Today I thought I'd share my pages from this month's Jenni Bowlin kit. I have to admit that when I first got the kit, I had no idea how I would use it. Don't get me wrong, the kit is LOVELY, I just had no mojo flowing. So I let it sit for a few days. And kept glancing through it. I adored the retro papers from Mandi Johnson, the ornate metal frames, the gorgeous Prima flowers. And those millinery daisy stems? ::sigh:: I knew it was good stuff, I just didn't know what to do with it! So I spent some time cultivating my relationship with this September kit. We had long conversations over cappuccino. We walked hand in hand through the park. We spent many late nights discussing politics and fashion. Yes, I got weird looks from my family, but in the end, my persistence paid off. Inspiration struck! And here's the results:
+ punch (EK Success) + vintage label, ledger page, daisy + font for title: CursiveStandard Bold
This was the first page I completed, and it was the red shoe photo that prompted me to begin. I knew the red would contrast nicely with yellow and a bit of black. I was hesitant to cut up the vintage ad paper (it was my favorite in the kit!) but I knew it would make a good base for my collage of goodies. I added bits of red with the hand cut title and punched border and stamped the journaling on strips of the old ledger paper. A little grouping of the tag, frame, daisy, and sticker finished it off.
Some of the darker papers in this kit reminded me of Christmas colors. This 7Gypsies damask pattern prompted me to print some of the photos from Riely's holiday dance recital last year. I loved the way the tones in the photos blended perfectly with the patterned paper! I used a portion of the Jenni Bowlin die cut paper behind the photos to keep them from getting lost in the background. I grouped the large Prima flower (topped with an old aqua button + brads) with the vintage paper doll and a 7Gypsies sticker. The number strip in the upper right was cut from the chipboard letter packaging.
I was wanting to do a crisp, clean design on this page. By cutting circles from the papers, labels, and flashcard, I was able to create a more graphic feeling. I inked the edge of each circle and topped a few with bits from the kit: the daisy, a button, and an epoxy. Once again, I used a hand cut title to add a pop of red. The punched border on the left brings the red in again and adds a some texture and interest to the edge.
Can you tell I was on a simple/clean/graphic streak here? I didn't want these photos to be overwhelmed by product, so I kept this one down to the basics. Rather than use patterned paper, I drew a simple grid with my pen & ruler to keep my photos from looking like they were floating on the page. I used the packaging from the Prima flowers (the aqua cardstock) to cover a chipboard number, and also punched it with the scallop edge to add some pops of color. I layered the metal frame with the JBS journal card and number 4 for my title block. (A bit of red cardstock was adhered under the frame to incorporate that color!) Finally, the butterflies were punched from white cardstock and topped with a small pearl.
And that's about that! Let me know if you have any questions and I'll try to address them directly in the comments section. And if you haven't already purchased your September kit, you can still get them here. I'd love to see what you do with this kit! Happy Wednesday, my friends!
