Graphic45 Inspired Printers Tray

This is the second post for today, so if you are looking for the CPC Sketch Tuesday #101, scroll down.

I am beyond excited to share this project with you! I've been wanting to create a printers tray using Graphic45 papers, but just have not had the time to devote to it. This past weekend, I was away for 4 days - no kids, no husband, no cat, no Internet, no TV, no telephone...and I finished the tray!

If you click on the photo, you should be able to see a larger image. It's hard to photograph the tray and get all the detail in there, so I took some close-up shots for you. I have to say, photos do NOT do this project justice. Out of all the projects I have created for the Graphic45 design team, this one is my hands-down favorite!

The tray is from 7Gypsies - they have a few different trays, but I chose the Letter Block tray with all the various sized openings. I decided to use three lines from Graphic45: Steampunk Debutante, Curtain Call, and Communique.

I found the wooden letter "G" at Michael's Crafts a long time ago, and this was the perfect time to use it! I sanded the ends a bit to make it fit the tray! To color the letter I sprayed it with Peach Delight Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist and a spray I made from Sunburst Twinkling H2Os and water. In person it's very shimmery!

I cut out bits and pieces of various G45 papers to fit the openings. It was fun to lay it all out and then find little items to glue into each space. The branch was a super find at Michael's Crafts from their Recollections line. I sprayed the branch with mists to change the color a bit - to make it look more vintage.

I used lots of Tim Holtz Idea-ology metal and some 7Gypsies metal. I love the look of metal next to flowers and bling. That is so steampunk-y of me!

Here is a close-up of one of the Idea-ology clock and spinners. I also punched some butterflies with Martha Stewart punches.

For this frame, I fussy cut the lady's head from one sheet of paper, then glued her to the base paper. I placed metal gears over the top of the image.

My favorite part of the project is this dress form that I made. It turned out so cool that I was beside myself. I think I danced a bit of a jig when I'd finished! I have a little tutorial on how to make it, so keep reading! Check out the bingo number and the scrabble tile! Oh, and see the tiny bottle...it's filled with gold glitter!

There is nothing like Graphic45 paper. The colors are so rich and the paper is just so nice to work with. I love all of the vintage images. What a blast to work on this project!

I really wish the camera had picked up the shimmer on the wooden "G"! It looks like it was dipped in gold. The shimmer spray I made from the H2Os really stuck to the high spots on the wood.

I used a bottle cap with an image inside for one of these small openings. I hammered the cap to flatten it. (Who likes to bash stuff with a hammer? I do!) I also had a real wooden thread spool in my stash, so I wound some twine around it and glued it into another spot. You can see I used all sorts of doo-dads!

If you want to make a dress form like the one on my project, here is how:

1. Cut a dress from out of black chipboard using the Tim Holtz Sewing Room die (or similar).
2. Paper piece the top of the dress form using Graphic45 papers. I cut a notch in the top of the paper dress to create a collar, then added a paper rose for decoration.

3. Cut a birdcage shape out of black chipboard and Graphic45 paper. I used the Tim Holtz birdcage die.
4. Trim down the birdcage shape to create a hoop for the dress form. I cut off the top, bottom, and 2 of the cage bars to make the birdcage smaller so as to match the size of the dress form die cut.
5. Decorate the hoop with Graphic45 paper, lace, and metal embellishments, then attach it to the dress form with strong glue.
6. Attach wings to the back of the dress form. I used Maya Road chipboard wings, which I sprayed with glimmer mist and sparkling paints. I created a mist with twinkling H2O paints and water to give the wings a "super shimmer"!
7. Glue your Steampunk dress form to your tray.

I hope you enjoyed looking at my project as much as I enjoyed making it! This was so much fun that I need to make another one! The rich colors of the Steampunk Debutante papers, combined with the black and creams of the Curtain Call and Communique papers, make me happy!

Supply List:
Printer's Tray: 7Gypsies
Graphic45 paper: Curtain Call ( Top Billing, The Cinema, All that Jazz, Applause), Steampunk Debutante (Eclectic Emporium, Fantasy Floral, Mechanical Mind, Time Warp, Nouveau Artistry, Steampunk Debutante, Ephemera Extraordinaire), Communique (A Fine Specimen, Communique)
Chipboard: Grafix, Maya Road
Stamps: Tim Holtz Odds and Ends
Ink: Ranger Distress Vintage Photo, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist Peach Delight, Twinkling H2O Sunburst
Tools: Tim Holtz Sewing Room and Birdcage dies, My Favorite Things butterfly die, Martha Stewart butterfly punches
Embellishments: Recollections twig; Queen and Company pearls; Making Memories epoxy flower; Tim Holtz Idea-ology clock, spinners, brads, gears, bookplate, token, memo pin, metal flowers; 7Gypsies gears, charm; Michael's Crafts wood letter and spool; fabric store rivet; Maya Road bingo number chipboard wings; Jenni Bowlin bingo card packaging; Tattered Angels key; Cat's Pajamas glitter; Wild Orchid Crafts flower; unknown bottle cap, scrabble tile, tiny glass bottle
Trims: May Arts twine, unknown lace trim