back to school - literature

I've loved reading through the excellent lessons {and play time!} that have been a part of this series of blog posts here for the back to school theme! Have you?

I'll go ahead and admit this right up front - I never had a problem with not liking school. Academics or playtime. Music or art. I loved them all. But, if I had to choose a favorite, it would have to be literature. It's a love that I've carried with me into adulthood, and I'm attempting to pass on to our boys.

I had so many ideas for inspiration on the subject, but I settled on using the concept of "character" as my starting point. As our boys grow, it's something that I think about a lot.  How to pass on character. Here I've got a photo of them working on homework their first week back to school. You can see that I've made a few notes to them in the small journal spots I've included below.


I'd love to see your literature inspired layouts!

~ Leah

Back to School: Recess

We have been learning a lot so far this month and I think it is time for a little playtime, a little rest, a little bit of space to run and jump and be free. A little bit of recess.

Sadly, recess seems like a lost art at so many schools. There is so much time devoted to academics that kids and teachers do not get a chance to breathe in a little fresh air and stretch their legs. I am so thankful that my girls still get this 30 minutes of free time each day, but I know plenty of kids who live nearby that do not. Sad. I remember as a kid in school having a HUGE field and playground with swings and slides and teeter totters. Do you remember those?? My girls do not even know what a teeter totter is! LOL.

I really believe in free time to play and be a kid, whether you are a kid or not doesn't matter. Acting like one every now and then really helps us stay young, don't you think?



My girl got my love of play time. We see a playground and it becomes a NEED to visit it!



She runs.



She flies.



She plays. And life is good.

Class is in session all this month on the Jenni Bowlin Studio Inspiration Blog, as we head back to school! We are focusing on all things school this month so check back often!

Back To School: American History

What was your favorite school subject? Has your favorite subject changed since then? When I was very little, even before I knew what history really was, I loved old stories and I was drawn to different time eras. I remember looking through my great grandma's photos and asking her questions about who the people were, digging through her cabinets (she would get so mad and tell me to stop prowling!) and looking at her old Christmas cards somehow knowing they were different and more special than what we have today, hanging a star on her door and pretending we were on the set of an old black and white movie while sitting at her antique dresser and smelling her perfume, and wishing I could go back in time to be a trombone player during The Roaring 20's in New Orleans. I've always loved history.

Over the past couple of years I've been more drawn to history than ever. I've read so many books about the Civil War, fiction and non fiction and more recently the War of 1812. My new interest in the War of 1812 began when we visited Boston, a city I chose for the historical sites, for vacation this year and toured the U.S.S. Constitution. The sentence fragment :) in the middle of my layout says, "To place myself where so many of the stories had taken place in my books, like going back in time." Did you know that during the War of 1812 the invading British marched to our nation's capitol and burned the White House? History is fascinating. The War of 1812 consisted of many naval battles and the U.S.S. Constitution, launched in 1797,  fought gloriously for her country defeating the enemy in all three of her battles during the 1812 -1814 war and victorious in 33 engagements between 1798 and 1854.

A few notes about the layout: I typed the text in a 12 x 12 Photoshop Elements file. I typed the three different sections in three different layers so I could rotate them around the page as needed. I printed the 12 x 12 paper on my large format printer. Next I designed the top part of my cut title using the Silhouette software, making sure to keep the words inside the boundaries of my text in Photoshop (gotta have your grid on in both programs). Then I took the kraft paper with printed text and ran that through the Silhouette to create the negative title area at the top. The banners and scrolls were also cut with Silhouette. I used a total symmetrical design as you can see, a design principle I've been loving lately!

Do you have a favorite time era? Have you scrapped about it? Have you scrapped about the history of the places you've traveled? Have you scrapped about the important historical events that have occurred in your country?

Supplies:
Red/Black Extension IV - Accessory Sheet
Red/Black Extension IV - Multiplication
Wren Paper - Blueprint
Wren Paper - Wheatgrass
Red letter stickers, red and black star stickers, and red/cream seal stickers coming soon!

Digi Monday: Our Biggest and Spookiest Kit Yet!

Today's new release is brimming with gorgeous Vintage Halloween images.

This is our biggest kit release to date and is the first time Jenni's chipboard buttons have appeared digital!

Amy Kingsford created this beautiful layout with the kit:

Supplies: Vintage Halloween Kit by Jenni Bowlin Studios, Worn Collab by Sahlin Studio and One Little Bird Designs, Hello Summer by The Ardent Sparrow, Textured Overlays No. 6 by Anna Aspnes and Vintage Angles 5 Template by Amy Martin 

and Laurel Seabrook went hybrid with this wonderful card:

Stop by our  Digi Shoppe and you'll find this great kit available today at 25% off!

The Autumn Gazette is Here!

Happy Saturday! If you're looking for a little scrap inspiration this weekend, you can download the free JBS Gazette today! It's full of ideas, challenges, tips and techniques and is sure to get your creativity flowing.  Just click here to download your printable pdf copy today!

Breaking News! Kerry Lynn Yeary Returns to JBS!

We're so excited to announce that Kerry Lynn Yeary is returning to Jenni Bowlin Studio!  She worked her magic with one of her past JBS Mercantile kits and some Jenni Bowlin Studio product this week, but she should have her October Kits and JBS New Release in hand soon.  We are so looking forward to your magic reappearing in the Design Team Gallery and on the Inspiration Blog.  Welcome bakc KL!

"hi everyone. i'm so excited to be back on the design team at jbs after taking a year off from design team work. i have missed working with jenni & the entire jbs team, they are the most supportive company, and i'm really happy to be back and can't wait to start cutting paper & getting that beautiful box of jbs goodness again."

x0x,

kL



We are still accepting applications for our first ever JBS Ambassadors Design Team Call!  Call ends on September 16th at midnight CST with winners announced on September 26th.

Back to School : Science

Today, we are having a science lesson.  Science is everywhere around us: in the sky, land, and water.  It's how we cook, and how we eat.  It's the critters around us and the habitats they live in. You can't escape science!  

One of my biggest joys of being a mother was exploring science with my children.  This became a huge part of our lives.  If this is a part of your life too, why not document these explorations and discoveries in your scrapbooks?

My niece taught me an adorable science fact while on vacation this year.  She had learned on a school field trip, that if you hum to a snail, it will come out of its shell.  So there she was, on the edge of the ocean, collecting snails, and humming to them.

I captured this moment in photographs and on this digital page.

Supplies:
Jenni Bowlin Studio Digital Paper: Soda Water Paper, Baby Of Mine, Beach Party (free collaborative kit)
Jenni Bowlin Studio Digital: Mercantile Labels, Rhinestone Buttons and Bows
Pugly Pixel Ribbon
Amanda Thorderson flowers
fonts: American Typewriter, WC Rhesus, Mom's Typewriter

So ... is it true?  If you hum to a snail, will it come out of its shell?  Dear niece shows you in this video:



I'll have another science post this month with a way to save those empty snail shells you find!  Come back to the blog this entire month as we bring more "Back to School" posts.