SPELLBINDERS™ SURPRISE PARTY DAY 4: Bundles of Joy!

ETA: My portion of the reveal contest has now ended. Thank you all for visiting and for all of the wonderful comments. They are appreciated!

SPELLBINDERS™ SURPRISE PARTY!!

January 7- 13, 2010

Commenting on this post is welcome but does NOT enter you into the contest. This contest is sponsored by Spellbinders™ Paper Arts. Directions on how to enter are in the Blog Post and Official Rules at http://spellbinderspaperarts.com/blog/spellbinders-suprise-party/. If you have any questions, please e-mail ContestQuestions@Spellbinders.us

Welcome to the fourth day of the Spellbinders™ Surprise Party!!

Spellbinders™ Paper Arts is hosting Spellbinders™ Surprise Party!! We will introduce 25 new Die Templates and 2 Impressabilities™ templates! These sneak peeks are part of the collection that will be released at the Craft and Hobby Association Trade Show on January 24, 2010. We want to invite YOU, our greatest fans, to join the party from January 7-14, 2010! See the newest Spellbinders™ products, visit our Designers’ Blogs, and win fabulous Spellbinders™ prizes!

Today you have the opportunity to win a Spellbinders™ prize package (including all three Spellbinders™ Die Templates revealed today) through the contest entry email address listed below. Be sure to visit the other Designers’ Blogs participating today, and enter from those blogs for additional chances to win! You may enter once from each Blog! Each Spellbinders™ Surprise Party!! blog post is open to contest entries for 48 hours. You have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time January 11 , 2010 to enter this contest through my blog. Be sure to read the rules at http://spellbinderspaperarts.com/blog/spellbinders-suprise-party/ before entering so that your entry will be valid! To see previous Spellbinders ™ Surprise Party!! posts or to go to any of the future blog posts, feel free to visit the following:

January 7

Debbie Olson

Julie Overby

Lesa Rapp

January 8

Becca Feeken

Janine Blackwelder

Debbie Seyer

January 9

Heidi Blankenship

Karen Taylor

Cathy Chlebana/Beth Pingry

January 10

Linda Duke

Jennifer Davis (here!)

Terre Fry

January 11

Keri Lee Sereika

Kazan Clark

Mary Pfaff

January 12

Karen Hunsaker

Christy Farneth Kerr

Holly Simoni

January 13

Sherry Cheever

Kimberly Crawford

Sharon Johnson

After the entry deadline is reached, Spellbinders™ Paper Arts will randomly pick one winner from each Spellbinders™ Surprise Party!! blog event as stated in the rules at http://spellbinderspaperarts.com/blog/spellbinders-suprise-party/. Winner will be contacted by email within 24 hours of the contest deadline. The winner will have 72 hours to reply to that email to claim prize. If Winner fails to respond within 72 hours, a new winner will be drawn for said prize. Entrants visiting all 21 Spellbinders™ Surprise Party!! events and correctly enter the drawing on each Blog will automatically be entered into the SPELLBINDERS™ SURPRISE PARTY!! GRAND PRIZE give away with a retail value of over $350.00. The GRAND PRIZE will be announced on January 24, 2010 on the Spellbinders Blog and consists of super secret products being released at the Craft and Hobby Association Trade Show. You WILL be excited!!

The first project I’d like to share with you is a scrapbook page centered around my daughter Hannah’s first bath after coming home from the hospital. I’ve included detailed instructions in the video that follows. Please watch and enjoy!

Nested Ducks S4-262 $19.99 Limited Edition (Largest duck is 4.25″x3.75,” Medium is 2.75″x2.5,” Smallest is 1.5″x 1.25″)

New Arrival I2-1011 Impressabilities™ $6.99 Limited Edition (5.75″ x 4.5″)

These cute products are perfect for any number of baby-themed items. I chose to share an altered frame for my second project featuring a photograph of my son Isaac from the day he was born. From the minute I saw the Nested Ducks die template, I wanted to create “quilted” ducks, and I’m thrilled with the way they turned out. Although these particular quilted ducks are made of paper, I did experiment with fabric and the templates cut certain types of fabric beautifully. The nice, simple lines make these great templates to use for experimenting with applique projects.

RULES For the complete Spellbinders™ Surprise Party!! rules go to http://spellbinderspaperarts.com/blog/spellbinders-suprise-party/ .

TO ENTER CONTEST:

1) Send your email entry to: REVEAL11@spellbinders.us

2) Type the name of the die being revealed on my blog in the “subject” line of the email.

3) Click send!

If you have any questions regarding the contest, send an e-mail of inquiry to: ContestQuestions@Spellbinders.us Thank you for visiting my blog and good luck!!

Forgotten Friday: Feminism and being Mom

I was recently reminded of the miracle surrounding the early months of motherhood by two articles. One is featured in the September issue of Real Simple magazine and written by Diana Abu-Jaber. The other was written by Katie Roiphe and featured online here: http://www.doublex.com/section/kids-parenting/katie-roiphe-my-newborn-narcotic. The common thread in these two articles is the surprise that both feminists express at the joys and miracles of motherhood. I take minor issue with Roiphe’s narcotic analogy. Her words come across to me as somewhat conflicted – maybe even a little two-faced. She seems surprised at the reality of the beautiful nurturing instinct, and conveys an (almost) hidden guilt for betraying her feminist leanings.

“Feminism” is such a widely defined concept that I believe I would qualify as one under some criteria, but certainly not under others. Here’s the ultimate feminist blasphemy though: I see the practice of motherhood as something only women can do best. My husband is a good father and an excellent parent, but he’s a pretty lousy mother. It’s just not in him and this is true for most men I know. If necessary, I’m sure he could compensate to a great degree, but there is something special about that nurturing motherly instinct.  I believe this to be a divine/religious trait, but religion doesn’t have to factor into it. Motherhood is a reality of life and society, and feminists can and should build that reality into their mindset. Being a feminist should be about equally valuing the different traits of men and women, not placing value on how much women can act like men.

I’m sure I’m not the first to say this, but I think that the women’s rights movement of decades past has done women a disservice. It has created a mentality that propagates the idea that women who embrace the uniquely feminine act of motherhood (including those who choose to stay home with their children) cannot or should not be classified as feminists. I would hope that in the future women in our society can find a balance. Being a good mother is a necessary and beautiful, natural part of society and we should not feel like lesser parts of that society simply because we choose to focus our efforts on it. In fact, I believe that choice is one to be encouraged and even venerated.

The scrapbook page I’ve shared here contains journaling written shortly after the birth of my second child when the miracle of new life hit me hard for the second time. The page was created in June, 2006. I hope you’ll take time to read the heart-felt words there. Thanks for stopping by!

Spellbinders CHA Blog Frenzy: Day 13 – Christmas in July!

July 9 – July 22, 2009

Commenting on this post is welcome but does not enter you into the contest. This contest is sponsored directly by Spellbinders Paper Arts. Please read the post to find directions for entering. If you have any questions, please e-mail ContestQuestions@Spellbinders.us.

Welcome to the 13th day of Spellbinders CHA Sneak Peek Blog Frenzy!

Spellbinders is revealing 17 new die templates to be released at the Craft and Hobby Trade Show on July 28, 2009, with some of their greatest fans…YOU!  From July 9 – 22, 2009, you will have the opportunity to be a part of these world wide sneak peeks through visiting the Spellbinders designer blogs listed below and trying your luck at winning spectacular die templates!  You will have a chance to win the die I’m introducing AND the dies previously revealed in this CHA Blog Frenzy by entering the contest at the end of this post.  This is a progressive prize, each day the daily prize grows!  Be sure to read all the rules before entering! You still have until July 22nd, 11:59 pm EST to enter Becca Feeken’s blog contest at: http://www.amazingpapergrace.com/ and until July 23rd, 11:59 pm EST to enter mine.

To see previous reveals, or to go to any of the blogs of future reveals, feel free to visit the following:

7/9    Debbie Olson – http://debbiedesigns.typepad.com/

7/10    Michelle Wooderson –  http://michellewooderson.blogspot.com/

7/11    Karen Hunsaker – http://www.karenskreativekreations.blogspot.com/

7//12    Kazan Clark – http://nunutoolies.blogspot.com/

7/13    Linda Duke – http://www.lindaduke.typepad.com/

7/14    Heidi Blankenship – http://embellished-dreams.blogspot.com/

7/15    Kimberly Crawford – http://www.kimberly-crawford.blogspot.com/

7/16    Julie Overby – http://joverby.blogspot.com/

7/17    Sherry Cheever -  http://sherrycheever.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/

7/18    Debbie Seyer – http://www.debbieseyer.com/

7/19    Lesa Rapp –   http://paperpossibilities.blogspot.com/

7/20    Becca Feeken – http://www.amazingpapergrace.com/

7/21    Jennifer Davis – http://www.preservationarts.com/

7/22    Keri Lee Sereika -  http://pinklemonade.typepad.com/my_weblog/

After the entry deadline is reached, Spellbinders will randomly pick one entry from each Blog Frenzy reveal as stated in the “Rules”. Winner will be contacted by e-mail within 24 hours of the contest deadline. Winner will have 72 hours to reply to that e-mail to claim the prize.  If Winner fails to respond within 72 hours, a new name will be drawn for said prize.   Winner will receive the new die templates being revealed on the specific daily blog post they are entering.

Entrants visiting all 14 Spellbinders CHA Blog Frenzy Reveals and correctly entering their information into the separate drawings, as described below, will automatically be entered into a GRAND PRIZE give away of a full set of the CHA Summer 2009 die templates and Impressabilities releases, 29 products, with a retail value of $561.71.

I am so excited to share the projects that I’ve created here for you today. I love Christmas, even in the middle of the summer! These dies are fantastic for both scrapbook pages and those Christmas cards we’re already planning to make.

The scrapbook page I created to share features lots of distressing. I’ve put together a video to take you through the creation of this page. Watch and enjoy!

Spellbinders Supplies:

S7-015 Grand 12″ Holiday Lights Border

S4-225 Holiday Cheer

S4-224 Snowflake Borderabilities Petite

Other Supplies: Digital Frame: Rhonna Farrer/House of 3; 3D Foam Squares: 3L; Chalk Ink: Clearsnap; Distress Ink: Ranger; Cardstock: Bazzill; Versamark Ink: Tsukineko; Clear Embossing Powder: Stampendous; White Embossing Powder: Mark Industries; Ribbon: Creative Impressions; Patterned Paper: Doodlebug Designs; Pen: Creative Memories; Metal Charms: Unknown.

The second project I put together is a really exciting one that I think my kids are going to love. This is a fantastic low-cost gift idea for Christmas and I just love the way it turned out. I used an old frame, plastic baseball card pockets and several Spellbinders dies to put this together. This was also a great “use your stash” project. I used lots of older stickers and products that might have otherwise gone to waste. And can I just say how much I love the new Labels 8? It’s perfect!

Spellbinders Supplies

S4-225 Holiday Cheer

S7-015 Grand 12″ Holiday Lights Border

S5-019 Labels Eight

S4-234 Ribbon Tag Trio 2
S4-207 Kaleidoscope Pendant
I2-1003 Impressabilities Snowflake
S4-092 Stars 5
S3-004 Symbology
S4-160 Nested Birds
S4-210 Lattice Pendant
F-001 Red Foil
S4-114 Standard Circles, Large
S4-014 Timeless Heritage
S3-139 Holly & Lights
S4-085 Snowflake Wonder
Snowmen

Spirellabilities Petals
Spirellabilities Rounded Petals

Other Supplies: Copic Markers: Copic; 3D Foam Squares Adhesives: 3L; Mini Glue Dots; Red Ink: Clearsnap; Teal Cardstock: The Paper Company; Stamps: Hero Arts; Ribbon, brads, pearls: Creative Impressions; Paper, Dew Drops: Robin’s Nest; Felt: CPE; Candy Cane Digital Kit: Crystal Wilkerson; Acrylic Paint; Flocking Powder: Doodlebug Designs; White Cardstock: Neenah; Stencil Paste: Dreamweaver; Glitter: Martha Stewart; Turquoise Foil: Amaco; Patterned Paper: Colorbok; Baseball Card Holders; Xyron Machine; Cereal Boxes

Here are the images of the two awesome dies that I’ve been working with for this sneak peek. They are: S4-225 Holiday Cheer (MSRP $19.99) and S7-015 Grand 12″ Holiday Lights Border (MSRP $24.99).

Rules

Any participant wishing to be included in the daily drawing for the Spellbinders CHA  Blog Frenzy give-away must adhere to all of the following rules. We are happy to welcome US and international blog guests for this Frenzy.

To enter each drawing on sneak peeks between July 9 and July 22, visit the reveal blog and click on the contest link to reveal an e-mail window. In the subject line of the e-mail, enter the die template name being revealed. Each blog reveal will remain open for 48 hours. Only 1 entry per blog is allowed and participant must use the same email address daily to be considered for grand prize entry, no exceptions. Please consider whether you will have access to the same e-mail address from July 9th  through July 22nd  and plan accordingly.

Spellbinders Design Team members and employees are not eligible for drawings.

Any participant wishing to be automatically entered into the drawing for the CHA Blog Frenzy Grand Prize must enter all 14 blog reveals and follow all the above rules.

Please note:

*Spellbinders will only use email information to contact the winner.

*Spellbinders will not share this email address with any other parties.

*Spellbinders will not use this email information for advertisements or communications

other than to contact the winner.

*If you wish to be included in further communications from Spellbinders, please go to their homepage SpellbindersPaperArts.com and sign up for their newsletter.

Spellbinders CHA Blog Frenzy drawing

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

(If you use an e-mail client that does not work with this pop-up box, you may copy and paste this address to send your entry to:  ContestDay13@spellbinders.us

For more Spellbinders new product release information go to:   http://www.spellbinderspaperarts.com/new

If you have any questions regarding the contest, send an e-mail to: ContestQuestions@spellbinders.us

Thanks for stopping in today and good luck!

Jen

I Love 12″ Borders: Happy Together Halloween Layout

I’m excited to share with you a scrapbook layout that I created for a page call a couple of months ago. It didn’t get accepted, but that means now I can share it with you and show you how much I’ve been loving 12″ borderabilities, along with using 12″ stickers and ribbon to break up a layout.

I hope you’ll forgive me for bringing Halloween into your lives a bit early this year. For this layout, I printed the journaling straight onto the round paper. I used my wide format printer for that, taped the patterned circle paper onto another 12×12 sheet of paper and ran it through. This is a great way to add journaling to shaped items or any patterned paper.

I’d like to note that when using large border dies from any company, the Grand Cut Mat Kit is really nice to have, but it’s not necessary! Early next week, check back here soon for a video containing instructions on using the 12″ borders with your regular sized plates.

Supplies

Patterned Paper: Robin’s Nest, Crate Paper; Letter stickers: Me and My Big Ideas; Pumpkin Embellishment, bracket sticker: Crafty Secrets; 12″ Sticker: Cosmo Cricket; Dew Drops: Robin’s Nest; Glue Dots; Epoxy Stickers, rub ons: Crate Paper; Classic Lace Border Die, Labels One, Assorted Leaves: Spellbinders;

Forgotten Friday: My Very First Spellbinders Projects

In preparation for the CHA Spellbinders Blog Frenzy, Margie asked me what the first project I ever created with the Wizard was. That took me on a fun little stroll down memory lane and through my digital files. Here’s the scoop on how it began…

I started papercrafting when my son Isaac was born over six years ago. At the time we lived in Cleveland and many of my friends were scrapbookers. I attended church with Becky Higgins, and while we were not close friends, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how much she really inspired my taking up the hobby. It was her baby article in the May 2003 issue of Creating Keepsakes that sealed the deal for me. I saw the issue while in the pediatrician’s office and would not have picked it up to read if I hadn’t recognized her on the cover from church. After reading the article, I really wanted a scrapbook like hers for my baby.

Becky’s fabulously clean style wasn’t quite what came out of me from the start. I began to find myself scouring magazines and websites to learn new and innovative techniques. I especially gravitated toward stamping and the newly popular “grunge” look. Scrapbooking quickly became a creative outlet for me that I hadn’t experienced before. I’m still fully dedicated to preserving memories, but I wholly embrace the art of it all. (Hence the name Preservation Arts!)

In my thorough cover-to-cover examination of the February or March 2004 (I think!) issue of Creating Keepsakes, I ran across a small half-page ad about a “Universal Die-Cutting & Embossing System” called the Wizard. I was intrigued by the idea and did not yet have a die-cutter. Hand cut titles were very popular at the time and I was interested in ways to cut letters that didn’t involve an x-acto knife.

I emailed Stacey to find out more information and found out that her little office was just a few miles down the freeway from where we lived. It was so fun and exciting to see Stacey demonstrate her invention to me. I was immediately enamoured with her and her machine. As soon as the machines and dies were ready (handmade by her husband Jeff), I purchased one of the very first ones and took it home with me.

The first dies I had were the original daisy die and the star and moon… the old ones that Jeff made out of aircraft aluminum. The first project I created was with shrink plastic and the spellbinders Totally Texture Sheets.

Not long after I met Stacey and got my Wizard, she asked me for help with several projects. I started playing with lots of different ways to use die-cuts and many wizard-specific techniques such as photo transfers, charm embossing and more.

I created the beach page shown here with one of Stacey’s photos to be featured on her first appearance on the PBS show Scrapbook Memories filmed in May, 2004.

That summer, I started traveling with Stacey and the two of us taught classes and gave demonstrations all over the country, including Camp Memory Makers, the Great American Scrapbook Convention, Creating Keepsakes Conventions, and more.

I served as officially as Spellbinders Education Director until August 2006 when I took time away to work with my mom and be with my family. I am absolutely loving being on the design team. I missed the creative challenges that being a part of Spellbinders brought to my life.

If you got this far, props to you for reading all this. Have a wonderful day!

Forgotten Friday: Happy 4th

Happy Independence Day everyone! This year the holiday will be low-key for us. House construction is keeping us very busy and pre-CHA projects are keeping me on my toes. I wish I had new art to share with you, but most of what I’m working on can’t be shared until later!

Here’s a Forgotten Friday layout of my son Isaac in Lincoln, Nebraska at a pancake breakfast held at our church meeting house. This was a layout that was commissioned by Fiskars. They’ve kept it up on their website for several years along with many of my other projects, although for some reason they haven’t ever put my name on the projects. (Maybe that’s a rant for another day!) If interested, project instructions can be found here.

Have a wonderful holiday! Thanks for stopping in!

Simple Circles: 1st Day of Preschool & the new Eyelet Pendant from Spellbinders

Sometimes all you need is a few well-placed circles. It’s the shape I always come back to when struggling to put a design together. This page is a great example of how circles can pull it all together. The best thing about this is that the design is quick and simple.

I used the Spellbinders nested circles to cut the photo and the border around it. It’s such a great configuration that after creating the page, I used the same general concept to create a card, although I kept the design even simpler.

Click here for the full post…

Welcome: Five Things You’ll Find Here

Hello All!

Welcome to all of you visiting via the Spellbinders Blog Frenzy! You’ve found Preservation Arts, my scrapbooking and craft blog. My name is Jennifer Davis and I’ve been blessed to have been chosen as part of the Blog Frenzy (watch for my reveal on the very last day of the frenzy!), and I can see from the number of hits I’ve gotten in the past two days that many of you are already visiting my site. I’m thrilled to have new visitors and I hope that you’ll decide to subscribe to my RSS feed or visit back frequently. I am passionate about crafting and use a wide variety of techniques and products. Here are five things you might find interesting here:

1. Tips & techniques with tutorials (including video!). I’m currently working out the best way for me to share videos and techniques. Check back often for fresh new stuff! Tutorials will include digital, paper and hybrid craft techniques, as well as info on crafty-tech stuff like digital photography, printers, software, etc.
2. Inspiration in the form of projects and samples featuring my favorite products: Spellbinders, Cosmo Cricket, Copic, Clearsnap, 7 Gypsies and more! Here are a couple of posts to give you a taste: For Love of Food, Just a Note, Where Does the Time Go?
3. Simple, accessible cards and scrapbook pages: I live a busy life, and sometimes I just want to get a project done! When I’m scrapbooking and making cards for my own use, they are often something I can put together quickly and easily. A few examples: Delight, My Dad Rocks, Just 3   
   

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Forgotten Friday: Remembering Cleveland

Last Friday, I was absolutely swamped in house painting chaos and I’m not sure I even really noticed that it was Friday. Obviously I didn’t make a Forgotten Friday post.

So this week, I’m sharing two layouts about Cleveland. After graduating from college, three months before Adam was to start his PhD program at Case Western Reserve University, we high-tailed it out of Utah and drove our tiny U-haul truck and our two cats to Cleveland without a home or job waiting for us. We were a little bit crazy, with just a tad of newlywed stupidity, but we were full of excitement and faith. We found a place to live on Daleford Road, in Shaker Heights, Ohio and I began teaching 9th grade science at SHHS the same fall that Adam began his grad program.

Adam and I both loved living in Cleveland, and we would have stayed there if the opportunity had arisen. (Amazingly, we feel that way about many of the places we’ve lived.) I loved the suburb of Shaker Heights and I greatly appreciate the life lessons I learned while teaching high school there. We had a blast exploring Cleveland’s culinary offerings and every day we miss the wonderful food we experienced.

Both of these layouts were created shortly after we left Cleveland. While I was happy that Adam and I were both done with grad school, I missed our home, friends and my job. The first layout was published in Scrapbooking & Beyond magazine in December of 2005. The second is one I’ve never really shared before. Through creating these, I was able to come to terms with my “homesickness” and move on and appreciate living in Lincoln.

Enjoy these two “Forgotten Friday” layouts and scrapbook your home or city sometime soon!

Check back soon for another quick and easy Father’s Day Card idea!