Teacher Appreciation Week

I know this post is a little late, but I guess better late than never, right?

This year, the kids were asked to bring a little something for their teachers each day for Teacher Appreciation Week. In years past, I've made myself CRAZY trying to figure out something to do, staying up way too late making things for the next day, etc. This year I got smart and made everything at once. It was great to just tuck little things into the kids' backpacks each morning.

I used PSE and Melissa Renfro's Inspired Child Collection from Scrap Girls for all the tags.

On Monday, the kids were supposed to bring flowers. I had seen these really cute pencil vases on Pinterest, but I didn't really follow a tutorial. I just laid a strip of masking tape, sticky side up, on the table. I laid out pencils side by side on the masking tape (I used 36 pencils). I wrapped the masking tape/pencils around an empty soup can, overlapping the masking tape to hold it all in place. Then I covered the masking tape up with a piece of ribbon. Easy-peasy, and the teacher can take it apart and use the pencils later. The tag says "I think you are just WRITE."

On Tuesday, the kids were bringing a sweet treat. I knew Jared's teacher liked skittles, so that's what we went with. The tag says "You are better than any treasure found at the end of the rainbow."

On Wednesday, it was office supplies. I bought a couple of packs of sticky notes for each teacher and put them in cellophane bags. The tag says "Stuck like glue on you!"

On Thursday, they brought a salty treat. We chose boxes of microwave popcorn. "It's no Secret that I think you're great!"

On Friday, the kids were supposed to bring a note for their teacher. I had them each make a card and I added a note at the end. We slipped the notes inside these journals.

The kids also wanted to do something fun for their Specials teachers (Art, Music, and PE), so we made bags of Hersey's Nuggets for each of them and the tags say "I think you are as good as gold!"

Photo Editing Class at Scrap Girls

So, I know I'm the biggest blogging slacker around. I have about a dozen blogs started, but it'll be a while before I get them finished. So, while y'all are waiting with bated breath, I thought I'd prove that I actually AM doing something productive (please don't look at my kitchen floor or the pile of clean laundry waiting to be folded).

I'm teaching a class at Scrap Girls!


Online Class - Photo Fixes You Need to Know: PSE - Wednesdays, November 2 and 9 - 7:00 PM MT

If you are interested in learning more about photo editing, this is a great class to check out. And since we switched to the new Webinar system, it's a lot easier to SEE me work and HEAR me talk. No more chat room. :D

What we've been up to

We haven't done anything super exciting or outrageous this summer, but sometimes the simple things bring the most joy.

On Friday, we went to lunch at Pappas Burgers with Travis.

We've gone swimming. A Lot. Just cuz, for play group, for swim lessons. We are all getting water logged. We've all got raisin toes. Swimming completely wears Kate out.

We've played with friends at their houses and our house and at the pool and at the park. We love our friends.

I taught my first class at Scrap Girls, after taking most of the summer off. It was great to get back to doing what I love. (and I am LOVING the new class format. It's wonderful!)

Supplies listed HERE

Travis and I had a movie date and watched the Princess Bride. It's been a long time since we snuggled up together to watch an old favorite. Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles...

I don't think life gets any better than this.

Online Class at Scrap Girls!

Online Class - The Secret Life of Embellishments
Tuesdays, March 22 and 29, 7:00 PM MT

Did you know that embellishments have secret super powers? They are capable of so much more than just looking pretty. In this digital scrapbooking class, we'll be learning how they can tie a color scheme together, establish the flow of a layout, and create a focal point. 

You can get more information or sign up for the class HERE at Scrap Girls.

New Class at Scrap Girls

Online Class - Totally Touchable Textures
Wednesdays, February 16 and 23, 6 PM MT

Rough, smooth, soft, hard, bumpy, lumpy, textures are all around us. They can add depth and interest they add to scrapbook layouts. And with digital scrapbooking, you can use them without worrying if items are acid free, what kind of adhesive to use, or whether they are too bulky to fit into page protectors.

This digital scrapbooking class looks at the plethora of textures available to us as digital scrapbookers. It is packed with tricks to make digital embellishments look realistic. You will learn six different techniques, creating completely customized textures using ScrapSimple products and the default tools included in Photoshop Elements.


For more information, check out the listing in the Scrap Girls boutique.

New Classes at SG!

 I just had two more classes go into the Scrap Girls store. One is a Basic photo editing class for PSE users called Photo Fixes You Need To Know - Photoshop Elements. We'll cover things like straightening pictures, fixing color casts, blemish removal and teeth whitening. Little things that make great pictures even better. Saturdays, July 10 and 17 - 9:00 AM MT

(Scrapbooking page uses: ABC Fun Collection Biggie, A Little Worn Out Collection, AMC_Chalk Talk Font, and ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Basic Shadows 6501)

The other class is based on Shalae Tippetts' fabulous Mastering Brushes in PSE book. This ebook is so full of techniques for brush work, but it can be overwhelming because of the sheer amount of information it covers. The class is 6 sessions long, and it's a great way to break the book up.Wednesdays, July 7 - August 11, 7 PM M. Mastering Brushes in PSE Digital Scrapbooking Class

(Scrapbooking page uses: Mastering Brushes for Photoshop Elements eBook, Zac and Sarah Collection Biggie, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Basic Shadows 6501, ScrapSimple Layer Your Own Brushes: Scallops, ScrapSimple Type Shapes: Circles 8301 Biggie, Brush Set: Grungelle)

Journaling Class at Scrap Girls

I am excited to have another class in the store! I've taught this one a couple of times, but I'm looking forward to teaching it again because I feel so passionate about the importance of journaling. People ask me why I scrapbook, and really it's because I love to tell stories. I love to record stories. Making pretty pages is nice, combining beautiful supplies and cool techniques is nice, but in reality, the only important things are that you 1. Preserve the pictures, and 2. Preserve the stories. Journaling is a great way to keep stories and memories from being forgotten. Pictures aren't enough.

One of my favorite quotes:  
In a thousand words I can have the Lord's Prayer, the 23rd Psalm, the Hippocratic Oath, a sonnet by  Shakespeare, the Preamble to the Constitution, Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and almost all of the Boy Scout Oath. Now exactly what picture were you planning to trade for all that?
~Roy H. Williams

Class information: Online Class - The Art and Importance of Journaling - Tuesdays, June 15 and 22 at 7:00 PM MT

This layout uses all Scrap Girls products:
Zac and Sarah Collection Biggie
ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Basic Shadows 6501 
Brush Set: Grungelle

Doing a little PSE magic!

I'm gearing up to teach another class at Scrap Girls. This one is full of tips and tricks that make photo editing and scrap booking so much  easier! These are the things that I do on just about every single layout. If you are interested in learning more about the selection tools in Photoshop Elements, this is the class to take.

Find out more information about the class here: Selection Magic: Beyond the Basics for PSE: Wednesdays, May 26 and June 2, 7:00 PM MT

Finally getting back in the groove

Life has been so crazy recently, with laying out so many new products for Ideal Curriculum, church responsibilities, Travis traveling a lot, etc. that I haven't put out a new class at Scrap Girls for a long time. Way too long. So, although this isn't a totally new thing, it is a new class. And I am really excited.

If you haven't taken a scrapbooking class before, this is a GREAT one to start with. We'll be covering basic design principles, what makes a page work, and how you can speed up your scrapbooking process by following a few simple steps. It's going to be great!

Click here for the details: Online Class - Intentional Design

I'm really not THAT conceited. It's not ALL about me.

It was really hard to write a class called "Who I Am - Right Now" because it required me to stop and think about who I am. I had to take pictures of myself. I had to write about myself. But, I'm so glad I did! And I'm so grateful that the first time I offered it, it was so popular! I'm excited to have gotten it on the schedule again so soon.

One of my favorite quotes:

"The more you praise and celebrate your life, 

the more in life there is to celebrate." 

~Oprah Winfrey

I truly believe that this is true. So excited for this class! It's so inspiring to spend a month helping wonderful women celebrate their lives!

This class isn't technique based or program based. You don't have to be a fantastic scrapbooker to sign up for this one. Click for the details: Online Classes at Scrap Girls: Who I Am - Right Now

I can't believe it! I am such a slacker. Time has simply run away from me. It's been too long since I've updated this blog. Here are some recent pictures of the kids.

This is Jared playing in the rain a few weeks ago. He was soaked from head to toe, but he had a blast.



These are pictures of Megan at the park the other day. I can't believe how quickly she is growing up! It's crazy how fast they change!


I'll be taking some Christmas pictures in the next day or two, so watch for them!