Be Extraordinary...another page from my March kit

Can you believe that it is already the next to last day of the month? I am back to share another page from my March kit, "Welcome Sunshine":

The journaling says: "Every now and then, I look at you and see a stunningly beautiful woman staring back at me...don't grow up too fast, little one. You have a sparkling future ahead, and while I am excited to meet that stunning woman that I know you will become, I want to hang on to that sweet, mischevious little girl that you are as long as I can! I hope you will always cling to a piece of that sweet innocence inside of you."

November Counterfeit Kit Reveal (and a bit about my kit-making process)

Welcome to the design team reveal for our November Counterfeit Kits! The kit that was chosen for us to be inspired by this month was this gorgeous kit by Scrapbooks&Cards Today,
"Fabulous Fall":

I love this kit! So soft and pretty,I couldn't wait to see what I had to simulate the kit in my stash. I went a little overboard pulling papers to use, and had to put a few back. But, I love the kit that I came up with, and can't wait to get started using it!

(MY paper choices and how I chose them):

 I knew that I loved the Fancy Pants collection that comprises most of this kit, and I knew that I didn't have any of it. So, I started by thinking of the collections or companies that would give me the look and feel I was going for. I found a couple of gorgeous doily prints, a light blue one from a different Fancy Pants collection, "Wonderful Day", and a yellow one with a more vintage and distressed look, from Cosmo Cricket's Circa 1984. Next I knew I needed a soft and gorgeous floral. I found one that I loved in some new stash, from Crate Paper's Notes and Things. Next up was the orange Ikat print, and the closest thing I could find in my orange papers was the lovely aztec print from an older Crate Paper collection, Acorn Avenue. I decided then that the watercolor floral from acorn avenue would work just fine in place of the bokeh print, and chose a yellow chevron print from Crate Paper's Fourteen collection to replace the yellow chevron in the inspiration kit. I thought the cream leaf print from Bella Blvd would work as a substitute for the cream leaves and birds paper, and from there I just looked for a few papers to round out my kit , some with stripes, feathers, text, etc. I actually pulled cardstock for my kit this month, partly because the inspiration kit has it, and partly just because I have so much of it in my stash, and I have been using it rather frequently to back my layouts, etc. Instead of a sheet of vellum, I pulled an ANCIENT transparency sheet.

Choosing embellishments:
 I loved the texture effect of the embellishments in the inspiration kit, so I tried to stay pretty close. I had some "burlap" letter stickers that I put in first- even though the Thickers are mostly used up, I can still get a few more uses out of the sheet, and I will throw them away at the end of the month.I knew I also had a sheet of letter stickers from Sassafrass Lass that would go with my papers, and was very similar to the Basic Grey Mini Monogram stickers in the inspiration kit. I looked through my stash of flair, and pulled out a few that would go with my kit, and especially if I had an idea for using it on a layout. I don't have the leaf paper clips, but I have some very pretty metal filigree leaves from Freckled Fawn that took their place quite nicely. I had some Maya Rd leaf stick pins, and added one stick pin that I have had in my stash for a while. Maybe I will actually use them! I didn't have the burlap sticker shapes, but I have some canvas ones in similar shapes from Little Yellow Bicycle that work just as well (Maybe better, since they're in a white that would show mixed media a bit more, since I am still feeling inspired by the Art class I took last month!). I pulled some similar stamps and dies from my collection, and some tags, since there are tags in the kit. To finish my kit off, I added a few embellishment packages-from Basic Grey Persimmon, Crate Paper Close Knit (along with the matching 6x6 pad), and Crate Paper DIY Shop, and a package of wood veneer tags from American Crafts.

My kit, comprised entirely from my stash, "Fall Foliage":

I will definitely have to go through my fall photos for this stash-I love the warm, lovely colors, and the prints remind me of sweaters other lovely fall textures!

Are you feeling inspired? We would love to have you join in with us at the CKC challenge! I love it because it inspires me to spend less and create more. We have tons of tutorial posts, and some of our design team and participants do a lovely job "counterfeiting" the hottest new papers and trends from our inspiration kits each month. I don't usually make too many items for my own kits, simply because my own stash is so extensive (said with a blush and a bit of embarrassment) that I rarely even need to make anything, I usually have something that will work in place of each item in the inspiration kits. But it is nice to know I have the option to, and can do whatever I feel inspired to do or use! We would love to have you (yes, you!) join in, and make a creative kit for yourself to play with- and any way you choose to make a kit is alright with us! Be sure to link up, so we can drop by and admire your work!

Binty: http://scrappingpluv.blogspot.com
Margie: http://scrappinmargie.blogspot.com
Lisa: http://lisahausmann.blogspot.com
Julene: http://julenebydesign.blogspot.co.uk
Stephanie: http://skylinepaperie.blogspot.ca
Susanne: http://snapsandsnippets.blogspot.com
Lesley: http://ohblogitifyoucantbeatthem.blogspot.co.uk
Angela: http://colestoucan.blogspot.co.uk
Lynnette: http://www.sassyscrapper2010.blogspot.com
Leslie: http://lcsmithsaved-outofthemire.blogspot.com

A Couple Of Pages for Creative Scrappers

I think I have made pages for all of the sketches this month(except the one that just posted yesterday)! Wow!
Sketch 190:

 The layout I made:

A Closer Look at the flowers and bling flourish:

And Sketch 191:

My layout, "Snow Friends",

 A closer look at my handmade flowers-I made these with hand cut scraps of the sheer ribbon from my January Counterfeit kits, and snowflake button centers:

 And my chipboard snowpeople-I put these together from my ancient stash, and dressed them up with Pebbles glitter dots, buttons, and Glossy Accents:

Thanks for dropping by-come back tomorrow for a peek at the wedding invites I helped my SIL-to be make this past weekend!

Santa's Lap

This week, we were challenged by the Counterfeit Kit Challenge:

Challenge #3: Confetti Challenge - use confetti on a project!

So, I used sketch#192 from Creative Scrappers:

To make this page: 

A closer look at my "confetti", circles,and bits from the chipboard and stickers in my January Kits:

Papers are Basic Grey and Lily Bee, journaling spot from Master Forgers swap, vellum envelope, chipboard Thickers, black Maya Road rub-ons, printed journaling strips,Fancy Pants stickers, a Basic Grey Little Black Dress canvas circle, a tag that I inked, and a red gem Recollections brad.

Christmas Joy ( And Farewell to Another Sketch Site)

I was saddened to read that another of my favorite sketch blogs would be saying farewell-PencilLines has been a favorite of mine for several years now. But I do understand how life moves on and takes you in different directions. They will be missed, however!

Here is the sketch that I chose, #264:

My Layout:

I have gotten several older Christmas pictures scrapped with that huge Christmas kit I put together, YAY!
Background and die cut papers are from the Lily Bee Christmas Town collection, sheer ribbon, candy cane and presents layered stickers from WM clearance, green ribbon and journaling spot from our Master Forger's swap, Christmas tree and "Joy" rub-ons by Facy Pants, and Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type alphas.

Sketchy Fun

As you may or may not have noticed, I love sketches!! It takes alot of the "work" and thinking out of scrapping for me, and just allows me to focus on the pictures, the memories,and having fun!  Here are a few more layouts that I made this week using sketches:

Sketch 173 for Creative Scrappers:

My Layout, "Take Time To Smell The Daisies":



Supplies Used (mostly from September Counterfeit Kit):
DCWV yellow grid print from Lemon Flower Stack, scrap of kraft cardstock, Fancy Pants Its The Little Things Border Strips, Sassafrass Lass star sticker,American Crafts Thickers, Cosmo Cricker Tiny Type Letter Stickers

Sketch from Stuck Sketches:

My Layout, "Treasures Of The Heart":

 Close Up Of My Embellishment Cluster:

Supplies Used:
Fores green cardstock, hand punched peach paper lace, Colorbok rose print paper, brown crochet lace ribon, peachy pink Prima flowers, Bazzill button blooms, Martha Stewart butterfly punch, die cut kraft swirl, K&Co rub on

Journaling reads:
"It's hard to believe it's been two years that she's been gone now- and I still miss just calling her with a question, or seeing the way her face lit up when she saw her "Precious", Evan. Photos-September 2010, journaled September 2011."

Sketch from Sassy Lil' Sketches:

My Layout, "Signs Of Spring"

Close Up of the flower cluster:

Supplies Used:
Pink Paislee Vintage Moon patterned cardstock, yellow polka dot leftover scrap from DCWV Lemon Flower Stack, scrap of Teresa Collins black damask, Lily Bee stickers and banner, "Registered" label from Counterfeit Digi Kit (Echo Park For The Record), American Crafts Thickers, Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type, yellow Primas

A Sketch And Inspiration from Stuck On You Sketches (use die cut flowers-the 2 bigger flowers were die cut, the smaller ones were Primas that I layered):

 My Layout, "Blue Eyed Beauty"

Die Cut Flowers:

 Primas:

Supplies Used:
Teresa Collins black and cream damask print, Lily Bee This & That "Milk Bottle"-reverse side, cream shimmer cardstock, American Crafts Thickers, cream Primas, Making Memories rhinestone brad, Echo Park little letter stickers, patterned paper flower, black felt and tulle glittered flower, a tag for journaling tucked away behind the photo, tied with black and white baker's twine, and fastened with a Making Memories vintage brad.

If you made it this far, I commend you!!  Thanks for visiting me today!