Chatterbox
Journaling Genie
By Helen Naylor

I am a creature of habit.  I have my own way of doing things.  And it’s hard for me to change my ways.  But last year I became a changed woman.  I saw the light – the Chatterbox light!  And things have not been the same since!

Journaling Genies.  One of the best aides to the scrapbooker I can think of. The #1 and #3 are absolute must haves.  I use mine constantly.  If you place it on the spot you have left beside a picture on your page, it allows you to pencil in a line to use for journaling, creating an evenly spaced guide.  I lightly pencil in the words I want to write, write over again in pen, and then you erase the penciled lines and lettering.  (Use a soft lead pencil, don’t press really hard and then erase with a white polymer eraser, NEVER with the eraser at the end of your pencil.  And you will need to test your pen before you write on your page to make sure that it is a quick drying ink and won’t smudge.  Sometimes just letting it dry for a minute or two will work.  You will need to watch out for papers with a slick surface!)  I almost always pencil in the lettering first, and if I don’t, I regret it.

The other thing I use Genies for is a basic shape template.  You can use them over and over to make different things.  I love the Little Boys one and use it frequently.  Sometimes you can add other products to complete your project, like punches, stickers, etc., but mostly just embellish with cut down components of itself.

Once you get used to the first Genies you buy, you can venture out and experiment with the others.  There are 14 Journaling Genies at present, with 14 more being introduced at HIA in Anaheim at the end of January.  Hurray!

Chatterbox has other products that are wonderful.  Does your journaling lack interest?  Do you find your brain is mush and you can’t come up with one cute saying to use in your scrapbook?  Try The Scrapbookers Best Friend, Vol. 1-3.  They are little books filled with quotes on all sorts of subjects.  There is one called Instant Interviews.  That is a great one if you are looking for subjects to ask questions of the person you are journaling about.  The books will inspire you!

Chatterbox has other products that we will review at another time, especially since we are still anticipating the HIA show.  We’ll keep you posted!

Suggested Retail Price: Varies  
Available: Now

Supplies:

What do you do in the Summertime?

Instructions

Take a sheet of green cardstock, and tear an edge horizontally rippled across the page.  Mount on light blue.  Using the # , trace two puddles on medium blue, one sun on yellow and one white cloud.  Cut out.  I traced my lettering lines slightly different that on the template because I wanted my puddles going a different direction.  With a circle template, I made the sun’s face in pencil, and then pen stitched it, dotted the eyes and chalked the cheeks.  Mount the photos on white.   Assemble page.

Supplies:

• Cardstock (Paper Reflections)

• Journaling Genies #1 & #9 (Chatterbox)

• Pen (Zig Twin-Tip, EK Success)

Lick

Instructions

Cut 2 - 1" x 8 1/2" strips of black and white checkerboard, and 2 - 1 1/2" strips of black cardstock.  Mount 1/4" away from top and bottom edges.  Mount photos on black.  Using the #9 Journaling Genie, trace the dog on brown and cut out.  Trace collar on gray and cut out. Mount collar on dog's neck and then mount both on black and re-cut.  Cut out eyes, nose and tongue.  Add face.  Use the #1 Journaling Genie to mark your journaling lines.

Supplies:

• Journaling Genie, Funky (Chatterbox)

• Die cut (Ellison)

• Punch (Emagination Crafts)

• Vellum (Paper Reflections)

• Cardstock (Paper Reflections)

• White pen (Pentel Milky)

Make a wish on a wish blower

Instructions

Punch six snowflakes. Place two together and glue so the points do not overlap. Do this to create three dandelions. Punch one more snowflake and trim three points to create seeds. Dry emboss the edges of vellum die cut. Mount die cut and vellum dandelions. Cut 3 small green stems and add to dandelions. Trace in pencil the swirl and the small waves from journaling genie. In white, write words. Mount photos on vellum leaving very thin edge. Trim navy cardstock dozen 1/8" on all sides. Mount on green cardstock. Trace in pencil on bottom corner wavy lines. Journal in white. Mount photos.

Supplies:

• Cardstock (Paper Reflections)

• Journaling Genies #3 & #9 (Chatterbox)

• Circle punches (Marvy Uchida)

• Sun die cut, mountain die cut and lettering template (Pebbles in My Pocket)

• Patterned paper (Paper Patch)

• Memory Pencils and pens (EK Success)

• Chalks (Craf-T Products)

On The Road Again

Instructions

Tear a sheet of green horizontally (for rolling hills) and mount on blue.  Tuck brown mountain die cut (2 die cuts) with white caps, behind green.  Using the  #3 Journaling Genie, make road out of black.  Do a dashed line with a white opaque marker.  Using the #9 Journaling Genie, trace the truck on the paper, going the opposite way that you want the truck to go on your page.  (That way you don't have to erase any pencil lines.)  Cut a strip of craft corrugated paper for back of truck.  Using the dark gray, punch two jumbo circles for tires, and two black small circles for inside.  Punch one small white circle, and one smaller yellow circle for the headlight.  Mount title box on black and white checkerboard.  Use the #3 Journaling Genie for journaling.  Draw face on the sun, with a little red chalk for the cheeks.