We are so happy that Keren Baker has shared her very first Bubbalux project with us! We think her Grow Journal would be perfect for gardeners to use to collect and keep all of the seasonal notes, drawings, photos, information and seed packets collected throughout the year!
For this project, Keren has used 2 sheets of standard size Bubbalux in Forest Green and 1 sheet of standard size Bubbalux in Midnight Black. See our retailers page for a list of Bubbalux stockists.
Over to you, Keren:
Hello! I'm delighted to be sharing a project with you as a new user of Bubbalux.
When I first got the product I had a project in mind and had two points I wanted to test Bubbalux with:
1. Would it cut well? Especially in a die that uses fold lines and cut lines.
2. Would it bend? And once fold lines were cut into it, would it have the flexibility to cope with being partially cut and then bent into shape?
Truthfully, I had my doubts. I know how cardstock and fabric works, and I'm used to fabric-based mediums but Bubbalux Craft Board was so new and seemed so different. Well… it knocked it out of the park and I was really amazed with Bubbalux!
Here's what I discovered for any of you who (like me), are new to the Bubbalux product:
The protective film was easy to get off! I realised that one side has more of a sheen to it and that's the film covered side. With the help of a pricking/pokey tool, it was easy to remove and just peeled away from the base.
Next, I had to die cut the shape. I wanted to create a mini-album and the die is a Bigz type die by Eileen Hull (Sizzix) which is designed for thicker substrates, so I thought it would put Bubbalux through its paces.
In the image above, you can clearly see the fold lines where you bend and - by coaxing the product carefully - it bent perfectly. Now I know that Bubbalux behaves well, I'll be less worried about bending it next time!
Below you can see exactly where the lines have folded and make up the spine of the book.
What I love about Bubbalux is the fact it is lightweight but still sturdy enough to put all sorts of products on it. Making a journal like this one, that has a base colour to it to begin with, means there's less time covering a white surface, so it saved me time too!
This last picture show some of the techniques I used with the project. Putting embossing paste onto it was easy and there is no warping either. The little leaves bent easily once I'd softened them in hot water and I loved how easy it was to emboss with a tool.
A fun but unexpected detail were the marks left by my serrated scissors all around the edges!
Adhering a metal frame was easy; I used some Glossy Accents and both adhered well, plus the sturdiness of Bubbalux means I'm not worried it will buckle with the extra weight.
I have so many ideas for this product. Next up will be to see how easy it is to stamp and paint on it… but I think I already know the answer to that one!
I hope you have as much with Bubbalux as I have!
Keren x