June 2020 - Counterfeit Kit Challenge #1 - Wonderful world!

Here today to talk about the Counterfeit Kit Challenge #1, set by MF Tara who has challenged us today to think about what a wonderful world this is.

"Create a layout about the wonderful world that you live in.  This could be a layout about the beauty of the natural world.  You could create a layout about the world you created-home, work, etc.  Let your creative juices flow!"

What a great challenge at this time of uncertainty, disquiet and concern.

I knew what I would talk about right away when I sat down to scrapbook - which is not happening often enough right now tbh.

Last month, after many, many years of debate on the subject, we added to our tiny family unit of 2 and brought Mabel into our life. I can't tell you how happy we are. I know that I want to give her her own album or at least set of stories so this was a great place to start.

Turning to my June Counterfeit Kit Challenge kit, Promise - see original reveal post here - I decided that this layout was worthy of the fabulous Pinkfresh Studio rainbow design and started from there. It didn't feel like it needed a lot of embellishment as it already has all the colours, the word art and even ink splats.

I added some extra work stickers, a couple of puffy stickers, a scatter of tiny butterflies and a couple of layers around the photo. I wanted to keep as much of the top design element of the paper uncovered as possible so I didn't really add much more to the photo block.

Oh my! Look how tiny she is! Three weeks later, I can tell you that even though she's still "small", she's "huge" in comparison to this photo!

My title is so very true.

A small cluster at the top of the page just to add some dimension and variety.

Couldn't resist adding some leftover die cut hearts from a previous project. To be open, I added in the Pinkfresch puffy stickers and word elements to my CKC kit just to add in some different textures and styles.

So there we have it, the first in what is sure to be many layouts about Mabel who has come into our lives at just the right moment. We are in love 💗.

Don't forget that there are other takes on this uplifting prompt over at the CKC blog today and more up throughout the rest of the month. You can find all the info over on the blog.

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.

March 2019 Counterfeit Kit Challenge Frame It Up!

Over on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge today, I'm challenging everyone to "Frame it Up!".

Our inspiration kit included several different frames - in the embellishment pack as well as a frame patterned paper - so I thought it would be a good idea to get those frames used up on our pages.

I love using them but often forget that I have so many of them hanging around in my stash so this was a great chance for me to include a handful in my kit and then actually use them up!

I wanted to find a way to use the in the design of the page itself rather than just as an embellishment and realised that I had one larger Crate Paper fabric item as well as two matching smaller ones which got my brain working. Originally, I thought I'd fill all three with my journalling and then realised that the larger one was perfect to highlight my main photo - you really head to this point of the page first which is exactly what I wanted.

The two smaller ones were then perfect to fill with printed journalling which looks neat and includes more than I could have hand written.

My remaining two photos were matted to give them some dimension and help them fill the spaces better.

I'd fussy cut out the banner along the top already and realised that it would be the perfect backdrop for some additional die cut elements to help with the dimension and adds some extra whimsy. The banner also forms an additional frame to the page.

Layered up butterflies have foam dots underneath their wings to really lift the wings and add texture to the busy border.

I added all the elements of my grid onto some layered papers to really make it pop. I love how I used some really bright and eye-catching papers but the overall feeling of the page is more muted and soft.

I filled the last space on the grid with a longer title so that there was no trapped or empty space. It all worked out perfectly even though it looks nothing like I thought it would when I first started looking for photos!

You can find other examples of framed elements over at the CKC blog this morning so make sure you check those out too. And don't forget to go back to the Counterfeit Kit Challenge again on 18th for our second challenge. :-) 

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 and you can tag us using 

#counterfeitkitchallenge and #ckcmarch2019).

February 2019 - Counterfeit Kit Challenge - Feathers

Great to have you here today for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge prompt #2 which calls for us to be inspired by feathers!

I had included a couple of die cut feathers in my kit but remembering the forgery feathers that I featured in the Forger on the Fourth post inspired me to make some more but this time from soft pink tissue paper. I knew this would be more difficult to use than the vellum I'd used before but it was worth a try.

I used one of the die cuts I had in my kit as a template to cut about 8 pink tissue feathers and then I used copper wire for the "spine" with a tiny amount of Glossy Accents.

After they had dried, I just cut the sides into the centre to give the feather effect. I have to say that if I had worked a little bit tidier and "cleaner" with the glue, these would have worked really well. But overall, I was happy with the result.

And then I just used all the feathers I'd made - except a couple which had torn a little - and the other feathers from my kit to make a full feather cluster on the side of my photo.

I kept the overall layout relatively simple with just a couple of layers, some matching tissue paper behind the photo and a few doilies fussy cut from on one the kit papers to complement the feathers.

I know the photos are almost the same but I really wanted to use them both as a lovely reminder of my day with all three of my youngest nieces! The title refers to the "bump" nicknames that my sister gave to each of them.

To be honest, the layout was a little rushed and I think it might need a little tweaking here and there - especially around the cluster but maybe I'll live with it a while and see what it needs for me to be happy with it. Let's see how it works! However, photos on a layout less than a week after they were taken is a success in my book!

Check out the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog to see what the other Master Forgers have done with this challenge and make sure you share! We love it when you share your own makes!

You can join in via:

• the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog here and the link up page here
• the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Facebook community here
• the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Instagram account here (find us @counterfeitkitchallenge and share with #counterfeitkitchallenge)

Counterfeit Kit Challenge - Mood Board Challenge #2

Welcome back to the Counterfeit Kit Challenge prompt #2 which is all about Susan's wonderful mood board.

Check out the details of the mood board over on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog here.

She asked us to take inspiration in any way we wanted to from her curated collection of beautiful images. And there's a whole lot of gorgeousness there so I'm interested to see how everyone else takes their pages.

The bow of decorative plates on the wall caught my eye, especially with the "block" of furniture which reminded me of a blocked photo on a page design, as well as that super quote in the middle. Several of the photos were all about messy piles or layers and then of course, there was the round cake and the arched doorway.

I decided to focus on a curve of messy stitched circles which would frame my blocked photo and incorporate the quote as my title. This gorgeous photo of my wonderful nieces seemed like an all round perfect fit. 

I picked out lots of circular elements from my kit in soft pinks to match those pretty faces and then added in some darker shades which tied in with their bold school uniforms. The curved stitching, the random element placement and the bunched up threads were inspired by the piles of books and papers in the mood board as well as some of those darker shades.

I wanted to add in a glittery heart for interest and then realised that I needed some other glittery items because it was too stand alone. I used more glitter hearts and then cut some very thin strips of the same shade of pink glitter paper and layered them under here and there. They are not totally obvious but make two visual triangles. I also added in a couple more small hearts for interest.

I went with a mixed title which is something I love to do and included a couple of phrase stickers for variety. More stitching was added for interest and to make sure that those pesky Thickers don't come off (super unsticky which is irritating!).

This layout was quick and easy and a lot of fun to pull together once I had decided where the inspiration was taking me! I love it.

You can see what the other Master Forgers did with this mood board over on the blog here so why not check that out. And don't forget to share if you're inspired to create too!

You can add it to our Link-up page, post it in our Facebook Community, or share it on Instagram (use #counterfeitkitchallenge and #ckcjanuary2019).  We love seeing what you make!

Counterfeit Kit Challenge - mini kit reveal and project

Over at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog, I'm showcasing my mini-kit for September with which I've completed another of my overdue Project Life spreads for 2017. You can find that post here.

Our original inspiration kit was the Noel Mignon Apple Crisp kit here and isn't it gorgeous!?! Perfect to get me into the autumn feeling which, of course as you know, is my favourite time of year.

I loved the shades of brown, yellow, green, orange with a hint of pink along with the leafy, cooler days of autumn feel to the kit and my kit has most of that, even if it's a bit hard to see!

All the papers came from my scrap basket and there is a small pile that has been put back there. I like to have a lot of choice so I often put more in than I know I will use up and that's ok. This is not a super mini kit because my Project Life pages are two spreads per month.

I was happy to find that I'd included a couple of pages that I could fussy cut and you'll find that there are a lot of flowers, banners and leaves scattered across my pockets.

I'm trying to work through my PL card supply but it's proving hard as I'm not sure I want to mix up the straight corners of the cards I make myself and photos with the rounded corners of the older collections.

Some minimal supplies knowing that my pockets need to be less dimensional. But they give a nod to the original kit with hearts, leaves, words and woodgrain elements as well as a smattering of twine.

I love these feathers so it was a good excuse to try and get them used on a page.

And here are my spreads for November 2017 which was a particularly memorable month round here due to a special birthday.

My PL spreads all follow the same format which gives me space for large and small landscape and portrait photos as well as the opportunity to have some decorative items and space for journalling if I need it. This was a tricky month to pick out photos and a lot didn't make the cut so I'll have to make sure that there are full pages to fill in any of the details that I think are missing.

I've been hoarding these star sign cards from Studio Calico (why didn't I buy four sets?!?!) but this seemed like an ideal time to use them. There seem to be far too many photos of me this month but I have a camera shy husband which doesn't help!

Sigh! I need more of these cards!

Lots of Paris details but I know that there are more stories to tell so I need to make sure that I make full layouts to tell the rest in my regular albums.

And then I've added in some of the memorabilia in smaller pocket pages so that I have it all in one place. Perhaps those of you who make your own pocket pages could give me a tip for how to keep all the "stuff" into that top left hand pocket? Everything seems to fall out every time I touch the page!

These top two photos are actually postcards which makes me happy! What does anyone do with more dimensional memorabilia?

And there you have it. It took me HOURS - I must be doing something wrong and I need to think about how to make it easier for myself! Less decoration? Handwritten journalling mixed in with the printed? Tips and tricks? All constructive criticism welcome!

Make sure you go over to the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog today and again on the 12th, 15th, 18th, 24th and 30th for more inspiration that you'll be able to use in your own kits, mini kits and projects. You can find out how to join in over there.

Thanks for dropping by and have a great day!

Counterfeit Kit Challenge - Challenge #1 A Little Bird Told Me!

Challenge #1 this month was inspired by the cute bird patterned paper in the original inspiration kit.

It made me think of the expression "a little bird told me" and I decided that this would be the prompt!

You can see the blog post over at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge here with the links to Julene and Alice's layouts and don't forget that we love it when you share using the Link-Up page on the blog, posting in the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Facebook Community  - or on Instagram (find us @counterfeitchallenge and share with #counterfeitchallenge )

Now I suspect that I "might" have twisted the rules a teeny tiny bit but I know that you'll forgive me because it's all about the fun here and getting our stash used up! Am I right? And I "might" have interpreted the prompt a little loosely too! But I was so excited by my weekend experience that I just knew that I wanted to make this layout and found a way to sort of match it to the challenge. But being inspired by the challenge is the main thing too, right?

So here's my layout.

I made the title into something that was said to me rather than the story of the layout being told to me and added in a bit of red paper (scraps from the MME collection I used in my kit) and some mini-alphas. I know there's not a lot of decoration on this layout but I really wanted my die-cut to stand out and make it that star of the show - pun intended.

And if you ever get the change to do a silent walking disco - do it! You won't have so much fun for a long time! I recommend it and challenge you not to get your boogie on while you're walking along, no matter how self-conscious you feel in from of all the people watching the disco, wondering what you're all doing! So much fun.

Have a great day everyone and don't forget that there's still a lot going on over at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge over the rest of the month - Killing the Kit #1 (15th), Challenge #2 (18th), Member showcase (24th) and we also have a surprise that I'm planning with our Guest Designer to appear at some point too - probably the 20th - which you won't want to miss.

Counterfeit Kit Challenge mini kit and project

Well, I'm Miss Late-in-the-Day as usual but I thought I'd make the effort (at midnight!) to write up a complementary post here to give you some detail shots.

If you've been over at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog this morning, then you'll have seen my mini kit that I made for August's Counterfeit Challenge.

This month our inspiration was the gorgeous Studio Calico "Lost River" from Sept 2016. Here's the main kit and there were additional kits too - a planner kit and a pocket page kit - as well as digital downloads of the papers and the pocket cards. Just search for "Lost River" over at the SC site to find all the goodies.

Master Forger Clair picked out the kit this month and we were all delighted with it. A great transition from summer to autumn. She was somewhat of an enabler too, pointing out that the digital downloads were still available. And yes, I couldn't resist. I purchased the pocket page downloads and am thrilled to have them. I'll get them printed soon but wanted to make up my mini kit without them!

So, onto my mini-kit... I took inspiration from the colours and feel of the original inspiration kit and then followed Master Forger Susanne's "directions" in Just The Gist of It to pull together a Project Life kit for my August pages.  

I know this looks like more than a mini-kit but all the sheets are 6x6 and the cards are all pocket page cards (so 4x6 or 3x4). I'm still finding my way through the Project Life system and it's taking me some time to work out how to make things fit my own style and how much project should be in a mini-kit for one month's spreads.

I didn't include many embellishments in the hope that I wouldn't feel obliged to over decorate too many pages - some veneers, some gold and white confetti (reminiscent of the vellum circles), gold thread and some washi tape. I included alphas and some labels which didn't make the cut in the end but I wanted to make sure I had at least a few options. 

I knew there would be lots left over after making my pages, and also noted that I'm definitely missing some pocket page cards for journalling and of different orientations. And indeed, there really was a lot of the kit left over but I'm happy overall with how it came together.

I'm trying to follow the same format each month so that there's some consistency and in the hope that it becomes easier for me. It also gives me the chance to use both landscape and portrait photos and cards in both sizes. So I start the month with a single side of Design A, then have two sides of Design D and finish off with the Design A again. If that's not enough, I can add something in between (I did that in April with my 30 days of Selfies spread). I'm trying not to be too rigid but to have enough guidelines to make it simpler.

I managed to get August completed across the "usual" four sides.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - I'm finding this more difficult than I think it should be. It takes me ages to make spreads like these (feels much longer than regular pages) and I'm not sure the overall design is entirely pleasing! I love that I have the month's details captured and all those little photos that wouldn't normally make it onto pages used up, so I guess it's definitely worth it, but I'm still looking for ways to enjoy the process more and make it feel better designed! 

Tips and tricks still ever welcome!

In the meantime, I'll leave it at this and wish you a very happy Hump Day. And don't forget to share what you make with your Counterfeit Kit Challenge kits! Join in over at our Counterfeit Kit Challenge Facebook Community. The more the merrier!