A hint of spring

Spring is just around the corner and I am ready for a bit of color and whimsy around the house. I figured that some colorful pinwheel decorations would do the trick!

If you've never made a pinwheel, don't worry because it's incredibly easy. Simply cut a square of paper (any size). Cut in from each corner of the square toward a center point. Stop cutting just short of the center. Then pull over the same corner of each quadrant, affixing the point in the center.

The JBS vintage and chipboard buttons are great foundation pieces that can anchor your pinwheel in the center.

Here's what you will need to get started on making these pinwheels:

Coredinations Embossed Cardstock-Asparagus Alpha

Coredinations Embossed Cardstock-Grandma's Rocker Crosshatch

Homespun Paper Pack

Chipboard Buttons - Office

Vintage Sew-On Buttons - Pink, Green

Mindy

Love card by Mindy Miller

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

Christmas Garland #10 by Mindy Miller

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

Sunday Star Sketch Challenge

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!

Holiday cards by Mindy Miller

I have been a long time fan of Jenni Bowlin products and appreciate the fact that many of her items are timeless. Other products come and go, but products such as the Label Stickers are a staple in my crafting supplies.


For example, I immediately reached for the Label Stickers when making these new holiday cards. They added a consistent design element, even though I used different patterned papers on each card.





The stickers easily coordinate with the new Christmas patterned papers, which make card making easy. The designs are bold enough to stand on their own, but also look great with simple embellishments.






I used both the new decorative brads and rhinestone bows to embellish the cards.





Although the cards are different, I think they are a great compliment to one another with a classic Jenni Bowlin vintage look. Plus, it's a design that is easy to replicate as you get started on your holiday card making.


Mindy

No Tricks! All Treats!

Our Vintage Holidays Halloween Line is now available for sale at JBS Mercantile. Just in time for the holidays, of course. You can find it in the General Store under New JBS Product or conveniently packaged in the September Project Kit. All the fun projects here were created from the project kit, including this fun canvas by Jenni Bowlin herself.

Halloween decor by Mindy Miller

Happy Halloween by Jill Sprott

Halloween 2009 by Briana Johnson

Back to School with Mindy Miller

With all this talk of going back to school, I stopped to think about my school days and how I've never really captured any of those memories from my own perspective. Who was my favorite teacher? Who or what inspired me?

Looking back, I loved third grade and I wanted to capture a snapshot of my memories in a layout.

My inspiration for this design was a chalkboard. First I machine-stitched a grid of one inch squares on black cardstock to create my faux chalkboard. Then I added a collage of Jenni Bowlin products to embellish my "chalkboard".

I primarily used patterned papers from the Be Our Guest collection, plus Core Impressions Cardstock. In addition, I used a piece of Mini Classic Die Cut label paper and a red label sticker as journaling spots.

The whimsy silhouette stamp was the perfect replacement for an "i" in my title. I also used the ruler border stamp in the collage.

This layout prompted a fun walk down memory lane, but I also wish I would have captured more of these memories in my own handwriting at the time. With that in mind, consider using this concept to involve your kids in memory keeping right now and have them journal about the current school year.

Mindy

Welcome to the JBS Team Mindy Miller!

Hi! My name is Mindy Miller and I thrilled to be joining the JBS team!

A little about me...I call Kansas home and am a corporate attorney by day, crafter by night. What a combo, right? Scrapbooking is my first love, but I also enjoy card making and other crafts. And when I'm not working or crafting, I love to travel, read and watch the latest and greatest HBO show (think True Blood and Game of Thrones).

I started scrapbooking back in the mid-90s when I was in college and instantly knew it was my perfect hobby. Scrapbooking allows me to combine so many things I enjoy -- from graphic design to writing -- and is my creative outlet.

While I have consistently crafted throughout the years, I renewed my interest a little over two years ago. It was then that I began to incorporate sewing and vintage elements into my work. I still consider my style to be driven by graphic design, but I am also inspired by color and like to add a modern vintage touch to my projects. I want to stay true to my style, but I always like to try new techniques and challenge myself. Joining this team is surreal, but I am so excited to get started.

Welcome to the team Mindy! We think you and JBS will indeed be a picture perfect match! :)