Jenni Bowlin Studio

A Mini Album that Celebrates All Year Long!

2012-02-20T13:21:00.001-05:00

Our Design Team member Jill Sprott had a wonderful idea for a year-long mini album that can easily be translated into a monthly class project or even a seasonal project:

It's Jill here, with a mini-album that celebrates life and JBS all year long.

Using binding tape and the large Bingo card calendar set, I compiled an album to document a photo a month of my husband and me, along with a few thoughts about the little "anniversaries" that occur each month. We don't take enough photos together, and this album will prompt us to do so at least once a month. So far, we're on track with January and February!

Each of the layouts in the mini pulls together collections of JBS accents, such as journaling cards(above) and printed tickets (below)...

envelopes and labels...

chipboard pieces...

punched patterns...

rub-ons, paint dabbers, and stamps...

(this was actually stamped with the end of a spool)

chipboard buttons...

label strip stickers...

alphabet stickers...

number stickers and reinkers...

and buttons.

Tart Tins & Number Cards Garland

2012-02-17T12:32:00.000-05:00

Today I'd like to share this tart tin and number card garland I made. It's strung on 22 gauge metal wire, which is thin and easy to work with. I've strung it between two silver candlesticks and tied gray grosgrain ribbon on the ends to finish it off.

I also added in vintage metal marquee letters. I found mine on Ebay. You can also find them at Lowe's and places like that although you may want to rough them up with sandpaper to give them more of a vintage feel. And printing your own is definitely an option. From this photo you can't tell if they're metal or paper so I think printing them would be just as cute. The size of the letters are 2" wide by 3 1/4" high. I used an initial from each of our family members and the number 4 representing the number in our family (and because I didn't have a metal J for Johnson, ha). You could also do your complete last name if it's a shorter name or maybe a special word for you like your One Little Word for 2012.

I layered Jenni's chipboard buttons, regular buttons, doily flowers, brads, and beads inside each of my tart tins. I stamped the seal stamp in several happy colors to put behind each tart tin. I cut each of the number cards into banner shapes. I placed the old time girl photo chipboard on top of a button on the office chipboard piece so it would really stand out. It's fun to experiment with different "levels" or depths of your embellishments inside the tins.

This is my favorite one. I layered Jenni's white beads, her old time photo chipboard, and a vintage milk cap. The Old Time Photo chipboard has foam squares under it.

So here's how I did it:

You'll need a hammer, an awl (mine is a paper awl, a regular woodworking awl would be fine too), 22 gauge wire (something you can bend but will hold it's shape for the garland), pliers are helpful for pulling the wire through the tart tin hole, and a self healing mat or a piece of scrap wood to protect your surface.

Hold the awl as shown and give it a few taps with your hammer on the inside bottom of the rim. The tart tins are sturdy but piercing the hole with an awl is very easy. Place a hole on each side of the tart tin. Do the same thing for the metal letters.

Stamp the seals and cut them out. I used JBS Chili Powder, Weather Vane, and Stick Candy ink. I also used yellow ink from my stash for two of the seals. I used extra large glue dots to stick my tart tins to the seals. I used an extra seal on each end of the garland.

It's easiest to string the garland on one long piece of wire instead of connecting each piece with a small wire. This is why it's important to punch the holes on the tart tins near the very bottom of the tin. Cut about a 4 foot long piece of wire (that is if you're doing the same amount of letters and banners as I did) and begin stringing you elements. That will give you enough to have extra wire on each end to tie onto things and it's much easier to cut off extra than have to go back and re-string the pieces.

In order to get your chipboard pieces and milk caps to lie flat in the tin on top of the wire, you'll need to stack a few adhesive foam squares or circles on either side of the wire.

Then start embellishing and layering your circular pieces and that's it!

Supplies:
Tart Tins
Vintage Number Card Set
Chipboard Buttons - Office & Old Time Photos
Doily Flowers Cream
Decorative Brads - Delicate
Pearl & Rhinestone Charms - Cream & Black
Vintage Sew On Buttons - Orange, White, & Cream
Clear 3 x 3 Seal Stamp
Ranger JBS Dye Stamp Pads - Chili Powder, Stick Candy, & Weather Vane

More Wren Goodness

2012-02-13T19:11:00.001-05:00

To say I'm in love with Jenni's new paper line, Wren (releasing later this spring!) would be an understatement. Inspired by architectural blueprints, it features Jenni's signature patterns like vintage labels, book pages and lace mixed with simple, graphic designs like interlocked circles and gingham.

And the color palette is just divine! The saturated blue and red tones, paired with a soft grey and classic ivory, is simply stunning. I've mixed Wren with the new Printed Pockets (perfect for holding a journaled tag) to create this holiday page:

Wishes of Joy by Lisa Dickinson

Wren would be appropriate for so many page themes - summer, Fourth of July, Back-to-School, heritage. What would you use it for? There are so many possibilities!

Product Focus: Grandma's Doily Punch

2012-02-09T22:57:00.001-05:00

Grandma's Doily Punch by Jenni Bowlin / Fiskars is turning out to be a popular favorite!

Doris Sander wrote an article for Big Picture Scrapbooking about the different ways to use the punch and the way she experiments with new tools or techniques.

You can find her Big Picture Scrapbooking article here!
I've been inspired to experiment with my next tool in this same way! Wouldn't this be a great idea for a class or make n' take?!

Thank you Doris for inspiring me!

Those Quilted Stickers

2012-02-07T23:46:00.002-05:00

When I received new product from Jenni Bowlin Studio I couldn't keep my eyes away from the Quilted Stickers. I wanted to create a layout for my son with a striking element on it, and these honeycomb shaped stickers were perfect for it.

Numbers! I love numbers ... they can work with a ton of themes including baseball "stats"! I also love that Jenni releases Red & Black products often. I tend to think of these colors as "neutrals" ... colors that can work with many photos, and these colors are the most used in my stash.

The Protractor Clear Stamp is a great stamp for bringing attention to something. I needed to highlight my title and the Protractor stamp worked wonderfully for that.

Creating this layout ... working with the honeycomb shapes, fitting them together like a puzzle, and even throwing in a button sticker here and there, was a blast. And it gave me just the look I was going for in this layout!

other supplies I used and *loved* from the new release:

betsy

Happy Little Birdie Featuring "Wren"

2012-02-07T23:44:00.002-05:00

We have lots of CHA projects to share with you this week! This one is by Doris Sander and features "Wren" which will ship this spring. What a stunning paper line!

Valentine's Day Drink Tags

2012-02-04T12:00:00.000-05:00

Doris Sander here today with another sweet and easy teacher's gift for Valentine's Day. These are perfect little treats to give all those overlooked teachers and staff . . . the art teacher, the music teacher, the p.e. teacher, the librarian, the reading coach, the math coach, the guidance counselor, the secretaries . . .

Simply arrange a few leftover bits of paper on a manilla tag and garnish with a few heart themed embellishments like these from Meyer Imports. Then hang the tags over the recipients soda of choice. He or she will love your thoughtfulness.

Supplies:

Avery Manilla Tags

JBS for Fiskars Grandma's Doily Punch

Magpie Patterned Paper

Wren Patterned Paper

Perforated Stamp Paper

I Love You Heart

Paper Clip Heart

Heart Playing Card

More for Valentine's Day

2012-02-03T20:41:00.003-05:00

Today we have a delightful Valentine's Day centerpiece from Waleska Neris who writes, "I'm planning a simple 'treats' party for Valentine's day and this is what the lollipop station will look like. Fun, right?! My boys sure love it!"

"We painted the chipboard hearts with JBS paint dabbers, attached to lollipop sticks, decorated and held them up with the mini wooden spools."

Supplies:

JBS paint dabbers- Cough Syrup, Weather Vane, Speckled Egg
Mini Chipboard Pieces - Hearts
Vintage Style Wooden Spools
Vintage Sew-On Buttons - White
Doily Flowers - Red
Decorative Brads - Rhinestone
Mini Bingo Cards-Valentine
Papers- Be Our Guest - Tea Towel, Red/Black Line Extension IV - Mini Pattern Sheet
Fiskars/JBS Grandma's Doily Punch

Thank you Waleska for this bright, cheery, and festive idea!

New Product Projects Coming!

2012-02-01T17:14:00.000-05:00

We'll be sharing some new product projects on the blog!

This layout by Doris uses paper from Magpie, Perforated Stamp Paper, new Stickers and Chipboard buttons, new punches, and new Clear Stamps!

Let's listen in and hear what Doris has to say:

here is the first of four jbs cha layouts i have to share. this is the first one i made. i was dying to use the new perforated stamp paper. it blows me away with the options for creativity. i told jenni i'd need a whole ream and i meant it. seriously, this is going to be a staple for me like kraft cardstock and avery tags. and then to find out it comes in kraft too. swoon.

the idea in my mind worked out exactly the way i imaged it. i seriously heard the scrappy hallelujah chorus playing. i'll definitely be doing a tutorial on this technique soon. i'll keep you posted!

here are a few more new addtions to the jbs line: tags, hodgepodge stickerse, chipboard buttons and tabs

doris

Thank you Doris for your wonderful work of art! Can't wait for the tutorial!

Supplies:

Magpie Paper Collection Collect
Magpie Paper Collection Nest
Hodge Podge Sticker Magpie
Die Cut and Perforated Papers - Stamp
Tab Punch
Clear Stamp Dictionary Frame
Chipboard Buttons
Printed Tags Vintage
Rub-ons Butterfly Book Page

Valentine Tags by Stephanie Howell

2012-01-31T17:41:00.000-05:00

Today we have some darling Valentine's Day tags from Stephanie Howell featuring lots of oldies but goodies. Jenni's designs are always so classic; just like manilla tags and doillies, they never go out of style.

Some of the lovely menagerie of supplies Stephanie used include:

Pearl Flowers

Journaling Cards

Printed Tickets

Embellished Butterflies

Blue Ribbon Punch

Rub-ons

Calendar Card

JBS Booth at CHA!

2012-01-29T20:54:00.002-05:00

Want to see Jenni's booth at CHA? Head on over to Shimelle's Blog for a lovely glimpse. :)

New Video from Jenni!

2012-01-25T10:51:00.000-05:00

Jenni has made a wonderful video showing us new product from CHA and great projects she's made with them. You'll be amazed! This is a must see video!

I'm inspired!

Valentine Envelopes by Shimelle

2012-01-23T20:55:00.001-05:00

I may have gotten a bit carried away dressing up some envelopes for Valentines for some friends, but there are so many pretty red embellishments from JBS that it seems a shame to hide them all away!

I stamped the envelopes with the Butterfly Stamp in white ink, then started layering up the embossed tag. The bottom layers are netting and red ribbon, then all sorts of JBS embellishments. A scallop circle from red floral School Dress paper, a smaller tag stamped with the Receipt Stamp, label and flag stickers, butterflies in sticker and paper + gem formats, Red Doilies and a Rhinestone button. A Shadow Alpha Sticker monogram labels each of the envelopes too.

So obviously not the sort of envelopes that will make it anywhere in the mail, but perfect for a hand-delivered valentine, especially if it's for a crafty girl who might take it apart and add that tag to a scrapbook page!

Happy crafting!

Love and glitter,

Shimelle

A Piece of Cake for Valentine's Day and Don't Forget the Fork

2012-01-20T18:33:00.000-05:00

Why not surprise a friend with a cake this Valentine's Day? This one was made using a variety of old jewelry boxes.

I covered the bottom of the boxes with the sweetest little paper from the Town Square Collection. The tops were covered with a very fine glitter. The boxes were stacked and each box glued to the top of the next box.

I topped my cake with a Jenni Bowlin Chipboard Heart painted with Chewing Gum paint and sprinkled with glitter. A "chocolate" vellum butterfly finishes it off.

Why not "serve" your cake on a vintage plate with a vintage fork?

Wouldn't it be sweet to fill your cake with a variety of vintage surprises? My cake is filled with vintage buttons, a vintage heart pin, old keys, and a wonderful sampling of JBS embellishments.

Speaking of vintage forks ... I've admired the ones I've seen in shops that have been altered to create easels. I had a few vintage forks on hand, and tried this myself.

I curled the tines with a pair of pliers. Vintage silver forks are softer and are easier to bend than the everyday stainless steel forks. This fork had 2 decorative holes in the top which were perfect for threading some seam binding through. Next time, I'll protect the tines with a rag when I bend them. Because they are fairly soft, they scratch easily.

The fork easel holds my Valentine display so beautifully!

To create the display, I used a JBS Valentine Bingo Card for my base. I covered it in tulle and added a pretty piece of mini pattern paper from the Baby of Mine collection. A scalloped notecard is placed on top of that. I cut out the frame center from the Homespun journaling card, fit our wedding picture underneath, and sewed that onto the notecard.

The paper foil is from a past Mercantile kit and I used a Malted Milk ink pad and the little lace flower is vintage.

Jenni's products bring such a classic and timeless look to Valentine's Day projects. And it is amazing how her different lines work so well together. Keep watching the blog as more of the design team posts their creations!

betsy

Getting Organized

2012-01-16T22:17:00.001-05:00

Is getting organized on your New Year's Resolution list?

Take a look at how design team member Lisa Dickinson has organized and charted her Jenni Bowlin for Ranger stamp colors:

This looks especially cute using the Blue Ribbon Stamp! Thanks for the idea Lisa! We love it!

Valentine's Day Paper Cones

2012-01-16T11:21:00.000-05:00

I made these cones, also known as paper cornucopias or May Day baskets, for my kids to give to their teachers for Valentine's Day. You can tuck a little wrapped gift inside or put the gift inside wrapped with tissue paper or for a very special presentation you could wrap the gift in a vintage hankie. Another option is to use shredded paper and fill the cone with candy and treats.

They also look so pretty to use as decorations. In the top photo I strung them on a ribbon and hung them over my mirror and in the photo above I hung them on my white feather tree.

The cones were made using 3D Scalloped Cone from Silhouette. I have a Cameo so I was able to cut them from full sheets of 12 x 12 paper for the largest cones. If you have a Silhouette SD they'll be smaller, closer in size to the diamond patterned cone I made. If you don't have electronic die cutting capabilities there are tons of cone templates online, like here and here.

After the cones were cut I glued them together and used a long reach stapler to add a little reinforcement along the back seam, probably not completely necessary but I didn't have to wait as long for the glue to dry. I cut the silhouette girls from Jenni's papers. The older girl is from Be My Guest and the little girl is from Haven. I layered the Haven girl on a JBS oval label sticker to match the other one, as seen on the diamond patterned cone.

I made full, loopy bows with seam binding. For a few of the cones I used two colors on each bow. I added the teachers' initials using JBS alterable alphas in the middle of the bows. I attached ric rac handles and the bows with hot glue.

They look cute on the inside too!

Supplies:

Be Our Guest - Hers

Haven - Common Objects

Red/Black Line Extension IV - Letter Chart

Red/Black Line Extension IV - Multiplication

Red/Black Line Extension IV - Pen Nibs

Alterable Alphas - Micro Dot

Haven - Betty's House

Red label stickers

Red/Black Extension IV - School Dress
Other supplies:
Gold oval doily
Vintage seam binding and ric rac

Briana

New Jenni Bowlin Studio!

2012-01-13T19:08:00.000-05:00

We are so happy to show you our new products that will be showcased at CHA 2012!

Introducing Magpie!

Quilted Stickers:

Hodge Podge Stickers

Chipboard Elements:

Printed Pockets:

Die Cut and Perforated Papers:

Printed Tags:

Clear Stamps:

Mixed Media Products:

and our new JBS/Fiskars punches that we debuted earlier in this post:

We are so excited about this release and can't wait for you to see it in person!

You've Got Mail from Ranjini Malhotra

2012-01-11T23:36:00.001-05:00

Ranjini here with some sweet Valentine decor for you today! I found this mini cardboard mailbox at my local Hobby Lobby and was pleased to find that it was very easy indeed to alter. I used warm white paint to paint the lid and rear of the box, and the bottom as well. Once these were dry. I applied JBS patterned paper (the mini 4x4 paper from the Playdate Paper Pack) and adhered it to the body of the mailbox. Then all I had to do was apply adhesive over the paint (I used Scotch Scrapbooker's Glue with two-way applicator) and sprinkled it with Martha Stewart Coarse Glitter in Crystal. I embellished it with ribbons, a vintage button and a chipboard key from my valentine stash, and tucked some JBS bingo cards inside. (You could also pop in a small chocolate bar or fill it with chocolate kisses!) Use it as a sweet little container to give as a gift and it can be used afterwards as decor or to store mini valentines!

Valentine's Treat Bags

2012-01-09T16:45:00.001-05:00

With the advent of the new year, Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and I don't know about you, but I've already got love on the brain. I'm not alone! All this month on the JBS blog, we'll be sharing ideas to help you plan ahead for February 14. I'd love to share with you an idea for Valentine's treat bags, perfect for a child's class or circle of friends.

I began by rummaging through my stash of JBS goodies and setting aside items that had a Valentine's feel. Do you have any idea how many JBS products there are that are perfect for V-Day projects? Oodles!

To create the treat bags, I used my die-cut machine to cut out templates from sheets of JBS paper and JBS/Core'dinations cardstock.

With a few folds here and there, the bags came together quickly.

They can be filled with sweets, valentines, and heart confetti (which I punched from the excess paper left behind after trimming the templates). I personalized each bag by layering journaling cards, bingo cards, flowers, bows, buttons, and other accents, and then added a monogram for each of my daughter's friends.

I may or may not have consumed all of the "stunt chocolate" that I used to fill these bags.

All this month, there will be more love coming your way as the design team shares ideas for Valentine's decor, cards, and gifts. Sweet!

Coach by Betsy Sammarco

2012-01-05T15:06:00.001-05:00

A fabulous sport's themed layout from Betsy Sammarco in Jenni's signature Red/Black color scheme. Love how she used the seal stamp.

You can catch more of Betsy in the January 2012 issue of the Masterful Scrapbook Design series on Focal Points. I'm sure it will be a great issue!

School Dress	Pen Nibs	Multiplication	Red/Black Extension IV Mini Pattern Sheet	Letter Chart
Inkwell	Red/Black IV Accessory Sheet	A Red Rose

InLinkz.com

JBS Weather Vane Ink Pad	JBS Stick Candy Ink Pad	JBS Spice Tin Ink Pad	JBS Speckled Egg Ink Pad	JBS Seed Packet Ink Pad	JBS Malted Milk Ink Pad	JBS Lemon Drops Ink Pad
JBS Lavender Sachet Ink Pad	JBS Fountain Pen Ink Pad	JBS Cough Syrup Ink Pad	JBS Chili Powder Ink Pad	JBS Chicken Feed Ink Pad	Chewing Gum Ink Pad	Brown Sugar Ink Pad

InLinkz.com

Fiskars Punches are Here!

2012-01-01T19:14:00.000-05:00

Fiskars and Jenni Bowlin Studio have partnered to create new punches! They are shipping and available now!

The line includes four squeeze punches, 3 lever punches, and 3 border punches.

Jenni Bowlin "Tab" Large Squeeze Punch

Jenni Bowlin "Scalloped Banner" Large Squeeze Punch

Jenni Bowlin "Flight" Large Squeeze Punch

Jenni Bowlin "Blue Ribbon" Large Squeeze Punch

Jenni Bowlin "Grandma's Doily" Medium Lever Punch

Jenni Bowlin "Frame" Medium Lever Punch

Jenni Bowlin "Jenni's Butterfly" Medium Lever Punch

Jenni Bowlin "Jester" Border Punch

Jenni Bowlin "Main Street" Border Punch

Jenni Bowlin "Ticket Please" Border Punch

Here's a bit of inspiration from Jenni herself using the "Tab" punch:

and here's another from Doris Sander:

Supplies:

Flight Large Squeeze Punch

Jester Border Punch

Main Street Border Punch

Scalloped Banner Large Squeeze Punch

Red Vintage Style Sew-On Buttons

Red/Black Shadow Alpha Stickers

Red Label Stickers

Malted Milk Paint Dabber

Chewing Gum Paint Dabber

Soap Powder Paint Dabber

New Year's Cards with Jill Sprott

2011-12-29T17:16:00.001-05:00

All this month on the JBS Mercantile blog we've been sharing a variety of holiday cards, and with 2012 just a few days away, it's time to get working on those New Year's greetings!

New year's celebrations, for me, are always a mix of elegance and funkiness, and that is exactly what I was trying to channel when I created these cards.

For the first card, I used a die cut machine to cut out "2012" from a sheet of JBS "Multiplication" patterned paper, and then I misted over the negative space several times, working in the die-cut numbers backed by adhesive dots as a finishing touch.

The second card took a similar approach, using the negative space from die-cut numbers and trimming it into a block.

I placed the block over layered papers, including the B-side from the Christmas Accessory Sheet (which I love), some ledger paper, and a strip of the Bingo card pattern from a piece of "Love This" Coredinations cardstock.

The third card that I created incorporates a "beaming" chipboard star, placed against a sewn background. I layered more die-cut letters and red and black letter stickers over the star.

Now I just need to put these in the mail, and hope that they do their job: making it clear that it is going to be a very happy new year indeed! Have a great one!

Supplies:

Christmas 2011 Accessory Sheet (B-side)
Kindergarten Ledger Die Cut Paper
Red/Black Extension IV Multiplication
Shadow Alpha Stickers - Red/Black
Star Chipboard

Thanks Jill!

Those Christmas Photos ...

2011-12-27T22:29:00.000-05:00

... are just asking to be scrapped, aren't they?!

Take a look at how a couple of scrapbookers used the Christmas 2011 line to scrapbook their memories!

Paula Gilarde used this print ad as inspiration:

and used the new Christmas 2011 line along with a couple older patterns to create this striking Christmas memory:

Paula cut out a holly sprig from the Holly Stripe paper to create a wonderful embellishment for the page.

Betsy Sammarco used the papers from the same line, the same Shadow Stickers in Green/Red, and her Cricut to create this layout:

Print those Christmas photos and let's scrap them!

Supplies Used:

Christmas 2011 Patterned Paper

Shadow Stickers Green/Red

Decorative Brads - Delicate

Printed Tickets

Doily Flowers Red

Pearl Flowers Red

Tiny Circle Alpha Cardstock Stickers

A Very Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T22:59:00.000-05:00

Two more pieces of inspiration as we celebrate Christmas! Wishing you and yours the very best!

Home for Christmas with Leah

Popping in with a quick bit of inspiration on these last few days before the holidays! I'm in rush-around-to-finish-the-million-item-to-do-list mode. I thought I had cut back this year, but apparently not!! HaHa!

It was so easy to mix and match patterns from the various lines to create this classic Christmas palette. If you have a few extra moments next week, this would also add a lovely touch to a page about the holidays as well!

Supplies:
Embossed Cardstock: Poinsettia Posies
Red Damask Paper from the Red and Black Extension Pack
Green Diamond Paper from the Mercantile Exclusive Pack
Small Chipboard Bird
Mini Bingo Cards Christmas
Green Paper from the Mini Diecut Paper Pack
Mini Chalkboard Alpha Sticker in Black
Pearl and Rhinestone Charms - Garnet
Vintage sheet music Paper
Silk Seambinding ribbon
Green and Black cardstock
Rock Candy Stickles from Ranger
Home Accents Cricut Cartridge

Enjoy a wonderful holiday!

Leah

Hello December by Keisha Campbell

Today we have a lovely December card featuring Red/Black Extension IV from Keisha Campbell. Thanks for the inspiration Keisha!

Christmas Greetings from Megan Klauer

2011-12-21T09:34:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful time of year! It's only a few days away from the "big day", do you need a last minute idea for a card or tag to stick on all those packages?

I like to start with a simple sketch, so I created this...

It made making my "Christmas Greetings" card pretty quick!

Supplies:
Christmas 2011 Accessory Sheet
Christmas 2011 Mini Pattern Sheet
Chipboard Buttons - Vintage Christmas
Printed Tickets - Frames
Bingo Cards - Calendar Set

I also used the same sketch to create these easy tags that I needed for my boys' teacher gifts...

Supplies:
Christmas 2011 Accessory Sheet
Christmas 2011 Mini Pattern Sheet
Printed Tickets - Christmas

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays everyone!

Joy from Ranjini Malhotra

2011-12-21T09:32:00.002-05:00

Now that we're getting down to the wire and Christmas is approaching quickly - I thought I'd share an idea for a card that is easy and quick to do! Photo cards are all the rage nowadays and here's a fun way to incorporate the concept of a photo card with the vintage JBS look that we all love! To keep it super simple, I used the JBS Christmas Bingo Placecards. All I had to do was cut my photos down to size and adhere them to the top half, and then I added a diecut and stamp at the bottom (from Papertrey Ink). Then back the whole card with cardstock cut to size to prevent the recipient from folding it down the middle. You could even punch a hole at the top and hang it as a tree ornament. Super simple and quick! Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas from Becky

2011-12-14T17:43:00.000-05:00

Hi and Merry Christmas! Becky here today sharing a Christmas card using itty bitty pattern paper pieces. I really enjoy using little bits and pieces, so to be able to stretch some of my favorite JBS papers makes me a happy girl!

The JBS Mini-Papers are my go-tos for cards and small projects. I keep all of my Mini-Papers together in a stack and I pull them out over and over when I'm making cards or small embellishments. You could use any combination of patterns and colors that you happen to have. I handcut the strips for the little Christmas tree and then used a small hole punch for my mini-garland. I stitched over the tree trunk several times to give it some substance and then just did a simple messy stitch for the garland.

The pretty oval stamp is a JBS limited edition that I believe is now sold out, but if you were lucky/smart enough to grab one when they were available, here's a great way to use it! If you didn't get this particular stamp, you could easily use the 3x3 Label Stamp or one of the JBS Classic Foam Stamps. I used the JBS Ranger Weather Vane Stamp Pad.
I also used the JBS Cream/Red Ledger paper from the Trendy Paper Pack for the sentiment. And the little star sticker is from the JBS Navy Apothecary sticker set.

I hope you are all enjoying this holiday season and making time to create some holiday pretties!

Home and Wreath Christmas Cards by Briana

2011-12-14T17:40:00.001-05:00

With Jenni's new class, "Home for the Holidays," she's got me thinking about houses and decorations! Both of these cards began with wreath shapes, flower shapes actually as I'll explain. I had previously cut several layered flower shapes (nested_flowers_and_frames_set_C00141_21585) with my Silhouette from the November Project Kit that I didn't end up using on a page. I thought those little shapes looked like wreaths so that's where the idea for these cards was born. And how perfect are her little bow embellishments for these? Um . . absolutely perfect! The front of the card measures 4 3/4" wide x 7" high. I used foam dots under the triangular roof directly above the wreath block.

Supplies used for house card:

Christmas 2011 Accessory Sheet
Christmas 2011 Mini Pattern Sheet
Be Our Guest Journaling Cards
Mini Chipboard Pieces - Star
Rhinestone Bow Embellishment - Red

For my next card I took more of those outlined flower shapes and layered them all together. I didn't try to get them perfectly layered. I wanted to be able to see in between some of the flower points to the layer below. In order to get the right scale for the bow on this card, I tied a little seam binding bow and layered Jenni's rhinestone bow on top. I cut banner shapes from her Inkwell Paper for ribbon tails. Finally I cut the Peace sentiment from the packaging from the large Christmas Card Bingo Set. The phrase "Joy to the World" from the Christmas Mini Pattern Sheet (used on the house card) works in that spot as well or type out any sentiment you like. The front of the card measures 4 1/2" wide x 6 1/8" high.

Supplies used for wreath card:
JBS Coredinations Black Magic Collection
Christmas 2011 Accessory Sheet
Red/Black Extension IV - Inkwell
Rhinestone Bow Embellishment - White

Wishing you a Merry Christmas,

Holiday Greetings by Mindy Miller

2011-12-12T09:53:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays! Today I'm sharing a card idea that's easy to create and replicate. It's also an idea that combines holiday-themed JBS products with other JBS products that you may have in your stash.

I used a kraft paper card base and a mix of circle products. Chipboard buttons, circles punched from patterned paper and cardstock, and a circle label sticker are my foundation pieces. The circles are embellished with doily flowers combined with pearl flowers, as well as a sentiment made from alpha stickers.

Here's a list of products:
Vintage Christmas Chipboard Buttons
Office Chipboard Buttons
Scarlett Wallpaper Coredinations Embossed Cardstock
Christmas 2011 Mini Pattern Sheet
Cream Doily Flowers
Maraschino Pearl Flowers
Red and Black Dotted Label Stickers
Black Mini Chalkboard Alpha Stickers

Enjoy the season!
Mindy

A Great Idea from Ranjini - Sugared Rose

2011-12-09T12:19:00.004-05:00

We were amazed at the lovely sugared and frosted rose Ranjini made with the Red/Black Extension IV A Red Rose paper:

We asked Ranjini how she made the rose on this beautiful layout:

"I cut the rose out with scissors first and then used an exacto knife to get the sharp details. Then I used a bookbinder's glue called PVA made by Lineco, but another glue could work as well. I applied it with a foam brush until the cut out rose is well covered, then sprinkled clear glitter liberally across the rose. Make sure you cover all the glue exposed areas, shake off the excess, and you've got yourself a "sugared" rose! Let it dry, then raise it off the page with pop dots to highlight the texture. It's very easy to do!"

Happy Holidays from Waleska

2011-12-09T10:47:00.002-05:00

Happy Holidays! Waleska here! If you're still (it's not too late but you better hurry :)) hoping to make some cards this holiday season here's my advice: keep it simple (but festive!).

I started with a blank card, covered the front with patterned paper, die cut a window, added patterned paper to the back and then embellished it with the rosette + doily. Finally, I added the brad, leaves and labels and that was it. Quick, easy and ready to spread some holiday cheer (I hope!).

Supplies: Christmas 2011 Carol Index, Accessory Sheet, Mini Pattern Sheet, Black Label Stickers, Doily Flowers - Red, Ranger JBS Dye Stamp Pad - Chili Powder

Christmas Tag by Dina Wakley

2011-12-09T10:46:00.000-05:00

This little Christmas tag could be used as a gift tag, or even as a card. There's just something about tags that I love. They're easy and fun, and you can adapt them to many uses.

I hope this holiday season is happy and full of loving memories for all of you!

Dina

Supplies:
Inventory tag (from a previous JBS kit)
Vintage Bingo card (from a previous JBS kit)
Christmas Mini Pattern Sheet (I cut the song titles from this paper)
Christmas 2011 Accessory Sheet (I cut the cute little children from this paper)
Ribbon (from a previous JBS kit)
Delicate Brads
Mini Christmas Bingo Cards (I cut the "Noel" from one of the cards)
Vintage tickets (from a previous kit)

Vintage Snowflake Cards

2011-12-07T14:44:00.001-05:00

I made a bunch of Snowflake Cards to attach to gifts this season. They were very easy to put together and a lot of fun to individualize!

The Snowflake shape was created from the Christmas 2011 Mini Pattern cardstock. Each sheet has 9 patterns on it, so you can make 9 cards from one sheet. The shape was cut from my Cricut using the Winter Lace cartridge.

The snowflake center is made from layering various vintage buttons and Jenni Bowlin chipboard buttons. Each one is unique, just like snowflakes in nature!

The front and back of the cards are attached with a paper hinge cut from the Fabulous Finds cartridge. A ribbon is laced through the hinge.

I was inspired to make an extra special card by cutting out the snowflake from my favorite piece of pattern on the mini patterned paper sheet and layering a bunch of white vintage buttons for the center. I may just need to save this one!

Supplies:

Christmas 2011 Mini Pattern Sheet

Chipboard Buttons

vintage buttons

cardstock

ribbon

Christmas Cards by Shimelle

2011-12-07T14:32:00.003-05:00

There is still plenty of time to make some Christmas cards - or so I'm telling myself as I haven't made nearly enough yet! But good news: today you can make three cards in a flash, with your JBS stash!

Gather a mix of materials: I used the accessory and mini paper sheets from the Vintage Holidays collection, plus label stickers, buttons, star stickers and doily flowers. (I started with the big bingo cards too but didn't use them in the end.) You'll also need some card blanks.

You may also want some numbers or letters at the end. I just used numbers and mixed and matched various sizes and colours.

Start by selecting one 4x4 mini pattern and one large accent card for each card you will make. I inked all the edges with brown ink.

Arrange the paper and accent card side by side to create a landscape card and adhere to the background. You may want to trim a bit from the sides of the card so it will still fit in the envelope after more bulky layers are added.

Then assemble a group of small embellishments for each card. I cut the Season's Greetings sentiment from a border on the accessory sheet, then added a rectangle and circle label, a doily and a button to start, but this design will work with any collection of small embellishments you have to hand.

All those little things get layered onto a plain tag to dress up the card. I covered each tag with a layer of green tulle netting to soften the look, or you could add ribbon or fabric scraps. Then layer the embellishments, scraps of paper and number stickers until you're happy with the amount of embellishment and adhere the tag to the background when everything is secure.

By the placement of the embellishments, choice of papers and the mix of stickers, each card will look unique, but they all come together quickly by following the same process. For this day on the calendar, I think that's a win!

Have a very merry Christmas!

Love and glitter,

Shimelle.~*

Merry Merry!

2011-12-05T20:42:00.003-05:00

Happy December! We are celebrating the holiday season here on the Inspiration Blog with lots of ideas for festive cards. Today I've got a simple design you can whip up in less than 10 minutes, which is ideal during this busy time of year.

Merry Card by Lisa Dickinson

Using a base of kraft cardstock, I stamped the word "merry" with the Clear Alphabet Stamps and Fountain Pen ink. Then I added a punched scalloped border of red cardstock and colored in one of the "merry" words with a red pen. I fussy cut a section of the Holly Stripe paper to add a festive touch to my card, topping it off with some Pearl & Rhinestones Charms in Garnet tied with baker's twine.

Happy Holidays!

Christmas Garland #15 by Stephanie Howell

2011-12-02T14:25:00.001-05:00

Today Stephanie Howell brings you the final installment of our JBS Christmas Garland, another lovely star (complete with a doily, of course!) to shine upon us. Stay tuned as soon we'll be back with the finished garland with all the lovely ornaments strung along it.

Supplies: Large Chipboard Star, Vintage Holidays Christmas Mini Paper Sheet,Vintage Holidays Christmas Accessory Sheet, Black Chalkboard Alphas

Christmas Garland #14 by Megan Klauer

2011-11-30T12:09:00.000-05:00

Today we have another installment in our Christmas Garland, this one by Megan Klauer. I love the regal quality of this little banner as it shares the good news to all the earth. Thanks for the inspiration Megan!

Supplies: Vintage Holidays Christmas Mini Paper Sheet, Vintage Holidays Christmas Accessory Sheet, Family Tree Aunt Grace Paper, Vintage Christmas Chipboard Buttons, Garnet Superior Stick Pen, Mercantile Exclusive Die-cut Journaling Card - Star

Red/Black Extension IV - layout and tutorial!

2011-11-28T14:36:00.002-05:00

Shimelle has created a lovely layout and tutorial using Jenni Bowlin's newest release. The Red/Black Extension IV uses Jenni's classic color combination to create a product line that can be used for so many themes and types of projects.

Here's Shimelle's beautiful layout:

and here's her ever so lovely video tutorial!

Christmas Garland #13 by Doris Sander

2011-11-25T12:25:00.000-05:00

Hello! Doris here! I have to tell you that I had so much fun creating this ornament that I had to make a layout using the same technique! It's really been so exciting seeing what everyone else comes up with for the Christmas Garlad. If you've missed any, you can find them all HERE. And stay tuned as we still have a couple more ornaments to share next week, then the finished product!

To start out, cut a 4x6 piece of carstock and choose seven of your favorite patterned papers (I ended up not using the black piece you see here). Trim the patterned paper into 1x1 inch squares and begin adhering them to the cardstock. Once the cardstock is completely filled, sew lines down each column and across each row in a grid pattern (optional). Adhere the 4x6 sheet directly to the top of your large chipboard heart then trim off the edges. Use an emory board to sand the edges smooth.

Adhere two of the small chipboard flag banner pieces as shown, then cover the fronts with Terrifically Tacky Tape (or glue). First place your chipboard heart in the center, then apply glitter to the remaining portions of the banner pieces.

Staple a length of seam binding tape to the heart and then tie it in a double bow. Sew some charms to the center of the bow.

Punch holes in the top of the heart to string it up. Done! So cute!

And now create a fun layout using the same technique!

These photos are from back in 2007. I had to photograph my neice's wedding. Gabriel was the ringbearer and somewhat traumatized by having to perform his duties with the assistance of his uncle instead of his mommy. Poor little boo.

Christmas Garland #12 by Lisa Dickinson

2011-11-23T09:47:00.001-05:00

It has been fun to watch our Christmas Garland Project come together, piece by piece! My contribution to the garland is a simple scallop-trimmed heart with the jolly old elf himself in the middle.

Heart Garland by Lisa Dickinson

I started with a large chipboard heart base, covering it with a pattern from the Mini Pattern Sheet of the Holiday 2011 collection. I punched a scalloped border from the Christmas Carol Index paper and adhered it along the back edge of the heart. The plastic Santa ornament is from the Merantile. I took apart the "halves" of the Santa and glued the front half to the center of my heart. Topped off with a bit of twill ribbon, baker's twine, and a dangling chipboard button, it's ready to add to the design team garland.

Be sure and check back here, as we'll be posting the completed garland all together soon!

Christmas Garland #11 by Celeste Smith

2011-11-23T09:45:00.004-05:00

To create my banner piece, I simply covered a chipboard star with pieces of Vintage Holidays Christmas Accessory Sheet I had sewn together. Then I added silver garland-like trim to the outside of the star to give it a festive Christmas feel. Instead of punching a hole to thread it along the banner, I made a loop so it will sit a bit higher on the strand.

We are very sad to report that Celeste is leaving the JBS team. We would like to take this opportunity to thank her for all her hard work and brilliant creativity this past year. Thanks Celeste! :)

Christmas Garland #10 by Mindy Miller

2011-11-18T12:35:00.000-05:00

Watching this Christmas garland take shape, I've been been thinking how the individual pieces are so versatile. They would make wonderful ornaments for a tree or several hanging from greenery on the mantle would be a nice touch. Or how about using one as a gift packaging embellishment?

My contribution to the garland is an embellished chipboard star. The star is covered in patterned paper from the JBS Christmas collection and slightly distressed with Jenni Bowlin Brown Sugar ink and the Ranger ink blending tool.

I added a small pinwheel created with Core'dinations cardstock that is distressed with gold ink. The pinwheel was then topped with mini chipboard flags run end to end behind a Jenni Bowlin Vintage Christmas chipboard button.

Here's a look at how I added the jewel at the bottom and used the same piece of twine to create a hanger.

I threaded the length of twine through the jewel and then behind the star through two holes punched in the chipboard. The twine is simply knotted at the top.

Here's a list of the supplies for this project available at JBS Mercantile:

Chipboard stars

Christmas 2011 mini patterned sheet

Vintage Christmas chipboard buttons

Core'dinations scarlet wallpaper cardstock

Ranger ink blending tool

Jenni Bowlin brown sugar ink pad

There are still several pieces to add to our garland, so make sure you stop by again tomorrow to see what's next!

Mindy

Christmas Garland #9 by Keisha Campbell

2011-11-18T12:32:00.001-05:00

For my addition to the garland-I used the chipboard house & new Christmas papers. And I grabbed a few goodies from Michael's-the snowman, Santa head, and the red glittered berry leafy ball bell thing!!! I also added some of that vintage German foil Jenni usually adds to the kits and one of her new brads.

Gorgeous! Thanks for the inspiration Keisha!

Christmas Garland #8 by Waleska

2011-11-17T08:32:00.000-05:00

I love combining chipboard pieces. For my garland piece I decided to combine the large star and the small bird. These are perfect for Christmas and for this project they just seem to belong together. I cut out the holly berry leaves and bells from patterned paper then added some 'berries' to the bird's beek.

Supplies: Chipboard Stars, Bird Chipboard, Christmas 2011 Accessory Sheet,Christmas 2011 Mini Pattern Sheet, Christmas 2011 Wrapping Paper, Pearl and Rhinestone Charms - Garnet, Coredinations Embossed Cardstock-Grandma's Rocker Crosshatch, Coredinations Embossed Cardstock-Scarlett Wallpaper
Thanks for the inspiration Waleska.

Christmas Garland #7 by Ranjini Malhotra

2011-11-14T09:07:00.002-05:00

When Doris came up with the idea of the entire design team creating individual pieces to be contributed to our Christmas garland, I thought it was a fabulous idea. I've loved seeing all of the girls' gorgeous pieces and it's been a reminder of how versatile and lovely Jenni Bowlin products are!

I wanted to use Jenni's tart tins and a Christmas themed bingo place card and concocted this piece. I chose the "Give" Bingo Card and added the Santa image and bell because it called to mind the Salvation Army Santas with their bells that collect for the needy during the holiday season and I love the giving aspect of the holidays.

The Santa card came from Jenni's new holiday collection papers, and I added it to the top half of the place card, after adding double stick tape and red glass glitter to edge the top of the card. I also backed the card with cardstock so as to prevent the place card from folding in the middle where the prescored fold is.

Glitter and foil are a must for Christmas, so I used pretty foil bits as well. But the real fun came about when I got out my can of red spray paint and painted the tart tin. I loved the option of custom coloring the tin so much that I can't wait to do the same for future holidays -- I can visualize lovely pastel painted tins all done up with clear glitter for Easter! Tip for spray painting, set the tin inside a shallow cardboard box in a well ventilated area. I used Krylon Short Cuts in Red Pepper, which is a 3 oz. can of spray paint I found at Joann's for $3.99. Use a light hand, hold it atleast 6" away from the tart tin and spray light coats waving the can back and forth as you spray until you get full coverage. It dries pretty quickly. I sprayed the inside first, then turned it over and sprayed the outside and let it sit to dry.

I also found a whole package of real silver bells - 12 for 50 cents (!) at my local thrift store and spray painted the metal bell as well. I attached the tin to the card by using my manual craft drill to drill a hole in the tin and anchoring it with a brad to the card so as not to worry about it breaking or falling off the card. I added one of Jenni's chipboard buttons in the center of the tin to cover up the brad and a white seam binding bow and baker's twine for hanging.

I can't wait to see the entire garland with all the pieces hanging side by side! In the meantime, you can view all of the individual garland projects by clicking on the header "christmas garland" at the top menu of the blog.

See What Becky has Done ...

2011-11-13T10:21:00.003-05:00

... with our new Red/Black Extension IV collection of patterned cardstock.

What gorgeous and classic layouts that really show the versatility of this line!

Christmas Garland #6 by Betsy Sammarco

2011-11-12T10:44:00.004-05:00

Here is my contribution to the wonderful Christmas garland that is being created right before our eyes!

A covered a Chipboard Butterfly with one of my favorite new Christmas 2011 patterns: Carol Index. From the bottom of the butterfly, I've hung a crystal and Rhinestone Charm.

To create the center bundle of embellishments I glued wired ribbon, a paper flower created from the Trendy paper line, and a Rhinestone button together. These 3 things are adhered to the butterfly on a foam pop dot. The Rhinestone Stick Pin antennae are stuck right into the foam dot!

Keep coming back to the blog as the design team reveals their contributions to the Christmas Garland!

Christmas Garland #5 by Shimelle Laine

2011-11-10T14:05:00.001-05:00

All this month, the JBS design team are working on a collaborative project - a Christmas garland made with all sorts of Jenni Bowlin product! I started my contribution with one piece from the large chipboard banner set, then layered two rub-ons over the top. First the silver receipt, then the photo design in green (that colour is a members' exclusive, and I love the fresh, spring green mixed with Christmas tones).

At the top, double-sided tape was my friend. I used it first to adhere a length of ribbon to the chipboard, then ran another length of tape to cover in sparkly green glitter. You can't make Christmas decorations without glitter! It's the law.

I stamped Jenni's new alphabet (in the store soon) with black Staz-on ink and replaced the dot on the j with the star stamp in the set. I added just a tiny bit of colouring inside the letters with a pale green marker. And then finished everything with two red butterfly stickers and the plain chipboard butterflies to give them some extra dimension.

Join us all month long for little bits of Christmas wonder with Jenni Bowlin Studio!

Love & glitter,
Shimelle

Christmas Garland #4 by Dina Wakley

2011-11-10T14:02:00.003-05:00

I made this with a combination of JBS Christmas goodies, as well as vintage items. I cut the little cardboard tails (that are under the chipboard button) from the packaging the buttons came in. That red school-paper print is just too fun to throw away.

JBS Products Used:
Christmas Chipboard Buttons
Christmas Place Cards
Christmas 2011 Accessory Sheet

Don't miss out on any of our Christmas Garland pieces!

Thanks for the inspiration Dina!

Christmas Garland #3

2011-11-07T10:08:00.001-05:00

Hi all! It's Jill here, with another addition to our communal Christmas garland.

All this month on the JBS Mercantile blog, we will be sharing our individual contributions to a group Christmas garland, incorporating our favorite chipboard pieces, bingo cards, or journaling cards. Joining Becky's "Home for the Holidays"and Briana's damask bird is this Christmas tree, which was pieced together by inverting a scalloped banner piece for the tree and a small flag banner for the trunk (painted with Brown Sugar).

I covered the tree with strips of patterned paper from the JBS Christmas 2011 collection, including Carol Index, Holly Stripe, and the B-side of the Accessory Sheet. Over these patterns, I added rows of embellishments, including pearl flowers, doily flowers, and garnet charms...

as well as Micro Dot Alterable Alphas and chipboard buttons.

Be sure to check back all this month to see the garland come together, piece by lovely piece!

Christmas Garland #2

2011-11-04T13:26:00.001-04:00

I made this ornament using a Jenni Bowlin Studio chipboard bird for the base. It can be hung as an ornament or strung on a garland or hung in the middle of a wreath or from a door knob, whatever you can think of. I've told you how much I love that Cabbage Flower (damask) stamp so I took the opportunity to use it again here to add pattern to my bird. I stamped on a sheet of cream paper, with Chili Powder Ink, then traced the bird shape over a spot where I thought the pattern would fit well onto the bird body. I like that the pattern doesn't cover the entire bird, I don't know why, I just do : )

I punched a small hole with my Crop-a-dile to add a JBS Rhinestone Brad for the eye. I also backed the brad with a vintage metal finding. I used THIS video tutorial from Jenni on how to make the flower except I used sheet music instead of tissue paper. I backed the flower with tinsel wire rope/trim (that I've seen in craft stores in the holiday crafts section, the kind you see on Victorian ornaments) that I stretched out and twisted all around the back of the flower. Next I layered a JBS chip button with a black doily and another JBS Christmas chip button. I covered the little bird wing in Jenni's black polka dot paper and also added a little banner cut from a piece of her new red/black line paper. See supply list for details.

The sentiment on the bottom is from the Christmas 2011 paper. I cut a few pieces of the same shape from cardstock and layered it for stability. I inked the edges with Chili Powder Ink.I was out jump rings of so I had to make my own with gold wire. I think I ended up liking that better, maybe it looks a little more handmade. I used Jenni's bead dangles on my links. I had to get a little creative on how I did the hooks on the back. The first hook is the gold wire wrapped around the back of the rhinestone brad. The second gold wire was looped in the back and stapled from the front. I used the bird wing to hid the staple.

I wish I had an entire little bottlebrush tree of JBS ornaments! I'll need to get to work on that : )

Supply List:
Bird Chipboard
Chipboard Buttons - Red Line
Chipboard Buttons - Vintage Christmas
Clear Stamp - Cabbage Flower
Decorative Brads - Rhinestone
Doily Flowers - Black
Haven - Accessory Sheet
Pearl & Rhinestone Charms - Black
Pearl & Rhinestone Charms - Cream
Christmas 2011 - Accessory Sheet (also found in the project kit this month)

Red & Black Extension 4 Paper - Inkwell (available in the main kit this month)
Chili Powder Ink

Ink Blending Tool

Christmas Garland #1

2011-11-04T13:15:00.001-04:00

This month the design team is getting ready for the holidays by creating Christmas ornaments to string along a garland. We hope you'll find a few pieces that you love get inspired to create along with us!

Today's holiday ornament is from Becky Novacek who writes, "Hi, Becky here sharing a little holiday inspiration. I love being home for the holidays! All the traditions and comforts, with family all around. It's my favorite. This little banner piece includes many of my favorite JBS products. My new favorite JBS pattern paper is the floral at the top border .... I want to use it on everything! The chipboard pennants are another favorite that I want to use more! I'm getting very inspired to make things for the holidays!"

Supplies: Alterable Alphas Graph, Ledger, and Microdot, Scrap Patterned Paper, chipboard backing, Chipboard Banner Pieces, white seam binding tape, Red Die-Cut Journaling Cards

Advent Calendar using Holiday 2011 and more!

2011-11-01T17:39:00.002-04:00

Briana Johnson used Holiday 2011 and other new JBS lines with her Silhouette Limited Edition Advent Calendar to create this festive project!

Jenni's paper is so absolutely perfect for this! I mixed several lines (of the heavier weight) but my favorite to work with here is the Christmas 2011 release. You can see from the photo below how the paper looks cute on the inside of the boxes as well! I also used lots of label stickers and number stickers as well as a few numbers cut from the bingo cards. I also used Jenni's Alterable Chipboard Numbers. All other numbers were cut with the Silhouette.

My two tips are this: First when you're gluing the end flaps together glue all three at the same time. That helps hold the position for a minute while the glue dries. My other tip is to learn how to ungroup the lids from the box bases like if you want to cut them out of different papers. Also sometimes with the larger drawers you'll need two sheets of 8.5 x 11 so you'll need to ungroup the two pieces. But it's very easy to do that.

Most of the time I just put the paper in the machine and however the design came out that's what I worked with. But with the #8 box and the Santa box I first cut a piece out of plain paper to see where to position my JBS paper so I could get the design in just the right spot. I really wanted that Santa on the front. On the #10 box I just made the box then cut out Jenni's label from the Christmas paper and glued it on because it would have been very difficult to get that one positioned absolutely perfect otherwise.It's kind of surprising how sturdy these cardstock boxes end up being after you've folded and glued all the reinforcement flaps on the inside.

My son, who is 6, is so so excited about this. He's been going around the house gathering treasures to fill it and I told him I was getting new surprises but he wants to help so much he asked if he could use his old stuff and I could get the new stuff so we could both work with it : ) For the really small boxes, like #5,(the drawer was bigger but I wanted to use that cute box) I'm going to include a clue to find the surprise hidden somewhere in the house. I think this is going to be a really special tradition for us from now on and it's so much more special because I put a lot of love and thought into this project - there's NO way we won't do it now!

Paper used:
Be Our Guest Home Sweet Home
Christmas 2011 Accessory Sheet
Christmas 2011 Mini Pattern Sheet
Christmas 2011 Wrapping Paper
Coredinations Embossed Cardstock - Poinsetta Posies
Halloween 2011 Starry Night
Haven Accessory Sheet
Haven Dictionary
Haven Peeling Paper
Stickers used:
Black Label Stickers
Butterfly Banner Alpha Stickers - Red
Flag Banner Stickers Numbers
Red Label Stickers
Shadow Alpha Stickers Green/Red
Shadow Alpha Stickers Red/Black
Shadow Alpha Stickers Vintage/Black
Star Banner Stickers Green
Cardstock Alphabet Stickers Red Trim
Cardstock Alphabet Stickers Black Ledger
Other products used:
Alterable Alphas - Numbers
Mini Chipboard Pieces - Star
Doily Flowers - Cream
Memo Book - Green
Ranger JBS Dye Ink Stamp Pad - Cough Syrup
Bingo Card - Noel
Mini Bingo Cards - Greeting (Any mini bingo cards with black numbers will work the same)
Mini Bingo Cards - Christmas

The New Red & Black Extension 4 line is here!

2011-10-28T13:38:00.000-04:00

In keeping with Jenni Bowlin Studio tradition, a new Red & Black line has been released! We think you'll love the gorgeous patterns on the double-sided heavy weight cardstock, accessory pieces, and journaling cards. Perfect for those school albums, pages, and projects, the line is versatile to use for any theme!

A new clear stamp release is causing quite a buzz!

Watch our blog for project inspiration using these new products!

Keisha Campbell inspired by Jenni Bowlin

2011-10-28T13:32:00.002-04:00

Today's post is brought to you by Keisha Campbell who writes, "I love the way Jenni keeps things so simple-but I still feel like there is so much to take in. Her work is vintage gorgeous, and I have come to really love using her vintage finds on my pages. Especially those old checks & ledger papers!"

Dina Wakley inspired by Jenni

2011-10-28T13:31:00.000-04:00

My take on Jenni's lovely layout...

Howdy, Dina here with my lift of the talented and sweet Jenni Bowlin. Jenni's work always inspires me...the photos are always the star, and the little details are always so thoughtful. I decided to lift this layout:

Because my photo is landscape instead of portrait, I flipped the design. Here's my take:

Mindy Miller Inspired by Jenni Bowlin

2011-10-24T10:50:00.000-04:00

When I think of Jenni Bowlin I think of fun vintage touches, great use of white space, and just the right embellishments. Jenni has a way of bringing it all together and making it look effortless.

I thought I would try my hand at combining those design elements to create Halloween cards.

I used the new Weather Vane paint dabber with the Borders 1 foam stamps to create a decorative border along the edge of the card. Then I laced a variety of JBS buttons and embellishments on a piece of fiber and wrapped it around the card.

Here's another take on the same concept.

There's still time to make Halloween cards, so get out your JBS embellishments. Here's a complete list of the supplies I used:

Borders 1 foam stamps

Weather Vane ink dabber

Vintage Halloween chipboard buttons

Mini chipboard stars

Rhinestone decorative brads

Numbered decorative brads

Black doily flowers

Orange vintage sew-on buttons

Happy crafting!

Mindy

Waleska Neris inspired by Jenni Bowlin

2011-10-20T09:37:00.001-04:00

Today we have Waleska Neris inspired by our very own Jenni Bowlin!

On the chipboard piece Waleska combined Jenni's perfect vintage + rub-on mask techniques."
She wasn't sure where she wanted to locate the butterfly rub-on, so she first transfered it to a piece of vellum and was then able to move it around without getting messy :)

Supplies: Rub-Ons - Butterfly Red, Damask Background Silver + Chipboard Die-Cut Book Set- Small + Mini Bingo Cards-Vintage + Doily Flowers - Cream + Decorative Brads - Rhinestone + Die Cut Journaling Cards- Turquoise