August 2023 - Counterfeit Kit Challenge reveal and hop

 I can't believe it's been so long since I was last here on the blog. It's not as if I haven't been crafty in that time, just not here I guess! I've been on mini-kit duty over at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge over the last couple of months and now I'm back with a regular kit so let's get started, shall we?

It's my turn to host the month at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge and not only did I ask our wonderful ex-MF and wunderkind Clair to join us, but I also picked a new kit club by the European online shop, Pink and Paper which is run by the delightful Flóra.

I joined up immediately and love the fact that she is local (as in Europe!) and that there are still new kit clubs starting up to inspire us all! 

I've picked the first kit she offered - June 2023 which includes Crate Paper Gingham Garden as well as Cocoa Vanilla Happy Days items - I'll be sharing photos of all the individual items over in the FB community as well as the full content list if you like all the details!

Here is the kit:

I particularly love all the florals, those super cute puffy hearts and the mix of soft and stronger shades. It speaks to my flower loving, pastel adoring heart! There's a lot in there and lots of ways to stretch it and make it your own.

Here is my kit, Bouquet (bad photos of course because it's late at night 😳)

I started off with the striped paper which reminded me of the paint strip paper from Gingham Garden. Mine is a Paige Evans "Wonders" paper. From there I picked out the large rose floral (Simple Stories Happy Hearts), the lilac heart print (Echo Park You & Me) and a green chevron by Pink Paisley (Atlas). I was drawn to the birds and butterflies in the Jen Hadfield Peaceful Heart collection and then added in a small sprig design too. I finished off with a couple of sheets from Gingham Garden which were not in the original. Yes, my selection is definitely not the same as the inspiration kit but I do think it's got a lot of similarities. I'm pretty sure that I can work with these papers even if they look as if they don't automatically go together!

I see some fussy cutting in my future with the roses and those little black and white sprigs!

Then I kept the embellishments light thinking that I can add to my kit if I need. I've included Gingham Garden enamel dots and die cuts, some Echo Park pastel enamel dots, a pack of labels and tags from Paige Evans, a set of Thickers as well as a smaller white alphabet.

To finish off my embellishments I've thrown in a bag of florals and mixed little items that I have in my desktop tote bag. This hasn't been used for some time and thought it might be useful to top up the florals. As always, let's see how successful I am at using up these older items.

I like the mix of items in Bouquet which was important to me as of course, I have the original kit on my shelf (or at least what is left of it!). I think I can make a few pages from this selection and look forward to seeing what you all pull together too!

Don't forget to check out the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog for the full details of the hop and what you can expect through the month before heading over to the CKC community on FB here where all the sharing goes on!

February 2021 - Counterfeit Kit Challenge kit reveal and hop

Gosh it's been quiet round here. Which doesn't necessarily mean that I've been doing nothing. Although I've been doing a lot less than usual ;-) We moved and therefore the scrapping reduced to a minimum and I've mostly been posting over at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge or their FB community. 

And here we are in a new month and I'm back with my first full kit of the new year.

I'm not a fan of February to be honest but with a pretty kit as inspiration, I'm hoping to be motivated to scrap.... let's see.

First up, the full hop list for today's kit reveal can be found at the bottom of the post and don't forget to check out our delightful Guest Designer Eileen (find her on FB here) who will be posting directly into our Counterfeit Kit Challenge FB community. 

 Now let's take a look at the inspiration kit I picked out. I like to find kits on this side of the Atlantic and was thrilled to find a gorgeous kit over at Scrapbook Werkstatt. Their current Feb 2021 kit, Herzstück, appealed so much with the softer colours and all those scrummy florals and hearts.

There are detailed photos and a content list over at the Scrapbook Werkstatt Herzstück page if you need more information - I love to see all the a-sides and b-sides and compare all the elements of the embellishments. I get inspiration from all of it!

Scrapbook Werkstatt - February 2021 "Herzstück"

My kit didn't exactly turn out that way (the softer colours and all those scrummy florals and hearts), but I still think I'm going to love working with it ;-) Here's Heartfelt!

I started off with the sheet of pink hearts from Paige Evans Bloom Street which was the only item I have that matches the original kit exactly. From there I added in the yellow dots (Simple Stories), the soft red graph (Pebbles) and the vellum (Crate Paper) which I thought were similar in colour, pattern and feel to papers in the original. Now I felt that the kit was heading in a different direction so I just went with the flow and added in three more Paige Evans Go the Scenic Route papers (red with tiny hearts, whimsical birds and the bright hearts), a sheet of black and white squares (Crate Paper) and a monochrome floral (Pinkfresh). Even though it's pretty far away from the Scrapbook Werkstatt collection, I still think it has a similar feel to it and of course, I always have the cheat option of the b-sides ;-) 

The original kit had a whole bag of Crate floral die-cuts so I added in my own bag of florals and also a full set of die cuts from the Paige Evans collection. This pushed me to include the stickers and the puffy words/elements from the same collection in. It will be interesting to see if I can use the brighter colours with some of the softer shades in my kit.

I also wanted a lot of variety with my alphas and added in a couple of swirly gold which felt similar to the original, but also a couple of small ones, and a Pink Paislee pink and gold set. I have way too many alphas and many of them are almost at the end of their useful life. I'd like to clear the decks a little so I could get some news ones with a clear conscience! There are also some puffy sequins and some heart enamel dots from Pinkfresh which I haven't used in a long time.

As always, I reserve the right to add stuff in as I go along! Ha ha! It's surprising how many little bits and pieces find their way into my kit box and onto my pages as the month goes on. My kit, my rules ;-) 

I'm hoping to jump right in and actually use some of these supplies for more than just a handful of cards which has been the case over the last couple of months. My room is somewhat sorted and I feel like I need some scrappy time - how about you? 

Come on over and join in the fun. It's going to be a good month.

Here's the hop so that you don't miss out on any of the inspiration:

• Counterfeit Kit Challenge -http://counterfeitkitchallenge.blogspot.com
• Guest Designer Eileen:-https://www.facebook.com/eileen.taylor.528
• Cindy:-http://cindyscreations-cinmfoster.blogspot.com/
• Julene:-http://julenebydesign.blogspot.com//
• Leslie:-http://lcsmithsaved-outofthemire.blogspot.com/
• Lisa:- http://lisahausmann.blogspot.com
• Tara:-https://kryptonite72-rambles.blogspot.com/
• Tina:-http://tinasscrapcorner.blogspot.com/
• Tracey:-https://3obsessions.blogspot.com
• Laura:-https://www.instagram.com/mrsp_scrapsandtea/

And of course, we love it when you share so make sure to link up your kits and creations over in our Counterfeit Kit Challenge FB community page here or on Instagram (we are @counterfeitkitchallenge or tag us using #counterfeitkitchallenge and #ckcjanuary2021)!

Here's to an inspired, creative month.

April 2019 - Counterfeit Kit Challenge prompt #2 - Hidden!

I'm back with a challenge layout today and am thrilled to be able to say that I not only used my April kit for layout #2, but I also fulfilled the challenge on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog - Hidden!, and also my own Whimsical Musings prompt WM#325 - be inspired by a blue-toned necklace.

I do love it when I get multiple challenges completed in one layout - although there are others out there much better at it than me.

Here's a reminder of my take on the Hip Kit Club March 2019 kit, "Balconia" and you can find all the details for the inspiration kit over at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog here.

Right, back to business...

I challenged the team with the following:

Challenge #2 - Hidden!

Easter is coming and many little ones will be participating in Easter Egg Huts in the garden. Create you own "hunt" on your page by including some hidden elements on your page such as journaling, symbolism or more photos. Let the hunt begin!

I decided to go for lots of hidden symbolism as well as a truly hidden-in-plain-sight element to my page. 

Can you see it? 

It's right there in the middle and I have to admit to being rather proud of it and ever so grateful for my beloved Silhouette Cameo which has earned its keep this week in more ways than one. When I use it, I truly love it and don't know why I don't use it more often!

So... if you didn't notice, here are some of the elements I included in my page.

• I splatted gold and blue onto the background to mirror the state flag of Alaska where I bought this gorgeous necklace
• the title is a nod to the flowers in the necklace which also happens to be the state flower of Alaska too. The actual words of the title are of course, double meaning as I really don't ever want to forget my trip and experiences during the holiday of a lifetime.
• I also used blue and gold with the messy thread elements 
• the softer colours of the patterned papers I used reminded me of the autumnal colours I experienced during my travels around the Yukon and my short stay in Alaska
• I've included the constellations you can find on the state flag - subtle but clear to see if you know where to look!
• and the best bit... I've cut out the state of Alaska from my favourite constellation covered Studio Calico vellum and laid it underneath the photo. You have to really look carefully to notice it and that's the effect I wanted. The focus is on the photo and the bead elements I've attached to the page as embellishments but the negative space on on the vellum is there to discover. 

I've been including hidden symbolism on my pages for a long time - colours, motifs, patterns etc - and find myself going back to this technique over and over which makes me happy. I hope you'll give it a try if this is something new for you. Make sure you link up to let me know how you get along!

Head back to the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog so that you don't miss any of the other shares today and of course, there's heaps and heaps of inspiration and community shares over on Instagram here and the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Facebook Community here.

April 2019 Counterfeit Kit Challenge kit reveal blog hop

It's 1st April and that's no joke!

Hopefully, you're here for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge March blog hop kit reveal and I'm delighted to be choosing the kit again this month. It's going to be a good one!

No doubt you've reached me via the inspirational Leslie's blog (here), and next up is the delightful Lori (here), and I'm thrilled to welcome Debbie Stemper as Counterfeit Kit Challenge Guest Designer this month so make sure you head over to her blog (here) too.

I find myself returning to the same kit clubs over and over and this month was no exception. So it's not really much of a surprise that I picked out the Hip Kit Club March 2019 kit for our inspiration this time around, which features a wonderful combination of Crate Paper, Heidi Swapp and some Hip Kit Club exclusives. I hope you love it as much as I do.

You can find the link to the main kit here: https://www.hipkitclub.net/march-2019-main-kit

There are also some other kits available if you wanted to take inspiration from those and a great unboxing video if you want to get some more detail about the kit:

Paper: https://www.hipkitclub.net/march-2019-paper-kit 

Pocket Page: https://www.hipkitclub.net/march-2019-project-life-kit  

Embellishment: https://www.hipkitclub.net/march-2019-embellishment-kit 

Color: https://www.hipkitclub.net/march-2019-color-kit 

Cardstock: https://www.hipkitclub.net/march-2019-cardstock-kit 

Unboxing video: https://youtu.be/ghg4bmT6foc 

I've named my kit "Balconia" which isn't really a real word but is a phrase we use here in Germany for the time of year when we start spending all our time out on the balcony, enjoying the sunshine, pottering among our flower boxes and of course, eating Bratwurst from the BBQ and drinking cold beer! - "Life on Balconia"! I actually spend time on Balconia all year round, but it definitely intensifies at the end of March and the beginning of April when we replant the boxes and officially open BBQ season!

I know, I know! You're struggling to find where the inspiration kit is in among all the products in my kit but I promise I started with a list consisting of:

• spots
• hearts
• florals
• small patterns
• circles
• green
• pink
• black & white
• mustard yellow
• bright blue
• green
• summer & sunshine
• clips
• bows

And if you look closely, you'll find all of these except a lot of the bight green and the bows.

Here are my papers. I started with the large spot and hearts (bottom left), and the pink/blue Crate Paper design and floral (top left) and then added in the pie chart circles, the tiny spot and the black and white trailing leaves before finishing off with a couple more florals and the stripes which reminded me of the original kit.

It may not be exactly the same but the inspiration is there and I really think that this mix will give me some super variety!

I then added in some clips that I bought recently and the colours seemed to fit ...

... the stickers that feature floral and words, a colourful mix of enamel dots, a full pack of bright, happy die cuts ... 

...  and black alphas which match the original kit as well as some smaller letters because I love a good mix.

I also added in a few items that are quite a bit older because I've realised that I always stuff my kits with all sorts of scrummy new stuff and my older product is a little neglected. Some brad stickers, some labels and a handful of journalling spots and tags. Let's see if I'll find a way to bring them up to date.

Here's the full blog hop list in case you get lost along the way:

• Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog: http://counterfeitkitchallenge.blogspot.com/
• Guest Designer Debbie Stember: https://pigsflyng.wordpress.com
• Cindy: http://cindyscreations-cinmfoster.blogspot.com
• Leslie: http://lcsmithsaved-outofthemire.blogspot.com/
• Lisa: http://lisahausmann.blogspot.com/
• Lori: https://loriannie670.blogspot.com/
• Tina: https://tinasscrapcorner.blogspot.com
• Laura: https://www.instagram.com/mrsp_scrapsandtea/

We always love to see your work, so please share your kits and projects with us!  
You can link up in different ways:

• 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 #ckcapril2019

Thanks for stopping by today - I'll be here again tomorrow with some ideas 

to help you put together your kit!

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!

Forgery on the Fourth - November 2017

It seems that all my attempts at Forgeries on the Fourth are very often rather hit and miss and this month was no exception!

I decided I wanted to make my own cork embellishments because those featured in the inspiration Citrus Twist kit were so lovely and I certainly don't have anything like that in my stash.

The cork elements here on the left are really very pretty!

So I started off by finding some cork tags in my stash and collected together some supplies to have a go at my own. A few stamps from my very limited collection and I wondered about paint, ink or even embossing.

To begin with I tried stamping with paint. Er, not so good! Paint too thick? Stamp too delicate? User error? Probably all three to be honest and not a complete disaster but maybe there is a better way.

I fished out a sheet of thin cork and die cut a whole bunch of circles in different sizes. I know that I can use these on my pages just as they are as I've done this before and I really like the effect but I wanted to give stamping and embossing a go.

I have a white Stamping' Up ink pad and I have to say that this was totally unsuccessful - there really was nothing to see. Back to the drawing board again. My embossing pad was not really wet enough and that proved to be a big problem and again, I had no luck.

So I got myself an embossing pad refill and added some to my pad. This gave a nice wet stamp onto the cork and the embossing powder stuck nicely to it.

I embossed some in white and really liked the effect - not really a perfect finish but I found that I liked it as it seems to match the rougher surface of the cork.

I decided to try some other embossing powders and there is definitely a difference depending on which one you used. A no-name pink powder didn't show up at all, and a gold powder was too coarse. The copper was the best by far and it also helped that I used a more solid design stamp which turned out really well.
 

So now I have a small pile of decorated and non decorated dots to sprinkle on my layouts!

What will you make for your own kit this month? I do hope that you share your makes with us. You can do this by using the Link-Up page here on the blog, posting in the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Facebook Community Group or on Instagram (find us @counterfeitchallenge and share with #counterfeitchallenge ).

July at Scrapabilly (part 2)

I'm late sharing but I couldn't resist showing you the layouts I made using the Scrapabilly July Kit des Monats because it was such a lovely summer collection of paper and products and I loved what I made with it.

You can find my first three layouts in the blog post here and I'm back today to show you the final three.

Just to recap, here's the gen on the July kit:

The Scrapabilly July Kit des Monats featured Echo Park's Summer Dreams collection.

There are six summer papers from the collection, the matching sticker sheet (and there are a lot of stickers on there!), a gorgeous washi tape, a lovely slim pack of Thickers white alphas and a smooth-writing, black pen.

I added in the collection enamel dots and also added in the other two washi tape (the kit comes with one of three designs). You can find these products over in the Scrapabilly shop.

Here

Here

Here

Here

My fourth layout is another from our "Scrap & Sea" weekend and uses some less than stellar Instax shots (I have an older model and my photos seem to be much more hit and miss than others I've seen.)

This might be my favourite layout using the kit. I used three photos to represent the hanging of a love lock in Cologne when I took my family there last year. It could be that this memory is particularly sweet which makes it a particular favourite.

And last but not least, the sunny yellows in the kit reminded me of these sweet mini cocktails we enjoyed last month.

You know how much I love a banner.

I think you can still get yourself one of the July Kit des Monats over at the Scrapabilly shop and if you have any sunny themed layouts to make, this is the perfect collection of products.

I have no idea if I'll manage to keep up the sharing but I'm willing to try if you're willing to drop by from time to time to see if I do!