Each year I like to do a layout for each child of highlights from their school year. I also include their I.D. card. We are with a charter homeschool, which simply means that a credentialed teacher checks on us once a month and helps us with any questions that we might have. The girls also attend some extra curricular classes (Spanish, crocheting, cooking, music, P.E.--just to name a few), thus the backpacks they have on in one picture. We also go on A LOT of field trips!

I love having one layout that can remind us of how much fun we had that year!

 Here are a couple of cards made from this kit. Have a great day!

six flags

Each year we participate in the Read to Succeed Program that Six Flags puts on and we get free tickets! I even get a free ticket as their homeschool teacher. Gotta love that! We went with one of their best buddies who also homeschools.

 

I used my August Green Tangerines Kit of the Month for this layout. And yes, I am really behind in posting layouts! 

 And a couple of simple cards made using the same kit.

Hope you have a fabulous Monday morning!

cards

These cards were all simple and quick and made with my JULY Green Tangerines Kit. Hope you enjoy your Monday morning!

may card club

My card class for May is one week from today. There are five spots left if you are a local and are interested! Here's a sneak peak at what we'll be doing.

Call the store to sign up! 916.771.8010. I'd love to see you there! Have a great Mother's Day weekend!

cards to share

Happy Monday morning! It's spring break for us this week and we have many crafts planned into our week . . . and some fun science experiments that the girls want to do. I am excited for a relaxed schedule with no big plans.

Here are some cards the I made using the recent March kit:

I hope your day is fabulous and that you are able to do something fun!

colour suite challenge

One of my favorite magazine is  Scrapbook and Cards Today. They are based in Canada and you can download their quarterly magazine for free! Gotta love that! They have a great blog loaded with daily inspiration. I decided to take part in their monthly Colour Suite Challenge based on these colors . . .

This is a simple card that can be thrown together in a few minutes. I challenged myself to use only "old" supplies . . . just trying to get through my stash! Send a friend a card today . . . just because!

March Card Club Class

My next card class is Friday, March 9th at Green Tangerines. If you have ever wanted to get into card making, then my classes are for you! They are perfect for the beginner, but still fun for gals who have been making cards for a long time. I promise, you will fit right in!

Call the store ASAP to sign up! 916.771.8010. There are only a few spots left. Cost is only $15. Hope to see some newbies!

some simple cards to share

These cards are from my January Kit that I am just now getting around to posting. Simple and easy breezy. Hope you are having a good week!

February Card Club

I've been teaching card classes at Green Tangerines scrapbook store for over three years. In the past I have taught the classes on a weeknight here and there. Recently, we decided to start holding them on Friday evenings once a month. Want to come play with glue and paper with us?

There are only 24 spots available each Friday night, and at the moment, there is only one left. When you attend the class, you get first dibs on signing up for my next class in March! Hope you can join us! Call the store at 916.771.8010 to sign up. Cost is only $15. 

Have a great day!

season's greetings

I thought I would share one last Christmas card before Christmas. This was from a class I taught last month. I love the simplicity and "quickness" of this card!

We are having so much fun at the beach visiting family! Once in a great while I miss the snow of Minnesota (where I grew up). But most of the time--especially times like this--I don't miss it a bit! 

Anybody know where this is? Just curious who knows their coastline. : ) Have a great day!

snowman card

I taught a card class back in July, "Christmas in July," and this is one of the cards that I showed the gals how to make. I love the way he looks like he is dancing. This was one of my favorites!

I hope you are able to enjoy this last week before Christmas. Have a blessed day!

more christmas cards and a winner!

And the random winner of the Ella eBook is . . .

Congrats Kelly! You are going to love this eBook! Email me at johnstonhouse at gmail dot com and I will get you your eBook info. Thanks to everyone who stopped by! And if you didn't win, you can still get $2 off for a few more days (see previous post for the code). Have a great night!

ella christmas card blog hop + giveaway!

My Ella Friends and I are holding a Christmas card blog hop today! And we all made a card that was inspired by this fabulous eBook:

31 Thank You Cards has been one of my favorite Ella eBooks. Of course they are all great, but if I had to play favorites . . . this would rank in my top three.

My card was inspired by Kimber McGray. I have been following Kimber for a little over two years. She puts out consistent layouts and cards that are simple, yet artistic. I always love her style! If you pick up the eBook, the card I was inspired by can be found on page 5.

For those of you that can't wait to get your hands on this eBook, you can use the code CARDHOP and save $2 off the 31 Thank You Cards eBook. The code expires on Saturday, the 10th. (and it cannot be combined with any other coupon or gift certificate.) For those of you that are feeling "lucky," you can leave me a comment and I will choose a random winner to win this eBook for FREE! Just leave me a comment and I will pick a winner sometime Wednesday evening, say 7pm-ish PST. Good luck!

I hope you'll take a minute to visit my other Ella Friends that are participating in our Christmas card blog hop--you might be inspired to make a few Christmas cards today! (And you'll have 8 other chance to win!)

Valerie Mangan

Monika Wright

Mary Jo Johnston

Jennifer Larson

Jenni Hufford

Francine Clouden

Donna Jannuzzi

Diana Chen

christmas cards

Just popping in real quick to share a couple of Christmas cards. These are a couple of cards from the recent card class I taught at Green Tangerines. I LOVED working with this line from My Mind's Eye! The colors were so fun!

Although I love to make cards, I haven't made handmade Christmas cards in 3 years! That's what 3 kids and homeschooling has done for me. Good ol' Costco is what I have been falling back on. It works for this stage of my life. I have them printed . . . but not addressed. Hope to get to that this weekend! 

I hope you have a great weekend! I have date night with the husband tonight and am excited for that! Come back for a visit next week and I'll have more Christmas cards to share. : )

turkey card tutorial

Don't those turkey feathers look cute? Do they make you want to run for your scallop punch RIGHT NOW? They are super easy to make!

Using your circle scallop punch (any size will do), punch 3 scallop circles. You'll want to make sure you like both patterns of the paper as they will both show. Next, fold 5 of the scallops down. Flip the circle scallop over so that the orange side is now facing up. Now, fold in both sides--you can see I've folded in just one in the picture. If you want, it helps to make a center fold before you fold the side in so that you know both sides are evenly folded in. Does this make sense? Let me know if it doesn't!

Adhere all three to your card, use circle and square punches to make the remaining parts of your turkey. Your circle sizes will depend on the size of your scallop punch--just make him the way YOU want to make him. For the feet I used a slit punch, but you could use the "v" letter from an orange set of Thickers. You could even use googley eyes to make this turkey more festive! Hhhmmmm, maybe I should have done that . . .

Hope you have a great week preparing for turkey day! We are off to the store to buy ingredients to make Rice Krispie Turkey Pop Treats per my kids request. 

cardmaking at Ella publishing

Today, you can find me blogging here at Ella Publishing. Here is a little peak at what I'm blogging about . . .

Check out their blog for a detailed look and directions!

Have you hear about Ella's latest eBook? 

I have to tell you, I think it is my favorite! There are 31 cards to choose from--all with directions--and not a card that I didn't like! Simply fabulous it is, I tell ya!

My time as an Ella Friend is drawing to a close at the end of the year. And if you didn't catch this, you'll want to scoot on over and see how you can apply to be on the 2012 Ella Friend Team. Angie and Wendy are so fun to work with! 

Have a swell day!

christmas card class

Here is a little sneak peak at the cards we'll be making at my upcoming card class . . .

If you are local, hope you can join me!

october kit club cards

You know I love to make cards with my scraps! Here are a few simple fall themed cards:

Hope you enjoy your weekend!

september kit cards part 2

I hope you have a great weekend! We are headed to San Francisco to visit some friends and take our kids to their last "summer" day at the beach!

september kit cards

Here are a couple of cards that I made with my Green Tangerines September Kit. More to come!

Have a great day!