"I'm back at the hotel with Lisa Yang, Local King Rubber Stamp Co. Lisa had asked me several months ago if I could help her at the Rubber Stamp Show in Portland at the Expo Center, and here we are. She set up most of the booth today and I arrived mid-afternoon to help finish packaging some of the special dies from Spellbinders for select Local King stamps. So after a quick dinner at the Thai Garden Restaurant in downtown Vancouver, we returned to the hotel room to finish up some last-minute packaging; Lisa also tried to teach me their "simple" computer program for customer check-outs and another program for credit card processing.


These two pics show the most interesting sushi presentations I've seen. The 'watermelon' turned out to be tuna that I was more than happy to see Lisa enjoy. The tuna was served in an ice bowl that sat on an ice tray. The chef had also made a blossom out of wasabi, and another blossom from julienned carrot and daikon.

LISA YANG, Local King Rubber Stamp Co.,
about to enjoy her sushi appetizer. Check out the
iced bowls sitting on an iced tray.

Tomorrow I'll hope to have some photos of Local King's newest stamps, and some of the dies. And we're directly across from Earth Art Animal Stamps; Sue and Frank are sad that Gwen isn't able to demo in their booth as originally planned. And, surprise - surprise! Beth Thompson from Paper Parachute stopped by after she completed their set up. It was a convenient hook-up because I had been trying to contact her to order some paper. Funny how things work that way!


Graphic 45's blog s week on book projects continues . . .

"Hello Fabulous G45ers,

Happy Friday and welcome to another incredible day of our mini album extravaganza! Wow, what a wonderful week this has been! We've had such a great time getting to share our love for mini albums with all of you. We've seen so many amazing creations from our design team this week and the fun continues today! We have more stunning minis to share with you fromYuka Hino and Nancy Wethington! You are going to adore today's featured minis! They are the perfect thing to get you in the weekend crafting spirit!

We also wanted to take a moment to thank all of you for sharing your Graphic 45 creations on our Facebook page, Ning site and website gallery. It is so tremendously inspirational to see all of the marvelous projects that are being created with our papers and embellishments. We thought it would be fun to share with you some of the beautiful projects that have been posted to our Ning site lately. These crafts were made by your fellow G45ers who just wanted to share their inspiration with their crafting community! We hope you are as inspired by these as much we are! Remember that you can post your Graphic 45 creations any time to our Facebook page, Ning site or website gallery! Share the love with your fellow G45ers! Check out these stunning projects from Ning!

Here is a wonderful creation by Leonie that features Olde Curiosity Shoppe! Just look at all the stunning detail and vibrant color! This is a true vintage-inspired treasure!

Here we have a gorgeous Steampunk Debutante creation by Beth Arp. Beth totally captured the essence of Steampunk in this incredible project! Wow!

Next up is this adorable and stunningly creative dollhouse room created by Jan Hennings. Jan used our new collection Little Darlings to make this precious room. You can see that the bed is covered in Little Darlings papers. We just love the sweet little baby who looks like he's climbing up into bed! So wonderful!

Here we have a terrific Once Upon a Springtime craft by Victoria Lynn LeFevre. The color and texture in this project is superb! It is like looking into a whimsical world of wonder! So beautiful!

And last but certainly not least is this sweet Little Darlings mini by Niken Ayie Arini. Just look at all of those marvelous embellishments and vivid colors! This project is so precious!

And now it's time for some more inspiring minis! This first mini was created by Yuka Hino using our collection The Magic of Oz! Every page of this mini is like taking a journey down the yellow brick road. There are lots of fun details to discover as well as lots of adorable Oz-themed photos! This really goes to show you how creative you can get with mini albums! Every page can be filled with wonder and imagination! Get ready to get lost in this magical land of Oz with Yuka Hino and her enchanting mini album! Behold! 

Supplies:

Graphic 45 Supplies:

The Magic of Oz: The Magic of Oz, Yellow Brick Road, Scatterbrained Scarecrow, Journey to Oz, Poppy Fields, Munchkins, Parcel Post, Emerald City, Goblin Gazette, There's No Place Like Home,Tenderhearted Tin Man, Wicked!, Chipboard Die-cuts 1, Chipboard Die-cuts 2, Cling Magic of Oz 1,Cling Magic of Oz 2, Cling Magic of Oz 3

Graphic 45 Staples: Ornate Metal Door Plate and Knob, Metal Hinge, Metal Flower, Metal Tag, Metal Button, Trim, Flower, Chipboard Button, Black Policy Envelope, Sticker, Alphabet Sticker

Other Supplies:

Cardstock: American Crafts

Ribbon & String: May Arts, Webster's Pages

Alphabet: Prima

Key: Tim Holtz

Bling: Want 2 Scrap

Mini Fasteners: idea-ology by Tim Holtz

Brads: Zva Creative, BasicGrey, unknown

Dangle Elements: Pink Paislee

Stamps: Hampton Art

Dies: Spellbinders - Labels Seventeen, Eyelet Squares

Crop-A-Dile & Eyelet: We R Memory Keepers

Punch: Martha Stewart

Mask: Tattered Angels

Mist: Smooch Spritz by Clearsnap

Stickles: Ranger

Ink: Ranger, Tsukineko

Blending Tool: Ranger

Adhesive: Tombow, Glue Dots, Glossy Accents by Ranger

And now its time to be transported to another enchanting land where palm trees sway in the warm island breeze! You guessed it, G45ers, this next mini features our vibrant collectionTropical Travelgue! Nancy Wethington created this incredible mini that is just perfect for your favorite holiday adventures! Tropical Travelogue has such a wide range of gorgeous colors, patterns and vintage island images. All of the papers blend together so well as you can see in this beautiful mini! There are also lots of fun compartments and places to write down some of your most cherished memories! Take a look! 

Supplies:

Graphic 45 papers:  Tropical Travelogue Collection:  Tropical Travelogue; Garden Isle; Jungle Fever;Botanica; Island Jewel; Oceania; Seaside Holiday; Paradise Postage; Exotic Destination; Tropical Travelogue Chipboard 1 and 2; Tropical Travelogue Alphabet Stickers; Tropical Travelogue Stickers

Graphic 45 Staples: Kraft envelopes

Graphic 45 Partners:  Imaginarium chipboard; Spellbinders; Colorbox Decades ink;

Other products:  Studio 490 (Wendy Vecchi) chipboard album; miscellaneous brads, eyelets, paper clips, fish net, glassine envelope, tags and flower; Bird's Nest bling; miscellaneous charm

We hope you all had a lot of fun today! We want to thank Yuka Hino, Nancy Wethington and all of our design team members who contributed their gorgeous mini albums to this week's celebration! There is more fun and surprises in store next week. We will be celebrating our love for cards all week long with gorgeous creations from our design team! And don't forget that Friday, March 30th we will be announcing the new 2012 Graphic 45 design team! It's going to be a very big week of fun and excitement! We hope you'll join us! Have a wonderful Friday and a happy weekend!

Happy Papercrafting!"

Your Friends at Graphic 45

A WEEK OF MARVELOUS MINI ALBUMS WITH GRAPHIC 45: DAY 4!

"Hello Incredible G45ers!

Happy Thursday and welcome to today's happy blog! We are having so much fun this week as we celebrate the gorgeous art form of mini albums! There are endless possibilities with minis and today you are going to see some fabulous ideas that are sure to inspire you. Gloria Stengel has created an amazing Le Romantique mini with a fun tutorial! We also have an elegant and cheerful Once Upon a Springtime mini album by Melanie Forbes! Yes, today's blog is blooming with great ideas!

First up is this beautiful Le Romantique mini by Gloria Stengel. There is something inspiring to discover on every page of this delightful mini! Just imagine how perfect this would be as a wedding, anniversary or birthday gift for your special someone! Gloria takes us page-by-page through this pretty mini as she shares tips and techniques for creating one of your very own! Discover all the magic! Take it away, Gloria!

Supplies:

Graphic45 Le’ Romantique 8x8 paper pad
Graphic45 Le’ Romantique Tags
Kaisercraft antique tag mini album
Making Memories paint (peach, pale pink, cream, pale teal)
Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist (pink taffy, bronze)
Dye ink (brown, black)
Distress ink (old paper, vintage photo)
Autumn Leaves ticket stamp set
Embellishments: Prima Flowers, Tim Holtz memo pins, White pearls, Tickets, Ribbon, Pins, Key
Edge distressing tool
Martha Stewart butterfly punches
Crop-a-Dile or Anywhere hole punch
Sanding block
Foam brush/palette
Craft knife and mat
Micro tip scissors
Glue stick or other strong, fast drying glue
Strong wet glue or metal glue
Glue dots
Foam tape

Front Cover

Spray the large Prima flower with Glimmer Mist and attach pearls to the flower center. Add a memo pin, elements cut from Graphic45 paper, and a ticket as shown. Cut two of the stamp image and glue them back to back before attaching to the memo pin.

Pages 1 and 2

Add a 2x3 photo, Graphic45 tag, mini rose, and a ticket as shown on page 1. For page 2, add Graphic45 images and tags, a ticket, lace, and sheer ribbon as shown.

Pages 3 and 4

For page 3, add Graphic45 images and tags, a ticket, and two pins as shown. For page 4, attach a pearl to the key and glue key to the page. (Some kits will have a lock instead of a key. Omit the pearl in this case.)  Add a photo. Attach a strip of printed paper across the top of the photo, then add sheer polka dot ribbon to the end of the tag.

Pages 5 and 6

For page 5, attach a photo to the page, then tie grosgrain ribbon to a Graphic45 tag, and attach the tag with foam tape to the left edge. For page 6, add a torn strip of Graphic45 paper and a ticket. Then, assemble the butterfly from punched shapes and pearls, as shown.

Pages 7 and 8

For page 7, trim words from Graphic45 paper, then add tags and a ticket. Embellish the tags with pearls. For page 8, add a photo and elements cut from Graphic45 paper. Embellish with pins.

Pages 9 and 10

For page 9, add Graphic45 images and tags, then attach a ticket to a memo pin. For page 10, add a photo, then attach a ticket and a flower. You may spray the flower with Glimmer Mist. Tie sheer ribbon to the end of the page.

Pages 11 and 12

For page 11, add a photo, then punched shapes decorated with pearls. Also add a stamp element cut from Graphic45 paper. Using the butterfly tag element, fold it to create pleats and attach to the edge of the page. For page 12, add elements cut from Graphic45 paper, then tie tulle around the page, knotting the tulle in the center.

Pages 13 and 14

For page 13, slip a photo under the tulle, then use another small scrap of tulle to tie a knot in the center. Add an Graphic45 image to the corner of the photo. For page 14, Add a photo, Graphic45 image, and a ticket. Tie sheer ribbon to the end of the page. Then, tie a scrap of tulle around a pin, and attach it to the page, as shown.

Wow, wasn't that wonderful? Next up is this fantastic Once Upon a Springtime mini album by Melanie Forbes. Naturally this is the perfect time of year for this lavish and enchanting paper collection. Just look at how lovely and bright each page is of this sweet mini. This is the perfect kind of mini for your Spring and Summer photos! After all, your special memories deserve the best! 

Supplies:

Graphic 45 Once Upon A  Springtime

Once Upon a Springtime, Primrose Cottage, Fairy Folk, Spellbound, Pixie Post, Flight of Fancy, Woodland Fantasy, Butterfly Kisses, Once Upon a Springtime Tags
Twiddleybitz chipboard alpha’s, mushrooms, flowers, wings, fern leaves, fences.
Darkroom Door butterfly stamp, Stazon forrest ink, calico,

We hope you all had a great time discovering these gorgeous mini albums! Tomorrow is our last day of this terrific mini album marathon so be sure to join us for all of the fun! We have lots of treats to share with you. We hope your day is filled with good cheer! Huge thanks to Gloria Stengel and Melanie Forbes for their fantastic work today. Enjoy your Thursday, G45ers!

With Love and Pretty Paper,"

Your Friends at Graphic 45