Back to School - Science :)

Hello Hello :)

Today I would like to share with you I layout that I created using nearly all JBS goodness [and yes some of it is from my stash from awhile back so its a lil vintage sts LOL :)]. The inspiration for this layout comes from a TV show that I used to watch when I was younger [in the days of black and white TV and probably before some of you were born LOL] Here is a link >>>> Why is it so?

"....the ground-breaking TV series with the enigmatic Professor Julius Sumner Miller - ran on the ABC from 1963 to 1986. Professor Miller's infectious enthusiasm for physics delighted, educated and entertained generations of Australians, most of whom have at some point asked each other 'Why is it so?' in the characteristic Julius Sumner Miller voice."

I absolutely loved this show, so when it came to inspiration for a layout based on a School subject I just had to use this childhood memory as inspiration! :) :) :)

I have used the name of the TV series as inspiration for my title and how it relates to the photo is; this photo is an instagram photo that I took of me 'stepping out' on the first fabulous sunny day we had with the change of seasons; it is spring here in Australia. So my thoughts were when creating this layout;

>>>>> Why is it so? that as soon as spring comes that you have an extra spring in your step/ [sts] :) 

Cheers for now :) Do hope you have enjoyed all of the Amazing Back To School JBS Inspiration for the fabulous JBS Team!!! I know I have :) :) :)

Louise :) xox

Die-Cut and Perforated Papers - Stamp - Kraft

Die-Cut and Perforated Papers - Stencil

Hodge Podge Stickers - Souvenir

Ranger JBS Paint Dabber - Fountain Pen

Announcing the JBS Ambassadors for 2012-2013!

Amanda Jones, United Kingdom

Amy Kingsford, U.S.A.

Ashley Calder, Canada

Connie Mercer, U.S.A.

Elizabeth Carney, U.S.A.

Gina Rodgers, Australia

Harumi Hagiwara, Japan

Jenni Hufford, U.S.A.

May Flaum, U.S.A.

Natalie Elphinstone, Australia

Tina Walker, U.S.A.

JBS Mercantile October Peeks!

October's kit is a softly vibrant one.  Now I know those adjectives don't normally go together, but our Jenni can pull off the combination with panache.  You're going to love October at JBS Mercantile.  Here are a few peeks to peak your interest.  This first one is from Lisa and prominently features October's exclusive stamp, the darling doily (which exactly matches September's exclusive stencil)!

Our Main Kit only challenge this month is to "Get Painty!"  Corrie (above) and Megan (below) have already taken up the challenge with stunning results.  I just can't wait till the 30th at midnight!  I want to see more!

A Music Lesson from Waleska

In our school only 5th graders take music class. My son is SUPER duper giddy about it. They had limited choices for instruments (flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone and violin) and for no particular reason he picked the trombone (well, he said he likes the sliding part. lol). This is the first instrument he ever plays so it will be an interesting experience for sure.
I mixed papers (and found the perfect music sheet!), stickers, tickets, tags, doilies, brads and stars from different collections.

And this is my attempt at a paper clip trombone.  :)

Digi Monday: Apothecary Labels and Halloween Bingo!

It's another edition of Digi Monday on the JBS Inspiration Blog!  We're featuring two new kits today:

Apothecary Labels & Borders 

These labels are great as a basic addition to your digital stash and to keep handy for hybrid projects.  See how Amy Kingsford used the labels in this layout "So Lovely".  Yes it is Amy!

Supplies:  JBS Apothecary Labels and Borders and the Front Porch Collection.  
Additional supplies include: Manic Monday by Kristin Cronin-Barrow, Fresh by Sahlin Studio and One Little Bird and Stitched by Anna White Borders by Anna Aspnes.

Wouldn't these labels be awesome for Halloween?  I added my own text to three of the labels in the kit to make some haunted labels for my Halloween goodie display:

fonts used: October Crow, Mom's Typewriter,  Kerawang, Soft Ornaments Five

I found the bottles for only $1 each and the labels look incredibly real and professional printed on glossy photo paper!  In the "potion" bottle to the right I stuff a bit of black tulle and pulled some out of the top - it's hard to see in the photo, but it looks so cool - a bit like magical smoke!

Also released today is our Halloween Bingo Card Kit.  Oh the possibilities!  Sure, they can be used on layouts, but how about using them as treat tags, banners, and divided page protector pages?  The printable pages in ALL our Bingo Card Kits are sized to approximately 3x4 inches. Perfect for those divided pages!

As always, the kits are 25% off on release day!

Back to School: Math

Though math has never been my strongest subject, I've always has a fascination with numbers. I loved the concrete, definitive answer that results when an equation is solved correctly. Of course, in my case, that was a fairly rare occurrence, but there was no better feeling when it did!

Inspired all things mathematics, I put together the layout below, challenging myself to incorporate the element of numbers as many times as possible.  Though many numerical items appear, I focused on the number "two" for the obvious reason that the subject of the page is me and my husband:

"Two" by Lisa Dickinson

It was fun sorting through my stash to find any supplies that might represent the idea of "two." And when I finished the page, I had incorporated seventeen different numerical elements. (Can you find them all?)

There are so many JBS supplies that work perfectly for this theme! Using the Magpie papers as my base, I added lots of other "twos' in a variety of forms and materials. I even found quotes to add as journaling that incorporate the word two. 

 

In addition to the stuff I used on my page, here are some of my other favorite JBS products that feature numbers:

1. JBS Bingo Cards        2. Clear Protractor Stamp      3. Vintage Number Card Set

4.  Clear Ruler Border        5.  Clock Rub-On         6. Alterable Chipboard Numbers

7.  Bingo Chipboard Buttons      8.  Flag Banner Stickers    9.  Multiplication Paper

Having math serve as an inspiration source for a scrapbook page might seem a bit odd, but when all the elements of a layout design come together perfectly, it's much like solving an equation. And who isn't inspired by that?

Back to School: Art/Art History

Art has always been my favorite subject from the time I was in grade school right up to college. I guess that's why I find scrapbooking so intriguing. It's the perfect combination of the art I love & memories I want to preserve forever. 

On a shopping day with my sister last week, we made a quick stop at a 7-11 for a cup of coffee. They were doing a poll in honor of the upcoming election. You cast your vote based on which cup you choose. I thought it was just a funny way of slipping politics into our lives one more time. This isn't about which coffee cup I chose, but simply about the use of politics everywhere. 

Here is the original photo I snapped with my iPod.

On our last stop of the day, I came across a beautiful display of Andy Warhol inspired cans of Campbell's soup at Target...

...and thought hmmmm... that's a cool inspiration piece.

And I've always loved this piece...

source

So, I did a bit of playing in photoshop with my coffee cup picture & came up with this...

I did keep the colors within the red, white & blue range as I wanted it to fit into the theme of my page. But this is something that could easily be done with any photo. 

Supplies: 

Bingo Cards - Patriotic Set

Apothecary Stickers-Navy

Chalkboard Alpha Stickers-Black

Skinny Alpha Stickers - Black

Star Banner Stickers - Red

Tab Stickers - Red

Die Cut Journaling Cards- Black

Flag Banner Stickers - Calendar

Skinny Alpha Stickers - Red

Back to School - The Shell Collection

Do you like to collect things?  I certainly do, and one of my favorite collections is the shell collection I started when I was a kid.  Collecting, labeling, and reading about all the different types of shells and the animals that made them was a passion of mine.

It's hard for any child to pass up a pretty shell, or interesting rock, or beautifully colored sea glass on the beach.  I created this book for our vacation at the beach this year, so we could hold our beach finds in one place.

Here are my complete instructions for making a similar book:

What  I used:

• Varying plastic protector pages.  I used Avery 76009 (business card holders), Avery 13404 (slide holders), and Avery 76016 (trading card holders).

• Large pieces of chipboard.  I used the chipboard that comes with 12x12 paper orders.

• Patterned Paper and Cardstock.  I used Jenni Bowlin Studio patterned paper and   Bazzill Basics cardstock

• Digital Bingo Card Images.  I used the Jenni Bowlin Studio Beach Bingo Card Kit

• Miscellaneous embellishments sized to fit in the pockets.
• Binder Rings
• Hole Punch
• Sewing machine
• Strong adhesive.  I used Beacon Zip Dry.

Instructions:

To Create Interior Pages:

1.  Pull out the plastic protector pages you want to use.  The pages I used were ones I already had around the house and are listed above.

2.  Cut a piece of chipboard for each protector page.  Cut the chipboard so it’s slightly larger than the page, leaving about 1/2 inch extra at the top, bottom, and right side.

3.  Stitch the plastic protector page to the chipboard, being careful not to stitch closed any opening in the page compartments.

4.  Punch holes through the chipboard where the holes in the protector pages are already.

To Create Covers:

1.  Cut two pieces of chipboard slightly larger than the largest page you’ve created in the previous section.  These will be your front and back covers.  My covers are 9-1/2 inches wide by 12 inches high.

2.  Cover the front sides of both pieces with patterned paper.

3.  Find a digital bingo card online and enlarge it in a word processing program so it fits nicely on your cover.  I used digital bingo cards from the Jenni Bowlin Studio Beach Bingo Card Kit.  I enlarged by bingo cards to 7 inches wide x 10-3/4 inches high.

4.  Stitch the enlarged bingo card on the center of each cover. 

5.  Punch holes using the pages you’ve already punched as guides.

6.  Cover the back side of each cover with patterned paper and re-punch the holes again.

7.  Glue a shell, rock, or other large beach item to the front cover with strong adhesive.

Putting it Together:

1.  Organize your covers and inside pages and thread binder rings through them.

2.  Measure each of the sleeve sizes on each different page.  Cut cardstock, patterned paper, or create your own embellishments that will fit in the sleeves for decoration and background for your treasures.

Here are the sizes of the sleeve compartments I used:

Avery 76009 : Business Card Pages : 3-1/2” x 2”

Avery 13404 : Side Holder Pages : 2” x 2”

Avery 76016 : Trading Card Pages : 2-1/2” x 3-1/2”

The digital bingo cards in the kit I used can be sized to fit perfectly into the trading card pages.  I also created some digital cuts to cut from my die cutting machine.  How you decorate your compartments is up to you!

You're now ready to fill your Beachcombers book with treasures you’ve found! Once they’re filled, you can stitch your compartments closed to prevent them from falling out or leave them open.

Children LOVE this book as collecting seems to be a natural activity for them!

If you'd like the svg cutting files I used for this book, you can download them here:

Shell Collection SVG files

and this is the digital kit I used:

A Great Digi Sale and Hybrid Halloween

It's Wonderful Wednesday at JessicaSprague.com and our Digi Shoppe has 2 kits on sale!

Our Classic Border Shapes are 50% off today through midnight PT.  These are available in three file formats which means you can use them as digital brushes, digital masks,  and digital cutting files.  That's a lot of use from one kit!

Our Vintage Holiday Journaling Cards are only $1 today!  There are a ton of hybrid possibilities for these cards.  You'll be able to use these for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, and our USA patriotic holidays:

I jumped on the chance to create some Halloween treat bag tags with this kit in advance of the holiday.  I'll finally be prepared this year!

Here's how I made these:

1. I opened the Trick or Treat card (without lines) in PSE and added my text.  I used the font "October Crow".  You could also do this in your word processing program.

2. I resized the card to 2-1/2 x 4 inches and fit 6 on a letter sized page, printed, and cut them out.

3.  I punched 3/4 inch yellow circles and glittered them to become moons.

4.  I inked the edges of the cards with black ink.

5.  I then punched a piece of black cardstock with the Fiskars/Jenni Bowlin Main Street punch.

6.  I Adhered the moon in the bottom center of the card, over the star, and the Main Street punch across the bottom of the card, and then trimmed to fit.

7.  You can further embellish your tags anyway you want:  adding stars or more glitter for example.   I used a piece of stitched ribbon to represent a "divided street" and adhered it across the bottom of the tag.

These were quick and easy and can be made assembly line style!

If you're looking for more Halloween projects, take a look at the Halloween Limited Edition kits at the Mercantile.  Jenni designed these and each one will become a beautiful piece of Halloween decor for your home.  Act quick as these are in limited supply!