Graphic 45 Design Team 2013 Finalists!

Graphic 45 announced their top 30 Finalists yesterday! Read all about it HERE! You may notice that my name is NOT on that list. Well, per the new rules, a designer may only serve on the team for two years and then he or she must take a year off before reapplying. 

As my long-time readers know, I have been on the G45 team for three years now, starting in April 2010. Last year, when they instituted the new "2-year rule," they allowed members of the 2011 team to reapply for a third year; they sort of "grandfathered" us in. Thankfully! 

I am proud that I have been with Graphic 45 for 3 of their 5 years as a company! I have learned a lot in the past three years and grown as an artist. I thought it might be fun to share with you my favorite projects from each year I was on the team. (Just a note, my current term lasts until May 31st! More lovely things to come!)

I started with Graphic 45 in April 2010 and the first collections I was given to work with were A Proper Gentleman and On the Boardwalk (both are retired, but you may be able to find them online at places like Overstock.com). I created this set of cards to show how you can use Graphic 45 with images colored with Copics. 

This is On the Boardwalk! But I used for a fall-themed card! When you look at the paper as "background" rather than "theme," you get more use out of the paper!

Steampunk was also released in 2010 (I think! It gets hard to remember!)

This layout was published in a magazine. I think it was my first layout ever published in a print magazine! 

This is a little "luggage tag" book that I made with a mix of papers, such as Communique, Transatlantique, On the Boardwalk, and other older collections.

This is one of the first "big" mini album projects I made for Graphic 45. The collection is an older one called Fashionista.

This was my favorite tag from 2010, using the Christmas Past collection. This is still my favorite Christmas Collection. I love to pair it with the newer (but still old) Christmas Emporium Collection. I have hoarded a bunch of both!

Here are my two favorite cards from my very first CHA 2010. That's when Halloween in Wonderland and Steampunk Debutante came out.

I think Le' Romantique came out in 2010 also. Like I said, it's hard to remember! I made the mini album below for a class I was teaching. It is one of my favorite little minis.

At the time I love shaped mini books and they were all the rage!

Here is one using On the Boardwalk.

When 2011 came around, I was not sure I'd make the team again, but I tried out anyway. I was really happy that they kept me on! Here are some of my favorites from that year.

Christmas Emporium was released that year, along with some Core'dinations cardstock to match G45 papers. I created this layout for CHA that year.

Curtain Call, one of my favorites of the G45 line. I love the black and kraft theme.

This is probably my all-time favorite project ever. It's an altered tray that I made for my scrap area. 

I made this just after the Metal Staples came out. It is on a shelf in my entryway. I think the paper is Le Cirque.

This is a wall hanging made with Christmas Emporium. I have it hanging in my craft area. 

This is an altered G45 box. I used Le' Romantique and some of the Metal Staples.

And a now a few cards using Curtain Call. I think these were for CHA that year.

And below is my favorite tag of the year, using Curtain Call and Steampunk.

One last card from 2011, using Once Upon A Springtime.

I was so fortunate to get a "bonus" year with Graphic 45 in 2012. I cannot tell you how happy I was to find out they were keeping me on for YEAR THREE! Here are some of my favorites from 2012. (It is really hard to pick favorites since I make so many projects!!!)

I used a bunch of collections for this layout, including Old Curiosity Shoppe. This is perhaps my all-time favorite G45 layout. It hangs in my scrap area. I really think I had my major rock star crafter hat on the day I made this. {grin}

I used some older collections here, but also An ABC Primer, which remains one of my very favorite collections.

My favorite tag from 2012, using Christmas Emporium. And maybe even some Christmas Past. (This may really be from 2011, I totally cannot remember!)

Kraft Reflections and Old Curiosity Shoppe came out in 2012. I really like this layout. I was getting my altered art on here.

I love making mini albums, and this was my favorite from 2012.

I really love working with Olde Curiosity Shoppe!

Altered art is fun, but I get a bit sick of having it hang around after I am finished with it. This project is an exception. I love it and it sits in my scrap area!

I used A Ladies' Diary for this project. I love the black and pastel mix!

Sometimes I get asked to create things for the Graphic 45 newsletter, and the project below is one that I made for that.

I will admit that Happy Haunting is not up there with my list of favorites, but I paired it here with An ABC Primer and A Place in Time (which came out in November 2012).

Tropical Travelogue was also not high on my list of favorites, but I adore how this layout turned out. This was for the CHA that year. (I cannot say I ever down right dislike a G45 collection, but I admit there are some I like less than others.)

I have made a lot of projects with Little Darlings, but this tag that I made for CHA is one of my favorite projects using that line.

Let's call the rest of these "2013" projects since they were made with collections that came out in January 2013. Place in Time was actually released in November, but it also debuted at the show in January. I love the vintage images in this collection. I had been "howling" for these images in a collection for a while, and it was awesome to see the idea "make the cut"!

This card is part of my Place in Time Card Series. I really  love this one! I made twelve cards for the set and my two favorite are the June and the January cards.

My favorite layout so far in 2013 is this one below  that I made with the new Secret Garden collection.

I am in love with the green and purple in this collection!

My new all-time favorite collection is the new French Country collection. I just sit and gaze at it! So pretty!

I made this mini with the new G45 easel album and French Country.

My favorite tag for 2013 was at CHA and uses a bunch of collections, all in the kraft and black theme! I love this one! This tag has 9 G45 Staples on it!

These next projects sort of "go" together. I made the mini album first, in December, and then cheated off myself to make this card for Valentine's Day. {wink}

I adore this next project. I love me a mini and this one just turned out too sweet for words!

I hope you enjoyed this walk through the past three years of Graphic 45! I am sad that I won't be on the team for 2013....but you haven't seen the last of me....wait and see........