Birthday Card by Amanda Johnson

This year my brother turns 27 on the 28th. I wanted to hand make a card, but most of the time my cards end up really girly. I thought I would keep it simple with some ledger paper (manly!) and a a frame rub on to surround the numbers of his age. After rubbing the frame onto the paper, I cut out the inside and stitched the paper down to some craft cardstock which I had cut to 6"x12" and folded in half. Lastly, I rubbed the numbers inside of the frame and wrote a clever sisterly sentiment on the inside. He loves vintage almost as much as I do, so I think he will like the card- especially because it accompanies a pair of vintage sterling silver cufflinks I've been stowing away especially for this day.

Supplies

paper:

http://www.jbsmercantile.com/eco/store.asp?SID=1&Item=40

rub ons:

http://www.jbsmercantile.com/eco/store.asp?SID=1&Item=154http://www.jbsmercantile.com/eco/store.asp?SID=1&Item=493

Give.Away.Day!

Hurry on over to Write.Click.Scrapbook for a chance to win one of TWO JBS Mercantile giveaways!

And after that, be sure to head over to Jenni's blog to read about a couple of very popular sold out kits that have been found (but won't stay around for long) and some details on upcoming excitement at JBS Mercantile!

Thank You's from Wilna Furstenberg

Sometimes I have so many odds and ends from a kit and I love to use those little pieces with my punches. This year, I decided to make cards for my girls' dance teachers and the romantic Jenni Bowlin products was perfect to use. I saw this page on 2peas in a bucket and was so inspired with circles and butterflies. The little butterflies from Jenni's new product was just perfect to use. Be inspired today to use your favorite punches and combine your favorite colours and textures and make a page or a card that's just plain romantic!

love and a kiss
Wilna

Another June Peek . . .

Hope you're enjoying all the peeks at the JBS Mercantile June kit! This one is brought to you by Keisha Campbell. :)

Three of a Kind by Michelle McCord

Today's inspiration is another peek of the June kit from Michelle McCord. She says, "I absolutely LOVE the butterfly stickers! I bend them slightly before adhering them to the page so that it looks like they are ready to fly off."

And here's your peek at the June exclusives! It'll all be up for sale on Monday the 31st at midnght!

Exciting News!

We have some exciting news to share with you! Dina Wakley is joining the JBS Mercantile kit club gallery! Now you can look forward to seeing even more of her brilliantly creative work here each month! Yay Dina!

P.S. Several people have asked if the cute journaling star (like the one at the top of this layout) is part of the new release. It is not. Each month we offer exclusive patterned paper, stickers, and journaling cards in the JBS Mercantile kit. The star is the excusive journaling card for the month of June. The only place you can get it now is in the June kit which goes on sale at midnight on May 31st. In six months time all the exclusive products are packaged in groups of six and sold in the JBS Mercantile General Store. Waiting is no fun. ;)

Vintagefest in Review

I know I've told you before how much I love Vintagefest. Well, I thought I'd share a little from one of our customers, Teri Davis. Our friends that come back to visit each year make the event and I think Teri embodies what Jenni really enjoys about teaching . . . enthusiasm, creativity, and taking an idea and running with it. Just take a look and a listen to what Teri did with one of her Vintagefest craft projects . . .

Loved seeing you all again at Vintagefest. Will definitely be there in December!

Thought I'd show you what I did with the tins. My friends and I were tossing around ideas of what we could do with them other than magnets and came up with a framed idea. I made the tins for my workout partner who loves to bake. I actually found a 1949 book of New Orleans recipes and tore out some of the dessert, candies, and pastry recipes to use as the background. I surprised her with it and she was giddy with excitement! I have been frantically scouring my antique stores and flea markets searching for more tins.

We loved seeing YOU at vintagefest, Teri, and can't wait to see you again for Holiday Vintagefest! Thanks so much for the inspiration!

Play Date with Stephanie Howell

Our design team members all have Play Date now and if you're anything like me I know you are anxious to see all the gorgeous creations they'll make with it. Stephanie Howell is first up with this delightful layout. Love it Steph!

True To You

TRUE TO YOU...

have you ever created a layout where upon completing it you look at it and just feel like the colors don't fit the mood? or the embellishments are taking the attention from the photo? or do you ever just look at a page and think "wow, that's just not at all ME?!" i do. and when i do i can almost guarantee that it's a page that i overthought while creating it.

take, for instance, this layout i created using the may kit. i was excited about using this photo that was so slanted it could be scrapped both vertical and horizontal, i was excited to break out the new sandable green alphabet cardstock, and i hadn't used a bingo card on a layout in awhile and i really wanted to use one this month. the thing is, i try to go with my first instincts as far as color and design and when it comes to my scrapbooking, i try to get my pages finished in less than an hour. why? because i feel like if i'm taking more than that amount of time i am over-thinking it and forcing things that just don't "feel" right to me design-wise. as a result almost always end up with something that isn't me. i have learned over the years that very often it's those first instincts that i always go back to...no matter how hard i try to make something else work.

for me, staying true to my style is using lots of color, shades that fit the mood of the photos, a simplistic design and a few embellishments that add to the feel of the page without taking the focus off the photos. obviously, everyone's style is a little different (that's what makes art so fun!), and we all have a speed that works for us (i realize that an hour is way too long for some and unrealistically short for others), but it's important to stick to your own personal style.

and that is why i simplified my page, using the yellow cardstock that fits the warmth i feel when i look at this photo of my little family and that's design is smaller and more fitting for a multi photo layout. i also took off the bingo card, extra title and redid my journaling on the computer. the result is a layout that is much more cheryl and much less forced. i just wish i'd have gone with my first instincts...because if i had this layout would have been in my album days ago instead of sitting on my art desk screaming at me to tone it down and warm it up. :)

just remember, everyone else only sees our art for a day or 2 online, but we are the ones that will be looking at them for a lifetime...so stay true to you!

-cheryl
Thanks for the inspiration Cheryl!

More From Cheryl Too!

I am almost a little sad that the main kit and add-on kit sold out so quickly as the design team just keeps cranking out the layouts this month. I just loaded two more into Cheryl's gallery.

I also just loaded the project kit instructions (and there are a handful of those left HERE).

Home by Doris Sander

I finally had a Play Date! I used the new mini-papers and butterfly rub-on on this layout. The background cardstock is JBS Coredinations. I can't even tell you how much I love playing with this stuff. I think I like painting and inking it even more than sanding it. Here I just rubbed a little metallic gold paint around the edges of my design with my finger. Finger painting . . . so fun! And if you're thinking you've never really seen this color in stock . . . well, look again. It's the backside color for several of the black sheets. Seriously, it's my new favorite neutral. Ok . . . off to play some more! :)

P.S. This just might be a VERY early sneak peek at JBS Mercantile June kits . . . shhhhh . . . ;)

And One More From Michelle!

Visit the gallery HERE.

May JBS Mercantile Gallery Updates!

Check out the JBS Mercantile Gallery for updates from the following designers:

Wilna Furstenberg

Doris Sander

Lisa Dickinson

Keisha Campbell

Cheryl Ametewee

Becky Novacek

Daisy Tutorial by Betsy Sammarco

I created my daisy bouquet flowers in ScrapHD.com . I’ll show you how I did that with a screen tutorial and then show you how I put them together.



After I received my file from ScrapHD I printed it out, cut out the flowers, and distressed the edges.
I layered the three different sized flowers, alternating the placement of the petals, and secured them together with glue dots.

I added a Vintage Sew On Button, painted barbeque skewers and adhered it to the back of the flower with a glue dot, and tied a green “leaf” ribbon around the skewer.

I made 12 flowers for my bouquet. I put a piece of flower arranging foam in the bottom of a small terracotta pot and placed the flowers in an arrangement I liked. In order to cover the foam, I filled the pot with tulle and tied tulle around the top. The clip on the bow is a piece of found jewelry with a Pearl Flower added.

Gorgeous! Thanks for the inspiration Betsy!

Happy Mothers' Day to you all! :)

Art by Amanda Johnson

I always love to see how Mandi sees paper. She brings such a very fresh perspective to the team.

I was also delighted to know that she loves that bit of vintage trim as much as I do. I read about the trim hoarding on her blog this morning and was happy to know I was in such good company. I am not a hoarder by nature, so I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't even cut into mine yet. I just keep glancing at it lovingly. There are a handful of the April Add-on Kits that contain the glorious trim left. Maybe I should snag one more?

Thanks for the inspiration Mandi!

Anticipating Summer Vacation . . .

Beach Mini Bingo Cards!

Still More Butterflies!!!!

Colorful Butterfly Rub-on Singles in yellow, red, pink, and cream!

Still More Banners!!!!

Butterfly Banners! Swoon! Available in Red, Pink, Yellow, and Black!

More Banners!!!!

Reader!

Photo Mark!

Play Date!

Ledger!

Are You Ready to Play?

We sure are! Introducing Play Date! 12x12 papers, mini papers, and journaling cards! Coming soon to a retailer near you! :)

Detail shots of the other four papers can be found on Jenni's blog . . .

Check back tomorrow for more peeks! Because you know we have more . . . :)

JBS Mercantile May Gallery!

We hope you've had a chance to visit the new May gallery! Be sure to check out Wilna's version of the project kit!