphony

Recycling day! (Part 1)

Well, not exactly - my bag of things to put in the recycle bin is still sitting at the top of the steps, patiently waiting to go outside, but it was an afternoon of recycling in a different sort of way!

You see, I love the challenge of repurposing old items like glass and cardboard, and turning them into a whimsical craft or gift. I also love putting my scraps to good use ... and when you put the two together, you can create a unique gift that cost pennies to make!

Take this little 4 x 4 square cardboard box. I used some Echo Park scraps from a baby boy mini album to cover the entire thing. My scraps also included some stickers that have the days of the week on them, so I turned this little box into a weekly planner for a little boy. G45ers will recognize the typewriter wood stamps ... they're just adorable!

 

 

Part 2 coming next ... 

Echo Park Paper - This & That Charming

Walnut Stain - Distress Ink

Bazzil cardstock - French Vanilla

Graphic 45 Antique Typwriter Wood Stamp Set

Sew Easy Floss - Aqua

February Girlie Grunge challenge

Hi there! Another project to share this week. The February Girlie Grunge challenge is all about red, pink, pearls, and hearts. I was so excited when I received my January challenge prize a couple weeks ago, as it contains plenty of pink and much-needed Donna Salazar supplies!

Thank you so much, Donna and Natasha!!

Up until now, I did not own any of Donna Salazar's paper collections. I've also been dying to try out her Mix'd Media inks ... so boy did I feel blessed (and as if someone was channeling my inner thoughts) when I saw that my prize included an 8x8 set of Antiquities paper and one of Donna's new Mix'd Media Inx colors, Peaches!

For the February challenge, I decided to make a grungy mini book using cardboard, Donna's Antiquities paper, Mix'd Media ink, puzzle pieces, and her lovely Rose Creations die. 

I give all the credit for my lovely medium-sized rose to Natasha! She has lots of lovely rose tutorials, including the one that I used for my mini book. 

Here is what the inside pages look like:

And the back:

What I love about this mini book is how chunky it is! 

Thanks for looking!