It’s Graphic 45 week on the Paper Crafter’s Library Blog! We’re so excited to be collaborating with Graphic 45 and their fabulous designers to bring you a week of inspiration using their stunning Tropical Travelogue collection! From the moment we saw this collection we fell in love! The colors and patterns are so rich and vibrant – they make you feel like you’re in a tropical paradise.  And the collection is so versatile – lending itself to a HUGE range of projects.

In fact throughout the course of this week we’ll be sharing over 10 different projects with you using the Tropical Travelogue collection – including a tag, a card, card set, scrapbook layout, a couple of mini albums, a few altered art pieces, an art journaling page and some mixed media canvases. We’ll have an abundance of free video tutorials on a range of different projects and techniques and then to top off the week, Graphic 45 is generously giving away the collection of products shown below to one lucky winner, to be announced on Friday, April 6th at 4 pm EST.

Each day we’ll be featuring several different projects, with video tutorials on Monday, Wednesday and Friday so be sure to read to the bottom every day’s post so you don’t miss a thing!

The prize pack includes the 12″ x 12″ paper pad, the 8″ x 8″ paper pad, the Alphabet Stickers, the sticker sheet, and both  chipboard sheets from the Tropical Travelogue collection (you can get an up-close look from here) as well as the Antique Typewriter Wood Stamp Set.

First off, I want to take a minute to introduce you to Graphic 45 itself – an absolutely AMAZING company – one that I just can’t say enough about!  Please be sure you take some time to visit their site and soak in all that inspiration and beauty.  

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.  

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.

Okay, so now down to the projects!

Graphic 45 Design Team Project

To start off the week, we have Graphics 45 Designer Lynette Carroll.   You will find her project below, but first here is a little bit about Lynette:

I have been fortunate enough to be involved in the scrapbooking industry for the past 10 years.  I was an original Design Team member for K & Company, a position I held for 5 years.  When K & Company were bought out several years ago by EK Success Brands, I applied for, and was successful in becoming part of the newly created EK Success Brands Design Team, which included K & Company, EK Success, Inkadinkadoo, Dimensions and Martha Stewart Crafts.  I am currently a 2011 Graphic 45 Design Team Member.  I have also been a member of Cosmo Cricket Design Team.

Previous to designing and teaching for some of the industry’s leading manufacturers, I owned and operated my own scrapbook store in Boston, MA.

During my time with K & Company and Graphic 45, I have had the opportunity to travel and teach extensively throughout the United States, Australia, Holland and Japan.  I have taught classes at CKU, Creating Keepsakes Conventions, Archivers Scrapfest at Mall of America, CHA Trade Shows, Brisbane Papercraft and Scrapbook Expo and many individual scrapbook stores in the United States and Australia.

Tropical Travelogue Satchel Album

Supplies Used:
Fab Scraps - Chipboard Satchel Album

Graphic 45 – Tropical Travelogue 8 x 8 Paper Pad Graphic 45 – Tropical Travelogue Garden Isle 12 x 12 Paper Graphic 45 – Tropical Travelogue Rainforest 12 x 12 Paper Graphic 45 – Metal Staples – Flowers

Ranger Industries – Antique Linen Distress Ink

Prima Marketing – Flowers

Misc:  Foam Mounting Tape, Adhesive, Basic Scrapbook Supplies, Sandpaper, String, Twill Tape

About the project:

For this project, I wanted to create a mini album with a couple of my favorite photos I could display on an easel in my living room.  Because I didn’t want to create an entire mini album for display, when I saw this chipboard satchel I thought it was a perfect way to display my favorite photos from our trip.

The papers in this collection all work so well together that paper layering is easy and no matter what the combination you come up with, the end result is perfect.

Paper Crafter’s Library Designer Projects

Now, for our Paper Crafter’s Library projects, Tracy has designed this beautiful card set with coordinating envelopes, which can be gifted in this decorated burlap bag.  This project has multiple videos so be sure to scroll down to watch each one.

To create this project, you will need to know how to alter cheese cloth to make it look like fish netting as shown in the picture below.

You can watch the video on how to create the fish netting here

This project also uses metal flower embellishments from Graphic 45, which Tracy alters.

You can watch a video on how Tracy alters and shapes the Graphic 45 metal flower here.

This set includes four 3″ x 4″ cards.  A close up of one of the cards is shown below.

You can watch a video on how Tracy creates the card here.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Here is a close up of the coordinating envelopes.

You can watch a video on how Tracy altered a standard size envelope.

Here is a close up of the decorated burlap bag.

You can watch a video on how Tracy altered the burlap bag here.

So there you have it!  Day one of our celebration of Graphic 45′s Tropical Travelogue collection!  Be sure to stay tuned for tomorrow’s post with more great inspiration!

A Bit About Paper Crafter’s Library

The world of paper crafting is HUGE!  Whether you are a beginner, or you’ve been creating for years, the sheer number of different products, tools, techniques and project ideas can be overwhelming. After spending 6 years helping thousands of paper crafters around the world become more successful in the creative space through her series of kits, digital tutorials and online classes, Andrea Walford began looking for a new approach to education. In 2011 she launched Paper Crafter’s Library – the first, and still to this day, only website that provides an all-in-one learning solution for paper crafters. With almost 800 videos currently in their library and 4-5 new videos added each week, Paper Crafter’s Library offers comprehensive training on products, tools, techniques, and project ideas. From beginner through to advanced, whether your interest is in stamping, card making, scrapbooking, creating 3D items or altered art – you’ll find all the resources you need to navigate the world of paper crafting in ONE place, organized and indexed so that it’s quick and easy to find.

Be sure to sign up for our free email newsletter which features weekly video tutorials. For more information about Paper Crafter’s Library and how we can help you take your paper crafting to the next level, check out the Benefits of Becoming a Member.

Tropical Travelogue Collection Give-Away

To enter to win the Tropical Travelogue Collection please leave your comment below. Also, be sure to stop by the Graphic 45 Blog for another chance to win, and tell them Paper Crafter’s Library sent you!  Winner will be announced on Friday!