Hampton Art and Graphic 45 Secret Garden Mini

Well, Blogger peeps, it's June already! I am not sure how that happened! For many of you in the USA, you are experiencing warm weather, green trees, and beautiful flowers, and wearing your flip flops. For us here on the southern California coast, it is the season of "gloom." This is the time of year when we get morning and evening marine layer (also known as high-level fog). It keeps the temperatures cool and the days "overcast." The marine layer burns off in mid-day for a few hours, but I refer to this time of year as "winter."  {grin} If I drive inland a few miles, it is in the 80s and 90s this time of year, and I am wearing a sweater! Crazy talk!

On the upside, there is something blooming here all year round. My yard has blooms all 12 months of the year, the grass is always green, and I NEVER need to wear boots or mittens. It's a trade off! In the spirit of green, growing things, I Graphic 45 Secret Garden paper and Hampton Art/Graphic 45 stamps to create an 8x8 inch mini album with pockets for tags and photo mats for the photos. The album contains 7 pages, including the cover.

I used a Graphic 45 8x8 Easel Album Staples as the base of my album. 

This is the front cover. I stamped the images with brown ink and then distressed the cardstock with inks for a vintage feel. I decided not to color the focal image because the stamp reminds me of an old fashioned wood-cut. Plus, it enabled me to decorate the cover with other items from my stash. {wink}

I really like easel albums because you can stand them on a table or desk. These make great calendars as well.

This is a close-up of the cover. I love the vintage roses and the crochet butterfly. I love to shop my bins; I never know what I will unearth! 

Page one is a pocket page holding photo mats and tags. I have a  deep, abiding love for tags! 

This is what it looks like with the tags removed. I stamped the images onto cream paper, and cut them out with die cut templates. I have several sizes and versions of postage stamp dies, which work perfectly with the Graphic 45 style.

The Graphic 45 licensed stamps from Hampton Art are cling mounted rubber and give the BEST impressions. I love working with them. There are not enough hours in my day...

Here is a peeky of the tags for the pocket page. I used some stamps to decorate a large shipping tag, plus I stamped a tab for a photo mat. The large image with the girls and the tree is from the Springtime sheet of G45 paper. I used a hole punch to go around the edges and trim out the postage stamp! {I know, crazy!} The large daisy image is from the same sheet of paper, and I used deco scissors to cut that one out.

Page two contains a photo mat which is also a pocket to hold a few tags. I created my own background paper by stamping the April Showers paper with one of the small floral stamps. I used a postage stamp punch to cut out the rose sentiment.

Here is a peek of the tags for page two.

Page three has space for two small photos. I stamped the clock image from the Secret Garden Two stamp set in green ink, then cut it out with a circle die. I stamped the sentiment over the top with brown ink. The butterfly is from the Secret Garden One set. 

Page four has space for one larger photograph. My favorite colors in the Secret Garden collection are the purples and greens. Love!

Close-up of the chipboard butterfly and sentiment. I stamped the sentiment with brown ink, then die cut it. I then sponged on some purple ink. I inked the butterfly with some various inks to make it a gray/purple color. It also sparkles. I rubbed it with some sparkly watermark ink. 

Page five contains a journaling spot that is also a pocket for a number of tags. I stamped the bottom of the journaling spot with a few images using some soft inks colors.

Here are the tags. Please note: the vintage lady is NOT a stamp. The tags came pre-printed with the image. I stamped the French Country stamps on the tag for extra decoration, plus I inked the edges of the tag.

Page six contains another photo mat with tags tucked behind. {Told you I love me some tags!}

Again, I stamped a shipping tag with various images. Since I used the Secret Garden paper, I did not color any of the images for this project, but you certainly color any of these images with Copics or watercolor pens.

This is the back cover. I will spill the beans....sentiment block is covering up a stamped boo boo! {shrug, happens!}

I hope you had fun looking at my stamp-extravaganza-mini. Have a wonderful day!

Hampton Art Stamps: Graphic 45: Secret Garden
Clearsnap Ink: Colorbox Chalk French Blue, Rose Coral, Lime Pastel, Lavender; Colorbox Graphic 45 Decades Antiquing Venetian Lace, Antique Moss; Top Boss Watermark Twinkle Star Dust
Designer Paper: Graphic 45 Secret Garden
Mini Album: Graphic 45 8x8 Easel Album
Cardstock: American Crafts Spinach, Coffee; Stampin' Up Whisper White
Other ink: Tsukineko StazOn Saddle Brown
Die cuts: Spellbinders Standard Circles Small, Back to Basics Tags; Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations Tag and Bookplate; My Favorite Things Postage Stamp Stax
Punches: Stampin' Up tab punch; Fiskars postage punch; Martha Stewart border punch
Decorative scissors: Fiskars

Embellishments: Prima (vintage trinkets); Pro 31 Designs (crystal sprays, flowers); Wild Orchid Crafts (flowers); Really Reasonable Ribbon (ribbon and twine) ;  Martha Stewart (crochet butterfly sticker); We R Memory Keepers (grommets); The Paper Studio (brad); Imaginarium Designs (chipboard)

Other: Office supply (tags); Teacher store (library card); Craft supply (doily); bottle cap

Adhesive: Scotch ATG; Scor-tape, Aleene's Tacky Glue; Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L foam squares; Beacon Fabri-tac; 3M foam tape; Glue Dots