Friday, January 28, 2011

december 2010 and a new ella ebook!


My last Month-in-Reveiw for 2010. All of the layouts I've shown you starting with May through December are on sale now at Green Tangerines for only $10 each. As many of you know, the store was closed March through September, so they are just now going on sale--our attempt at keeping the people happy that had already purchased January-April before the store unexpectedly had to close. You don't have to use these layouts for a Month-in-Review concept though--you can use them for anything and add whatever title you wish. Just call the store at 916.771.8010 and they will set one aside for you--you can even have them shipped!

I hope this little tour of 2010 has inspired you to record your "random" memories--beyond the events, the holidays, the birthdays. What happens in your life everyday? I'll be doing the Month-in-Review kits for Green Tangerines Kit Club again for 2011. Stay tuned each month and I hope you'll join me! Be sure and check out Project 12 if you'd like to follow along with their sketches each month.

Today I am jumping on a plane for L.A. and CHA!! I am so excited! It's also my 35th birthday on Saturday . . . what a treat to look at pretty paper all day! I'll be sure and take lots of pictures which I'll be sharing here and on the ELLA blog. Speaking of Ella . . . have you seen this new ebook?

One of the perks of being an Ella Friend is that we get a copy just before they are released. I loved looking through this book at the "out of the box" ideas they came up with. It's filled with challenges, questions, non-traditional color ideas for holidays and more. Be sure and check it out!

I'm off to catch a plane! Have a great weekend!

Thursday, January 27, 2011

november 2010



Are you tired of my Project 12 posts yet? Tomorrow will be the last one! And then I'll start with showing them shortly after the end of each month. I used Cosmo Cricket for this layout--I love this line! I can't wait to see what new things they have in store at CHA! Happy Thursday!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

october 2010


This one was a fun one to do. It was such a great month! My parents were here for two weeks of grandparents fun! I can't wait till they can visit again. I used the Project 12 sketch again this month for this layout.

In other news, I came home from running a few errands this past weekend to this . . .

My girls had found some Christmas paper (yes, it is still not put away) and said they had an early birthday present for me. I was so excited! I love when kids wrap presents and put so much effort into it . . . they wrapped it three layers deep. Anyway, inside were my CAR KEYS!!! They had been missing for 6 weeks! I had been  using the spare key (with no remote) and missed all my little cards (library, Rite Aid, etc.) I shouted with glee! It's the little things in life that sometimes seem like a really big deal when they go missing. By the way, I had put them in the top of the stroller when we went on a walk 6 weeks ago and somehow forgot they were there! My life is moving on now . . .

Happy Wednesday!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

heritage designer's challenge week 2


It's week 2 of the Heritage Challenge I am hosting at Green Tangerines! This week is all about growing up. What decade did you grow up in? I grew up in the 1980’s, the decade of side-ponytails, leg warmers, boom boxes and cassette tapes. Back then everyone walked or rode the bus to school, ate Velveeta cheese without guilt and played Rubik’s Cube for fun. Do you ever wonder what is was like growing up before electricity was invented, before it was socially acceptable for women to wear jeans or when you had to actually milk a cow to get your milk?

In the layout above I've documented some of my grandmother's memories--she was a twin. This is from an interview I did with her before she died. I am so glad I took the time to do this! If you want to play along, here are a few questions to get you started:

Document something about a relatives growing up years (or your own!)
  1. What is your earliest childhood memory?
  2. What kind of games did you play growing up? (jump rope, jacks, etc.)
  3. What was your favorite toy and why?
  4. What was your favorite thing to do for fun? (Movies, beach, etc.)
  5. Did you have family chores? What were they? Which was your least favorite?
  6. Do you remember any fads from your youth? (Hairstyles, clothing, etc.)
  7. Who were your childhood heroes?
  8. What world events had the most impact on you while growing up?
  9. How is the world today different from what is was like when you were a child?
  10. Who were your favorite actors, actresses, artists, etc?
I'd love to see YOUR layouts! Just post a comment to this post with a link to your blog and I will come visit! Have a great day!


Monday, January 24, 2011

september 2010



Crate Paper is one of my favorite companies . . . well, I have a lot of favorites! But I love this line that I used for September's Month-in-Review. I followed the Project 12 sketch for the month. This was an especially good month for me--Tim and I celebrated our 10-year anniversary and I was published in Creating Keepsakes and Scrapbook and Cards Today for the first time. 

This week I am working on a couple of deadlines and getting ready to fly to L.A. on Friday for CHA! For my non-scrappy friends, this is the twice a year tradeshow for all things scrapbook related. I'll be busy picking out product for Green Tangerines Kit Club. Can't wait to see all the new releases!

Hope you have a great Monday morning!

Friday, January 21, 2011

heritage designer's challenge

I am hosting a Heritage Designer's Challenge with Green Tangerines Scrapbook Store for the next 12 weeks. If you are local and want to participate with the product we give you each week, go here for all the details. If you are not local, but would love participating in the challenge, please do!

Each week I'll give you a topic to document with a few questions to get you started. I'd love to see your layouts! Post a link to your blog on my next week's heritage post.

This week, it's all about heirlooms.


My grandmother died a little over a year ago at the age of 92. Nine months before she died, she shared with me the story of this doll that her father gave to her for Christmas in 1926--it was the last present he gave her, as he died three months later. If you'd like to read the journaling, just double click on the image. I took this photo in my backyard on an overcast day (we've had a lot of those lately). I draped a sheet over a chair because I wanted the sole focus to be on the doll--no distractions. I kept my layout simple so that the story and doll could shine.

What heirloom have you been wanting to take the time to document? What are the details surrounding how you acquired this heirloom? What do you remember most about the person who passed this heirloom down to you?

Check back each week for another heritage layout. I'd love to see your heritage layouts! Feel free to link to your blog in the comments of the post.

Happy Friday!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

august 2010


My August Project 12. Gotta run! Have a great Thursday morning!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

ella and a card

Stop by the Ella blog today for my final post on versatile sketches. Twelve of us participated in showing you how many layouts you can do with one sketch. I included a card today that I made using my scraps from my January kit. I used the left hand side of the same sketch.


One of my friends may be getting this card for her birthday . . . I have ten friends with birthdays in January and February!

Monday, January 17, 2011

enabler alert!

I just found a GREAT DEAL today on SCRAPBOOKS, ETC. magazine! You can get a year subscription for only $5.99. You can buy up to four years--which I did because I've never seen it this low before. Here is the link:

Tanga deal on Scrapbooks, Etc.

Just enter the code: SCRAPBOOK when you check out . . . it really works!

july 2010





For this Project 12 layout, I put all of my photos on the left hand side on one 12x12 canvas and had it printed at Costco for $2.99. This saved me tons of time when putting my layout together. The fun paper and cardstock stickers are from Jillibean Soup.

Only five months left . . . be back soon!

Friday, January 14, 2011

two winners!

I've only had my new Mac computer for 2 weeks and can't figure out how to do a screen shot of random.org at the moment . . . so, you'll just have to trust me. The two random numbers are #3 and #7.

Staci and Niki!

Email me your addresses at johnstonhouse at gmail dot com and I will get your journaling cards in the mail to you! Thanks for your kind comments girls. Have a great weekend!

june 2010


This was another Project 12 sketch turned layout that I did for the store. We went all the way to Wisconsin Dells for my family reunion--a highlight of this month. To check out the waterpark layout I did of this vacation, see this previous post. Most of the paper for this layout is from Bo Bunny.

Be sure and visit the Ella blog today where I am hosting day 2 of "One sketch, 12 looks."

And don't forget to comment on yesterday's post for a chance to win some cute journaling cards tonight!

Have a great Friday!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

ella layout

Today I am so excited to be hosting over on the Ella Publishing blog! Are you a sketch user? Check out this post and how some of my Ella Friends and I utilized the same sketch and came up with totally different looks!



Because we homeschool, we have a ton of time to play games during the day. I call this our "recess" time. When we finish math and need a 20-minute break before we move onto writing, we'll play a game. The girls of course have their favorites and I wanted to document what those were at ages four and six. I'm sure the favorites will change with time!


I loved this sketch because it was simple and quick. The only thing that was time consuming on this layout was the stitching of the letters from Jillibean--but aren't they cute? Totally worth it to me!


All of the product used on this layout came from Green Tangerines Kit Club--the January kit. I love our kit club because you receive $50 worth of product for only $34.99--a great deal! Another great thing about this kit club--DOUBLE PAGE LAYOUTS--a bunch of them. Check out the gallery here. And see that cute little notecard in the picture? I have some left that I'd love to share. It's just a small giveaway, but wouldn't it be fun to get some fun mail? I have two sets of four (in four different colors) . . . leave me a comment and I will pick TWO WINNERS sometime Friday evening.


If you are looking for more great sketches, be sure and go here to check out Ella's eBook, Double Page Design--I pulled the sketch from here to make the layout above.

Happy Thursday!

p.s. I'll continue with my 2010 month-in-review soon!

Monday, January 10, 2011

may 2010


This layout was fun for me to do. I am pretty much in love with anything that Echo Park puts out. They have such joyful colors. This layout is available for purchase at Green Tangerines for $11.99--all the prep work is done for you and you get to keep all the extras for future layouts. You do not have to be a part of Kit Club to purchase this since it is a 2010 Month-in-Review. And you don't have to make it a "month" layout--you can include whatever title you want. Call the store at 916.771.8010--they ship too!


These sticker embellishments were perfect for stitching. I first adhered it to some white paper and then cut it out--I didn't want to deal with a sticky back the entire time I was stitching. Then I adhered the hot air balloon with some dimensional adhesive. I stitched on the sun rays and a few of the little circles as well. 

Happy Monday everyone!

Friday, January 7, 2011

april 2010


When I saw this Line from We R Memory Keepers, "72 and Sunny," I knew I wanted to use it on a layout! This ended up being one of my favorites from the year.

I'm hoping to figure out my Mac a bit more over the weekend and edit a few Christmas pictures to share. Stay tuned. Have a great weekend!

Thursday, January 6, 2011

march 2010


This is yet another Project 12 sketch and layout. The only thing that was time consuming was cutting all the circles from the October Afternoon paper, but aren't they cute? I couldn't resist.

Have a great Thursday!

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

february 2010


This is a sketch from Project 12 of last year. An easy and straightforward sketch.

In other news, my husband bought me the MacBook Pro for Christmas--my first Mac. I have a lot to learn. It is a bit overwhelming dealing with all my pictures (21,000 of them), changing my email address and installing all of the drivers I need for the various websites I visit. Are you a Mac or a PC user? If you switched from a PC to a Mac, how long did it take you to get it all figured out? I love all the fun things it can do, it's just overwhelming at the moment! Wish me luck!

Happy Tuesday!

Sunday, January 2, 2011

2010 in review

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful time over the holidays with friends and family. We drove down to Southern California to visit Tim's side of the family. Even with the 50+ people, no one got sick this time like last year's flu epidemic! It was so fun to see all the cousins, the kids had a blast!



Last year I participated in Project 12, that Scrapbook and Cards Today held on their blog. Each month, the fabulous Becky Fleck gave us a sketch and told us to document our month! If you don't have time to scrapbook all of the things you want to, I highly recommend this approach--only one layout per month!

I used Project 12 as an opportunity to document the everyday random things that didn't make their way onto a specific layout. I put together the Month-in-Review layouts that you can purchase as an add-on if you are a Green Tangerines Kit Club member. I used most of the Project 12 sketches, but for a few layouts I used sketches outside of Project 12. You may also remember that our kit club closed it's doors from May through December, but I continued to design the Month-in-Reviews which are now available at the store (now that the store is back open!). So, if you see one you like (from May on), you can get it by calling the store at 916.781.8010 (they will ship!). I don't think you have to be a Kit Club member for these layouts, but don't quote me on that! They sell for $11.99.

Over the next two weeks, I will show you January -December 2010. Stay tuned and have a great Sunday!