Hello Happy Crafters!
It’s an exciting day! My very first project as a Graphic 45 Brand Ambassador has been officially announced! This is my Down by the Sea File Folder Mini! 
To get the full introduction, learn a little bit about me, AND get the full video tutorial on how to make this foundation, hop on over to my intro blog post on the Graphic 45 site!
There is a full supply list along with a list of the folder mats needed to make this foundation. I hope you’ll give it a try!
The video is also live on my YouTube channel .
So, basically, I’m everywhere!
Don’t forget to subscribe here and over on my YouTube Channel so you don’t miss out on future projects!
Happy crafting!
Check out the walk-through of the completed project here:
In this project, you will learn how to assemble your own 7.75” x 6.25” x 3.75” storage box. Constructed out of chipboard and decorated with the lovely Winter Botanic papers, with pretty little brass feet and a magnet-closure on the flap. Works wonderfully for A7 & A5 size cards, and would also make a fun container for a chunky little minibook! In this project, however, we’re all about the cards. (And boy, are there cards!)
The tutorial for this project also includes full instructions (including the sizes of all mats used) to decorate 24–yes, twenty-four–cards AND decorate an envelope to go with each one. There are fourteen of the A7 size cards and ten of the A5. Half of each size are done with Kraft cards and envelopes and the other half with cream.
Stamperia paper is so richly designed, that not much is required to turn them into beautiful cards. This collection comes with pre-designed cut-apart cards that do most of the work for you. I also used Stamperia’s coordinating pad of 24 Scrapbook Cards (I love that they make these!) Makes card-making a breeze!
The cut-aparts and note cards are mostly double-sided (and I wanted to use ALL sides, they’re all so pretty!) Fortunately, there were so many cut-aparts included in this collection, even with making two dozen cards, over half of them will have a fun note card included inside, as shown above. Want MORE cards? You can skip adding the cut-aparts to the inside of the card of the backs of the envelopes and make even more cards with them!
All of the envelopes have décor on the front and an envelope seal on the back. The note cards on the envelopes are big enough to include a full address if needed.
I send decorated envelopes through the mail all the time! Just make sure the décor pieces are fully sealed to the envelope and steer clear of anything with bulk or too much texture that might catch and get torn off. This is where a glue stick is the perfect adhesive!
I like a nice, clean card layout, and with these lush designs, they don’t need much in the way of embellishments. All of these cards are very, very simple construction with a minimum of embellishments required, so assembly is fast and easy.
In this collection, there are a few happy-holidays-themed cards as well as numerous cards that can be used for a variety of occasions. You can swap out (or cover) sentiments with your own stamped sentiments as well.
I’ve made a number of recipe books over the years, but this is, hands-down, the most cheerful paper I’ve ever gotten to play with. Carta Bella did such a great job with this bright, colorful, and cute collection, I wanted to put it to really good use.
I spent some time designing this 8” x 10” x 2” to keep the FUN in functional! The inside front cover has a deep pocket, great to hold those oversized recipes you tear out of magazines and swear you’re going to copy onto cards, but never get around to it. Just me?
Then, if you’re like me and you have a LOT of those recipes you tear out of things, that inside front cover pocket folds out and gives you two more big pockets. I know! Super functional, tons of extra space, AND there are roosters! (And wee baby chicks!)
The album itself has 3 big pocket pages. Each pocket page has an additional page attached to the back. This makes 6 pages/12 sides. Each of those 12 sides has five recipe card pockets attached The pockets are wide enough to fit a wide variety of recipe card sizes. Each pocket sleeve does have a stop at the bottom, so every pocket is the same size. (Meaning the top pocket is not open to the bottom of the page.)
Then, because you can never have too much storage room, each pocket page comes with a Pocket Page Pull Out. I know! It’s the recipe album that keeps on giving.
Pocket Page Pull Outs
Each one of the Pocket Page P
This adorable collection also comes with a full 12×12 sheet of cardstock stickers and a full pack of coordinating die cuts. I had so much fun tucking them into the pockets, so you have little peeks of cuteness on each page. There were plenty of leftovers, so you can mix, match, add more, or use whichever little pieces speak to you.
Spacious but streamlined, these six pages hold a minimum of 60 standard 3” x “5 or 4” x 6” recipe cards. Bigger cards will fit, too! Have more recipes? The pockets are spacious enough to fit more than one card. Above, I tucked in the two cards that come with the collection, then added eight more space holders so you could see all 10 pockets more clearly. (The plain cardstock mats shown in these photos do not come with the kit, they are or demonstration purposes.) Of course, if your splitting-at-the-seams recipe box looks like mine, you already have plenty of cards ready for those pockets!
But wait! There’s more!A big spacious pocket on the inside back cover holds a recipe easel stand. How perfect is that? Pull out a recipe, pull out the stand, and you have it up off the counter and easy to read (and keep clean!)
The Recipe Stand comes with two functional sides. The front has a little tray that you can tuck your card into. But if you have something bigger (like those magazine tear outs we talked about earlier) simply use the back of the easel and the clip (that does come with the kit!) and clip your recipe to the stand. Double the function, double the cute!
This project kit comes pre-cut! Yes, this kit comes with your chipboard and cardstock mats for building the foundation AND all the mats to decorate the album all pre-cut for you and stacked in the order of use.
