Double Dog Dare You {Scrappy Challenges}

It's a party in here!

2012-01-28T00:01:00.006-05:00

I love confetti! It is so fun and festive. And messy. And a pain to clean up. And you always miss some and are finding it weeks later in the strangest places...I hate confetti.

Depsite that. I decided to give the confetti challenge a go.

I LOVE all of the desingers for Paper Trey Ink and check out their blog regularly. (If you haven't checked any of them out, you really should...very inspiring!)

I noticed that Heather has a great tuturial for shaker cards on her blog: Pine is Here and decided to make one. Mine did not come out nearly as cute as hers, but it is not too bad.

Here is her video, but PLEASE head over to her site. Really. You will not be sorry. I LOVE her projects!

And here is my very loose intrepretation. (Seriously, I feel the need to buy every one of the products in her video...oh, that my budget would let me...)

Have you tried shaker cards lately? Did you find them hard or easy?

My scrappy friend Queen Pam joined me in the challenge and I LOVE her card! I never would have thought of this!

Way to Rock the Challenge, Pam!

What a month!

2012-01-21T19:22:00.000-05:00

So much to get done! Where does the time go? I feel like I am playing hide and seek with my blog. LOL At least I am getting all of my posting done on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog, right? That counts for something!

I have MADE some time to scrapbook this month.

This is my cat, Bailey (we had to put her down this past summer). I was not prepared for how much I miss her! I used my new Jenni Bowlin ribbon punch and made the red/blue embellishments on the side. I am going to make a banner with it in the near future...so many uses! I'm glad I got it.

It was great fun to use up some of my scraps. I did an overhaul (you will hear more about that later) of my scrap paper and have been using it up so much more! I can't wait to tell you what I did!

I have a head cold, so this page ended up simple, but done. LOL I just could not think about it any more, so there you go.

A friend came over this week and we made some Magnet Boards out of baking sheets. I made this one to match my room. Collin has requested one for his lego magnets and Isabel has asked for one to put special cards on. I'm thinking this one needs some butterfly magnets, don't you?

I'm sorry my pictures are so bad. I just don't have the energy to bother right now, to be honest.

January Kit Reveal Blog Hop!

2012-01-06T00:01:00.002-05:00

It is a brand new year for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog! We have tweeked a few things and are excited to see how our second year grows! This year we are adding a blog hop to the beginning of the month so you can get some inspiration to put YOUR kits together!

To start at the beginning of the hop, please go HERE. The order of the hop is there as well in case you get a bit turned around.

We picked Cocoa Daisy's December 2011 Kits to inspire us for this month!

You can check out pictures of the kits HERE or on our blog (I'm not sure how long Cocoa Daisy will keep their pictures up).

I picked one large kit and one small kit to counterfeit for this month. I have a sneaking suspicion that I will be attempting at least one more kit before January is over.

Here is my take on the AMBER SNOWFLAKE kit:

I was VERY excited with how my ruler paper came out! I have always wondered what to do with that stamp, but was never inspired before. I think I will be making this paper over and over again!

The bikes did not come out quite like I had it in my head, but it still works. I would have love to have added some red to it, but wanted a more neutral paper in my kit.

I especially like the snowflakes I added to my kit. I cut them out on my Cricut and used some Kraft cardstock.

My next kit to Counterfeit is AMBER SNOWFLAKES:

I love the yellow/gray/black combo. I think I may add some pops of red to it, maybe in the title.

Next up on our hop is Meridy! Go see what beautiful kit she has created!

It is time to ORGANIZE!

2012-01-01T00:01:00.001-05:00

You do not have to know me well to know that I am an organizing fanatic. Yep. I am one of those ~~freaks~~ individuals who thinks organizing/purging things is FUN! Are you with me?

I have TWO, yes, TWO day planners plus an online calendar and look forward to filling them in each week. It is my time to clear my mind and get ready for my week. Happy Sigh.

My plan for this year is to reorganize and purge EVERYTHING in our house/garage! It is totally doable with:
1. The right storage (for us bookcases and clear plastic shoe boxes are working)
2. Just redoing one thing every few days. No pressure!

I am going to share some old favorites of mine as well as some new discoveries for the new year! Have fun sorting through them to see what will work for you!

Favorite Online Calendar:
Cozi

Favorite Paper Calendar:
Mom's Plan It Calendar

Printable Organizing Lists:
Project Girl
My Simpler Life
Organized Home
Mommy Tracked
Simple Organized Living

Online Help:
2 Peas Organizing Thread/Facebook page
Flylady
Sane Spaces
Unclutter

Do you have any great organizing ideas/sites? I would LOVE to see them!

Christmas Countdown Day 12 - 15!

2011-12-15T20:55:00.000-05:00

Is it a good thing that I have been too busy DOING to post? LOL So, let's go....

Day 12: choose a new family ornament

Yeah, that did not work out so well. We did not find ANYTHING we liked. Then we had a brilliant idea...we'll do a family "house" collection instead. Those, however, were hard to find, so we will be going out on Saturday to buy our first little collectable house. I will add a photo then. :)

Day 13: Make a nativity and a train

This was fun! I found two sites with some great demensional printables:
Printable Paper Train
Printable Natvity

Day 14: An early stocking stuffer

I have been done with stockings for a while, but just found two things that will in no way fit (and I forgot I bought last year), so guess what we gave them today? Collin got a Narnia character and Isabel got a Hello Kitty puzzle.

Day 15: Christmas in Canada

Yep. Canada. Now don't get me wrong, I like Canada, but man, their traditions are not that far off from ours. I did some reasearch and asked a few Canadian friends and came up with a not too scary menu.

Before dinner we pulled some Christmas crackers. We found them at Target and all loved them! Collin got a whoopie cushion and a car....Isabel got a mini flashlight and a tape measure....Billy got some mini screwdrivers...and I got...wait for it....nail clippers. (You may OHHH and AHHHH now.)

I could not find a different enough main course that everyone would eat, so we stuck with chicken pot pie, poutine (fries with mozzerella and beef gravy) and butter tart squares for dessert. I was the only one who like the poutine...but the butter tart squares. YUMMY! I was sad I had to share them.

Christmas Countdown Day 11

2011-12-11T20:06:00.000-05:00

Tag for Day 11: Go See Christmas Lights

But not just ANY Christmas lights...THESE Christmas Lights

Christmas on Greenview Video

We LOVE them...and each year the kids get more and more into it.

I do not have a good enough camera to capture good pictures of fast moving lights, so I snagged some pics. off their website to use in my album. I got the pictures from here: Christmas on Greenview Drive Photo Gallery

Countdown to Christmas Days 8, 9 and 10!

2011-12-10T20:15:00.000-05:00

Whew! We have been BUSY! I have been BUSY! Tis the season for the teachers to need help planning their Christmas parties....some creative planning for projects they want the kid's to do...Church activities...volunteer work with some local agencies...finishing the Christmas shopping...

Yes, I am just that good! And in pearls and heels even. (As if...)

Day 8 Tag: Dinner Around the World

Each week in December, we pick a different country to have a meal from and talk about how they celebrate this time of year. This year, I let Billy and the kid's pick the countries. First up was Collin with....

I got out our good dishes...cooked up some yummy food (Sweet and Sour Chicken, Chinese Chicken Salad, Rice, Egg Rolls, Fortune Cookies and Snowmen Cakes...okay, that last one was just for fun).

Day 9 Tag: Holidays Around the World at Vinton

This one was a given since I helped organize it and was working in the Germany room. LOL We picked four countries (Germany, Italy, Mexico and China) and the families could pick two rooms to visit. We told them the about the traditions of that country (either through a fiction book or slide show presentation) and then they made an ornament that represented something we shared.

I did Germany with Isabel's teacher, Ms. Rausch and Collin's teacher, Mrs. Marksbary. LOVE THEM!

Right after I took the above picture, we got a SWARM of latecomers....we ended up with about 70 people in the room to learn about Germany. And that was just in the FIRST session. Whew!

We ended the evening with a concert by our fourth graders who sang holiday songs from those countries and then we headed off to the cafeteria for hot chocolate and cookies. A VERY successful program!

Day 10 Tag: Living Nativity at Faith

We love to do this every year! Our local Mega Church does a living Nativity scene that you can walk through or drive through. It is a HUGE project and is really nicely done. It takes you through Adam and Even and ends up with the Ascension. It is VERY hard to get photos since the lighting is bad and there is constant movement. Every year I see if I can get better pics than the year before. A CHALLENGE! LOL

Adam and Eve:

Moses and the Burning Bush:

Mary being told by the Angel (I missed the angel...):

Traveling to Bethlehem:

The City of Bethlehem:

No room at the Inn:

Baby Jesus is born:

Angel tells the Shepherds:

Wisemen come:

Jesus walks on water:

Jesus raises Lazarus:

Jesus was crucified:

Jesus raised from the dead:

Jesus is returning someday:

Afterwards there are cookies and hot chocolate. Every year they add a new scene, so it is always a bit different.

Count Down to Christmas Days 6 and 7!

2011-12-08T09:11:00.000-05:00

Tag 6: Scavenger Hunt

My kid's are crazy for maps, scavenger hunts and all things involving clues. They have been known to create their own just to get their "fix". This time, I thought I would oblige them. Billy was a HUGE help as he came up with all of the clues. He was pretty clever finding Bible verses with key words to help the kids follow a trail to their suprise. Isabel surprised us all by quickly figuring them all out. Usually Collin is the one to take the lead.

The suprise? Fuzzy slipper socks, of course! I love them! With all of my heart! My kids out grew theirs, so I thought it was time for some new ones.

Tag 7: Sweet Treat

Wednesdays are tricky because we are booked with activities. It makes it hard to do something special, so I made it easy on us with Wednesday being a little gifting day for the kids. Today's was a sweet treat for them to have. Now, if you know my kids, Isabel eats her candy IMMEDIATELY every time! It never lasts long for her. Collin is still hoarding candy from as far back as Easter. Yep. I don't know where we got that kid.

The best part for me about this time of year, is that any candy not eaten by December is used to make our annual gingerbread houses. And then promptly thrown out after being admired and photographed. Collin doesn't mind to much because I always start his collection off again in his Christmas Stocking. I'm such a thoughtful mommy.

Christmas Countdown Day 5

2011-12-06T08:52:00.001-05:00

Tag #5: Play Minute to Win It

Have you ever seen this show? We love it, but don't watch it very often. We would rather play it! We won't be winning millions any time soon, but it is a VERY fun activity for parties or even a night it. Forget the boring board games! We only have a Minute to Win It people!

We found some great sites with the videos for each game online and have them downloaded on our laptop. Whenever we feel the urge to play, we can hook it up to our computer and off we go!

**Disclaimer: most of these games are very fast paced and my poor camera cannot keep up. I did the best I could with pictures.

Interesting facts for the evening:
Unrolling rolls of streamers is a great arobic workout

Billy and I make an awesome conveyor belt to move ornaments to the tree...might have to decorate this way next year

Collin and Isbel STINK at tossing cookies with a tray and catching them again. They are very good at throwing them across the room.

Isabel is the master at moving a pretzles from her forehead to her mouth without using her hands. And looks stinkin' cute doing it.

Collin has really good balance with his teeth. May be a super power. I'm not sure.

Christmas Countdown Day 4

2011-12-04T20:47:00.000-05:00

Day 4 Tag: Go Book Shopping

Today was the library booksale. I have always loved those, even as a child! I can remember coming home with BOXES of new to me books to read. I am a VERY fast reader, so I have been longing for some new books myself.

We sort of forgot that today is also the "big" Christmas Parade. So getting to the libary was a bit of a challenge. What is it with us driving around randomly this weekend? Our 10 minute library trip took more like 30 because all of the streets were blocked off and we had to go the long way around. Isabel was ready to give up and go home, but I'm glad we didn't because we got this:

All of this loveliness for $18. The funniest part was the the sweet older gentleman volunteer who was adding up our total for us. He looked SO confused. Billy had to walk away and let me deal with it. The man could not get any of the prices right. Some were too high...some were too low...I kept my fingers crossed that it would all even out in the end. It did and Billy relaxed that we did not overpay. LOL

We finally made it back home and started to decorate our house for Christmas. And noticed that our tree has a lean. Yep. It leans very noticably to one side. LOL Billy wondered why we didn't notice it when we picked it out. Isabel guessed it was because it was on a bit of a hill. And suggested we all lean sideways so we wouldn't notice it. That or make our own hill in our family room. Smart girl.

I actually got Billy to do the lights on the tree this year. Usually he tells me to do it. We have a mish mash of several kinds of lights. He is pretty proud of it. :) Collin and Isabel helped put up the ornaments. It completely looks like some kids did it. Mostly hung near the bottom and in clumps. I love it!

My favorite decoration is the Mickey Mouse singing clock tower set. It plays different songs and Mickey and friends come out to sing them. I had one when I was younger, but stupidly got rid of it. My mom replaced it for me a few years ago.

We also have some special holiday books we like to read and only get out at this time of year. I can't wait to dive into them. The two in the back are from my Grandma from when I was a kid. I'm hoping to share them with Isabel's class this year...

It was an ecclectic day today. That is the best way I can describe it. And I have alot of work to catch up on!

Christmas Countdown Day 3

2011-12-03T19:54:00.001-05:00

Today's Tag: Cut down a Christmas Tree

We have only cut down our own tree once before. Generally we juggle between a fake tree and picking up a real tree at the last possible minute. I knew the kids would love it. What I didn't know was....

The place Billy picked was EXPENSIVE! $80 for a tree and then you hade to pay extra to have it shaken....drilled....tied up...loaded...Yikes! So we hopped back in our vans and got out our cells and started searching for a more reasonable price.

Isabel would need to go to the bathroom. With no bathroom in sight. And couldn't hold it. It was my first experience trying to help a little girl pee in the woods. I did not enjoy it. Neither did she.

The tree farm we went to was cash/check only. And we don't generally carry cash...

That THEIR idea of the perfect tree and MY idea of a perfect tree were two totally different things. LOL Collin spent most of his time repeating what he heard daddy say: Yep, not quite as tall as I was hoping for, mom...and....well, I guess we could put the bare spot against the wall....LOL

A Christmas Tree Farm is FULL FULL FULL of "Harry Potter Wands" and we needed to collect and practice with every single one of them.

Billy will pick on the kids (pretending to throw them off the tractor) until they scream and I give him the evil eye. And then he will continue to do it.

Okay, the last one I could have guessed.

We ended up going to the place we got our first tree at several years ago.

I forgot how lovely the family who owns the place are. Seriously sweet people. When we got there, we remembered that they don't take debit cards...cash only. We didn't have enough on us and were going to leave, but the owner offered for us to go ahead and get our tree and just send her a check later. Honestly, terrific people there! The trees were only $25 and you got to take a hay ride to the trees and they took care of the extras (shaking, drilling the hole and binding it to take to your vehicle AND helping us get it secured) for free. Then Betty (the sweet owner) asked if she could give our kids some candy canes and told us to head down the street to see a wonderful light display that we could drive through and see Santa. Too much fun!

It was everything I wanted it to be.

Christmas Countdown Day 2

2011-12-03T19:39:00.000-05:00

Day 2 Tag: Play a game

Now that might not sound very exciting, since we play alot of family games together, but step 2 was FINDING the brand new game mommy bought. And not just any game. A NARNIA game! Whahoo! I have been feeling sick, sick, sick the last few days, so I was not overjoyed to play, but I put on my happy mommy face and did it anyway.

Daddy won, but I made a valient effort to help the kids and get Daddy turned to stone by the White Witch. LOL It was a fun game and I think we will be playing it often. I was lucky enough to find it at a consignment shop for under $5...and everything in the box looked brand new. Very exciting since we have never seen that game before and are HUGE Narnia fans.

Isabel In Wonderland

2011-12-02T12:58:00.000-05:00

I am still wending my way through my November Kit. Sad, yet good at the same time. LOL I do love the papers in my kit and am looking forward to using them up in the next few weeks during our December break. I just wish I had more time to use them up!

The pictures of Isabel's birthday combined with a Sketch Support Sketch (from book 8) were perfect for my November kit.

We started our December Countdown yesterday! First up was writing a letter to Santa. Yes, my kids still believe in Santa. Firmly. And we are just fine with that. I found some cute printable paper for them to use and they got right to work.

Isabel did not have to do much work. She put down four "suggestions" and called it a day: Movie, gum, Polly Pocket, Barbie game for the DS.

Collin, however, got straight on the internet so he could write down the item numbers to every lego set over $50 that he did not have yet. Every. stinkin. one! (His reasoning: Santa needed a good amount of ideas. And Collin could fairly easily (in his mind) earn up to $50 to buy the other sets. Over $50 was WAY harder.) His list is huge! He did tell Santa to just pick one thing off of it, but we still had a good talk about being selfish. He will be revising his list tonight.

Pictures tomorrow of Day 2: Game night! And I bought a new game: The Chronicles of Narnia.

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

2011-12-01T11:17:00.000-05:00

I LOVE this time of year! I love the surprises...the yummy treats...the anticipation...the excitement of the kids...and VACATION DAYS!

It is December 1st and we are counting down at the Hardy House this month. :) The rest of the house is not decorated (yet), but our countdown stockings are up!

Every day the kids take turns pulling out a tag telling what little special thing we will do that day.

December 1st: Write letter to Santa

We have a month full of fun things planned and I can't wait to share them with you!

November Blog Hop: An Adventure in Wonderland

2011-11-28T00:01:00.002-05:00

Time is up and I'm not sure where the month has gone! I am excited to tell you that I have started a new job as an Administrative Assistant! It fits in nicely with my volunteering and Stay at Home Mom gig, but I am re-learning how to schedule my time. I'm sure I will get everything to fit together nicely soon.

Because of that, this month has been light on scrapbooking. Boo for that. My daughter's birthday was this month and we planned an Alice in Wonderland party for her. Actually, SHE did most of the planning. She had a pretty firm idea about what she wanted. I love being able to get some milage out of my scrapbook supplies to make some fun home decor items. My husband loves that, too. He is so ~~cheap~~ creative!

From the invitations:
**Hand stamped and paper pieced tea pots, people!

To the banner on the fireplace mantle:
**The banner is a board mini album from Michaels. I took it apart and painted the pages cream...painted over that with crackle finish....and painted over that with blue paint. I added some die cuts from my Cricut layered over doileys left over from Valentine's Day projects.

To our garden display:

And our table setting:
**Yes, we had a chocolate fountain! So much fun!

Oh, yes! And she requested TULLE instead of streamers. LOL I added playing cards, butterflies and some hanging lanterns. We had a great time! And I am glad that is over with.

Last up on our hop is Emily, so get over to her blog to see what she has made for our viewing pleasure.

And don't forget to comment on our Counterfeit Kit Challenge post HERE to be entered in the drawing for the $20 gift certificate from Scraptastic!

Gadanke Journals!

2011-11-19T00:01:00.001-05:00

I was extremely intrigued to discover these sweet handmade journals from an online store named Gadanke.

Gadanke Shop

Don't panic! I'm not loosing my mind and giving up creating my own scrapbooks, but sometimes, it is nice to take a break and have someone else do the creative part. Sort of like bringing a yummy cupcake to a professional baker. There is nothing wrong with enjoying the cupcake even if you didn't slave over it yourself.

Now I admit that I am a bit indecisive at times, but WOW, did I have a horrible time trying to decide which journal to get. I looked through every. single. one. Twice. Then I asked Billy (the hubby) for his opinion. He told me which SEVERAL he liked. Ugh. Then I asked my kids. DUH. They liked the kid's journals. That was no help. Here are some of the reasons for my brief brain freeze moment:

SEE why I had such a hard time? I finally decided on the Love where we Live journal. I thought it would be nice to do something as a family. This is what it looks like on the inside (I picked the cheery yellow cover.).

Okay, I will admit that even as I was pushing the send button, I still thought about a few others that I should have ordered. They all look so good!

After that tormenting decision (yes, I tend to lean towards the dramatic), I sat back and waited for it to come. I just love mail! And I did not have to wait very long. Fastest shipping time ever! I love that it was addressed to: the fabulous Bethany Hardy. How on earth did she know, right? Katie (the owner) does a lovely job with the details that make this such a special purchase. It comes tied with a cute rafia bow and even had a note to me in the package. I felt pretty stinkin' special.

The book itself is 4x4.5 inches, which is the perfect size to put in a basket with all of your other mini albums. For me, the hardest part of journaling is thinking of what to say (I know...but I am an English Teacher...weird, huh?). Katie has such a creative and fresh outlook on how to journal about your topic (in this case, my house). I love all of the journaling prompts (like what we do during our together time and what big splurge we made for the house) and the meaningful quotes scattered throughout the album. It is all designed to really get you to think about what you are writing. Even the photo spaces are marked with suggestions for pictures to take and put in them. I LOVE that. She really walks you through how to make a meaningful book. I think my favorite part has got to be the mini maps. They are so cute! I have some good ideas for those!

Basically, I love that the book is ready to use, as is, but lends itself to adding your own special touches to it to make it uniquely yours.

If you want to check out Katie and her Gadanke shop, here are some ways to do it:

Gadanke Shop
Twitter
Facebook
Blog

Intrigued by these journals? Katie is offering YOU a special code for 10% off your order. Hurry! This offer expires November 25th!

Code: COUNTERFEIT10

Tag You're It Challenge

2011-11-15T00:01:00.001-05:00

I LOVE tags! My big thrill on Pinterest lately is finding cute tags to inspire me. (Don't judge me! It is not as crazy as it sounds.) I had fun exploring my Tag options and came up with two projects to share with you.

I loved the idea of using different shapes for banners...and tags are a nice addition to that. I loved sketch 14 from Sketch support and really liked the idea of doing a "shadow" on the banner (go HERE to see the sketch and inspiration banner). Do I have the cutest kid ever or WHAT?

I found some great inspiration at the Crate Paper Blog. I love the layers Keisha's card has and was inspired to create my own version.

I stamped and heat embossed the leaves and dry embossed and stamped on the tag. I stepped out of my comfort zone and mixed several different patterns. I love the way it came out.

November Kit Reveal!

2011-11-06T00:01:00.004-04:00

I am very excited about our kit to counterfeit for this month! Head on over to Scraptastic Club to see the neat kits and other things they offer!

One thing I LOVE LOVE LOVE about their kits is the awesome Sneak Peek they give. Other kit clubs should be this detailed and organized! They show pictures of the kit, each individual piece in the kit and then have a product list! Love that!

This month there are two great kits, Autumn Splendor and Home Sweet Home, and two add on kits to go with these. I picked the Autumn Splendor kit because it seemed a bit less themed and easier for me to make more general neutral (I do tend to go girly on my kits, which is rough for my son.)

You can go HERE for a lovely break down of the kit.

I pulled patterned paper from some fun collections to make up the base of my kit.

I mixed matched from:

Here is the paper I added to my kit:

I am DETERMINED to use more chipboard! The tags I already had, the clouds/butterflies/buttons I made with my cricut/cuddlebug/punches.

I had fun stamping and embossing on some grid paper. I think they will make great bases for some layering.

I FINALLY made some of these flowers. I was nervous, but it was super easy. I also made a hair clip for my daughter, who has requested more in different colors.

These are from the Mother's Day Bouquet cartridge made from different sizes and layered.

**I am sorry for letting a half finished post go live. We lost internet for a few days unexpectedly and I couldn't get on to fix it.

October's Costume Challenge!

2011-10-28T00:01:00.003-04:00

Welcome to the final stop on our blog hop! You should have made it here from Emily's Blog.

Don't you hate it when you come up with a challenge idea...share it with your partner in crime...e-mail it to your design team...post it on the blog...and then have NO STINKIN IDEA WHAT TO DO WITH IT? Sticker challenge? What was I thinking? LOL I even contemplated being too "busy" to do this hop, so I wouldn't have to do it.

Good thing I am more stubborn than that.

I got out my handy dandy book, The Scrapbook Embellishment Handbook by Sherri Stevenson, and started browsing for ideas. I found one in the sticker section (who'd have thunk it?) about covering chipboard with stickers. Hmmmmm.... I have OODLES of chipboard. So I got out one of the hearts and a sheet of owl stickers.

I overlapped and layered the owl stickers on the chipboard heart, being careful to keep it looking random and not linear. Then I flipped it over and trimmed away the excess.

Here is my finished project: a card inspired by Scrapbooks Ect. cover layout. Don't you love the SMILE sticker from Momenta? It has some nice puffy, shiney demension to it.

So that is my story and I'm stickin to it. Now to make sure I plan an easier challenge for next month.

Layering Challenge

2011-10-23T00:01:00.016-04:00

My nemesis in the scrapbooking world is layering. There is a fine line between dimension and bulk and I tend to be on the more cautious side and go flat. I have taken some online classes on layering and clustering and they have really helped with the way I design my pages. Here is my layout for this challenge. It is not bulky at all, but laytered as many things as I could.

It is amazing how just overlapping some things can make a difference.

October Counterfeit Kit!

2011-10-06T00:01:00.001-04:00

It is time for our next Counterfeit Kit! Can you guess what we picked?

Here is the Link

**There is a really soft, pretty main kit and, if you scroll down, a great Halloween Kit, too!

Okay, now I have something funny to tell you. You are going to LAUGH!!! Okay, I had to be frustrated or laugh, so I picked laugh. :)

When we pick our kits, we have a lot of links flying back and forth between Meridy and I. Sometimes it gets hard to keep track of what link we are meaning for which month. This was one of those time. So I did the Halloween Kit:

Trick Or Treat

Really busy mix of patterned papers...LOVE IT!

Some fun journal embellishments that I just haven't gotten around to using..and a great alpha!

Nifty Orange Mini Album...and some paper sacks so I can make...?

Love these emellishments! The monsters are fabulous! Hate to stop hoarding them!

Okay...I just bought these...I LOVE LOVE LOVE them! The little boy in the monster suit? AWE!

Really old trims from my stash...Do you see the cute brads?

And then...wait for it...did a kit from the OTHER link we were going to do for Little Red Scrapbook. Sigh. Yep. I did. It is the kit we had ORIGINALLY picked to do for October, but then I only sent the above link the Design Team and they all made THAT kit...so we had to scrap the kit we had actually picked (I didn't want to tell all of those lovely ladies to take apart those kits and do the other one...LOL).

But I did the original one. And here is the link for the kit I counterfeited:

Our Intended Kit

And here is the kit I made. Based on a completely different kit from our Design Team. Nice, huh? LOL

Wonderland:

Papers:

Awesome Stickers (alot from Momenta...I can't wait to play with the Design your own stickers...)

Fun trims, flowers and butterflies (Pam made the butterflies...aren't they pretty?)

Cricut cart in case I need more flowers. :)

This is my kit and I am sticking with it. :) Now get cracking! We have some kits to put together!

Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog Hop: Stamp Techniques

2011-09-28T00:01:00.004-04:00

Welcome to the hop! So, did you learn some new stamping tricks with us? I can't wait to try out some new ones and rediscover some I had forgotten about!

My stamping technique is chalk popping. Very old school, but fun to do!

You will need: Chalk (I LOVE Pebbles Inc...great chalk...excellent storage...best applicator ever), versamark, paper and stamps.

First I decide on my card design. I love this unexpected circle in the middle, so I used my circle cutter to cut it out. Then I used a pencil to trace around it so I could see where I was going to adhere my stamped image later.

Using Versamark Ink, stamp your image. Don't be shy! It is clear ink, but you will be able to see it.

Now take your chalk applicator (a q-tip will work, too) and get chalk on it. "Pop" the chalk up and down on the stamped image. I love using different colors, just like I would for coloring with Copics. The chalk adheres to the versamark and even shades the paper that does not have the versamark. Gently blow on your paper to remove any extra chalk.

This technique gives a great soft, watercolor like effect on your card.

Thanks for joining us on our hop! Don't forget to leave a comment on our main thread at Counterfeit Kit Challenge for a chance to win one of Sherri's stamp kits! Keep an eye out in the next few days for a hint about our next kit!

Monkey Challenge

2011-09-10T00:01:00.001-04:00

It was Pam's turn to challenge me...and boy, she had me stumped for a minute!

Pam's challenge:
White card base
2 green triangles
monkey
small red embellishment

Ummmmmmm.......thinking....thinking.....thinking....

Here we go!

I have more than one monkey stamp. I will admit it. LOL I wanted to use the triangles as some sort of design element and thought of grass. That led to a tree...with red "apples". 'Cuz you know they have apples in the jungle with the monkeys. :)

My challenge for Pam...
CAS-ual Fridays

(You are welcome to join us, if you want to play. :) Just put your link in the comments.)

A challenge with Pam

2011-09-08T00:01:00.001-04:00

My friend, Pam, likes to do card challenges....with my daughter. Sometimes they let me play, too. LOL Since Isabel is in school all day now, Pam has no one left to play with except me. :) So BRING ON the long distance card challenges!

I am up first with a great window card from Jen M. You can find her video tutorial HERE.

Here is my unashamed knock off of her card. :) Hey, I changed the bus to houses! Mostly, I wanted to see if I could pull it off...I have not made this type of card before.

I made my own cloud background paper. My stamps are a great set called WHAT MATTERS MOST by Ippity (for the houses, sentiment) and DOTS FOR SURE by Ippity (for the dots on the clouds). You can check these stamps out at Sherri's Etsy Shop.

Off to see what challenge PAM is going to come up with. Not playing with the six year olds any more, Pam. :)

My October Tradition

2011-09-07T00:01:00.000-04:00

For me, October means cool breezes....changing leaves....Halloween candy and walking with my sister and sister in law to raise awareness for Breast Cancer.

I love doing that walk. I am super competive, so it becomes a "let's see how many people we can walk faster than" sort of morning. LOL

I would LOVE it if you would consider helping me reach my goal of $200 before October 15th. If you would like to donate under my name, please go here:

Bethany's Official Breast Cancer Donation Page

Thanks so much!

September's Counterfeit Kit

2011-09-06T00:01:00.001-04:00

Good grief! Where did September come from? LOL It doesn't help that I have been sick the past month...I think I lost August in there somewhere. I can't be sick forever, right?

I did not get to put as much time into my kit as I would normally do, but I am giving myself some freedom this month to add as I go...and try creating some new embellishments. Get out of my self impossed box a bit.

Our kit for the month can be found here: Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog

I was not digging the embellishments for this kit, which is why I am going to add as I go. I also included some awesome Ippty Stamps that I purchased HERE. Sherri had free shipping and you get your stamps pretty quickly, which I love. This month our challenges are going to be all about stamps, so find some of your favorites and add them to your kit!

Hopefully I will feel up to creating this month. I have SO many things I want to make, but I feel lousy, which lends itself to sleeping more than crafting.

Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog Hop: Sketch Support Sketch

2011-08-28T00:01:00.001-04:00

This month has been SO awesome playing with the great sketches over at Sketch Support. I cannot say enough good things about Allison's sketches. Hopefully you have fallen in love with them this month, too.

When I saw the sketch, I immediately thought of my daughter's Kinder graduation. I didn't get many great shots of the ceremony, so I decided to focus on the important people there.

I LOVE mixing up fonts for my titles, but sometimes get too lazy to do it. I'm glad I found the energy this time.

The color combinations in my kit were so fun! I really love all of the bright pops.

You can't have a Kinder Graduation page without an apple, right? It is just not done! LOL I'm working on doing more paper piecing with patterened paper. It really adds a fun touch.

Thanks for joining us on our hop and thanks so much to our sponsor for this month!

Don't forget to leave a comment on our blog hop post to be entered for our great prize! (And keep an eye on CKCB...you will be getting a hint soon about our next kit!)

Turn it on it's ear....sketch challenge!

2011-08-23T00:01:00.001-04:00

Sketches are thought of as the dirty little secrets of alot of scrapbookers. They speak of them in hushed tones and don't want to admit to using them. Well, I love sketches! They are great jumping off points for my own ideas and, let's face it, getting the memories down is the most important thing. (Unless your a sketch designer....then the sketches rule!)

Just to prove to you how utterly fabulous and versitile sketches can be, our next challenge is to take a sketch and rotate it. Move it around. Flip it. Just use one page instead of two. Or take a one page sketch and create a second page for it.

Here is the sketch I picked from Sketch Support: 2 page sketch #3.

I decided to use only one side of the sketch and then flipped that. If you look at how many different combinations you can get just by using one page or the other from this sketch...and then flipping it different directions, how could you say that sketches make pages all look the same?

**SOMEHOW my circles refused to go in a pattern around the page and swept from side to side instead. Silly circles.

Theme Park Add On Kit

2011-08-17T00:01:00.002-04:00

This month I volunteered to make a Theme Park add on for our CKCB. We have done the fair a few times and I have been wanting to do the photos from that, so I was excited to get started. As it turned out. I didn't use any of those pics. LOL I decided to do a layout on my love of roller coasters instead and snagged pics on-line of my favorite ride: The VIPER!

Here is my page kit:

And here is the skech I picked:

Sketch 11 - One page sketch

I guess I will end up using pictures of my kids another time, right? LOL

Sketch Swap Challenge

2011-08-15T00:01:00.026-04:00

Our first challenge at CKCB was a sketch swap with the fabulous Sketch Support! I am so grateful that Allison shares so freely with her sketches. They are awesome and someday I want to own ALL of her sketch books!

For this challenge, you need to pick a sketch, any sketch, from the Sketch Support site and swap it. For example, if you pick a layout sketch, then you need to make a card out of it. And if you pick a card sketch, you need to make a layout.

The hardest part of this challenge was deciding which great sketch to use! I found a card sketch that translates PERFECTLY into a one page layout, so here it is:

You can find the card sketch I used here: Card Sketch 8

And here is my take on it:

I have been taking classes at Miss Arts Paper Crafting School. She has a great one about clustering and I have been doing my best to give that a go. It certainly is fun to try and I am enjoying all of the layering!

I'm done with my challenges for the month already (although you will have to wait to see the rest of them), so who knows how much more I will get done! Whoohoo!

New Counterfeit Kit!

2011-08-05T08:27:00.000-04:00

Today is the day to check out the new kit we picked to counterfeit! Head over to the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog right now to find out!

I did one of the add on kits for this month. I am very excited about doing a fair/theme park/amusement park theme! Here is my kit...remember it is just for one page, so it will be easy to put together:

I found some awesome paper from The Paper Studio (newsprint paper) and Sassafrass (Alphabet and music notes). I love the colors and wanted to try a more vintage look. The stickers are fun fair food stickers from Momenta (great colors...really cute). The stamps are from Studio G (wood stamps) and Unity. I got some fun twine from Miss Arts Paper Crafting School (have to get more of that stuff) and the note card from the dollar spot at Michales. My last addition was a Cricut cartridge with great travel and fair images on it.

I hope you feel inspired to make up a similar kit. I have have several years of photos to choose from for this page kit. We love fairs at our house.

It is that time again! New counterfeit kit!

2011-08-03T17:05:00.000-04:00

Kids are heading back to school this month for most of us...which means more time to play! We have a great kit for you this month over at Counterfeit Kit Challenge.

You will need to head over there to see the kit we picked for August! It sure is pretty...I mean THEY sure are pretty! Yep! Another month of choices for you!

So very excited for August!

2011-08-03T16:37:00.000-04:00

When I think about what I need to do this month with the kids going back to school and family events coming up, well....

But there is a bright spot in the month of August.

Counterfeit Kit Challenge has yet another fabulous sponsor for the month! One of my blog crushes has stepped up and offered a great prize for our blog hop for this month...Sketch Support!

Why do I love this site so much? Pull up a comfy chair!
1. The sketchs are really brainless to just follow exactly as they are.
2. The sketches are great to change up a bit to put your own spin on them.
3. You can fit ALOT of pictures on your pages using these sketches.
4. They have something for everyone (1 page/2 page/cards...).
5. Allison is SUPER nice and very talented!
6. Sketch Support has a great variety of FREE sketches! And if you love those...they even have books you can order!
7. They give great examples of each sketch!

Oh, and Allison has a pretty great site herself. Check out her work here!

Suddenly, August is looking much brighter!

CKC Embossing Challenge

2011-07-15T00:01:00.009-04:00

If you look at my scrapbook stuff, you can see that I have a thing for embossing. Or, um, at least for collecting embossing stuff. I honestly forget about it sometimes and don't use it nearly enough!

Here is my layout for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Embossing Challenge.

I used a few different techniques on it.

Cuddlebug Folder Embossing:

Regular Embossing (Alphabet chipboard piece) and Cracked Glass Embossing (Bicycle Stamp):

Three Embossing Techniques in one layout...not too shabby!

Dusting off my Dollar Stamps

2011-07-13T13:13:00.000-04:00

I am a stamp collector. No, not the kind that will actually be collectable and make me money someday. The kind that they sell for $1 at Michaels and Joannes. Uhem. I own quite a few of them. Come on now! They are just SO cute!

I bought some awesome new ones (oh, yes, I did!) last week...great old fashioned hot air balloons...ford cars...old time telephones...bowler hats....sigh. Love them! One of my finds was a set of mustache stamps. How awesome is that?? So in honor of those stamps...and dollar stamps everywhere, here is a layout made out of my Counterfeit Kit and inspired by a layout idea in Creating Keepsakes.

Are you amazed that I had pictures to go with those stamps? LOL If you knew my family, you wouldn't be.

Summer Fun!

2011-07-11T10:47:00.000-04:00

So, I stopped subscribbing to scrapbook magazines to save some money. Yeah. I can't seem to stop picking up each issue when it comes out at the store. LOL It is an addiction, I tell you!

I love to look at blogs and even online scrapbook magazines, but there is just something about the feel of paper in my hands. Since I can't seem to stop buying them, at least I can start using them more. :) I pulled out my recent issue of Sccrapbooks ect. and found a great layout on page 16. I don't generally do a lot of circles, but this seemed to be a great time to start. Here is my version:

It was fun mixing up the patterened paper. Usually I over think it. This time I just started cutting. I love it!

My sweet girl pulled out one of my card magazine to see about making a card. She like to copy them EXACTLY and needs a bit of help with the cutting. Then she adds her own flair to it..."just one more thing, mamma, then it will be perfect!".

Here is her take on a card she loved. I enjoy watching her process and her new facination with texture on a card.

Off to make some more layouts and cards...hopefully with my girl!

A Scrappy Day...sort of

2011-07-10T15:32:00.000-04:00

We had 2 free days this weekend...and I was prepared to scrapbook! I have my Counterfeit Kit calling out to me....a new mini fridge in my scraproom and energy to spare. And the family was home. And wanted mommy's help and attention. I should have known better. LOL

Sunday I did get a good amount of time to myself. Unfortunately, I got distracted a bit re-organizing some of my embellishment boxes. They look so pretty now! And I got distracted cyber chatting with some friends. Well worth the typing time!

I saw this card on the Hero Arts Blog and really liked the graphic look of it. Congrats Card

Isn't that great? Really fun for kids...or a guy depending on the colors used.

Here is my take on it:

I think this design is going to be really flexible for some other fun cards!

July Counterfeit Kit

2011-07-06T00:01:00.000-04:00

So we have noticed lately that alot of the kits we are looking at counterfeiting are starting to look a bit the same. It is basically because everyone is on trend and using the same types of current products. It happens. In order to combat that feeling of sameness for everyone, we are going to use the occasional older kit to inspire us. No more than a year old, though. We still wan them to feel fresh.

So how about the kit for July? What oldie, but goodie did we dig up for you? How about a kit from....

Polka Dot Whimsy

Their July kit from 2010 (Cape Cod) is full of bright colors and great summer accents.

If you are feeling adventurous, then you MIGHT want to try one of their Add on kits from that same month last year...

Martha's Vineyard

Liberty Shores

Still have time on your hands? You will find two additional add on page kits on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog throughout the month made by members of our very own Design Team. Yep. We are that good.

So I suppose you are waiting to see my kit. I really can't blame you. It was such a fun one this month!

Now, I did not have a few sheets of their awesome paper and really didn't want to try to just supplement. So I either made the paper myself of skipped it. What can I say, I really liked the paper in the kit.

You will not want to miss a DAY of our challenges, tutorials and cool ideas this month. So many great things. PLUS....we have an awesome sponsor!

Miss Arts School

She is giving away a free 60 day subscription to take some of her awesome classes! And believe me...they are pretty awesome! I decided to just sign up myself and this "old dog" is learning some new tricks. Really great ideas on her site! So stay tuned for our monthly blog hop for your chance to win!

Hot Diggity Dog!!

2011-07-01T00:01:00.001-04:00

I am VERY excited about the sponsor this month for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge!!

Miss Art's Papercrafting School

I cannot wait to sign up for her classes! I got to take a preview class so I could talk about her site with a bit of knowledge under of my belt and I was SO impressed! The classes are well put together and have alot of great ideas (even for an old timer like me). Her subscription prices can't be beat either...really awesome value!

This month she is offering a great class called Fanciful Flowers.

Class Description:

Finding just the right flower for your project can be a challenge. Like the perfect fashion accessory, there are so many factors to consider. Each flower must be the right size, color, style and fit. In this 101 level Class, Lisa Valentine shows you how to take a simple die or template and transform it into the perfect flower for any project. From acrylic to fabric to paper, all hands and materials are on deck as Lisa shows you in 3 easy-to-follow videos how to create the perfect flower for your next project. Fanciful Flowers starts on 7/10/11!

See what I mean? Great classes! You really do need to check out her site...you will be impressed!

And CKCB has an awesome prize this month for our blog hop, too!

A 60 Day Extra Credit Subscription to their classes!!!

We have another great month planned for CKCB...so make sure you check back daily to see what we are up to!

Okay, let the joking begin...yes, I got MORE stamps!

2011-06-30T00:01:00.000-04:00

I love stamps. I really do. And I will keep buying them...especially when I can find really great deals! LOL

I had a GOOD week last week!

Big Lots Finds: $2 EACH!

**Yep, you see some Owl sets in there...

Tuesday Morning finds: Stamps $2....sticker set $4

Pages in Time Closing Sale: 70% off!

Gift from Billy:

Father's Day Mini Kit

2011-06-29T00:01:00.001-04:00

Part of our challenge this month was to create some additional mini kits: Father's Day and Summertime. I decided to do both. (Glutton for punishment, I guess.) Today we are going to focus on the Father's Day one.

Here is my main kit:

We were given a sketch to use with the kit as well (Thanks, Crystal!):

And here is my masterpiece!

Can you believe how long I have had this Cosmo Cricket Paper Pack? I have used it alot, too...LOVE it! And it is the perfect fit for my hubby.

June Blog Hop!

2011-06-28T00:01:00.000-04:00

It is blog hop day! If you are just jumping in, make sure you stared at Counterfeit Kit Challenge

Here is my contribution to the hop. I had fun going through the list of I statements and filling in my thoughts.

The cute layered pieces are thanks to my friend Jennifer who sent me some funs thing she cut out from her Imagine. The layered half flowers are one chipboard piece that I cut apart and painted. Then I stamped a lowercase "i" on it in a random pattern.

One last stop before you head off for your day....Sarah

Summer Time Kit

2011-06-17T00:01:00.022-04:00

We have a pool. In fact, most of our backyard is pool. Nice in the summer, but not practicle for general playing. As you can imagine, I take alot of pool pictures (we host pool parties alot), so I went in more of a water/pool direction with this kit.

**I LOVE the Momenta stickers...how cute are those? And it was really fun to pull out random paper to create a layout with...

Here is our sketch chosen by Kim.

Here is the layout I made...I tried to stay pretty close to the sketch. I love all of the white space, but it still allowed me a nice mix of patterened papers. Great chance for layering, too.

Here is a sketch (from Sketch support, of course) that I just HAD to use on a second layout.

Still plenty of paper left (believe it or not), so I just might see what else I can make.

Summer time...and the livin' is....

2011-06-15T00:01:00.002-04:00

BUSY!!

Photo Credit

Goodness! Where, oh where is the time going? Oh, yeah! It's summer and the kids are home! LOL We are week 2 of summer vacation and are still trying to create some sort of routine so mommy can still have some scrapping time. So far, it has not been bad (I've gotten a few things made), but my poor little blog has been neglected.

Photo Credit

It has taken a back seat to my OTHER blog (Counterfeit Kit Challenge) and the amount of posting I do on there (we have daily posts...Meridy does the first half of the month and I take the second half).

I do have a lot of 1/2 finished pages that I am hoping to finish up soon. Once again I have become over ambitious about what I can accomplish. Or what I WISH I could accomplish. LOL

My main goal is doing the kits/challenges from CKCB (which really is helping me catch up with my scrapbooking), but it does box me in a bit.

Our first CKCB challenge for June is an Ad Challenge. I was flipping through the few ads I had (I generally toss them as soon as they come in) when I spied a clever summertime ad from Target. (Love that store)

I promise to be back soon with a new project...I have a few finished. :)

June's Counterfeit Kit!

2011-06-06T00:01:00.000-04:00

The sun is shining...the birds are singing...our pool is sparkeling and we are counterfeiting! It is time for our June kit reveal! It is getting harder and harder to pick the kits each month! There are so many to choose from and they are all revealed at different times! Make sure to keep your eyes on our blog as we have some fun things up our sleeves...and some great prizes coming up!

To see the orginal kit we are counterfeiting and see the kits we have already created based on this kit, head over to the CKCB .

A photo of my whole kit is posted over there, but here are some more specific photos of my kit for this month!

My whole kit

My papers

Journaling spots (instead of crate paper stickers)

I LOVE printing my own lined paper for journaling. I found a really cute one that I used on these HERE

Paper imbellisments (instead of crate paper stickers)

Paper Pieced Owls (to replace the butterflies)

My version of Bloomers

Here is the list of what is in the original kit, websites for better photos of each item and how I replaced them in my kit:

June B&B kit contents:

12x12" Patterned Paper (1 sheet each):
BasicGrey's Hello Luscious line: Honeyed (DCWV Lemon Flowered Stack)
Raspberry Syrup (K&Co Paper stack)
Blissful (K& Co. Amy Butler)
Yumberry (K&Co Amy Butler)
Rosemary (K&Co Stack)
Inviting (K&Co. stack)
http://www.basicgrey.com/scrapbook/shop/collections/show/current/hello-luscious

My Mind's Eye Stella & Rose line: Memories Die-Cut Woven Paper (Lemon Flower Stack)
Hazel "Mother" Ledger ( Chloe’s Closet)
Gertie "You & Me" (SEI Winnie’s Walls)
http://www.mymindseye.com/SR/Stella-Rose.asp

American Crafts' Hello Sunshine line: Fluttery (made with Stella and Rose Stamps) http://americancrafts.com/subcategory.php?id=25&sub=276

Bazzill Cardstock (1 sheet each):
Irish Eyes
Butter
Sugar Cookie
Pirouette
Lagoon
Embellishments:

BasicGrey's Hello Luscious painted brads, assorted colors and sizes (Basic Grey Glazed Brads)
http://www.basicgrey.com/scrapbook/shop/collections/show/current/hello-luscious/page:3

3 Maya Road chipboard frames, assorted sizes and styles (Misc. Chipboard frames/negative spaces)
http://www.mayaroad.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_10&products_id=102

1 package BasicGrey Hello Luscious Bloomers (Misc. layered flower/buttons/twine) http://www.basicgrey.com/scrapbook/shop/collections/show/current/hello-luscious/page:3

1 package Jenni Bowlin vellum embellished butterflies, yellow (paper pieced owls with jems) http://www.jennibowlin.com/eco/wstore.asp?SID=1&Item=736

5 Maya Road trinket pins, leaf (Corsage Pins)

American Crafts alpha thickers, Merry (Spinach) (Thickers – Marquise Pearl Pink)

Crate Paper phrase stickers, Emma's Shoppe (Cricut shapes) http://www.cratepaper.com/emma_shoppe.html

Ribbon/Trim:
Jillibean Soup Bean Stalks twine, 1 yd blue and 1 yd green (Twine)
1 yd. American Crafts velvet ribbon with scallops, Sunflower (cream tulle, orange poms, pink sheer ribbon)

Don't forget to go to CKCB and link up your kit for us to see!

Smash Book Challenge!

2011-05-31T11:10:00.000-04:00

Looking for something new to do this summer? How about making your own Smash Book?

Check our blog (CKCB) for the details!

May Blog Hop!

2011-05-28T00:01:00.003-04:00

What a great hop! I'm afraid my list of company blogs is growing at a tremendous rate! And I just can't seem to pick a favorite.

You should have started here: Counterfeit Kit Challenge

I knew that I wanted to get inspired to do a layout, so I headed straight to Jillibean Soup (love them) to see what I could find...and I found this:

Photo Credit

Here is my intrepretation of it...

I was excited about using the tags in my kit...I'm not a big tag person (I never remember to use them). Love the round photos, too...don't usually do that.

Next up is October Afternoon. Take a look at their Miss You Beary Much card:

Photo Credit

I'm loving all of the boy cards I am able to make with the kit. Here is my take on the O.A. card:

Using the typography paper was a fun touch that I was excited to try. Since I made ahead my embellishments, it was super quick to put this together. I love that.

Since I'm on a roll....let's take a stroll over to Sassafras. How cute is this?

Photo Credit

And now me!

I guess I was on a roll, huh? LOL

Award Ribbon Tutorial

2011-05-15T00:01:00.002-04:00

As I was putting together my kit, I started to realize that, once again, I had fallen back on the trifecta of embellishments. You know, kind of like the trinity of cooking (also known as sofrito)?

My trinity seems to be buttons, ribbons and flowers (or brads if I am doing a boy page). Hmmmm....in a rut would you say? So I decided to start browsing and see what boy type embellishments I could find to counterfeit this time. And I found these:

Jenni Bowlin Ribbons

What a fun idea! And totally boy worthy! Here is what I came up with:

I started by looking at tutorials for doing ribbons and found these:
Little Birdie Secrets
This Simple Life
Made by Me

Here is my first ribbon:

I did the "rosette" base and cut a fun shape with my cricut to layer on top...then added a star and some ribbon. I did use Hot Glue, to speed up the process. Regular glue would take a while to dry and I am not that patient.

My next ribbon was this:

Don't tell Collin, but I used my Mother's Day Bouquet Cricut Cart and used some of the flower shapes, but not the girly ones. LOL I layered them and pop dotted the top layer. I tried to keep my ribbons sort of blank, so I can add what I want when I put them on the page.

My last ribbon is this one:

I remembered that there is an actual ribbon on the Plantain Schoolbook Cartridge and cut it out twice. I then cut off the ribbon part and popdotted the circular part. Added some ric rack and called it a day.

I really think you should make at least ONE ribbon...and I would LOVE to see it! I could use some more inspiration!

We have a winner!

2011-05-09T14:12:00.000-04:00

We have a winner for the three stamp sets!

True Random Number ServiceRandom Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

5

Timestamp: 2011-05-09 18:06:12 UTC

I counted the comments and GABRIELLE is the winner! Whoohoo!

Thanks for the great sites everyone! And thanks for mentioning how much you love Counterfeit Kit Challenge, too!

Counterfeit Card Kit and a prize!

2011-05-07T00:01:00.046-04:00

Happy National Scrapbook Day!

I just LOVE that we have our own "holiday". I think that everyone should have a paid day off...and we should all get presents...don't you think?

I can't help you with the paid day off, but I do have a present to give away!

If you would like to win ALL THREE of these brand new stamp sets, all you need to do is:

Leave a comment with a link to your favorite scrapbook blog

That's it. I will do a drawing on Monday and announce the winner.

So, if you came here from Counterfeit Kit Challenge, it is nice to see you! If you have not been over there yet, then you really should stop by to see all of the NSD fun!

Since it is NSD...and since our "thing" is counterfeiting kits, I thought it would be fun to counterfeit a card kit for today! Check out the kit we are counterfeiting here: Counterfeit Kit Challenge or here: Cup Cards to Go. Isn't this a nice change of pace? And very easy to put together for today!

Here is my counterfeit card kit:

My papers and punched "lace" paper trim:

My Embellishments:

Close Ups of my Embellishments:

I will admit that I was stuck on the paper. I over thought it and tried to get to matchy, which never works for me. Since the kit is pretty small and easy to put together (and I only put in 6x6 paper), I made a second one for Isabel so we can create some cards together. She is so excited!

I can't wait to see what you all come up with! Don't forget to leave a comment with your favorite scrappy blog to be entered to win the stamps!

May's Counterfeit Kit

2011-05-06T00:01:00.005-04:00

It is that time of the month again: Counterfeit Kit Reveal! Yesterday we posted our kit for May at Counterfeit Kit Challenge, so scurry over there to see the kit we are going to counterfeit this month!

This months kit just screams summer to me. And since I have been "in touch with my feminine side" the last few months, I thought I would break out the boy goodness for this kit!

Here is what I put in my main kit:

May Kit of the Month Contents:

10 Patterned papers

4 BG Life of the Party

Costume – All Star Collection/Summer Dream Stack

Candy Bag – Celebration Stack/K&Co Ka-Zoo

Confetti Cake – Random Brown paper/Sassafrass Lass plaid

How You’ve Grown – The Boyfriend Stack by Cosmo Cricket

6 Pink Paislee Hometown

Green Acres – All About Boys/Recolletions Rockets ‘n’ Sprockets Switchback

Summer Fun – Recollections: Monkeying Around and Doodle Alpha

Sunnyside Lane – K&Co Daydreams

Fruit Stand – All About Boys Stack

Heat Wave – The Boyfriend Stack by Cosmo Cricket/Making Memories Just Chillin’

Neighborhood Pool – The Boyfriend Stack by Cosmo Cricket

Hometown layered chipboard stickers Cut out on Cricut

Hometown Alphas My Minds Eye and Sassafrass to cut out on Cricut

Hometown Die Cut Pack- cut out on cricut

Fabric Covered Brads – I Top Brads

8 Shipping Tags (colored) – Cut out on Cricut

Yellow Polka Dot Ribbon – Ribbon from Hobby Lobby

So many fun things to play with! What type of kit are YOU going to make this month?

My May Add On Kit

2011-05-05T00:01:00.002-04:00

My May Kit came together surprisingly easy! Since I decided to make it a boy kit, my head was full of ideas to try! So many ideas that I decided to do an add on kit. LOL I haven't really focused on the boy stuff before, but it was really fun!

May Add On Kit

My Kit Contents:
Good Supply of cardstock
Various ribbons, twine
Epoxy buttons
Red brads, star brads and brads that look like screws
Chipboard embellishments
Various boy themed stamps
Homeade ribbons
blank playing cards
lined paper for journaling

Bet you can't wait to see my main kit now, huh?

Card Challenge Part 3

2011-05-04T00:38:00.002-04:00

Unlike those really badly made B movies with the massive amount of sequals, I'm sure you have been chomping at the bit to see more of our card challenges. Come on. Admit it!

Here is another Pam tradition while with us....baking! Of course I made cookie dough to munch on, but cupcakes were mainly on the agenda.

**Bacon Sprinkled cupcake: YUCK!

Card Challenge: Sparkle Snow Challenge

Pam (sorry it is sideways)

Isabel

Fish Challenge:

Isabel

Pam

Chipboard challenge...which I didn't do and forgot to take a picture of Isabel's...but here is

Pam's

After Pam left (and I got a little teary), Isabel decided to do card challenges with me. You don't understand how big that is. She ONLY does them with Pam. Never just mommy. Yeah for me!

So here is our first mother/daughter card challenge:

Sketch Challenge

Isabel

I cannot wait for National Scrapbook Day...I feel more mother/daughter challenges coming on! I even organized all of her scrap stuff and got her some new storage. My 6 year old is going to need her own craft room soon. LOL

Pam's visit....revisited

2011-05-03T00:01:00.000-04:00

Besides card challenges, Pam had some goals in mind for our visit. Here is one of them:

and here is the other:

We had quite the interesting time at Denny's. Our first visit (yep, there were two) for dinner led us to a very enthusiastic waiter (hi, Chad). I really thought that ONE of us was getting an engagement ring at the end of the meal. We were too full for dessert (and laughing too hard at our creepy waiter), so we took Collin and Isabel for a treat after school. Bacon Sundaes all around. Don't judge us. They are pretty yummy!

Ready for some more card challenge?

Here we go! Cloud Challenge:

Isabel

Pam

Elephant Challenge:

Pam

Isabel

Pam, again. Show off.

Tomorrow is another day...and more card challenges!

Card Challenge!

2011-05-02T12:25:00.001-04:00

My good scrappy friend, Pam came for a visit last week. My problem is I'm not sure if she came to stay with me or do card challange with Isabel. At least they let me join in. LOL We got out all of our scrappy stuff and Isabel would give us a theme for our cards. We would all make them and then put them on the fireplace mantle to admire them.

So, I give you, card challenge....

The button challenge:

Pam

Isabel

Collin

Black and white challange:

Collin

Pam

Isabel

More tomorrow. I'll let these sink in. :)

April Blog Hop!

2011-04-28T00:01:00.001-04:00

Welcome to the last stop on the hop! If you have joined somewhere along the hop, make sure you head over to The Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog for the list of blogs on the hop. This month was SO full of inspiration that I had to do more than one project for the hop!

My first inspiration came from Melissa (The Scrappy Jedi) and if you click on that link, you will see what inspired me so much!

I loved the simplicity of the layout....plus it gave me a great excuse to get out some sprays and get a bit messy! The banner on Melissa's layout is adorable...and so easy to recreate! I tried doing my title several ways, but was happy to be able to pull out one of the playing cards that I put in my kit...I think it makes the perfect touch.

Of course I HAD to browse through Sherri's Blog and found a fun card that would let me play with my new Mother's Day Boquet Cricut Cart (look here to see the card I used for inspiration).

It was VERY hard for me to cut this cute BG striped paper. I had to close my eyes when I did it. LOL Oh well....there is always new paper to love! I wanted to add some interest to my flower without inking, so I faux stitched the layers and the leaves. I really love the bottom layers of borders...and laughed when I realized that I have the EXACT same punches. Great minds shop alike!

Thanks for joining us on our hop! We can't wait until next month!

Photo motherload!

2011-04-22T17:19:00.000-04:00

I generally don't try to fit too many photos on my layouts, but I found a sketch that completely inspired me to make TWO layouts this past week.

Here is my inspiration sketch (Sketch Support):

Here is what it inspired me to create (with my Counterfeit Kit, of course!).

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE these journaling spots that I have been creating for the kits...really helping me to get my story down! I am so happy that I was able to get so many memories down on paper with this sketch.

Song Bird Prarie (Mini Challenge #1: Memorabilia)

2011-04-14T00:01:00.002-04:00

I have a nice fat accordian file folder just stuffed with bits and pieces of things I have saved (tickets, brochures, cards, kids drawings, tags...). I had a great time riffling through them all for this challenge (and lost a few things in the process that the kids wanted back LOL).

One of my favorite trips with my husband was to a bed and breakfast for one of our anniversaries. I already made a mini album of that trip, but found some bigger memorabilia and thought they would make a great layout for our larger album.

I used a wonderful sketch from PageMaps found HERE. I posted the main layout on our Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog, but here are some peeks and an explanation of how I made my bird. :)

In my kit I had added some Sticky Back Canvas and had used part of it to make some birds (free handed). I have tried to stamp on canvas before and didn't like how it came out, but I jumped right in to give it another go. Here is how I added color to my bird (shown on the wing):

I decided to use a complementary color to go with the body of the bird. I used a sponge to dab on some buttercup yellow ink.

I picked a honey color to do the stamping and used a background stamp from Autumn Leaves.

I love the sticky back! So nice to not have to add adhesive and makes it really easy to layer! I added a gem for the eye and am really happy with how it came out. My six year old immediately asked to make one, too, and happily showed me a purple bird that looked very similar to mine. :)

Hope you enjoyed the peek...and hope you look at my FULL layout at our blog. (There will be some other great layouts from our DT there as well!)

2011-04-09T00:01:00.001-04:00

I did a quick card based on a Sketch Support Card Sketch (found HERE). I was wondering what to do with my branch from my kit....and this sketch seemed perfect for it.

Mostly from my kit. Added: Card base, black cardstock scraps, teal scrap, Thanks stamp, bling for eye

Altered Calendar

2011-04-08T00:01:00.012-04:00

I love doing layouts and cards, but I have really been working at trying to do at least ONE different thing each month. Here is what I came up with for this month...

My daughter is in Kinder and loves telling me what the date is (since they go over it often during the afternoon class). She is excited to put this in her room so she can keep track all by herself.

I forgot how much I dislike working with Modge Podge. LOL I have no patience for that sticky stuff. It was necessary to help protect it from eager little hands, so I did it and it came out great (always does, but I still don't have to love using it, right?). I did add some scrap paper (blue and green) for the numbers and months because I thought using patterned paper would be a bit busy for those.

How is your crafty month going? I am getting a BUNCH done!

Best layout yet!

2011-04-07T00:01:00.019-04:00

Sometimes it is hard to not pepper my daughter with advice when she wants to scrapbook with me. She is extremely independant (hmmmm...wonder where she gets that from?) and pretty much wants me to stay out of it! LOL I printed off some photos for her yesterday and before I could suggest that she had enough for several layouts now...she glued them all onto one 12x12 paper. LOL Guess I need to print her more pictures.

(And my son was not impressed that he has a crown on his head in the photo...he gave her a mini lecture about things boys like and things girls like. LOL) She was pretty impressed with her layout and declared it her "best one yet!" That's my girl! She also learned that you cannot corner round ribbon. I still need to get my corner rounder unstuck. UGH!

My take on the April Counterfeit Kit

2011-04-06T00:01:00.005-04:00

Once we saw this kit...it was LOVE at first sight! The colors are so much fun and there are some great homeade touches already in the kit!

Presenting....

A Little Birdie Told Me

By a new club: Front Porch Kits!

This is the brain child of Tracy Pounds (of The Little Blue House) and Lollie Chessie

They have uber creative ideas for projects...and you definitely should check them out live on their U Stream channel! They are a fun, super friendly and wonderfully inspiring group of ladies!

To get the link for the kit AND to see my take on it (in all it's glory) you will need to pop in at The Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog . Be ready to be inspired! Everyone's take on the kit is really fun!

Here are some close up shots of my kit and my complet list of products:

Papers:

Embellishments:

Here is the orginal kit list with my substitutions:

Printed Papers

Fabric Store - For the Record (Echo Park) Cosmo Cricket/Girl Friday

Borders - For the Record (Echo Park) Basic Grey/Urban Prarie/weather vane

Banana - Sophisticates (Bella Blvd) Basic Grey/Urban Prarie/Patchwork quilt

Four Birds - Its the Little Things (Fancy Pants) Basic Grey/Urban Prarie/meadow

Feathered - Its the Little Things (Fancy Pants) Heidi Grace

Chlorine - Sophisticates (Bella Blvd) Basic Grey/Urban Prarie/Wildflowers

Headed South - Its the Little Things (Fancy Pants) Heidi Grace

Gerber Daisy - Its the Little Things (Fancy Pants) Basic Grey/Urban Prarie/LadyBug

Stamp of Approval - For the Record (Echo Park) Basic Grey/Urban Prarie/Petticoat

Fancy Pants It’s the Little Things Spring Fever Basic Grey/Urban Prarie/Monarch

Cardstock

Black Prismatic (Bazzill) Black Cardstock
Butter Creme (2) (Bazzill) Cream Cardstock

Sunfowers Medium (Bazzill) Yellow Momenta Cardstock

Blush Red Medium (Bazzill) Red Cardstock

Kraft (Bazzill) Kraft Cardstock

Embellishments

Ribbons/Trims (24 inches each) in Teal, Pink, Cream Crochet (May Arts) lace Random ribbon/lace

Tropical Rain Glitter Mini Sampler (P K Glitz) Random ribbon/lace

Chartreusse Glitter Mini Sampler (P K Glitz) Martha Stewart Glitter

Heart Art Acetate (P K Glitz) Made myself

Journal Card Variety - Its the Little Things (Fancy Pants) Made myself

Mega Bottlecaps (2 large & 1 small) (Maya Road) floral embellishments (Recollections) Skipped

2 Fabric Remnants (Moda) Random Fabric

1 Burlap Square Sticky Back Canvas/Cross Stitch Canvas

4 yarn remnants Skip

Button Variety (Buttons Galore) Buttons from my stash

Googly Eyes Skip

Feathers Skip

8 Birds with wings (Front Porch Cutz by Lolly) Sticky Back Canvas birds/aida cloth

1 Tree branch (Front Porch Cutz by Lolly) Cricut Winter Woodland Cut

Chipboard Alphas - Noah (Maya Road) Momenta Stickers

Chipboard Flowers (Maya Road) Random mix of chipboard flowers

Chipboard Tags (2) (Maya Road) Random mix of chipbaord tags

Flower Sprigs & Leaves (Front Porch) Cricut cuts

Hank the Plank (Front Porch) Wooden Calendar

Felt butterflies in teal and black (Creative Impressions) Cricut Storybook Cart

Assortment of silk flowers in coral, teal and white skip

Birdie Journal Block (Fancy Pants It’s the Little Things) Playing cards to alter

So what do you think? Lots of fun stuff, right? I am also excited because this is the first month for our Design Team! They have been rockin' it out for us and we are really proud to have them on board! You are in for a treat! Keep an eye on the Counterfeit Blog...lots of great things coming up!

April Counterfeit Kit

2011-04-05T00:01:00.012-04:00

It is THAT time of the month again!!!

Time to reveal the kit we are going to counterfeit for Apirl!!!

Head on over to Counterfeit Kit Challenge to see which kit we picked!

Tomorrow I will post MY kit! I know you can't wait!! LOL

New Challenge Blog

2011-03-29T00:01:00.002-04:00

There’s a new challenge blog in town with articles, swaps, interviews, videos, challenges, great prizes and MORE! Check out Lily Pad Cards!

March Blog Hop!!

2011-03-28T00:01:00.037-04:00

Happy Hopping! If you are new to the hop, please stop in at Counterfeit Kit Challenge to get started!

This month's blog hop challenge was so fun...and hard...but fun! We got to pick an older project that we had made and scraplift it. Yep. Scraplifting myself. How weird is that? I intentionally picked a REALLY old layout to lift. I have grown/changed alot in my scrapbooking over the years and, although I am sentimental of my older work, I am not in love with any of them. I already knew what photos I wanted to scrap, so that helped me narrow down the type of layout to scraplift. An additional challenge I set for myself was to use some of the circus embellishments I added to my Mossy Knoll Kit.

Here is the layout I chose to scraplift:

This was Collin's first Christmas...and the last Christmas my Grandmother (my reason for moving back from Puerto Rico) was with us.

And here is what I was "inspired" to create:

I started with the strips of background paper. It was a nice way to get a mix of patterned paper on my layout without it overwhelming the photos.

I wanted to add some eyelets, but in a more structured way, so I made a little clown hat and used the eyelets for polka dots.

I was really excited about the journaling. Sometimes I don't know what to say, but the story sort of flowed out this time.. I distressed the journaling spot with some distress ink and stamped some circular patterns around the edges just for fun.

The title on the original layout was pretty whimsical and fun. For this layout I went with the flags idea from the kit to create a title banner.

Although the photos are fun, the patterns and vintage feel of the circus elements really help the layout not be too silly. I have to say that I love it alot.

Thanks for joining us on our hop! Don't forget that you have a few more days to post on our March Link at our blog to be entered to win one of TWO prizes this month! Keep creating!

Check this out! Momenta create your own stickers!

2011-03-22T10:00:00.002-04:00

How cool is this:

Momenta Create Your Own Stickers

I know they are hard to see...LOL But these stickers come blank and you get to decorate them however you want! You can print on them with a photo...fill them in with colors or patterns....it even suggests your kid's art work! So cool!

Love these!

Cupcake Happiness!

2011-03-18T00:01:00.000-04:00

I LOVE ideas that help me use up my scraps. I was browsing for some inspiration for birthday cards (my kids get invited to alot of parties) that I could whip up, but be cute at the same time. Lookie, lookie:

Sketch Support Add On Sketch

These are PERFECT! I used my Wildflower kit...I think the blue and grey cards could be boy/girl...the pink is for a party this weekend. Love, love, love them! I kept it very simple so I could mass produce, but you could really go all out with these!

I am the Queen!

2011-03-17T00:01:00.013-04:00

I recieved a wonderful box from my scrappy friend, Queen Pam! She knows me oh, so well!

I almost didn't want to open it. How pretty is this? My favorite color and OWLS!

SHE MADE THIS BOX! How cute is this?

She made the butterflies and mushrooms, too!!! I am in awe!

Ah....owl stickers...and I thought I would have to carefully remove them from the box....

Putting a spinner on a card for me is like a dog seeing a.....squirrel! Now I'll never get anything done!

Pam is awesome! Seriously, she spoils me rotten and I totally don't deserve it. I miss her!!

Great Mail Day!

2011-03-14T07:05:00.000-04:00

Friday was a superb mail day for me! Check out the loveliness!

I won a prize package from Momenta! I was their 1,000th "like" on Facebook. I have not used their products before, but they look fantastic! Here is what they sent!

Next up is the Cricut Cart I ordered...can't wait to make some flowers!

And last, but not least, is some fun goodies from my friend, Jen...she cut them on her Imagine for me.

If anyone else wants to send me happy mail...I would love to get some! LOL

Wildflower Counterfeit

2011-03-12T00:01:00.005-05:00

Last one! Whoohoo! I still can't believe that I have 5 kits sitting here ready for me to play with! It feels like such a luxury!

Yes. I did it again. I pulled some paper from Basic Grey for this kit. Let's move on now! LOL

Embellishments:
Plantain Schoolbook for the alphabet
Die Cut made with the Storybook Cartridge
Buttons: Cut out on Cuttlebug...layered...stamped with patterns
Tulle flowers: I MADE THEM! I had to sew, but they are perfect!
Vintage Cards: Printed from online

Whew! So which kit is YOUR favorite? I'm having a hard time picking. I'll let you know when I use them.

***More pictures/tutorials to make this kit on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog!

Sunny Clearing Counterfeit

2011-03-11T00:01:00.017-05:00

I have a confession. I feel like a bit of a cheat. When I saw this kit...it immediately made me think of Basic Grey's Urban Prarie and Lemonade. So I pulled paper from PRE-MATCHED STACKS! Gasp! LOL It did make it easy. The blue and green scalloped paper is from K&Co. Girl Scouts.

Embellishments:

Yet another Cricut Cartridge for the Alphas: Lyrical Letters

Various Trims/ribbons

Made the butterflies

More of the snowflake chipboard in a different color pallete

Made the button clips

Various yellow flowers from my stash

I am SO glad these kits are not big! I would never be done!

***More pictures/tutorials for this kit are on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog!

Mossy Knoll Counterfeit

2011-03-10T00:01:00.016-05:00

I'm not sure what is mossy...or knolly about this kit, do you? The papers do not make sense to me, but maybe I am too theme oriented.

My papers are in my main picture at the Counterfeit Kit Blog. I used all K&Co. papers.

I feel so clever for not worrying about not having alot of alpha stickers and just getting out my cricut carts to match the font. LOL Patting myself on the back now.

Embellishments:
Alphabet: Jubilee Cricut Cart
Number Flag Stickers: made them
Various Ribbons/trims
Metal Flowers: MM flower brads
Various Buttons from my stash
Vintage cards: printed off the Internet

I'm intrigued by the circus them with this kit....I think it will be a neat new thing to try.

Still going okay? You haven't given up yet, have you?

***More pictures/tutorials for this kit on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog!

A Quiet Place

2011-03-09T00:01:00.010-05:00

In our small group we have been talking about taking time each day to reflect, recharge and spend some quiet time with God. One of the topics that has come up is WHERE we would truely enjoy doing this. All of the wives/moms agreed that where we do our quiet time and where we would LIKE to do our quiet time are two different places. LOL We are tied down abit to kids schedules and nap time, so we can't always be in the place that recharges us the most. If I had to choose a place to go and just be quiet every day, I would pick a wooded area. I love the serenity of it, the beauty and the calm (if I don't bring my kids with me...LOL). This inspired a layout for me and about who I am. I just might have to frame this one.

I used my Into the Woods Kit and added some BG alpha stickers, orange/notbook paper flowers and bling.

Babbling Brook Counterfeit Kit

2011-03-08T00:01:00.002-05:00

Now onto kit number 2! Hmmm...first picture crooked! LOL I hate it when that happens, but it won't let me change it. Anyway, here are my papers from that kit:

I used a book page paper (no company listed), K&Co. Girl Scout Paper, and made the alphabet paper, the circle paper and the round, scalloped paper.

The round, scalloped paper was pretty easy with my cricut and the Storybook Cart. I just had to push cut.

I added some red faux stitching to mimic the red line on the original. I toyed with the idea of glittering the scallops, but, honestly, didn't want to mess with it. :) See! It is your kit! Do what you want!

Embellishments:
Storybook cart to make the Alphabet, Tiny Type in brown, MS. Stamps, made ONE envelope (not sure if I would use more than one), I-Rock Bling, Flower ribbon, made the butterflies and the doilies are Christmas chipboard (some sort of snowflakes, I believe)

A nice mix of embellishments, I think!

How are your kits coming?

***More pictures/tutorials for this kit on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog!

Mushroom Journaling Card

2011-03-07T00:01:00.002-05:00

How cute was that mushroom card! And go figure that I own several mushroom stamps. LOL No comments!

I cut some tan paper slightly larger than my lined journaling stamp. Then I measured my mushrooms and cut a paper the same size to use to mask off that area.

When I stamped with my journaling stamp, I put the smaller paper where I wanted the mushrooms so that area would be left blank. I used a tiny bit of adhesive to keep it still while I stamped.

After that it was easy to stamp the mushrooms....

and color them in with some Copics. Then I simply rounded the corners of the card.

I might have to make these more often.

***More pictures/tutorials on making this kit on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog!

Into the Woods Counterfeit Kit

2011-03-06T00:01:00.004-05:00

At first I was thrilled about the idea of all of these mini kits. Then the overwhelming feeling crept over me. It was sort of like being in a store and not knowing what to look at first.

Since I want this to be FUN for you and not overwhelming, I am going to walk you through my kit making process (remember....we only had 4 days to put ours together to show you!).

The key is to remember that you are making YOUR OWN kit. You may copy as much or as little as you like about Into the Woods. Don't feel like you have to copy every single thing from the kit. If you won't use it then skip it. I promise no one will tell.

Another important thing is to be as organized as you can. Have a plan of attack! My first step was to copy and past the list contents into a Word program to print out so I could have a paper list of each kit's supplies. Then I thought about whether I wanted to pull ALL of the papers for each kit first or just focus on one kit at a time and complete the kit before moving on. For me finishing each kit before moving on made more sense.

My paper:
Cardstock:
Green, Cream, Yellow, Tan, Dark Brown
Patterned Paper came from the following:
The Paper Studio, K&Company, The Green Stack, Sassafrass Bungle Jungle, Cosmo Cricket the Boyfriend Stack

Embellishments:
Sunrise Thickers: Lyrical Letters Cricut Cartridge
Chipboard Shapes: Random Chipboard Stars
Label Stickers: Labels/shapes from Going Places, Graphically Speaking and Preserves Cartridges
Woodgrain Fabrips: Woodgrain pattern printed on Sticky Back Canvas (4x6 piece)
Mini Alphabet: Sassafrass Large Graph Letters
Remember Buttons: Random from my stash
Vintage Bumble Bee Stamp: CTMY Bugs set
Veneer Journal Card: Made myself...check back tomorrow
Happy title: Made myself: Cricut Preserves Cartridge; Together We Bloom by Unity
Added: Tiny Type in Red

Aren't those orange shapes fun? I had a ball making them!

Okay, I HAD to add a bunch of woodsey stamps. I *cough* love owls, so I have alot of those stamps.

You can do this! Just take it one step at a time! You don't have to copy all of the kits like the three of use crazy ladies did. Just pick what you like! See you back here tomorrow for a pictorial of my mushroom notecard!

***More tutorials/pictures of how to make this kit on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog!

Banner Love

2011-03-02T00:01:00.005-05:00

Yep. My crushes hit hard and fast. I have been in love with banners since last year and have been making holiday and seasonal ones for our fireplace mantle and the kids birthdays. However...my friends/family love them, too, and I frequently end up giving them away. LOL Here are a few I have made:

Now, I did not really make a Christmas banner because I did this Christmas Countdown Calendar instead:

I am in need of a Spring banner...my mantle is so empty since Valentines Day is over. I have some ideas brewing in my head...but take at look at what I found...(Disclaimer...I did NOT make these, but I am crushing on them all the same.)

Don't you just love web browsing? If you have any other thoughts on banners, please share with me. I am in the idea collecting phase now before I start sketching it out.

Make your own sketches: I double dog dare you!

2011-03-01T00:01:00.003-05:00

I love sketches. I mean REALLY love them. I love them so much that sometimes I can't scrapbook without them! This year I am trying to do more of my own sketches and not rely so much on other peoples...so I have decided that I need this:

If you go HERE to the lovely Kristina Werner's blog you will not only find pretty inspiration for decorating your sketch book, but printable inside pages and a video, too!

I have an older one, but I am itching to make a fresh, pretty new one to keep in the car...and one in my purse...and one in the office....LOL The really are awesome when you have a few minutes and feel inspired.

Are YOU going to make one, too?

February's Blog Hop!

2011-02-28T00:01:00.006-05:00

How have you enjoyed the hop? Our counterfeiters are just FULL of great ideas! If you have wandered in here unaware, head on over to the Counterfeit Kit Challenge to get a list of the blogs on our hop! You will also see the sketch from Scraps of Darkness that my layout is based on. Wasn't this sketch beautiful? So elaborate! A great opportunity to use up lots of goodies from my kit! Here is my take on the sketch:

I have done a much better job since Christmas of getting myself on more of my pages. I don't want my kids to grow up and think they didn't have a mom! LOL Mother's day is one time of year that I insist on getting in the pictures. Documenting our relationships, as well as growth is so important.

Thanks to the Scraps of Darkness inspiration kit, I had SO many goodies to play with. I finally had to tell myself enough is enough and let it be. LOL

Although I was excited about making these pins, I was stumped about how to incorperate them on a layout or card...this was the perfect place for them and they add a special touch for me.

Thanks for participating in our hop! In a few more days we will reveal our March inspiration kit! I can't wait to get started! But in the meantime, keep checking out the Counterfeit Challenge Blog...we update almost daily and have alot of fun things to share with you!

Don't forget to take a picture of your leftovers of your kit to share with us! Let's see how much you used. We want to know how many things you made as well!

Now on to the last blog on our hop Ruth and then off you go to create something! LOL

Fun Mini Book!

2011-02-26T00:01:00.005-05:00

I am loving these mini books! I have quite a list of requests for them already! LOL Good thing they are easy to put together!

This one I am giving to my mom. She still gets mixed up with the grandkids names since the incident in August (went into a coma after knee surgery), so I thought it might be fun for her to have a little book of pictures to jog her memory...and show off (which she loves to do!).

Everything but the lace is from my kit. I have discovered that I really like the look of white ink on kraft cardstock, so I inked the edges of just about everything!

You really do HAVE to make one! Even if you usually only do cards or layouts. They are SO easy!

Versamark Chalking "tutorial"

2011-02-24T00:01:00.002-05:00

Did you ever just have one of those days? I wanted to use the bits left of my kit to make some more things, so I was working on cards today. The base came together quickly. I have decided that I really love the green pattern with the black and white dots. But what to put on the front of the card? LOL I tried paper piecing, stamping and coloring with markers, cricut cuts...I didn't like any of it. Then, while putting away my markers, I spied .....

The last time I remember using them was over a year ago. Shocking, isn't it? LOL Don't judge me...I bet you have stuff in YOUR stash that you have not used in at least that long. LOL Out of all of the chalks on the market, I really do love Pebbles Inc. Why? I'm glad you asked. Okay, seriously, most chalks work pretty much the same, but with Pebbles Inc it is the packaging and delivery system that makes them better. The chalks are in a sturdy tin case with a molded plastic cover that fits nicely over the tops of each chalk section. That is important because chalk is notorius for breaking. I have had this set for *cough* years and they have not even cracked (even with being tossed around in my scrapbook bag for crops).

The second part that I love (and, frankly, cannot do without), is the stick and the little puff balls. Each color has 3 sizes of puff balls with it. You use the stick to pick up the puff ball to apply the chalk. Yes, you can use cotton balls, but they are too big and fluffy. Q-Tips have been accuracy and control, but are too hard. As Goldilocks would say, these little balls of fluff are just right.

You can use your chalk directly on your paper and it will work fine as a coloring, too, but if you want to have some fun, try some VersaMark. I recently did a class that showed how to use differnt colors of embossing powder on one stamped image. It was really cool, but I just could not get it to come out for me. This is a similar concept, but with chalks. Much easier and the results are great!

Pick a stamp (outline ones or solid ones, both will work fine) and stamp using your VersaMark Watermark/Embossing Ink. If you get the tinted kind then it will be easier to see, but the regular kind will show up alright, too.

Use the stick (with the clip head) and pick up a cotton puff from the chalks. Gently rub it across the chalk color of your choice and then pounce it up and down on the stamped area that you want that color. Repeat as much as you need to with whatever colors you want.

It gives a very soft, almost watercolor type of effect.

Here is the infamous card that started the whole thing. I used a very detailed flower stamp from Unity. With the chalking method, I was able to "color" the image however I wanted.

Isn't it pretty? I used my trusty OLD notch tool set to make slits on either side of the stems so I could tie a ribbon around the "flowers".

The butterfly was just stamped in black ink and colored in using only chalk. It blends really well.

Sweet Girl Layout

2011-02-23T09:51:00.000-05:00

I am trying so hard to use up my paper from my kit. My stash is growing smaller! I hate to call it quits, so let's see if I can make anything else from it before the new kit is revealed.

I found yet another great sketch on Sketch Support (anyone else think that I just need to buy her sketch books?), but decided to just do one of the two pages of the layout. I love this sketch because you can use alot of bits of papers from your kit.

I am in love with this main picture of my daughter. It is hard to get her to look at the camera sometimes, but this shot was just perfect. We had been geocashing in a wooded area and she decided to make me an offering of wildflowers. She is such a sweetie.

The last of my large flowers from my kit made it on the page along with a chipboard piece that I painted with a mixture of pearl paint and green pearl-ex. Isabel loves this beaded safety pin and asked me to include it, too.

I have gotten so much scrapping done in the last 2 months! Next on my list...make a spring banner for our fireplace mantle. I have the perfect paper in mind for it, but will (cough) need to stop at Hobby Lobby to pick it up. LOL Anyone else need anything?

Just a quick layout: El Yunque

2011-02-23T00:01:00.007-05:00

Billy and I met in Puerto Rico....we lived there for almost 5 years together....our son was born there. Puerto Rico holds a special place in my heart. The first place I fell in love with on my first visit there was the rain forest: El Yunque. Such a beautiful and peaceful place. I would love to be back there right now.

I based this layout on a sketch from Sketch Support. Love them! I struggled with the embellishments, but decided to go with the hearts from the sketch in my different patterned papers. Then I dumped out all of my small embellisments from my kit and just started adding them randomly. I did throw in a few red buttons for a little pop of color and to make my triangle for my focal point. Not half bad. I am working on not raking my brain forever and stressing. Instead I am trying to just go for it. Look at how mellow I am becoming!

Cards for Mini Challenge: Paper Piecing

2011-02-22T00:02:00.002-05:00

I was enjoying the paper piecing challenge so much that I decided to do a few cards for it as well! This first one I made from my kit:

A while ago I saw an adorabe card with an out of doors scene (tree with a swing in it) and a fantastic blue sky with clouds background. I LOVE that type of paper, but don't have any of it, so I e-mailed the blogger and guess what? She MADE it! It is so easy and I use it all the time now.

I cut some clouds out with my Cricut and put some adhesive on the back. Then I arrange them on my project and gently lay them down. The adhesive keeps them there, but not pushing too hard makes them easy to pull back up. Then I take some blue inks and a sponge and pounce the ink up and down on the paper. The clouds act as masks and when I get the color saturation I want, I just remove them. Easy Peasy.

For the balloon, I just cut out 2 circles out of patterned paper. One of the circles I left as is, the other circle I trimed into an ovalish sort of shape.

Then I inked them with black ink and attatched the oval to the circle with some foam squares.

For the basket, I cut out a small square out of tan cardstock. I then cut out some thin strips, put adhesive on them and wove them on top of the small square. I glued down the basket and drew some lines to look like string.

Here is my next card:

For this one, I cut out some curved shapes for hills and stamped and cut out a castle and frog. I did a similar background for the clouds, but instead of leaving them plain (since it is on kraft cardstock), I put glue in the negative space and added some sparkle fluff (by our craft lounge). The princess took a bit more time. She was stamped on several pieces of paper: peach (for skin), brown (for the hair), pink dots (for dress), darker pink (for trim on dress) and yellow (crown). I cut out pieces of each of the princesses and glued them all on the peach princess. More work than coloring, but I love the look of it!

Thanks for looking! Off to create some more! Oh, and check out Moxie Fab...they are having a paper piecing challenge as well...link your creations Here and you can win a prize from them!

Easel Card

2011-02-18T00:30:00.000-05:00

I have not made one of these in a while, but wanted to try some different things with my kit. I will admit that I am getting a bit bored of layouts and regular cards. I just can't help it! LOL

Easel cards are not hard at all to make, but the key is decorating the inside, which I usually don't bother to do even though I like the look of it. Just lazy, I guess. And eager to get onto the next project!

Everything used is from my kit! I did add a stamp set: Basic Grey Pretty Bird stamp set and threw in a new color: cranberry

If you would like a tutorial to learn how to make this card, go to Split Coast Stampers .

Layout for Mini Challenge: Putting Pen to Paper (a close up)

2011-02-15T00:01:00.026-05:00

This was an incredibly hard challenge for me. See...these challenges are just as much for us as they are for YOU! LOL If you want to see my entire layout, please go to Counterfeit Kit Challenge.

Tags...that design feature just got stuck in my head. First of all, tags do not give much writing space. That is a plus if you are struggeling with what to say, right? And they can be embellished...I wanted to use bits of just about everything from my kit.

All of the colors I picked popped well with the black paper, so I made that my background. I didn't want to just use white for the journaling tags, so I pulled the tan paper (I have ink to match) and stamped some journaling lines on them. I wrote out what I wanted to say (and number the tags so I wouln't forget) so I would know how many decorated tags I would need to make to fill out the page. I did attatch the journaling tags with foam squares so they would be more prominant.

Green/white tag: good backdrop for the black letter stickers from the kit for my title
White/Black tag: Large white glittered flower that I made
Black floral tag: metal embossed chipboard frame with a chipboard butterfly
embossed with cuttlebug-embossed with teal embossing powder-painted with crackle medium-painted with white paint
Striped tag: three large glittered buttons in a cluster
White tage: bird from stamp set...added leaves...brad for eye
Circle tag: metal trim along bottom
Green/black tag: covered with one of the bingo cards (and trimmed) date of blog opening marked

Hope you enjoyed this close up! Don't forget to link up your challenge creation on our blog for a chance to win a kit from the Scraps of Darkness!

Valentines Goodies

2011-02-14T07:31:00.000-05:00

The flu has invaded our house. Not a good thing for a time of year when I usually make a lot of crafty goodness for my kids teachers/friends. I had to simplify it this year.

The cute card is to go with a bag of Dove Chocolates for each Specials Teacher (Gym/Art/Music/Library) and the mailboxes are stuffed with Lindt Truffles for the main teachers. I usually decorate them pretty elaborately, but this year they got stickers. Yep. I'm hanging my head. But I am SO tired and achey. I'm sure they won't care. They have LINDT in them for Pete's sake. LOL That should gloss over my uncraftiness. LOL

Organizing the rest of my stuff

2011-02-13T00:01:00.001-05:00

You have now had a indepth look at my room and most of my stuff. :) Hope it was helpful. There are a few other important categories in my room, but the storage for these is a snap: Jetmax cubes and clear box with lid!

Punches

Blank Cards

Finished cards:

Mini albums

For me, the begining of creating is having a place for everything. I hope you find something that works for YOUR process!

Organizing: Embellishments

2011-02-12T00:01:00.000-05:00

Emebllishments! Love them! Use them! Sometimes don't know what to do with them! LOL Some are big...some are tiny...do you keep them in the packaging? Sort them by color? Product type?

I don't have a fix all that will keep your embellishments (of all sizes and types) in one place, but I do have some tips for how I keep mine.

First, I sort all of my embellishments by type and find the best storage for each type of embellishment. You will be seeing the storage for these in just a minute.

After they are categorized, I sort them by the same color order that I do my paper. I like having that consistent theme in my room.

So, here we go:

Small Embellishments (brads/seed beads/eyelets/small gems):

I have 2 CTMH embellishment organizers. LOVE THEM! Been using them for

years and wouldn't change a thing! They travel well...I even put some embossing powder/glitter in some of the containers for going to crops. These are in color order.

I couldn't resist this green case with the clear divided boxes. I use these for

embellishments that go with paper brands I like to buy like Basic Grey and Sassa Frass. That

way all of those embellishments are easy to grab and go well with those papers.

Buttons and flowers: Also in color order and in these cute Ikea jars. There are similar

jars at Hobby Lobby/Michaels, but they aren't as cheap.

I glued a sample embellishment on the top of the jar for looks and to help sort.

My ribbon is stored in jewlery bags on clips on my clip it up. Color order of course.

I put them on clothespins to keep them neat and organized.

Sheets of chipboard on my Clip it up

Bling on my clip it up

Alpha's on my clip it up

Chipboard and grungeboard pieces: sorted by type (alphas, basic shapes,

flowers...) and stored in these great kitchen silverware "buckets" from Ikea!

More organizing tips tomorrow!

Organizing: Stamps and such

2011-02-11T00:01:00.003-05:00

I think the only other scrapbook supply that could rival my paper is my stamps. I just can't seem to stop. In fact, I bought 4 more sets yesterday. Yikes! LOL They were a great deal, though! Wanna see them?

$15 for all of them, baby! I love CHA time...everyone makes way for new products! Anyway...I have alot of stamp sets. I have a mix of stamp storage options at this point...It is working so I don't feel the need to fix it. Yet. LOL

At this point, it is important for me to keep my stamps together in their original sets. I know some people take each stamp and put it in a category, but I can't do that. It feels wrong. LOL I go with a general theme for each stamp set and don't worry about the tiny stamps. Eventually I plan on using a roladex to keep track of each stamp, but that is a project only in my head right now. LOL

Stamp Categories:
Journaling (stamps that can have journaling written in them)
Sentiments (whole phrases/words)
Girly
Objects
Background
Boy
Birthday
Animals
Flowers
Unity (yes, they deserve their own category)

I store these in Photo Storage Boxes...that way my clear stamps and rubber stamps can live together.

Apparently you want to see this picture sideways, since it won't let me change it.

On my Clip it Up Floor Model, I keep these categories:
Alpahbets
Holidays (broken into Winter-Christmas/Valentinesday, Spring-Easter, Summer, Fall)

Finally...all of those stinking $1 stamps. For the rubber ones, I keep them in the categories in the photo storage boxes. For the small clear stamp sets I use baseball card page protectors in notebooks or on my clip it up depending on the category.

Other Stamping Goodies:
My inks are in color order again:

My stickles/sprays are stored in a cute planter tray so they are visible:

I have a Jetmax drawer for my dry glitter/embossing powders/flocking:

Another drawer of distressing tools:

And another drawer of coloring options:

Pretty basic. I know where everything is, so that is important.

Tomorrow: How I organize my small embellishments

My journey through paper organization...

2011-02-10T00:01:00.004-05:00

I have been asked by a few people how I organize my stash, so I will take a few posts over the next couple of days to share that. It has been a process for me and it is based on how I scrapbook, but maybe it will give you some ideas.

Today we are going to talk about paper. I have a long history with struggling with paper storage. I started off with one of these...

Yeah. I quickly outgrew that. Let's not dwell on it. LOL My next choice was this:

I really liked those (and still have them), but I just wasn't happy with it, so I tried these...

Which I love (and still use), but I still thought I could do better so I moved onto this:

Which very quickly demonstrated that it was not sturdy enough so I then was EXTREMELY blessed to stumble into this:

I really feel like the luckiest girl in the world. I have other photos posted further down in my blog, but, basically, a LSS went out of business and our being in the right place at the right time ended up with me owning 2 slat walls and tons of clear 12x12 trays and shelves for about $50. I am extremely grateful.

Now, you may have stopped part way through this post and thought...those other storage options are great! Why did she keep looking?

Here is what my goals were for my paper:
1. Off the floor
2. Lots of categories
3. Labels!
4. Displayed so I will use it

I finally have what is my ideal set up.

Putting my paper into categories has changed as I have gotten better storage, but the core of how I do it has stayed the same. My first exploration was how I scrapbook. I always start with a color scheme. Always. So sorting by color works well for me. I tried sorting EVERYTHING by color and soon realized that not all stacks/manufactuers can be put in that neat little box, so I started working on a secondary way to categorize my paper that can work with my color categories.

All of my cardstock (and many other of my supplies) are sorted by color in a specific order. Here is the color order that I use for my ribbon, paper, embellishments, paints, inks...

Red Pink Purple Blue Green Yellow Orange Black Grey White Brown Skintone

My loose patterned paper and the leftover paper from stacks/kits/paper pads get divided into that same palette. I look at each piece and choose the predominant color for my categories. If it is hard to put in category, then I do have a "multi" category for thos tricky papers with lots of colors.

All of my other patterned paper is divided into one of two categories: either by theme (boy, school, Christmas, Halloween, Valentiens, Nature...) or by Manufacturer. I have learned to NOT take apart my paper pads, unless it is necessary. They had experts coordinate the paper and it is so much easier for my process if I keep the paper together and use it together. I tend to buy paper from the same companies, so I do have some trays labeled for Basic Grey, Sassafrass, Cosmo Cricket... Those are some of my go to papers and I like to have them handy.

Let's not forget about the ever present paper scraps. I have my cardstock ones in a 12x12 accordian folder sorted by, you guessed it, color and the patterned paper scraps in a cropper hopper. Those are my go to places when I want to use my cricut, punches or make a card.

Also, I have learned to only buy paper I LOVE. When I first started scrapbooking, I would buy paper because it was on sale...or I liked a few sheets from a stack. I found that I wasted alot of paper that way. I have a few companies that I buy by the pad/kit, but other than that, I buy individual pieces. And...are you ready for this...it has helped me tremendously...When I buy single sheets of paper I also get the cardstock to match...sort of make my own mini kit right at the store. That way I know I have things that match and that I will use instead of just a random sheet of paper. Those 5 for a dollar sales are great, but half of that paper I never used. Now I do.

If you have any other questions, please post them here and I will be happy to answer them. Next up will be my stamps and inks so be on the lookout for that!

Fied Trip

2011-02-09T00:01:00.000-05:00

Here is another layout finished this weekend. Can I say again how much I love those 2 Peas classes?

The class was about stamping and using different colors of embossing powder on the same stamped image. I quickly discovered that I stink at that. LOL I tried quite a few times and it just wasn't working. However, I did do different colors of embossing on the same project! How about that? I embossed the trees and basket in brown...butterfly in teal...Isabel in red and Field Trip in black. I used Copics to color in the leaves and apples. I'll have to keep working on that technique.

In Wonderland

2011-02-08T00:01:00.003-05:00

Between our challenge blog and the 2 Peas classes, I cannot possibly run out of things to create! My little notebook of what I want to make this month is full, thanks to some pre-determined challenges. :) It is nice to get some things accomplished.

Here is the layout that I did for Shimelle's 4x6 Photo Love Class...

I used my favorite Cosmo Cricket Paper (Girl Friday) and Chipboard Set, some Basic Grey Glazed brads from various lines, clear stickers (put on white cardstock, cut out and foam squared for dimention) from American Crafts and a Library Journaling Card that I printed out.