Insta Inspired ...CKC Challenge #3

Our challenge over at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog today was this:

Challenge #3: Create An Instagram Inspired Mini. Create a small, but perfectly formed mini to show off those dinky, little photographs of your lunches :) 

I don't do a lot of minis besides December Daily, so I chose to be inspired by the instagram square sized photos instead, and got a layout scrapped that has some interactive elements, rather like a mini on a page. I just received an order of 4x4  prints on pearl paper (it's thick and beautiful like cardstock-very heavyweight paper) from Persnickety Prints that I have been dying to use, so I knew these would be perfect! Bonus: I got a LOT of memorabilia on this page too!

This layout was all about my daughter's recent role in a play put on by her school. It was such a fun event, and I am so glad to have it scrapped, along with our tickets (that have the dates of the play- I went on opening night by myself, that ticket is on top of the ticket stack, and all of our other tickets from the Sunday afternoon matinee when we all went are underneath), and a copy of the program, which is only attached along the edge- with journaling underneath. Far too often, my memorabilia just gets tucked in a box, so it was nice to go ahead and get it on a page. I kept my embellishments to a minimum, since there was so much memorabilia.

Making the Most of my March kit

I had a little time  this past week to play along with a few more of Shimelle's scrapbook weekend challenges, and put a significant dent in my March CKC kit in the process. For the first layout, I took the challenge to use Shimelle's original collection, which I combined with several cards, washi, and Thickers letter stickers from my March kit:

For the next layout, I took Shimelle's challenge to "Use Hearts" on a layout- most supplies used are from my March kit (I even used one of the awesome digital stamps from the Click kit Digital Stamps- bonus-I learned how to install brushes into photoshop, and it is soooo much easier than I thought it would be!) along with a few bits from my leftover die cuts bin (I even sneaked in an orange Chatterbox tag from forever ago):


This next layout was made for a couple of challenges from Shimelle, "Use Shaped Paper", and "Use Maps and Globes on a Project". I also used a Sketch from Sketch Savvy:

(Which, I love that Susan Stringfellow has made these sketches available for easy download, and they are fantastic for Disney pages, which she has many samples of...I think I am going to be using a bunch of these to get the rest of my Disney stories scrapped from our 2014 trip, before our next trip rolls around.)



And this layout for Shimelle's "Use Circles" challenge, and I based it on Sketch Savvy #1:

Thanks for visiting with me today-hope you enjoyed a peek at my layouts and what I have been creating with my March Kit. If you make a kit from your stash this month, I hope you will share it with us over at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge!

"Marching" into March...

Happy March! There's nothing like a good scrapbooking crop and challenges to get my creative juices flowing, and this weekend, Shimelle is hosting one over at her blog:

It was just the boost I needed to get started on my March Counterfeit kit! The first challenge I took was the older photos/monochromatic challenge. I used all the yellows in my March kit, plus several neutrals, such as gray, black, and white. (ps-I love yellow and gray together! Reminds me of sunshine breaking through the clouds!)  Here is my layout:

I layered up a bunch of the journaling cards, washi, a frame, a couple of diecuts from my scraps bin, and a few cameras cut from the Amy Tangerine camera paper from my kit, flipped the green chipboard stars over, and inked them with charcoal American Crafts ink (that's actually why you notice a couple of smudges on my page, I tried to put them down before they were fully dry-oops!). I also glittered a wood veneer camera from my kit, and stamped a few of the stamps with the AC charcoal, as well. I love it, smudges and all, because it records a moment in my life that I actually haven't documented yet-my high school graduation. And it does it in a rather unexpected way, by telling what I thought my life was going to be like at that time, and how it is much richer and better now than I could have dreamed. Bonus:I got a great start on my March stash kit! We'd love to have you join us over at the Counterfeit Kit challenge blog!

CKC Kit for March, "Photos and Stories"

It's a new month...which means a new kit to scrap with! There's nothing like a fresh batch of supplies to scrap with! This month, we were given the Ali Edwards Click kit to be inspired by.

Here is my take on the kit:

Here's a quick video taped look at my March kit:

I have to be honest...I loved this kit, and searched for the stamps, but I couldn't find a place to purchase them, so I bought the digital files:

Normally, the point of the Counterfeit Kit challenge kits is to use your own supplies instead of purchasing new ones-but no one does stamps like Ali, and I think that I will definitely use this set of digital files with my CKC kit this month, especially since I am printing more of my photos at home now. I can't wait to try it out!

Hop around and see how the other designers were inspired by this kit:
Lesley (GDT) - http://ohblogitifyoucantbeatthem.blogspot.co.uk/ 
Susanne: http://snapsandsnippets.blogspot.com
Clair: http://obstinatepursuit.blogspot.co.uk/
Jemma: http://just-jimjams.blogspot.co.uk
Julene:  http://julenebydesign.blogspot.com
Kelly: http://66.147.244.112/~honeysv0/
Leslie: http://lcsmithsaved-outofthemire.blogspot.ca
Lisa: http://lisahausmann.blogspot.ca
Lynnette: http://www.sassyscrapper2010.blogspot.com/
Margie: http://scrappinmargie.blogspot.com
Susan: http://littlethingsbigdays.blogspot.de/

Use Maps and Globes in Your Scrapbooking

You can catch me over on Shimelle's blog with a little inspiration for scrapbooking with globes.

Here's a little sneak peek:

Be sure to stop in tomorrow to see my March kit!

Counterfeit Kit February Challenge #3

Over at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog, we were challenged:

Challenge #3:  Say What Challenge...Pick a quote or a fun family saying and base your project on that!

I was truly stumped by this challenge, until I thought of this page that I just made for LOAD, talking about what all of my daughters' classmates and friends had to say about them for their 5th grade graduation. I did make it almost entirely with my February kit, only adding the shimmery purple cardstock, so I felt it would be appropriate to share. This is also a great example of how you can make challenges work for you! If it doesn't speak to you right away, think about it again. What does it make you think of? Use the first thing that comes to mind, even if it is a little different than the actual challenge! And remember, if you use your kits, we want to see- Link us up at the Counterfeit Kit challenge.

Here is my layout:



I hope it helps you think about challenges a little differently!

Counterfeit Kit Challenge Kit for February 2016, "How Sweet It Is(To Be Loved By You)"

Welcome to the design team blog hop for this month's Counterfeit Kit Challenge Kit! This month, we are counterfeiting the awesome February kit from Mind The Scrap:

I took inspiration from the patterns and color schemes, especially the scalloped patterned paper from Maggie Holmes' Bloom Collection:

I had a pretty scalloped paper in similar colors-it's on the back row, third from the left. I pulled that paper first, and then pulled the rest of my kit to coordinate.

These are the papers that I selected:

The inspiration kit had a mix of Amy Tangerine's new line and Maggie Holmes' new line, so I looked to their reveals for embellishment inspiration, and came up with a kit loaded with lots of yummy embellishments:

If you would like a closer look at the items that I included in my kit, I made a quick video to show everything a little better:

Now that you've seen my kit, hop around to the other designers and see how they were inspired to make kits from their stash:

Stephanie:  http://skylinepaperie.blogspot.com

Susanne:  http://snapsandsnippets.blogspot.com

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

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

Julene:  http://julenebydesign.blogspot.com

Kelly: http://66.147.244.112/~honeysv0/

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

Lisa:  http://lisahausmann.blogspot.ca

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

Margie:  http://scrappinmargie.blogspot.com

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

Sweet Baby Snuggles

This post is all about sharing the 3-part photo shoot with my niece, Gracelyn. I was lucky enough to be able to stay at my sisters' house when we went to Atlanta for Imaging, USA, and able to squeeze in some photos of little Gracelyn while I was there. So, of course, I have to share!

This was probably my favorite of the session:

Gracelyn had just woken up from her nap, and the window light was just lovely!

We got a few more in the lovely light, as Beth got her dressed and changed:

Then I went out and looked for the light  and best areas to photograph while Mama fed baby-"big brother" Hoss was my model:

We were able to get a precious few photos outside of Mom, Dad, and baby together:

 She was more interested in Hoss than me, though!

We only stayed outside for a very short time, as it was getting cold and dark very quickly. We came back in, I set the boppy pillow and a soft blanket up on the dining room table , turned her until I could see the light in her eyes, and put daddy to work making her giggle:

Mommy took her soon after, and I captured them by the tree:

She was starting to get a bit fussy at this point, so I stopped trying to photograph her, and just held her so her mama could eat.

I did get a few more of her the morning we left, and a couple of them are my favorite-this first one especially!

I love this expression!

Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog, January Challenge #3

Challenge #3: Get your stamp on with repeat, I say repeat stamping!  Check out these examples:

Hero Arts Video

Mama Elephant Reindeer Games

Furry Tales Crafts

I started thinking after looking at the samples, and although I hadn't included any stamps in my January kit,I did have the Shimelle stamps in my December Daily kit, and I had been wanting to use the lightbulb stamp like this anyway, so I was "off to the races", so to speak. I stamped around the edges of a 4x6 card making sure to take the stamp off the edges for a more realistic look, added a gold embossed wood veneer, and used a ruler to draw lines for my journaling. Here is the card I made:

And this is what it looks like in the spread:

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you'll join us in the challenge at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog!