Banana Frog Blog

Jenni Bowlin projects

This week we have a few projects to share that use Jenni Bowlin products and Banana Frog stamps.

First up, Trish has created this gorgeous layout that uses papers from the Tangerine Dreams collection combined with Banana Frog Paper Chains and Tropical Garden sets. Take a closer look at the dimensional flower detail:

I've also been busy using up scraps of papers left over from a previous Banana Frog project to create these cards:

These cards use the Jenni Bowlin Spring Picnic papers with Paper Chains and Retro Greetings stamps.

While I was at it I decided to get using up left-over papers to make room for new stash! Seems to be the only way to do it. :o)

• Rouge de Garance Picoti Picota paper
• Greenwich Park and Retro Greetings stamps

• Pink Martini Orange Creamsicle papers
• Tag It stamps

• Paper Chains stamps

Work Out Wednesday :: Greenwich Park

Really, it's Wednesday already?  Even though I totally lost track of when it was last Wednesday, this one has hit me too soon!  Still, no excuse to stop working out!  I promised the top banana that I would make up for my missed week with something a little extra, so I hope you're ready to run a few extra miles on the treadmill with Greenwich Park and vintage papers.

While we were selling goodies at Alexandra Palace, we were also making ATCs to trade and give away with other crafty girls in attendance.  This card was our most popular, and it could also work on a page or as a gift tag. I'm already cheating in step one, as I used the woodgrain stamp from Backgrounds to make the grass for the scene, but you'll forgive me, won't you?  Then stamp the Greenwich Park tree on a page from an old book and cut him out.  (The banana queen thinks I am slightly odd for giving the things I stamp genders, but I'm still going with it.  Now my plan is to secretly get you to do it too, of course.)

To colour the tree, wrap a baby wipe around your finger and lightly tap on an ink pad, then swirl the colour onto the paper.  I love this with the tree as you can pick up some of the brown from the tree outline and blend it just the slightest bit around the edges.

Quite a few people have asked why there are two birds, two hedgehogs and two deer in this set of stamps (and the real answer is because there is no such thing as too many hedgehogs) and that's really because the solid shape is the colour for the body and the outline goes over the top -- though you can use either separately too.  For this one, I stamped the solid bird in light blue and cut him out.  Cut his feet right off!  But he'll be okay...

Because once he is stuck to the card, you can stamp the outline bird right over the top and he'll have legs again!  I love the combination of solid and outline with clear stamps because it's so much easier than it used to be with wooden blocks and gizmos to make things line up, but also because it's forgiving.  I like it when the outline is ever so slightly out of place. 

And yes, you can add an ATC into a layout!

The vintage papers make everything look lovely in a snap, because the natural fading of the paper is pretty even on its own.  I collect my old books from the discard box at the library and at a second-hand store that discounts anything with a broken spine -- so my favourite finds are the ones that already so broken that I don't feel bad ripping out the pages.  And here's a deer outline all on its own instead of with his shadow.  Try both the outlines and the shadows on patterned papers for a different look if you love a bit of busy detail.

And to finish our workout, we go 12x12!  More book paper, plus Narratives paper mixed with Jenni Bowlin paper and cards.  I quite like the giant butterfly with the tiny tree!  And one of my favourite alphabets, Pharmacy.  And there's something about the old book pages with the butterfly that reminds me of the library at the British Museum, with all the displays of insects and animals.  Hmmm...perhaps there's a whole series of stamps in this London Landmarks idea?!  I'll try to skip the dead bug display when it comes to stamp form though.

Don't forget to let us know when you've been using Banana Frog stamps this week!

Love and glitter,
Shimelle.~*

 

Spring cleaning

For the next few weeks we are going to be having spring cleaning sales over at Banana Frog. We are starting week 1 with one of my favourites - Rouge de Garance. You will get 15% of all Rouge de Garance products for a whole week before we switch to another company!
Rouge de Garance manage to mix delicate patterns with vibrant colours which jump of the page. Their patterned papers and co-ordinating cardstock are truly delicious, their rub-ons are wonderful (and can I say, they add a little Je ne sais quoi!) and I love the alphabet stickers! Ooh, did I mention the kits?! These are really fantastic because they have everything you need for a little project -all you need to do is add some photo's!

The Banana Frog design team love working with Rouge de Garance too, and here are some gorgeous layouts using their papers.
Here Alison has used the Indigo collection along with Tropical Garden and Teen Tiny by Banana Frog.

For this layout, Nat has used the Urbaine and Daphnis and Chloe collections by Rouge de Garance along with Journaling and Super Stars by Banana Frog.

Hannah has also used the Urbaine collection for her Skate snob layout, along with Dominique (Large), Calendar and Journaling stamps by Banana Frog.

Week 1 of the spring clean ends on Monday 28th, and a new spring clean sale will begin...but which company will it be? :-)

Sunday something

Well we're finally back with our weekly round-up of new Banana Frog projects from the design team! Lots of lovely new ideas to share with you!

First up some fab new projects from Tricia:

The new Budmo Jiggler font set is really versatile and looks fab combined with some of the new Jenni Bowlin papers. Tricia has also used the new Take Note journaling set.

Budmo Jiggler and Take Note are also used on this really vibrant page.

This layout uses the ever-popular Teen, Willing Race and Quirky Numbers sets - a staple in many a Banana Frog addict's collection!

Tricia has used the Build a Bloom set to create some unique accents for this page, and used the Tiny Teen set to create the effect of mini alpha stickers.

This page combines Funky Flowers, Teen and Tiny Teen (and some Bejewelled crystals) with Rose des Sables papers from Rouge de Garance.

And finally, this totally fun layout uses Budmo Jiggler, Take Note and Paper Chains (plus bling crystals for good measure!).

Audrey also has been hard at work using some of the new stamp sets from the latest release:

This cool layout uses Steelfish, Tag It and Greenwich Park combined with new Picoti Picota papers from Rouge de Garance.

Audrey has also combined these sets with the Retro Greetings set to create some very cute cards!

And finally, here are some of my latest Banana Frog projects:

First up this layout uses a whole host of papers from the Jenni Bowlin Spring Picnic collection, plus the Paper Chains, Tag It, and Postage stamp sets. The title stamped with Paper Chains is on teeny 3d foam squares for extra dimension and pop.

The new double-sided Picoti Picota papers from Rouge de Garance feature some great new patterns, here I've used the back of the papers and a background sheet from the Carnet de Trente set. The stamps are Paper Chains, Greenwich Park and Jeannie Shrimpton.

And finally a couple of cards using Greenwich Park and Paper Chains again, created as part of some sketch challenges at CPS and UKScrappers, always a great excuse for using your new stamps. ;o)

Goodies galore

Thanks so much to those who stopped to say hello and shop at The Big Stamp & Scrapbook Show at Alexandra Palace!  If you couldn't make it, do stop by for an online shop for lots of lovely new pretties (like the Jenni Bowlin and Bam Pop above).

We'll be back tomorrow with a slightly delayed workout!

Work Out Wednesdays :: Budmo Jiggler

Fonts are so lovely, but extra lovely when they have names that are funny to say.  I think Bev chose this font just so she could have people phone her up and ask 'Could I buy a Budmo Jiggler?' because seriously, how bad can your work day be if you get to hear that?  Brilliant.

Also brilliant:  this is one of the new large alphabet sets that now come in a big case instead of two smaller cases.  They still have the holes to go in a binder or on rings.  There's still nothing to throw away.  And they are still just fabulous if you ask me.  Only forget the 'still', because these are new.  And everyone loves new!

Except today I am determined to use some old as well.  Hence the hilariously vintage photographs.  All the projects today have been brought to you by three pieces of paper I have had in my stash since...

2003.

Clearly I was waiting for them to become vintage before I put them on a page.  What was I thinking?!

For our tag workout warm-up this week, I thought I'd go for one of the many printed tags I have collected and make it one of the few I have actually used.  Really I just think they are very cool in theory, so I buy them.  And look at them.  And take them out for several layouts only to decide they don't match and put them away.  Over and over.  But today, no more!  Budmo makes its debut here, for me anyway.  Idea one: stamp in a pale colour on journaling lines, wait for the ink to dry then write over the top with a black pen.

And super quick to put it on a page -- here's the start of that aging vintage paper.  The faded letters in the title is from inking lightly with chalk ink.  More ink will give you a darker impression if that's what you're after.

And on to the card portion of our workout, and idea number two: tone on tone stamping.  Because this is such a chunky, clear font it's easy to read even if your ink colour and your paper colour are quite close.  The ink here is only a shade or two darker than the paper, and yet the letter is readable even at a distance.  Don't forget to stamp your initials for the return address on the envelope!

Our last exercise is to bring the new and the old together: the remaining portions of those ancient but loved vintage papers, plus new stamps and new chipboard.  With all the cute robot designs released recently, I kept looking and thinking the robots were lovely but how on earth would I use them without stealing a small child and forcing him to pose for photos with vintage wind-up robot toys?  But these look like funny versions of a dalek, I think, and that is kinda what I'm like in traffic.  Why take a picture of your satnav?  Because for the third time in one week, you are sat in the same spot and the speed readout says you're doing 0 miles per hour in a 50mph zone.  But anyway...I will calm down, I will, I will.

Stamp away!  Let us know what you want to see next Wednesday and show us your stamping too.  If you're shopping at the Big Stamp and Scrapbooking Show this weekend at Alexandra Palace, be sure to stop by and say hi!

Love and glitter,
Shimelle.~*

Guest Designer: Amy Tangerine

The wonderfully talented Amy Tangerine is our latest guest designer. Not only does Amy make fantastic layouts, but she designs super cool t-shirts too! You can learn more about Amy through her blog, although she gives us 29 facts about her -so she is definitely a new friend!

29 facts about me:
my name is Amy Tan, but my company name is Amy Tangerine.
I am 29 years old
Founder of Amy Tangerine, a tee shirt line based in Los Angeles, CA
We make fun, super soft shirts for ladies and children
5 is my favorite number
I have been scrapbooking for a year
I have always had an affliction for all things crafty
I made my high school prom dress
Love to travel
Australia is my favorite place.
Kauai is my second favorite place.
have 2 jack russell terriers, Buster and Bamboo
have 1 boyfriend of 4 years named Cap'n
I'm a Libra
I love food
My favorite food is nachos. i think it counts as a food.
I was born in Chicago, IL.
I do not like cold weather at all.
Sunshine makes me really happy.
I find inspiration in little silly things.
Good quotes make me happy.
Seeing old people makes me smile.
My favorite movies are Sound of Music, Forrest Gump and She's the One
I am an only child.
I currently do not have a car, which is weird in LA.
I usually only require 7 hours of sleep and don't wake up to an alarm most days.
Perms were cool when I was growing up so of course I had one.
My dreams usually consist of me being in a hotel.
I enjoy laughing so hard my stomach hurts.

Amy is loving using Banana Frog Stamps! On this layout she has used What a Star to make the background

Amy also used What a Star as a border on this fun layout.

Amy has used Pharmacy to stamp 49 on this layout.

The 40 hours in NYC by Amy uses Banana Frog Concentric and random goodies like a subway map and the Hotel QT logo. Combining actual souvenirs and bits from the trips always makes a scrapbook more fun.

Thanks Amy.
Now that we have Amy addicted, I am sure we will be seeing lots more layouts from her using Banana Frog!

Work Out Wednesday :: Build a Cupcake

It turns out that taking requests takes all the agony of choice out of Work Out Wednesdays, so hurrah for that!  It means this Wednesday we are taking Build A Cupcake for a workout.  Bev designed this adorable set of cupcakes, and it was Banana Frog's first set of hand-drawn stamps.  An important thing to know if you play the craft supply edition of Trivial Pursuit, I'm sure.  This set lets you stamp cupcakes in three sizes, with options for types of icing, cherries and sprinkles.  And there is never anything wrong with sprinkles.  Never.

Here's our warm-up tag, with my favourite way to embellish stamped images for non-paper-craft-appreciative people: watercolour paints.  Don't get me wrong, I like it for crafty types too, but strangely enough I've found that people who don't quite understand our obsession with pretty papers think the slightly watercoloured option is just arty enough to work.  Plus it's quick and doesn't deplete your stash, and you can even make this work with kids' watercolours, so just borrow them when no one is looking. 

Stamp the images in black on an index card, tag or white cardstock.  (You may want to test your ink to make sure it won't bleed with water!)  Paint watercolours into the gaps.  You don't even have to be great at painting in the lines -- this type of colouring is very forgiving.  Punch a hole or attach to ribbon and a present.

For this card, we can use two sizes of cupcake without getting into the building part just yet.  Stamp two smallest-sized cupcakes on patterned paper and cut into blocks.  Add bits and pieces to your card and stamp the bigger cupcake over some of the layers.  Ink edges and layer until you've got it just how you like, and spell out your message.  (And if you really hate the randomness of this, you can do the same thing only with nice, evenly spaced rectangles and squares and letters.  And I will sit back and say 'How do you do that?' since I seem to have forgotten.)

And for the layout, we start building!  Stamp the cupcake paper on ledger paper.  Then stamp the icing (you've got two choices).  Because the stamp and your block are both clear, you can line up the icing with the paper without any tricks at all.  Then add a sprinkle or two -- there are heart and star shapes as well as traditional dots.  If you use the tiniest set of dots, be as gentle as you can be to get the neatest impression. 

To make the cupcake with the cherry, start with the cherry and work down to the bottom of the cupcake.  Stamp the cherry on your paper plus on a post-it note.  Cut out the post-it cherry and put it on top of the first stamped cherry.  Then stamp your icing over that and then line up the paper and stamp that.  Remove the post-it note and you've built a cupcake with a cherry.  Add sprinkles and you'll be ready for dessert.

Bonus points for pulling out multiple cupcake themed items in your stash!

You can find Build a Cupcake here, and there's also That Takes the Cake if you're cupcake crazy.  (Clearly I don't find anything wrong with that.)

Hope your stamps get a workout this week...and the request line is now open for next Wednesday's workout!

Love and glitter,
Shimelle.~*