New Washi Tape Tutorial!

Washi Tape Tutorial by Ilene Tell

I love working with washi tape - it's such a fun, versatile product. I was so happy to see BoBunny new washi tapes with the gold dot and gold chevron. The gold makes the tape such a festive and bright embellishment. I thought it would be fun to use the washi tapes to make a customized embellishment, and it's very simple to do with some dies, washi tape, and tissue paper. 

Pick out the dies you want to use. Then cover the tissue paper with washi tape - cover a large enough area to fit the die. 

Next, cut out the covered pieces of tissue paper.

Now, run it through your die cutting machine.

The result is semi-transparent die-cuts that are very delicate and perfectly match the washi tape you have. You can then add the die-cuts to your project, along with a little bit of the washi tape to balance out the colors throughout. I made two cards and added the butterflies along with their matching washi tape as accents.

Here's a close-up. You can see that the butterfly is still semi-transparent, which helps it convey a delicate feeling:

And as always, I finished out the inside of the cards with some pretty paper from the 6x6 pad:

For my second card, I again added the butterfly and swirl die-cuts, and some washi tape to balance out the elements.

And another close look at the details:

BoBunny Supplies:

Patterned Paper: Calendar Girl / January, August

Double Dot: Dark Denim Dot, Licorice Dot

Washi Tape: Gold Foil Dot, Gold Foil Chevron

Dies: Flutter, Flourish

Jewels: Double Dot Citrus

Stickers: Glitter and Foil Chevron

6 x 6 Paper Pad: Calendar Girl

Noteworthy: Calendar Girl

Stamps: Floral

Tools: Stamp Block Set

Medallions: Gold Foil

Whiteout 1 Layout 3 Ways

Winter Wonderland Fun by Ilene Tell

Welcome to another post of one layout, three ways. Today I'll be sharing the three stages my layout went through before I felt it was complete. I once heard a quote that a work of art is never completed, only abandoned. I think that quote applies well to scrapbooking layouts - there's no magical point where a layout or project is ever finished, it's only a matter of each individual's personal preference and aesthetic to decide when they feel something is "done". I think I could have easily stopped working on this layout at any of the three stages and it would have been fine to leave it there. But personally, I like to fiddle with things a bit before I feel I've had enough :)

Here is the first stage (sorry about the lighting, I had to work on it at night and take the pic at night so I could keep working on it). But this is the basic layout with some interesting cutout details added, and a cute pic of my son last winter. The photo below is the next phase, with some of the torn dark blue snowflake paper added for a little more interest.

And finally, below is the final layout completed. For the last phase, I simply focused on adding some interest by adding dimension and texture. To achieve that, I cut apart the striped paper and distressed all the edges. I also propped up the polaroid images with dimensional adhesive. Finally, I added some 3-D embellishments by cutting apart the dimensional chipboard snowflakes, plus a dimensional chipboard tag. These embellishments come in three layers with glitter and jewels already added, so they're a very quick and easy way to add sparkle and dimension.

BoBunny Supplies:
Patterned Paper: Whiteout / Bundled Up, Solitude, Arctic Rim, Frozen
6x6 Paper Pad: Whiteout
Layered Chipboard: Whiteout
Noteworthy: Whiteout

Golden Touch with Glitter Paste!

The Golden Touch by Ilene Tell

I recently created a layout, and today I will share the three phases it went through. For this layout, I used the new Enchanted Harvest collection for its gorgeous colors. The photo is of a Pre-Raphaelite painting by Edward Burne-Jones. Pre-Raphaelite art is one of my favorite styles that I have loved since I was a teenager. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that our small local museum has a whole collection of it! I took this photo on my phone at the museum. Considering it's pretty dark inside, I think it came out beautifully. The photo is a close-up of the painting, that shows the gorgeous technique where the golden paint was layered thickly and has a crackle effect. You would really have to see it in person to get a feel for the magnitude of its impact.

So, here is the first phase. To empahsize the gold, I added gold glitter paste using the brocade stencil, and also added some of the wood embellishments and some flowers. If I had wanted to be done here, I would have also added the title with sticker letters that came with the 12x12 sticker sheet.

For the next phase, I embellished a little more by coloring the wood embellishments with gold chalk ink (this was perfect to color the wood since it let the burned design show through). I also added some jewel flourishes. Already you can see that simple step helps the wood blend in better:

For the last phase, I added the title and some of the gorgeous BoBunny gold foil transfers. I defined the edges of the layout with chocolate pearlescents, added some butterflies, and then added more gold glitter paste to the flowers and butterfly wings (this is very easy to do with a palette knife).

I hope you enjoyed this litlle peek into the stages that a layout can go through. It would have been fine to stop at any one stage and be done there. With art, there's really no right or wrong. My one tip would be - if you're working on something and you're not happy with it, just keep adding and subtracting until you get it to look the way you want it to.

BoBunny Supplies:
Patterned Paper: Enchanted Harvest / Nymph, Gratitude, Butterflies, Foliage
Foil Transfers: Accents Gold, Alphabet Gold
Combo Sticker: Enchanted Harvest
Wood: Iron Works
Glitter Paste: Gold
Pearlescents: Chocolate, Gold
Jewel Flourishes: Chocloate
Blossoms: Harvest Orange Pansy, Harvest Orange Daisy

Magical Mixed Media!

Today I wanted to share a couple holiday cards using BoBunny glitter pastes and stencils. Mixed media really doesn't have to be difficult or time consuming and the glitter pastes make it really easy to add some pretty sparkle to your holiday cards this year.

Easy mixed media cards by Ilene Tell

For this card, I paired the silver glitter paste with the "Winter Delight" stencil for some pretty, sparkly, yet subtle snowflakes. I added a little of the silver paste on top for an icy effect. The snowflake in the center is BoBunny's laset-cut chipboard. I simply covered it with the Blueberry glitter paste to have it match the card.

On the paper itself, there was a little deer on top of the pile of presents, so I simply put silver paste on top of it to mute it out, so you wouldn't see it under the snowflake that I replaced it with. I always like to add something dimensional to my cards to give them a little oomph. And the glitter pastes paired with a stencil are a great way to add texture. I applied the glitter paste with a palette knife - super easy! For the center of the snowflake, I added a double dot jewel.

I like to use patterned paper for my card bases - BoBunny paper is nice and thick, so it works well for that. This way, I end up with a pattern inside the card, as well as on the back of the card, which gives it a really nice effect. The front of the card is reinforced with the actual card image and decoration, and I reinforce the inside second page with another sheet - the double thickness is perfect for the card base. For that paper, I always choose a more neutral, lighter paper so it's easy to write the message on it. I try to find neutral papers that also have a little decoration or image on them for more interest. This paper was perfect since it had the pretty trees on the bottom and the snowflake and light rays throughout.

For the second card, I again used the snowflake stencil to add some sparkle. For added dimension, I added the layered chipboard wings that were already decorated with jewels. This card was very simple to create as well - I cut out the window image from a sheet of paper, and pasted it on top of another sheet of paper. Add some snowflakes, the wings, and done!

Here's a close-up of the beautiful sparkle you get with the silver glitter paste. Don't you think this is just beautiful for holiday, New Year's, and Christmas cards?

And of course the card isn't done until I finish up the inside with some pretty paper:

BoBunny Supplies:
Patterned Paper: Sleigh Ride / Blizzard, Flurries, Logs, Magic, Tranquil, Wonderful
Glitter Paste: Silver, Blueberry
Laser Cut Chipboard: Snowflakes
Layered Chipboard: Sleigh Ride
Double Dot Jewels: Blue Hues
Stickable Stencil: Winter Delight

Art Journaling With Genevieve!

Hi guys, I am so excited to finally get my hands on the new BoBunny collections! I got to play with the Genevieve collection, and the thing that grabbed me about it before anything else were the colors - I just love the deep, warm yellow and the ultramarine deep blue. I knew I wanted to create an art journal spread, since I've been really getting into mixed media art journaling lately. And the bright colors made me think of the book "My Many Colored Days" by Dr. Seuss. The book begins with:

Art Journal by Ilene Tell

"Some days are yellow, some are blue. On different days, I'm different too. You'd be surprised how many ways I change on different colored days."

Then it goes through a variety of colors and the moods that go with them. It has beautiful artsy illustrations as well. I always loved it for my kids, to show them that we all have different moods and that it's OK to have all sorts of feelings. I thought this collection would be perfect to create a two-page spread in my journal.

Art journaling is so fun and such a great way to express your feelings, thoughts, and experiment with different colors and techniques. There's no pressure to get it "perfect", it's just a therapeutic time to play. Here are the steps I went through to create this layout:

1. Cut apart blue-toned and yellow-toned sheets from the 6x6 paper pad into random scraps and then randomly glue them down with gel medium. I like to use the 6x6 paper for this since it's slightly thinner than the really thick 12x12 paper BoBunny has.

2. Put some globs of yellow paint on the yellow side and rub it around with a baby wipe to give the page an even more yellow tone. It will come out as a color wash and completely see-through. Do the same for the other side with blue paint. This way even the same papers will look different for each side.

3. Add designs around the edges with the "Starling" stickable stencil and then the birds at the top.

4. Paint your image. I chose to paint the girl. I love painting with acrylics on patterend paper since you can leave areas with less paint on them to let the design underneath show through.

5. Add more stenciling with the "Whimsy" stencil. There are many ways to add color using the stencils, including using the glitter pastes and the glimmer strays. Here I just used plain paint dabbed on with a cosmetic sponge (you can get those at the dollar store for a bag).

6. Add more details, such as shading and white accents. Add stamping (here, I used the "Romance" stamp which matches this collection perfectly). I also added a die-cut bird, a die-cut for the date, and I used a black marker to go around some of the elements for more definition.

Hope you guys enjoyed this, and I hope you will give art journaling a try!

BoBunny Supplies:
6x6 Paper Pad: Genevieve
Noteworthy: Genevieve
Combo Sticker: Genevieve, Provence, Pop Quiz
Stickable Stencils: Starling, Whimsy
Stamp: Romance

June Sketch Challenge!

Happy Saturday everyone and welcome to the BoBunny June Sketch Challenge! You're going to love this months challenge & prize! 

BEACH by Ilene Tell

I really loved the sketch so I didn't change too much of it - most of the elements I kept the same, including the placements of the papers, title, and embellishments. I did change up the photos a bit, instead using two 4x6 pics.

And now, it's challenge time! Here's how it works! Each month we will share a new sketch and what one of our designers was inspired to create with it. To play along all you have to do is create a project inspired by the sketch using BoBunny products and then share it with us using the InLinkz widget below. When you enter, you will have the chance to be randomly selected to win this spectacular prize package full of BoBunny goodies featuring the fun in the sun Boardwalk collection!

Enter Here: 

An InLinkz Link-up

We are thrilled to announce May's Blog Sketch challenge winner! Congratulations to Essie #3! Please eamil us at bopress@bobunny.com with your contact information so we can send you your prize! 

BoBunny Supplies:
Patterned Paper: Boardwalk / Boardwalk, Neptune, Playtime, Waves
Combo Sticker: Boardwalk
Layered Chipboard: Boardwalk
Foil Transfers: Filagree Gold

Wonderful Wood Shapes Mini!

Hello everyone! Ilene here to share a mini album I created using the fun "#Forever Young" collection.

11th Birthday Mini Album by Ilene Tell

 My daughter's 11th birthday will be in July, so this collection was perfect for a summery, pre-teen, tropical birthday party. And I was actually scrapping ahead! I decorated the cover with the gorgeous clock from the "Clockwork" wood shapes, and misted it pink. (The little chipboard piece is pointing at 11, of course :)

To make this album quick and easy, I simply cut out 12x7 pieces from the paper, and then folded them in half to create 7x6 pages - the BoBunny paper is nice and firm, and when folded in half creates very sturdy pages. I then added photo mats slightly larger than 4x3 size to fit the photos, and added embellishments (the photos will slide under the embellies, since I made sure that they were not glued down where the photo goes).

I also took three Misc Me 6x8 page protectors and trimmed them down to 6x6 - those will nicely fit 4x6 photos with a 2 inch strip at the bottom for decoration and possibly some journaling.

Even though this album was very quick and easy to put together, it will fit six 4x6 photos and 16 3x4 photos - so 20 photos total! Which will be perfect to commemorate such a wonderful occasion. (It doesn't hurt that my daughter really fell in love with this collection - it fits her so well :)

I also added one pocket page for memorabilia. I took one of the Kraft Misc Me envelopes and trimmed 2 inches off the bottom to fit the mini. Then, I hand-stitched the bottom closed.

Well, get ready for a bunch more pics... here's the rest of the mini:

BoBunny Supplies:
Patterned Paper: #ForeverYoung / #ForeverYoung, Besties, Happy, Heart, Hugs, Laugh, Love, Smile, Sweet, Yum
Wood: Clockwork Wood Shapes
Buttons: #ForeverYoung
Noteworthy: #ForeverYoung
Chipboard: #ForeverYoung Chipboard, #ForeverYoung Layered Chipboard
Blossoms: Blush Daisy, Denim Daisy, Plum Purple Daisy, Wildberry Daisy
Foil Transfers: Filagree Gold
Misc Me Envelopes: Kraft

Misc Me Page Protectors: 6x8
Glimmer Spray: Tutu