Jeanne Jachna's Blog Posts

Ever since I was a little girl I have loved gardening.  I give all the credit to my grandmother who was always patient and willing to include me in her passion.  Her garden was always a delight to behold and I try to carry on that tradition today.

In the winter months I remember looking though her books of botanical drawings.  These were the “off limits” books that I was only allowed to handle when we would look at the pictures together.

The Simple Stories Simple Vintage Botanical Collection reminds me of those treasured books. The images of flowers and butterflies in this collection are exquisite and so life like.

The collection includes chipboard stickers, bits and pieces die cuts, stickers and washi so there are so many possibilities for greeting cards, layouts and more!   Everything is beautifully coordinated and a pleasure to create with.

I start my cards by arranging elements on pieces of clear plastic the size of my card fronts.   When I’m happy with the arrangement I can pick up the plastic and see how it looks layered over different papers.   The clear plastic lets me see the paper so I can choose the perfect one before I commit and adhere the images to the card.

When layering paper I try to alternate dark busy patterns with lighter more solid ones.   Simple Stories has added “Basics” to many of their new collections.  These are solid card stock colors coordinated to work with the pattern papers.  I used Basics papers to add matts as the first layer to each of my card designs.

This collection really is a feast for the eyes and will delight all the gardeners and flower lovers in your life.

Supplies


Hi! It’s Jeanne here today!  I’m always excited to flip the calendar to reveal a new month.  Being a card maker my first thoughts go to holidays, and special occasions like birthdays.  It’s May and you know what that means right?  It’s time to Celebrate MOM!

There really is no way to thank Mom enough for all the wonderful things she does for me.  From the beginning she’s been my  cheerleader, always making me feel like I can do anything.  She treasured my creations even when she wasn’t sure what she was looking at.. carefully asking me to describe my drawings so she wouldn’t guess wrong.

She is still delighted with my hand made cards today.  I know that every one I send will be put in a place of honor in the kitchen where she can look at them every day.

The Simple Stories Mom’s Day 12” Collection Kit is a beautiful mix of florals, dots and plaids. The sentiments on the sticker sheet are my favorite!  I know these will have my mom smiling ear to ear! - “Mom gives the very best of hugs” - “No woman alive could take my momma’s place” - “I got it from my momma”.

This pinwheel is going to be placed inside a plant or vase of flowers (I haven’t decided yet).  It was made by trimming a 6x2” strip of four different papers.  I used a Fiskars border punch to trim one edge and then scored a line between each scallop.  Finally I “Z” folded and adhered the four strips together to make a circle.   I secured the center with hot glue and then added a punched circle and stickers to the center.  A twine wrapped skewer is hot glued to the reverse and a pretty bow completes the pinwheel.

The best gifts are from the heart and made with love.

Supplies

There are several young gentlemen in my life who are graduating college soon.  I know they’ll be anxious to start their careers, but I hope they can and will take a break from all their studying for a little time to explore the world. It may not seem like it to them, but this is the best time in their life to travel.  Most of them are not committed to a partner, a career, or house payments yet so they are more free to travel before they settle into a routine.


I made some pocket cards with the Simple Stories Simple Vintage Traveler Collection to inspire them.  These cards are a little different because the cover half panel is actually a pocket perfect for stuffing with little treasures. 

I rounded the tops of the card bases with a ¼” corner rounder.  I adhered the shorter pattern paper panel on three sides (in a U shape) leaving the top of the panel open for gift cards, cash.. wouldn’t a plane ticket be amazing?

 

The collection has everything you need to embellish these pretty pockets.. chipboard, bits and pieces, stickers and washi too!

These pocket cards will delight all the travelers on your list and hopefully encourage a new generation of explorers.

Supplies

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