Tonight's the night!

I've built this up, and there really isn't too much to see yet. We will be adding to the site throughout the month (will debut the kits on the 15th). But at 12:00am tonight, www.jennibowlin.com will be launched!!!!

Just click on the link to the right.

You will see the links on the site to sign up for the Feb. 1st Newsletter. This is not a commitment to buy, but it will give you the first chance to purchase the kits, as supplies will be very limited this month.

Think that is it for now! We are on the road again today - headed slowly back to TN.

Happy New Year!

Things don't always work out as you plan . . .

Noah woke up Christmas morning not feeling well. We assumed it was all of the excitement, but realized (after two stops while on the road that day) that it was something worse. So, finally, after a few days of battling an upset stomach and fever, he is feeling much better.

So, needless to say, I have been neglectful of the kit hints!

Once I get back into town, I will post a few fun pictures, but for now here's a second hint:

What do SEI, American Crafts, Scenic Route, Heidi Swapp, Li'l Davis, Making Memories, Heidi Grace and 7gypsies have in common?? They will all be represented in Feb's papercrafting kit (plus a few more surprises).

Hope everyone is having a great Christmas! I have a wonderful story on the subject that I wanted to share before I go . . .

My sister-in-law's sister is an elementary school teacher in St. Mary's County, MD where I grew up. One of her students, who has experienced many trials already in his young life (and continues to) gave her three gifts for Christmas. She was surprised by the gesture because she knew that he did not have any money. The first gift was one of his blankets. The second was a 2-liter bottle top that was a "winner" for a free 2-liter (he saved it for her) and the third was a candy cane that she had given him the week before.

All I have done for the past several days is wonder how I could possibly teach my own children to be appreciative for what they have and to be generous and self-less in their giving. It is a hard task when all you want to do is give them the world and keep them free from hardship.

Happy Friday!

Merry Christmas!!!

and here's a little hint about February's project kit . . .

It's December 23rd and it's 50 degrees out. 57 tomorrow. So much for a white Christmas!

We took a trip last night to Opryland Hotel - one of our traditions (and one of most families in Nashville I would say). Beautiful lights and a classic nativity scene. Just spending time today finishing up some last minute gift wrapping and a quick run to Target.

I have spent the last couple of days planning the final pieces of the February kits and I'm SUPER excited. I'm going to be able to include a few vintage items I love in the Project kit - a few hints on this to come. . .

I've decided to try and start a countdown to January 1st (and the official opening of the site). On Sunday (yep, Christmas day) I will post the first hint. After that, I will fill in a few more blanks to get us to Jan. 1st. While you will get to see parts of the site at this point, the majority of the photos and content will not come until the middle/end of the month. You will, however, be able to sign up for the e-mail blast on Feb. 1st that will give you the first opportunity to sign up for the Feb. kits. This is important in that the kit for this month is limited (in that we are having to guess at our order numbers) and cannot be re-stocked. I will be sure to keep you posted about everything. Thanks so much for all of the inquires!!!

Wish me luck at fighting the crowds at Target - here I go!!!

(p.s.- deanna, I was going to answer the "tag" questions, but I couldn't find them when I clicked on your name)??

Have you ever been aware of the exact moment that you caught a cold?? Today I was in a conference call and sneezed, twice in a row. It was about 12:35 p.m. It all went downhill from there . . .

Noah is wanting to have "family movie night" so I think I will cuddle up on the couch and watch "National Treasure" once again with him. But first, a few random thoughts . . .

-I am so enjoying this blog thing! I love seeing posts from around the world - how amazing is that! And of course seeing notes from so many of my friends around the corner and around the country.

-Send some good cooking vibes my way tomorrow. I went to the grocery store today and spent $73 on ingredients to make green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, corn casserole, strawberry jello salad and of course, a turkey. In 10 years of marriage, I haven't personally made any of it. (don't worry, I also picked up a meat thermometer)

-I have been tagged!! I will try and get to that tomorrow.

-and finally, here's a little hint about the Feb. papercrafting kit. This was a super simple layout I did for class support last month. The frame was made with something I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE and it is included in Feb's kit. Notice the really subtle sparkle . . .

Thankful. . .

- for Amber and Josh, who watch my kids every once and a while so that my husband and I can have a night out (somewhere other than "Kid-Donalds", as Christian calls it)

- for the realization that we are not expensive-restaurant-type people. We have tried it plenty of times but always wish we just went to Longhorn.

- for my 1998 Toyota 4-Runner that my husband spent hours cleaning yesterday. It still looks brand new when its cleaned up.

- for the opportunity to hear Handel's Messiah performed by the Nashville Symphony.

- for the fact that my 1998 4-Runner is bought and paid for, and thus we can afford to go to an expensive restaurant and the symphony.

- for the beautiful baby girl who sits in front of us at church every Sunday and reminds me that I may still want to adopt someday.

- for the great dad by husband is. He spent most of the afternoon hanging a tire swing in the backyard, and then proceeded to cater to the line of neighborhood boys who wanted a ride (where did they all come from)??

- for the fact that we actually have a back yard filled with trees, and not another house.

- for Palmas Verdes, who always has a great coupon and where we spend many of our Sunday night dinners.

How was your weekend?

Thank you, thank you, thank you! You just never know when you have an idea if it is really something other people will think is good, you know? At least now I know that 30 people think its cool and that's good for me! ha!

Here are a few quick answers . . .

-yes, we will ship internationally (and I have a feeling that I will be visiting Australia in the near future!)

-the link to the "Studio" at the right will not be functional until the beginning of the new year. The domain name has been confirmed (which is why it takes you to that weird page). I will do some type of fun countdown on the blog (with some sneak peaks of Feb.'s stuff) as we get closer.

-you won't be able to sign up for the e-mail (that will let you know to sign up for Feb's kits) until the website is up in January.

I'm sure more of them will come up when the website is active, and I'm more than happy to answer them here!

It is a really yucky day here - cold and rainy. My studio is quite cozy though, and I have been sitting here listening to "The Blenders" holiday best album, reminiscing about my weekend trip to Chicago last year. I'm dying to go back, but its just not in the cards this year. We saw these guys live at the Apple store, across from Crate and barrel and they have such a cool sound. Just making me happy today! These photos make me happy too - I took them in my new favorite "light" spot in the house Sunday. I bought the boys these Tommy sets on clearance last year at Dillards. I buy my little one ANYTHING that's blue!

Okay - so here it is. The big announcement. Why does it seem that when you drag something out like this, it just doesn't appear to be as "big" anymore??? Maybe it really won't be that exciting to anybody else but me (ha)! - and ya know why it is exciting for me? Because it is something that is all my own and it combines all of the things I love most about this industry -coordinating products, designing projects and sharing ideas with others.

So, Jenni Bowlin Studio will offer a monthly papercrafting kit (available on subscription), a monthly project kit, an exclusive gallery and on-line classes (this part coming summer 06')

Here is a little more information (straight from the website spec.):

Everyone loves the ease of a kit club. Each month, a kit comes straight to your doorstep (gas isn't cheap, you know!) with completely coordinated products and on-line ideas waiting at your fingertips. It can't get any better than that, or could it? . . .

I really wanted to create something different with this club. In my three plus years of traveling the country to teach, I have learned that scrapbookers crave the new and the unique. You want trendy, coordinated products. My theory, however, is this: if you wanted it all from the same company and line, why not just run down to the store and buy it off of the display, right? So in that spirit, here's how my kits are different:

- the products in your monthly kit will be perfectly coordinated, but they won't all come from the same manufacturer. In fact, they may not come from a manufacturer at all! Look for the scrapbook companies you love, as well as stationary and craft items, rubber stamps, vintage trinkets and trims, and other surprises to be included in each kit.
- look for fun themes based on colors and patterns or whatever else my crazy mind thinks of at 3 a.m.! Some of our upcoming kit themes include Mint Chocolate Chip (yum!) and Super Star.
- ever just want 1 of something that is pre-packaged to include much more than you need? My kits will come with lots of individual pieces. For example, instead of receiving a package of 10 red flowers, you will get 2 each, of 5 different colors. More variety of fun things to experiment with. Now thats cool.
- and finally, if you have had the opportunity to take a class from me, you know that I prefer to send you home with not only a project, but also an outline full of techniques with loads of page examples. This is what you will find in the Monthly Inspiration Gallery that coordinates with your kit - page and project samples, as well as technique and journaling jumpstarts.

The project kits are separate from the papercrafting kit. There will be one each month. You get all of the pieces to complete the specific project with a full color instruction sheet. These will not be offered on a subscription basis as they could vary greatly in price from month to month.

The website will be up by January 2. (see link to right). Although the first month's kits will be up to view, you will not be able to sign up until Feb. 1. However, the site will give you an option to sign up for an e-mail that will be sent out on Feb. 1st -this will give you first priority to sign up (as we are having to guess at how many kits to purchase for this first month). Hopefully that makes sense!

Now about Li'l Davis . . . as most of you know, I have served as Creative Director for the past three years and am so grateful for the experiences and people that this job has led me to. I'm happy to say that I will still be working with the company in the new year as a consultant (still working on product development, etc.), but I am resigning the title and most responsibilities so that I can pursue the website. We have added some awesome people to our team (I bet you don't know Faye Morrow Bell!) and I know it will be a great year all around!

I probably left off something REALLY important, so if you have any questions at all, just leave me a comment and I will try to answer them tomorrow! Thanks so much for everyone who has stopped by and said such nice things - I am really having fun with this blog thing! Who knew?

Oh, and here is the photo for Tracie (can I really have anymore "words" around the house)??? My husband was so mad that I didn't get "Merry Christmas" so I politely explained that those only came in red velvet! Then I accidentally purchased Christmas cards that said "Happy Holidays", so I had to write Merry Christmas on all of them!

someone asked where I got the stars (my addiction!) - they came from a little gift shop in Ohio

It's Christmas at my Studio (and all through the house)!

Just thought I would try to share a few Christmas decoration photos! I go crazy every year with decorating. My oldest brother used to have a tinsel tree set up in his room when I was really young (you know, the one's that had the color reflecting wheel with it) and this little one I found at Hobby Lobby reminded me of him! I put some old ornaments that my mom gave me (and that I have collected) on it along with a few that I made with some favorite Christmas photos. I went nuts with the Rachel Ashwell stuff at Target (all of the words and the feather trees). Even bought a bunch of the reproduction cardboard house ornaments from Martha Stewart and put them all around the house with bottle brush trees. The "love" metal letters came from Walmart - can you believe it!!

I promise I will figure out the album thing (too many photos I know). Okay, more tomorrow. Thanks so much to everyone for all the nice comments, particularly on the photo. And if you think that I am always this lucky (to get a good photo) check out the 2003 HOF book, or anything else CK published with that photo for the two years after that!!! You will have a nice laugh.

AND . . . here is one more photo for my obnoxious brother who's comment I deleted. (He's the one with the devilish grin)

AND, just in case you thought I led a glamorous life, my littlest one is sitting on the potty upstairs yelling "mommy, please come and wipe me"!. Now I must go and uphold my motherly duties.

More to come tomorrow on the "Studio" - I promise!!!

I really can't believe it (those who know me won't either)! - I finally got with this century and started a blog! I wish I could say that I did it all by myself, but Ms. Tracie Claiborne came over the other night and held my hand. Somehow I managed to get through this post AND add a picture - a great accomplishment let me tell ya!

More to come in the next couple of days - more links , photos I have been promising friends and family I would post, etc.

Oh, and so what is Jenni Bowlin Studio??? I promise to share more details on that soon too. I am so excited- something that is all my own! But for now, here is a little hint above (the photo was taken for the home page of the website). And just in case you were wondering, I am still working with Li'l Davis, but more information on that soon as well (promise)!