In Stitches

I love to use hand stitching on my layouts and have been wanting to try out the In Stitch'z products by Bazzill. I bought the piercing mat, a few sets of templates and every color of floss we had in the store. I just tried it on my first layout and I'm hooked. It is so much easier using the templates and piercing mat. The designs are so easy to follow and the results are beautiful. I love the texture it adds to a layout. What a fun way to embellish a page! Happy Scrapping!

Celebrating a Special, Stuffed Friend

My daughter adored this stuffed puppy dog when she was little and I thought it was time to immortalize it in a scrapbook page. The colors in the photos matched the Bo Bunny Sophie paper perfectly. The little heart on puppy's shirt says "Te Amo" and she definitely was givin' her some love!

I used one of the preprinted labels from the Cut Outs sheet, removed the rectangular background paper, and used it to create a spot for my title. A block of Silhouette is under the photos with a little bit of Bo Bunny's Double Dot paper in Ocean peaking out on the top and the bottom. It's looks like one piece, but I used scraps and hid the edges under the other papers. I fussy cut one of the medallions from the reverse of the Sophie Stripe paper and used it to anchor the flower at the top left. Some Bo Bunny chocolate chipboard swirls and Bazzil jewels finish it off.

thanks for stopping by!
erin

A Simple Layout

Sometimes just a simple design can have a big impact. Here, using the bright colors and patterns of Bo Bunny's Sofie collection really grab all the attention (and hopefully away from my title!)

Enjoy the lovely weekend, the Memorial Day holiday, and the opening day for many of the neighborhood pools!

More Fun with Die Cuts

Hi everyone. Today I am sharing the layout I created using Erin’s design team sketch.

My favorite tools in my craft arsenal are my die cutting machines. They allow you incredible flexibility and the ability to create the perfect embellishment for your project.  The fence was cut using the Quickutz Revolution. This is one of my all time favorite dies. I can use it over and over again and love it just as much as the first time I used it. The scalloped trim at the bottom of the window was also cut using the Revolution.

I used my Silhouette machine to create the scrolled window and title. I placed patterned paper behind the window panes and added chipboard flowers to the center. To spruce up the title, I added a green chipboard “S” and tied it with pink string.

The papers this month were fun, vibrant and easy to use. Next time you are in the store, visit the design team area to see the papers. They are truly amazing in real life.

Robin

April

I loved working with this Bo Bunny paper. It has a very lovely spring like quality.

For the first page of this layout I used Sophie Chic for the background. The maroon flowers are by Prima. The circle is covered in Bo Bunny's Mulberry Dot. I used strips of paper from the Sophie's cut-outs.

"April" is grungeboard cut with my Cricut and inked with "Denimn" Distress ink. Once the Distress ink was dry I sprayed the letters with Walnut Gold and then covered it with "Glossy Accents" - all available at ScrapbooksPlus.

The second page of this layout was on Sophie Stripe. The blue background paper is the backside of the Sophie Stripe paper. The journaling was done on Sophie's Notebook paper. The ribbon is from Webster's Pages. The chipboard corners are Bazzill covered in Sophie's Boquet. The butterflies are punched from scraps.

Happy Birthday Mickey by Esther

Bo Bunny's Sophie line is great for design. However, the black cardstock was a bit challenging for me. Then I remembered that I had saved pictures from long ago with a lot of black because they were also a challenge. This single page layout was inspired by the black cardstock with the flowers in the corner. I used about a third of the sheet at the bottom of the layout. The pictures were taken at night in Disneyland at a parade celebrating Mickey Mouse's 50th birthday.

Aqua cardstock was used to bring out the flowers. The Chomper was used on the corners of the cropped pictures. The dark pictures were made to stand out by having the black designed paper behind them. Then lighter tones of tan & aqua behind them gave a background to highlight them on the layout.

The title and journaling were printed on photo paper and attached using red American Crafts brads. In Word or Publisher use the title word art to get the shaped title. Mickey is tossing yellow, black & red stars up to the title.

Anytime cards!

Since the Bo Bunny printed paper was so pretty in the May kit, I didn't have to add very much to complete this beautiful (anytime) card. I chose to send it with a Hello greeting. To add a few of my own embellishments, I sewed a strip of colored matching paper in the kit for the top and bottom border using my own sewing machine. I added a matching bow, some pink bling and a cute little butterfly that I punched out of an EK Success punch. You can always do something this simple and add your own greeting to make someone very happy when they receive it. Enjoy!

Wheels of Glory

Rolling Thunder is a huge motorcycle tour that gathers Military Veterans & their supporters from all over the US & Canada on the Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend. The ride was started in 1987 to call attention to POW/MIA soldiers, with 2500 riders & has grown to over 250,000 riders. The groups gather at local & not so local bike shops...& converge at the Pentagon in DC. They follow a parade route from there, with full police motorcycle escort, through DC, ending at the national mall. It is quite the sight to see & pretty incredible to experience! Goggle to get more info.

This is an annual event that is important to our family. My husband is an Army Veteran & has spent many years fighting for his country. Every year he rides & we wave & whistle as the riders go by. It is very emotional to witness the huge support for veterans as friends & neighbors come out to support the freedom that has been so hard fought over the years.

I wanted to show you can make a boy page if you take components of the happy, frilly, girly papers we love. Using the DT Bo Bunny papers I took the orange back side of the "dot" paper & distressed inked Tim Holtz's barbed wire mask along the bottom. I made a collage of stamps in the lower left & added layers of circles. Cutting out one of the fancy white circles from the "Sophie" paper, I distressed it using Tim's compass mask & added a big brad. Using Alterations by Sissix I cut the sprockets out of grunge paper, book paper & embossed grunge board. I painted the larger & stamped it then added the metal sprocket/clip. Another large decorated brad on the small book, paper sprocket finished this off. The effect is an eclectic mix that loosely resembles working sprockets.
The photo was the only one taken (this can happen when husbands go off with the camera) by a friendly by stander & was out of focus. I digitally added a soft focus which helps to make out of focus photos look cool, added the journaling directly on the photo, which can save space. I added eyelets & the Holtz key with some beads. The mat is painted with metallic acrylic. It seems like this would take a lot of time to assemble but with practice you will be able to just slap stamps, ink, & "stuff" & have fun doing it. Page 2: The big blue circle was cut out of the back of "Sophie Cut Outs". I embossed & cut out the flames & added a real flag. I cut the motorcycle riders to make them look like they were riding across the layout. Most of these products can be bought at Scrapbooksplus.
My challenge for the month is to either find where your local bike shop rides through the neighborhood & go cheer them on. Or go for the big experience & head into DC to partake in the ride & festivities celebrating Memorial Day. At the very least thank a veteran because no matter what your politics, these soldiers fight for us.

Hoop Layout

Hoop layouts are one of my favorite layout/altered items to make. I learned how make them at last year's Great American Scrapbook Convention and have made several for my home and as gifts. The technique is simple... just dampen the area where the inside of the hoop will sit with water and carefully and gradually mold, squish and work the paper around the hoop until you can fit the hoop parts back together. Add your layout pieces, embellishments and distress the edges and you are done!

I forgot to sand the edges of my photo corner and heart that I cut from the double-dot paper. No problem! I just used the fingernail to scratch at the edges. The white core was quite easy to reveal with just a little effort.

thanks for stopping by!

erin

A Few Favorites

This layout was so much fun to create. I used all of my favorite things to make it. The butterflies {a long time favorite} were cut out with my Silhouette {a new fav} and then misted with Glimmer Mist {love that stuff!}. The bright mat I used to mat the photo of my little girl {of coarse she is my favorite favorite} was made using a technique I learned from Jen Starr {an absolute favorite designer of mine} using distress inks and watercolor paper.
The last time Jen Starr was at the store I learned so much. I am so excited she is coming back in June. I am all signed up for her classes and I am more than ready to be inspired.

It's Flower Time!

Spring Time in Virginia is one of my favorite times of year. Aside from the allergies the beautiful flowers that burst out every where make this area so beautiful. I went around my neighborhood & took some photos, which were perfect for this months Bo Bunny paper selection. Using the page map for this layout which I flipped somewhat. First I digitally enhance my tulip photo, adding the title & soft edges. A piece of Sophie Chic was edged with a border punch & adhered at the top. I cut the beautiful flower swirly from a piece of the Sophie paper & pop dotted it on the upper left corner adding some bling. A layered flower in the bottom left & the sparkly fun title along with the torn & distressed definition finished the page off. I love all the products in this months kit! If you want these beautiful papers just pick them up at Scrapbooksplus. This is a quick & easy way to get 6 photos on 1 layout-yay! Hope you like it.
Have a great day!

Cards

One of the cool things about Bo Bunny is that they give you a double-sided page of cut outs with their collections. These cut outs are great as journaling blocks, for a mini-album or for quick card-making.

I used two of the blocks to make cards this month:

Have a Great Day/HI

The "HI" card was made with all scraps!! I punched flowers and adhered them to my card. I then covered the card with Tim Holtz "Rock Candy" stickles for some shine. "HI" is painted in "Carrot" Smooch. The ribbon is some from my stash.


The "Have a Great Day" card was super easy to make and I was able to mainly use scraps! The background is brown cardstock. I used the Sophie dotted paper on top of the background cardstock. The flowers are white Prima flowers that I used Pink Taffy & Walnut Gold Glimmer Mist on, available at ScrapbooksPlus. The center of the flower is a Tim Holtz fragment that I attached to Sophie dot paper with glossy accents.

The "have a great day" stamp is one I have had in my stash for a long time.

Fun with Chipboard

I absolutely love making cards. There is nothing quite like taking the time to make something special for a special friend or loved one. The papers this month were fun to work with and allowed me to make cards that I would be proud to give to someone special.

I made two cards, but this one is my favorite. I love the clean, beautiful look and feel of the design. Using my Cuttlebug, I embossed a Bazzill Basics die cut shape and placed it in the middle of the card. I added ribbon to the lower portion of the card and tied it with string. I then mounted chipboard flowers to the left side of the card and placed a crystal in the center of each bloom. I finished the card with a heat embossed oval sentiment and adhered it to the lower left side of the card.

If you aren’t usually a card maker, go out on a limb this month and give it a try. Once you try it, you will love it!

Robin

Keeping Memories Alive!

This month's Bo Bunny paper line is so pretty. I thought it would be a great time to use some of my own childhood photos. Of course, the photos are black and white, but I felt they were perfect for the colors of the paper. The 5 x 7 on the left side is both my mother and father holding me when I was only a few weeks old. I added some black bling flourishes and flowers. To make the page look distressed, I sanded the ends of the petal paper just to finish off the page and make it look old.

On the second page, I added 3 more photos of me with either parent. They are in order by age. To highlight the center photo of me and my dad, I made it a little larger and matted it. This photo is very special to me and I wanted to show that in my layout. Stop by tomorrow to check out more designs.

Dance To The Song by Esther

This card was designed to use the BoBunny Sophie shaped paper with the scalloped edge. The black was cut off leaving a more feminine look. Since the Mulberry Dot was used for the base of a 6" card, the blues and light colors offered a good contrast.

A message ("Dance to the song in your heart.") from Quick Press Summertime Blues was adhered to the top left. I really liked the space of aqua color so it remained visible. I used a tag from Sophie Cut Outs to get a graceful swirl. By cutting along the swirl lines the design was set for adding glitz on the right. The rhinestones are Lush by My Mind's Eye. These are great because of the variety of sizes on the card. Some were smaller & on a clear adhesive strip making them easy to apply along the curved lines. Other rhinestones were adhered in flower centers.

Working With the Pattern

Just like Erin, I didn't want to cover up the pattern on the right side of this Bo Bunny paper. I took a slightly different approach, using my craft knife to cut into some of the pattern and let it overlap my photo. An added bonus was that the overlapping sections helped cover up some of the background of my photo -- my dreary & cluttered basement.

I took another piece of Bo Bunny paper with the same flowers and cut out a few and adhering them with pop dots over the matching flower.

For my background I layered a Hambly transparency with a purple swirl on top of a piece of Bo Bunny double dot paper - just as cool as the Bazzill swiss dot cardstock! I've been stocking up on these.

So Happy!!

When I saw the colors in the paper line of this month's kit by Bo Bunny, I thought of the most recent photo I had of my son and his fiance. The photo I used was taken a few minutes after he gave her the ring. Can you see the happiness in their faces?? The colors in their clothing matched the printed paper so well. The blue paper I cut out a large petal design on my Cricut Expression. I used this as a frame for the pink printed paper. It helps make the photo "pop". I then cut out a few of the flowers and squares from another printed sheet in the same line. To make the lines crisp, I sewed a line down the one side of the photo and under it as well. To finish the product, I added a bling butterfly to match. Love the paper, love the photo, love the memory!

Easy Embellishing

Sometimes when I have a piece of paper with a pattern that is only in certain areas I find myself buying it and then it just sits around. I like the paper, but I don't want to cover it up with photos... so it sits unused in my stash. Really it makes creating a page even easier, since you don't have to add very much to make a beautiful page.

For this layout I created layers of border on one side of the photo. I made sure that one of the layers was large enough to hold my title. I created a mitered border to frame the layout.





To embellish I added the lovely turquoise Kaisercraft pearls and extra dots from the Thicker package plus one large button to the floral details in the patterned paper. Simple and lovely!




thanks for stopping by!
erin

Joy

As I have said I am not a big card maker so I have tried to rise to the occasion. I actually really like this card! I cut out the back of the Bo Bunny Sophie collection Cut Out paper-there are 4 shaped pieces which are all beautiful. The edges were distressed, & layered with some Tim Holtz stamps on the background, which I ordered through Scrapbooksplus. I cut out the blue circle from the back of the collections Stripe paper & stamped using my new favorite distress color- Rangers Chipped Sapphire. A postage stamp was made by stamping & than heat embossing the edges in gold to give some pizazz, than adhered with pop dots. Finally I cut a matching backside & used brads to hinge the card. The joy stamp is made by Studio G. Enjoy!

Best Friends

I absolutely loved the sketch that Erin came up with! The background paper I used is Bo Bunny Shitake Dot. The title is Grunge Paper cut with my Cricut and covered in Pool and Kiwi Smooch. The flowers I made are from scraps and painted with Smooch ink in Carrot, Kiwi and Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink - all available at ScrapbooksPlus. BFFs is covered in Sassy Pink Smooch and sprayed with Walnut Gold Glimmer Mist. The journaling is done on Sophie's Notebook paper. The teal floral trim is from ScrapbooksPlus. This is hands down the chunkiest scrapbook page I have ever done!

So here is the layout I designed using this month's page map. I used the orange side of the Bo Bunny Sophie Dot paper for the background and the turquoise side of the Sophie Stripe paper as a mat for all of my photos. I picked up the Bo Bunny Harmony Clearly Stamps at ScrapbooksPlus. I used the stamps to make the circle embellishments on the right side of the layout. I stamped them on white paper and heat embossed them using Walnut Stain Distress Powder embossing powder. There are two different circle stamps in this stamp set, one small and one large. I wanted 3 or 4 different sized circles so I after I embossed all of the circles I cut a few of the large circles down leaving off the outside portion of the design. I used a very old stamp set from Posh Impressions for the B and the Y in my title but in that set the O was really girly so decided to use one of the circles for the O in my title.

Fun with Die Cuts

The papers from Bo Bunny’s Sophie Collection are beautiful! The rich, vibrant colors make for a scrapbooker’s playground. My favorites from the collection are the fancy die cut papers and the chipboard elements.

I used a 12x12 die cut square for the background page for “My Girl.” When working with this design, I found that I need very little embellishment due to the heavy pattern. My page design is nice and easy. I used three chipboard elements, an embellishment sticker and ribbon. The most time consuming part of the design was the layered photo mat.

I used a circle die cut as the focal point of this two page layout. If you haven’t used the beautiful suede papers from the store, be sure to check them out. These papers add the most beautiful texture to any project. I have to thank Sue B. for reminding me to grab them! Don’t forget to use your Cricuts and other die cutting machines to create your title. I used my Silhouette, which is made by Quickutz, to create the title. I used to take my die cutting machines for granted. Now, they are my most prized possession.

Thanks for joining me today.

Robin

Cruising Memories by Esther

My memories of the Caribbean Cruise on Brilliance of the Sea include the colorful and fun things aboard the ship. You could look at the art work, exercise, watch a demo on fruit carving or be surprised at the wonderful skill of the staff that folded the towels to look like creatures.I chose to highlight these photos with a larger one that was cropped surrounded by four photos reduced in size. By placing the larger one in the center, it allowed space for others on sides and title with journaling beneath. The corners were shaped with the Chomper Corner Rounder.

The shapes of cardstock were cut on the Cricut using the Home Décor cartridge. The blue textured look is the Stained Stripes by Fancy Pants and a solid beige with Peony color ink on edges. These were cut to allow the base cardstock, Notebook from the Sophie group to show. Magenta Stickles were added to the flowers and for the letters next to photos.

My custom flowers were created using coffee filters. They are already colored tan and have absorbency for inks. The circles were edged with a pair of Deckle Fiskars scissors with slits cut out to shape. Colorbox Peony rubber stamp ink was used to color one. The other two are dyed with the mustard StazOn. Green Copic markers were used for centers & on green brads. Glue dots help to add dimension. Of course, Stickles were added to glitz flowers and to glue the silver threaded Glitter Buttons by American Crafts. I almost added glittery stones – maybe too much shine for this. Journaling was done on the computer in Word using Georgia font with shaped wording for the title.

Happiness!

This months page map was really fun. You can use it many ways. I decided to use the 6 squares in 2 different ways. One using the Bo Bunny paper that Erin chose for us this month and 2. using 2 x 2 square photos. This way the page wouldn't look too busy.

One of the embellishments on the page maps were circles under the photo. I tried to use this embellishments in different ways. I used punched circles in different sizes, punched embossed buttons with some bling, flowers and of course circle buttons. This way there was some dimension on the page. I love using the button embossed punch that I purchased at ScrapbooksPlus. It gives you dimension without any bulk.

Making Cards from Scraps by Esther

The papers in the Bo Bunny Sophie Collection were a great group to use for the Design Team Wall Display because they are vibrant and colorful. The scraps left from those items afforded more creation. I used the scraps for making cards. By cutting rectangles and circles of the patterns, the 6"x6" cards came to life.

For the first card: Cut a 6"x12" piece of solid cardstock that can be folded in half to form the 6" square card. Then cut a square of the patterned cardstock to which Stickles is added in the design on the darker colors. Adhere the five and a half inch square to the card front and decorate with strips of patterns and ribbon. The flower is held together with a pearl brad by American Crafts. Buttons were threaded with gold metallic thread and glued to the right of the flower. The sentiment was embossed on white cardstock and layered with a burgundy shape beneath. Fiskars Cloud Scissors were used to shape the bottom edge of the front.

The second card is really a combination of scraps highlighted with a flower from smaller scraps. The flower edges were torn & cut in toward the center with gold Stickles added to edges. Orange and pink seem odd together. But it somehow works with the colors of the designs. Green was shaped to look like leaves underneath the flower. The Corner chomper Rounder was used for the corners.

Using the scrap pieces is a very green way to keep the creativity going. If the scrap is larger than a strip, it is meant to be saved and used. Try creating with your scraps more.

Another Page Map

For this month's page map, I decided to grab a few Easter photos to fill the small boxes on the sketch. I used Photoshop Elements to make a collage with my photos, lining them all up evenly then printing them out as one page.

I used lots of circles, dots and curved lines in this layout. I thought it was fun to use some of the Bo Bunny paper with circles on it for my layout -- the circles remind me of decorated eggs. I also used a scalloped edge punch on the bottom to repeat that shape. Repeating a shape is a great way to bring cohesion & balance to your design.

I also grabbed a couple other items from ScrapbooksPlus to add to my page - the cute green tag by My Mind's Eye and the Prima swirl of bling, which I used in place of the circles on the sketch.

Tim Holtz Rocks

So I had the unbelievable good fortune to take classes in Quebec, Canada this weekend from the grunge genius Tim Holtz. The classes were fun, fast paced & most importantly I learned a ton that I will be able to share over time with all of you. This ties in perfectly with the class I am teaching at Scrapbooksplus on May 16th from 1:30-5:30pm. This class is a mini album by Bo Bunny using the Mamarazzi Edgy album & paper pack. Filled with fun distressed grunge, metal, charms, tags & more we will learn some great techniques to use on these Alteration embellishments from Tim's awesome line by Sissix. This album is jam packed with fun technique, from stamping to alcohol ink to Glimmer Misting & of course distress inking. Be one of the first to have an album that Tim called "amazing" using his products! Also there will be a signed Tim Holtz product given as a prize-yay! Check out the class listing on the ScrapbookPlus website for more information. Class size is limited so hurry!

Use That Sketch... Two Ways!

When I created this month's sketch, I envisioned using a photo on one side and different squares of patterned paper on the other. (see the sketch here) Once I picked out my photo, the squares seemed too busy and didn't really work. I decided to switch out the small squares for one large square. The Sophie Floral paper is so pretty, it's nice to showcase the large piece. I matted it on a piece of magenta Double Dot paper and than matted both squares on a dark purple cardstock. I used buttons and flowers along the bottom edge, along with a piece of vintage lace. To attach the lace, I used the bling brad centers to push through the lace and paper. Then I sewed the buttons into place through all the layers to make sure it was all secure. Last I glued on the beautiful Prima flower to finish it off.

So that was the first way to use the sketch... so here is the second...

I always struggle with cards. They may be small, but they often take me longer than full-sized layouts. So I decided to take my sketch and turn it into a card. Turned sideways, the sketch has a large space for the sentiment. The white, scalloped edge is actually one of the half pieces of Bazzill Just The Edge peeking out.

thanks for stopping by!
erin

Think outside the box!

This layout that I made for my daughter's first grade album was actually a first for me. I have never made an 8 1/2 x 11 layout, ever! When I started scrapbooking I only made 2 page layouts. Then I went through a phase of 8x8 pages and I am currently loving the 12x12 single page layout. When I saw this BoBunny Sophie's Notebook paper I just had to cut it down to the actual size of notebook paper, 8 1/2 x 11. I had lots of fun experimenting with this size layout.

I chose to embellish the page with flowers, buttons and a butterfly even though those things really don't have anything to do with the School theme. The reason it works is because the photos were taken outdoor, where flowers and butterflies both live. The colors in the paper and embellishments work really well with the photos with the end result being a pretty little page to slip in the album. If you think about it if I had used school days embellishments like an apple sticker and a teacher's desk die cut it would have looked awkward. The colors would have clashed and even though those items to relate to the theme they would not have worked.
So the next time you are in the store looking for embellishments for a certain theme, think outside the box! Look for items that are sort of "theme-less" like buttons, brads, chipboard etc. Often times these things can be the perfect addition to a layout. And, if you don't end up using them on that particular layout you will be able to use them on a page with a different theme. I would especially encourage you to keep a stash of items that can be altered to the specific color that best suits your photos/ layout. A good example would be chipboard. It can be inked, covered in paper, painted or misted to work with your color scheme. So the next time you are looking for embellishments for a layout and can't find exactly what you are looking for think outside the box and make your own embellishments.