Jenn's Scrappin' and Stampin' Corner

Back from the BEACH

We all took a couple days off to go to LBI, my favorite place in the world.  How strange is that?  If you asked me one place I would like to be every weekend...even in the winter, I would say LBI.  I dream of someday, owning a little home at the beach with Steve, after retirement, and sitting on the beach, reading my endless books, scrapbooking on winter days in a  my little corner of the world. 
We all have DREAMS...I hope you do too.

Tomorrow, I have my "Punch a Bunch" class and I will be posting the samples tomorrow.  I spent the last 2 hours (and a couple hours at the beach), creating the cards...of course, i couldn't go to the beach without my bag of supplies.

For tonight, I will share another layout.  I will share more tomorrow.  This layout is of the "ever famous" front hill.  We live on a piece of property that our house is built into the "mountain".  Our backyard is pretty flat because we made it that way, but our front yard is useless...although pretty.  One time I heard a little kid, who was trick  or treating, say to his mom..."you can see the whole world from up here".  Maybe we can't see the whole world from our little mountain, but our front yard is the most popular place in the neighborhood for sleigh riding and "ROLLING DOWN THE HILL". 

 

FOCUS!

This past weekend, I decided that I wanted to create a page that was designed for the "looker's" eyes to go directly to the photos, not the whole page or the embellishments.  I wanted to page to be simple and beautiful at the same time.  What is wonderful about being with artistic friends at a crop, is the ability to pose problems and see if anyone can offer advice.  I was stuck.  I needed a one word title.  So I held up my photos and asked all my friends around me to come up with one word to describe the pictures.  I got a lot of good suggestions, but one in particular was perfect....thanks Heidi.  This page is designed to focus on the pictures and the pictures were taken to focus on "depth of field" which in other words..."focus".  Perfection!

 

A JP Scrapbook page!

 
Hi everyone,

Another page is on its way.  Over the weekend, Jen P. had a class with a 2 page layout.  I didn't attend the class because I was working the desk, but I did have her cut me the pieces.  I took the layout and added some of my own touch to the pages.  I went back into my stash of old pictures and couldn't find spring pictures to fit the page, but I found Easter Egg Dyeing pictures.  Above is the original...and now for my take;

 

 

Just the beginning!

Here is one of the first layouts I did at the weekend.  I believe it is my favorite.  I went back in time to Abby and Julia's first finger painting session.  Like i mentioned before, in one of my previous posts, I like to use different mediums to accent my pages.  This time, I wanted it to represent an artistic side, so I chose to versamark the outline of chipboard letters (using the leftover pieces that the letters came out of) and then I dabbed some pastels (chalks) onto the versamark, allowing the pastels to dry the versamark and keeping the pastels on the letter instead of smearing it across the page every time someone touched it.  I fell in love with not only the page, but the pictures, the "caution" sign, found in the Happy Hauntings Cricut Cartridge.  Hope you like it!

 

What a great weekend!!!

Back from the Dolce.  I believe I got more done this weekend than I have in the last 3 weekends.  It was a relaxing weekend, full of good times with friends, good food, beautiful amenities...and Heidi is back!  I came home refreshed, renewed, and ready to go...more classes, more scrapbooking (looking forward to our day crop on June 11th at the Panther Valley Ecumenical Church hall...contact me for more details....www.stampinjenn@yahoo.com ) and feel more patient with my kids.  Check back a little later after I download some of the pics from the weekend.  I have some laundry to catch up and a house to clean....but there will be some things up, hopefully by this afternoon.  Thanks to all of you, my friends, who came and shared the weekend with me.

ps...I got 30 pages done and I LOVE all of them!

You make my life shine!

"Simplify"...my children make my life shine.  Life is crazy as it is...I chose to simply make this page about them.  Not about the embellishments, not about "how much I can fit on the page", or not how I can make this page perfect.  I just let it "shine" on its own.

 

Communion Favors

Kaileigh will be making her first communion this weekend.  I wanted to make things a little extra special because we will be going out with just immediate family, for dinner, afterwards.  So thanks to my friend Joanie and her BIG SHOT PRO...it cuts 12x12 size, I was able to make these adorable favors.  I used SU's bridal paper, used the Big Shot Pro dress die, cut out the pattern and created these dress "box" favors (in the middle of the dress is a box full of homemade chocolates.  I used SU 's self-adhesive pearls for the neckline and tied a bow around the waist with SU organza ribbon.  Then I took the little white flowers from SU's pretties kit (replaced the center of the flower with a pearl) and this is what it came out like...

I hope she likes them.  I will be showing her today when she gets home from school.  Can't wait. 

Weekend is a comin'!!

As our big crop weekend at the Dolce is approaching, I find myself crazed.  Not is a bad way...but getting everything ready.  Not just for myself, but my customers.  I am in charge of the "creative" aspect of the weekend...contests games, gifts...etc.  But, my main focus is "scrapbooking".  I am in scrapbooking mode.  I ordered A LOT of pictures and can't wait to figure out which ones I would love to start with at the weekend.  I always go there with HIGH HOPES...thinking I will get 40 pages done and I come home with half.  Reach of the stars, that is my motto...aim high.  Here is one inspired page...my little princesses!

 

Don't be afraid...

 
A wonderful friend of mine, Heidi, gave me a book that inspried me.  It talks about other forms of artistry...and using different mediums in your artistic works.  I am a scrapbooker and card maker...not a painter or a sculpter.  But I love to use the various mediums in my scrapbooks and cards.  Sometimes I spend a VERY long time on one layout and sometimes I have people telling me that I should just get the pictures on the page and simplify.  In come cases, I have simplified.  But when I want to go all out, I will.  In this layout, I needed to express myself through my children's artwork.  I used pastels and s,eared them around the black paper, I wore patterened paper, only small strips, because I did not want to take anything away from the photos.  Don't be afraid to get messy, don't be afraid to think outside the box, don't be afraid to be an artist and not just some one slapping down the pictues on the page.  Enjoy using your artistic side.  I may never get caught up, but at least I will be proud of the pages I finished.