October 2022 - Challenge #2 - Go Big or Go Home!

 It's challenge time over at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge and MF Leslie has asked us to "Go Big or Go Home!" 

I'm there for it!

As you know, I'm ALWAYS late making my layouts and this month was no exception. However, it worked to my advantage as I took a gorgeous photo while walking the dog at lunchtime yesterday and just knew that I wanted to scrap it as soon as possible.

Printing it extra large (A4) gave me the chance to really let it shine and do most of the work on the page.

I used my very precious CratePaper hearts design paper as a full background (with the tiniest of cardstock margin around the edge) and then trimmed out the scallop b-side from the manufacturer strip to add a little interest down the side.

Looking into my kit, I realised that there are not many embellishments which I might need to think about for the next page I make but the frames I'd included were a nice addition and a perfect landing spot for a couple of gems and a label. 

Some matching gems at the top of the page are the only other embellishments I felt the page needed.

The top of the photo seemed like the right placing for the title and my very minimal journalling. Job done!

I don't scrap as much as I used to these days and it feels a bit more of an effort that it did in the past, but pages like this make me happy.

It feels a little "old school" with the Maggie Holmes and the slightly grungy colours - and I like it! It doesn't mean that I want all my pages to look like this, but I think it fits the photo and the way I wanted the page to feel.

There are some other takes on this challenge over at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge so don't forget to check them out and share your own pages over at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge FB community here or on IG where you can find and tag us (@counterfeitkitchallenge or tag us using #counterfeitkitchallenge and #ckcoctober2022)

And of course:-

DON'T FORGET THE GIVEAWAY!  

Counterfeit Kit Challenge is offering one of our community members an opportunity to win their choice of an October or November Cherry Box! Post your kit & projects in the Counterfeit Kit Facebook Community Every post & comment will give you an entry. Winner will be announced on the November 2nd Just the Gist of It post!

February 2021 - Counterfeit Kit Challenge - At the Heart of It!

Back today with the Counterfeit Kit Challenge February challenge #1:

At the Heart of It!

As this month's layout is called Herzstück, which could be translated as "at the heart of something", I decided to challenge us all to record something or someone who is at the heart of it all in some way, or even just to make sure that we use lots of hearts on our layout. I managed to do both!

I'm in the middle of LOAD221 at the moment and decided to make it a "28 Days of Mabel" so of course, the topic of today's layout just had to be our puppy and how she is most definitely in the heart of our little family.

My heart-filled kit was perfect for this layout and I just went for a bunch of layers and a generous sprinkle of flowers, stickers and tiny bits and pieces. You might notice that the green paper in the background is strategically placed so that you only see flowers and the leafy wreath design. In reality, it's covered in gorgeous birds but they just didn't fit the theme of any of my layouts so I had to be clever to make sure you could see the beautiful paper but not necessarily the detail of the design - I'm crafty like that 😉

This is a photo from Christmas (along with my internet shy husband) and one of the few where you could see us all and Mabel wasn't just a blur of wriggling or trying to lick one or both of us! Maybe I should have written about that too - or perhaps that's a story for another layout with another Christmas photo!

(I have no idea why all my photos are turning out so badly right now!
The background is a nice, bright white in reality!) 

I had fun with the splats of ink and small embellishments. Sometimes I love just using up a bunch of small items in a sprinkled, spread out cluster. Gets those items off the plastic backing and onto pages which is what this is all about, isn't it? 

Over at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog you'll find a whole bunch of layouts interpreting this prompt so make sure you check them all out. 

And if I've inspired you to make your own layout about someone or something at the heart of it, then make sure you share over in our Counterfeit Kit Challenge FB community here or over on Instagram here (@counterfeitkitchallenge or tag us using #counterfeitkitchallenge and #ckcfebruary2021). We love to see what you do with your own kits 😍

Counterfeit Kit Challenge April - Challenge #1 Pinteresting Times

Welcome, welcome and here I am - a day late which seems to be the story of my life at the moment.

There are a few reasons why I'm late but I won't bore you with the details as it sounds like I'm making excuses! Let's just put it down to these crazy days we are all experiencing at the moment.

Challenge #1 Pinteresting Times

Master Forger Clair challenged us to take inspiration from her gorgeous Pinterest board for today's challenge and it was such a difficult task to pick just one! It reminded me that I also have so many fabulous creative ideas pinned on my own boards that I really have to remember to go over there more often. There were times in the past when I would lose hours down the rabbit holes of all the ideas there ....

Anyway, after quite some time um'ing and ah'ing over all the layouts I picked a particularly lovely, simple layout by Marcy Penny. I love her style which is of course, almost the opposite of my own style and wondered how I could interpret this into a "Lisa" design.

Found on Pinterest here

I stretched the design to my preferred 12x12 format and printed my photo somewhat larger than the original and came up with a layout that I really quite like!

Yes, it's a bit simpler than my usual style and I think that the tag would have benefited from being a little larger but to be honest, I don't think I want to add anything else to this.

I picked a topic that didn't really need a lot of journalling as it really is just a reminder to myself after celebrating my dad's milestone birthday this weekend with my sister - virtually, via a three-way video meeting and realising that this photo is the last one I have of just the three of us - now almost 19 years ago!

My kit provided me with a lovely mix of softer and bolder colours and patterns which I really enjoyed mixing. Love how that turned out.

I added some extra stitching, a sprinkle of ink, a scatter of enamel dots and a small title but really, the rest is fairly true to the original design - same but different.

I've been on rather a creative hiatus these last weeks - focussing on getting through days at home and keeping a regular routine seems to have pushed my scrappy mojo out of the way - so I was happy to be pushed into making this page. It felt good to stretch my creative muscles and I love my kit so maybe I can get a bit more productive this week.

Don't forget that the Counterfeit Kit Challenge is here throughout the month with inspiration and challenges to make and use the products in your stash that you love! Check out the blog to find out more! Start with the kit reveal posts each month (see April 1st's post here) to get that initial inspiration and then continue through the month for ideas and tips for how to pull your supplies together and get them used up on pages and projects!

Wishing you all a very happy Easter Monday.

Stay safe. Stay healthy.

November 2019 - Counterfeit Kit Challenge kit reveal and blog hop

Ah! At last! It's November - my favourite month of the year.

Welcome, welcome, welcome - I'm so glad to see you here.

Hopefully you've reached me via the ever lovely Leslie's blog and next up is sweet Lori - they both have awesome kits! And I'm delighted to welcome Tara as Guest Designer at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge in November - make sure you stop by and say hello to her too. She's also pretty awesome!

Of course, as always, you can find the full blog hop at the end of this post. And don't forget to make the most of the inspiration at CKC this month because it's the last regular kit of the year! We always shake things up in December - details are still being organised behind the scenes.

Right - onto to business! I'm on kit duty this month and discovered the most gorgeous kit for us to be inspired by over at Scrapdelight Scrapwinkel in the Netherlands.

Scrapdelight Scrapwinkel 

https://www.scrapdelight.nl/dls-kits-amp-workshops/losse-kits/

Obviously, the site is in Dutch but I found it easy to find my way around and pretty scrapbook supplies are pretty in any language, aren't they?

I picked out the pocket page kit for our main inspiration, but there are options for full scrapbook pages as well as a paper add on that can be used for additional images or inspiration.

I was particularly inspired by the beautiful colours and paper designs - it seemed so wintry and seasonal without being all about snow and Christmas.

 https://www.scrapdelight.nl/product/67860/123-documenter-kit-pocket-pages-winter-thema/

But there is a "traditional" scrapbook kit too:

https://www.scrapdelight.nl/product/67861/123-documenter-kit-scrap-book-winter-thema/

And the add on paper kit so that you can see a bit more of the paper design:

https://www.scrapdelight.nl/product/68571/dls-design-add-paper-12quotx12quot-winter/

Isn't it gorgeous?

Of course I totally fell in love with it and had to have it as our inspiration and then when I came to making up my kit, I realised that I have very little product in these fabulous colours.

I saved the day by picking out these papers which seemed to sum up the main colour scheme of the kit - grey, pink, lilac, yellow with a hint of mustard and a dark, slate-ish blue - as well as the motif of the banner fairy lights which I totally fell in love with even though it's not exactly a colour in the original kit.

From these five papers, my Twinkle kit came together:

Here are all my papers in shades similar but not exactly the same as the original - but there are greys, pinks, lilacs, slate blues and plenty of white. I also added in that cream banner design top right - it's a Dear Lizzy design if I remember rightly and reminded me of the fairy light banners in the inspiration kit. It doesn't really go with any of the other papers so it might be difficult to use but I thought it would be worth a try. I've been hoarding it all these years.

The floral is a partial sheet and the three on top of that are thin papers and smaller than 12x12 - suitable for cards maybe?

There are some really old designs here so it will be interesting to see if they get used up.

I didn't focus on matching up the patterns but have some similarities - stripes, repeating deigns, words and of course my fairy lights!

I included a few embellies but will be adding a couple of "forgeries" in the next day or so - come back on the 4th!

Alphabets, stickers to match two of the papers, some pink-based die cuts, a couple of sparkly tags, glitter hearts and some dots finish off my collection. 

Yes, I will definitely be adding some more embellishments to this kit as the month goes on. It feels very light.

My kit isn't anything like the original when I think about it - but the inspiration is there and that's what it's all about. I know that I will love using my kit but maybe I need to make a list of products in the original kit colours to add to my stash next time I go shopping. 

Thanks for visiting today and here's the full blog hop so that you can be sure not to miss any of today's kit creations!

• Counterfeit Kit Challenge - http://counterfeitkitchallenge.blogspot.com
• Guest Designer Tara - https://kryptonite72-rambles.blogspot.com
• Cindy:- http://cindyscreations-cinmfoster.blogspot.com/
• Julene:- http://julenebydesign.blogspot.com/
• Leslie:- http://lcsmithsaved-outofthemire.blogspot.com/
• Lisa:- http://lisahausmann.blogspot.com 
• Lori:- http://loriannie670.blogspot.com/
• Tina:- http://tinasscrapcorner.blogspot.com/

Don't forget to drop in at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge throughout the month as we give you tips, ideas and challenges as you put together and use your kit. 

Here's what we have coming up this month:  

• November 2nd: I'll be back with a "Just the Gist" post to help jump-start your kit-making. 
• November 4th:  We'll have our "Forgery on the Fourth" post where the Master Forgers will reveal how they created their own version of some of the items in this month's kit. 
• November 6th: We'll reveal a couple of mini-kits and projects, in case you're a little limited for time this month and would prefer a more petite kit. 
• November 12th & 18th:  We'll give you two challenges to help you use the kit you've made. 
• November 24th: I'll be showcasing one of the CKC community who's caught my eye this month. 

We always love to see your work, so please share your kits and projects with us. You can use our Monthly Link-up page, post them in our Facebook Community, or share them on Instagram (we are @counterfeitkitchallenge or tag us using #counterfeitkitchallenge and #ckcnovember2019). 

Thanks so much for stopping by! We can't wait to see your kits and projects this month!

Counterfeit Kit Challenge - September mini-kit reveal and project

Good Morning and welcome to the first blog post of October. Glad to see you here. 

For the Counterfeit Kit Challenge October 2019 kit, here's a reminder of the Studio Calico July 2012 "Summer of '69" kit that Laura picked out for us. 

Look at all that lovely "vintage" product and super colours. 

So 2012... more of that later. 

I loved all the papers here and decided to look into my scraps box to pull my mini-kit together. At this stage, I was unsure if I was making up a kit for cards or a layout but I knew that I need enough paper to manage either. I spotted the Studio Calico banner patterned page (you can see it better in the second photo below). It seems to bring together everything that the original kit had to offer and so I started with that single piece of paper to build the rest of the kit.

Here's Throwback

Here you can see the full mix of old papers that I pulled out of my box. All the sheets are only partial and it looks bigger than it is. I think it includes Authentique, Dear Lizzy, Crate Paper, Studio Calico, October Afternoon and Cosmo Cricket - there might even be some BasicGrey in there but I'm not sure. I love it!

I fished out a bag of October Afternoon goodies that would be good to use up and a selection of small flowers and buttons which I haven't used on my pages for ages! The grey ribbon really took me back and I know I'm going to enjoy finding ways to use up these items.

Two alphas and an unopened October Afternoon pack of flags and banner items - I can see these being useful on cards.

And of course, some doilies to match the original kit.

Lots of lovely pieces to bring a little nostalgia onto my page.

Once I had my kit, it was time to decide what to make with it and in the end, I decided to make a page. I didn't have any cream cardstock so I went with my palest kraft and seem to have produced a page which looks exactly like pages I made in 2012 - so it's all full circle on the throwback! This was not exactly my intention but I love the result nonetheless.

I even matched it up with some original, orange-toned, vintage, 1970s photos and this time, I even used the original prints and haven't scanned and edited them to take out any of the tint.

I used to do this with buttons all the time in the past so it was nice to remind myself of how much I like the look of it!

And flowers! When was the last time I added any onto my page? I think I tend to avoid so much dimension today because I've seen what a difference it makes to my albums :-)

And a handful of precious October Afternoon alphas - *sigh* - which I added into my kit when I realised that I'd be making a full page layout.

You can see Susan's gorgeous mini-kit and layout over at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog here and don't forget that there's always loads of inspiration over there on the blog throughout the month. You can also find out where and how to connect with us - the blog is always the starting point for all the information.

Thanks for dropping by, don't forget to say hello!

August at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge and mini-LOAD819

It's a new month and I'm going to try to get into a better routine of sharing my scrapbooking projects. I have plans!

I was quite productive in August - well compared to recent times - and made a total of 9 pages. Two for the Creative Team at Simple Scrapper and seven as part of the Scrap Happy mini-LOAD819.

Even though I didn't manage a layout every day - I skipped an evening in favour of a cocktail on the balcony which seemed a good call - I caught up the next day and completed 7 layouts in 7 days which still feels like a win for me.

While some of those LOAD layouts could also be counted for Whimsical Musings prompts (and don't forget my relaunch for that today over at the blog), I decided just to count them for the LOAD819 prompts. I was almost on prompt for most of the week too which wasn't bad for me.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I'm going to share the mini-LOAD819 layouts in this post, 6 of which were made with my Counterfeit Kit Challenge August kit, Macarons (you can find out all about that kit here).

It feels like a long time since I did a regular layout share so here goes (sorry that this is a long post):

LOAD819#1 / CKC Macarons #1

The LOAD prompt was about the learning experience and I just knew that I wanted to make a pretty page featuring my gorgeously lovely niece who is growing up to be a simply wonderful young lady.

I had included this sunburst paper in my kit and decided to go back to a favourite technique of sewing along the rays to give it some interest and texture. I used white and gold thread to change it up a little.

My kit was full of some more cutesy items and they seemed to fit on this page.

You can just see a hint of a pull out tab here where I included a screenshot of her first school report which of course, is glowing. I was so proud to read the lovely words her teacher had for her and thought it was perfect to match the theme of the page.

I raided my Shimelle sticker book for some stickers and elements to add some whimsical elements to decorate different corners of the page.

LOAD819#2 / CKC Macarons #2

This prompt was about school timetables. I discovered that I really only have a handful of random school shots, most of which I'm not even in, so I need to get very creative about how to scrap the few school stories I want to tell. When I saw this photo it struck me as unusual to have me sitting there with my homework spread out. I normally hung out in my room, not doing it if at all possible. That was the way I decided to go to tell a snippet of my ambiguous relationship with school.

I was drawn to the darker shades in my kit along with the star design and then just lightened it up a little to mat my photo. It was fun to pick out some elements from my kit that were totally different to layout #1 and show how versatile most kits are if you look at them in different ways.

I've actually changed this title slightly to replace the a and t for an @ symbol because I needed the a for another title! ha ha.

LOAD819#3 / CKC Macarons #3

The prompt here was about "recess" or lunchtime. I thought about writing about our "playroom" which was always an experience and not really much about "play" at all. But then I saw this photo that I'd taken back in 2011 when the school had a building anniversary that we were happy to attend. It helped me get some captures of corners of the school that are connected to some strong memories even they're not all positive.

Another example of how you can usually shop your kit for various motifs and colours to make each layout different from the last.

The story is a little bittersweet but I haven't concentrated on the negative side of it. Sometimes this is the way to tackle those more difficult stories - connect it to happier times, and just refer to it in passing rather than dwelling on the negative.

LOAD518#4 / CKC Macarons #4

I've shared this already (you can find it in my blog post here) as part of last month's Counterfeit Kit Challenge prompt #2 - What is summer to you?"

Obviously, this was definitely off-prompt for LOAD but it made me happy to get so many photos of a recent event onto a page so quickly.

LOAD819#5

The challenge today was to talk about school friends but I was inspired to make a layout about my "mint greet washi friend" (in-joke) online friend who has become a real life friend. This is the third time we've got together - London, Germany and Paris! That seemed to deserve a page. I recently acquired the Carta Bella Let's Travel collection which seemed perfect for some Paris pages and it's true. This is the second Paris layout I've made and it's got a bit of everything - pretty colours, nice designs, a hint of theme, interesting bits and pieces for embellishment.

I included the banner here and it reminded me how much I love making these thready loops to decorate the top of the banner tags. I have to remember to do that again soon.

I layered up that tag element at the bottom with four die cuts and lot of foam squares. Perfect for a dimensional corner of the page. 

LOAD819#6 / CKC Macarons #5 

The LOAD prompt was a visit to the Principal's office and it immediately made me think of waiting outside the Head Mistress's office, watching the lights with dread until I had to go in to face my fate.

I'm less pleased with this and have changed out the journalling block several times. I've decided to let it go now and leave it as it is. It uses another photo from 2011 but I'm glad to have found a way to connect it back to my time as a "naughty" teenager (I was nowhere near as bad as it sounds!)

I deliberately used blues and greens here to mirror the school uniform that we wore back then. It was fun to find different shades that could carry though that colour theme (dots and stickers) as well as that days of the week strip of paper which made me think about the school weekday routine.

I hate that photo but it's the only one I have so that's what I have to live with!

LOAD819#7 / CKC Macarons #6

The LOAD challenge was to create a page about after school. I immediately decided that I wanted to capture a story about arriving in France on day one of my new life to be faced with the reality of the day to day of adult life after school. Before I made this layout, I went to my albums to look at what other S of France stories I have only to find that I have about three. So there's definitely some catching up to do.

It's another one I'm completely happy with but I'm going to let it go and live with it without any tweaking. Sometimes, you just have to accept that not every layout is going to turn out as lovely as you'd like.

Some pretty elements and a couple of stickers from the Shimelle pack proved perfect decorations to "lighten" up the mood of the layout.

I wanted to write a lot so I knew I had to keep the embellies low key to give me that space on the background paper.

All in all, I'm relatively happy with the results. My Counterfeit Kit Challenge August kit is well used and I now have a few more stories recorded. I'd love to achieve a full month of LOAD in October as part of the Scrap Happy membership - let's see how that works out for me.

I'll be back soon with my August projects for the Creative Team at Simple Scrapper.