Counterfeit Kit Challenge January kit reveal blog hop

Welcome to 2013!

Internet image (no original source found - sorry)

I've got my fingers crossed and have high hopes that this will be a good year. I've had a few rough ones recently ;-) so I think I've earned it!

So to all my blog readers, I wish you a most wonderful New Year and all the very best for all your dreams and wishes for the next 12 months.

It's the 1st of the month and this means a new routine round here. The Counterfeit Kit Challenge kit reveal blog hop has now moved to today which means that you get no delay in all that kit inspiration. And we are kicking off the year with a new team full of some familiar faces (that would be me and a few others!) along with some talented new ones. So I really suggest you drop by every single one of us on the hop and check out all that new inspiration. There's a whole lot of scrumptiousness to soak up so don't miss out on any of it and if you've arrived here directly, I suggest you pop back to the Counterfeit blog (here) for the starting point. And if you've already been working through the list and are here via the very talented Libeeti, then don't run off to make your kit already. Stop a while and check out mine and the rest of the team. There's so much to share!

This month, we were given the most gorgeous after Christmas kit to forge - A Merry Winter December kit by Paper Issues over on Etsy. Yummy. I would have bought this kit if I'd seen it!

Such a lot of lovely colours and so many ways to use up the kit without it being ALL Christmas. I was really drawn to the pinks, the reds, the aquas and the sparkle.

I was sad to realise that I didn't have a single one of the Crate Christmas papers (now on my list!) so I had to start from the basics and build up from there.

First let me present my January fresh start 2013 kit, Renew...

As always, cardstock came first. Lots of white and kraft and then just two sheets of coloured card (it's getting harder and harder to use it on layouts these days).

Then I tried to pick out papers which either had the overriding colour, or a design feel of the original but without going the Christmas route. I found that my Echo Park, Everyday Eclectic had just the right amount of colour, geometric designs and playful feel to them for them to be the basis of the papers. Many of them were also double sided which gives such a great extension to the kit and makes it so much more versatile. As always, there's one or two really old ones in there hoping for an appearance on a real live page!

And the fun bit - the embellishments. I tried to match up the types of embellishments from the original, even if they look totally different - so pins, buttons, flowers, flairs, some veneer items, some kraft tags (rather than the banners), some frames that can be misted (rather than chipboard), ribbon, twine, bling mist, alphas and labels. I have a lot more of this stuff in my kit but you know how I love to load up the "pretty stuff"!

This is a perfect pick me up kit for the new year and I'm looking forward to breaking into it and getting going again after what feels like an age without any creating at all. Wish me luck to track down that mojo at the same time.

Here is the complete blog hop list in case you get lost along the way and off you go now down under to visit new forger Lisa J! Funny to have two Lisa's on the team now!! On a side note, I spent all my younger years being Lisa S rather than just Lisa and now I'm Lisa H instead - makes me smile!

You won't want to forget to leave me a comment to let me know you were here. You never know, it might be worth your while! *wink wink*

I'm feeling in a generous mood and would love to share a bit of love with you too. It's the perfect way to start the new year don't you think. :-)

Guest Designer: Madeleine Lopez http://senoritaml.wordpress.com/

Andrea  http://snappingmonsters.blogspot.com/  

Angela  http://colestoucan.blogspot.co.uk/  

Jemma http://just-jimjams.blogspot.com/  

Jennifer  http://www.jennifersjumbles.blogspot.com/  

Julie  http://www.hisglorygirl.blogspot.com/  

Libeeti http://creationswithlove-li-bee-ti.blogspot.com/  

Lisa H. http://lisahausmann.blogspot.com/  ß you are here

Lisa J. http://thesimplelifewithlisa.blogspot.com.au/ ß go here next

Lynnette  http://sassyscrapper2010.blogspot.com/

Milissa http://millermall.blogspot.com/  

Rebecca http://howiburb.blogspot.com/

So here's to a wonderful year full of fun, scrappy inspiration and wonderful counterfeiting friends!

Image found here

Happy kitting everyone.