Buzz and Bloom

Scrapping Process - Whatever Feels Good To Me - by Tanisha Long

I am back again with a really fun post!!

We were given an assignment to scrap our "scrap process". I had to think long and hard about this because there's really no particular order in which I scrap, so I figured... why not scrap that?

I pulled out papers in my favorite colors (to scrap with) and went to town. I decided to go photo-less which left PLENTY of space to load up my layout with Buzz & Bloom products!!

journaling: I can’t really say that there’s a method to my madness when it comes to scrapping. Sometimes, I’ll get in the mood to scrap, but don’t know where to start. That’s when I’ll go lurking on my favorite online sites, scrap blogs or magazines for inspiration. Other times, pictures or certain patterned papers get me in the mood, so I’ll start there. There have even been times where I just start with the journaling and work the rest of the page around it. Once I figure out “step one”, I then work on gathering possible embellishments to use. It’s always hard for me to use a small amount, so my projects usually have a lot going on, but I don’t care…as long as it’s pleasing to me! I’ll usually try to pull out more papers to use because I love bringing together a lot of different patterns. At this point, I’ll also incorporate punched borders and/or paper tearing because I love the effects. Next, I work on positioning. I’ll lay everything out and get the positioning and sizes just right, but then end up having to move things to add adhesive and of course the page never looks the same as it did when it wasn’t adhered. Once everything comes together, I stare at the project to see what else can be done to make each individual element its own “masterpiece”. Once I’m satisfied with how everything looks, I’ll let the project sit out overnight and then look at it again the next day. If I’m pleased, I’ll then photograph it, post it online and then place it in the “completed” pile.

In order to add interest to the title, I mixed it up a bit with CB Vette - Lower Case covered with patterned paper and CB Pop Art Alphabet painted with twinkling H2Os. I ran out of CB Vette - Lower Case "e's", but not a problem, I simply cut around the negative space and then used Helmar's Premium Craft Glue to adhere them to FAB Writer's Block - The George (Emerald), trimmed off the excess and added pearls to the centers. CB Beaded Curtain painted with Creative Imaginations Chestnut Brown Twinkling H2Os really helps the title pop.

I created a visual triangle with FAB Blame It On The Sunshine (Blush). Before adhering the flowers to the layout, I sprayed them with Cherry Smooch Spritz, crinkled them, and .finished off the look with brads.

I layered the remaining piece of FAB Writer's Block - The George (Emerald) with CB Vette Alphabet - Lower Case and CB Shelby Alphabet - Lower Case that have been sprayed with smooch spritz and inked with brown chalk ink.

I absolutely LOVE the CB Butterflies, so I tossed in a couple of those, too! Why not? LOL!

Thanks so much for stopping by the blog today!! until next post...happy scrapping!

.

 

Scrapping Process - Multi Generational Love - by Keandra Willis

You know, I never do it the same way...WHAT????  I meant SCRAP!  (Minds outta the gutter, people!)  Sometimes I see a picture that's begging to be scrapped; other times I start with a story that has to be told.  THIS particular project started with this

I stamped this paper a few weeks ago and I've been DYING to use it.  So, I decided today was the day and matted it with cardstock.  Then, I saw a circle I cut out a while back lying around and threw that on the page, too.


Then, it was time to choose a picture from my pile.

This picture of me, my Mom and Kea is perfect!  I took about 100 pictures the night the Saints won the Super Bowl and I thought I would scrap them all using the team's colors....yeah....ummm, no!  That got tired VERY quickly so I LUUUV that I'll be giving this picture the bright treatment!

I wanted to use a piece of my CHIPBOARD DAFFODILS but it just wasn't RIGHT!  I'm not really a theme scrapper where I MUST have flowers on a wedding layout or hearts for a Valentine's Day page...I just go with what I feel!  Sooo, the DAFFODILS don't work...hmmm!  Time to pull out my pizza box!

OK! What about a few CHIPBOARD BUTTERFLIES thrown on there?  But, I need three since there are three of us in the picture and I can't find the large one...DANG!  Oh well!!!  It'll pop up before I finish!  I've chosen my title and the CHIPBOARD ANALOG ALPHABET to write that title.

UMMMM, NAH!   That's just not working for me!  The ANALOG ALPHABET is too bulky for this title.  OOH!  I know!  I'll use the ANALOG ALPHABET for the "Love" portion of my title with a heart shaped CHIPBOARD BUTTON  thrown into the mix:

CUTE!!!  OOOH!  Kea was playing with some Christmas embellishments that I got for 80% off...let me use a few of those before he destroys them all!

OK!  Then, I chose a smaller font sticker to write the long portion of my title:

OH!  I forgot that I wanted to outline my painted circles with my white pen!

I love when I can use stash on my projects...makes all that buying seem worthwhile...ya know?  So, I decided to throw some eyelets on this page, along with my newest obsession, twine. 

I intended to use the eyelets on the holes that I would string the twine through but...ummm...I forgot!  So, I used them instead in the centers of the doilies.

And my large CHIPBOARD BUTTERFLY?  In the words of my Keanohn, "I BOUND IT!!!"

Now, on to the finishing touches like adding a piece of DENIM WRITER'S BLOCK THE GEORGE (in indigo) above my picture and punching my holes for stitching

Now, it's time to paint my BUTTERFLIES.    I know what you're thinking: why in the HECK didn't you paint the butterflies before gluing them down?  Simply put, sometimes I feel like a nut...sometimes  I don't!  Again, I just go with what I'm feeling at the time!

I painted the title the same color as the butterflies, with the exception of the HEART CHIPBOARD BUTTON , which I covered with glitter glue. 

Once I added the journaling...VOILA!

So, basically, I create all OVER THE PLACE!!!  What's your scrap process?

Keandra

Scrapping Process - Anatomy of a Layout - by Jennifer Findlay

Today I wanted to share with you my process for creating a layout.  Everybody has their own creative way of getting to the end result.  Some people are inspired by a product, others the picture.  But more often than not, for me, I am initially inspired by a story I want to tell.

Sometimes I will have a picture that inspires that story, other times it is something about myself or life I want to document and will search out pictures I may already have or pictures I want to take.  Then I look for products that I feel coordinate well.  Those two steps are the only steps that are pretty consistent for me.  From there it is all about trial and error.  I do a lot of paper shuffling and embellishment placement and removal.  Embellishments are the hardest part of it all for me.  I can usually get the design down, know what I want to say in my journaling, and can come up with a creative title.  But when it comes to embellishments, I just can't commit!  So here is the anatomy of how this layout came together.

 
I had this picture on hand of when I went shopping with my sister and her bridesmaids for our bridesmaids dresses.  To be honest, I had scrapped this picture before but I am going to put together and album of layouts for my sister of all the pictures of the wedding planning, so I needed to do a second layout of the picture to give to her.  I very well couldn't give her mine!  So I had the picture and I wanted to document the fun time we were having being bossed around by my sister to try on dress after dress.  This was actually the only good picture that came out of the day because we were in and out of dresses so fast there was no time for any posed pictures.  So I had the picture and the story; now I needed product.  I love the October Afternoon "Thrift Shop" line and thought it would look cool paired with the Creative Imaginations Wood paper that you see as the background.  I didn't want to do just a plain old square layout either.  My lss has these 12x12 die cuts at the shop so I took the wood paper and die cut it with the apron lace border you see here.

Now for the design part.  I wanted to let the wood show through so I decided to only cover half of the base of the layout with paper in a sort of modern color blocking way.  That is what you see below.  I wanted the edge of the layout to have a little more definition so I used some chocolate brown embroidery floss to stitch a backstitched border all along the perimeter of the layout.  The wood paper is easy to see through but still rigid enough on which to add more product and it will hold its shape.  I added some velvet scalloped trim down the center to divide the two halves of the layout.  You'll notice in the finished layout above that I added a couple narrow layered strips of patterned paper a little later before I glued down the embellishments.  I felt like it needed a bit more pizazz down the center area.
  

I centered the picture on the patterned papered half of the layout and decided on the title.  Then came the hard part, deciding on the embellishments.  So I sorted through my stash of Buzz and Bloom chipboard and came across the CB Fancy Pansies.  These flowers matched almost perfectly to the flowers in the patterned paper. 

So I got out my trusty paints and painted the flowers a coordinating pink to match the patterned paper and the stems of the large center piece green.  I also dug out some alphas.  Here I used the CB Vette-lowercase alphas painted red.  I topped all the pieces with Glossy Accents except the flowers themselves.  I wanted those to have a more matte look.  So just the green stem got the glossy treatment.  I like to use a paper plate when painting the pieces so the paint doesn't get all over my desk or anywhere else.  As you can see I am sort of a messy painter!

 

Once dry it was time to fool around with placement. I decided after many variations to place the largest piece towards the center of the layout and to accent the picture and the title area with smaller pansies.  You can see here that they are unpainted becase they were an after thought.

Once everything was painted, Glossy Accent-ed, and glued down, my flowers were in need of centers.  I solved that problem using some CB Buttons painted yellow and stitched in place with some embroidery floss. 

 
A few hand cut patterned paper leaves, a leaf stickpin and some journal strips and the layout was complete.  Now it just needs an album and it is all set.  Thanks for reading about my not so scientific or design oriented process!

-Jenn

Scrapping Process - My Little Flower Girl - by Janis Medina-Maghinay

 Hello everyone!!!  I'm gonna share with you my scrap process on my layout today.  My scrap process usually starts with the photos I'm gonna use.  I have these photos of my daughter Nat when she first became a flower girl during my brother's wedding in 2006.  I'm not particularly happy with their quality (I wasn't into scrapbooking then) but there is a story to tell here that I wanted to document for my daughter to read when she grows much older.  ;o)

 

I usually match my pictures with the themes and colors of my patterned papers.  Since she is still a toddler here and is wearing pink, I knew I wanted to use subtle patterns and dainty colors with a hint of green to match the pink.  I got my Upsy Daisy Bebe papers and looked into my Buzz and Bloom stash to see which ones I can use on my layout.

 

At this stage, there will be a lot of moving around with the papers and the embellishments until I am satisfied with how the design will look like.  I don't usually use sketches, truth is, I do not know how the resulting layout will look like when I start on one. LOL!!!  I just have an idea of where to put my photos and embellishments and work from there.  Maybe, you can say that I am more into the "whatever fits the photos" type of designs.  LOL!!!  I also love textures and lots of layers and details on my layouts so I always add up on embellishments as I go on.

Here's my final layout:

I used CB Shelby Alphabet in Upper and Lower Case.  I painted them with black acrylic paint and coated them with Ranger Stickles in Black Diamond.  I wasn't too happy that the alphas ended kinda flat when the Stickles dried up, so I topped them with Ranger Sepia Accents.  The glazed look always wins me over!!!

I also used FAB On Cloud Nine (Magenta) which I outlined with Tulip Slick Dimensional Fabric Paint.

The green and pink combo looks so pretty with this FAB Up the Garden Path (Emerald)!!!  I used some of the chipboard buttons in CB Buttons as flower centers.

Just a close-up of my CB Buttons flower centers.  I painted them with acrylic paint and topped with pearls to cover the button holes.  I outlined them with Derivan 3D Kindy GLitz - - I love the puffy and sparkly look it gave my chipboards!!! 

The final process on my layouts are always the journaling part.  I try to remember the life lessons and stories behind the photos and document them - - because I'm sure my kids would love to read about the stories I have of them when they grow up and learn how to read.  ;o)

Hope you like what I shared with you today!!!  Until next time!!!

Have fun creating,

janis

Scrapping Process - Cheesy Grin - by Gina Rodgers

When it comes to my scrapping process..I can't say it's always the same,
but it generally comes down to a number of elements I enjoy using
such as colour, texture, pattern and also the use of white space...

So to start off this layout of my youngest daughter Jem, I picked out a
couple of CB Blame it on the Sunshine flowers and cut them into unequal
halves... if that makes sense. The chipboard cut easily with a sharp pair of
craft scissors.  I then played around with the placement of the flowers,
photo, some strips of patterned paper and the outside frame of a diecut

 

Once happy with the placement, I inked the flower pieces in aqua and
purple and shaded the edges with a different colour ink and stuck
everything down.

 

 I've kept the layout pretty simple just adding a title and journaling tag..and 
of course a few paint splatters and white pen detail...so it's a fairly simple
one but I think the Buzz and Bloom chipboard is a very effective way to 
add colour and texture to a layout without a lot of effort involved..

Thanks for visiting and happy scrapping! :)
Gina xox

Scrapping process - Bridal Chic - by Arlene Camacho

Hello everyone! :D

I really love challenges. They always make me look to do twists and something different! I was so excited when we were assigned some!

I have different approaches to scrapping. I can take color cues from a photo... be totally inspired by a color scheme and so forth. With this layout it was a comment that inspired the layout!

This is my little sister. When this photo was posted on facebook, a cousin of ours said it belonged in a bridal magazine. Hence the title.

I also thought that CB Linda would be perfect in a LO like this. I had a bit of pretty lace ribbon left to use as the bodice, and used some lace cardstock for the skirt after painting her.  Doesn't she look like a bridesmaid as well?

To mimic the pretty bouquet my sister is carrying, I cut some tissue paper and made a flower with it. I misted it to give it that two toned effect.

For the title I inked and coated CB Vette Alphabet - Lowercase and CB Shelby Alphabet (lower and upper case) in glossy accents for that sleek look. I wanted to keep the colors fresh, like something you would see in an ad. I hope you find inspiration in the every day things! You never know what you can create from them.

Until next time!

Arlene

Scrapping Process - Camera Shy? - by Pippa Waddell

I had never considered my Scrap Process until now. I know I have a few crazy OCD-like “rules” that fly around in my brain when I’m scrapping, but I had never really thought about it. This was really fun! So here is what goes on in my head when I’m scrapping. I hope you have a few minutes. In fact, you may want to grab yourself a cuppa, we could be here for a while LOL

 

1.     Photo

Photo selection is usually the starting point or inspiration for me for any project. It is from here that I choose size, quantity colour or Black & White? And usually a title for my LO will present itself based on the photo. 

2.     Select Background

I love a plain background. White cardstock is my BG of choice in most cases, or Kraft. I like the ability to create something special using inks or paint, masking etc. Having said that, in this case I have gone for a PP that I thought suited the masculine LO.

3.     Choose a Colour Scheme

This is usually based on the photo. I like to pick the main colour in the photo, and rather than matching it I like to go opposite! In my opinion this makes the photo really pop. And after all, the photo should be the main focus of any LO.

I like to select three or four contrasting/coordinating colours to make up scheme. Using the colour wheel can be really helpful. So for example, I had the brown BG and the baby blue shirt in the photo. The opposite of the blue on the colour wheel is yellow/orange and you can never go wrong with white.

 

4.     Gather Embellishments

Anything and everything that I think will be suitable for my LO. This being a masculine LO, I wanted to steer away from anything to flowery, frilly etc. I also like to have a mix of textures. Acrylic, chipboard, paper, fabric, rough, smooth, shiny, matte etc. I just grab it all from my stash, with the view to culling as I go. 

5.     Design

This is the part that can be a little tricky. Deciding where everything should go. Personally I prefer a messy sort of chaotic look. Here’s how I do it:

Position elements slightly off centre and not quite straight

Use “negative space” (the area of the background with nothing going on) to juxtapose against the mess so that things are a little easier on the eye.

Layer up elements under the photo, poking out here and there to create interest.

·      Then embellish over the layers to add more and more levels, and more to look at. All the while considering the different materials and how they play off against each other. So here I have used COR In Bloom – Azure (only half actually), MIR Cupid – Be Mine and CB Beaded Curtain (again only part) I chose to leave this raw, again going with masculine theme and maximum contrast of elements.

·      Rough it up! Leave corners and edges unstuck. Bend, distress, staple etc to give more texture e.g. you can see the mesh used under the photo has been crumpled up before sticking down so that it adds more character and interest. I have also roughed up the MIR Cupid – Be Mine and Frills with an emery board to give a more “manly” feel.

 

·      Echo the elements in a mini design block elsewhere on the page. I don't do this with every LO, but every now and then it can be fun. 

6.     Title

Sometimes I have already decided on the title before I start the LO, and other times I am thinking about it the whole time I am creating. But I do consider the overall design  aesthetic when I am choosing my font. So here I went with CB Vette Alphabet – Lowercase for it’s no frills look. 

  

7.     Paint/Ink/Emboss

Now to finish off any chipbard elements. In this case I have painted the title in turquoise to match the COR In Bloom – Azure. When it was dry, I used the contrasting yellow/orange ink on a texture stamp for different effect.

8.     Journaling

In my opinion, one of the key elements of scrapbooking. If, like me, you are serious about scrapbooking being for your family history, then you can’t go past journaling. Even if it is just a few words about who, when and where; it’s just so important. In this LO the journaling is actually hidden in the little orange envelope.

9.     Stick It Down!

I have a few different adhesives that use, depending on what I am sticking down. Fabric glue, tape or regular glue, mount tape. I have decanted some glue into a bottle with a fine nozzle for finer work, like alphas and small embellies.  

If I’m scrapping away from home (which is most of the time) and need to pack away before I have stuck down, I will quite often take a photo on my phone of how I have laid everything out. I can’t trust my memory you see LOL

And here’s the finished product 

 PHEW! We made it! Well I hope that you have managed to stay with me, and thanks for staying to he end. Have you ever considered what your scrap process is? What inspires you? What kind of scrapper are you? Perhaps you could do a LO about it and share it with us. 

Thanks for stopping by

Pippa xxoo

Color Combo Challenge & Scrapping Process - by Devorah Koronczyk

Hi-ya! The design team girls have been scrapping up a storm with the color combo I challenged them to use! And up next they're going to be sharing with you their scrapbook process - how they create from concept to execution. I thought this was an interesting way to look at how people create, what drives them, how their mojo works... So I've got a layout to share with you using the color combo {red, aqua & lime} and I'll explain my whole process. It'll give you a little insight into how I scrap, how I use products and what tickles my muse!

I was inspired by the "What If..." theme of the Scrapbook Industry Australia trade show earlier this month. A competition was run to find the best interpretation of the theme and a sketch. The sketch can be seen here. It is one of Becky Fleck's Page Maps. There were some amazing entries and I loved the idea of trying out the sketch and the theme. I also really wanted to incorporate the color challenge.

Ok, so where to start? I found some pictures of my friends and I from a trip to Texas in 2004. Then I collected a bunch of papers and embellishments that fit the color combo and started pushing things around. I loved how the green dotti paper looked on the kraft background, and I loved how all the other colors looked with splashes of bold black & white patterns. I was happily pushing papers around for a while, trying to keep up with the sketch. I had four photos instead of three, and well, after I stuck down a couple of the patterned papers, and mounted the pictures on grey card stock well, my mojo got the better of me and won out over the sketch! So I've only really used this sketch as a starting point for my layout.  Sometimes you just gotta roll with it and go where the art takes you, rather than trying to force something.Does it seem like I'm pushing the limit with my color choices, well not really, you see all of my patterned papers are lime, aqua and red, and they've all got some white in them. The kraft background is neutral as are the black & white elements, the grey also works as a nice mount for the pictures because it matches the colors in the photos and well it's just a mix of black & white, so it's not really introducing another color is it?

After adhering the photo block, I started playing with little bits and strips of patterned paper. I used the bold patterns in the papers to draw the eye around the layout and to the important focal points. I added a frame to my favourite picture by simply adhering a MIR Reflections and giving the edge a bit of bling with a line of Rock Candy Stickles.

For the title, I used CB Shelby Alphabet - Lower Case glitzed up with a layer of turquoise Kindy Glitz and CB Vette Alphabet - Upper Case covered in Rock Candy Stickles. I added journalling on a tag, and cut off just the edge to write the date and tuck into the layout.

At this point I felt the layout needed something around the edges - they looked too neat, tidy and too blank. So I placed one of my favorite products - a CB Retro Vine down the side, sprayed with glimmer mist, then repeated along the bottom edge. I just adore using chipboard pieces like this - it gave this layout a really cool subtle look, and now I have a pretty misted vine border to use on another layout! I did use one leaf covered in red ink and glitter perfectly placed in it's correct position, well just because I thought that part of the page needed a little more red!

Then I used embellishments to support the eye's path through the layout. Adding bits and pieces to cover a seam between two patterned papers, or a flower to add punch in a corner...  I loved layering up these paper flowers, but thought they were all a bit monochromatic, and I wanted them to blend the colors together a bit. So I mixed and matched flowers to the color combo, and then took a DEN Blame It On The Sunshine flower and bleached the heck out of it. You see the indigo denim is gorgeous, but didn't match the layout and well, there are enough colors on this sucker already! So after soaking it in bleach and removing most of the colour I quickly set it dry with a heat gun and then gave it a few coats of twinkling H2Os in aqua and lime. You could totally use glimmer mist for this, but I think it'd be harder to get the variation in color from the middle to the edges.

I also used a fabric red heart which I cut from the 'i' from DEN Love & Kisses Alphabet in Blush. Again, because it was cute, and i thought that part of the page needed some red for balance. Finally, I used glitter and tape to give the page borders, line and really help to ground and frame the design.

If you've had a go at creating with this color combo, post a picture in our Flickr pool to share with us! We'd love to see your Buzz and Bloom layouts!

The design team will be sharing their scrapping process here, so make sure you stick around for that!

Till next time,

xxx Devorah