Hello Friends! Fall has finally arrived here in North Carolina, so I thought I would share this lovely Graphic 45 Seasons Autumn Rhapsody Card Folio with you today. This came in as a special order in my Etsy shop, and I had such fun putting all these lovely fall elements together.
The layers in this card remind me of walking in the woods on a clear blue October day. Leaves rustle under my feet, cheeky squirrels hop from branch to branch, songbirds and butterflies flit about gathering the last bit of warmth and sunshine before winter arrives. And all around me the glorious colors of fall fill my heart to bursting. I sure would love to go for a walk in the woods behind my childhood home in Vermont one more time! Wonderful memories of times spent traipsing those trails filled my mind as I worked on this card.
TIP: Fussy cut elements from the signature page. Ink the edges with Gathered Twigs Distress ink. Then layer the elements in with the patterned paper background to create a scene. Add dimensionals to the back of fussy cuts to add depth.
TIP: Mix fussy cut flowers with handmade flowers . These Heartfelt Creations Sunflowers have been inked and sprayed with Glimmer Mist. Fill the centers with glass beads to add a touch of dazzle and shine.
Autumn Rhapsody Card Folio: A Peek Inside
Create a quick and easy pocket by cutting your liner paper 2″ longer than the base of your card. Add a couple of gussets to the sides, fold and adhere. Then line the pocket with a border image.
A sweet little tea wallet holds a mini acorn spoon, honey stick and Pumpkin Spice Tea Bag. You could also tuck a little note inside to add a personal touch.
I hope I shared some tips and ideas you can use in your own crafty adventures. No supply list on this project, as the papers have been retired. But you could easily substitute Authentique Gracious or other fall collections.
Hello, G45’ers! I’m a firm believer that love is always in season! Back in February I created a lovely little Graphic 45 Seasons Altered Mini Crate and Tags for Valentine’s Day. I’m finally getting a chance to share this lovely project with you today. Although Valentine’s’ Day is over and gone, you could easily adapt this idea to use with any holiday or special occasion. Just select a different “season” from the collection!
I fell in love with the red and aqua tones and the darling love birds in the Winter pages.
Mini crates are a fun crafting trend right now, and readily available at most craft stores. Dressing a crate up with the Seasons Winter pages was a fun and easy project.
This mini crate measures 5” x 3.5” x 2.25”, making it the perfect size to hold G45 Staples Regular Ivory Tags.
Filling your altered mini crate with Staples Regular Ivory Tags is a super quick to make if you use an “assembly line” format.
Graphic 45 Seasons Altered Mini Crate and Tags: On the Assembly Line
Filling your altered mini crate with Staples Regular Ivory Tags is a super quick when you create your own “assembly line”.
TIP: If you’re lucky enough to have the new Staples Tag and Gears dies, it’s a cinch to cover your Staples Regular Tag. Simply die cut the tag base, and adhere with your favorite adhesive.
Dont have the tag? No worries! If you haven’t added this incredible tool to your crafty stash yet, here’s how to proceed:
First, cover each tag base (front and back) with a 3.75” x 4.75” rectangle of red or aqua cardstock. (For a perfect color match, use the solids side of the Seasons Patterns and Solids pad.)
Before adhering, round the corner with a 1/4″ corner edge punch. I use Crop-a-Dile Corner Chompers for this task. I find they are very easy on the hands.
TIP: Take a few minutes before you begin decorating your tags and do all your fussy cutting. Cut border strips to the desired length and round the corners. I typically make piles on my work desk with images, fussy cuts, mats, embellishments and bows all neatly laid out so I can just grab and go. Taking the time to prep in this way ultimately saves you loads of time.
Graphic 45 Seasons Altered Mini Crate and Tags: The Details
Seasons Pockets and tags fit perfectly on a Regular Staples Tag. I paired this one up with the reverse side of an ephemera card, then added a felt heart, buttons and flowers to complete the tag design. The tag inside the pocket provides a lovely spot to write a personal greeting.
Leave the back side of each tag blank so that you have room to add a photo. A simple belly band cut from Seasons Patterns and Solids adds a fancy feel to the back side of the tag. And chocolate is always a welcome addition!
TIP: Use repositionable glue dots to secure an individually wrapped chocolate to the back of each tag. If you add fussy cut embellishments, be sure to glue just one edge to the paper. This will leave the edge open so that photos can be slipped underneath.
The Seasons Collection is loaded with wonderful elements that you can cluster together to create stunning collage style tags.
Graphic 45 Seasons Altered Mini Crate and Tags: More Details
And don’t forget to decorate the sides of your crate!
Stickers, cut apart images and elements like this ribbon slide from Seasons Tags & Pockets are great options for this task.
This project idea lends itself to any special occasion. And Graphic 45 has the perfect collection to match the occasion! I hope I’ve shared some tips, tricks and ideas that you can use in your own crafty adventures! If so, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below.
Thanks for stopping by!
Cheerio,
kathy
Supply List for Graphic 45 Seasons Altered Mini Crate and Tags
The Thankful Season Pumpkin Spice Card Folio with G45 Seasons Collection
Hello, G45’ers! Have you had a chance to play with Graphic 45’s new Seasons Collection yet? I finally had a chance to play with the Autumn pages. Ooh la la! Talk about inspiring! This Thankful Season Pumpkin Spice Card Folio has such a warm, cozy feel that I think you are really going to love it.
This is a 5″ x 7″ top fold card folio with a .25″ spine. I’ve become rather addicted to making these folios because they serve multiple purposes. It’s a card, a gift, and home decor all in one. Making a folio like this also allows me to use up my scraps, which I love.
Pumpkin Spice Card Folio: Fussy Cutting elements
The base layer of this Thankful Season Pumpkin Spice Card folio is made from the “B” side of the Autumn page. When you trim the 8″ x 8″ paper to fit the card cover, you are left with a 3″ scrap. Turn this over, and you’ll find a portion of the lovely autumn wreath on the “A” side. Turn this into a design element by fussy cutting around the wreath, inking the edges and popping up with foam tabs or waste chipboard. This creates a sort of shaped edge on the card and adds wonderful dimension to the design.
How to Create Quick Card Layers on Your Thankful Season Pumpkin Spice Card Folio
Here’s a handy tip you can use to create quick card layers. Die cut patterned paper with basic geometric shapes. For this card, I used the 12×12 Patterns and Solids in both the brown floral and the brown stripe. The simple patterns don’t compete with the patterns from the Seasons pad, and the earthy brown tones soften the vibrant colors of the collection. Matting the die cut patterned paper on brown cardstock gives the finished composition a crisp, clean look.
Add Texture with Your Embellishments
You all know by now how much I enjoy embellishing my cards. I find it is a great way to add texture to the overall design. Here, I’ve used a faux canvas bow, burlap string, burlap leaves and burlap flowers as embellishments. The texture from these elements gives the card a wonderful organic feel.
The Thankful Season Pumpkin Spice Folio: The Inside Job
One of the reasons I began making these card folios was because I hate to deal with scraps. Rather than stash them away in a drawer, I began looking for creative ways to use them on my cards.
Scraps make lovely side pockets, like the one where I’ve tucked this little tea bag wallet.
The wallet is made with a 3″ x 7.5″ strip of leftover brown stripe paper that I used for the die cut layer on the card front. I simply scored it at 3″ and 6″, then folded it. Next, I used a circle punch to create a thumb hole in the 1.5″ section. Then I glued the sides to form a pocket. This is the perfect place to tuck in a tea bag, a gift card, a personal note, small photo or wrapped chocolate.
The Thankful Season Pumpkin Spice Card Folio: Tags and more tags
I’ve used another scrap of the brown stripe paper to create a pocket on the bottom of the card. It’s decorated with a border scrap and image from the 8×8 paper pad. Then I stuffed it with all kinds of lovely treats.
Use a border scrap to decorate the top edge of the page. Then fill the pocket with a lovely Kraft Staples Tag. The belly band on the tag is, you guessed it, another scrap. Then I decorated an Kraft Alpha ATC tag (T for thankful) with more bits and bobs of leftover paper and tucked it behind the belly band.
Even the honey stick (to go with the tea bag) got in on the scrap action. I had a 2″ piece of leftover border. After cutting a fishtail banner on one end, I wrapped it around the honey stick and secured it with a glue dot. This 4″ x 6″ ephemera card has room on the back for a personal note, a favorite pumpkin recipe or a photo. Now this is so much more than a card: it’s a gift, and it works well as home decor, too. That’s what I call getting a lot of bang for your crafty buck!
I hope I’ve shared some tips and tricks that you can use in your own crafty adventures. If so, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below.
Wishing you all a blessed, happy and healthy Thanksgiving!
Cheerio,
kathy
The Thankful Season Pumpkin Spice Card Folio Supply List
Graphic 45 Thankful Season Card Folio for Frilly and Funkie “Give Thanks” Challenge
Hello, Dear Friends! Tomorrow we celebrate Thanksgiving in the US. It’s probably my favorite of all the holidays. I mean, who doesn’t love a celebration centered around gratitude and food! So today I’m sharing a lovely Graphic 45 Thankful Season Card Folio made for the latest “Give Thanks” Challenge at Frilly and Funkie. We’ll take a look at the folio in a moment, but first let’s see what our lovely hostess, Sara Emily, has to say about this challenge.
Give Thanks!
We have so much to be grateful for! The Frilly and Funkie team is thankful for our loyal readers and our newest visitors! For this challenge, simply create a vintage or shabby chic project that expresses gratitude.
Thankful Season Card Folio with Graphic 45 Seasons Collection
The sentiment on this card kind of sums it all up for me. There is so much to be thankful for! Thanksgiving is the perfect time to stop and count our blessings!
This Thankful Season Card Folio is a little larger than usual measuring a generous 5.5″ x 7.5″ with a 1/2″ spine. I needed more room to add all these fun elements: fussy cuts, mulberry flowers, mini pumpkins, an ornate shaker frame, fall ribbons, real feathers, filigree corners, and little stick pins.
Thankful Season Card Folio: Layering the Designer Paper
For this card folio, I worked primarily with papers from the 12×12 Patterns and Solids pad.
First, mat a 5″ x 7″ panel of brown floral paper on a slightly larger panel of kraft card.
Then ink the edges of both panels with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.
Next, machine stitch the panels together. This is optional, but I love the texture that stitching adds to a card.
Now, use the two largest dies from Spellbinder’s Labels Eight to cut paper layers from the orange text and orange floral papers. Ink the edges and mat on both kraft and dark brown paper.
Then, cut one more paper layer from the back side of either print. This will be where we mount our shaker element.
Next, ink up Dear Ruby with an embossing pad and stamp on the plain colored side of this label.
Then, heat emboss with Charred Gold Leaves Embossing Powder.
Layer all the die cut panels on the card using foam tabs, tape or waste cardboard to add dimension.
Decorate with fussy cut elements, flowers, feathers, metal filigree corners, etc.
Thankful Season Card Folio: The Shaker Element
Here’s how I created the framed shaker sentiment on this Thankful Season Card Folio
First, cut the sentiment from the 12×12 Graphic 45 Seasons Autumn Collective Page.
Next, die cut 2 Ornate Frames from heavy kraft cardstock
Now, use an embossing ink pad to stamp Tammy Tutterow’s Big Fabric Background Stamp on the front of one frame.
Sprinkle with Emerald Creek Burnt Copper Leaves Embossing Powder and heat set.
Next, smear Walnut Stain Distress Oxide Ink onto a non-stick craft. Then mist with water until small beads of ink form on the mat.
Then press the embossed frame face down into the ink. Heat dry. Repeat until you like the finished product.
Gently heat the frame until the embossed portions pop back to the surface.
Now, cut two pieces of clear acetate (I used packaging materials) slightly larger than the frame opening. Use 1/8″ Scor-Tape to glue one piece to the back side of the top frame and one piece on the FRONT side of the bottom frame.
Next, cut foam tape or dimensionals to create a border all the way around the inner edge of the frame. You don’t want this to show through the frame openings, so keep this in mind as you work. I used a product called Kool-Tak, as it is a clear foam tape.
Then carefully fill the center of the bottom frame with your shaker elements. Don’t overfill. About a teaspoon of shaker elements like sequins, small beads and glitter should be enough.
Now remove the foam tape liner and press the top frame onto the bottom frame, being careful to line them up.
The Thankful Season Card Folio: Goodness on the Inside
I love to add pockets and tags and other goodies inside my cards.
Sometimes it’s fun to change things up a little. So instead of a pocket on the top portion of the card, I created a double belly band .
This holds a 4″ x 6″ photo wallet and a darling little tea bag wallet.
The side pocket on the bottom holds a vintage style recipe card, a decorated honey stick (to go with the tea bag, of course) and a lovely vintage style tag.
Give Thanks Challenge at Frilly and Funkie: Now It’s YOUR turn!
We’d love to have you join us in this Give Thanks Challenge. To do so, you need simply create your own vintage style or shabby chic project that expresses gratitude. Then link your project up over on the Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog before midnight on Tuesday, December 5th. Please read all the challenge details and guidelines HERE.
The Frilly and Funkie team will choose our top four picks with the winner being invited to join us in a Guest DT spot at Frilly and Funkie and the next three picks will receive badges to display on their blogs. Everyone who enters and follows the rules will be entered into the draw to have the chance to win a $25 spending spree at The Funkie Junkie Boutique.
I can’t wait to see what you make!
Before I sign off, I’d like to wish each and every one of you a very Happy Thanksgiving Day. If you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving where you are, or if you’ve already celebrated, then I wish you the blessing of a grateful heart. As the sentiment on this Thankful Season Card Folio proclaimed: There is so much to be thankful for!