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.

JBS Mercantile September Peek!

Sorry for the late peeks this month, but we were waiting for all the brand spanking new CHA product to arrive. This is going to be a fun one! Can you spot this month's exclusive stamp and mask in use on this layout by Doris Sander? August sold out quickly; you can reserve your membership HERE so you don't miss out on September. :)

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 Jill Sprott

As a teacher, I am a firm believer that even though there is a time of year designated for going "back to school," the process of learning never ends.  For me, going back to school isn't about starting the process of learning again; instead, it is about continuing that process, an effort that is fueled by lots of energy and enthusiasm, and facilitated by LOTS of lists.

This layout shares a glimpse at my second week "back to school" as well as a few of the lists that document my days.

As layered and loaded as this page is, this is the simplified version of my week! I organized the journaling day by day, by misting over alphabets and journaling alongside each block, summarizing the events of each day.

There are actually quite a few accents and papers in the JBS collections that work wonderfully with school-themed layouts. For instance, the border that I created using Flag Banner Number stickers represents the seven periods of the day, and the alphabet journaling card and Haven "Dictionary" patterned paper are among this English teacher's favorite supplies.

I pieced together the title by misting over, cutting out, and sewing letters from a sheet of Haven "Peeling Paper" patterned paper, placing them over a ledger-printed label sticker.

This layout idea could easily work with a student in mind, or could be interpreted to document your own daily routines and preoccupations.  Learning, after all, isn't limited to students or schools; it never stops!

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!