Bean Talk

Layouts and a Project on Thursday!

Happy Thursday everyone!  The weeks are flying by!  Before you know it, school will be out and summer will be in full force!  Uggh!  There are always a million and one things to do, aren't there?  Keep calm and carry on, as I tell myself while I blissfully ignore my hungry children, barking dog, and ringing phone:)

Rainbows Layout by Kim Frantz

Supplies:
Jillibean Soup
Kraft Cardstock
Patterned Paper:  Fresh Vegetable Soup/Crushed Ginger; Chilled Cucumber Soup/Sherry Vinegar
Pea Pod Parts:  Chilled Cucumber Soup
Coordinating Label Stickers:  Fresh Vegetable Soup
Alphabeans:  Whipped White, Grilled Gray, Roma Red, Organic Orange, Yam Yellow, Gumbo Green, Tart Teal, Newberg Navy, Blended Black
Bean Stalks:  Gray/Light Pink Baker's Twine
Epoxy Chipboard Buttons:  Coconut Lime Soup

I Believe In Good Friends F'Ever Layout by Cindy Lee

Supplies:
Jillibean Soup
Patterned Paper:  Irish Farm House Soup/Sea Salt, Garlic, Beef Stock, Parsnip
Coordinating Shape Stickers:  Irish Farm House Soup, Chilled Cucumber Soup
Pea Pod Parts:  Irish Farm House Soup, Chilled Cucumber Soup
Alphabeans:  Fig Brown
Cool Beans:  Etched Flower
Sugar Picks:  Sunshine

Other:  lace, washi tape, white paint, glimmer mist.

Hello There Twin Layout by Kim Holmes

Supplies:
Jillibean Soup
Kraft Cardstock
Patterned Paper:  Irish Farm House Soup/Beef Stock, Bite Size Bits; Fresh Vegetable Soup/Stalks of Celery, Mushrooms, Crushed Ginger; Chilled Cucumber Soup/Yellow Tomatoes; Soup Staples II/Red Salt
Coordinating Shape Stickers:  Irish Farm House Soup, Fresh Vegetable Soup
Pea Pod Parts:  Irish Farm House Soup, Fresh Vegetable Soup, Winter Tortellini and Spinach Soup
Coordinating Cardstock Stickers:  Grandma's Lima Bean Soup
Alphabeans:  Blueberry Teal

Other:  Prima Ink.

Preschool Friends Layout by Nancy Damiano

Supplies:
Jillibean Soup
Patterned Paper:  Chilled Cucumber Soup/Bite Size Bits
Placemats:  Kraft Frames
Banner Bites:  Cherish
Coordinating Label Stickers:  Chilled Cucumber Soup
Wise Words:  Blue Happy
Corrugated Shapes:  People

For You Purse by Laurel Seabrook

Supplies:
Jillibean Soup
Patterned Paper:  Chilled Cucumber Soup/Peeled Cucumber, Sherry Vinegar
Wood Flag:  For You

Thanks and have a wonderful day!

Life Album with Melanie Blackburn

This week I thought I would share my process for completing a Life Album spread.  I wish I could say that my process is fast, but I'm a slow scrapper.  So, it usually takes me 3 to 4 hours to complete a spread, which includes photo editing and printing.  After choosing and editing my pictures in PSE, I print them to various sizes:  4x6, 3x3, or 3x4.  Afterwards, the set up begins.  I usually take over the dining room table.  Needless to say, dinner on those nights takes place in the family room, which my girls think is the best thing ever!

Once I'm comfortably set up, I select my paper, embellishments, and start outlining the general design of the spreads.  This is only the first draft and the end result will most likely not look like this.  I try to spread out the pictures of the girls i.e. not all the pictures of my youngest together (except if they are the same theme such as a birthday).  I also try not to reuse the same pattern paper on a page.  As well, I try to separate 3x4 pictures in the middle with a journaling card or an accent.  I find that this creates a more appealing and cohesive design.  Finally, the date is always situated in the top corner of the left page.  Again, I find this contributes to a cohesive design throughout my album.

As I was working on this spread, I realized that didn't have enough pictures.  So, I went back to my trusty iPhone.  I noticed that I missed half the week in pictures.  So after selecting new pictures, I had to move things around to make it all fit.  I was much more happy with the new design.  Often, I use post it notes to indicate the location of missing pictures or journaling that needs to be typed.  These little reminders are very useful as I usually don't complete my spreads in one sitting.

Once I am satisfied with the design, it is time to embellish, add journaling and stitching.  Most of my journaling is either in pencil or with a typewriter.  As for sewing, I usually add it on a label or title work.  I love how a little stitching can add a lot of texture and detail to a card.  Embellishments are usually kept to a minimum, as I don't want a bulky album.  I'm hoping to make the year fit into two albums.

As I'm looking at this spread, I notice that I kept the journaling to a minimum.  I guess I didn't have much to say and that's ok with me.  I don't put pressure to include every single detail of our lives, which would be impossible.  Sometimes, I just let the pictures work.  I also noticed that the 9 month needs an 's.'  Oops, I'll make sure to add that!

Supplies:
Jillibean Soup
Patterned Paper:  Irish Farm House Soup/Beef Stock, Parsnip, Bite Size Bits
Pea Pod Parts:  Irish Farm House Soup
Coordinating Shape Stickers:  Irish Farm House Soup
Coordinating Label Stickers:  Irish Farm House Soup
Alphabeans:  Banana Yellow, Diced Denim
Wise Words:  Happy, Smile
Corrugated Shapes:  Words Kraft

Other:  flair button, Studio Calico white index cards, Tiny Attacher, Jillibean Soup Cameo Cuts, Silhouette America.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my process for creating my spreads.  It's nothing fancy, but it works for me.  Simplicity is sometimes best.

Jillibean Soup Gift Card Bouquet Tutorial with Summer Fullerton

Welcome Jillibean Soup friends!  Today, I have a fabulous fun tutorial showing how to make a gift card bouquet.  As the resident crafty mom of my daughter's cheerleading squad, I volunteered to create this adorable project as our coach's gift this year.  Each family purchased a gift card of their choice to fill up the bouquet.  When finished, I couldn't help but think this would make a fabulous end of the year teacher gift.

Let's get started.  First, I purchased a few things from my local Micheals.  These items included:  a metal canister, burlap ribbon, one green Styrofoam block, wood filler and natural wire floral stems.  All of these items were found in the floral department.  Other supplies you will need for this project include:  your favorite Jillibean Soup patterned papers, cardstock, twine, and a hot glue gun.

The cut files for this project include a flower, 2 faux buttons, and a gift card holder.

Each blossom needs 2 flowers and 1 button center in each size.  In my final project, I didn't attach the gift card holders to every blossom.  I wanted my bouquet to look full and knew I would have a limited number of gift cards.  Cut the number of gift card envelopes based upon your needs.  I recommend using kraft paper.  It blends in nicely with the background of the bouquet, without taking away from the flowers.  To start, cut 2 flowers from your favorite Jillibean Soup patterned paper.  Then, using a pencil, gently curl the petals of the flowers.

Next, adhere together the 2 flowers, staggering the petals.

Next, grab your faux buttons and some twine.  Feed the twine through the holes and tie a bow.

Adhere the layered button center to the flower using a hot glue gun.

The natural wire stems that act as the stems for my project are 2 feet long.  I enlisted my husband to cut the wire stems in half.  Then, I hot glued the stems to the back of my blossom.

Fold the gift card holders along the fold lines and use your favorite adhesive to secure the envelope.

Then, hot glue the envelope to the back of the blossom.

Repeat until you have the desired number of flowers you want for the bouquet.  To add some variety to this project, try varying the patterns and sizes of your flowers.  Other ideas include using a clay pot as your base, using pencils as stems, or adding a few butterflies or a little something unexpected.

Supplies:
Jillibean Soup
Kraft Cardstock
Patterned Paper:  Soup Staples II/Yellow Salt, Turquoise Salt; Chilled Cucumber Soup/Peeled Cucumber, Minced Fresh Dill, Smashed Garlic; Irish Farm House Soup/Parsnip; Grandma's Lima Bean Soup/Vegetable Bouillon
Custom Silhouette Cutting Files

Other:  metal canister, green styrofoam, natural flower wire stem, wood filler, burlap ribbon, hot glue gun, twine, Silhouette Cutting System.

Thanks for joining me today for my latest Jillibean Soup tutorial!

Ephemera Designer Challenge - Part 1

Good morning!  For the month of May, the Big Bean challenged the Design Team to use some items out of a Vintage Ephemera Pack that is available through the Jillibean Soup Retail Store. 

Love, love, love this stuff!  Did I mention that I love this stuff?:)  It's a package chock full of bingo cards, flash cards, playing cards, book pieces, game pieces, milk bottle lids, and more!  Ephemera is a great way to enhance any paper crafting and add that special embellishment you've been looking for.  Take a look at how some of the Design Team members used ephemera in their projects!

Mother's Day Keepsake Box by Patty Folchert

Supplies:
Jillibean Soup
Patterned Paper:  Grandma's Lima Bean Soup/Vegetable Bouillon, Small Onion; Soup Staples II/Navy Salt

Other:  wooden cigar box, vintage postcard, white vintage buttons, Modge Podge, Scrapbook Adhesives foam squares, pieces from Jillibean's Ephemera pack.

Thank You So, So Much! Card by Nancy Damiano

Supplies:
Jillibean Soup
Patterned Paper:  Soup Staples II/Brown Salt; Grandma's Lima Bean Soup/Lean Ham, Bite Size Bits
Soup Labels:  Grandma's Lima Bean Soup
Clear Stamps:  Chilled Cucumber Soup/Small Set 1

Other:  pieces from Jillibean's Ephemera pack.

Note To Self Layout by Valerie Mangan

Supplies:
Jillibean Soup
Patterned Paper:  Irish Farm House Soup/Sea Salt, Bite Size Bits
Pea Pod Parts:  Irish Farm House Soup
Coordinating Label Stickers:  Irish Farm House Soup
Wise Words:  White Smile
Alphabeans:  Tomato Red, Fig Brown
Bean Stalks:  Red/Brown Baker's Twine
Sugar Picks:  Clear Butterflies

Other:  pieces from Jillibean's Ephemera pack.

Friends Layout By Paula Gilarde

Supplies:
Jillibean Soup
Kraft Cardstock
Patterned Paper:  Soup Staples II/Gray Salt, Turquoise Salt, Pink Salt, Green Salt
Soup Labels:  Grandma's Lima Bean Salt
Banner Bites:  Cherish
Wise Words:  Gray Happy
Kraft Tag:  Happy

Other:  Digital Frame by Katie Pertiet, pieces from Jillibean's Ephemera pack.

We'll share another day of designer challenge projects later this month.  In the meantime, thanks everybody and have a fantastic day!

Soup Spotting 5.8.2013

Happy Soup Spotting day everyone!  The May snowstorm has melted and my tulips have survived!    Believe me, nothing irritated me more than digging out all of the snow clothes, again after I washed them and put them away:)  But, all irritations aside, I enjoyed this weeks soup spotting finds!

So Lovely Layout by Christine Meyer

Happy Spring Card by Eileen Mead

XOXO Silly Boy Layout by Laura Whitaker

And this adorable little Hello There Sunshine project created by Paper Creations.  Go check it out and you can find all the instructions to make it too!

Remember if you would like to be considered for Soup Spotting, you can simply email me with your Jillibean Soup projects to jen@jillibean-soup.com or load up your projects to our Facebook page (there's a link to the left to sign up). Have a great day!

Layouts and a Project on Thursday!

Hello everyone!  So, not that I'm complaining....well, maybe a little....but, it's May 2nd and they are forecasting an inch of snow.  It was 85 degrees on Monday!  The weather is awfully indecisive around here.  I'm going from sunburn to frostbite:)  Let's move on to something that I can depend upon to make me happy!

A Mother To Boys Layout by Leanne Allinson

Supplies:
Jillibean Soup
Patterned Paper:  Chilled Cucumber Soup/Yellow Tomatoes, Peeled Cucumber; Fresh Vegetable Soup/Crushed Ginger
Pea Pod Parts:  Chilled Cucumber Soup, Homemade 6 Bean Soup, Grandma's Lima Bean Soup
Wise Words:  Smile/Gray
Alphabeans:  Tart Teal, Blueberry Teal
Soup Labels:  Homemade 6 Bean Soup
Banner Bites:  Hello
Clear Stamps:  Chilled Cucumber Soup/Small Set 2
Vellum Envelope:  Small
Bean Stalks:  Pink Baker's Twine
Kraft Tag:  Large

Other:  white cardstock, mist/paint, paper clip, date stamp, ink.

Cheerios Layout by Kim Frantz

Supplies:
Jillibean Soup
Patterned Paper:  Fresh Vegetable Soup/Crushed Ginger; Chilled Cucumber Soup/Sherry Vinegar, Yellow Tomatoes
Pea Pod Parts:  Chilled Cucumber Soup
Epoxy Chipboard Buttons:  Coconut Lime Soup
Coordinating Shape Stickers:  Chilled Cucumber Soup
Alphabeans:  Mushroom Gray
Placemats:  Kraft Circles

Other:  cardstock.

Chihuahua Love Layout by Jenifer Harkin

Supplies:
Jillibean Soup
Patterned Paper:  Country Pumpkin Chowder/Bite Size Bits; Chilled Cucumber Soup/Smashed Garlic; Homemade 6 Bean Soup/Pinto Beans
Coordinating Cardstock Stickers:  Watermelon Gazpacho
Pea Pod Parts:  Chilled Cucumber Soup
Alphabeans:  Grapefruit Pink
Wise Words:   Smile/Blue

Other:  staple, pieces from Jillibean's Ephemera packet.

Farmer's Market Layout by Nancy Damiano

Supplies:
Jillibean Soup
Patterned Paper:  Fresh Vegetable Soup/Chicken Base, Crushed Ginger, Bite Size Bits; Irish Farm House Soup/Sliced Turnip
Placemats:  White Hexagon
Coordinating Label Stickers:  Fresh Vegetable Soup
Pea Pod Parts:  Fresh Vegetable Soup
Soup Labels:  County Pumpkin Chowder
Sugar Picks:  Sunshine

Happy Canvas by Paula Gilarde

Supplies:
Jillibean Soup
Patterned Paper:  Fresh Vegetable Soup/Crushed Ginger, Stalks of Celery, Chicken Base, Mushrooms, Bite Size Bits
Pea Pod Parts:  Fresh Vegetable Soup
Alphabeans:  Banana Yellow
Wise Words:  Happy/Yellow
Bean Stalks:  Red/Brown Baker's Twine

Other:  canvas, paint, Martha Stewart butterfly punch.

Thanks and have a fantastic day!

Life Album with Melanie Blackburn

Melanie here today to share week 14 of my Life Album.  Week 14 was a very quiet week.  For some reason, I didn't have many pictures.  For that exact reason, I knew Jillibean Soup Bite Size Bit cards would be very useful.  The quotes from Fresh Vegetable Soup are just lovely.  This week's spread also features various Jillibean Soup's stamps, from a background stamp to a journaling stamp.  These were very useful in creating cards for my spread.

I love creating polaroid cards for my Life Album spreads-see the photo of my daughter and I.  This is a perfect way to include journaling with a picture.  To create the polaroid photo, I print my picture on a 4 x 6 paper and trim down to size.  Most of the time, my picture is resized to 2.5 x 2.5, which leaves plenty of space for journaling and embellishments.

My middle daughter loves to play with her kitchen, playing chef is her favorite thing to do.  I knew this deserved a special highlight in my album.  Of course, this was the perfect to pair these cute pictures of her with the Fresh Vegetable Soup collection.

Stamps are one of my favorite ways to embellish a project, from a scrapbook layout to a Life Album spread.  Stamps are a must have for me.  On this spread, I used Jillibean Soup/Unity stamps.  The background stamp was used to create the date card and the journaling stamp created additional cards.  One thing to keep in mind is that stamps don't have to be used for the exact purpose of the design.  If you see the image below, it is a calendar month; however, I didn't use it as a calendar.  I used the stamp to add a fun design to the card, which I added some Alphabean stickers to document the subject of the images.  In this case, it was my daughter's love for her kitchen.

Supplies:
Jillibean Soup
Patterned Paper:  Fresh Vegetable Soup/Chicken Base, Crushed Ginger, Bite Size Bits
Pea Pod Parts:  Fresh Vegetable Soup
Coordinating Shape Stickers:  Fresh Vegetable Soup
Coordinating Label Stickers:  Fresh Vegetable Soup
Alphabeans:  Banana Yellow, Blueberry Teal, Organic Orange
Corrugated Shapes:  Word Kraft
Unity/Jillibean Soup Stamps:  Lattice Background, Sweet & Sour Set, Noted Itty Bitty Stamp, Life Calendar Stamp

Other:  Silhouette America Cuts, MME Enamel Dots, Bella Blvd washi tape, Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher.

I would love to know how you design your spreads.  Do you use stamps?  Is your journaling handwritten or typed?  Do you prefer to use one collection or do you mix it up?  Don't forget to share your spread that feature Jillibean Soup products on our Facebook page.  I would love to see what you created.

Happy documenting and don't forget to take lots of pictures (lesson learned for me).

Soup Spotting 4.24.2013

Happy Wednesday everyone!  We're back to a little soup spotting today!  A little birdie told me about an exciting kit for the month of April "forecast" available at Cocoa Daisy.  It features alot of the lovely Jillibean Soup Chilled Cucumber Soup, Wise Word Stickers, Placemats, and Alphabeans.  The Cocoa Daisy Design Team created some great designs and I'm going to share a few with you!

Hello My Sunshine by Jaime Warren

Polaroid Frame by Lisa Saunders

She Got Her Wish By Jody Ferlaak

A Week In The Life By Mandy Kay Starner

Me You By Stephanie Wheeler

Remember if you would like to be considered for Soup Spotting, you can simply email me with your Jillibean Soup projects to jen@jillibean-soup.com or load up your projects to our Facebook page (there's a link to the left to sign up). Have a great day!

Life Album with Melanie Blackburn

Melanie here today to share another installment of my Life Album.  This week, my spread features week 13, which was a very busy week with family activities and Easter.  I had alot of pictures to showcase; therefore, I opted for a minimalist design.  I focused mostly on embellishing the pictures and journaling cards with the Pea Pods, Shape Stickers, and Label Stickers from the Chilled Cucumber Soup collection.  These are the perfect embellishments for any project, including my Life Album spread.

The first page of the spread features multiple pictures of the week, which vary in theme and colors.  To achieve a cohesive design, I included white journaling cards and cardstock, which were embellished with the Pea Pods and Stickers.  Of course, I have to add a bit of stitching to all my projects, including my Life Album.

This page features pictures from Easter, which were again embellished with the same items as in the first page.  I also used the Jillibean Soup stardust cut file available in the Silhouette store, which I misted with Gold mist.

As for the journaling, I used a combination of typewriter and handwritten.  Although I am not a fan of my handwriting, I do think my daughters will appreciate this personal touch.

When working with a busy week, remember to keep it simple, include white cardstock and some black and white pictures.  I find these three items really work well with design.  I hope you have enjoyed this week's Life Album post.

Supplies:
Jillibean Soup
Patterned Paper:  Chilled Cucumber Soup/Peeled Cucumber; Soup Staples II/Yellow Salt
Pea Pod Parts:  Chilled Cucumber Soup
Coordinating Label Stickers:  Chilled Cucumber Soup
Coordinating Shape Stickers:  Chilled Cucumber Soup
Alphabeans:  Blueberry Teal, Yam Yellow

Other:  Silhouette Cuts, Bazzill cardstock, Studio Calico journaling cards, Heidi Swapp mist gold.

Projects On Wednesday!

Happy Wednesday everyone!  We are experiencing extreme weather here this week in the Iowa.  Yesterday, we had 75 degrees followed by 60 degrees the next day with rain and now they are forecasting snow!  Crazy, crazy, crazy!  I tell you, there are some days that I just can't keep up!  So, I usually slow down and enjoy projects:)  Here's what we have today!

Garden Party Favor Bags by Patty Folchert

Supplies:
Jillibean Soup
Patterned Paper:  Soup Staples II/Red Salt, Pink Salt, Orange Salt; Fresh Vegetable Soup/Crushed Ginger
Pea Pod Parts:  Fresh Vegetable Soup
Soup Labels:  Coconut Lime Soup, Grandma's Lima Bean Soup, Card Sentiments II
Clear Stamps:  Fresh Vegetable Soup/Large Set
Bags:  Kraft

Other:  Versamark Ink, Scrabpook Adhesives foam squares.

You Are My Sunshine Gift Basket by Laurel Seabrook

Supplies:
Jillibean Soup
Patterned Paper:  Fresh Vegetable Soup/Bite Size Bits, Mushrooms
Pea Pod Parts:  Fresh Vegetable Soup
Clear Stamp:  Fresh Vegetable Soup/Small Set

Butler Dairy Wall Hanging by Jenifer Harkin

Supplies:
Jillibean Soup
Patterned Paper:  Soup Staples II/Navy Salt; Fresh Vegetable Soup/Bermuda Onion, Crushed Ginger
Vintage Boutique Ephemera Pack (doily, milk cap, buttons)

Other:  circle punch, ribbon, plastic game pieces (Goodwill find), pan (Goodwill find), flower punch.