A Scrapbook Video like no other...

If you are looking for some great scrappy talk to listen to while you create, then you really should check out Paperclipping.  You can get a subscription to watch some really worthwhile videos, but they also have their podcasts (with various scrapbooking superstars...including our own former DT member Melissa Stinson) for free.  They are really fun and extremely educational to listen to.

Here is a video they posted recently that they dubbed, "The Most Useful Scrapbook Video of All Time".  I totally agree and wanted to share it with you!

Enjoy!

Counterfeit Kit Challenge #1: Blog Design Challenge

Look at me, getting things DONE this month!  LOL  (Actually, I worked ahead so I can play along this month as I am in a flurry of preparations for May at this time!)

I picked Stephanie's Blog to give me some inspiration for a layout about a night out with my hubby.  He surprised me for Valentines Day with a trip to paint some pottery, have some dinner at a new place and then come home (picking up the kids on the way) for dessert and a movie.  Since he is FAR from crafty, this was a great surprise (and the fact that he loved painting pottery was even better!).

Once I saw the skyline on Stephanie's blog header I knew exactly what I wanted to make.  Sometimes inspiration really does dictate what your project will be.

Picking the paper was the hardest part of this layout.  LOL  I was looking for just the right shade of blue and found it in a sheet of Studio Calico paper.  I love how it goes from lighter to darker (hard to see in the photo).  I took advantage of some of my Color Shine mists to make some splatters (I never get tired of doing that).  The only thing I am not really loving is the large paper clothes pins.  I wish I had cut them smaller, but was afraid that I would lose some of the details.

Whew!  On to another project!  I hope you will post your creations on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog!  And don't forget to save a special challenge project of your choice for our blog hop!

April Counterfeiting Fun!

April is when I am feeling fairly certain that Spring is here to stay.  March has a tendency to trick us a bit.  Building up the anticipation of short sleeves and sandals and then throwing in some very cold weather just because it can.  Still, we never know whether our son can have his birthday party inside or out.  Tempermental Indiana weather.  LOL

It has been awhile since I have been able to actively participate in a counterfeit.  I miss it, but actually making one goes down on my list far after getting the blog posts set up for it.  I am happy to be jumping in this month.

Let me start with our little game that we are going to play this month.  It is an April Fools inspired truth game.  I am going to give you 3 facts about myself and need to decide which one is NOT true.  To play along and enter to win this prize:

1.  Look at my 3 facts and guess which one is NOT true.  Post your guess in the comments of THIS post.

2.  You have until April 16th to enter.  Only one guess per person per blog will be counted.

3.  To pick a winner, I will go to each blog on our hop and compile the names of each person who guesses (you will have 11 chances to win if you comment on each blog).  I will use a Random Number Generator to pick the winner.

4.  The winner (and the correct guesses) will be announced on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog on April 18th.

Bethany's 3 facts:

1.  I met my husband on a trip to Africa.  We did not hit it off at first.  LOL

2.  I was once stranded at a train station in Amsterdam and went home with a complete stranger so I would have a place to stay.

3.  I learned how to scuba dive despite not being able to swim and having a big fear of water.

Mull these over while I share my kit with you.  Hopefully I did not make it easy.

This month we tried our hands at using CSI: Color, Stories, Inspiration to make our kits.  I love having the freedom to build my own kit.  I know it can feel scary if you are wanting more direction, but it is not to not get mentally blocked in by specific papers.  If you have not tried to branch out on your own before, never fear!  CSI gives just enough guidance to make it feel okay.

Here is the Case File we are all doing.  I LOVE the color combination, but it is WAY out side of my comfort zone.  I generally go for a brighter feel for my kits.  I am excited to give it a try, though.  If you have not joined the CSI site, I would encourage you to do that.  It is free and FULL of really wonderful ideas and a lot of great people.  Maybe I will see you over there!

The first thing I did was start pulling ANY Papers with these colors.  I tried to stick with the same paper companies so the tones would be similar.  I ended up with a lot of Studio Calico paper because of the really fun designs.

Next I just went down the Evidence list and started pulling embellishments that fit.  I did not try to direct it to a certain theme.

It was pretty fast and easy to pull this kit together.  Something puffy was my biggest challenge, believe it or not.  I guess I don't do puffy.  LOL  I think I pulled some fun and out of the box papers that I normally would not use up, so this kit should really get me thinking.  In fact, I have already dug into it.

Thanks for joining us this month!  We have a lot of great inspiration planned for you.  To make sure you didn't miss anyone on the hop, here is the complete list (backwards, of course, it is April Fools Day!):

Guest Designer Maggie: http://maggiebscrapblog.blogspot.fr

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

Stephanie:  http://skylinepaperie.blogspot.ca

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

Lisa: http://lisahausmann.blogspot.com

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

Lesley: http://ohblogitifyoucantbeatthem.blogspot.co.uk

Julene: http://julenebydesign.blogspot.co.uk

Jemma: http://just-jimjams.blogspot.com

Angela: http://colestoucan.blogspot.co.uk

Hop on over to the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog to see how you can participate this month and don't forget to comment on this post with your guess as to what I am lying about.  LOL  Now that just sounds awful!

Continuing the "day off" fun...

I LOVE Pinterest for inspiration for everything, not just scrapbooking.  It can feel a little overwhelming sometimes, though.  I like to narrow down what I am visually seeing by picking a category to browse.

My BSF (Best Scrappy Friend), Pam got me the adorable Close to My Heart Stamp of the Month, Wild About Love.

Cute, right?  I decided to find some Foxy inspiration on Pinterest and found this adorable wall art:

Since a big joke around my house is the What Does the Fox Say song (I find it irritating, but the fact that my hubby hates it makes me want to sing it over, and over, and over...).  In fact, I encourage the kids, nieces and nephews, my sister...to all sing it to him, too.  I see a clever card coming up!

Yes, I am writing this post AS I am working on the card.  I'm having fun blogging in "real" time.  LOL

I love this!  The patterns are busier than I would usually use, but I think it is fun!

Where will I get inspired next?  How about Etsy?  See you soon!

More "day off' fun...

Blog lovin' lead me to a wonderful sketch that I had marked liked so I could try it when I had some time.

Chickaniddy Crafts is a new company that has some fresh new products and ideas for the scrapping community.  I fell in love with this sketch and think that YOU should give it a try, too!

Head HERE to see a great example of what you can do with the sketch!

This one took me awhile!  Mostly some interruptions that were breaking my train of thought.  LOL  I was able to pull in a Project Life card (with the navy polka dot border).  To be honest, it is two cards layered on top of each other...I sort of messed up the bottom card.  The base paper is a MME pad and the fun patterned papers is Crate Paper.

Next Inspiration stop?  Pinterest, please!

A little "day off" fun...

Who am I kidding?  So far on my day off I have done two loads of laundry, answered some work e-mails that just couldn't wait, gotten some things organized for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog, put away dishes, cleaned the kitchen and started dinner.  LOL  And now I have been sent to my room.  My scrapbook room!  My hubby laughed at me and told me to stop trying to get just one more thing done and have some fun.  Easy to say when he will not be cleaning anything up tomorrow.  

So I am in need of some inspiration.  Where am I headed to find that today?  I figured I would start with Jennifer Grace Creates Onward and Upward Blog Event from last year.  I participated in it last year, but those prompts and inspiration still have plenty of life left in them.

I went with her first Be Inspired prompts of adding some glitter to highlight an object and clustering some buttons and gems.  I completely love these color wash stamps!  I struggle with doing the glue and glitter thing, but wanted to give it a try.  I *gasp* gave away my stickles collection because of that very same problem.  I don't always get the coverage I want.  Originally I was not going to add a "card" for the Happy part, but I did not like the way it stamped before and needed to cover it up.  LOL

Where do you find YOUR inspiration?  I'm over to Blog lovin' next to see what I can find!

20 Questions Scrap Style Swap!

Our Design Team over at Counterfeit Kit Challenge loves to chat and do private challenges together.  Our go getter, Lisa, keeps us in touch with each other with Questions of the Week and puts together challenges we can all participate in.

We have been working on a fun one (and HARD...thanks a lot, Lisa!) that we are ready to share with you!

Here is the hop order!  I encourage you to start over at the Counterfeit Kit Site to see the explanation of the hop.  

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

Angela:  http://colestoucan.blogspot.co.uk/

Bethany: http://inspiredscrapper-bethany.blogspot.com/  **YOU ARE HERE

Dawn:  http://dawnsscrapbookcottage.blogspot.com

Jemma:  http://just-jimjams.blogspot.com/

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

Lesley G.:  http://ohblogitifyoucantbeatthem.blogspot.co.uk

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

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

Millisa:  http://millermall.blogspot.com/

Stephanie:  http://skylinepaperie.blogspot.ca

Lisa H.:  http://lisahausmann.blogspot.com/ 

So the 20 Questions that Lisa had us answer about our own style did not seem too hard.  I know what I like and don't like, right?

Here are the answers to my questions.  The hard part for me is that I am a "WHIM" scrapper...basically I just do whatever I like at the time.  LOL  I think I definitely have my own style though and this really helped to show what it is.

Team 20 Questions Scrap Style Swap – Bethany

Starting points:

1. photos/story OR sketch/design
   1. SKETCH/DESIGN
2. cardstock background OR patterned paper background
   1. CARDSTOCK
3. neutral background OR colourful background
   1. NEUTRAL
4. people/event themed OR moment/everyday themed
   1. MOMENT/EVERYDAY
5. single page layout OR double page spread
   1. SINGLE

Design:

6. graphic/straight lines OR layers/clusters/angles
   1. LAYERS/CLUSTERS/ANGLES
7. organic patterns/designs OR geometric shapes/designs
   1. GEOMETRIC
8. main elements central to the page OR main elements off centre (on a rule of thirds line or in a corner)
   1. CENTRAL
9. embellishments in a diagonal across the page OR embellishments in a visual triangle
   1. VISUAL TRIANGLE
10. girly/feminine feel to the page OR boyish/masculine feel to the page
    1. FEMININE

Paper/Product:

11. new/trendy products OR older/classic products
    1. NEW/TRENDY
12. papers/elements from predominantly one collection OR papers/elements from a variety of collections
    1. PREDOMINANTLY ONE COLLECTION
13. plethora of embellishments OR clean and simple
    1. PLETHORA
14. title work from all one alpha pack OR title work from mixed/multiple alpha packs
    1. ONE ALPHA
15. bold/primary/bright colours OR muted/pastels/lights
    1. MUTED
16. single photo OR multiple photos
    1. SINGLE
17. standard size prints (6x4/5x7) OR custom (Instagram, square, 2x3/oversized)
    1. STANDARD

Techniques:

18. wet (mists/inks/paint/wet embossing/stamping) OR dry (papers/dry embossing/die cuts)
    1. WET
19. handwritten journaling OR printed journaling
    1. HANDWRITTEN
20. clean cut/common margins/flat OR distressed/sanded/inked edges/torn/stitched
    1. CLEAN CUT

Here is a layout I made to prove it!  (And I actually had a hard time following all of MY answers...how about that?)

Now here comes the tough part...taking the 20 Questions from a Master Forger and creating something in THEIR style...AND...AND trying to guess who they are!  You are killing me, Lisa!!

Team 20 Questions Scrap Style Swap – PARTNER 6

Starting points:

1. photos/story OR sketch/design
   1. THE PHOTOS ALWAYS INSPIRE THE COLOUR SCHEME
2. cardstock background OR patterned paper background
   1. CARDSTOCK
3. neutral background OR colourful background
   1. COLOURFUL
4. people/event themed OR moment/everyday themed
   1. MORE EVERYDAY
5. single page layout OR double page spread
   1. SINGLES

Design:

6. graphic/straight lines OR layers/clusters/angles
   1. LAYERS, LAYERS, LAYERS!
7. organic patterns/designs OR geometric shapes/designs
   1. GEOMETRIC
8. main elements central to the page OR main elements off centre (on a rule of thirds line or in a corner)
   1. OFF CENTRE
9. embellishments in a diagonal across the page OR embellishments in a visual triangle
   1. VISUAL TRIANGLE
10. girly/feminine feel to the page OR boyish/masculine feel to the page
    1. ABSOLUTELY ALL GIRL

Paper/Product:

11. new/trendy products OR older/classic products
    1. OLDER- HAVEN’T SHOPPED IN A LONG TIME
12. papers/elements from predominantly one collection OR papers/elements from a variety of collections
    1. VARIETY
13. plethora of embellishments OR clean and simple
    1. CLEAN AND SIMPLE
14. title work from all one alpha pack OR title work from mixed/multiple alpha packs
    1. ONE ALPHA PACK
15. bold/primary/bright colours OR muted/pastels/lights
    1. BOLDS / BRIGHTS
16. single photo OR multiple photos
    1. MULTIPLE
17. standard size prints (6x4/5x7) OR custom (Instagram, square, 2x3/oversized)
    1. CUSTOM

Techniques:

18. wet (mists/inks/paint/wet embossing/stamping) OR dry (papers/dry embossing/die cuts)
    1. DRY
19. handwritten journaling OR printed journaling
    1. HANDWRITTEN
20. clean cut/common margins/flat OR distressed/sanded/inked edges/torn/stitched
    1. CLEAN CUT (BUT I DO INK SOMETIMES)

Want to see what I came up with?

TADA!  LOL  I actually had to redo this more than once.  I kept slipping back into my style.  I really like it, though.  Nice and clean.  I even got to use a project life card on it.  Way to use your supplies in different ways, Bethany!!  Whoop!  Whoop!

Now for my guess about which Master Forger I was copying?  That is hard!  Do I have to guess?  Really?  I think I am going to say LISA and if i am right, then I did not do her justice at ALL! (Might need to add a few more layers!)

Now hop on over to DAWN to see her take on the challenge.  And I would suggest you give it a try yourself?  

You could:

Swap with a friend (even an online one!) and create in their style

Pick a Master Forger to "copy"

Or just do our list straight up in your own style! 

Great challenge, Lisa!