Spring Flowers Quote

Spring Fever . . .

How about you? Does spring fever have you in its clutches?

Merry and Bright!

Merry, Jolly, Noel, Peace, Joy, Give . . . What words will you capture this Christmas?

Tray by Jenni Bowlin. Christmas Mini Bingo Cards available HERE.

Tags by Lisa Dickinson. The downloadable backings for these tags can be found HERE.

Mini by Doris Sander. There is a tutorial for this mini-album HERE.

Designer Autograph with Jill Sprott

Welcome to our first monthly installment of "Designer Autographs" where we'll get to know our team members a little better. This month's autograph is by designer Jill Sprott. We'd love to get to know you a little better too if you want to play along. Answer the questions on your own blog and post a link here or answer them on our message board. Wouldn't these prompts make the foundation of a lovely layout or mini-album all about YOU?

a piece of wisdom that guides me
“Include yourself,” my mother would often advise me when I was a child, crippled by shyness. The fear of rejection can be terrifying, but she taught me to step forward rather than to retreat. While I am still shy at heart, these words resound in my head each time I face a situation that challenges me to put myself out there, whether that involves taking a creative risk or simply saying “hello” to a stranger.

a quote that speaks volumes to me
“There is no great genius without a mixture of madness.” -- Aristotle

I discovered these words when I was a teenager, and loved them so much that I painted them across my bedroom wall. (In retrospect, my parents were pretty lenient, weren’t they?)

a flower that blooms in my memory
I can still picture the perfect pink peonies in the church on my wedding day.

a poem that resonates within me
Because thou hast the power and own'st the grace
To look through and behind this mask of me
(Against which years have beat thus blanchingly
With their rains), and behold my soul's true face,
The dim and weary witness of life's race,--
Because thou hast the faith and love to see,
Through that same soul's distracting lethargy,
The patient angel waiting for a place
In the new Heavens,--because nor sin nor woe,
Nor God's infliction, nor death's neighbourhood,
Nor all which others viewing, turn to go,
Nor all which makes me tired of all, self-viewed,--
Nothing repels thee, . . . dearest, teach me so
To pour out gratitude, as thou dost good!

Day after day, I recited Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s sonnet XXXIX in attempt to memorize it for a British literature course. I sought the help of a longtime friend and practiced on his willing and patient ear. He must have listened to this poem at least a hundred times. Today, I continue to associate it with him -- with Rob, who later became my husband. Browning actually wrote it for her own husband, interestingly enough. Each time this poem comes to mind, it means so much more than it did years ago, as I share a life with one who sees “my soul’s true face.”

a meal that infuses the flavors of home for me
Home is the smell of a roasting chicken. Pass the gravy, please.

a virtue that challenges me
If cleanliness really is next to godliness, then I am doomed. Although I have my own sense of organization, no one else seems to be able to sense it.

a temptation that calls to me
I tend to oversleep, and the temptation to do so even after the alarm clock has gone off greatly increases at this time of year, when the mornings are chilly, the dog is curled up alongside me contentedly, and the bed is so warm and toasty compared to the world outside of the covers. Every morning, I push my luck a little further. One more minute. Maybe another. I’ll just close my eyes again for a moment...

a person who anchors me
My husband is the one person who questions me when all I want is an answer, who makes me laugh when I am being too serious, who knows my mind when I am being indecisive, and who remembers me when I forget myself.

an object that matters to me
If could reduce all of the objects in my possession to one that matters the most, it would be my wedding ring -- a simple gold band that represents a great love.

a passion that drives me
This passion is actually threefold: words + pictures + paper. In other words, it’s all about finding the words to say it, a way to show it, and a place to document it.

signed,

Wednesday (a bit late) . . .

Oh! I'm so sorry! This was obviously supposed to be posted yesterday! Ooops! I got so enamoured with my day off from work that I took the day off from everything. That is so nice sometimes though, isn't it? We at JBS hope you all are having a lovely, relaxing, delicious, and blessed Thanksgiving with friends and family. We certainly count you among our blessings.

This Wednesday (or Thursday as the case may be) we bring you a new monthly feature "Wednesday Words." It's simple really; just a little list of words to help you think about and photograph the season with a little more intent. Here are this month's words:

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family, golden, savor, home, comfort, blessing, friends, relax, serve, fall, bake, pie, feast, thank

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Just snap a few pictures today that represent these words to you. We'll be back Sunday with a related new (and super easy) challenge/contest/(with prizes)!

The last six words in the list above match our new Thanksgiving Mini Bingo Cards. I'm still holding onto my October Project Kit in hopes of finding the time to make a little mini-album. Wouldn't that be a sweet way to count my blessings?

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P.S. Check back these evening after your turkey nap for a little sneak peek of December's Kit!

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P.S.S. Thanks Lisa for letting me "lift" your pecans. Wish I had a few to nibble on!

Gratitude is an art of painting an adversity into a lovely picture. ~Kak Sri

Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don't unravel. ~Author Unknown

"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"

"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.

"I don’t much care where--" said Alice.

"Then it doesn’t matter which way you go," said the Cat.

"--so long as I get SOMEWHERE," Alice added as an explanation.

"Oh, you’re sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."

-Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Our motto is "building blocks for creative storytelling." Here at JBS we are committed to providing you with inspiration to help you tell your stories more effectively and more beautifully. In art, the creative journey is just as important as the destination. Wednesdays will be about finding the words that make our photos speak.