Scrap Vintage: School & Falling Leaves

If you love to scrap vintage, then you belong right here at JBS! I made this page with the September JBS Mercantile Kit (available) and the September Antiquarian Kit (sold out). There were so many great vintage pieces in those kits: the yellow ledger paper, the flashcard, the cigar label, the vintage check, and finally the vintage math/school worksheet paper. I love all these elements on this red background - which is my son's new school color. The check shows an image of a bank but I thought it resembled an old school building so I thought it went well with my theme.

Frequently when I use vintage elements on my page I back them with white cardstock as I did on the cigar label shape. I used my Cuttlebug and my favorite Spellbinders dies to make the shape.

Sometimes you can cut vintage paper with your Silhouette and sometimes you can't - sometimes it's too fragile and it gets way stuck to the Silhouette mat. That's one reason it's good to keep an old mat that isn't so sticky for the vintage paper. So with that in mind, I made color copies on my little home printer of the math calculations paper onto white cardstock. Then I was able to cut the calculations paper into those gorgeous maple leaves designed by Lisa Dickinson for JBS Mercantile.

I love to scrap vintage because it always ends up looking so unique and different!

Supplies:
JBS Mercantile September 2012 Papercrafting Kit
JBS Perforated Tag Paper - Coming Soon!
JBS Mercantile Cut Files - Maple Leaves

Back to School: Math

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

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

"Two" by Lisa Dickinson

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

Back to School with Briana Johnson

When we moved into our house I had some kind of “nailing stuff to the wall” phobia. I decided I could use a little wall décor and knowing how much scrapbookers love letters, at least most of the ones I know do, I thought this might be a fun project to share. The paper mache letters came from Hobby Lobby. They’re regularly priced $2.47 a piece. I waited until they were half off and bought the entire alphabet and my daughter’s name.

I chose several patterns of Jenni’s papers from various releases. I used cream mist on two of the letters to make the colors a little more muted, the navy and white floral (Trendy Floral) and the green and white Victorian (Victoria – Sitting Room). I laid them out in an order I thought would look nice. I then took the letters, in order, and painted the sides of the letters the same colors as the background color of the coordinating patterned paper making sure to paint a little onto the front of the letter around the edges. After the letters dried I traced the letters onto the back of the paper. You might need a window or a light box to make sure you have your letter placed exactly where you want it like if using a large scale floral paper. Then cut them out. It takes about one bottle of Zip Dry glue to do this. I took the lid off the Zip Dry and holding the bottle next to the letter upside down, I ran a line of glue down the letter. I quickly used a foam brush (because you’ll have to throw it away when done) and spread out the glue then placed the paper on the letter and smoothed it down. Next, I took an Exacto knife and cleaned up the excess paper edges. I used a sanding block and a Basic Grey file set to distress the edges. I considered using a few solid black letters. If you don’t have enough patterned paper you might consider that.

The letters are lightweight and are hung on the wall using poster putty. From this angle you can see the sides of the letters are painted to match the papers.

I love the way it turned out. It’s so cool to me that Jenni’s papers from the newest release along with some from her oldest releases all still look so current and fabulous together.

So here’s the set I made for Ava’s room. I used a piece of vintage pillowcase edging trim, and after doing the above steps again, I glued the letters to the trim using bottle caps as spacers. I used Aleene’s Platinum Bond 7800 for that. I’m planning to do Zane’s teacher’s last name for teacher appreciation.

So many of these wonderful items from past releases can be found in the JBS Mercantile shop. The Mercantile exclusive paper can also be purchased there. Check it out! And thanks for joining me with my Love of Letters Jenni Bowlin Studio projects!

(And thanks to you Briana for some amazing alpha inspiration!)

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

Back to School With Betsy Sammarco

Want to add a little pizzazz to your students' notebooks?  Try these Notebook Dangles!

Notebook Dangles are a blast to make. You need to gather fun JBS supplies like Chipboard Buttons, Vintage style buttons, Label stickers, Chipboard Butterflies and Stickers, Rhinestone Bow Embellishments, Pearl and Rhinestone Charms, and anything else you can think of that would look cute dangling off a notebook.

To make your stickers "dangle-ready", mount them on a piece of chipboard and cut them out. 

You'll also need lobster clasps, jump rings, and wire - all of which can be found in the jewelry making section of any art store. Arrange your pieces and attach them together with the jump rings. The holes in the chipboard do not have to be big and were made simply with a paper piercer.

Here are the finished Notebook Dangles! I used the Schoolhouse Alphas to spell out my nieces' names, but you can use them for subject titles like math, english, etc.

Back to School with Briana Johnson

Today we have an amazingly creative and detailed two page back to school layout from Briana Johnson documenting her son's preparation for Kindergarten. Stay tuned! Later this week we'll be bringing you an equally amazing and creative alphabet project that Briana has created.

This is a page about a little refresher course we did on letters before Zane started kindergarten. I wanted to use the little boy rub on and somehow make letters floating around in his mind. I used my Silhouette for the letters cut then my scissors to cut the cut again : ), tracing the shape of his head with a pencil first. The gray ribbon is from the May kit, red striped ribbon is from Etsy. The smallest black buttons are vintage. I used some of Jenni’s small alphabet stickers on top of my buttons to make them look like brads. The large photo block is a Kerri Bradford template.

I made a pocket behind the photo block for the letters my son wrote that day.

I also misted black on black letters on the edges of my cardstock and then added black die cut letters as well for subtle texture – I thought the page was busy enough but wanted detail all the way to the edges.

Back to School with Ranjini Malhotra

Today we have a simply delightful teacher gift and accompanying card from Ranjini Malhotra.

When I first thought about doing a teacher gift, I decided that I wanted to do something pretty and elegant that Alekha's teacher could hang in her classroom. I bought this hanging file holder from Target and altered it very simply using JBS patterned paper (Red/Black Line Extension III) on the front face. Because the file holder is made of metal, you could also add coordinating magnets on the front. I added chartreuse trim, and a gold ribbon with red seam binding for accent. I created the vintage label with the teacher's name and the school's name in Photoshop. I love the finished look.

Once I used the vintage kids patterned paper for the metal file folder, I decided to do a coordinating card and used the photo card from the Haven Accessory Paper. I trimmed it down and added the humorous text "The teaching staff could barely contain their excitement at the thought of another school year," for some lighthearted humor for Alekha's very hard working teacher! I accented it with JBS tickets, JBS star chipboard, the JBS red bow and stamp.

Back to School with Keisha Campbell

Today's back to school feature is brought to you by Keisha Campbell. We just love Keisha's ability to make classic JBS product so fresh and inspiring.

Keisha writes, "OMG, Amira will be starting high school on Monday. The time just flew by...and it is a blur in my mind right now. We have been telling her that she needs to jazz up her style now that she is going to be a freshman. She shocked me by picking out some cute leopard ballet flats. And she actually likes the green blazer I showed her while school shopping-she won't even put it in her closet. She is excited about her new look, and that is nice!"

Supplies: Bingo Cards - School Days Set, Black Label Stickers, Classic Die Cut Label Paper - Receipt, Die Cut Block Alpha - Red Ledger, Die Cut Mini Paper Pad - Polka Dots, Plastic Ribbons - Classic

Back to School with Becky Novacek

Today we have just the sweetest back to school post to share from Becky Novacek . . .

Since I no longer have children at home, back to school is a little different experience for me. I usually hear bits and pieces of their experiences as they start back, but I'm not that involved- so doing a "back to school" page gave me an excuse to be more involved! I loved it actually. Harper and I spent the day together and if you look at the photos, you'll see that I must have worn her out, since she fell asleep on the way home! I intend to do another page about our lunch conversation. It was hilarious!

For this layout, I used scraps of some of my favorite JBS papers and embellishments. I trimmed the oval silhouette and the floral out and just layered up a few other pieces that were on my desk from a previous project. I like when pages come together simply.

I encourage you, no matter what your stage of life, to document simple days spent with the little ones in your life. And don't forget to hand the camera off, so that you are in the photos and not just behind the camera!

Back to School with Shimelle Laine

Today we have a charming retro page from Shimelle Laine featuring an exceedingly clever and whimsical use of the Be Our Guest "Home Sweet Home" patterned paper. (and after you peruse this page, if you would like to see more of Shimelle's scraptastic work with JBS head on over to her blog for another page complete with video tutorial and giveaway - giveaway ends 8/21 at midnight UK time!).

Shimelle writes, "I love living in a big city and the great London area has a population between 7 and 10 million, depending on where you draw the lines in suburbia. But there was no difficulty drawing the line in the small town where I grew up, and every morning the school bus passed the 'Welcome to...' sign with the population labelled as 2002 for many years... something I remember because we use to debate which two residents would be the 2 in 2002! So in such a small town, I went to a very small school. Everyone there knew everyone else, and although the town has since grown, everyone who lived there during my school years can tell you all about the teachers, the students and the four-page local newspaper. This photo is so very unattractive but it makes me laugh and remember the days in this particular class - 7th grade science. The girl to the right may kill me for scrapbooking this image as she's a scrapbooker too! But we sat at the same table for science and according to my wobbly script on the back of the photo, I was trying to convince my classmates not to use a flash on the camera, lest we get in trouble with Mr. Vopat. Also, I had just *part* of my hair permed. Serious dawn-of-the-nineties-mall-hair. I have to laugh otherwise I'll cry!"

And here is a little background information about her process, "I had been a bit stumped with the house print on this paper from the Be our Guest collection at first until I looked at it as a school house rather than just a country house. My elementary school wasn't much bigger than that! I hoped to scrapbook something about that, but neither my shoebox of old pictures nor the internet was very helpful with that! So this photo was the next best option and I love how you can see the look of a standard classroom from the simple background in the picture.

The blue ledger paper is one of my favourites from JBS ever - I use it all the time and it works so well as a background. I think I have made four layouts with this page as the background and they all look very different, so it's definitely versatile. To dress it up, I added a frame of malted milk paint and three layered embellishments, each with a a label, a punched circle and a star. I had tried to include the years of my middle school (5th to 8th grade) in the punched circles but the 5 ended up off the page. Close enough, I suppose! I love finding funny little ways for numbers or letters to have significance when selectively cut from a patterned paper."

Supplies:

Be Our Guest papers (blue ledger, house scene - it works as a school house, right?)

Haven labels (from the accent sheet)

Red/Black ruler paper

Mini chalkboard letter stickers

Large letter stickers in two colours (red/black and red/white)

Red star stickers

Blue adhesive pearls

JB for Ranger paint dabber (painted on with a brush) in malted milk

Back to School with Doris Sander

As a teacher myself, I know just how much little treats like this are appreciated. When my son came home from school last week so impressed that his teacher was eating beef jerky at recess, I knew we needed to send her some on Friday. It only took him a couple extra days of sleuthing to find out her drink of choice as well. Now enter mommy and the scrap stash . . .

I made this cute little treat folder out of a spare piece of chipboard and a few other bits from my stash. I'm still shocked by how quickly I made it! The chipboard was already sized to 8.5 x 11, so I trimmed two pieces of patterned paper to that size as well and then lightly scored all three with my paper trimmer so they would fold nicely into a card. I adhered Class Photo to the outside and Nap Time to the inside with a glue stick.

To decorate the front, I covered a large chipboard star with the polka dots from Home Sweet Home. I then misted it with a mixture of Lemon Drops and Chicken Feed Re-inkers. The small chipboard bird is covered with the reverse side of Home Sweet Home plus the clocks from Sewing Room and the ledger side of Game Night. A red pearl button makes a cute birdie eye.

Inside I glue dotted the pack of beef jerky. I punched holes and added hole reinforcers to string my seam binding tape through. A couple red label stickers complete the gift. I then dressed the Diet Coke up with a Red Award Ribbon.

My son is so looking forward to delivering this tomorrow. I think it will brighten his day AND his teacher's day tomorrow. What a great use of my scrappy stash!

:) Doris

Back to School with Dina Wakley

Today's back to school thought is brought to us by Dina Wakley who writes, "Back to School for me means....a quiet house! When all three of my boys are home, it's fun but LOUD. There's always something going on...laughing, computer games, guitar-playing, IPODs blaring. It's great...but I will say I do really enjoy a quiet house when they leave for school. I recharge and work and get ready for the craziness to begin when they get home."