Graphic 45 Spotlight With Designer Jim Hankins

Here is the latest installment of our Grahpi 45 Guest Designers. Many of you may remember that back in April we hosted a Graphic 45 Week on the Paper Crafter’s Library Blog. It was week filled with projects and inspiration using Graphic 45’s Tropical Travelogue Collection. We had such a great experience partnering with Graphic 45 and their design team, and such a great response from you, that we’ve decided to partner with them on an ongoing basis. The first and third week of every month one of the Graphic 45 Designers will share a project they’ve created here on the PCL Blog. We started with our monthly designers in June and before I introduce you to our latest Designer, I just wanted to take a minute to re-introduce Graphic 45 for those of you that may not be familiar with the company.

Graphic 45 is an award-winning scrapbook and paper crafting company­— owned and operated by a mother and her two daughters.

Diane Schultz (pictured center)—Designer and CEO (aka mother)

“I’m passionate about being creative and eager to make it possible for others to find their creative voice. My background includes stints as a designer for, McCalls, Simplicity, Vogue/ Butterick, Mattel Toy Company and a host of other jobs that each, in some way, led me to what I do now. At 45 I went back to school and got my degree in graphic design— I named the company to celebrate that achievement.”

Aimee Filimoehala (pictured left) —Director of Operations

“I wear a lot of hats and love it that way. Business, marketing, operations, etc. have made me a pro at multitasking (aka juggling‑figuratively and literally). When we launched Graphic 45 just three years ago we had no idea what was in store, working together as a family has been an amazing journey that we all feel so grateful to be apart of.”

Charee Filimoehala (pictured right)—Director of Customer Service and Design Team Coordinator

“I joined the team a little over three years ago and haven’t looked back…what a life-changing experience this has been. I love working with and around creative people and products (not to mention I like my co-workers quite a bit). I spend my days working with our friendly stores and talented design team…the occasional trip to a workshop or tradeshow pretty nice too.”

Together we create vintage inspired crafting products that capture the flamboyant style of the 1920’s and 30’s – with vibrant color, irresistible texture and imaginative design to create products with decades-old appeal that’s both fresh and familiar. Let our products inspire your next scrapbook layout, card, album or home decor project.

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Here’s a picture of their booth at the CHA show which absolutely blows us away every year! The artwork inside is absolutely stunning and totally unique. At the last show as we were speaking with Diane she told us that many of the altered pieces were vintage finds which she and her team transformed with their gorgeous Graphic 45 products. We can’t wait to stop by their booth at the Chicago CHA and see what they’ve got in store this year!

Here’s a picture of the Graphic 45 team – they’re always dressed in period costumes to complement the themes in their collections – every day of the show brings a new set of costumes. The ones shown below were for their Little Darlings collection.

Graphic 45 Designer Jim Hankins

Our next Graphic 45 Guest Designer for this month is Jim Hankins who is part of the 2012 Graphic 45 Design Team. Jim is a new guest designer for Paper Crafter’s Library.  You can view his blog here: http://thegentlemancrafter.blogspot.com/.  His project is just fabulous and we are so excited to share his project with you today.

You can see Jim’s fabulous project below, but first, here is a little more about Jim:

Jim, The Gentleman Crafter.  Father to many dogs and ducks and a cat named Buzzy out on a farm in  Granger, Texas.

I love to use my hands and mind to create anything!   Mainly 3 dimensional art!! There is nothing I love better than sitting down with a fresh roll of Scor-tape and some chipboard!

You never know what will happen!

 

 

Fast and Easy Graphic 45 Happy Haunting Bat Treat Box by Jim Hankins

This is a fast and easy project made from the Graphic 45 Happy Haunting Collection, an oval paper mache box, some paint and glue.  In less than 30 minutes you can have a treat for your special Halloween Trick or Treaters.

To help make this project a bit easier, I’ve included a template for the wings and head.  Simply Click Here.

Supplies Used:
Graphic 45 Happy Haunting 12 x 12 Paper Collection
Graphic 45 Happy Haunting Die-Cut Tag
(2) Graphic 45 Stamped Metal Brads
3 inch oval paper mache box from the craft store
(1) Decorative Halloween Brad
Black Craft Paint
White Craft Paint
Barn Red Ditress Marker
Black Distress Marker
Glossy Accents

Preparing The Pieces-
Step 1: Prepare the oval paper mache box by painting it with black paint.

Step 2: Print out the template for the bat wings and headpiece.  Next, use the template as a guide and trace around the wings and head onto your patterned paper.  The next thing is to cut the pieces out.  Distress edges if desired.

Step 3: Trace around the outside shape of the box with a pencil onto patterned paper and cut out.  Using this cut piece as a template cut out another piece the same size.  These two pieces will be for the inside of the box and will need to be trimmed slightly to fit inside.   As you did above, trace around the lid of the box and cut this piece out.  It will go on the top of the lid.  Note:  These cut oval pieces will be two different sizes as the lid is a bit larger.  Distress edges if desired.

Step 4: From patterned paper cut out two strips of patterned paper to 1-1/4 x 9-inches .  Next, cut a smaller strip to 3/8 x 10 -inches.  The larger strips cover the outside and inside sides of the box.  The smaller strip covers the outside rim of the lid.

Step 5: Preparing the spooky bat eyes…Using two of Graphic 45’s metal stamped brads, try to use the brads with raised center that are not stamped with the floral design.  These look more like spooky eyeballs!  

First, with a needle nose plier, remove the brad legs from the brad.  Next, paint the brad with white craft paint.  Allow to dry.  Next use you’re a red distress marker or similar and color in the recessed portion of the brad.  Using your black distress marker or similar, color on the top portion of the brad forming the pupil.  Allow to dry.  Last, apply glossy accents to the top surface of the brad for a more realistic spooky eye.  Allow to dry.  Don’t worry if the surface and inks looks mottled, it makes it more fun!

Putting It Together-

It’s time to put the bat together…

Step 1: Apply adhesive to the backsides of the smaller oval pieces and place on the inside of the box.  Next, apply adhesive to the side strips and adhere to the inside and outside sides of the box.  The ends with overlap slightly which is OK.  Last, adhere the small 3/8-inch strip to the outside rim of the box.  Set aside the larger oval piece for latter in the tutorial….

Step 2: Apply wet glue to the bottom center of the box and adhere to middle of the precut wings.

Step 3: Apply wet glue to the backside of both the brad eyes and adhere to bat headpiece.  This is where you can give the bat more character.  It’s fun to see how the simple placement of the eyes can make the bats face either whimsical or spooky!

Step 4: Place adhesive to the backside lower half of the bat head and adhere to front side of lid.

Step 5: Adhere the reserved larger oval piece on top of the lower portion of the bat head and the top of the oval box lid.

Step 6: With a piercing tool, pierce a hole through the box lid ½-inch in and a ½-inch up from the bottom left side of the box.

Step 7: Insert a decorative brad through the Graphic 45 Chipboard die-cut tag and down into the newly formed hole in the lid.  Fold the brad legs back against the inside of the lid.

Bend the wings one on top of the other and around to the top of the lid.  Slide the tag up to hold the wings in place.

This step is optional.  I took the brad legs that were taken of the metal stamped brads and bent them around with a round nose plier and adhered them as feet to the bottom of the box.

Place sweet treats inside the container, write a special message on the inside of the wings and you’ve done it!!!!

We hope you have enjoyed this Halloween creation from Jim. I would also like to extend a warm thank you to Gloria for sharing yet another fabulous project with us! Please take a minute to stop by Jim’s blog and of course the Graphic 45 blog to check out all their amazing creations!