Tuesday Tutorials : Jennifer McGuire
Welcome to the first edition of a new weekly series: Tuesday Tutorials.
One of my favorite parts of scrapbooking, and life in general, is learning new things. My goal with Tuesday Tutorials is to develop an archive of fantastic how-to posts from a variety of different people interested in the pursuit of documenting life & making stuff along the way. I hope these posts will challenge the way in which you approach this hobby by encouraging you to stretch beyond your comfort zone and try something new. Consider me the curator.
This week I welcome Jennifer McGuire as my guest (read her bio at the end of this post). She has put together a great video that will walk you through seven different techniques on three layouts. I also love her whole approach with these pages: simple, repeated design with room to play (and a moment captured). I am definitely feeling inspired after watching this video. Thank you Jennifer!
Jennifer : I’ll be straight here - I am not great at design, journaling or "telling my story." And since I'm not good at it, I don't fully enjoy it. What I do enjoy is new techniques, favorite photos and using products creatively. To me, these make up the playful side of creating – where the true joy of the hobby exists. Because of this I decided to start focusing on creating in this playful way.
I recently started an album using favorite photos and funny one-liners from my 3-year-old son (he is famous for these). To keep it simple the basic design of the pages is the same throughout, with designated areas on each page to try new techniques. Each layout has a large quote - allowing me to use up some letter stickers and rub-ons - and favorite products used in a creative way. For me, this is perfect: I get to play with product and capture some playful moments. That is what I love.
By the way, I do put all my other memories in a plain scrapbook with nothing but photos and journaling on black paper. This has allowed me to release the pressures of traditional scrapbooking and enjoy it again.
I asked Jennifer if she could show me what these albums look like and she graciously obliged. Check out her blog today for more information on how she puts these albums together.
Here's a closer look at the layouts Jennifer creates in the above video:
Techniques : Layered Stamp Resist, Inked Die Cut Background, Enhancing Patterned Paper With Stamping, Punched Circle Window
"Virgin Gorda" by Jennifer McGuire :
Hero Arts stamps (woodgrain), Doodlebug and American Crafts letter stickers, Crate
Paper paper, the Silhouette, Distress Inks, Versamark, Ranger Clear
Embossing Powder, EK Success circle punch, Papertrey Ink Twine, Hero
Arts black gems, Corner Chomper, sewing machine.
Techniques : Peeled Resist Canvas, Watered Distress Ink
"Flirting" by Jennifer McGuire : Hero Arts stamp, Making Memories and Doodlebug
letter stickers, the Silhouette, Distress Inks and Embossing Ink,
Ranger Clear Embossing Powder, K&Company and Cosmo Cricket paper,
Claudine Hellmuth Sticky Canvas and paints, Stampin’ Up heart punch, EK
Success circle punch, Papertrey Ink Twine, Hero Arts black gems, Corner
Chomper, sewing machine.
Technique : Faux Embossed Leather
"OK" by Jennifer McGuire : American Crafts letter stickers, Quickutz embossing
folder, Basic Grey, Sassafrass and Cosmo Cricket paper, Distress Inks,
Paper Studio butterfly punch, EK Success circle punch, Papertrey Ink
Twine, Hero Arts pearls, Corner Chomper, sewing machine, the Revolution.
If you like the techniques
shown on these projects, be sure to check out Jennifer's upcoming 9 week
Thinking Inking class starting June 15 at twopeasinabucket.com.
Each week will have three technique videos (27 in total!), showing
numerous techniques using Hero Arts and Ranger products. For more
information and links, visit jennifermcguireink.com.
Jennifer McGuire has been scrapbooking, cardmaking and stamping for 6 years. In this time, she has been published in many idea books and magazines. Currently, her work can be seen each month in Creating Keepsakes, where her article shows the many things you can do with one tool or product. Jennifer also loves working as a designer for Hero Arts Rubber Stamps, contributing to their designs, catalogs, website and blog. She most enjoys teaching. After cutting back on travel, she now gets her “teaching-fix” via how-to videos on her blog, jennifermcguireink.com. She also enjoys contributing to Two Peas in a Bucket.
Jennifer lives in Cincinnati working as a crafter and stay-at-home mom. Almost 6 years ago, Jennifer left her job as an engineer in order to scrapbook full-time. Her family includes her dear husband, Ken, step-daughters, Kay (14) and Audrey (11), and new son, Colin (3).
Do you have a step by step project or creative tutorial you would like to see featured here?
To be considered email your completed project, including the how-to text, to ali at aliedwardsdesign dot com. If your project is chosen you will be paid for your creative time & effort. Please include Tuesday Tutorials in the subject line.
Wondering what happened to Three Things? Look for it to appear again from time to time on Thursdays.
Great video..i haven't had much time recently to work on things..your blog and this video has given me the bug again..making me rethink how i want to do things..thanks again for sharing your talent..life with all of us..you are an inspiration.
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If my life hadnt been worth living for up until now, it is worth living from the point where jenny taught me that fabulous resist technique.
Thank you so so much.
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Hey Susan - appreciate the feedback.
My goal with the tutorials is to bring in a variety of styles - from simple to complex. Some will be about "telling the story" with words, others with photos, and still others through techniques (some complicated and some simple).
Jennifer's pages shown here definitely tell a story, her design is consistent (which is a great simple lesson), and her passion is play. There are so many different ways a story can be told (and I would put forward that part of the story Jennifer is telling to future generations is that she enjoyed the process of creative play).
Give it a chance :).
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I love the idea of making a "one liner" album. What a great way of recording what a child is really like when they are little. Gonna start now.
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What a treat -- two of my favorite people teaching us how to do new things. Thanks, love!
Lisa
XXX
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Hey Ali...LOVE the new feature! Jennifer is one of my favs and I regularly check her blog & hero's. So happy to see her on your blog also. Can't wait for more. :-)
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Love the tutorial ideas. I love Jennifers' blog and your blog it's nice to see them come together. This was a really great idea you had. Always keep things fresh and exciting! Thanks again!
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Love the new series, and Jennifer's works is just delightful!
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I think you've struck gold Ali. I just love this and loved everything about Jennifer's approach to scrapbooking. She tells the story well, adds such great detail while making it look simple with good lines. I'm starting a "Tuesdays with Ali" journal. A new reason to love Tuesday...thanks so much. Mac
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What wonderful techniques!!! Thank you so much for the inspiration and for introducing us to Jennifer.
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thanks ali :) jennifer amazes me everytime!
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This is just perfect!!! You couldn't have had a better first guess!!! I love Jennifer!!!!
Thank You so much for these new series.
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Ali
Thanks so much for having Jennifer on your blog! She is just an amazing person. Her style of scrapping is so cool and refreshing.
Again, many thanks.
Sandi N.
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Great video :-)
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Love that new series! And especially seeing the simple pages. My husband claims my pages have become not so "special", but I am really just simplifying and I try to get it DONE. Who cares about a layout that needs HOURS to finish in twenty years???
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Thank you, Ali and Jen. Loved the tutorials! Jennifer's layouts are "simple", yet powerful. I love them.
Thanks for sharing.
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That was so much fun to watch! Thank you! I can't wait to get home (from work) to try out some of Jennifer's great techniques. And I thought I was going to give scrapbooking a bit of a rest over the summer. Looks like that may not happen after all.
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this is really cool. LOVE that video..
awesome.
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I'm quite willing to give it a chance, and I'm sorry if I made you feel defensive. I look forward to seeing the other tutorials.
I was just presenting a point of view...from someone who has become a believer in your typical approach to scrapbooking...telling the story in your own words.
Jennifer is obviously a talented artist who enjoys creative play. Perhaps she views her pages as more of an creative art journal. They are certainly lovely.
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Thanks for this video - it's funny, but I'm the opposite of Jennifer! I love the design and journaling aspect of scrapbooking, but you won't see me do too many "techniques". I don't even know how to emboss and haven't done it yet because I don't want to do anything that requires too many steps. I'd rather focus my brain power on the journaling/photos. Funny how we all get something different from this hobby!
I love the circle window idea - that is definately something I will do in the future. I also loved her "practical" scrapbooks and "playful" scrapbooks idea - talk about no-pressure scrapbooking...something we all need! Perfect!
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Loved the tutorial! Great ideas - I can't wait to try them! I have the Sticky Back Canvas by Claudine Hellmuth and haven't used it yet. Now I am so ready to open the package and play!
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Wow! That was great. Thank you Ali and Jennifer. I can't believe I learned so much in 9 minutes.
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Loved the techniques and found the video so easy to watch and understand. Ali, this is a great idea to put
these up for everyone to learn new things, thanks so much.
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Awesome techniques.Love it.This is a first time I am seeing a sticky canvas,so great.I did some canvases layout before(being inspired by U ;)) ,but this is fantastic ,you can mix so many textures and materials.
TNX for sharing .
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Wow so many techniques in less than 10 minutes! Jennifer you rock.
Well done to think of sohteming like that
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