Guest Designer, the talented Jennifer Beason

This month we have two wonderful Guest Designers. Each project is so different I love it! Jennifer is such a talent. I love visiting her blog and seeing all the altered projects she shows us. Too much fun! Read on to learn a bit more about her and you can also check out her tutorial for a stunning wreath project.

Hello everyone, my name is Jennifer Beason. I live in beautiful Florida with my wonderful husband and three kids, Demetrius 17, Jaiden 4 and Jacob 2 1/2.

I'm so excited to be a guest designer for "Say It With Letters" this month as I have been a big fan for a while now. I have been paper crafting for about four years, and love all aspects of it, from scrapbooking and card making, to altering any and everything. I also love to draw and often get to use my designs in my cards and layouts. I have been blessed by being on various design teams and published in magazines such as BHG Holiday Crafts, Cards and Paper Trends.

A little Holiday Magic Wreath

Products used:
· Say It With Letters
o Wreath cut out
· Outline Rubber Stamp Co.
o Large and small leaf stamps
· Basic Grey
o Patterned paper and cardstock
· Making Memories
o Paint
· Fancy Pants
o Circle (Holiday Magic) cut out
· Hobby Lobby
o Berry picks / spray, crackle medium, diamond glaze, wood stars, ribbon and glitter.

Instructions:

I. Apply a coat of green paint to the wreath. The ribbon section of the wreath was also painted on the sides and then covered with some matching cardstock.

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II. Next coat the top section of the wreath with some crackle medium. When the medium is dry apply a top coat of contrasting paint to get a crackled effect.

III. To create the leaves, use both the large and small stamps to stamp the imprint on the back of the cardstock and patterned paper. Cut the leaves out, then scrunch and fold them to give a more realistic look.

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IV. Using a glue gun, glue the leaves around the wreath, leaving the crackled paint area clear.

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V. Form a bow with some ribbon, then take a spray of berries and push in to the knot of the ribbon. Use some glue to secure the spray and ribbon together and then glue the “Holiday Magic” cut out to the center of the bow. Glue the finished bow to the wreath.

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VI. Embellish the wreath with some wood stars that have been painted, covered with some diamond glaze and glitter. Then take another small spray of berries and cut a few of the stems. Apply glue and then tuck the stems under the leaves so the berries poke out amoung the leaves.

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Optional step:
For a more personalized look.
VII. .Use your computer software to crop your photo into a circle, approximately 3 ¾”. (I also blurred the edges and muted the color slightly to give a more old fashioned feel to my photograph.) Print out your photo and glue it to the back of the wreath.

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Thanks Jennifer for the inspiration and playing with us this month! :) Check out Jen's blog for some lots of fun projects.