jbs inspiration

JBS at CHA!

2012-01-29T18:23:00.000-06:00

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

JBS Mercantile February Peeks!

2012-01-26T09:38:00.003-06:00

As you can see by Briana's layout, "Backyard Botanist," the February kit exudes earthy charm with an infusion of greens and browns . . .

Ah . . . but Mindy shows us the flip side of February's personality with a healthy dose of vibrant color. This kit does a little of everything and we're enjoying it immensely. The full reveal will be Tuesday, 1/31, at midnight CST . . .

And have you heard the big news? We have a new, more user friendly customer gallery and a sweet contest to go along with it. Check out our new gallery and upload a JBS or Mercantile layout for a chance to win! And that's not all! We're having a chat night on reveal night! Tuesday, 1/31, at 8pm CST we'll be hanging out in the chatroom talking about our new mini-album kit club, the latest JBS release, product we'd like to see in upcoming kits, and who knows what all else. Plus there's a door prize! We'll be randomly choosing a winner towards the end of the hour who will receive the February Mini-Album Kit. See you Tuesday!

Mixing up Magpie

2012-01-25T05:00:00.000-06:00

I'm excited to share a project with you featuring the newest Jenni Bowlin Studio release, Magpie! When I first received this collection, I was immediately drawn to two of the papers - Collect, a lovely soft green polka dot and Compile, a multi-colored chevron pattern that is so trendy right now.

I always gravitate toward these simpler, graphic patterns because they are easy to work with and incorporate into a page design.

But while I began my design with solely polka dots and chevrons, I found it was impossible not to mix in several more of the coordinating patterned papers - they all just work so wonderfully together! I've used a whopping 10 total patterns on my completed page:

I've added in snippets from the Accessory Sheet (journal spots and tags) and mini papers, as well as some of the new Quilted Stickers and Printed Tags. And while at first glance you might think Magpie is a feminine paper collection more suitable for baby or girl layouts, the small touches of red in the palette make it versatile for so many more subjects!

And that's why I love creating with Jenni's products. Everything works so fabulously together that it's okay to go overboard and include a little bit of everything! I know you are going to love creating with Magpie - and all the other new goodies Jenni has in store for you.

Stay tuned this week for more peeks from the CHA releases...and happy scrapping!

While They're Away at CHA ...

2012-01-24T18:21:00.000-06:00

You know the saying .... "while the cat's away the mice will play ..." ? Well we've taken that idea and changed it up to read "While they're away at CHA we'll reveal a new JBS gallery and have a giveaway!"

Now that was a mouthful!

Yes, while Jenni and Jared are showing their wonderful new products at CHA, we'll be having some fun over here! You can find the new customer gallery at our forum link: JBS Mercantile Forum and Gallery .

Right now, the gallery has some projects from our design team, but we want to see YOURS! Post a new layout, mini, card, anything ... by February 1st to be eligible for the prize.

And ... we hope to see you at our forum and gallery often throughout the year! We want to see more of your creations using Jenni Bowlin Studio product and kits!

Here are the specifics!

Love card by Mindy Miller

2012-01-24T07:00:00.005-06:00

If you haven't tried the new Jenni Bowlin punches by Fiskars, what are you waiting for? They are perfect for card making (and pretty much everything)!

I used both the Picture Frame Medium Lever Punch and the Blue Ribbon Large Squeeze Punch to create this Valentine's card.

I punched small picture frame shapes from a variety of JBS patterned papers and Coredinations cardstock. Then I arranged the shapes within a small grid sewn on the front of the card.

To set off the JBS pink pearl buttons, I layered them on top of pinked circles made with the Blue Ribbon punch.

While I kept the sentiment simple, I love the dimension of the JBS vintage shadow alpha stickers.

Here's a list of the patterned papers I used:

Be Our Guest Sewing Room

Be Our Guest Tea Towel

Red & Black Extension IV Inkwell

Red & Black Extension IV Letter Chart

Happy Crafting!

Mindy

Guest Star Ursula Schneider

2012-01-23T07:00:00.000-06:00

Today we have several lovely creations from guest star Ursula Scheider. As you can see Ursula is a fabulous product mixer with great attention to detail. On this first layout, "Dressed Up," she's created a delightfully whimsical design to match her daughter's fun Cat in the Hat sneakers. My favorite part of this one is all the stamping. She worked in our new alpha stamps, the lace border, and two Mercantile exclusives (these will be available for purchase on February 1st).

Ursula's layout, "Life Lived & Learned spotlights Red/Black Extension IV. I want to draw attention to another charming detail on this one. Did you notice the punched bird in flight? Yes? But how about the reflected bird misted using the negative punched space as a stencil. Awesome!

One more project before we go. A sweet Valentine's Day card because you know we're all about giving holiday inspiration early here. Isn't her layering amazing on that flower? See more of Ursula's work on her, "Under Scarlet Bird's Wing" or if you're on Facebook you can follow her there as well.

Thanks for the inspiration Ursula!

Affection Card by Megan Klauer

2012-01-23T05:54:00.000-06:00

I knew I wanted the beautiful Carnation card from the Red/Black Line Extension Journaling Cards to be my focal point. I started with a pink card stock base, but wanted to bring in a color that was a bit less typical. So, I pulled out a Mustard color to compliment the journaling card. The back of the Accessory Sheet from the Haven collection was the perfect mix of black & polka dots. I then layered a piece of paper doily under the card and added a few of the pink pearl buttons.
A quick and simple card that can be duplicated in so many different ways!

New Release: The Basics

2012-01-22T21:09:00.001-06:00

In case you haven't seen these yet, here are a few more additions to our CHA-W offerings. These are products that you know and love from JBS, clear stamps and chipboard elements done vintage style.

Valentine Envelopes by Shimelle

2012-01-19T17:34:00.000-06:00

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 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 paper, a smaller tag stamped with the receipt design, label and flag stickers, butterflies in sticker and paper + gem formats, red doilies and a rhinestone button. A letter 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

NEW Project Foundations!

2012-01-18T19:52:00.001-06:00

We have some sweet new additions to Jenni's line of project foundations to share with you today. This adorable Chalkboard Easel complete with chalk pencil and a charming small storage box to fill with all sorts of treasures. Check Jenni's blog for another exciting project foundation coming soon!

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

2012-01-18T01:06:00.002-06:00

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 to give it a creamier color. The sweet little embroidered flower is from the lace found in the Flea Market section of Mercantile.

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!

January 2012 JBS Mercantile Gazette!

2012-01-17T12:28:00.000-06:00

The first edition of the 2012 JBS Mercantile Gazette is out! In this issue you'll find a Valentine's Day card-making video tutorial from Mindy Miller, the story behind our first Mini-Album Kit by Briana Johnson, as well as our usual array of articles including a sketch, a two-pager, and a multi-photo design. We hope it helps you get started on a new year packed with inspiration.

Love by Becky Novacek

2012-01-17T07:33:00.000-06:00

This month I've been switching my focus from Christmas to Valentine's Day and our wedding anniversary. I know that many times I think that Tom knows how much I care about him, so my scrapbooking and crafting is more about our grandchildren or children. But I really want all of them to see evidence of the love Tom and I have....and I want Tom to know that he's a priority (which I think he does) and it's not just about the kids. Our relationship is important and I want to document that more than I have in recent years. What better time than Valentine's Day and our wedding anniversary?

This framed piece is 8"x8" and I simply took the glass out so that it would be more like an open shadow box. I covered the base with a vintage book page that was in a recent JBS kit, as well as a painted ledger page. I used the bird and banner rubber stamp with the weather vane stamp pad. The journaling is typed with a vintage typewriter onto one of my favorite JBS products, the scallop notecard. I also gathered the red crepe paper to create a little ruffle border. There's also a little heart/circle detail in the bottom left corner with a JBS chip heart and my favorite current JBS pattern paper from the red/black extension IV addition. I hope your gears are changing up and you're focusing on your loves! - Becky

Entirely NEW to Jenni Bowlin Studio!

2012-01-16T21:29:00.002-06:00

Jenni has three entirely new products to debut at CHA 2012! These sweet pockets fashioned after vintage flour sacks . . .

Delightful Printed Tags in white and kraft styles . . .

And these amazing alterable 12x12 heavy weight papers perforated and die-cut papers.

Valentine's Day Paper Cones

2012-01-16T08:30:00.005-06:00

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 - Martha Stewart Crafts
Alternative ways to get an oval doily via Silhouette: Oval Doily, Doily Border Frame Oval
Vintage seam binding and ric rac - Ebay

Mid-Month Vintage Finds!

2012-01-15T10:10:00.002-06:00

The mid-month vintage release is up for sale! There are over 40 items this month, including several lots of charming Valentine's Day cards.

NEW RELEASE STICKERS!

2012-01-14T12:09:00.001-06:00

NEW Quilted Stickers!

NEW Hodge Podge Stickers!

Introducing "Magpie" a new release from JBS!

2012-01-13T10:20:00.001-06:00

"Collect"

"Compile"

"Gather"

"Nest"

"Salvage"

"Stash"

"Magpie Accessory Sheet"

"Magpie Mini Pattern Sheet"

Do you have a favorite?

i wished on a star by Leah

2012-01-12T00:40:00.003-06:00

...and God sent me you. I feel so very, very lucky {and really blessed!} to have met my soulmate in this lifetime! It's a privilege and an honor to be able to walk beside the person that you know that you're supposed to me with! I'm actually planning to hang this little banner on a filigree mirror in our room. Can't wait to see what it looks like there! However, it's tough to get a photo of the project on the mirror, so I'll have to wait til a bit later!

Here are a few detail shots:

I loved using the otherwise unexpected star shape for this fun variation on a Valentine decor project! Here are links to the other products used:

Papers:

Be Our Guest - Hers

Be our Guest - His

Red floral from the Play Date Paper Pack

Be our Guest - Teatowel

Houndstooth from the Black and Red Extension Pack

Pearl Buttons - Pink

Rhinestone Bow Embellishment - Red

Vellum Embellished Butterflies - Pink

Stick Pins - Pewter

Clear Stamp - Faded Label

JBS Dye Stamp Pad - Fountain Ink

Happy Valentine crafting!

Leah

January Gallery Updates!

2012-01-10T22:42:00.000-06:00

I just love this time of the month when the design team has had a few more days with their kits . . . a little more time to relax and create something extra special and meaningful. Gallery updates are live and lovely. You can check them out here.

You've Got Mail from Ranjini Malhotra

2012-01-10T08:40:00.001-06:00

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

2012-01-06T00:13:00.008-06:00

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 Mercantile blog, we'll be sharing ideas to help you plan ahead for February 14. Doris got us off to a great start yesterday, and today 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!

Sweet Teacher Treats

2012-01-05T18:34:00.001-06:00

This month on the inspiration blog we'll be sharing posts to help you get inspired for Valentine's Day. I made these sweet teacher treats for my son's teachers using the January Project Kit. I grabbed some of the jumbo sized Hershey's Chocolate Bars from the grocery store, removed the outer paper, then created my own custom sleeve to slip back on them. I think they're going to really enjoy them.

Directions:

Cut a 9 x 6 inch piece of dark brown cardstock, 5 3/8 x 3 inch piece of cream cardstock, and two 7 1/2 inch pieces of trim.
Adhere the cream cardstock to the center of the dark brown cardstock and the two pieces of trim centered along each 9 inch side (the trim won't go all the way to the end - that's okay as there is overlap, leaving room to adhere the two sides). I machine stitched the trim and cream cardstock to make sure it stayed put.
I then misted the cream cardstock and trim with a mixture of chewing gum and cough syrup ink.
Embellish!
Wrap the your decorated piece tightly around the candy bar and adhere it. I actually used staples to make sure the two sides stayed together well. While holding the cardstock sleeve tight, I slipped one end up off the chocolate bar and stapled it. Then I slipped it off on the other side and stapled it before sliding it back in place.
Don't forget to write in the teacher's name and sign it!

These were super fun and easy to make! - Doris

All the World's a Stage

2012-01-05T10:24:00.005-06:00

The NEW Jenni Bowlin for Fiskars punches are limited edition and they're going fast! Get yours while they're still available!

Punches used:
Jester Border Punch
Main Street Border Punch
Scalloped Banner Large Squeeze Punch

Flight Large Squeeze Punch

Coach by Betsy Sammarco

2012-01-03T19:56:00.000-06:00

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!

Welcome Julie Weiss Our January Guest!

2012-01-02T14:01:00.009-06:00

This month we are excited to welcome as our kit club guest, the lovely scrapbooker, Julie Weis.

Hey everybody! My name is Julie Weis and I live in the heart of the bluegrass, Lexington, Kentucky. I am married to a wonderful Godly man, who keeps me on my toes and I have one awesomely unique fifteen year old boy who has a bit of a rebellious streak. He may have gotten that from his mom.;)

I've been scrapbooking since 2000 and of course I began with Creative Memories. But I soon found a whole new world of creativeness. My scrapbook pages always begin with a photo that inspires me. Then I choose paper and embellishments to create the mood that I am going for. I rarely use a sketch. So I never know quite what my page will look like until it is finished.
My other interest are very amateur photography, sewing, knitting, and quilting.

My favorite layout from my guest gallery is this one. I used this month's Antiquarian Kit and i absolutely love everything in it. Especially the clock and the vintage tabs!

These are two of my favorite photos. I love the first one because you can see mischief in their eyes.

I love the second one because it captures Jake's personality so perfectly. His middle name is Isaac and it means laughter.

This is my creating space. I love all of the little bits of inspiration on my bulletin board.

NEW Member Benefits! and the January Reveal!

2012-01-02T13:54:00.005-06:00

Our January Kits are up for sale! And the Design Team Gallery is live! This is a whole lot of happy! So bright and cheerful! You're going to love it!

Plus we have some new member benefits to tell you about! Members now get 5% off additional orders. Our U.S. and Canadian customers get free shipping on orders over $100 (our international customers get an $8 credit towards shipping costs). Btw - Fiskars is shipping! and we've got a huge sale going on our past kits.

Have you checked out our sweet NEW Mini-Album Kit Club? It comes to you with color copies of the instructions so you can get started right away! This month's mini is designed by Briana Johnson and is just lovely! Ranjini and Jill have already posted their versions and there's a great discussion going on about ways to use it on our message board. There are only 3 kits left, so if you want one grab it now.

New Year's Cards with Jill Sprott

2011-12-29T00:00:00.002-06:00

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!

1 Winner, 10 Punches, and 3 Christmas Cards

2011-12-28T16:49:00.008-06:00

First up, we have a winner in Big Picture Classes's Twelve Workshop giveaway!

Susan M said...
Four calling birds...thanks for the chance to win.
December 20, 2011 7:49 PM

Congratulations Susan! Email me at doris.sander@gmail.com and I'll get you set up in Stacy Julian's new class. :)

Next, we wanted to let you know that the new Jenni Bowlin for Fiskars punches have arrived in our warehouse! You can look for them in shop on January 1st! Hooray!

And here's a belated Christmas card idea for you from me. I know most of you are moving past the Christas gift giving phase, but imagine how lovely this design would be using "Red/Black Extension IV" for a teacher's gift or "Haven" for an anniversary. To make three cards, you just need one sheet of mini papers and one accessory sheet!

The little pull out tags would be perfect for attaching gift cards, class pictures, and extra little sentiments.

JBS Mercantile January Peeks

2011-12-27T15:01:00.005-06:00

Our January offerings will definitely put a smile on your face as evidenced by this delightfully happy layout by Betsy Sammarco.

There are many fun bits that will make your scrappy heart happy as you can see by Jill Sprott's annual "Year in Review" layout.

Also be sure to check out our add-ons! This layout by Doris Sander was made entirely from the January Artisan Add-on.

What we are perhaps most excited about this month is the first edition of our new mini-album kits. This one is by designer Briana Johnson and we're calling it "Paper Kisses" as it is so charming and sweet. Come chat with us about it while we're waiting for it to arrive!

Hello December by Keisha Campbell

2011-12-22T21:34:00.001-06:00

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

Home for Christmas with Leah

2011-12-21T18:46:00.002-06:00

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

Christmas Greetings from Megan Klauer

2011-12-20T12:45:00.000-06:00

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

2011-12-19T20:23:00.002-06:00

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!

BPC Twelve Workshop Giveaway!

2011-12-18T23:26:00.004-06:00

We're excited to introduce you to a new event from Big Picture Classes! Read through to the bottom and leave a comment to win a spot in the Twelve Workshop taught by Stacy Julian!

There are twelve inches in a foot, twelve people on a jury and twelve colors on the color wheel. Twelve is the symbol of cosmic order and the number of space and time.

Twelve. is also a brand new, Big Picture Class, 12-week 4Expert experience with Stacy Julian! In essence, Twelve. is Stacy’s personal scrapbooking pledge for 2012 and she wants to share it with you.

Join her from January through March for an exercise in authentic storytelling, inspired scrapbooking and creative flow.

Register for Twelve. and look forward to 12 weeks of in-depth instruction, 12 months of personal and artistic expression and dare we say, dozens and dozens of delightful ideas.

Learn more and register HERE.

See Stacy’s promo video on youtube to get a taste of what is in store.

Leave a comment telling us which of the 12 days of Christmas is your favorite! (are you suddenly humming through the lines in your head?). We'll pick a winner this Wednesday, 12/21.

The December Issue of the Gazette is Here!

2011-12-16T16:18:00.003-06:00

Read All About it! Great two page ideas! Journaling gratitude! Masking tips! A video from Jenni! Download your issue of the December Gazette today! It's FREE!

Mid-month Vintage Relase This Morning!

2011-12-15T09:10:00.002-06:00

Jenni has lots of new vintage finds for you this morning! Check "This Month's Finds" at 10am
CST for a complete listing of the new old items.

Merry Christmas from Becky Novacek

2011-12-14T08:17:00.003-06:00

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!

I used these JBS products:
www.jbsmercantile.com/eco/store.asp?SID=1&Category=30
www.jbsmercantile.com/eco/store.asp?SID=1&Item=1072
www.jbsmercantile.com/eco/store.asp?SID=1&Item=1256
www.jbsmercantile.com/eco/store.asp?SID=1&Item=327
www.jbsmercantile.com/eco/store.asp?SID=1&Item=1273

Home & Wreath Christmas Cards by Briana

2011-12-13T07:00:00.012-06:00

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
Stamps: Cursive sentiment by Papertrey Ink, Chrismas by Michaels

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

2011-12-12T07:40:00.006-06:00

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

December Gallery Updates!

2011-12-10T23:57:00.001-06:00

The December Design Team Gallery has been updated! Enjoy!

Happy Holidays from Waleska

2011-12-09T08:54:00.003-06:00

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

2011-12-08T08:00:00.000-06:00

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)

Chat with Jenni TONIGHT!

2011-12-07T18:32:00.001-06:00

Tonight at 7pm CST . . . just under a half an hour! Go . . . HERE!

Christmas Cards by Shimelle

2011-12-07T06:50:00.003-06:00

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.~*

PS: If you're feeling extra-Christmassy (or wish you were!) it's never too late to join me for some Christmas scrapbooking with Journal your Christmas!

Vintage Snowflake Cards

2011-12-06T11:00:00.002-06:00

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

Jenni Bowlin + Fiskars = Sweetness!

2011-12-05T19:46:00.022-06:00

How about a layout from our very own Jenni Bowlin featuring our very own Jenni Bowlin for Fiskars line of punches?! Hot off the press! Keep your eyes peeled! They'll start appearing at a retailer near you just after the holidays! Can you pick a favorite?

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

Would You Like to Chat with Jenni this Week?

2011-12-05T13:27:00.000-06:00

Merry, merry!

2011-12-02T05:00:00.000-06:00

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.

Easy enough? And you still have time to sneak in a little bit of shopping! (Speaking of which, have you browsed through Jenni's Flea Market lately? There are some lovely vintage pieces that are one-of-a-kind and could make an ideal gift for someone on your list!)

Happy Holidays!

Christmas Garland #15 by Stephanie Howell

2011-12-01T08:35:00.002-06:00

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

JBS Mercantile December Gallery!

2011-12-01T01:03:00.004-06:00

The December JBS Mercantile Gallery is loaded with lots of pretties! You can check them all out HERE! :)

Welcome Our December Guest Amy Kingsford!

2011-11-30T09:08:00.006-06:00

Hi There! My name is Amy Kingsford and I have lived in Northern Utah my whole life. I am married to the funniest man I have ever met and am a mother to two very silly, but beautiful little boys, who inspire so many of my scrapbook pages!

I have been scrapbooking and crafting for over 12 years. And while my tools and techniques continue to change over the years, my passion for memory keeping remains the same. I enjoy repurposing everyday items, envisioning creative uses for my current scrapbook supplies and tools and blurring the lines between the paper and digital worlds to add interesting details to my pages and to make unique altered projects.

When I’m not busy being a stay-at-home mom or scrapbooking, I enjoy listening to live music, reading a good novel and hiking and geocaching with my family.

To find out more about me, visit my new site at amykingsford.com .

My layout “More Candy Canes?” was my favorite layout that I completed with the JBS’ December Kit. This page is about how I continue to buy candy canes year after year—not because I enjoy them— but because I like having them around as a reminder that Christmas is on its way! The striped-texture cardstock that I used for the background, the frosty plastic mat that I created with repurposed packaging from this month’s kit and a leftover sprig of greenery all went a long way to helping me create the holiday feel that I was looking for!

I took this photo of my son and my husband at Willard Bay, just before sunset this fall. It was a quick shot with my cell phone—but I just love that I was able to capture this tender moment and how their silhouettes turned out against the warm sunset and the cool water.

My favorite part of my scrapbook stash is my collection of notions—especially my buttons. When my grandmother passed away I inherited many of her vintage notions, including patterns, zippers, fabric swatches and a large stash of buttons. Each time I put one of her beautiful buttons on one of my pages I feel like a piece of her will live on in that memory forever.

Christmas Garland #14 by Megan Klauer

2011-11-29T09:56:00.003-06:00

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

And Our Winner Is . . .

2011-11-29T09:53:00.001-06:00

gems said...

The vintage cameras are so cool, where do people find these old things, there certainly aren't many places in Northern Ireland that sell such things!

November 28, 2011 2:28 PM

Congratulations Gems! Email me at doris.sander@gmail.com . . . :)

Cyber Monday Blog Hop Today!

2011-11-27T11:43:00.005-06:00

Today's the Day for our first ever Cyber Monday blog hop! We want to get you well informed on all the vintage fresh shopping ideas that Jenni has in store for you tomorrow morning (or really tonight at midnight CST)! First up is the debut of her One-of-a-Kind Shop that you'll find stocked with unique items, most of which are limited edition as there is actually just one of each like this charming antique calendar shown here. You'll find many more of these items in peeks along the hop.

We're also sharing peeks of the December JBS Mercantile Papercrafting Kit. The ticket you see here is an exclusive stamp to the main kit. There's also an accompanying sad faced smiley. I'm thinking they would be a perfect pair for some "naughty or nice" Christmas projects. These will go on sale at midnight CST this Wednesday, November 30th.

So get to hopping! You'll find a list of participating blogs below. Come back here and leave a comment as to which one-of-a-kind item is your favorite and you'll be entered to win a prize! What prize? you ask. We're giving away a $10 gift card to JBS Mercantils plus a copy of Jenni's brand new e-book "Home for the Holidays" (kit not included). Leave a comment on this post on our Facebook page, retweet this link on Twitter, and swing by our message board for three additional opportunities to win. Drawings will close tomorrow, Monday 11/28, at 8pm CST. Happy sHopping!

doris sander http://sanderdk.typepad.com/meanderings_/

mindy miller http://mysecretheart.typepad.com/my_secret_heart/

leah farquharson http://amusing-to-create.blogspot.com/

briana johnson http://mypaperlust.blogspot.com/

megan klauer http://meganklauerdesign.blogspot.com/

jenni bowlin http://jennibowlin.blogspot.com/

lisa dickinson http://lisadickinson.typepad.com/gettin_by/

betsy sammarco http://justapharmgirl.blogspot.com/

jill sprott http://wordplaywordwork.blogspot.com/

waleska neris http://myorganizedmess.typepad.com/talking_to_myself/

becky novacek http://www.beckynovacekphotography.com/

shimelle laine http://www.shimelle.com/

Cyber Monday is on the Way . . .

2011-11-25T23:22:00.002-06:00

Cyber Monday will be here before you know it! Jenni has already mentioned her new online class, "Home for the Holidays!" Stay tuned as the design team will be hosting a blog hop this Sunday with more information about the exciting new section of JBS Mercantile, "One-of-a-Kind" Finds! There'll be prizes! :)

Christmas Garland #13 by Doris Sander

2011-11-23T11:52:00.016-06:00

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

2011-11-22T05:00:00.000-06:00

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 November Project kit. 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

2011-11-21T09:01:00.004-06:00

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

2011-11-18T05:50:00.000-06:00

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

2011-11-17T16:43:00.005-06:00

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!

Welcome to the JBS Team Leah Farquharson!

2011-11-16T18:11:00.010-06:00

We are very excited to announce the latest addition to the JBS team, Leah Farquharson! Please join us as we welcome her to the team and get to know a little more about her . . .

"Married to my soulmate, raising our two fabulous boys together in the South Florida metro area. City lover. Vegetarian. Sewist. Recently a new business owner/entrepreneur. Runner. Homeschool mom. Fantasy fiction lover. Photography and photoshop geek. Lover of all things creative. The Beach. Ice Cream. And a good haircut."

"This is my current favorite photo. I grabbed it a couple of months ago when I took the boys out for a walk at the end of the day. They were geetting kind of crazy in the house, so I decided to herd them outside to burn of some energy. I'm SO glad I grabbed my camera on the way out the door! I was able to capture this special sunset - and the special moment with them!

"I don't have a huge crafting space, but my favorite thing there are my button jars! I love color, and buttons are one of my favorite embellishments to add to my pages!"

And here are a couple scrappy shares from Leah to tide you over until her first JBS layouts debut in the Design Team Gallery with the December reveal.

Welcome to the team Leah!

Christmas Garland #8 by Waleska Neris

2011-11-16T10:31:00.003-06:00

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!

November JBS Mercantile Gazette!

2011-11-15T18:35:00.005-06:00

The November issue of the JBS Mercantile Gazette has hit the stands! It's another awesome addition! So inspiring! Get your copy now! It's free! Download it HERE.

The Great Pumpkin Challenge from Ranger

2011-11-15T14:27:00.003-06:00

If you're into fall decorating this week, you'll definitely want to swing by the Ranger Ink Blog for their Great Pumpkin Challenge. Every day this week they'll have pumpkin's decorated by some of your favorite artists in the crafting world. Our very own Jenni Bowlin is featured today, along with the fabulous Claudine Hellmuth.

2011-11-15T09:11:00.002-06:00

Today's mid-month release is the biggest ever! We've enlarged our vintage offerings to now include ephemera, bits and pieces, and one-of-a-kind items like the vintage toaster shown above. This month there are lots of items perfect for holiday crafting like the labels with the toy soldiers below. One-of-a-kind indeed means only one, so some of these treats won't last long at all. Swing by the Flea Market at JBS Mercantile this morning at 10:00 am CST to see all the goodies that Jenni has found!

Christmas Garland #7 by Ranjini Malhotra

2011-11-14T06:00:00.007-06:00

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 the foil bits from the November project kit 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 tag "christmas garland" at the bottom of this post.

Christmas Garland #6 by Betsy Sammarco

2011-11-11T13:11:00.002-06:00

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!

Internet Explorer Customers

2011-11-11T09:22:00.004-06:00

You may have noticed we are working to update our website. We will be moving some items around and adding new categories. If you are browsing on Internet Explorer, the drop down menus may not be working for you at this time. We hope to have this issue cleared up soon, but in the meantime you can do the following to correct the problem . . .

Go to "tools"
Select "internet options"
Then "delete browsing history"

JBS Mercantile November Updates

2011-11-10T21:26:00.005-06:00

Our November gallery has been updated! Check out the new pretties HERE! The November Project Kit is sold out, but we still have a half dozen the Papercrafting, Artisan, and Antiquarian Add-ons left and a couple of the NEW Extra Paper Packs. Oh! and don't forget we have lots of Red and Green products on sale just in time for holiday crafting!

Please note . . . we are updating our menu at JBS Mercantile. You may notice some glitches over the next day or two (especially with those using internet explorer) . . . please bear with as we work to improve our services for you!

Christmas Garland #5 by Shimelle Laine

2011-11-09T12:04:00.002-06:00

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

PS: Join me this weekend for three days of Christmas crafting fun with tutorials, Christmas journal preparation and more, including some special JBS projects, of course. It starts on Friday and it's completely free - just stop by shimelle.com!

Christmas Garland #4 by Dina Wakley

2011-11-08T10:44:00.001-06:00

I made this with a combination of JBS Christmas goodies, as well as vintage items that came in November's Antiquarian Kit (if you're not getting the add-ons, you're missing out! Such fun stuff!). 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 by Jill Sprott

2011-11-07T05:00:00.001-06:00

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 by Briana Johnson

2011-11-04T08:00:00.014-05:00

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 of jump rings 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 hide the staple.

I wish I had an entire little feather 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

P.S. You have time to pick up these goodies or the ones for the Advent Calendar ~ especially since there's a lot of red and green supplies on sale ~ by the 5th and have them shipped with your JBS Mercantile kits to save on shipping. Just make sure and check the box to have the shipping combined at check out. If you happen to place multiple orders send an email letting them know so they can manually take care of that for you.

P.S.S. This month the design team members are creating Christmas ornaments to string on a garland. Mix and match your favorites and create along with us! Click on Christmas Garland to see more.

Christmas Garland #1 by Becky Novacek

2011-11-03T08:24:00.002-05:00

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 (it's included in the November Papercrafting Kit or as our new Extra Paper option!)....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

JBS Mercantile November Guest Kayla Aimee

2011-11-02T08:32:00.008-05:00

My favorite of my layouts so far is this one, "11 Months." I just love the little resin roses. I used some E600 on the third one and stuck it to a bobby pin. That's why it is conspicuously missing from the rest of my layouts, because it's currently in my hair. I also just really liked the look of mixing the alphabet letters together for the word "month"

I'm sharing my filing cabinet remodel, because A) I got a LOT of files y'all and B) who doesn't love office supplies? And also because it gave me an excuse to buy that super cute lamp to sit on top of it. Okay, mostly the lamp.

I love this picture of Scarlette and me because it captures such an absolutely real moment in our lives, right down to the huge mess in the hallway behind us.

A twenty-something not-so-newlywed and southern girl through and through, Kayla Aimee likes scrapbooking, Macy’s at Christmas time, and really good fitting jeans. Over the years her scrapbooking work has made it's way into several publications and she has had the honor of serving on some wonderful manufacturer design teams. KA resides in a charming little country town in the south with her husband Jeff and daughter Scarlette. She invites you to visit her at http://www.kaylaaimee.com/ .

Silhouette & Jenni Bowlin Studio Advent Calendar

2011-11-01T08:40:00.003-05:00

I was so very very excited to get the opportunity to work with Silhouette's new Advent Calendar Kit! When I got it in the mail I couldn't wait to get started! You get the wooden box and a download card with your purchase. And the box is nice and sturdy and crisp white! Love that. With the download card you get enough templates for boxes and/or drawers for your calendar. I chose to mix and match boxes and drawers because some of those boxes were just too cute and I like the variation. You also get the shapes to cut to cover the back of each calendar box so you'll have patterned paper lining the back if you choose to do that. So from now on when I have a special little gift to give I can use these box templates again and again! Check it out here: Silhouette Limited Edition Advent Calendar. As a special treat for our Jenni Bowlin Studio readers if you use the code JENNI at check out you'll get the advent calendar for $29.99 - a savings of $10.00! The promotion runs from November 1st - November 11th.

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!

So thanks for reading through all of that. I just really love this and had lots to share! I hope you like it and decide to create one for you and your family!

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

Keisha Campbell inspired by Jenni Bowlin

2011-10-27T13:41:00.006-05:00

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!"

My take on Jenni's lovely layout...

2011-10-27T13:15:00.006-05:00

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:

Lisa Dickinson inspired by Jenni Bowlin

2011-10-26T06:45:00.000-05:00

Sixteen by Jenni Bowlin

There's no doubt Jenni has an elegant, timeless style that's inspired many of us! I adore the way she can effortlessly combine paint, ink, rub-ons and more in creative and unique ways. On Jenni's page above, she used the Classic Foam Stamps with Weather Vane Paint Dabber to make little homes for all her page elements. Then she stamped the Cabbage Flower over one, and applied the Receipt Rub-on over another to add lines for her journaling. And how sweet are the feminine touches of a butterfly and Doily Flower?

Two by Lisa Dickinson

Inspired by Jenni, I took her cue and used a foam stamp with Fountain Pen ink to create three frames. I topped them with a rub-on butterfly before adhering my photos. On the bottom half of the page, I used a bold stripe paper from the new Red & Black Extension IV, and topped it with a thin strip of ruler paper and a red chevron ribbon (all of which are included in November's Papercrafting kit!) As a final touch, I added a label for my journaling and one of the new flash cards from the Vintage Number Set.

If you're inspired by Jenni as much as I am, hop on over to the Mercantile Forum and take a look at all the challenges the design team has issued for ScrapFest! You've still got time to create a page for these prompts (pages are due Sunday, October 30, at 3 p.m. CST) and be entered to win a $10 gift card to JBS Mercantile.

JBS Mercantile November Peeks

2011-10-25T20:19:00.004-05:00

The November Kit features our new Red/Black Extension IV line. Here are samples from Celeste and Betsy featuring the main kit and some bits from the Artisan Add-on.

And here's one from Briana that is mostly from the Project Kit. Looking forward to the big reveal on Halloween night!

Challenges!

2011-10-25T09:03:00.006-05:00

We had SO much fun at the crop this weekend, and the fun's not over! Check out our message board for several great challenges like the white space challenge involving this delightful Halloween layout from Megan Klauer and the journaling challenge featuring this "old school" layout from Jill Sprott. All challenges end this Sunday, October 30th at 3:00pm CST.

Check the blog this evening for a peek or two from November's Kit!

Mindy Miller inspired by Jenni Bowlin

2011-10-24T06:25:00.005-05:00

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

Celeste Smith inspired by Jenni Bowlin

2011-10-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

Jenni Bowlin is simply amazing. She knows exactly when to stop putting items on her pages and underlying her techniques is a breezy simplicity that I just adore. I loved her layout (above) so much I didn't dare alter it much.

I converted the page to 8.5x11 and used a journal card instead of the label paper Jenni used. As well, I added stars instead of butterflies. I avoided her ink treatment because I'm notorious for making a huge mess with ink and used a star punch instead. Jenni even inspired me to use my handwriting! I usually type my journaling, but in this case I think it adds personality and warmth to the page.

Becky Novacek inspired by Jenni Bowlin

2011-10-20T09:35:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone, Becky here. I have to tell you, I jumped on the chance to lift one of Jenni's projects! I went through her blog and so enjoyed revisiting the beautiful things she has made over the past couple of years. I chose a vintage frame design that she posted on her blog in February of 2010. I converted my idea to a layout, but stayed pretty true to her embellishments around the photo. Instead of a glitter butterfly, I used the new JBS butterfly stamp with JBS weather pane ink. I also included the new alterable alphas and chipboard heart with Speckled Egg Paint Dabber. The tissue flower is made from JBS crepe paper ribbon that I have been hoarding, but I'm happy to say, is still available through the mercantile. Thanks for taking a look today!

Scrapfest Starts Today!

2011-10-20T09:34:00.001-05:00

Scrapfest, our online fall crop, begins today! We'll begin posting our challenges this afternoon and will continue posting them throughout the weekend. Our first chat will be tonight at 9pm CST. We'll have a chat each night at this time. There will be "door prizes" at all our chats, awards for our challenge winners, plus our design team will choose one participant to be our December JBS Mercantile Kit Club Guest! We hope you'll join us!

Waleska Neris inspired by Jenni Bowlin

2011-10-19T11:55:00.007-05:00

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

Megan Klauer inspired by Jenni Bowlin

2011-10-18T08:35:00.007-05:00

As I sat and looked through Jenni's beautiful blog, I was of course inspired by her love of all things vintage. The way she uses old photographs that have long begged to be put on a scrapbook page. Her use of rub-ons and this amazing technique tutorial; which became the starting point of my page.

I began by applying the Transferware Flowers rub-on onto the backside of the Be Our Guest - Tea Towel paper.

I then in true Jenni style added a thin layer of Jenni Bowlin for Ranger Malted Milk Paint Dabber to "vintage" it up a bit. Followed by the paint technique as shown HERE on Jenni's blog.

I trimmed it down a bit and added it to the bottom right hand corner of my page.

I also used the remaining portion of the rub-on and the same technique with the paint and tape on top of an old manilla tag.

Thanks for the inspiration Megan! And we have a layout from Waleska to look forward to tomorrow following this same technique!

Jill Sprott inspired by Jenni Bowlin

2011-10-17T05:00:00.020-05:00

All this month, the layouts featured on the JBS Mercantile blog have been, collectively, a homage to a person who has been a driving force in shaping our crafty sensibilities: Jenni Bowlin.

Jenni's page designs often feature asymmetrical balance and a single photo that focuses on family. There is often a central, simple yet bold accent and, at times, the repetition of a few smaller peripheral accents, like a button line, scallops, or row of tiny flowers. Her pages almost always include handwritten journaling, which enhances the homey feel and amplifies the emotional core that exists in every one of her layouts.

Here is my own attempt to pay tribute to the master (while also learning from her in the process):

My layout focuses on a treasured family member, my grandmother. The photo of her hands inspired me to reflect upon all that they have held and done in a single lifetime. Though Jenni's layouts often focus on family faces, this single photo says more about my grandmother than her face does. These hands tell her story.

The "simple yet bold" central accent is a green bow, and the peripheral accents include a row of pearl flowers.

There is usually some kind of vintage element on Jenni's pages, and so I worked in papers and accents that had a vintage feel, pulling a few items from a hodge podge book. There is a reason for the inclusion of the onion packet. It's not just random. My grandmother grew up on Maui, which boasts the sweetest onions in the entire world, and when I was a child, she used to sing me a song in Portuguese about going to the store to buy some onions and coming home to eat them all.

Jenni has a knack for seamlessly incorporating rub-ons, and I tried to follow suit, working in a gold floral rub-on as one of the layers on the page.

The handwritten journaling adds to the power of the words.

Trust Jenni to know what works, every time.

Sunday Star October Sketch Winners!

2011-10-16T22:32:00.006-05:00

We are very excited to announce TWO winners from last week's Sunday Star October Sketch Challenge. This first one is Nicolle Kramer with a charming layout of her daughter created with the latest Dime Store Kit. And the second is an awesome two page version of the sketch that Jinny Newlin created with the October JBS Mercantile Kit. Thanks for the inspiration Nicolle and Jinny! Email me at doris.sander@gmail.com and we'll get your $10 gift cards sent your way! :)

Sunday Star - Lift Jenni!

2011-10-16T22:26:00.004-05:00

This month the design team is putting the spotlight on our very own Jenni Bowlin by gathering inspiration from her lovely and heartfelt creations. We'd love for you to participate too! Simply cruise through Jenni's blog or her old galleries and find a piece of her art that inspires you. Share your creation with us in our customer gallery along with a link to what inspired you. We'll choose a winner next Sunday, October 23rd and that winner will receive a $10 gift card for JBS Mercantile.

Mid-Month Treats!

2011-10-16T22:10:00.003-05:00

Lots of delightful "new" vintage treats on the shelves, but they're going fast!

Briana Johnson Inspired by Jenni Bowlin

2011-10-14T08:00:00.006-05:00

Kudos to Doris for coming up with the best blog assignment EVER . . . to make something inspired by Jenni Bowlin! I was so excited to do this! I really took my time and enjoyed looking through Jenni's blog and all of her project kits and posts here on the inspiration blog. She's amazing! I know, we all know, right? : ) Jenni has been one of my absolute most favorite designers for as long as I can remember! When I think of "Jenni Style" I think of a strong design but never heavy looking, confidence in white space, little vintage details, and a bit of shine or sparkle whether it be German foil trim or glitter.

The above layout was inspired by her in many ways. The main way is the patchwork area on the right. It was inspired by this project of Jenni's:

From this post, from August 2010, on her blog. I used a 1" square punch and did the exact same thing but in different proportions. I've always loved the way she cuts up vintage labels and uses them as support in her design, not using the entire piece. Amazing attention to detail, perfect example.

So the yellow banner paper on my layout was actually an accident. I intended to do more of a cream on cream look and use the other side but I dropped the paper and it landed on the yellow side and a light went on in my mind. I really thought that brought the attention on and grounded the page well. I try to remind myself that it's okay to use a color not found in the photos at all because it allows the colors that are found in the photo to contrast and stand out against the paper. And since yellow and purple are complementary it worked out well.

Another way this page was inspired by Jenni was the color combo of red and lavender. You can see her page here. So I added just a few hints of red for my third color. The Cabbage Flower (damask) stamp is one of my all time fave stamps so I used it here to create my own patterned paper with Jenni's new Lavender Sachet Ink (thank you, Jenni, for Lavender Sachet, I am IN LOVE). I tried to embrace some white space like Jenni does, and like the picture frame above, with the thick cream border all the way around the page.

The last way I used a Jenni touch on my page was the placement of the star. I got that idea from her page posted here. See all that lovely white space? My chipboard star is covered in vintage cigar box trim.

I painted one of the cream doilies with a Lavender Sachet paint dabber. I've really enjoyed having the matching paint and ink (mist too if you want to make it from the re-inker). I layered the doily with a vintage rhinestone button, one of Jenni's chipboard milk cap buttons, a punched and glittered flower shape, then the star.

I had a great time with this! Can you tell? I love this page and I plan to hang it up in my house in a 12 x 12 shadow box frame. Thanks for stopping in today!

Products used:
Chipboard Stars, Large, 4", and Mini
Mini Papers: Be Our Guest, Trendy (not available but the red pattern in Be Our Guest would work as well)
Cabbage Flower (Damask) Stamp
Ruler Border Stamp
Speckled Egg and Lavender Sachet Ink

Lavender Sachet Paint Dabber

Cream Doilies
Mercantile Exclusive Black Damask Paper
Core'dinations Cardstock: Grandma's Rocker Crosshatch (back side) and Row of Cherries
Printed Tickets: Punctuation, Name, Baby Girl
Blue Label Stickers
German Foil Medallions Borders in Silver

Banner/Alphabet Stickers Playdate

Chipboard Buttons - Milk Caps

Mini Bingo Cards

Other vintage items used: cigar box trim, advertising label, dictionary paper, sheet music, heart charm, and vintage buttons

Stephanie Howell inspired by Jenni Bowlin

2011-10-13T14:09:00.004-05:00

This month the design team is taking inspiration from Jenni Bowlin. Here are Stephanie Howell's thoughts and creativity . . .

It was an honor (not to mention so much FUN) to do a layout inspired by Jenni. Jenni has inspired me for years and years...she is a big reason I fell in love with scrapbooking.

My layout isn't based on a specific layout Jenni has done, just on her overall style.

The handwritten journaling, layered rubons and stamps, and strip of patterned paper (cut with pinking shears) are all a nod to jenni's style.

I am so grateful for Jenni and all of the inspiration she has provided . Not to mention the kindness, encouragement, friendship and love that she's shown me. Thanks so much for this opportunity!!

Shimelle Laine inspired by Jenni Bowlin

2011-10-12T22:28:00.006-05:00

This month the design team is getting inspired by Jenni Bowlin! Here is Shimelle Laine's lovely contribution.
Take inspiration from Miss Jenni herself? That literally flooded my mind with ideas - I love Jenni's creative vintage style. But I knew pretty quickly I specifically wanted to take inspiration from something older, because I loved Jenni's pages from the moment they started to appear in magazines and such... and one thing I respect about Jenni so much is how her pages are timeless. The pages she created several years ago are just as beautiful now and have dated from trends and fashion.

I decided to take my inspiration from the second layout in this post: jennibowlin.blogspot.com/2006/06/june-gallery-and-other-s...because it illustrates something I've always loved about Jenni's style - how she plays with proportion and space to create pages with something unexpected but not overwhelming. I loved the large photo, the staples, the addition of little things right on top of the image. So I started with those ideas and away I went. A layout of my own with a big photo stapled to the background, stars and butterflies and writing right on top of the picture. I love how it looks in my album - it's a great change of pace but by picking my favourite motifs, it stays true to my style and fits the flow of all the pages in the book.
All supplies by JBS aside from kraft cardstock (American Crafts).Alterable Alphas - ledgerMemo book - orange (star sticker)Apothecary stickers - red (star border, star sticker)Border cardstock sticker - red (pinked border)Butterfly Banner stickers - yellowMini Chalkboard Alpha stickers - blackDotted label stickers - red and blackname/date stamp

JBS Mercantile October Gallery Updates!

2011-10-12T22:09:00.003-05:00

Lots of lovely additions to our October gallery. Check it out!

The October Gazette is hot off the press!

2011-10-11T19:09:00.000-05:00

We've just finished up this month's newsletter and it's packed full of inspiration from the JBS design team. This printable pdf is the perfect accompaniment to your October Mercantile kit, so download your copy now!

Sunday Star Sketch Challenge

2011-10-09T19:00:00.002-05:00

We're back with our Sunday Star Challenges! This week is a sketch challenge from our September JBS Mercantile Gazette brought to you by Betsy Sammarco.

Betsy's sketch is based on a layout from the August Gallery by Mindy Miller.

We even have a bonus two page version to share!

We'd love to see what you do with it. Post your creations based on the one or two page version of the sketch in our gallery and label it "Sunday Star October Sketch." We'll choose a winner next Sunday, October 16th. The winner will receive a $10 gift card for JBS Mercantile!

JBS Mercantile October Guest Kim Jeffress!

2011-10-09T07:30:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone, my name is Kim Jeffress and I live in beautiful sunny Brisbane Australia. I am a former kindergarten teacher now SAHM to two boys aged 5 and 2, they are my inspiration for my scrapbooking.I have been scrapping for approx 8 years and just recently I have been lucky enough to have been chosen to join the DTs for Basic Grey, Core'dinations cardstock and Hambly studios. I am also honoured to be on the Creative Team for Australian Scrapbooking Memories magazine. I am completely honoured to be Guest designing for Jenni Bowlin studios this month.

My favourite project for October has to CHILLIN . It is of my youngest son when he was about 8 months old. He was such a content baby just happy to sit and watch what was happening around him. It brings back such joyful memories for me.

My favourite thing in my studio is my inspiration board , it is filled with memories- a photo of my sister and I , my mums broach and some sweet vintage findings, I keep it at eye level on my shelf so I can look at it often.

My favourite photo right now is of my oldest dressed up as an astronaut for his kindy book week parade, he is totally obsessed with Space!!!

Thanks for the inspiration Kim! You can look forward to more of Kim's creations tomorrow when gallery updates for the October Kits are posted.

Halloween Mini-Album by Doris Sander

2011-10-08T13:21:00.007-05:00

How about a fun little Halloween Mini-Album? This one is super simple, super easy, and super fun with a super short supply list. Happy Halloween Scrapping!

Supplies: Chipboard Circle Mini-album, Vintage Holidays Halloween Mini-Paper and Accesory Sheet, Orange/Black Shadow Alpha Stickers, Black Doily Flowers, Orange Pearl Buttons, Black Charms, small silver jump rings.