Taking it Off the Page - Vintage Style!

Have you been keeping up with the Vintage Blog Series on Amanda Jones' blog?

I've been LOVING it!  And Amanda is having a giveaway if you leave a comment on the posts, so head on over!

I was so happy to be a part of it and my contribution "aired" yesterday!  I described my love of printers' blocks and using them to hold my little photo displays.

Here's the latest little photo display I made.  These blocks were found in an old bookstore:

My husband cleaned them gently for me on a wire wheel.  I went with the ACT! theme and paired it with a "dramatic" photo of dear niece:

Isn't she CUTE?!

Supplies:

Jenni Bowlin Studio Magpie Mini Pattern Sheet

Jenni Bowlin Studio Chalkboard Alphas

Jenni Bowlin Studio Rhinestone and Pearl Charm

Jenni Bowlin Studio Chipboard Star

JBS / Fiskars Main Street Border Punch

InspireLovely Twine

Heidi Swapp bling

misc glitter

I give a lot more examples on Amanda's blog, too!  And the inspiration from everyone else has been wonderful!

Thanks for stopping by!

Nature Walk ... I Just Can't Keep Up!

can't keep up with nature that is!

I had an odd goal this year ... I wanted to document every single plant that sprung up in the secret garden near my house.  I wanted to take a great photo and put it in an album with its scientific name.  MOM! AUDREY!  I think you'll have to help me for that part!

Yep - that's what excites this girl.  I'm a geek.

But the unusually warm weather here in the east has got things coming up one right after the other.

I'm not even sure I'm catching everything in time!  And I'm not even thinking of photographing the flowering shrubs the secret garden is famous for.

so who knows what will happen with this little project ... but Shiner and I are certainly getting a lot of fresh air this spring ...

just some photos so far ... names subject to change as soon as Mom or Audrey (my personal master gardeners) correct me:

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)

Helleborus

Caltha palustris L.
yellow marsh marigold

Easter Goodness on My Desk

Isn't spring wonderful?!

Everyone's taking advantage of the nice weather ...

... enjoying the sunshine on their backs ...

... there's anticipation of great things to come ...

... and bright beautiful stuff is on my desk ...

Those sweet vintage goodies?  They're from the Easter Crafting Kit on JBS Mercantile.  

The Bingo Cards?  Those are a new release today from the Jenni Bowlin Studio Digital Shoppe at JessicaSprague.com .  I can print them at any size I want ... on anything I want ... cannot WAIT to play!

How's spring in your neck of the woods?

Lucky! Vintage Hybrid Banner

See what my computer made today!  A fresh vintage banner to celebrate being lucky !

I used this Jenni Bowlin digi kit:

... and changed the colors of the letters to match my room and ... 

... made a tissue zinnia, added vintage trim and paper flowers ...

... and clipped on a sweet photo.

How do you change the colors of the alphas in the kit?  It's easy in PSE:

1.  Open up your letters in PSE

2.  Click Enhance > Adjust Color > Adjust Hue/Saturation

3. A new box opens up. 

>Click on Colorize.

4. You'll now be able to play with the Hue, Saturation, and Lightness to change the color of the letter.

The values I used for my banner were:

hue: 89

saturation: 30

lightness: +28

I printed my alphas on a commercially available cotton sheet made for ink jet printing.  It gives the project such a wonderfully light and airy feel.

Have a wonderfully creative (and lucky) day!

Spring Training at Our House ...

... means ds#1 training for a Tough Mudder ... yes, I'm proud, excited, but anxious too.  I mean really ... electric wires?  fire?

... dh rehabbing his knee after an injury ... yes, there is an injured husband in the house ... sympathy people!

... me on a regular walking schedule with the pup ... and feeling GOOD!

... the pup doing tricks for snacks ... yes, the walking is for her too ...

... and ds#2 in spring training ... well ... for real ...

... he's having a blast ... and it's killing me not to be there in Florida with him ... next year!

The unusually warm weather we're having has me thinking about flea markets and tag sales and this blog series will kick it off perfectly.  I'm so happy to be a part of it as I'll be showing a favorite vintage item of mine and how I use it in my memory keeping!  Have some vintage fun with us!

Can I Blame it on Daylight Saving Time?

... ah no.  I can't.  I missed the gallery updates at the Mercantile by a smidgen.  But since DST didn't really happen until 2am, I can't really use it as an excuse!

This project didn't make it in time.  And yes, it's another "lpd" (little photo display) or "set-about" as I heard Doris call them the other day.

Much of the supplies are from the amazing Antiquarian kit - I heard there are only TWO left ... take a look at all that's in it - you'll love it!  The buttons and banner are from the Papercrafting Kit which DID sell out, but more have been made available!

This is very easy to put together.  A simple paper clip is used to hold the display in the vintage spool.  The banner flag is glued into the spool, so I can make more little photo displays and interchange them on the clip. The cute banner "Remember these moments" flies forever in the spool!

Thanks for visiting!

And We Have a Winner!

 Amy Bender said...

Oh, Betsy! You should know by now that I lack in the digi-scrap field. Something about that paper!! Want to convert me?? :)

Amy!  You can thank ds#1 who hardly moved an inch as he kept his eyes on a movie and shoved his hand into a bowl and pulled out your name !

Email me your mailing address!

Pretty Pretty Pixels

This digi kit ...

... has me aching for spring ... the crack of a baseball bat ... birds in the trees ... and the little purple flowers that spring up in my lawn ...

... and this digi kit was perfect - JUST PERFECT - for two 12-year old photos I've had ... so I did some hybrid scrapping ...  because this kit was PERFECT I tell you!

... but I can't show the whole thing as I need to save it for something special ...

 And the giveaway!  I have doubles of these 2 JBS clear stamps and I'd love to share!  

Leave a comment (leave your email if there is not an email link on your own blog)  and tell me if you've ever used computer generated embellishments on your layouts!

I'll pick a random name Friday 9pm eastern!

Have a creative day!

A Mini Album in One Cute Little Box

I was so very lucky to design the March Mercantile Mini Album Kit!

... a special banner base, colorful and fun papers, chipboard buttons, shiny pearls, pockets to store thing, and even journaling cards to download ...

... it's happy ... it's fun ... it's versatile ...

... and it's all tucked away in the sweetest little Jenni Bowlin Studio Storage Box ...

... the cover is a fun banner ...

... and I love using pockets for photos and surprises ...

Here's all you'll get in this kit:

3 My Mind’s Eye Pattern Papers

My Mind’s Eye Dilly Dally Best Die Cut Banner (#1 Best of the Best)

Queen and Company Pearls: Natural Pearl

Maya Road Vintage Lace Mums, Apple (1)

May Arts faux linen ribbon (1 yard )

Binder rings (2) – finish may vary

JBS Mini Cigar Box

JBS chipboard die cut book set, small (2 pieces)

JBS chipboard flag banner, large (2 pieces)

JBS Printed Pockets – Vintage

JBS Printed Tags – Vintage (partial – 1 tag each size)

JBS plain chipboard pieces - buttons (12 buttons total)

Instructions and Color copies included.

***Downloadable printable also included! 

Beautiful stuff from great manufacturers!

The great thing about kits is that you are not limited to create as the directions say.  The sky's the limit.  Take a look at what Ranjini did with the same kit:

Wonderful!

Have a creative day!

My Favorite Scrapbooking Tool

There's one tool that I use in almost every one of my crafting projects.  I'm not talking about the obvious tools like paper cutters or scissors.  It's my computer.  The love I have for my computer is no secret.  I've talked about naming her (MacKenzie!), kissing her when she does good, and even giving the gentle hug now and then.

And I realize looks aren't everything, but she's so pretty, don't you think?

Sure, I use her for titles and journaling, but I use her for so much more.  For example, this weekend I needed to repaint our mailbox after the "mailbox hoodlums" wrecked havoc through the neighborhood, banging up all the boxes in their path.

I used MacKenzie to print off our house numbers in one of my favorite fonts: ATModernTwenty.  I cut the numbers out and traced them on my mailbox and painted away.

Btw - AT Modern Twenty is probably the only paid font I own.  It's just so versatile and fit exactly what I needed that I had to purchase it!

And I've had so much fun creating hybrid projects with Jenni Bowlin Studio's new digi kits:

Supplies: JBS Mercantile Papercrafting Kit February and JBS Digital Kit Vintage Red

If you're ever interested in trying out hybrid scrapbooking or using your computer in new way for your crafting projects, you can check out my latest hybrid projects in the tab above: "Pretty Pixels" .  I hope it inspires some ideas!

And feel free to email me also - if you ever have a question or comment.  I just love talking to others about this wonderful hobby ...  and our lovely computers!