Buzz and Bloom

Girly Fun - by Arlene Camacho

Hi!!!

How have you been enjoying the gorgeous techniques being shown? I have been blown away.

Now I'm here to show you something simple, you don't need special tools or supplies, and it's something that'll be sure to stand out on any project. Anyone can do this!  Ready to see my layout?

Now my daughter saw the chipboard after I altered them and was amazed! She thought I had actually bought them like this. 

I used things you can buy anywhere. I personally do not have many crafty stores or local scrappy shops... so I do what I can with what I have. I used Aleene's Tacky glue, glitter, and mod podge.

First I make sure to cover  CB Pointers: Wiggly Worms with a good amount of glue.

 I like to wait a few minutes to wait for the glue to get tacky before I apply glitter to it.

Now I made the mistake of using a styrofoam plate while coating the chipboard piece with glitter.   I did it to make clean up easier, but instead it caused a lot of static electricity... making the glitter "jump off" the plate. I have a glass cutting mat on my work table, I should've just stuck with that.

I applied a coat of mod podge to seal the deal. I found that without this step, the glitter would fly off as the project was handled.

I used Fab Writers Block: The George in Blush for a flower. I cut it into a spiral and rolled it up using the Aleene's Tacky Glue.  The Retro Leaves got some glitter treatment as well.

Here's another look, also a closer look at the alphas!  CB Vette Lower Case.

Up on the right hand corner I used some of the new CB Buttons.

Thanks for taking a look! Hope this has inspired you to make a bit of a beautiful mess to make something awesome!!!! 

Til Next time! 
Arlene  :) 

Our Tradition by Keandra Perkins-Willis

You know that question ALL scrappers have to eventually answer?  You KNOW the one..."What product can you NOT live without?"  I've answered that question differently each time it has been posed to me:  I HAVE TO have patterned paper...WAIT!  HOW would I create without chipboard...NO!  I'd stop breathing without letter stickers!"  But, when I took the time to REALLY analyze which product I reach for most I discovered that it's... embroidery floss.  I've come to realize that I'm addicted to sewing on my projects.  I have SOME stitching on 95% of my creations!  I LOVE adding stitching to a page in an unusual way... like stitching my title down.  And, I've been trying to figure out for over a YEAR now HOW to stitch my Buzz and Bloom chipboard to my projects!  It's just SOO thick which is great when I want to wet or burn it...it stands up to whatever.  That's not so great when I want to stick a needle through ALL THOSE LAYERS!  Well, I was finally blessed with the answer and my inspiration came from this little guy...
 
That CB Butterfly is one of the newest BUZZ AND BLOOM chipboard embellishments.  I love them soo much that I included them in this month's kit!  But, it was the HOLES in the CB Butterfly that inspired me to do this

I punched holes in my title using my Crop-A-Dile... which I've owned for like 50 years and I should have figured out how to do this a LOOONG time ago (but we're not gonna focus on the negative!)  So, I chose my title and punch holes in my CB THAT 70S ALPHABET.  After all that work, I couldn't just leave them raw so I painted them and ended up with this
 
A word of advice to you when you try this technique: wait until your paint dries before you start working with your chipboard!  If you look closely, you can see a few spots of paint on my page...I'm kinda impatient when I'm creating!  I glued the title down.

Then, I stitched it down!  

 
I finished off my title with the VETTE LOWERCASE CHIPBOARD ALPHABET, and one of my FAVE BUZZ AND BLOOM products (I say THAT a lot!), a POINTER SWIRLY SNAIL.  If you decide to try this, share it in our Flickr group or on Facebook!
xxx
Keandra

Confessions from the Fitting Room - By Jennifer Findlay

I am sure the people in the other fitting rooms wondered what I was up to when they heard the snap of my camera, but as a scrapbooker we can't worry about what others think when we are engaged in some guerrilla tactics to get the perfect shot.  Today I wanted to share with you a layout I did using some Buzz and Bloom chipboard and the corduroy sheets to make a custom made flower.

 
You can see here that I have added a custom made flower from a sheet of COR Patchwork Dotti - Avocado.  I am not one to add a lot of product or embellishments to my pages so I like to custom make mine whenever possible, and I love to add fabric to my layouts to give them a warm homespun feel.

 
To create this type of torn edge flower follow these steps.

1.  Cut two equal sized circles from the fabric.  The larger the circle, the larger the flower will be.  My circles were approximately 2 inches in diameter.  I simply traced a roll of gaffer tape with a pen onto the fabric.  Sharp scissors cut through the fabric easily.  For a fuller flower, cut more circles.

2.  Lay one circle on top of the other and fold in half, then fold the half circle in half again. 

3.  Using your sharp scissors, start cutting strips starting at the rounded edge towards the point but not all the way to the point.

4.  While the circles are still folded, staple the pointed end.  This will keep the two circles together once you unfold them and will add a little bit of dimension once adhered to the page.

5.  Unfold the circles and add a center to your flower.  I stitched a button to the center, but other items to add might include adhesive backed pearls, a rhinestone, a bow tied with ribbon, etc.

The flower will be imperfect and frayed but that is the point; it is custom made and the fabric adds a homespun feel.

 

Last thing to add was my title.  You already know how much I love the Buzz and Bloom chipboard alphabets.  Here I sprayed the CB Vette - lowercase alphas with grey metallic Maya Mist and then topped them with Glossy Accents. 

Thanks for letting me share and I hope to see you cutting up some of those denim and corduroy sheets to make your own embellishments.

-Jenn

Picnic Day- by Lexi Bridges

The design team was asked to share their favorite technique. It would come as no surprise, I'm sure, that my favorite would be misting chipboard to create a background element and then using the chipboard piece. Let me show you on this layout about our first picnic of the season:

 It is probably a no brainer, but if you lay down your fabulous new CB Wildflowers chipboard and mist over it you can get a beautiful flat image full of detail.

I have kept a box that some products were delivered in as my misting box. It contains all the messy ink and  allows my paper and projects to lay flat while misting. I cut apart the chipboard element, again getting more use out of just one product. This way I could have the same element on each side framing the photo. I backed the open space of the flower with patterned paper.

 Again with the CB Butterflies! Is it too obvious I can't get enough?! Here I cut squares of patterned paper and glued them to the shapes before using a file set to shape the paper into the grooves.

I tried something a bit different with the CB Vette Alphabet-Lowercase  alphabet, using fabric writing paint. I kinda liked the "cloud-like" subtle swirl effect it gave them, perfect for a sunny day outside layout. 

And finally, where to put that journaling? I put it as a pull out behind the picture and in front the of FAB Patch Work-The George (avocado).

So there you have it! Several ideas here, but my favorite still has to be the simple misting technique...although my fellow design team members are inspiring me to stretch myself :) Have you tried any new ideas lately?

Have a beautiful day-

L

"Steph" - by Nina Granzien

How groovy and gorgeous are the new chipboard female forms?? They certainly pack a punch of instant femininity to any project!!  I have used the beautiful CB Linda in my layout below, and have added embellishments to her to really give her a sophisticated and elegant look.  CB Linda is the perfect embellishment for this layout alongside some photos of friend's daughter on the day of her formal.

 

One of my favourite techniques, using Buzz and Bloom chipboard, is to cover the chipboard shape with various materials.  On CB Linda you will see I have added several different materials to create the look of clothing.  Firstly, I added some beautiful corded ribbon to the bodice section of the CB Linda shape securing it into position with double sided tape. 

Next, I added my most favourite technique .... "micro-beads".  The micro beads were adhered to the chipboard shape using dimensional magic.  The dimensional magic (glossy accents) was directly applied to the chipboard and the micro beads spread over the top.  When all micro beads were placed into position, I added another coat of dimensional magic over the top, which, when dry leaves a gorgeous glossy finish.

Finally, I added the finishing touches ... using some bling, I created a necklace and a fashionable belt too.  Oh, and not forgetting some flowers in her hair to complete the look!  Doesn't CB Linda now look fit to take on the town in her elegant evening dress?

I have also used a chipboard shape from the CB Fancy Pansy set and created the title using  CB Vette Alphabet Lower Case.   These chipboard pieces have been coloured using an adirondak paint dabber and finished off with some dimensional magic for that irresistable glossy finish.

Wow, what an amazing impact CB Linda has made to this layout ...  go out and grab yourself some of these gorgeous new chipboard shapes now, the creative possibilities are endless .... have fun creating!!

Moments - by Cookie Aguilar

I love this photo of Harvey and his Dad. I just love taking pictures of them while they're goofing around and making silly faces.  This was taken a month before my husband moved here to Australia.  We really enjoyed our last vacation in our province during that time.  I really hope to go back someday and visit our parents again.
Have you tried using the new products from Buzz and Bloom? They are so gorgeous and so easy to use!
For this page, I was able to use a portion of the CB Daffodils. I misted and inked it to get my desired look. And as for my title, I again used my favorite CB Shelby Alphabet - Lower Case -very versatile to use. And I framed the photo using CB Slide Show - Negatives.
Here are a few close ups....
and
Thanks for looking!!! Until Next Buzz and Bloom Project!
xoxo,
Cookie

SNAPSHOT OF ME - by Janis Medina-Maghinay

Just into how many pieces can you break up your CB Ornamental into?  Broke up mine into 5!!!  This is the first piece which I coated with molding paste.

The other half, I broke up into 4 pieces and distressed with ink. 

I coated my chipboards with gold embossing powder and heat gunned away!!!

Here's my layout where I used my CB Ornamental chipboards:

Hands down, the one with the molding paste showed more texture...

while the chipboards without the molding paste turned out still nice but flatter. 

I also used  CB Vette Alphabet - Lower Case as part of my title.  I painted my alphas with gold acrylic paint and instead of air drying them, I dried them using a heat gun hence the texture!!!!  Love how they turned out!!!

This post can easily be entitled "OF CARDSTOCKS AND CHIPBOARDS" as no patterned papers were used on my layout (yes, I handmade my flowers using cardstocks!!!  They turned out neat, don't you think? LOL.)  I'm challenging you to create your own version too using Buzz and Bloom's chipboards!!!

Have fun creating,

janis

Love at First Sight - by Gina Rodgers

When I found out my next assignment was to share a favourite technique... I just couldn't go past masking... it's so much fun to do along with splattering paint and generally making a mess :) fun... to me that's creating at it's best! So I came up with this layout of my daughter's first encounter at home with the little dog we adopted from the dogs home... he's been a bundle of mischief since he arrived here... so the messy look to the page really suits him :)

 

STEP 1: Create your background

First, choose your Buzz and Bloom chipboard (I've used CB Head Start Be Mine
- Mini and removed the inner letters from the frame). I've positioned it half off the page for a more random look then sprayed with two different glimmer mists (Patina and Juneberry Wine). I've then splashed around other colours (Lemon Zest and Key Lime Pie) and added more masking over a piece of holey paper.

 

STEP 2: Add your photo and pattern paper frame

I've just distressed some patterned paper off-cuts for this step but you could use one whole piece of paper if you like

STEP 3: Use your masked chipboard as a title

  

STEP 4: Alter Your Chipboard

Here, I've replaced the heart inside the frame then painted all the chipboard pieces and coated in glossy accents. The smaller 'love' word comes from the same set and layers perfectly over the love heart.. The little bird is called CB Totally Too Tweet

    

 To finish the layout I added a little yo-yo flower, the rest of the title and some journaling... Thanks so much for stopping by, I hope you're inspired to go and  break out those paints and mists, some cute chipboard words, make a mess and of course have fun!!... Until next time, Gina xox

The George Mini Album - by Kellie Lusted

My turn to show a technique and I am going to use the CB Book Kit-Mini: The George with mostly inks but with a little dry brush paint.

      I have used black ink to coat all the inner pages of the mini and used some Smooch ink on the one side of the flower cut, just for added colour.  On the cover and back cover I have used red paint and dry brushed it roughly over the damask engraved side of the cover. 

 

I left it to dry, then, using a sponge dauber I inked over the red with black ink, very roughly and light in some areas and heavier in others.  Then using some gold ink (I have used Smooch) I used another dauber and rubbed it roughly over the front and back cover to give it an antique feel. 

Now the only thing left to do is to decorate the pages and cover.  I have used a mixture of older papers and flowers and mixed embellies. 

On the front cover I have used CB Shelby Alphabet Count Down and one of the new CB Butterflies inside a ACR Mirror Mirror On The Wall (Ruby) frame.

I found this a wonderful MiniBook to do as it is small but still big enough to hold the memories and tell the story.  So crack out the paints and inks and get into it! 

Kell xx

Loustics - by Polinka

Sometimes I like creating my own backgrounds, when I can't find the perfect patterned paper...

Then I usually browse through my Buzz and Bloom stash and find my favorite shapes... 

This time I choose the CB Pointers - Spikey Spiders, and placed a few of them all over a white cardstock, this way:

Then Sprayed some glimmer grey paint:

I removed the chipboards to see the white again:

To add color, I used the chipboards as stamps, with acrylic paints (blue and lime green):

And finally, I searched for a multicolored thread and stitched along the motives with the sewing machine:

I reused one of the chipboard pieces that served as a stamp with paint, for a decoration in the corner...

And I added a title with the CB Distracted Schoolgirl Alphabet, covered with white acrylic paint and a light brush...

 

Come back soon :)

*Polinka