052613 Design Team Counterfeit Kit Entry "Dreams Really Can Come True"

What a FAB opportunity!

My favorite place, Counterfeit Kit Challenge, has put out a Design Team call!

Here is my inspiration kit:

Studio Calico Maggie Holmes Happy Little Moments class kit

Loved the colors of this kit and all of the gold accents.

I always start with the papers, usually taking my cue as much from pattern type as color...
(theirs)

 

I had intended to counterfeit the bold b/w dot paper using punched circles but when I started to troll my stash I stumbled upon the gorgeous Basic Gray Curio Ophelia paper (bottom row #2 below) and those dots just flew out of my head. I feel like mine reads as bold as the other but is much more interesting! I subbed in a b/w for the chevron pattern top row #2.

(mine)

Top r-l: Bella! Wedding - Beloved,  Echo Park For The Record 2 - Handwritten, 

MME The Sweetest Thing - Bluebell Smile, Crate Paper Restoration - Heirloom

Bottom r-l: MME Lost & Found Two-  Blush Princess, Basic Gray Curio - Ophelia, (from pad), Glitz Scarlett - Floral

The kit also showed the "B" sides of the papers, 

so I added four more.

clockwise fm top left: Basic Gray Sweet Threads - Edgy Stripe, Paper Studio - Wood Fence Turquoise, 

BoBunny Back to Backs - Passion Fruit Journal, Heidi Swapp Memory File

Instead of the four black & white papers I added some b/w washi tapes.

Now for some goodies!

Jillibean Soup White Lattice overlay, gold music printed vellum, American Crafts Amy Tangerine stamp set, assorted sequins, trims & resin pieces (Webster's Pages, Maya Road & Recollections brands). The little "25 cent" card is a true vintage piece from Jenni Bowlin & replaces the ticket. The 8x8 page of vintage circle elements will be used for flair by covering the chosen pieces with Ranger's Glossy Accents. 

I didn't have a good color of alphas so I decided to include two stamp sets,  Autumn Leaves Cutesy & Jenni Bowlin Outline, along with American Crafts Amy Tangerine yellow Amy alpha stickers. Assorted Wise Words from Jillibean Soup & K&Company Life's Journey embossed sayings stickers will fill in for the Simple Stories cardstock stickers in the original kit.

Gold counterfeit rub-ons, glitter tape & doilies! 

Easy peasy with metallic gold paper & punches, Scor tape & Martha Stewart glitter, and doilies to be dressed up.

So let's put it all together in the Magic Blue Box!

 "Dreams Really Can Come True"

Next we have to use up all that goodness!

My challenge to you is to do a self-portrait page. Here is mine:

I can think of a number of ways to approach this - straightforward with a selfie, a list of all your faves at this moment in time, 

your vital statistics, your degree or job title ... self-proclaimed queen of the crop, perhaps? Best (fill in the blank) 

vacation, memory, accomplishment? Or choose your favorite color/product line/style/sketch!

Can't wait to see what you've created! Be sure to link it up in the comments section. 

And remember to join us at Counterfeit Kit Challenge each month for a great stash-busting experience 

with fun challenges, tutorials, blog hops & a great gallery of kits & layouts to inspire you!

051213 An Embarassment of Riches

Whew! A wonderful, whirlwind week :~)

First lovely surprise? Happy mail from Canada!

Sherrie sent me this wonderful assortment of the journaling/accent cards she crafts for her scrapbook pages!

That's her with the fella in the bright blue shirt towards the left on the bottom...

Next delightful treat? A super-special scrap guest - Lynnette! All the way from Jersey!

We were scrapping in our pjs the day after shopping until we dropped at the Novi Michigan MegaMeet!

And she brought me this wonderful mascot for my happy scrappy place...

She knows me so well <3

On to the MegaMeet loot!

Let's take a closer look, shall we?

New & vintage from Jenny Bowlin

 

 The feather paper on the left is tone on tone on the B side, and aren't those cards the yummiest color scheme? Always fun to shop there as Jenny is usually manning the booth in between classes!

New tin pins from Darcie's

 I think those flair are whimsy done well. And they have a ton of great product - check them out!

And I LOVE the products from Pretty Little Studio!

These vocabulary cards were just one of the many truly vintage things they had. 

And they have a kit club with many fun things like 45 records included!

Words & alphas! Like I need ANY more, lol! The s-e-i are corrugated single layer cardboard.

 

 

 Assorted goodies :~)

Remember Creative Imaginations? Well it seems they may have reinvented themselves as Splash of Color!

 These were hot off the presses - we were told it was the first time they had been offered. $.99 each

Farm House Paper Company  Really nice quality.

 Want 2 Scrap Oh, my - SO many wonderful things! Wish I'd bought more...

 (The washi isn't theirs, btw..)

Next stop? ARCHIVERS! Coupons from the show scored 5 free pieces of cardstocks & $10 off!

I bought the paper trays in hopes of keeping my faves at hand...we shall see if it works.

Ended the week by celebrating Mother's Day. Quite a week!

050413 Snakes'n'Snails (& Puppy Dog's Tails!)

Well, it's time once again to flex my creative muscles, even if I have to FAKE IT at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge, lol! 

This time around our inspiration comes from Polly Scraps March Kits "Shoreline" & "Totally Rad"!

I love the size of these two kits, with only 10 papers, a matching washi tape, 3 alphas plus a page of word stickers, cute patterned clothespins, fun ball fringe & twines, button accents, adorable clasp envelopes, nice big handful of chip & paper page elements, a few Bingo chips, sequins, & wooden stars & chevrons...

(I've given you some hints as to what I am counterfeiting this time!)

First let's review the papers:

 

A vertical print, white polka dots on a colored background, large colored dots on a white background, motif paper (threw in the pink for Mother's Day), horizontal stripes, allover print, dots, chevron, horizontal regular pattern (I plan to accent the dimensional doodles with white), and an alphabet patterned paper.  As you might guess, this month I plan to do boy pages - although I loved the nautical theme :~)

The large dot paper should have been easier to counterfeit.  I really do like the random fingerpainted type effect in this use as it was made especially for kiddy pages...but am unhappy to report that Paint Dabbers do not have as much staying power after the first use.  Can you (or should you?) rinse out the dabbers each time before you put them away? This inquiring mind wants to know...

Next are the goodies!

Loved the cute little clothespins & I had a pack that I use on my inspiration wall.
I will probably add some color to a few but will wait to see what pages I use them on.

Wood veneer? No problem - an easy cheat is to simply punch them out of kraft.
I could layer & glue them to give them dimension but I think I'll just put a dot behind them & call it good.
I wanted hearts instead of stars...grandbaby pages!

Those adorable envelopes - I made up a template, chose a paper, cut,
punched, set eyelets, tied twine & voila! I reserve the right to make more as I go.

Last but not least, homemade matching washi tape! Tissue paper, Pitt pens & Scor tape - easy peasy.

So let's open up the Magic Blue Box to reveal...

  Some details:

Off to break it in with a LayOutADay page!