Crafting Jewish Style June Guest Designer!! Keshet Shenkar!

This month, the talented Keshet Shenkar was our Guest Designer. Her use of white space and her whimsical titles are not only inspiring but just plain fun! Let's take a few minutes to get to know her better!

Lisa-Hi, Keshet! Please tell us something about yourself:


-Keshet-My name is Keshet, I'm 24 years old, and I live in Elizabeth, NJ with my wonderful husband, Steve, who is very funny and smart and makes an awesome chili in under ten minutes. I am currently studying for the bar by day and scrapbooking by night, an interesting combination! For more about my (rather ordinary) life, check out my blog, Over the Rainbow www.overtherainbow-keshet.blogspot.com. In the meantime, I'll leave you with a few fun facts about me:

--I used to live in Hawaii.
--I have really green eyes.
--I didn't know how to boil pasta until I was 19 (but now I'm really into baking from scratch--go figure!)


Lisa-How did you get started in scrapbooking?
Keshet-It's a funny story, actually! My father is a business professor who consults for companies sometimes, and he consulted with a scrapbooking company when I was around 16 years old. The company gave him a bag of free product, which he promptly stuck in the basement. I came across the bag one day and the rest is history! I haven't stopped for 10 years now!

Lisa-Where do you go for scrappy inspiration?

Keshet-Everywhere--scrapbooking blogs and online galleries, photography and decor sites, Anthropologie and Pottery Barn, stationary stores...there are so many options!


Lisa-If you were stuck on a desert island, what 5 scrappy things couldn't you live without and why?

Keshet-1. My paper trimmer. Can't scrap without it!
2. Border punches. A new obsession during the past year, but I can't scrap without them now.
3. Label stickers. I finally started organizing them all together because I love them so much!
4. Anything fabric. I think it's such a fun cool trend!
5. Spray mist. It's like painting for the lazy:)


I hope you enjoyed getting to know Keshet a little better...here is her fabulous work for the month...ENJOY!!

Crafting Jewish Style Scrapbooking Reader's Submission

Just wanted to share with you some lovely submissions from our readers. I love the way the CJ Style products inspire everyone in different ways.
Baby boy card: Maya Oren-Dahan

Baby door hanger: Maya Oren-Dahan

Notice all the details Maya included on this door hanger-check out the borders that she punched from the Hannukah papers and the distressed Pass the Present paper makes f or a lovely background and clouds. The crystal stars really highlight the picture.

Crafting Jewish Style Background Color Tip for Your Layouts

Hi everyone! Today I'm here to share a tip about color. Everyone has a favorite color and favorite color combos to work with but sometimes it's nice to get out of your "comfort zone." One way you can do this is to try changing the background color of your pages. Different colors evoke different feelings and give a page a different mood. I scrapped this page using a kraft background:

In order to see what the page would look like with different background colors, I scanned the layout into PhotoShop and then used the magic wand tool (to select the areas to change), the eyedropper tool (to pick up a new color), and the paint bucket (to add the new background to the page).

First, I tried black. Using a black background can really help your photos and other elements "pop":



Take a look at how the feel of the page changes with a blue background:



What do you think of the green?:



Lastly, let's look at a yellow background. The yellow adds a warm, homey feel to the page:



So, as you can see, each color evokes a different feeling. Take some time to experiment on your next page to see which colors work best for you. It's a completely personal opinion. :)

Crafting Jewish Style Contest and Giveaway!!!

We're so excited to announce our first ever contest and giveaway on the Crafting Jewish Style Blog! Yep, our blog is coming long with some awesome posts, layouts, cards and crafts from our super design team and contributors. To herald the beginning of summer we are hosting a giveaway of one Crafting Jewish Style 12x12 kit, of your choice, plus a bunch of other crafting goodies. All you need to do is leave a comment on our site, before June 30th, to have a chance of winning.

We'd love to hear feedback from you about our products and designs, as well as, what you're interested in seeing in our upcoming new product line. Up your chance of winning by becoming a follower of our site, and/or linking our site to yours.

In addition, you can win a prize by sending us a sample of your layouts and/or other papercrafts that utilize our products-we will post them on the site and our designers will pick a winner from their favorites!

We can't wait to hear from you! :)

Teacher Thank You Gifts

I love the thank you cards that Rachel M. posted below. Here's a gift idea to send along with the cards to the kids' teachers. It is a pretty and thoughtful gift and very inexpensive-perfect if you have many teachers and teachers' assistants on your gift giving list.
I bought small pots of thyme at my local hardware/garden center (think Home Depot or Lowes) and wrapped the pots in tissue paper and cellophane. I tied raffia, in a bow, around the center. (For a more organic look you can wrap the pots in burlap.)For each pot, I took a scrapbooking tag and wrote on it: Thank you for all the "thyme" you spent teaching _________ this year. I glued the tag to a colored pop stick and placed it in the pot.

Voila! A cute and easy gift with a personal touch to it.

Teacher Cards

With the school year coming to a close, I like to give a special thank-you to all of the teachers who made a difference in our lives during the year. Here's a thank you card that I made for one of my son's teachers. The cheerful Hanukkah papers are perfect for the younger teachers.

Since he is in a private kindergarten, we are allowed to give gifts to the teachers. I made a fold inside the card to hold a gift card. I trimmed it with a sticker from the same collection to match the front of the card.

Teachers have told me that they find the end of the year bittersweet saying good-bye to the children that they've come to know. A photo card is a good way to help them remember something special.

The photo in this card may look like a child eating a muffin, but it is actually a gluten-free, sesame-free, nut-free, kosher, chocolate chip muffin. The principal of the kindergarten went through a lot of trouble to find a treat that my food-challenged son could enjoy at the end of year breakfast. She has gone out of the way to make our lives easier all year, so I thought a photo card would be the perfect way to show her our appreciation. I used the Rosh Hashana collection for this card and colored a plain flower to match the background paper.

Summer is in the air

I just love the summer and since I live in Holland, I love it even more. It isn't too long and mostly not that warm, but when the sun is out and it is getting hot, we try to make the most out of it. I enjoy outdoor activities, especially when it involves lots of water, and as you can see, so do my kids :)
I made two layouts capturing those fun moments. One is 8.5X11 and one 12X12.
I combined the Hannukah line with the Rosh Hashanah line together and created a mixture of summery colors.

enjoy your summer,
Nili:)

Crafting Jewish Style available @ scrapbook.com!

So exciting to see all of our lines available on scrapbook.com! Check it out and leave a comment and/or review!

Go to www.scrapbook.com to see all the collections!