2Peas Gardeners' Digest: May (Garden Girl Blog Hop)

Welcome to the 2Peas Garden Girl's Gardeners' Digest, a monthly blog hop hosted by the www.twopeasinabucket.com Garden Girls! Below you will find a sneak peek of one of my upcoming projects from the 2Peas Project Gallery, a list of items that I've placed in my shopping cart, and a project from another designer that inspired me, as well as, a little giveaway from me to YOU!

Above is a tiny sneak peek at an upcoming project that will soon be in the Garden. To see more of my work, be sure to check out my gallery HERE!

I had to share this project that recently caught my eye in the gallery by magnette. I'm loving the bright pink with the navy accents. You can see additional projects that inspire me here! Just scroll down below my projects to the "liked projects" section.

InLinkz.com

I thought you might be interested in some products that have made their way into my shopping cart. This month, I've had my eye on the above FIVE new product collections, which I am planning on adding to my cart this month. I can hardly wait to give them a try! Here are some additional NEW products at 2Peas.

Need some additional inspiration? Be sure to jog on over to Marcy Penner's blog next as the next stop in the blog hop. I shared one project of Marcy's that I'm totally loving right now. Marcy is a true artist, and everything she makes it a work of art.

I'm so excited to be giving away a workshop pass to my "Tool School" workshop. Simply leave your name AND your email address (in code if your prefer) if you would like to be entered into the drawing for this prize. I'll select one winner on May 29th and announce it here on the blog. All comments must be left by Monday, May 28th midnight MDT in order to qualify.

Blog Hop List:
Two Peas in a Bucket Blog
Shimelle Laine
Melissa Stinson
Paige Evans
Jennifer Kinkade
Lilith Eeckels
Lexi Bridges
Michelle 
Celine Navarro
Jen Gallacher - you are here!
Marcy Penner
Jill Sprott
Janna Werner
Lisa Dickinson
Shannon Tidwell
Nancy Damiano
Celine Navarro
Wilna Furstenburg

These gals couldn't join us this time, but be sure to check them out:
Amy Tan

Corrie Jones



Julie Campbell

Laura Craigie

"Just Ask Jen" Process Video for SCT Magazine Featuring Basic Grey Hipster

Recently I announced that I would be filming two videos a month for Scrapbook and Cards Magazine. One of those series is called "Just Ask Jen" and today my first video went live. In this series I'll be answering questions you might have about photography, layout design, embellishments, or the latest tips and tricks for your layouts.

Project Sponsor: Basic Grey "Hipster"

Here is the project I created for this video:
 

This month's tips and tricks: Misting Wood Veneer Shapes and Hidden Journaling Folders

In this project I used Heidi Swapp's "Gold Lame" mist to alter the color the wooden title. Then I used the "Hipster" file folders to add hidden journaling for this layout:

You can watch the video HERE on the SCTMagazine Youtube channel or below:



Be sure to subscribe to the SCTMagazine channel HERE so you don't miss out on any of the project and process tutorial videos. Look for a new video from me in a couple of weeks. If you have questions that you want answered in this series, be sure to email the magazine at ideas@scrapbookandcards.com. I'd love to answer whatever conundrums you might be facing.

Product Focus #19: Chalkboard Scrapbooking Supplies

Welcome to this week's Product Focus." In these weekly blog posts, I'll share scrapbooking supplies or a product type I'm particularly drawn to, and then I'll share some ways you can use the products in a project with samples from both my designer friends and I. I'll discuss tips and tricks for using the product, share some of my favorite products from that product line, and then I'll open it up for any questions you might have. I'd also love to hear your reviews or uses for the product type I focus on each week. This is a chance for you to pull out products you already own and play with them or for you to discover new products you might not yet have tried.

Chalkboards are super hot right now, and I love that they have started appearing on the scrapbooking scene. There are lots of ways to incorporate chalkboard elements from chalkboard patterned paper, to chalkboard stickers, to chalkboard embellishments. This week I've asked some of my favorite designers to share their work that incorporate chalkboard products. You can see their work below in the image gallery section of this post.

Here are a few of my favorite chalkboard products (click the photos for links to the products or visit this blog post HERE to view the list). Be sure to search by "chalkboard" at 2Peas to find products perfect for any project:

InLinkz.com

Below you will find a gallery of projects from my designer friends and I that use chalkboard supplies. Hopefully these will give you some new ideas for using a chalkboard item or two on your upcoming projects. 

Idea #1: Use chalkboard paper as a background for your layout.

(Source: Janna Werner)

Idea #2: Create your own chalkboard paper.

(Source: Watch Wilna's tutorial video HERE!)

Idea #3: Use white chalk ink and embossing powder on chalkboard paper.

(Source: Scrapbook & Cards Guest Blog Post)

Idea #4: Incorporate Journaling Cards.

(Source: Lilith Eeckels)

How do you incorporate chalkboard items on your layouts? Do you create your own? Do you use stamping ink or a chalk marker? Do you use black cardstock to mimic the look of a chalkboard? If you have a question about this post, please leave it within the comments section below. I may just answer some of them in an upcoming "Product Focus" post.  Looking for additional ways to use your favorite scrapbooking supplies? Be sure to check out posts like this one HERE.

What I've Been Up To These Days

This morning my husband will hopefully cross the finish line in good shape for his eighth marathon. Who runs a marathon for fun? He is a dedicated runner who trains for months and months on end to prepare for the race. He even ran at 2:30 a.m. in the morning in Oahu as part of his training; although, that came to an abrupt halt when he realized just how dark and unsafe it might be on the streets of Hawaii in the middle of the night. He's hoping to get a PR (Personal Record) for this race. I'm hoping all goes well for him. He's worked so hard, and I'm so proud of him!

I've been up to a few things myself these days. One is that I cleaned my craft space after months of working on my 2Peas "Tool School" workshop and a variety of other deadlines for Carta Bella Paper, Echo Park Paper, and my weekly videos. I need a personal assistant or at least a maid to help me recover from those kinds of projects. But now that it's clean, I am preparing a sneak peek into my space that I will share soon (it's kind of a big deal when my space is this clean, so I figured I'd better share it).

I've also been chatting it up with the ever fabulous, Lain Ehmann from "A Layout a Day" about my "Tool School" workshop. Be sure to listen to the Podcast HERE for the details of this class, as well as, other items Lain and I discuss.

I've also been doing some guest blogging for the "Scrapbook and Cards Magazine" blog. You can find my first blog post about creating gifts for the teacher which feature chalkboards HERE. (You can see one of the projects I created above). In the second blog post, I share how I use 3x4" and 4x6" journaling cards to create a mini album. Be sure to visit the post HERE for all the details. You can also win a spot in my "Tool School" workshop there as well. Below is a peek at the album, but the actual post contains peeks at the inside of my album as well:

One other bit of news is that I'm super excited to start filming for "Scrapbook and Cards Magazine." I'll be sharing two videos a month with you. One is called "Just Ask Jen," which will give you the opportunity to ask me a question about design approaches, embellishments, techniques, photography, and more. If you have a question for me, be sure to email the magazine at ideas@scrapbookandcards.com. I can't wait to answer your questions.

The second video series will simply feature a fun project I'd like to share. You can look for the very first one next week! I'll be sure to share a link to each of them via my social media. You can also subscribe to the SCT Youtube channel HERE so as to not miss out on any of them.

As far as what else I'm up to, I'm busy filming away some new videos for Echo Park, 2Peas, and my latest "Memories Made" installment. I'm working with lots of new products that I purchased in my last "Out of the Box" scrapbooking haul video, which you can watch HERE. I'm also working with a new camera in an effort to get better video results. Wish me luck! It's been a busy couple of months, but when I'm doing what I love, I always feel blessed.

Beautiful People, Beautiful Things: Behind the Brand with Jennifer Henson

Welcome to my first ever "Beautiful People, Beautiful Things" blog post! I am constantly amazed at the talent people have in the crafting and art industries. I wanted to share some of these beautiful people's beautiful work with my readers. In these posts, I'll interview a special designer/artist. He or she will share their work, their shop, and more so you can get to know them a little bit better.

Please welcome Jennifer Henson to the blog today. Jenn is a mixed media artist with a scrapbooking and card making background. Known for using bit of things from here and there, Jennifer's work is always one-of-a-kind. Here's a little bit more about this fabulous designer.

Etsy Shop:  Jenn Henson Designs

What she makes:  I sell a variety of Mixed Media Art. Most of my art is done on canvas. I do have a few leather bracelets as well that I like to make with positive sayings stamped on them. I do a wide range of art, anything from nursery to abstract. I also take custom orders. Recently, I have done an old tree, lighthouse, sand dollar, and was also commissioned to do volunteer gift with a soup kitchen in Massachusetts.

(Jenn's creative space.)

The Backstory: I finally got the courage at the beginning of 2013 to open my Etsy shop. Many friends have been gifted a piece of my art and told me over and over that I need to sell it. I love making this type of art because in my scrapbooking I tend to want to make everything perfect, straight lines, placed just right,etc. In mixed media it's all about getting messy and if it doesn't come out perfect it's ok, it was meant to be that way.  I love to see people's faces when they pick up one of my pieces and try and figure out what it's made out of.  I get lots of questions as to what I use. I always reply "whatever is in front of me at that moment".  I never know what my finished piece is going to look like until almost the end.

All About You:  I started scrapbooking back in 2000, and I loved and still love everything about it.  I love all the stamps, paper, embellishments, etc. I use most of it in my art work. With my love of scrapbooking, came card making and it has just snowballed from there. When my husband deployed in 2011 for 10 months, I started to take some online classes for mixed media.  It had my interest and I also needed something to fill the time while he was gone. I found myself making some type of art everyday. I was art journaling, sketching ideas, or putting it down on canvas. I love the feel of the glue and paint on my hands.  I still need to learn to wear an apron while I paint as I have ruined way too many shirts and pants in the process.

Playing Favorites:  I wouldn't dare ask a designer to pick a favorite piece from their collection, as that would be like asking a mother to pick her favorite child. But I certainly can! I adore this sweet piece. I think it would lovely hanging in a little girl's room. Look closely at all the details and the texture Jenn has added to this piece. This is a perfect example of her eye for detail and special personalization on her work.

Seriously Social:  Want to find more of Jenn's beautiful work? Check out her social media links below:
Instagram

Facebook

Pinterest

Blog

Etsy Shop

A Special Discount Just for YOU: Jenn is offering this special discount for my blog readers ONLY. From now till June 17, 2013 receive 15% off total purchase.  Use coupon code: create15 to redeem your discount.

I want to thank Jennifer for sharing her work with us. I'm feeling so inspired by her talent, and I'm sure you will as well. Look for a new "Beautiful People, Beautiful Things" post next month!