May Recap: Things You Might Have Missed

Where has the time gone? How is it that May is already over? I can hardly believe that June officially starts tomorrow. I think I'm having some "summer is going too fast" anxiety. I know we've only been out of school for a week, but I already feel like I'm missing out on things.

Along those same lines, I thought I'd recap some of the projects and posts from May that you might have missed here on my blog.


Videos: I made a LOT of videos this month. You can find all my tutorials, scrapbooking haul, and start-to-finish videos HERE on my Youtube channel. I also introduced a new video series for Scrapbook and Cards Magazine called "Just Ask Jen" which you can find on their Youtube channel HERE.


Craft Room Tour: I shared an inside peek at my craft space with both a video tour and still photos of my room. You can find that post HERE.


Supporting Your Favorite Designer: I shared some insights HERE on how you can make sure your favorite designers keep posting great content and videos.


Hoarding Supplies Versus Using Supplies: I share a humorous discussion on how you can transition from a scrapbooking hoarder to a designer HERE. The comments make me laugh and gave me great insight into how other designers feel.


How to Select a Paper Crafting Class You'll Enjoy: I discuss how you can approach taking a workshop you might enjoy based on your learning style. Don't forget you can find all my 2Peas workshops HERE including my brand NEW workshop "Tool School," which shares over 100 ideas for how you can stretch and reuse your current tools.

It's been a busy month, and there's lot of topics I covered. If you don't want to miss a single blog entry, be sure to subscribe via email right below my "About Me" paragraph. That way my videos, projects, and posts come directly to your inbox each time I post. Then you can read the posts at your leisure. Or you can use blog readers like Blog Lovin' to read all your favorite bloggers' posts and create your own thread of great content.

I really appreciate all those that visit, comment, read, and share the content I have here on my blog. I recognize lots of faces that return often and feel like we're building a family of fellow crafters, Moms, women, and people who get this amazing way of connecting with family and friends across the globe. I just want to thank you for spending some of your day with me!

Designing a Mini Album: Guest Design Projects for American Crafts

This month I was asked to serve as a Guest Designer for American Crafts. I was honored, as I loved my year on their Design Team. American Crafts is well known for their amazing variety of quality products. This month I had the opportunity to work with the "Mayberry" collection, which is a happy summer collection. You can find the blog post HERE on the American Crafts blog.

One of the projects I created was to design a mini album using this Daybook HERE. Here is the project I created:


I thought you might like to see the finished product, so I created a little "Jen's Jumpstart" video to help you see how I approached designing this mini album. You can watch it below or HERE on my Youtube channel:



Below are some of the products I used to create this album. Be sure to visit the American Crafts blog HERE for all the additional projects I created for their blog.

The "Mayberry" collection (click photos for product information or find the collection HERE at 2Peas):



Memories Made #15 Scrapbooking Process Video: 2 Decades


Welcome to my weekly scrapbooking process tutorial series. If you've missed any of the videos, be sure to search my blog for "Memories Made" to find the other amazing projects and start-to-finish videos. Or you can subscribe to my Youtube channel HERE for all my videos. You don't want to miss out! 

This week's memory: Anniversary Gift

This week I'm documenting a recent memory. On May 21st, my husband and I celebrated our 20th anniversary. I can hardly believe it's been 20 years. In some ways it's gone fast, and in other ways it's seemed like forever. I'm sure you can relate. For our anniversary he gave me two dozen roses, one dozen for each of the decades we've spent together. It was a really sweet gesture so I wanted to remember it always.

Here is the layout I created:



This week's techniques: Combining Photos from Two Events

Sometimes I need an extra photo or two on an event layout to help document my feelings. For this layout I already had several photos of the roses to choose from, but I also wanted to include a photo of my husband and I on the layout as well. So I went in search of photos I could use. I found these photos of us in our Disneyland photo folder. Although they are not from the same event, they do help convey the flowers were from him, which is what I was trying to accomplish.

Here are the close-up photos of this layout, which shows both sets of photos:







You can watch the helpful, start-to-finish video tutorial HERE on my Youtube channel or below to learn how I incorporated these techniques into my layout: 



Below I've suggested the products you might consider when creating a similar layout (including the products used on this layout). If an item is out of stock, be sure to search for similar items by using words like "love" or "Valentine" to help you find exactly what you're looking for.

Suggested Products (click text below for product description or visit my blog to view the product list):
































Craft Space Tour: A Look into My Scrapbook Room


Since I spend nearly three quarters of my life in my scrapbook room, I thought you might like a peek into my space. This post was originally compiled for the Two Peas Blog HERE, but I also wanted to share it with the readers of my blog.

Making your space work for you is key. I have had lots of "spaces" over the years. And while some have worked, others have not. Through trial and error, I've come up with a system that, so far, is working pretty well for me. The final result is a somewhat organized, somewhat low-key approach to storing my supplies.

The key for me is keeping everything within easy reach of my desk (and that is why my chair has wheels). Then I can roll my chair to the corresponding drawer and start scrapping. Additional, less-used supplies are stored in my closet, which only gets opened once or twice a month.

For the complete tour of my space, you can watch the video HERE on my Youtube channel or below:



I thought you might like to see some additional photos of my space. Below are some snapshots of the place I feel most creative:


Here are two elements that make me happy: a decorative pinboard (the phrase is cut with my Silhouette machine), and a card spinner from Pottery Barn filled with vintage books decorated with punches and ribbons. Not everything in your room needs to be functional, especially in a creative space. Bring in pretty things that speak to you. You'll find it feeds your soul.


Most of items are organized by color. Clearly I love buttons. Ziploc bags are a cheap and easy way to store stuff. Sometimes the more expensive storage options are not always necessary.


This decorative basket is filled with green items. The tag was created with die cut shapes and a die cut tag. This is just one way to use your scrapbooking supplies to decorate your craft space. Look for ways to bring in interesting textures as well.


This was an ugly brass frame with a poster inside. Now it is repainted and recovered with burlap. The letters were cut with vinyl. It's perfect for my pinning some of my favorite photos.


My desk spinner contains my most used tools: scissors, a paper piercer, corner rounder punches, standard hole punches, markers, etc. I even have more than once pair of scissors inside so if one pair hides under a stack of paper, I can find another pair quickly and easily.


I also divide my paper by color. Then I divide scraps of cardstock by color and then patterned paper into color folders as well. 12x12" sticker sheets also reside in this drawer divided by alpha stickers and element stickers. This is one of three paper drawers (and that's not counting cardstock).


Punches are separated by shapes. Circles get their own drawer, as do border punches. Shape punches have a separate drawer. (You can never have too many circle punches. To see why I need different tools check out my "Tool School" workshop HERE).


My sewing machine typically sits on the floor and I put it on my desk when I'm ready to sew. I keep white thread on the bobbin and then switch out the colored thread on top for whatever color floats my boat at the time. This machine was from the Walmart holiday sale and has lasted me for ages. I change out the needle when I sew on fabric.


This is my stamping pad spinner. My most used inks: brown, black, and white are on the top, while the rest of the spinner holds my Stampin' Up pads (notice they are stored upside down so the ink stays on the top of the pad at all times). I like to stamp a lot, so this earned a coveted spot on my desktop.


I am a firm believer in having extra supplies on hand at all times. If you save up for scrapbooking supply sales, then you can stock up on things like adhesive. I actually keep track of how much I use each week, save, and then purchase an entire year's supply of adhesive at one time. I will do this for other basic supplies like white or kraft cardstock if it goes on sale as well. I actually save quite a bit of money in the long run shopping this way.


I curate these little vignettes throughout my space, using leftover craft supplies to decorate already made items.



You can store items like stamps in drawers, boxes, or displayed like this shelf below. Mix in some handmade details, and vintage items to really make it shine.


This is the view from my door into my room. Notice that gorgeous south-facing light pouring into my room. I am hesitant to hang curtains that might interfere with the gorgeous light, so for now I just have blinds to help direct the light when I film, design, or photography. This is definitely my happy place. I feel very blessed to have a space in which I can be creative.


After watching the video and browsing through my photos, I'd love to hear if you're storing items in the same or different ways. What has worked for you and what hasn't? Do you have a storage solution that might work better for someone else reading this post? I'd love for you to share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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