September at Simple Scrapper #2

Another late share but the last from September before I post my Simple Scrapper and Scrapabilly makes for October.

September's Story Starter©️ collection with the theme of Simple gave me the chance to talk about our progress on decluttering our life.  I matched this with a sketch from May 2013 (#124) which has lots of layers and space for journalling as well as plenty of white space.

My Counterfeit Kit Challenge August kit, Alpine, was perfect for this because of the many neutrals that were in the kit and which I was able to select to match my theme.

It's not easy to see in these photos but instead of the paint swashes featured on the original sketch, I misted through a stencil before building my layers on top. It's a subtle effect but adds interest and texture to the overall layout.

To find out more about the many resources and inspiration - including the sketches and story starters I use each month - available to inspire you to create beautiful pages and tell meaningful stories in a supportive, communicative community environment, check out the Simple Scrapper premium membership here.

September at Simple Scrapper #1

Late (as ever) but before I start sharing my October team makes, I'd like to share my September layouts.

In September, instead of having new sketches for our designs, we were asked to go back through the huge collection (over 300 sketches) and choose a particular one for a particular reason. 

With so much choice and so many fabulous designs, it took me some time to settle on #234 from March 2015 which features three Instax/Polaroid style photos. I have a small pile of Instax photos which need a home so it was a great excuse to use up these three which were taken of me and my two wonderful brothers from a few years ago. The sketch also gave me the possibility to include a good chunk of journalling while still showcasing pretty products from my Counterfeit Kit Challenge July kit, Scooped (lo#2). I combined the sketch with the Simple Scrapper Story Starter©️ Connections from March 2015 to talk a little about the relationship I developed with these two pranksters during that time. 

I liked that I could use some happy colours and even a few feminine items on this page because of the summer theme. The pinks and yellows don't feel out of place at all.

I don't really do summer holidays so it can be hard for me to find a way to incorporate traditional summer themes but the fussy cut trio of ice-cream cones reminds me of heading into town for ice-cream one evening when the boys were visiting.

To find out more about the many resources and inspiration - including the sketches and story starters I use each month - available to inspire you to create beautiful pages and tell meaningful stories in a supportive, communicative community environment, check out the Simple Scrapper premium membership here.

16 loves {October 2016}

Welcome to the next in the series {16 loves} for 2016.

For the last few years, I've been sharing my loves each month - a little bit of everything that has caught my eye or been enjoyed over the last month. So, a new year and new inspiration. I hope you will come back each month to see if there is anything in my list to inspire you. 

To see what's inspired me in the past, click to find all my {13 loves}, my {14 loves}, my {15 loves} and my {16 loves}.

I hope there's something in here to inspire you or maybe just make you smile.

A day late for this because of my really über-late posting of the September version!

one

Loving the autumn skies these days. #watchmesmile

two

Found this on Pinterest and it spoke to me. I need to get to the coast before the year is done. I especially love the seaside out of season. Maybe my love for that "sharp salty smell of the air" is due to me coming from a city that's just about as far from the coast as you can get in the UK!

Pinterest find - source here

three

The October Scrapabilly kit features the Posh collection by Simple Stories and the layouts practically made themselves - such a pretty selection of papers and embellishments which I hope to share in the next week.

This detail of a page about the wine festival I mentioned in the 16 loves {September 2016} features a pocket full of pretty beads and sequins. I was inspired by something I'd seen online (sorry, just a layout in passing and no reference taken so I can't give credit). 

four

Google informed me that it was 358 years since tea was first advertised in the UK. Fun facts that no-one needs to know!

five

I'm back on the treadmill. Again. Got to do something to get rid of this mid-life flab and this appears to something that might work.

six

There are some gorgeous autumn/thanksgiving decorating ideas in this post over at diys.com but this is my favourite! Not that I think I want real antlers as part of my table decoration but isn't it gorgeous!

seven

*sigh* autumn leaves just make me happy #watchmesmile

eight

I've heard a lot about the concept of hygge recently - it's part of what makes Denmark one of the happiest places to live apparently. This Pinterest find was interesting, as was the BBC article about hygge here.

Found via Pinterest - YesandYes.org

nine

There was a challenge prompt last month at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog for us to be inspired by Kate Spade. My wonderful scrappy bestie Pam introduced me to Kate Spade and her wonderful colours so I instantly printed out these photos to make into a layout only to realise that I need to use my NYC kit rather than a CKC one. Not to worry, they will be turned into a layout sometime soon.

ten

Happy mail all the way from the US. Another sweet package of happiness from my mint-green-washi friend Coda Kathy! She's visiting at the end of the year, and I'm excited to show her a bit of my part of the world!

eleven

A recent Whimsical Musings prompt asked us to be inspired by flamingos (WM#231). I was rather surprised at just how many items I found featuring flamingos in my scrap stash. Making a page proved easy and simple but I'm going to have to make a full album full of flamingo pages if I have any hope to getting through it all! There's even more than in this photo. Oh well, time to get creative.

twelve

Another journey south to the city of Worms meant some more local sightseeing. Speyer proved a lovely town and one to head back to again some time. The beautiful cathedral, which is the largest Romanesque church in Europe, is a highlight and it simply shone out on this gorgeous, sunny afternoon. 

thirteen

Simple food with a glass of local wine seems the perfect choice when you're in the Rhineland wine country.

fourteen

And on the road again to visit my adorable sister and her sweet family who are staying in the Netherlands for a few weeks at the moment. We headed out to Delft which is just gorgeous - I'm such a fan of Dutch culture and their pretty towns. It was a fun day - baby P wasn't so impressed by the look of it.

fifteen

Little P didn't really want to have much to do with me but even she couldn't resist this blue heart piece of art in Delft. 

sixteen

Further to my quote about being busy in my 16 loves {September 2016}, this short BBC podcast series about the same topic seems rather appropriate. I say I'm busy all the time. Apparently, that means I'm one of the least busy people around. Food for thought.

Find the podcast series here

I’d love you to share your own {16 loves} lists with me. Why not link up in the comments below?

{16 loves} is a series that will feature on my blog each 16th of the month

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16 loves {September 2016}

Welcome to the next in the series {16 loves} for 2016.

For the last few years, I've been sharing my loves each month - a little bit of everything that has caught my eye or been enjoyed over the last month. So, a new year and new inspiration. I hope you will come back each month to see if there is anything in my list to inspire you. 

To see what's inspired me in the past, click to find all my {13 loves}, my {14 loves}, my {15 loves} and my {16 loves}.

I hope there's something in here to inspire you or maybe just make you smile.


So, so, so late but here you are! One today, another tomorrow. 

one

One of my favourite layouts of recent months using my Counterfeit Kit Challenge September kit, Alpine for the "Happy Sandcastle Day" prompt over at the CKC blog.

Original blog post here

two

We had the Chances over to visit us at the end of August and it was so much fun. I took them to Cologne which I was amazed to find we'd never done before. I organised a love lock for them to add to the infamous Hohenzollern railway bridge as a reminder of a happy day spent with my much loved family. 

three

One of the last roses of summer. A gift from my MIL and such a beautiful scent. 

four

I just had to get a bunch of the Shimelle collection, Go Now Go. Such a great collection and easy to use. I'm particularly taken with the fact that Shimelle's collections really are somewhat different from everything else out there as the scrapbook industry seems to be moving all in the same direction.

American Crafts Shimelle Go Now Go reveal

five

I'd love to work this colour scheme into my home. I have a couple of copper items already and a very neutral overall look so maybe I can work some of this in. I can feel a Whimsical Musings colour prompt coming on with this!

Found via Pinterest - thepixelodyssy.com

six

I have this cute calendar on my desk as a happy reminder of wonderfully generous, kind scrappy friend. The best kind of mint-green-washi type of friend (in-joke) - Coda Kathy!

seven

I celebrated my 10 year blogiversary and of course, made a layout to mark the event. 10 years is a long time in blogworld and I hope that I've improved content, writing and photography! The layout is in response to my Whimsical Musings prompt WM#229 inspired by using products by a manufacturer that no longer produces scrapbook products.

Original blog post

eight

I was given some mini tomato plants and didn't expect much after I planted them because I really don't have green fingers. I was therefore particularly delighted when they actually bore fruit and they were exceptionally delicious. 

nine

And along with tomatoes, we also had some fruit, including an apple tree which bore exactly one apple. Apparently, it was delicious which is a good thing as we had a long time caring for it and ensuring that the birds didn't get it before it was ready for R to pick!

ten

Of course, this apple then needed to be the star of a scrapbook page in response to a Whimsical Musings prompt - WM#228 be inspired by growing things. 

Original blog post here

eleven

I spent an idyllic afternoon on the banks of the Ruhr river recently, giving a lesson to a charming young man. It was a perfect day in a beautiful setting. It really was a gorgeous September.

twelve

Something that is so valid these days and that has given me much cause to pause and think about my very own busy-ness. I'm always busy. Or maybe I'm not!

Pinterest find - source here

thirteen

My travels down south to the beautiful wine area of Germany have been so successful in discovering more about my wonderful adopted homeland. We ventured out to Bad Dürkheim for the infamous Wurstmarkt which is the largest wine festival in the world. We took a large g&t up to the top of the sky bar for a panoramic view across the festival. A perfect late summer evening.

fourteen

I ordered some stationery from the wonderful etsy shop Partridge & Bell (personalised pencils and notebook) as a birthday gift for my gorgeous sister. Shop owner Emily was delightful and offered the most incredible personal customer service. I couldn't thank her enough for her care and attention. 

fifteen

This collection of funky on-trend shelves. I'd like to find a way to incorporate one or two of these ideas in my own home. 

Found via Pinterest - ispydiy.com

sixteen

Yes, this says it all.

Pinterest find - source here

I’d love you to share your own {16 loves} lists with me. Why not link up in the comments below?

{16 loves} is a series that will feature on my blog each 16th of the month

Forgeries on the Fourth

There were many items in the Counterfeit Kit Challenge inspiration kit, Indigo Hills by Pinkfresh Studio, that could have been "forged" and I decided to go for the gorgeous tassels included in the collection. How useful they will actually be on pages has yet to be established because they are quite bulky but I just couldn't resist their prettiness or their colour!

First of all, I collected some products. I had plenty of white embroidery thread and decided that I would use that for the main body of each tassel rather than the different colours in the originals. However, I did have normal sewing thread in each of the five other colours so I felt that was enough of a match.

I started by looping some of the white thread so that it would be longer than double the length of the final tassel and then I started by wrapping the first, middle colour of sewing thread around the centre of this bunch and pulling it tight. In this way, the top of the tassel is really firm.

When I had wrapped what felt like the right amount according to the picture of the original, I then started the second colour to the left of centre, ensuring that the ends slightly overlapped each other to give a smooth transition from one colour to the next. I wrapped that until it looked about the right size compared to the original - there was a lot of guessing in this process!

This colour was then added to the other side too. Finally, I added the second of the side colours - gold.

Once the top loop had the three colours, all that needed to be done was to double this over in the middle so that both sides were the same and the blocks of colour matched up. Then the fourth colour of thread was wrapped around the base of this loop. This needed to be tightly wrapped too so that the loop is held in place.

This was how it looked when I had finished the wrapping of the threads. It felt like it was going to take a long time and the initial stages were a bit fiddly but I think that each one of these tassels only took about 10 minutes once I had established the size, colour and technique.

All that was needed then was to trim the ends of the white thread to give the full tassel effect. The smaller tassel here was my first, test make and I have to say that I think I got the size better than the next ones I made. But these are hand-made after all and I probably won't put more than one tassel on a project at once and wouldn't notice the size even if I did!

Here are the set of four using each of the four colours in the different parts of the binding process. I've just realised that I'm missing the little ring on the top so that they can be attached to layouts and projects more easily so I will try to get around to adding that on when I track some down.

I love the colours from the original Indigo Hills items and think the combination of pink, aqua, yellow and navy works so well. When I put my kit, Lucid, together I had already made up the tassels some weeks earlier. So I put the tassels out on the papers to make sure that I picked out the right shades for my version of the kit. I found this a great way to quickly pick out items for my kit so I might try to remember that technique again for the future.

Thanks for dropping by today! Let me know you were here and which item from the original kit you're planning to forge!

Don't forget that we love it when you join in and make up your own kits. Share your kit and your creations over at our Link-Up page and don't forget the Member Blog Hop on the 24th. 

***** MEMBER BLOG HOP ***** 

Find out how below!  
Go on, you know you want to! 
Your project should be something new, using a Counterfeit Kit Challenge kit, that you haven't shown before and will only post for the hop. Be inspired by any of the challenges this month or just share something you've created with your kit. Remember, the more the merrier and it never fails to be a lot of fun! 
To be a part of our blog hop: 

• E-mail us your name & blog address & promise to participate at thecounterfeitkitchallengeblog@gmail.com by the 18th October.
• You will receive an e-mail from us by the 20th October with a list of the hop participants.
• You will need to schedule your own blog post showing your project based on a challenge and link to the person after you in the hop.All Blog Hop posts will need to be scheduled to go live on the 24th October at 12:00am Mountain Standard Time (Arizona) but we will help you with the scheduling