040123 Archi-scraps April Challenge

 

Use 5 florals & at least 5 circles

I just L-0-V-E what Julene finds for our inspiration each month at Archiscraps!

 Gothic Conservatory in Mexico by: @craftyglassldn

This immediately put me in mind of some delightful "Sprinklets" embellishments from Buttons Galore & More that I hoard for special projects.  The tiny pieces create the mosaic in the center of each of my flowers that I feel does ample justice to the inspiration ceiling motifs.

 

 

I used a Vicki Boutin ready to use mixed media background with a green color scheme for a page about the vernal equinox that has just passed. Living in Michigan the color green is much coveted by about now! I used a winter-themed stamp set called Forest Magic fom Immediate Media Company for the fussy-cut creatures.

Here's my full page:

  

The flying birds stamp represents our delight in the return of the birds. I printed a reverse image for the right side & fussy-cut both. I have plans for an autumnal equinox page using this same general design and some of the same products. There will be leaves instead of flowers, and the birds will be flying away in that one...

  

Sunrise view out front looking east, sunset view out back looking west.

I hope we have inspired you this month! 

Be sure to link up your creation on our Facebook "Archiscraps Community Group"

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

031323 Mix It Up Monday Hop

Welcome to Mix It Up Monday – a Social Media hop where we share projects that MIX IT UP! We’re mixing up a traditional scrapbook layout with some different types of media such as texture paste, foil, paint, ink, spray, gesso, thread, stitching, in fact, the SKY's the limit! 

 

This hop is a collaboration between Anna from Piece Craft Love and Kimberly from  @IdRatherBeScrapbooking  but anyone is welcome to play along. We post the inspiration 

sketch on the last Monday of the month and then the Hop takes place on the 2nd Monday of the month!

 

This month's sketch was designed by Brenda Ragsdale for Scrap Our Stash blog's Challenge #17 and is used with permission.

First time “chef” here with no “sous-vid-eo” experience 😁

 I began by dropping my photos into the “recipe” sketch, 

after flipping it onto its side to accommodate landscape photos. 

Next I assembled my “ingredients.”

The plan was to add directional stenciled texture paste as noted on the pink sticky notes. I went looking for a certain patterned paper + a companion per the sketch. That’s when I chased a squirrel - namely the 2021 Wild Whisper Nicole White Designs “Ledger & Script” paper b-side below which became my background.

I know - it’s a total cheat - but my scrappy motto is, Let the patterned paper do the work. I added my own “secret sauce”- Shimmerz Seas The Day Vibes iridescent spray to tie in with the blue in the photos.

The stencil went by the wayside. I subbed in some Freckled Fawn puffy stickers for directional arrows. I also added a QR code linked to a brief part of our drive in Canyonlands National Park. Take a look!

 I also added some special “plating presentation” stitching and an assortment of new Ranger Dina Wakley washi tapes. The turquoise leather tie on the tag above is a nod to western colors & plays nicely with the washi color palette.

Tim Holtz sentiments add the finishing touch.

You can sign for the next month’s hop over on the Piece Craft Love Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/piececraftloveclubhouse/

 

Here is the PLAYLIST for this hop! All the videos in one place!

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWzDPKwPKsKMxtch-8BC3mfZ4yua4L-KP

Here are the hoppers for Mix It Up Monday: 

Anna from https://youtube.com/@piececraftlove 

Kimberly from @IdRatherBeScrapbooking 

Briana https://youtube.com/@lovemylifeonpaper

Stacy https://youtube.com/@scrapstuffwithstacy45

Mel from @MelWScrapping  

Hollie https://youtube.com/ivycoelcreations

Kristen from @scrappingonthefly1217  

Ashley https://youtube.com/@thescrappingnerd3566 

Annette - Wayfaring Panda https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnvmVHVeOiaM7EjW1025MKA

Christine from @ScrappingHarden 

Tara from @thepapersnob 

Leslie https://outofthemire.blogspot.com/2023/02/031323-mix-it-up-monday-hop.html 

Brandi Jo https://instagram.com/scrappy.boymama

 

Thanks for stopping by!

031223 CKC March Challenge #1 - Mood Board

Welcome back! It's time for Challenge #1 - Mood Board

Have you seen the mood board challenges that various companies host throughout the year? One of my favorites is from Pink Fresh Studios and Paper Issues. A mood board helps to capture the look and feel of a collection and can be an awesome jumping off point for creating layouts! 

I see... a grid style, butterflies, flowers, ledger paper, coffee, and feel good sentiments.

Here is my layout:

 

 

Here is what the rest of March's month of inspiration will look like:

18th March - Challenge #2 - To inspire you to get creating from your own kit.

24th March - Follower's Showcase - who has caught our eyes this month.

28th March - Killing the Kit - an idea or two focusing on using up the bits and pieces left in your kit.

You know that we always love to see your work, so please share your kits and projects with us. You can post them in our Facebook Community or share them on Instagram (we are @counterfeitkitchallenge or tag us using #counterfeitkitchallenge and #ckcmarch2023).

 

Thanks for stopping by!

030123 CKC March Kit Reveal & Blog Hop

 

Spring is coming!

In the meantime, let's refresh our winter weariness (or summer sweatiness, depending on your hemisphere) with a new Counterfeit Kit Challenge inspiration kit! But first let's meet Master Forger of Ceremonies Anna's choice for March Guest Designer, Amanda Castle!

"Over twenty years ago, my mom bought me a scrapbooking kit from QVC. Thus began my journey into this wonderfully creative, addicting, and satisfying hobby. For many years, I was a stay-at-home mom to four kids, moving from place to place with my military husband, so scrapbooking became not only an escape from the stress and loneliness being away from family can cause, but also the creative outlet and ME time I craved. I have always been drawn to all types of mixed media and LOVE embellishments so much that a dear friend (who introduced me to stamping) dubbed me “the embellishment queen. 

Today, I don’t get as much time to enjoy scrapping as I work both as a teacher and a realtor, so when I do, I love to participate in challenges. I had seen other scrappers participating in Counterfeit Kit Challenge and was beyond curious as to what it was—Enter Anna from Piece Craft Love. I am a member of her Facebook group and one day she mentioned the challenge. I asked about it and BOOM, here I am. February was technically my first month participating, but I had a blast and was so thrilled when Anna asked me to Guest Design for her month of March! I’m looking so forward to this month’s kit and the challenges coming up. It’s going to be a GREAT month!" 

Here are Anna's thoughts on her inspiration kit choice:

I chose March for my month to host because my son was born on March 17 (he will be 11 this year!) and so I thought it would be fun to find a kit that could be used to scrap photos of my kiddo. In other words, not too much pink and a little more green (St Patrick’s day and all that). Well then I came across the digital kits from Traci Reed designs that have the same colors and even some of the same designs as Storyteller, her physical collection designed for Cocoa Vanilla, a company from Australia (yes she’s the genius behind that popular collection). 

The cool thing about a digital/printable kit is that there is no limit on how much you can create, and she always packs SO MUCH into her digital kits. I also love that this collection has a very specific message of self care for mental health and body positivity which is something I’d like to focus on more going forward. I hope this kit inspires you to use your Storyteller stash but also to mix and match and find some other similar papers to work with the palette or style. I know, that’s kind of the point of CKC. I’m so excited to be able to select a kit this month!! 

LINK

There are more details on the elements at the link & also in the CKC reveal post listed below.

As always I started with the papers:

Mine:

(I omitted papers 6,7, and 13.)

Many of my papers (#1-4,6,7,9,12,16) were from the Paige Evans Bungalow Lane collection. I had pulled it out of my stash for an earlier project & when I saw the inspo kit it put me in mind of the color scheme & patterns.

Other papers: #5 2009 BasicGrey Basic/Brief, #8 2012 Crate Paper Maggie Holmes/Elizabeth Kate, #10 Prima Painted Floral 6x6" collection butterflies (I added the paper pad to the Magic Blue Box), #11 2017 Shimelle Little by Little/wood patterned rainbow, #13 2020 Carta Bella Oh Happy Day/Tiny Floral, #14 2022 Asuka Studio Denim Daydream/Hope, #15 2016 Echo Park Just Be You/Shine Bright, #17 Bella Blvd Make Your Mark/Real Deal.

 A "Paige" From My Book

My kit includes an embellishment pack, dimensional sticker pack, and a bundle of tags, cards & little sentiments from cut-apart papers from the Bungalow Lane collection. Puffy stickers from PinkFresh Studios (hearts), Amy Tangerine (icons), and Park Lane (tiny sentiments) round out my kit. I decided with the variety that I would choose alphas as I go.

I really enjoyed the more saturated color palette choice in the inspiration kit. Are you inspired? We sure hope so! Do a dive into your stash & be ready for a scrappy March. It's so easy with that box of goodies that already goes together!

Here's the full hop link list. Check out these blogs and YouTube for the reveal of everyone's kits!

Counterfeit Kit Challenge: http://counterfeitkitchallenge.blogspot.com/
Guest Designer: Amanda Castle https://youtube.com/@ajoyfulscrapper

Anna: https://www.youtube.com/@piececraftlove

Cindy: https://cindyscreations-cinmfoster.blogspot.com

Julene: http://julenebydesign.blogspot.com
Leslie: http://lcsmithsaved-outofthemire.blogspot.com
Tara:  https://kryptonite72-rambles.blogspot.com
Tina: http://tinasscrapcorner.blogspot.com

Here is what the rest of March's month of inspiration will look like:

• 2nd March - Just the Gist of It - to help you find an easy way to create your kit.
• 4th March - Forgery on the Fourth - Master Forgers share simple ideas for creating kit elements.
• 6th March - Mini Kit Reveal and Project Showcase - Inspiration for a smaller kit or project ideas.
• 12th March - Challenge #1 - To inspire you to get creating from your own kit.
• 18th March - Challenge #2 - To inspire you to get creating from your own kit.
• 24th March - Follower's Showcase - who has caught our eye this month.
• 28th March - Killing the Kit - an idea or two focusing on using up the bits and pieces left in your kit.

You know that we always love to see your work, so please share your kits and projects with us. You can post them in our Facebook Community or share them on Instagram (we are @counterfeitkitchallenge or tag us using #counterfeitkitchallenge and #ckcmarch2023).