010115 January Archi-scraps Challenge

How incredible is our inspiration this month at Archi-scraps?!?
All that golden goodness lining the whimsy of a cloud...

Greg spent most of his career as a meteorologist so clouds have taken up a fair amount of our attention over the years. I mean, who doesn't wake up in the morning & give the sky a glance right away? But one of the most striking images in my mind of clouds is the Golden Gate Bridge rising above the fogbank in San Francisco Bay. We lived & worked in the Bay Area for almost a decade. What a picturesque place to live & work! Here's my page:

I snuck in a little gold in my title.

Even my office building is glowing gold!

120114 December Archi-scraps Challenge

How amazing!

Our fun criteria at Archi-scraps is to scrap an animal.
I have a few of those around :~)

 We had a lot of fun one afternoon with some masks from the dress-up box!

 Then I had a lot of fun with these!

Now YOU give it a go!
Post at the InLinkz Link Up on the Archi-scraps blog.
There's a prize to be won for Aussie entries or a chance to be the Guest Designer!

So happy you stopped in!
Let me know that you were here.

112414 CKC November Members Showcase Blog Hop

Welcome!

You have reached a stop in the November Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog member's hop.

November's challenges were:

Challenge #1 - Be Inspired By Pinterest 

Challenge #2 - Decorative Doors 

Challenge #3 - Cards that POP!

As I had already done Challenge #1 & #2 I am doing Challenge #3 for the hop.

There was a great link on Challenge #3 to this Crate Paper blog post

First I got inspired by that cute rocket paper in my kit.

 The paper actually has dimensional shadows printed in the pattern,

so I fussy-cut this little rocket out for the envelope. Reads as 

a "pop" but should travel through the mail just fine!

 I popped one of the rockets on the card along with some of the stars.

I couldn't believe I had that "Star Upon Star" music in my kit!

I popped the sentiment & the gold Wow! embellis, too, 

matted with black to mimic the mat on the rocket paper.

Next up is this card for someone special.

I put some large gold glitter in the center of the sunflower to make it "pop".

More dimension was added behind the flower petals & leaves.

The last card:

Although this could have been a blank card,

I have sent it off for a birthday this month.

I rarely make cards, but when I do I find it super-fun!

Who knew I had all those goodies in my kit?

Enjoy everyone's chance to share their projects by visiting every hop stop.

Half the fun of the CKC blog is the inspiring work done by everyone!

CKCB       http://www.counterfeitkitchallenge.blogspot.com

Lisa          http://lisahausmann.blogspot.de

Tina          http://tinasscrapcorner.blogspot.com/

Susanne   http://snapsandsnippets.blogspot.com

Elaine       http://chidkids26.blogspot.co.uk

Julie         http://jsquaredscrapspot.wordpress.com

Janine      http://rachauscratchpad.blogspot.com

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

Kate         http://www.kateblue.blogspot.com/

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

Thanks for stopping by!

112014 WM#143 Plaid & ScrapHappy November sketch

Lynnette posted a timely WM Challenge - Mad for Plaid! in October.

And while I was at it I decided to use the November ScrapHappy sketch.

Love it when I can marry two challenges :~)

I decided I wanted to flip the sketch vertically & then rotate it 90* clockwise.

There. That's better, probably because I am a 12x12" scrapper & this translates better.

 

 Back to the WM challenge! I love plaid so was excited to brainstorm this.

I had a very elaborate plan to weave patterned papers together to make my own plaid,

but on the way there through my paper stash I discovered this background paper.

Perfect! And so sweet with my adorable photo of Chloe at 21 months.

I did some machine stitching over the stitching printed on the paper.

I wanted a frame instead of a double mat & this washi was just the right color combo.

I used my all-time favorite paper - Sassafras/Sunshine Broadcast line..."Enlighten" - 

from a 6x6" pad to mat the photo. Couldn't resist a little hand sewing on my photo.

 

Instead of the banners in the sketch (which would be hanging upside down in my configuration!)

 I subbed in these sweet crepe paper flowers for even more dimension & texture. 

I kept adding edge punches in lacy patterns to make this drip with girly sweetness.

Another 6x6" paper pad gave me most of the remaining patterned papers.

The ultimate fussy-cut: this tiny bird w/hearts!

My nod to the sketch embelli represented by a corner of dots.

Oh, did I enjoy myself with this page. 

I think I grinned through the whole process.

ScrapHappy, indeed!

Let me know you were here!

111414 CKC November Challenge #2 & WM Challenge #142

The boys had a really fun day out back in September down 

at Flint's Sloan Museum's Curious George exhibit.

September 22, 2014

I started my spread with CKC Challenge #2 Decorative Doors 

using this image from the CKC Pinterest board that was provided.

  I also chose this for the Whimsical Musings Challenge #142 Circles

Pinterest link

I quickly realized that I wouldn't need much in the way of supplies but that my CKC Nostalgic November kit would yield only alphas (the large Dear Lizzy yellow Thickers were perfect) & the Basic Grey Bow Ties/Red Light rocket paper. I added the brightly colored 7Gypsies Mykonos 6x6" paper pad for the other small scale patterned paper accents as it suited the photo colors well.

I know being on the Design Team allows me to keep the challenges in mind when I build my kit, but I get so caught up in the thrill of the creative process of kitting that there have been months when I didn't include what I needed for the challenges! That put's me right alongside of our members, who don't have the advantage of seeing the whole picture for the month all at once when they begin.

Anyway! Back to the spread... 

The AC Shimelle line "curious" gold word was total serendipity.

All of the books have the line, "George... was curious", hence the title.

Happy memories of reading these to the girls & now the boys.

 Lincoln was really thrilled! He brought his Curious George plush toy with him.

Someone wondered how I might use that rocket paper from my kit...

Could this be more perfect? 

Now find your inspiration from the Pinterest board & create!

Let me know you visited - okay?

110614 CKC November Challenge #1

This may sound easy, but...

CKC Challenge #1 Be Inspired by Pinterest

Pinterest is my kryptonite! 
I must stay away or I will go down the rabbit hole of time-sucking creative inspiration. 
Pets will starve, cupboards will be bare, SOS messages will be left on the dusty furniture... 
you get the picture. Diversion to the point of real life paralysis & atrophy - what a way to go!

To the drawing board...as in my own Pinterest board.

Here's the perfect idea for the photo I'm scrapping.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/377739487469098771/

 And my take...

This paper may be the oldest thing in my kit.

Graphic 45 from 2009!

 This is why even the title is perfect.  My little Yorkie, Lila,

 joins me for breakfast every morning since I retired.

Journaling reads: 

This is what breakfast looks like now that I'm retired. 

No hands on the clock to say when things happen, or when they end.

Hence the banner.

 And the sweet little cluster to show off some of the 

vintage-style goodies in my kit this month.

I loved using that washi to create a border effect at the top & bottom.

Now go grab some inspiration from Pinterest & take the challenge!

 Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog has its own Pinterest link to do the work for you if you need it.

Thanks for stopping.

Let me know you peeked in!

 

110414 CKC November Tutorials

Wow! A lot of fun things to forge this month from the Fabulous Fall kit.

I tackled some Project Life styled cards (there is a whole sheet to cut apart in the original.) 

I used some gold foil paper to create an embelli similar to
the Maya Road heart & leaf paper clips.

I couldn't let the scraps go to waste so I punched some random confetti!

I thought I could forge the We R Memory Keepers
metallic copper sentiment vellum paper.

But the question was...

Yes, it did!

I taped some ruled paper behind to keep my writing straight.

I grabbed some more of the gold foil paper & raided my washi stash...

...to forge this MME Market Street "Ashbury Heights" paper.

I like mine better & the gold even shows through the patterns.

By far the most ambitious forgery was a nod to the We R
Memory Keepers Indian Summer Feathers paper -

only in GOLD, using a gilding
kit & Amy Tan feather stamp.

  I did a test to make sure the stamp wasn't too fine of a design.

The process:

I stamped the leaves with the gilding adhesive & let it dry until tacky.

I added pieces of the gilt paper & smoothed it on with a soft brush.

As you continue to brush the excess gilding pulls away to reveal your design.

Voila! I love it.

 Of course, you could just as easily do this with regular glue & a super fine glitter.

That would be fun! A counterfeit of  a counterfeit.

Hope we have inspired you to new heights of forgery this month :-)

Let me know you were here!