End of Month BoBunny Hop!!

Welcome!  If you are playing along in the BoBunny blog hop you not only get to learn who our talented guest designer is for May, but you  will have a chance to win the Mama Razzi line if you stop at all the hops! Now, if you did not start at the BoBunny blog...you may want to hop back a bit. Good luck!
I am sharing a super simple project today, but one I envisioned the first time I laid eyes on the Mama-Razzi line. Every month I attend a photography group meeting at our church - basically a group of people passionate about photography. Skill levels range from beginner to professional...and thankfully, the professionals are willing to teach the rest of us how to take better photos and challenge our skills. It's a great group, fun, and a super way to get to know others with the same interest in a large church.

Each meeting begins with friendly critique of the previous month's photo challenge, then we learn something new, and then we head outdoors, or indoors as the case may be, to execute what we just learned. Fortunately there are both Nikon and Cannon pros...and yes, we do rather segregate ourselves - but it is a great way to learn about your specific camera brand/model. I have learned so much by participating in this group, and of course I take plenty of notes. The Mama-Razzi collection allowed me to spruce up my otherwise plain notebook. Now there is no doubt as to whom this notebook belongs to...and it's 6x9 size allows it to fit right inside my camera bag. Sweet!
Next, hop on over to the fabulously talented Patti Milazzo to see what she has been creating.  Visit all the blogs in the hop and leave a comment at our mystery guest's blog for a chance to win! Happy NSD! Thanks for coming by and doing the Bunny Hop!

Happy creating,
Rita S.

Paper Flowers and Flower Child

The card I am sharing today is inspired by the flower garden, and BoBunny's Free Bird patterned paper, which reminds me of the garden. A while back I spotted a Marvy Uchida paper punch that I knew would make for great flower petals - no doubt you may have this or similar punches in your collection.

To start, I punched out scalloped ovals, and  misted the yellow side of BoBunny's Flower Child Love Beads paper with Gold Terra Cotta mist by Glimmer Mist, Tattering Angels. Set aside to dry.
For added interest I free-hand cut a curve to the Free Bird paper and adhered to 5x7 Chocolate Dot cardstock.
Making use of the stem designs in the Free Bird pattern paper, I topped them with flowers.

The first flower uses a Magistical Memories chipboard flower, Bloomin' Star, painted red and distressed with brown chalk ink. Using 3D foam adhesive, pop the red flower off the background, add a flower sticker from Flower Child's Combo Stickers, and add a button to the center.
Skinny strips of Flower Child papers were  twisted together, and secured at the top of the Free Bird paper (note that the paper flower covers the ends of the strips), and secured near the bottom, underneath the sentiment strip. The strips play upon the design already present in the Free Bird paper. The same technique was used for the sticker flower on the right, which also uses skinny strips to create leaves by folding and tying into a bow.

To create the petals on the yellow flowers, pinch together on end in the center. With pinched sides together, lightly crease the flower lengthwise, and then push the opposite end towards the pinched end. Repeat this until there are 5 petals.  Using a chipboard flower from the 12x12 chipboard set, use Crop-o-Dile or other to punch hole in center of shape. Have an iCandy brad at hand.  Around the punched hole stretch a length of glue dots around the hole. (GlueLines works wonderful for this.) Pinching flower petal tip on last time, set the tip onto the dimensional adhesive with tip at center at the punched hole.

Adjust position of flower petals as needed, and once happy with the arrangement, press iCandy brad through hole in chipboard flower shape, with the brad catching and securing all the petal shapes as it is feed through the hole. Set flower aside.

Print sentiment onto the yellow side of Love Beads paper. The strip on the front reads: "Flowers are like flowers in the garden of life...".  The inside sentiment is set up to be punched in a circle shape, and was inspired by the friendships in my life, as well as the garden theme, reading: "Each one unique. Each one brings a smile. Each one is loved. Together growing. Together blooming. Together forever."  Print out the words, and cut into the shapes shown - strip for front, circle for card inside.
 
For the inside, cut a larger circle from the center of Aquarius paper (this allows the paper to be build upon later as a new layout, covering the cut out circle area with a photo and/orother papers).  Mount yellow circle, with sentiment, to turquoise circle, stitching around edge if desired, to yellow dot cardsotck. Add rub-ons as shown.

I apologize to those that came by earlier today. I thought I had this particular post scheduled to go live this morning, but alas.... I come home from work to discover it had not. I try to find time to verify a post has done as it should on a launch day, but with the 16 chicks in our house to take care of before leaving for work this morning...well, unless you've been there, you can't imagine! (LOL)

Happy creating! Enjoy BoBunny's Flower Child line, it is gorgeous and fun!

Rita S.

My Flower Child

It was late summer - just before school last fall. Our family decided to take a day and explore beautiful Governor Dodge State Park. There were plenty of wildflowers in bloom along the trails, and Abby was intriuged by the Queen Ann's Lace. She had plucked one before I could stop her, and tucked the stem behind her ear for the photo opp, and said, "mom, you can take my picture!" Believe me, that does not happen much around here.

BoBunny's Flower Child is perfect for scrapping this photo. I cut out the inner circle, reset the cutter to cut a circle 1/4" larger, and made a new circle from yellow patterned paper.  It looked very cool as a fairly plain layout, but look what happened....flowers started blooming everywhere and before I knew it...one cannot even see what I thought was a pretty cool use of circle die-cut paper. I vow to use the same technique again and hold back on embellishments, so you can understand what I am talking about. Sorry!

Supplies Used:
BoBunny Flower Child Collection - Peace die-cut, Love Beads (floral on bottom half, yellow side on top), Stripe; Flower Child Chipboard, iCandy brads, Buttons and Bling
Chocolate Dot cardstock
Mellow Yellow Double Dot Ribbon
Love Bandit, Tis the Season and St Nick Flowers
Other products:
Sparkle Mod Podge by Plaid (painted this on all the flowers - even chipboard - couldn't help it!)
Shimmerz Tantalizing Turquoise (painted on green petals)

If you have your own flower girl, I encourage you to pick up some BoBunny Flower Child and have a blast creating a layout in full bloom!
Visit the BoBunny blog to see other fabulous Flower Child projects created by the talented design team!

Happy creating,
Rita S.

Don't Worry with BoBunny's Flower Child

Creating with BoBunny's Flower Child collection is simply a HAPPY experience. The bright and warm colors, fun patterns, and phrases on the cardstock stickers make me smile as I create.

Today I am sharing a layout based upon the April sketch I created for BoBunny. Are you enjoying the card and layout sketches BoBunny and the Design Team are providing? We love to have our BoBunny readers participate - be sure to link your project to the BoBunny blog.

Today's sketch project actually utilizes scraps from another layout using Flower Child, that will not be revealed for a few more days. As soon as I had coordinating leftovers,  I paper clipped them together, knowing they had the makings for another fun layout.

Anyone who knows our daughter knows she is a ray of sunshine, beaming on earth. Easy going, happy, and almost always without worry, unless she has an "owie". She has been this way since she entered our lives on her 5 month birthday. However, I have noted a bit of change, now that she is nearly done with first grade. For the first time ever I am hearing comments about clothing. I could not get her to sign up for ballet dance lessons this summer because she did not have the proper "outfit". First, let me say that this is a small group session directed by our small town rec department - not a big city dance studio class. Girls are generally wearing shorts, Ts, and socks. Still, Abby does have ballet slippers from a cousin, and a ballet outfit or two that I am pretty sure fits - personally, I think it is an excuse not to take ballet. Other comments have been uttered as well, and I can tell that peer pressure eventually gets to even the easiest going of children.

When I saw the "Don't worry ...be happy." cardstock sticker in the Flower Child collection, I knew I had to scrap the bible verse that reminds us to not worry about what we will eat or what we will wear. God takes care of us...even when we were "scraping the bottom of the barrell", so to speak, when I was in between jobs...God provided for our needs. We discovered food in our cupboards that we had forgotten about, friends have been wonderful in providing cute hand-me-downs for the kids since they were little... God is good, He is our Provider.

We have friends and family who are involved with orphanages in Africa and Haiti, and Abby has seen photos. When I hear Abby complain about having "nothing to wear" I can gently remind her that she indeed does have clothes, and how blessed we truly are. We have no need to worry. God takes care of us, and what joy there is in living with Christ in our lives - cast your cares away, and don't worry. It doesn't matter if another has the most fashionable tutu in the world, or wears designer jeans...what really matters is what we wear on the inside, in our heart.
 
Supplies Used:
Flower Child Collection: Love Beads, Aquarius, Cut Out, 12x12 Chipboard, Combo Stickers, Buttons and Bling
Roughin It Flowers, Double Dot Cardstock-Coffee
Other:
Chalk Inks
Pearl Stickers: Kaiser Crafts, Queen & Co.
Font: Flowerchild
Peace Sticker – Jolee’s Bling

Ideas to Note:
Cut circles out from the center of cardstock and create layered frames, distressing edges and tearing to add dimension.

I hope this layout has put a smile on your face. If you need a pick  me up - be sure to  pick up BoBunny's Flower Child collection and create with happy in your heart.

Happy creating,
Rita S.

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day!! Rain was in the forecast, so we had our nature hike last night. It was gorgeous, and a bit chilly as a cool front with gray clouds began to move in. I know that many of you in warmer clients have already planted gardens - I eyed the grasses in ours this morning... I need to get digging and plant some seeds!

In honor of Earth Day I want to share a layout that is not new, but a favorite, and I think appropriate for Earth Day. The layout uses Magistical Memories chipboard, who recently became even more earth friendly by changing their business over to "made to order". Instead of stocking up on every chipboard shape available, and thus perhaps adding to the cutting down of trees unnecessarily, Crystle and Michael are not cutting out the chipboard shapes as the orders come in. Product will still be delivered in a timely fashion - and the concept is a win win situation for all - including the trees!! Be sure to give your support, and do let Crystle know if you need your order sooner than 7-10 days.

Today's layout, "Tree Climber", not only boasts an earth friendly theme, but recycles the paper cup insulators/cozees from my favorite local coffee shop. The dimpled kraft colored material looks as though it has been embossed, and with a bit of chalk ink added - makes for great, free-hand cut tree branches. I have found it to be a wonderful material to use on masculine and nature themed projects. Another embellishment in this layout that is earth-friendly, is the use of skinny scraps of cardstock used to make a great bird's nest.

Have you discovered a great material to recycle and use on your own papercrafting layouts? I would love to hear your ideas. I found a quote befitting for today by Charles Lindbergh..."Man must feel the earth to know himself and recognize his values...God made life simple. It is man who complicates it."

I also love this motto from a caving society in Baltimore, "Take nothing but pictures. Leave nothing but footprints. Kill nothing but time." Now this one I can relate to as I envision myself constantly taking pictures as I trod down a nature trail. Be careful, however, as signs warn of not leaving the path as one might otherwise trample young native plants...in other words...leave your footprints on the trail, stay on the trail.(LOL) I can think of no better way to kill time than being out in nature, and capturing its beauty with my camera. This phrase has really inspired me to create a layout about my love for nature photography... I can already see it! I hope I find some time to create as night falls upon earth day.

Before I leave...one image from our nature hike in celebration of earth day.

Happy Creating!

Rita S.

Organizing My Life With BoBunny

It's April 15 - and for Americans it is an important date, one not to forget lest we get in trouble. Are your taxes filed? Many have made it a tradition to line up at the main post office for hours to ensure their taxes are postmarked by this date, but I am not the "last minute" type. I much prefer to be organized, and although you may have thought I was going to share how I organize my BoBunny products, instead I am going to show you some ideas in making a BoBunny personal planner. If you hopped from the BoBunny blog - welcome!

I ordered the calendars and accessory pages for a 2010 planner from my favorite office supply store, and to my delight, I discovered that Magistical Memories All Mixed Up Book fits the pages perfectly!
I love bright colors, and wanted my planner to appeal to my senses so that I would not fail to use it daily. Love Shack has been a favorite BoBunny line since it was first released, and this project is full of bright colors. Other lines include Persuasion, Tis the Season, and Kitchen Spice.

I love bling, and when I originally created this project (yes, I cannot believe I have kept it hidden until now!) my new Shimmerz paint pots had just arrived. I used every coordinating color in my new shimmery stash to paint a bit of sparkle directly onto the BoBunny papers. I am not sure you can see it in these photos, but it makes me very happy in real life.

The planner is divided into sections with different pages from the chipboard book. This divider separates the weekly planning pages from the monthly overview. I used the Stamp and Store "Circle the Date" by bounny, as well as Persuasion and Love Shack stickers, with some Prima flowers. Note the stitching - my goal was to make a truly durable planner that I could reuse year after year.

Other sections in my planner include contact info for friends I call often, a section for notes (because I tend to need paper to write on often while I am out and about - lots of inspiration in the home decor departments!), and a section with travel information, and a log for tracking miles for my consultant business. Photos, favorite quotes from BoBunny cardstock stickers, and even the Lord's Prayer lie within the chipboard pages of my personal planner.

Supplies:

Magistical Memories All Mixed Up Book

BoBunny Papers: Love Shack Funky, Shake, Cut-Outs, Shimmy; Tis the Season Treasure , Kitchen Spice Cinnamon

Stickers: Persuasion Love is All, Love Shack Combo Stickers

5/8” Double Dot Tutu ribbon
Stamps: Stamp & Store Circle This Date, Love Birds Acrylic Stamp, Harmony Acrylic Stamps

Other:

Prima Flowers

Shimmerz paints
Crossed Paths Clear Phrase Stickers
Alphabet Stamps: Technique Tuesday

Inks: Staz-On by Tsukineko and Colorbox

I put some thought into how I would secure my planner so that it would stay closed while being toted around in my bag or purse. Because of the mixed up edges, coming up with a closure was a bit of a challenge. You can learn what I did if you hop over to BoBunny's blog today for instruction.
Thanks for coming by, and happy creating!

Rita S.

Colorfully Creating Bunny Hop Winner!

Want to see more?  I am sure you can guess what line the snippet at the left is made from.  I played with BoBunny's Mama Razzi last week and finished up two layouts over the weekend. I am not sure when I will be able to reveal them, so I thought I would tease for now. (LOL)

Afterall, I needed a little BoBunny tease to announce the winner of the blog hop........ 
But before I do - I want to THANK EVERYONE who came by on the BoBunny hop - the traffic for the hop was amazing! Never before have I had over 200 comments on a blog post - the BoBunny fans really amazed me with their participation! Congrats to all the winners of the various Hop posts, and to the winner of the Jazmyne collection, whomever she/he may be.



The winner is comment #95 after skipping over the duplicates... the lucky individual is:
Cindy H said...
I love the card. It is always amazing to me the saying people can come up with to fit a cute design.

Congratulations Cindy! I will be contacting you for your mailing information right shortly.

Easter Pics - Hop Deadline Noon Monday

Happy Easter! It still is and I hope everyone has had a wonderful day celebrating and relaxing.  Worship service was powerful, energetic, and probably one of the best Easter messages I have heard - a tag team pastor effort by Chris Dolson and Tim Mackie. The Blackhawk Church worship team is also UBER-talented and as I had hoped we would, we sang a song written by the team called RAISED that I predict churches around the country/world will want to get their hands on to sing in their own worship services. I am eager for the team to cut a CD so I can keep on singing their songs at home.

But VERY BEST OF ALL our friend Marv made it to the church service. He came home from Hospice  after one week there as he did not like it, too boring for him as he likes people contact. Carol brought him home on Good Friday and indeed, it was GOOD.  She drove him a few blocks from home to the head of the trail they had walked many times to their favorite coffee shop  - and Marv walked it. He did this again Saturday. A few weeks ago he was so weak some of us thought for sure the end was near, but Marv told my husband he was not ready to die and we changed our prayers to fit in with Marv's desire - to continue to live, but also for quality in that life.
Marv being able to walk wtih assistance of a cane on one side and his wife on the other is nothing less than a miracle - praise God, HALLELUJAH!  We just need to keep on praying for a good night's sleep for both of them as that is what has changed for them. For whatever reason Marv is sleeping at night, thus allowing Carol to get sleep and much needed rest as well.
BTW - Abby had a non-traditional Easter dress today in that it was/is bright red - her favorite color. The ruby red slippers from her Auntie Nola at Christmas time were a bit large, but I altered them last night so she could wear them. She is so pretty in red!

Don't forget to leave a comment in the BoBunny blog hop thread by NOON Monday to get your name in for a giveaway, and please be sure to leave me a contact source. I will leave you with a sneak peek of  a layout I finished today. Can you guess what line this is from?
Too bad the weekend is over, I could easily use another day and hugely busy week coming up. Happy first full week of April everyone, and happy creating!
Rita S.

End of the Month Bunny Hop!!!

Welcome!  Another fun BoBunny blog hop in store for you today! Not only will you learn who our next guest designer is, but you will have a chance to win the fabulous Mama-Razzi line if you stop by each blog along the hop-highway!

I am glad you came by, and now you get to hop over to the fabulously talented  Patti Milazzo to see what she has been creating!

Doin' the BoBunny Hop!

Welcome!!! If you have hopped over from the BoBunny blog, via Debbie's blog, then you are no doubt doin' the BoBunny Bunny Hop!!  We are thrilled to have a UBER-talented guest designer joining us...and I am sure you are all dying to know who SHE is.  (there ya go, one clue - female!) LOL

In honor of the HOP I thought I would share a fast card I whipped up Monday night, realizing my niece's birthday is Friday and I needed to get a package mailed out. If you have ever passed by the BoBunny cardstock stickers - I urge you - DON'T!  I admit, I passed by coordinating sticker sets often enough in the past, but after using BoBunny cardstock stickers regularly for the past couple of years - I am not sure how I created without them! For one, if you need to make a card fast - nothing gets it done faster than a cardstock sticker that has dimension "built right in to it".  Take a look at the string bows tied below the bunnies' ears - they just pop off this card as if I had actually done the work. Even the shadows on the bunny faces themselves make them appear as though I did a lot of work. Nothing could be easier than making a greeting card with BoBunny stickers.  I used the Easter stickers from the new Sophie line, which I just love!
Because my niece's birthday is just before Easter, I do believe she gets a lot of bunny cards from me, and why not? Bunnies are so cute! The inside greeting reads: We're hopping down the bunny trail to wish you the hoppiest birthday ever!
To add a litte dimension of my own, I simply popped the center bunny off the card with foam adhesive. This simple card pops into a #10 envelope, and because the buttons and foam adhesive add just a bit of dimension, it can be mailed without extra postage.

For coming by today and leaving a comment below, I will draw from those that commented. The winner (U.S. and Canada) will receive 5 fabulous BoBunny cardstock sticker sheets from 5 of the new lines, Magistical Memories chipboard, and a sample of the brand new Arbonne Re9 Advantage skin care system. Please be sure to leae your contact information.  I will leave you with one more clue, and then send you off to Dee Gallimore-Perry's blog for another hint as to whom our fab guest designer is. My clue, I leave with you... she and I both enjoy a fun game of Mancala, which is one of our daughter's very favorite games to play as well! Don't forget - hop over to Dee's blog for the next link in the hop, keep on hopping, enter to win some giveaways, and soon you will discover whom our guest designer is, where you can leave a comment to win BoBunny's Jazmyne line, which I used for one of my most favorite layouts ever . Happy hopping!

Rita S.