Easter Fun - Counterfeit Kit Challenge - Challenge #1

 Hello, everyone! Good Monday morning to you! I hope that you are ready for the new week. 

Today I am sharing the layout I created for the first challenge at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog. For this first challenge, Master Forger Leslie is challenging up to add a bit of whimsy by layering our patterned papers and creating a scene on our layouts - AND - if that's too overwhelming (which it was for me!) then you can layer your papers up behind your photo(s).

This is what I came up with:

In order to get us in a playful mood, Leslie asked what we are most looking forward to doing - and these photos hint at that for me - spending time more time with my family - especially my granddaughter - out in the garden this year. We got Ada a set of garden tools for her Easter basket. She had seen them a few weeks ago and wanted them then and I got her to wait. She has always loved to dig in the dirt and pretend to plant different things so when we knew we were going to put in a garden this year - these little tools were perfect for her. I am happy to say that she has already put them to work! Before our Easter egg hunt we planted a few strawberry plants and she was all about doing it herself!

As you can see, I added a lot of layers of paper behind my photos. I wished I'd added a few scraps to my kit - this challenge would have been a great way to get them used up, but I made good use of both sides of a couple of my papers to try to use as much of them as I could. 

Here are a couple of close-ups:

I loved this little bunny head that was on the sticker sheet that I included in my kit. He was too cute to not add to my layout!  I also added several enamel dots from the Vicki Boutin embellishment pack that I had in my kit. I have 3 packs of these embellishments and I cannot wait to get them used up. These little guys do not stick to anything and are constantly falling to the bottom of the pack, so I added as many as I could from the 3 sheets. I still have a few left but I did get quite a few of them used. 

Once I decided what papers I was going to use on this layout and how I was going to arrange them, this layout came together so quickly - which is always the best take away from making a kit - everything is right there at the ready!

Be sure to stop by the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog to see how the other Master Forgers took on this challenge. 

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! I hope you have a great day!

Counterfeit Kit Challenge April Kit Reveal and Blog Hop

Hello, everyone! Happy Thursday and Happy April 1st! The first day of the month is always a busy one here on my blog so let's get started!

It's time for a new kit reveal at Counterfeit Kit Challenges today. Master Forger Leslie is our hostess for the month and she has picked a perfect springtime kit for us to counterfeit. Before we get to the kit - we have the talented Cathy Galloway joining us as our guest designer this month. Be sure to stop by her blog and check out her beautiful work!

Now, on to the kit. Master Forger Leslie has chosen the Garden Party kit from Scrapbook & Cards Today papercraft magazine. Here's how they describe the kit -  Celebrate the arrival of a fresh new season with our spring kit, Garden Party! This colourful collection captures the colours and patterns of spring with papers from Dear Lizzy, Jen Hadfield, Paige Evans and Simple Stories. We’ve added perfectly coordinating accents like silk flowers, twine, tassels, mixed ephemera and bright buttons to add special touches to all your projects. And the exclusive 4×6 stamp set, printable tags and kit cut files will bring unique inspiration to your crafting. Let’s tiptoe through the tulips and dance in the daffodils at the Garden Party!

Here's a look at the kit:

You can see a full breakdown of the kit over on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog. 

Here is the kit that I have put together this month:

As you can see, I went a little overboard on the embellishments this month! I should have lots of bits and bobs to choose from! Let's take a closer look at my kit:

Here are the papers:

In order to keep my kit to a reasonable size, I decided to pick out only the papers I really liked and find something in my stash to use. Starting with the back row - I kind of went my own way with the Bloom Street papers - I picked a stripe, a floral, and another stripe with hearts from Echo Park's 'I Am Mom' collection. I thought the striped paper with the hearts scattered around resembled the text paper close enough. I have more of a blue tone on tone leaf pattern than a blue with green leaf, but it works for me!

The middle row - I chose to go with a navy stripe from CTMH, a pink small floral from Photo Play, black and white polka dots with multi-color hearts from Simple Stories, and a yellow pattern from the same 'I Am Mom' collection.

The front row - I had a couple of the Simple Stories papers in my stash, so I included those and then picked a turquoise dot from Elle's Studio, pink polka dot from The Paper Studio, and pink with larger dots from the 'I Am Mom' collection to go with them. 

I think it's pretty easy to see where I got inspiration from - colors - even if mine aren't quite as pastel as the original kit - stripes, florals, and dots!

I find it funny that I went overboard with my embellishments when the original kit is pretty minimal with them! Once I started pulling things, I just couldn't seem to stop! Here are my embellishments:

I pulled the sticker sheets from the I Am Mom collection and Simple Stories Hip Hop Hooray collection. I then pulled the die cut pack and brads pack from Hip Hop Hooray. I recently purchased a couple of grab bags from Pretty Little Studio so I included a few things that worked with my papers from those. I also have a few die cuts, an Amy Tangerine sticker sheet, and some Vicki Boutin enamel dots. That should be more than enough to get me by this month!

Next are the alphas and stamps that I included:

I included a couple of pink alphas, a small turquoise alpha, and a couple of Amy Tangerine alpha sticker books. I added in a few new stamp sets from CTMH. They will be perfect if I need something more in the way of Easter or spring flowers.

 I am excited to get some spring/Easter/summer photos scrapped this month!

Be sure to check out the fabulous kits from the rest of the design team. I always get even more inspiration when I check out their blogs! Here is the blog hop list:

Counterfeit Kit Challenge - http://counterfeitkitchallenge.blogspot.com

Guest Designer:  Cathy Galloway - https://iluvstamping.blogspot.com 

Cindy - http://cindyscreations-cinmfoster.blogspot.com/

Julene - http://julenebydesign.blogspot.com/

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

Lori - https://loriannie670.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/

If you pull together a kit together be sure to share it with us! You can post them in our Facebook Community, or share them on Instagram (we are @counterfeitkitchallenge or tag us using #counterfeitkitchallenge and #ckcapril2021).

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! I will be back soon with another project to share with you!

Counterfeit Kit Challenge - Challenge #1 - Paper Addict

Hello, everyone, and Happy Friday!  We have made it to the weekend - do you have any plans? It's supposed to be super rainy all weekend and I'm hoping to get some scrapping and some stitching done!

It's time for the first challenge of the month at Counterfeit Kit Challenge. Our inspiration kit - The Paper Addict Kit from Mommyish - is all about our passion for paper, so our first challenge is to create a layout (or other memory-keeping project)  about a favorite hobby. Scrapbooking about scrapbooking is not compulsory, but it is fun!

I created a layout about one of my favorite hobbies - shopping for scrappy/crafty supplies!

My sister called me up and asked if I wanted to go to Springfield for a little crafty retail therapy - how could I say no to that?! We stopped by Hobby Lobby, Michaels, Tuesday Morning, and an antique mall to check out the "garage sale" that they were having that day - we both ended up with an armload of Disney VHS tapes for Shane! - and we finished off the day with a burger from Steak and Shake. I love that she shares my love of cross stitch and that we have such a good time when we are together. Retail therapy is great but spending time with my sister is priceless!

I included photos of our haul in her truck and most of the crafty goodies that I picked up that day. I think my favorite purchase of the day was the vintage-looking scale that I got for my kitchen. I am so glad that I finally broke down and got it!

I used four of the patterned papers that I had included in my kit and a variety of stickers and die-cuts, as well. It may look like I just used a hodge-podge of stickers on this layout, but I tried to use the crafty stickers that related to my hobbies - scrapbooking and cross-stitching. 

Here are a few close-ups:

For  my title, I used my favorite stamp and die set from The Stamp Market and a set of Thickers.

Here is a look at the journaling card. I love that it has little x's across the middle of it - perfect for a story about a couple of cross-stitchers!

Be sure to stop by the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog to see how the other Master Forgers took on this challenge. If you use your kit to create a project about one of your hobbies - be sure to share it with us!

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! Have a great day! 

Counterfeit Kit Challenge March 2021 Kit Reveal and Blog Hop

 Hello, everyone! Happy Monday and Happy March 1st! Aahhhh, March! The month when we start having more warm days than cold and spring is just a couple of weeks away. I am so ready for it!

It's time for a new inspiration kit and blog hop at Counterfeit Kit Challenge. Master Forger Clair has chosen the fun - digital - Paper Addict Kit from Mommyish. It's a kit full of bold colors and easy to "counterfeit" embellishments. Here's a look at the kit:

You can see more detailed photos of the kit on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog.

This is what I came up with:

I love the bright colors in the inspiration kit and found a few papers in my stash that was a pretty good match to them. The only papers that I did not have in my stash were the icon papers with the typewriters and office supplies on them, but I more than made up for those in my embellishments.

Here's a better look at my papers:

I kept my papers to a minimum this month! My goal is to try to keep my kits on the smaller size this year so I have a chance at getting them all used up, and so far I have done pretty well with keeping them small! 

I have a few different manufactures here - Echo Park, October Afternoon, We R Memory Keepers, Jillibean Soup, Basic Grey, and Crate Paper.

 I went a little crazy on the embellishments - at least it looks like I did! I pulled out a couple of random PinkFresh die-cut packs that went along with the theme of the original kit and picked out the ones that I thought I could use this month:

Along with the die-cuts, I pulled a couple of 12x12 sticker sheets and a few shaped paper clips. 

I also added in a 6x6 paper pad from Pink Paislee:

I pulled this paper pad solely for the typewriter paper. I have photos of my daughter when she was a junior or senior in high school doing an interview for the school's newspaper. I have been meaning to scrap these photos for so long - she graduated high school in 2009! - and have never gotten around to it. They have been in and out of my "to scrap" pile for ages. Now I just need to find where they are at! Since they were taken pre-digital...well, I will have to be going through my piles of printed photos!

I also pulled a couple of sticker books that I thought I could use this month and added them to my kit:

I already have 3 layouts planned for this kit and hopefully, that will put a pretty good dent into this kit!

 Be sure to check out the kits from the rest of the design team. I always love to see what everyone else has included in their kit! We have a super talented guest designer joining us this month, so be sure you check out Julie's work on Instagram. Here's the blog hop list:

Counterfeit Kit Challenge - http://counterfeitkitchallenge.blogspot.com

Guest Designer: Julie Kirk - https://www.instagram.com/withjuliekirk/

Cindy - http://cindyscreations-cinmfoster.blogspot.com/

Julene - http://julenebydesign.blogspot.com/

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

Lori - https://loriannie670.blogspot.com >>>>>You are here <<<<<

Tara - https://kryptonite72-rambles.blogspot.com

Tina - http://tinasscrapcorner.blogspot.com/

Tracey - https://3obsessions.blogspot.com/

Laura - https://www.instagram.com/mrsp_scrapsandtea/

There is so much inspiration to be found in the above blog hop! If you pull together a kit - be sure to share it with us! You can post them in our Facebook Community, or share them on Instagram (we are @counterfeitkitchallenge or tag us using #counterfeitkitchallenge and #ckcmarch2021).

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! I will be back soon with another project to share with you!

A New Chapter - Counterfeit Kit Challenge - Challenge #2

Hello, everyone! Happy Monday to you! I hope you had a good weekend. We made a grocery delivery to my oldest son who has tested positive for Covid-19 and is in quarantine. We left the groceries at the door and waved to him from the parking lot.  It's hard not being able to take care of your baby - although at almost 23 he's not a baby! He is feeling much better and should be out of quarantine on Tuesday. 

It is time for the second challenge at Counterfeit Kit Challenges today. For this challenge, Master Forger Lisa is asking us to create a layout about the start of something new. This could be a fresh start or a restart, or maybe you could try a new technique for the first time on your layout. Maybe you want to try a new color combination or a new design...the possibilities are endless!

I decided to make a layout of my oldest son who is continuing on with his education and working towards his Master's Degree - he is definitely starting a new chapter in his life. 

I used a mix of some of the winter papers and the generic papers that I included in my kit. In fact, everything on this layout came from my kit with the exception of the alphas. The ones that I had included did not have most of the letters that I needed so I had to look for some in my stash. All of the embellishments that I used were included in the die-cut boxes that I included in my kit.

For this layout, I included a photo of the screenshot of the acceptance email that Matthew received and then sent to me, along with a photo of him from earlier in the year. I do plan on doing a bit of journaling - but it will be hidden behind the photo block. 

Here are a couple of close-ups:

I loved that I was able to find so many great embellishments that fit my layout!

After taking a closer look, I see that the striped tab that I had intended to layer behind the white tab on the side of Matt's photo got lost. I will be sure to add it back to the layout to help that tab stand out a bit more and to get that striped paper in another place on my layout. 

Head on over to the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog to see how the rest of the design team took on this challenge. 

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! I hope you have a great day!

Counterfeit Kit Challenge January 2021 Kit Reveal and Blog Hop

Hello, everyone! Happy New Year to you all! I cannot believe that it is January 1st! Here is hoping that 2021 has lots of good things in store for each and every one of us.

The start of a new month means it is time for a new inspiration kit and blog hop at Counterfeit Kit Challenges. Master Forger Lisa had chosen the Flurries Deluxe Theme Kit from the Not Just For Boys Kit Club. Here is a look at the inspiration kit:

This kit has a winter theme to it with snowflakes and touches of blue, but it also has a bit of red and green so if you want to go festive and get those Christmas photos scrapped - well, you can find inspiration for that, too. I have gone with more of a winter theme for my kit, but I also included some red and green in it, as well.

Here is a look at my kit:

Guys, my goal this year is to keep my kits to a more manageable size and I think I actually did that with this month's kit! I included 16 papers - 2 of those are navy cardstock - a sticker sheet, chipboard stickers, enamel dots, wood veneer pieces, a stamp, a couple of alphas, and some die cuts. I already have 4 layout ideas for this kit, so here's hoping I can kill it in January!

Here is a closer look at my papers:

I was mostly inspired by the winter theme and that is where I started - pulling the Carta Bella Winter's Market papers, which are all on the front row. I knew I had a few papers that were a good match (mostly to the B side papers in the inspiration kit) so I pulled those as well. They are the back row of papers. All of the blue, red, and green papers are from different Echo Park collections, the white small dot paper, and the wood grain paper are from two different Simple Stories collections, and the cream tone on tone big dot paper is from Crate paper.

Here is a look at the embellishments that I pulled for my kit:

Carta Bella's Winter Market sticker sheet, chipboard stickers, and die cuts. Wood veneer pieces, enamel dots, a stamp set from Elle's Studio, and some random die cuts and sticker books to go with the non-winter themed papers.

I pulled 2 alphas - a white foam Thicker and a minty green alpha that I hope to use and a few scraps that I pulled:

Since I don't have a lot in the way of embellishments for the non-winter themed papers, I went ahead and pulled a couple of my ephemera boxes that had a lot of green items and red items in them:

I have my list of layouts that I would like to make with this kit and here's hoping that I can have a super productive start to the new year!

We have a great guest designer - Tamara -  joining us in January so be sure to stop by her blog and check out her beautiful work!

Here is the blog hop line-up for your inspiration:

Counterfeit Kit Challenge - http://counterfeitkitchallenge.blogspot.com

Guest Designer Tamara:- http://masmalbuch.blogspot.com

Cindy:- http://cindyscreations-cinmfoster.blogspot.com/

Julene:- http://julenebydesign.blogspot.com//

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

Lori:- https://loriannie670.blogspot.com

Tara:- https://kryptonite72-rambles.blogspot.com/ 

Tina:- http://tinasscrapcorner.blogspot.com/

Laura:- https://www.instagram.com/mrsp_scrapsandtea/

I hope that you have a chance to make a kit and play along with us in January!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I will be back soon with another kit to share with you for January!

Counterfeit Kit Challenge #2 - Trick or Treat

Hello, everyone! Happy Sunday to you! I hope you are having a good weekend. Mine has been very busy and very full - of all good things! I love it when I can spend some quality time with my girls, and that is just what happened yesterday. I think it was just what I was needing.

It's time for the second challenge of the month at Counterfeit Kit Challenge today. Master Forger Tracey has given us a fun "Trick or Treat" challenge. Since Halloween falls in October, you need to take three turns and pick either three tricks from the list below - something that's a little tricky to use - or three treats - something that you love to use. You can combine the tricks and the treats, but you must pick five items from the lists below and add it to your layout. Here is the list:

Tricks

hand stitching
eyelets
glitter
fringing
mixed media
doodling
rubons

Treats

flowers
enamel dots
 rainbows
stencils 
stripes
hearts
woodgrain

For my layout, I chose to go with "treats" and I used enamel dots, rainbows, stripes, and hearts.

I used the Pebbles - Live Life Happy papers that I included in my kit for this month. The only papers that weren't in my kit were the blue paper with the unicorn/rainbows/clouds on it, and the yellow paper, everything else was in my kit. 

I based my layout on this sketch that is for Day 9 of 30 Days of Sketches with Christy's Beautiful Life. You can find out more information about this on Christy's Youtube channel here.

I loved that with this sketch you can incorporate so many different patterned papers or project life cards on a layout.

Here are a couple of close-ups:

I tried to add some splatters...didn't turn out like I had hoped...I should have done some stamping like I had originally planned...but it is done now and I am just going to embrace it and move on! 

Head on over to Counterfeit Kit Challenge to see how the rest of the design team took on this fun challenge. Which will you pick? I hope you play along!

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! I will be back soon with another project to share with you!

Counterfeit Kit Challenge September Kit Reveal and Blog Hop

Hello, everyone! Happy September 1st! It doesn't seem possible that it is already the start of a new month. It's been a bit since I've posted on my blog - I've been scrapping a lot - just not for myself! I've been commissioned to do an album for a local gal and it is taking up any and all of my extra scrapping time. I am hoping to have it all complete sometime this month so I can get back to doing a little more of my own stuff.

Anyway, let's get on with the Counterfeit Kit Challenge September kit reveal. Master Forger Cindy has chosen the inspiration kit for this month and I love it! I've done things a little differently this month with my own kit and I'm anxious to see if it helps me to get more of my kit used up. 

We have a fabulous guest designer joining us this month - Misty Murphy - be sure to stop by her Youtube channel and check out her work - Crafty Soup Video.

Here is the kit that Cindy has chosen - The ScrapRoom's August 2020 Flavors of the Month kit:

So many ways that you can take this kit! You can make up 4 individual page kits like The ScrapRoom does each month, you can make a summer kit based on the Doodlebug portion, a school kit based on the Fancy Pants portion, a masculine or fall kit based on the Simple Stories Bro and Co, or an outdoorsy/nature kit based on the Simple Stories Vintage Great Escape portion. Maybe you just want to go with the colors and patterns - it is all up to you!

I am a member of The ScrapRoom's design team so I actually have most of this kit left and all ready to go. But after working with some of these papers already, I also wanted to freshen it up a bit to give myself some new things to work with this month. 

First, we'll take a look at the kit that I put together using papers and embellishments from my stash, and then I will show you what I have left of my kit from The ScrapRoom. Here is my kit (warning - this post is going to be photo heavy!):

For my kit, I have put together 3 layout kits - a summer kit, a more masculine themed kit, and a fall kit - all in The ScrapRoom style of 2 pieces of cardstock, 3 patterned papers, and some type of embellishment.

Here is a look at each page kit that I have put together. The first I have based on the Simple Stories Bro and Co papers in the inspiration kit:

I have 2 sheets of black cardstock, a plaid (in place of the stripe in the inspiration kit), a gold patterned paper, and a colorful star patterned paper.  The colors and patterns in these papers are very similar to the inspiration papers.

Here is a look at the complete layout kit:

I added the puffy stickers and the die-cut packs from the Fancy Pants "Family & Co" collection along with a die-cut pack from Studio G, and alpha stickers from Simple Stories.

My next page kit is a summer-themed one based on the Doodlebug portion of the inspiration kit:

Again, I have added 2 sheets of cardstock and 3 patterned papers - a dot, an all-over print, and a stripe - all in the same colors as the inspiration kit.

Here is the complete layout kit:

I have added the die-cut packs and chipboard stickers from the same Simple Stories "Summer Farmhouse" collection, some doilies, brads, buttons, and badges, and a few Jillibean Soup beanboard alphas that I would like to put to use this month.

For the last page kit that I put together, I based it on the outdoorsy/nature feel of the Simple Stories "Vintage Great Escape" collection in the inspiration kit. I have already worked with this portion of my ScrapRoom kit and not only am I a little tired of it, but it's not really my style, so I went in another direction and pulled a fall-themed page kit:

This page kit is a bit bigger than the others - I included 2 pieces of Kraft cardstock, 2 pieces of woodgrain, and 2 pieces of white cardstock for some backgrounds and the rest are all 6x6 papers from Echo Park's "I Love Family" collection. I know the whole 6x6 paper pad might be a little excessive, but I have been playing along with the Allison Davis' Sketches for 6x6 paper pads class, and I had that in mind when I pulled this portion of my kit.

And the complete layout kit:

I have included several die-cut packs from Echo Park, an old pack (2015) of chipboard pieces from Pebbles, and a baggie full of different die-cuts, stamped pieces, wood buttons, etc. that I am pretty sure came from an old Counterfeit Kit that I put together last year.

Now for what I have left from The ScrapRoom Flavors of the Month kit. I also get the patterned paper add-on, embellishment add-on, and Shots of Life kit from The ScrapRoom so you might see a little extra than what is in the inspiration kit, and I do hope to get it all used up.

I have already used quite a bit from this collection but I still have lots of photos of my boys that I need to scrap and I think these papers could work for a fall layout, too.

I already have a layout planned with this kit - and lots of card ideas, too. Hopefully, I will be able to get it mostly used up this month.

With it being back to school time I know I will be able to get a layout or two done with this part of the kit!

Lastly, I have added a few tools this month. Maybe, just maybe, I will get a forgery or two made this month! Stay tuned!

Phew! That was a lot! I am going to be anxious to see if breaking down my kit into page kits helps me to use more of my kit this month. At the very least I should be able to do 6 layouts - 1 for each kit - and I know I will have enough scraps leftover to make even more. Now it's just finding the time to get it all done!

Be sure to check out the kits from the rest of the design team - here is a complete list of the blog hop:

Counterfeit Kit Challenges - http://counterfeitkitchallenge.blogspot.com/

Guest Designer Misty Murphy - https://www.youtube.com/user/CraftySoupVideo

Cindy - http://cindyscreations-cinmfoster.blogspot.com/

Julene - http://julenebydesign.blogspot.com/

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

Lori - https://loriannie670.blogspot.com/ >>>>You are here <<<<

Tara - https://kryptonite72-rambles.blogspot.com/

Tina - http://tinasscrapcorner.blogspot.com/

Tracey - https://3obsessions.blogspot.com/

Laura - https://www.instagram.com/mrsp_scrapsandtea/

I hope that you are inspired to play along with us this month! I would love to see what you put together!

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! I will be back a little later with another kit share for you!