Scrapping - just for the fun of it

When I was in Munich back in October (see my 15 Loves post for details!) at the Paige Evans copic book binding course, the event was hosted by Scrappies scrapbook shop and of course, a little shopping was on the cards.

I'm more than lucky to have a simply amazing LSS in the form of Scrapabilly who stocks pretty much everything I love, but I did find a few sheets here and there in the Scrappies shop, as well as matching embellies, that I hadn't yet got my hands on and to say I was thilled to say that they had My Story by My Mind's Eye is a bit of an exaggeration! I scooped up everything they had. :-)

Almost all of my scrapping these days is based on kits - either the monthly Scrapabilly kit or my Counterfeit Kit Challenge kits - but this time around, I decided to just get out the papers and extras and have fun scrapping with no specific agenda in mind. Just for fun.

I love the rich pinks, the hit of gold and the soft creamy backgrounds as well as those gorgeous roses. Fitting to the name of the collection and all that pink, it of course seemed perfect for a layout about me.

I fussy cut some of the banners out of the full sheet paper to hang across the top

Which provided the perfect space to fill with my gold title as well as lines to use for journalling 

And of course, I had to include some PL cards even though I'm not (yet) doing PL. I keep telling myself that I'm going to start in January - maybe, maybe! Everything seemed to layer up really well and the heart opening seemed perfect to highlight that "today". Using all the same collection meant I didn't even have to think about what went where - almost!

And then it was finished. And I was happy. Success.

From this to that - reworking a layout

I've got a post up over at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge that explains how - and why! - I reworked this layout....

into this one ........

and then this one .......

Why not head over there to get the scoop?

Wishing you a great Saturday!

Counterfeit Kit Challenge November blog hop!

Welcome to the last Counterfeit Kit Challenge members' blog hop of the year - things are always a bit different in December!

I'm last in the hop today so if you have come here via creative Tina, you're on the right track but if you've landed here directly, you should head back to the Counterfeit Kit Challenge to start at the beginning. The full list is at the end of the post - it's a small hop this month again but still jam packed full of inspiration for you so don't miss any of it.

This month, the hop is open for anyone to share creations using their kits but not limited to the challenges posted throughout the month. However, here's a recap of those challenges in case you want to check them out.

• Challenge #1:  I HATE it!  Do a project sharing something you just don't like!  Go ahead...get it all out!
• Challenge #2: It's all relative:  Make a project sharing something special (or not so special) about a relative you have. 
• Challenge #3 - December plannin' 

I decided to go with challenge #2 - It's all relative as I knew that I wanted to make a page about my sister and my new niece who is due to be born any day soon! I demanded kindly asked for a bump photo to match the ultra-sound pic that had been sent through a short time ago and got creating using my November kit, Remembrance. I really just wanted to record how eager we are to meet niece #5 and how we all love her already. Peach is her bump nickname and I'm really excited to find out the name they have chosen :-)

I used a few splashes of black around the page to match up with the blocks of dark colour in the photos and mixed in a hint of green/aqua so that the page wasn't all about the pink - although it nearly was! I'm wondering if I should have added a few ink splats. I'll have a think about that.

Thanks for hopping along today. Don't forget to let me know you were here and in case you got lost along the way, here's the full hop list.

CKCB    http://www.counterfeitkitchallenge.blogspot.com

Susanne    http://snapsandsnippets.blogspot.com

Julie    http://spendlesscraftmore.blogspot.com.au/

Kelly    http://www.honeysucklehillcrafts.com

Tina    http://tinasscrapcorner.blogspot.com

Lisa    http://lisahausmann.blogspot.de

Counterfeit Kit Challenge team gratitude blog hop

If you were paying attention over at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog this week, you might have seen me hint that something extra was coming... well, here it is!

This is the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Master Forger gratitude blog hop.

A couple of times a year, we try to do a little behind the scenes activity to keep the conversation going, add a little inspiration into the mix and encourage us to share. Well, while I was busy pinning (like you do) I came across some fabulous free printables featuring wonderful artwork about thankfulness and gratitude. I popped over to see the linked blog and immediately knew this would be perfect for our autumn team activity - right before Thanksgiving and around Harvest Festival time here in Europe.

The creator of these wonderful creations is Allison Kimball (http://www.allison.kimball.com) and she has two incredible sets of images for you to download and print out for your own personal use. She kindly agreed that we use her art for our team activity.

Find the downloads here (go to the bottom of the post to see her own creations) and here.

The activity I set the team was to use one or more of these images in a creation of their own and I am really excited to see what they have made.

So... If you have landed here direct, you can go back to the Counterfeit blog to start at the beginning of the hop and the full list is at the end of my post. I'm right at the end so when you are done here, make sure you head over to Allison's site to download your own set and get creating.

AND it's not too late to sign up for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge member blog hop on 24th. Send your "I'm in" mail to counterfeitkitchallenge@gmail.com today and you are good to go!

Anyway, here's what I made...

As always, I was late making my page but somehow the timing made my layout all the more poignant, matching up a photo from a trip to Paris a few years ago with two of the printables to write a few words about how grateful I am for my life. Right here. Right now.

I used my November Remembrance kit and picked out the softer colours to support the calm photo and the thoughtful journalling.

I used the "Count Your Blessings" image to list out all the people - or at least 32 of them - who are important in my life. I printed out the image much smaller than the original and knew that I wouldn't be able to fit names into each of the small boxes. So, I just listed their first name initials and added all the names on the back of the page so that I know exactly who I mean with all those letters!

On the other side of the photo, I printed out the globe image in the same size and then squeezed my journalling into the centre.

I kept the rest of the layout pretty simple.

We'd love you to join in this extra challenge this month. Head over to Allison's blog (don't forget to let her know we sent you!), download the files and get creating! Make sure you link up your creation so we can come on over and see what you are thankful for right now.

Here's the full blog hop list in case you've got lost along the way.

Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog   http://www.counterfeitkitchallenge.blogspot.com

Bethany   http://inspiredscrapper-bethany.blogspot.com

Lynnette   http://www.sassyscrapper2010.blogspot.com

Susan   http://littlethingsbigdays.blogspot.com

Susanne   http://snapsandsnippets.blogspot.com

Leslie   http://lcsmithsaved-outofthemire.blogspot.com

Kelly   http://www.honeysucklehillcrafts.com

Margie   http://scrappinmargie.blogspot.com

Lisa   http://lisahausmann.blogspot.de

15 loves {November 2015}

Welcome to the next in the series {15 loves} for 2015 based on the original concept by my beloved friend, Pam, back in January 2013. I shared my loves (mostly late) all through 2013 & 2014 and now it's time to see if I can continue the series through 2015. I hope you will come back each month to see if there is anything in my list to inspire you. You can see all my {13 loves} {here}, my {14 loves} {here} and now all my {15 loves} {here}

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

one

I had a little excursion all the way south to Munich, Bavaria. It was a lot of fun to have some time to explore the city and see the famous sights. I ticked nearly everything off the list I'd planned to see - Asam Kirche, Marienplatz, Frauenkirche, the Royal Residence, Hofbräuhaus and so much more and added in quite a lot of things I hadn't planned such as a fabulous Jean Paul Gaultier exhibition at the Kunsthalle and the St Peter's tower which gave me a wonderful view across the city. It's a really beautiful place to visit and a trip during the summer is now on the cards for sometime in the future. Still so much to see.

two

The reason for my trip down there was to attend a topic book-binding workshop hosted by Scrappies and run by the very sweet and lovely Paige Evans. And even though I'm not so keen on this photo of me, it's a great reminder of my fun day. And I got to make a new friend - *waves* to Glenda!

Here's Paige's recap of the day - need to do that but I don't have so many photos because I was concentrating on my book!

three

Here are our books. I love mine (the aqua one of course!) and will definitely be trying this technique again. Such fun.

four

This purse doesn't seem to be available any more but I love it still. What a lovely design and colour. And it reminds me of Pam. *sigh*

five

Gorgeous colour and layout. Super mirror and such a comfy looking bed. I'd love to have enough space in my bedroom for an armchair in the corner. I guess I'll have to keep dreaming.

Found through Pinterest at the BudgetDecorator.com

six

I think these look so super cute and very festive. I just know that I don't have the time, skill or patience to make these but I wish I could!

Found on the Anyone Can Decorate blog

seven

After pinning all three of the images above, I realised there was a definite colour palette going on with the mint, cream and dark brown. So it was appropriate to also notice this Design Seeds scheme tucked into my Pinterest board too. Not deliberate but definitely something that seems to have subconsciously got my attention.

Design Seeds board here

eight

It's been an absolutely fabulous autumn which has brought a smile to my face each and every day. With colours like this and blue skies and sunshine, how could I not feel happy. My favourite time of the year. 

nine

I received a surprise in the post in the form of this gorgeous, hand-made basket using recycled material. A gift from Pam's wonderful grandmother and something I will treasure forever!

ten

Couldn't resist pinning this gorgeous layout - well, you knew I would didn't you with all those constellations featured! I think this is so scraplift worthy.... Just beautiful.

Find the layout here at the abcdeli blog

eleven

It's soup season and this one is now on my list to give a try. It looks and sounds delicious. I wonder if I can track down the pearl couscous it calls for (which I've never heard of!)

Found at A Spicy Perspective here

twelve

Even though it's not really been cold enough, we decided to welcome the run up to Christmas with a Feuerzangenbowle which is an incredibly delicious type of Glühwein. Much stronger and far more tasty. I have someone who makes quite the show with the flames and it's the best I've had in the years I've lived here. The headache the following morning is so worth it!

thirteen

The November Scrapabilly kit is full of Pink Paislee Cedar Lane papers and embellishments which was so gorgeous to use. There were so many wonderful layouts by the Pink Paislee design team online that I think that several of my layouts are no doubt indirectly inspired by them. This one especially, I suspect. But it's my favourite of the six I made and I'm happy to have recorded the story behind our mini-harvest! I love my Cameo.

Find the November Scrapabilly kit here

fourteen

I don't do it every year but I dressed up for Halloween this time. It was a fun evening and I was happy I'd made the effort. The allergic eye reaction the next day wasn't so much fun perhaps but all in all, worth it!

fifteen

Taking a moment to think about the tragic loss of life over the last few days. First Beruit and then Paris. I've had many happy times in Paris and love the city. Making me thankful for my life.

I’d love you to share your own {15 loves} lists with me. Why not link up in the comments below?

{15 loves} is a series that will feature on my blog each 15th of the month

Forgeries on the Fourth

Welcome back for my Forgeries on the Fourth where we - the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Master Forgers - show you how we made elements in our kit to match items in the inspiration kit.

This month, we were all asked to select an additional embellishment for our November kits that would be brought together to make an add-on kit for yet more inspiration! You can see how our complete add-on turned out in this Counterfeit Kit Challenge post and I'm back today to show you how I created my very own embellished tag which I've included in my November kit, Remembrance.

As always, I kept it simple but let's start by looking at the original Amy Tangerine for American Crafts tags which I chose to add in to my kit. They have watercolour brush script and stitched words to made inspirational quotes in addition to two small white striped icon designs.

Amy Tangerine Stitched Tags

First off, I cut out some plain kraft tags with my Silhouette although I'm sure that most of you have a handful of shipping tags in your stash. I knew I would mess a few up and thought it would be just easier to start with a new set so I wouldn't have to worry about them matching.

Then I looked at some of the original Amy Tangerine designs and quotes and picked out a few phrases to use for myself. I used a pencil to write the part of the phrase I wanted to stitch, guessing how much space to leave for the brush script. Yes, it was all a bit hit and miss and I'm sure you will take a much more organised approach! I chose some words in block capitals, with some in small case and a little loopy.

Using an embroidery needle, I pierced holes at regular intervals in the words and then erased the pencil marks. And I've just realised that I didn't take any photos of the stitching process - whoops... Anyway, I took some different coloured embroidery threads and split them so that I had three strands and used a back stitch to go over the words I had prepared. Some of the stitching was neater than others but overall, I was happy with the result. I know that if I did this again, it would be better - proof that practice makes perfect! By the last one, I was on a roll.

I took the only decent brush I had - note to self to get a finer ended one if I want to do more brush work - and opened up my little watercolour palette. This was the first time I'd even taken it out of the drawer so I was a bit nervous. I'm not the neatest person and at this stage, the stitching had taken some time and I didn't want to ruin any of them. I practiced a little on a blank piece of paper to take away a bit of the fear factor and then went for it. Again, not perfect, but fun. Something that definitely would get better the more you do it. I love the look of the Amy Tangerine script but my tags have my own handwriting which is quite special after all!

And here is a bit more of a close up.

Next up were the icons and for the template, I once again turned to my trusty Silhouette and cut out a few designs that looked a little similar to the originals. A striped heart and an outlined camera. I made sure to measure them against my tags so that they were the right size.

After that, it was just a matter of painting over the "stencil" in white paint - being careful not to load too much paint on the die cut so that it didn't run over the edges. I think I went over that white paint at least another one time to make sure that the cover was thick enough.

Et voilà!
Not perfect but perfectly cute enough!

And here is the finished set. Cute, huh?!? :-)

Don't forget to head over to the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog today to check out all the forgeries for this month. I think you are up for a bumper set!

Thanks for stopping by today. Why not let me know you were here and share which forgery you are going to try out today.

Counterfeit Kit Challenge November kit reveal blog hop

Welcome to this new and wonderful month. I love November and I'm hoping to get some creative time in to use all the leftovers of this year's Counterfeit Kit Challenge kits.

But first, I hope you're here for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge November kit reveal and that you've arrived via Leslie who will have delighted you with her Blue Box reveal and next up is the ever delightful Lynnette with her incredible kit staging!

Don't forget to check out our sweet Guest Designer Alicia all the way down under!

The full blog hop list is at the end of this post.

This month, our intrepid leader, Bethany, gave us the gorgeous Cedar Lane collection by Pink Paislee to counterfeit which made me very happy as I'd even lusting over it since I first started seeing it on line. Coincidentally, the Scrapabilly kit this month is also based Cedar Lane (more of that later this month!) so I got the real thing as well as my forged collection too!

But back to the matter in hand. Here's the collection....

Pink Paislee Cedar Lane here

In addition to the full range, we were also asked to select one embellishment not found in the original from all the new releases and fun stuff out there to add to our own kits. These will all be collated together to form a Counterfeit Master Forger add-on! Check out the blog tomorrow for our team add on and then you can find out details in the Forgeries on the Fourth post. There was a lot of backwards and forwards amongst the team in the background so that we didn't duplicate anything and I have to say that I think we have put together an awesome add-on inspiration for your very own kit.

I chose the Amy Tangerine (American Crafts) stitched kraft tags as my inspiration and come back on Wednesday to see how easy it is to make your own.

Amy Tangerine tags available at Simon Says Scrap here 

I'm not really sure how I manged to come up with my kit now that I look at it compared to the original but anyway, I'm happy to present to you, Remembrance, simply named after Remembrance Day on 11th November in the UK which I always try to honour. And of course, I realised yesterday that I should have taken my photograph with my poppy as a nod to the day but forgot. So please, just imagine that!

I went through my papers picking out patterns and colours which reminded me of the individual papers in the kit - soft pinky corals, aquas, browns (although I seem to be a bit short of those!), green, blue, words, florals, woodgrain, chevrons, spots, arrows, stripes, circles. I had a nice mix of some older sheets such as the Theresa Collins, some much newer (to me) Shimelle, the leftovers of the October Afternoon Treasure Map collection and then a few golden oldies such as the Echo Park spots, chevrons etc. I think this is one of the most varied kits I have produced in recent months - let me know if you'd like a full product list.

Of course, I threw in some gold and a map - just because I love them. I ended up with a lot more papers than I had intended but then again, how on earth could I reduce the number???

The colours in the Echo Park birch tree paper seemed to fit here although the theme of the kit is totally different.

For my embellishments, I just went through my stash and added anything which seemed to fit with the feel and look of the kit. Some tapes, some older flowers that need using up, twine and odd pieces of mismatched chipboard.

Some pocket page cards and Simple Stories bingo cards which seemed perfect.

Metal elements in in place of those gorgeous leaf paper close and other little scraps and snippets which seemed to go with the colours and would be good if they were used up.

My forged tags, some brads, some flair and a selection of stickers seemed appropriate for a mix of dimension, texture and based on the original. There are a lot of very old embellies in this kit which are sort of on probation! Use it or lose it!

So there you have it! A rather oversized kit to finish off the year - December is always a little different at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge - which I think will produce some interesting combinations. I think I need a new strategy for the new year because I 'm just not scrapping enough right now to use up all these huge kits - page kits for a few months perhaps?

Off you go to sweet Lynnette and here's the full list in case you get lost along the way.

I'd love to know what you think of November as I fear I'm in the minority in my love for the month!

Guest Designer: http://www.aliciaredshaw.com.au/

Margie:  http://scrappinmargie.blogspot.com

Susan: http://littlethingsbigdays.blogspot.de/

Stephanie:  http://skylinepaperie.blogspot.com

Susanne:  http://snapsandsnippets.blogspot.com

Clair: http://obstinatepursuit.blogspot.co.uk/

Jemma: http://just-jimjams.blogspot.co.uk

Julene:  http://julenebydesign.blogspot.com

Kelly: http://66.147.244.112/~honeysv0/

Leslie:  http://lcsmithsaved-outofthemire.blogspot.ca

Lisa:  http://lisahausmann.blogspot.ca

Lynnette  http://www.sassyscrapper2010.blogspot.com